2. Yet it is our duty to try seriously the sincerity and soundness of ■our respects to Christ ; partly, because the heart is very deceitful, and we must search warily. Christ putteth Peter to the question thrice : John xxi. 15-19, ' Lovest thou me ?' It is some conviction to a liar to make him repeat his tale. A deceitful heart will be apt to reply, that he is not worthy to live who doth not love Christ ; but urge it again and again. Do I indeed love Christ ? Yea, leave not till you can appeal to God himself for the sincerity of your love : ' Lord, thou knowest all things, and thou knowest that I love thee.' And partly also, because there is a great deal of counterfeit love ; therefore the apostle saith, Eph. vi. 24, ' Grace be with all them that love the Lord Jesus Christ
174 SERMOXS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeR. XXVI.
ill sincerity.' Many profess love, whose love when it cometh to be tried will be found counterfeit and insincere. Oar Lord Jesus telleth the Pharisees, who were quarrelling witii him for healing a man upon the sabbath day, John v. 42, ' But I know you, that you have not the love of God in you/ They pretended great love and zeal for the sab- bath, and therefore opposed the working of that miracle. Men may pretend zeal for God's glory and his ordinances, who yet have no true love to God ; as many pretend great esteem of the memory of Christ, yet hate his servants and slight his ways.
3. The great standing evidence of love is obedience, or a universal resolution, and care to please God in all things. I shall prove to you from scripture first that it is so, then from reason.
[1.] From scripture : John xiv. 15, 'If ye love me, keep my com- mandments.' None truly love Christ but those that make conscience of obedience ; so verse 21, ' He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me;' so verse 23, ' If a man love me, he will keep my words ; ' so John xv. 14, ' Ye are my friends, if ye do Avhatsoever I command you.' Friendship consisteth in a harmony of raind and will ; there is such a real friendship between Christ and believers, which maketh them cordial, cheerful, zealous, and constant in their obedience to him : 1 John ii. 5, ' But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected ; ' that is, hath produced its consummate effect ; so 1 John v. 3, ' This is love, to keep his command- ments.' Love implieth the doing of those things which are most grateful and acceptable to the party beloved ; and this is the prime, if not the only way, of demonstrating our love to God, which the scripture so much insisteth upon ; so Exod. xx. 6, ' That love me, and keep my commandments.' »
[2.] Now for the reasons. Our love to God is not the love of courtesy that passeth between equals, but a love of dutiful subjection, such as is due from an inferior to a superior ; such as is that of servants to their master, subjects to their prince and governor, creatures to their creator ; and therefore is not discovered by a fellow- like familiarity, so much as by obedience. God's love to us is an act of bounty, our love to him is an act of duty ; and therefore he will see that the trial of this love of gratitude or this returning love be sincere, if it produce an uniform * and constant obedience, or an universal care to please God in all things ; faith is known by love, and love by obedience, Gal. vi. 15, and Gal. V. 6.
4. This obedience which love produceth must be active, constant, and pleasant.
[1.] Active and laborious. Love will not rest in word and profession " only, or lie lurking in the heart as an idle habit, but will break out in sensible proof's and endeavours, and keep us hard at work for God : E,om. xii. 11, 'Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.' So it is where there is love ; but for others everything is tedious to flesh and blood ; and where love is cold, men cannot over- come a little ease and sloth of the flesh. Now how can they know the love of God, who will do nothing for him, or no great thing for him ? Till you abound in the work of the Lord, love doth not discover itself ; love will be working and labouring, and ever bringing forth fruit ;
VeR. 14.] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. 175
and that is not real and sincere which is not such, which will not be at the pains and charge of obedience.
[2.] Constant ; for one act or two will not manifest our love to God, but a course of holiness : John xv. 10, ' If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love ; even as I have kept the Father's command- ments, and abide in his love,' And love must show itself, as by obe- dience, so by a constant obedience ; and therefore it requireth some competent space of time before we can be fully assured of the sincerity of it. When we find it growing, it is very comfortable, and when we have rode out so many temptations, it is an encouragement still to go on with God.