1 Qu. 'degree'?— Ed.
VeR. 14.] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. 165
Secondly, As love implieth a desire of nearer communion with him' so we will be often in his company in duties. Frequency and fervency of converse with God in prayer, and other holy duties, is an effect of love. There cannot a day pass, but they will find some errand or occasion to confer with God, to implore his help, to ask his leave, counsel, and blessing, to praise his name : Ps. cxix. 164, ' Seven times a day will I praise thee.' Now when men can pass over whole days and weeks, and never give God a visit, it argueth little love : Jer. ii. 32, ' My people have forgotten me days without number.' There is little love where there is a constant strangeness : Ps. xxvi. 8, * I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth ; ' they love ordinances, because there they meet with God ; and Ps. Ixiii. 2, ' That I may see thee as I have seen thee.' They cannot let a day pass, nor a duty pass. God is object and end ; they seek him and serve him. Love is at least cold, if not stark dead, when God is neglected, when we have no mind to duties, or God is neglected in them.
(2d.) With respect to sin. When the sense of our obligation to Christ is warm upon the heart, sin doth not escape so freely; love will not endure it to live and act in the heart. Grace will teach us to war and strive against it, Titus ii. 12. ' Do we thus requite the Lord ? ' Or is this thy kindness to thy friend ? Sin is more bewailed : as she wept much, because she loved much, Luke vii. 47. Now when you wallow in sin without remorse, have lost your conscientious tenderness, can sin freely in thought, and sometimes foully in act, spend time vainly, have not such a lively hatred of evil, Ps. xcvii. 10, let loose the reins to wrath and anger, the heart is not watched, the tongue is not bridled, speeches are idle, yea, rotten and profane ; wrath and envy tyrannise over the soul ; you are become vain and careless, more bold and venturous upon temptations and snares, less complaining of sin, or groaning under the relics of corruption ; surely love decayeth.
(3d.) With respect to the duties of obedience. Love where it re- maineth in its strength.
First, Breedeth selt-denial, so that the impediments of obedience are more easily overcome, and so we are the more undaunted, notwith- standing dangers ; as Daniel more unwearied in the work of the Lord, patient under labours, difficulties, and sufferings. Love will be at some expense for the party beloved, and will serve God whatever it costs us ; nay, counts that duty worth nothing that costs nothing, 2 Sam. xxiv. 24. Now when every lesser thing is pleaded by way of bar and hesitancy, and all seemeth too much, and too long, and too grievous to be borne, love is not kept in vigour ; an unwilling heart is soon turned out of the way, and everything is hard and toilsome to it. Secondly, It maketh us act with sweetness and complacency : 1 John V. 3, ' His commandments are not grievous.' Acts of love are sweet and pleasing ; therefore when you have left the sweetness and com- placency of your obedience, the fervour o! your love is decayed ; other- wise it would, be no burden to you to be emplo3'ed for a good God, Thirdly, It puts a life into duties, Piom. xii. 11, 'Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.' Otherwise the worship of God is performed perfunctorily, and in a careless, stupid manner;
1G6 SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeR. XXV.
sin is confessed without remorse, or sense of the wrong done to God ; prayer for spiritual blessings without any such ardent desire to obtain them ; returning thanks without any esteem of the benefits, or affection to God in the remembrance of them ; singing without any Ufe, or affection, or dehght in God, or spiritual melody in our hearts ; conference of God and heavenly things, either none or very slight, and careless hearing without attention ; reading, without a desire of profit ; our whole service like a carcase without a soul. As faith enliveneth our opinions, so doth love our practices ; and as dry reason is a dead thing to faith, so without love everything done God-ward, is done slightly ; why do we find more life in our recreations, than in our solemn duties, but because our love is decayed ?
[5.] Having now found the sin, let us consider the causes of it.
(1.) One cause or occasion may be the badness of the times. The best christians may decay in bad times. The reason is given, Mat. xxiv. 12, ' Because iniquity doth abound, the love of many shall wax cold.' Iniquity beareth a double sense ; either a general or a more limited sense. When there is a deluge of wickedness, sin by being common groweth less odious. The limited sense is, taking iniquity for persecution ; because of the sharpness of persecution many shall fall off from Christianity. This should not be so ; christians should shine, like stars, brightest in the darkest night, Phil. ii. 15, 16 ; or like fire, or a fountain, hottest in coldest weather ; as David, in Ps. cxix. 126, 127, ' It is time for thee, Lord, to work, for they have made void thy law ; therefore I love thy commandments above gold, above fine gold.' But it is hard to maintain the fire, when the world keepeth pouring on water. There is a certain liberty which we are apt to take in evil times, or a damp and deadness of spirit, which groweth upon us.