3. We are sc) far obliged as in some measure to get ground upon them, for a christian is to grow in grace. There are some sins which are not so easily or altogether avoidable by the ordinary assistances of grace vouchsafed, as sins of ignorance, sudden surreption, and daily incursion ; and there are other sins which may be and are avoided so far by God's children, so as that tliey do not frequently, easily, and constantly lapse into them. There are other grievous evils which christians do not ordinarily fall into, unless in some rare cases. A christian may lapse into them, as being overborne by the violence of a temptation, as Noah's drunkenness. Lot's incest, David's adultery ; foul sins, but there was no habitual aversation from God ; but yet a foul fall cuts the strength of a christian resolution, being overborne by some violent temptations. Now against the first of these, striving against unavoidable infirmities is conquering ; the second must be mortified and weakened. In the other it is not enough to strive against them, but forsake them and grow wiser for the future. •
Secondly, As to the second part of the case, the confinement.
Alls. God doth not require that we should love nothing, think of nothing, but himself. The state of this life will not permit that ; but God must have all the heart so far (1.) That nothing beloved against God. A prohibited object is forbidden ; sin must not be loved, as they loved darkness more than light, John iii. 19. (2.) Nothing above God with a superior love : Mat, x, 37, ' He that loveth father, or mother, more than me, is not worthy of me.' (3.) Not equally with God. Other things are excluded from an equal love, for then our love to God is but a partial and half love, divided between God and the creature. No ; Luke xiv. 26, ' We must hate father and mother, and wife and children,' &c. ; God above all, and our neighbour as ourself. God can endure no rival ; this love to man is but the second commandment,
VeR. 14.] SEFvBIONS UPON 2 CORINTniANS V. 173
and must give way to the first. (4.) Notliing apart from God, but as subordinate to him : Ps. Ixxiii. 25, ' Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there is none on earth I desire besides thee.' I must love my friends in him, and my foes for him, his people because of his image, all because of his command ; God in his creatures, Christ in his members ; myself, wife, children, natural comforts, in God and for God. To set up anything as a divided end from God is a great evil, as well as to set lip anything as an opposite end to him. It may be a damnable sin to love any worldly comfort without subordinating it to God : James iv. 4, ' Ye adulterers, and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity to God ? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God ; ' 1 John ii. 15, ' Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world ; if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.' Apart from God is spiritual adultery.
How shall I do in short to know that I have the love of God in me ? What is the undoubted evidence, by which I may judge of my state, or know that my love to God is sincere ?
A71S. 1. It concernetli us more to act grace, than to know that we have it. Do you set yourselves with all your hearts, and with all your souls to love God, and you shall soon know that you love him. Things will discover themselves, when in any good degree of predomi- nancy ; and love, when it is in any strength, cannot well be hidden from the party that hath it ; as a man burning hot will soon feel himself warm. But small things are hardly discerned ; a weak pulse seemeth to be as none at all. Many languish after comforts, and spend their time in idle complaints, and so continue the mischief they complain of Up and be doing ; and bestow more time in getting and increasing, and acting grace, than in anxious doubtings whether you have any ; comfort Cometh sooner by looking to precepts, which tell us what we should do, than signs, which tell us what we are, and the acting of love is the best way to have it manifested ; so Christ telleth us, John xiv. 21, ' He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and manifest myself to him.' There is the way to get the manifestation of grace, and of Christ's owning us. Give God his ■due obedience, and you shall not want comfort ; it is a purer respect that we show to God by minding his interest rather than our own ; and to love him, and wait for the time when we shall know that we love him.