III. That believers ought to be excited to the earnest consideration of it.
1. To quicken our thankfulness, which is the chief motive and principle of gospel-obedience. There is a slackness and slowness of heart in holy things ; there are sundry methods, and ways, and means to work upon us, but they may all be reduced to two — love and fear ; and hope may be joined herein with love. We are thankful not only for the benefits we have received, but the benefits we expect from the love and goodness of God. Now all the motives that belong to fear do not make so kindly, so strong, and so durable an impression as those that arise from love. In fear we force ourselves, but love begets an inclination: it is love, and not fear, that is the bias and inclination of the soul. And look, what difference there is between a forcible impression and a natural and voluntary inclination, that there is between fear and love. A man is forced to do a thing by fear which he had rather leave undone ; but as for love non cogitur, sed cogit — 'The love of Christ constraineth us.' The constraints of fear are ingrate, and unacceptable to the soul; but of love, pleasing. This appears by the Israelites making brick for Pharaoh, when forced by their taskmasters ; and the Jews repairing the city and the temple : Neh. iv. 6, ' The people had a mind to the work.' Nothing now worketh upon love but love: 1 John iv. 19, ' We love him because he loved us first ; we love him who first loved us.' And where have we the fairest prospect of God's love, but in this relation of love, and adopting us to be his children, and to be heirs of glory by Jesus Christ ? The sum of what is spoken is this : That when we love God most, we are most pleasing to God and ourselves ; our duties run on the most freely and sweetly, and we are most like abundantly to love God when our thoughts are most steeped in the love of God.
2. That we may keep up the joy of our faith and comfort in afflic- tions from the world. Though we be God's children, yet the greatest part of the world treateth us as slaves. The apostle intimateth so much in the text : ' The world knoweth us not.' Princes in disguise in a foreign land may meet with manifold abuses, which otherwise would not be offered to them if their quality and condition were known; so God's children and heirs make no fair show in the flesh. But Tear not, little flock ; it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the king- dom.' It doth support us often and frequently to consider the world cannot hate us so much as God loveth us. If the world be an enemy, God is a father ; they cannot put so much disgrace and contempt upon us as God will put glory. If you be to them ' the scurf and off-scouring of all things,' you are to God as jewels ; if they thrust
VER. 1.] SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. 447
you out of the world, God will receive you to heaven ; if they prepare a dungeon, God hath prepared a kingdom.
3. That we may be satisfied and contented with our portion ; if you have God to your Father, what though you be straitened in the world ? A man has no interest in spiritual privileges unless he doth prize and value them ; for God will not cast pearls before swine, that trample them under their feet. Now the practical estimation exceedeth the speculative when we are contented in the want of other things ; as David saith, Ps. xvii. 14, 15, ' From men which are thy right hand, 0 Lord, from men of the world, whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure. As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness : I will be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.' We need not envy others their portion ; there should be a well-pleasedness in our con- dition : Ps. xvi. 5-7, ' The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup : thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places ; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel ; my reins also instruct me in the night-season.'
4. To stir us up to be exemplary in holiness ; for if God be match- less in his love, we should be singular in our holiness ; our return must carry proportion with our receipts : ' Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us ! ' Then the inference may well be, ' What manner of persons ought we to be, in all holy conversation and godliness ? ' and we should study to please him more. As fatherly love, and the benefits depending thereupon, are fullest and surest ; so should filial duty be highest and freest.
5. We should consider it, that we may clear up our interest the more in it, and not foolishly content ourselves with an inferior happi- ness. Surely if it be so certain a truth, and so great a privilege, we should see that it be ours, and be able to say, ' What manner of love hath God bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of the most high God ! '