God and Christ are wondrously pleased with faith. ' Thou hast wounded me with one of thine eyes.' Faith, and love from faith, wounds the breast of Christ : therefore let us labour for faith. ' 0 woman, great is thy faith,' Mat. xv. 28. It is such a grace as binds and overcomes God, it honours him so much. Let us therefore labour for faith, and in believing, for all graces. They are things that God loves. Therefore let us labour to be furnished with all things that he loves. Especially those graces that have some excellency set upon them in the Scripture we should most esteem. Isaac, when he was to marr}^ Rebecca, he sends her jewels before- hand, that having them, she might be more lovely in his eye, Mat. xv. 28. So Christ, the husband of his church, that he might take more delight and content in his church, he sends her jewels beforehand ; that is, he enricheth * Tliat is, = nice, clean, opposed to filthy. Cf. Vol. II. p. 80 — G.
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his churcli ^Yith the spirit of faith, meekness, humility, and love, and all {,Taces, that he may delight and take content in his spouse. Those that have not somewhat that God may delight in them, they have not the spirit of love. Those, therefore, that rebel instead of giving God content ; that resist the Spirit, and the motions of it, in the ministry, and in reprehen- sions, and the like : those that live in sins directly against God's command, that are common swearers, and filthy persons, neglecters of holy things, profane, godless persons, do they talk of the love of God and of heaven ? You may see the filthiness of their hearts by the filthiuess that issues from them. God keeps not such excellencies for such persons. The love of God, and living in sins against conscience, will not stand together. A demonstration of love is c.rhibitio ojjeris, the exhibition of somewhat to please God. Shew me in thy course what thou doest to please God. If thou live in courses that are condemned, never talk of love. It is a pitiful thing to see in the bosom of the church, under the glorious revelation of divine truth, that men should live apparently* and impudently in sins against conscience, that glory in their shame. It is a strange thing that they should glory in their profaneness and swaggering ; that they should glory in a kind of atheistical carriage. As they have been bred, so they will be still. Many are marred in that ; they are either poisoned in their first breeding, or neglected in it.
To see under the glorious gospel of Christ, that those that think they have souls eternal, that they should live in impudent base courses, void of religion and humanity, only to satisfy their own lusts, instead of satisfying and obeying God ; men that live in the bosom of the church as beasts, and yet hope to be saved as well as the best ; Oh, but the hope of the hj^po- crite, the hope of such persons, will deceive them.
Oh let us labour therefore to have this affection of love planted in our hearts ; that God by his Spirit would teach us to love him, and to love one another. This affection of love must be taught by God. It is not a mat- ter of the brain to teach that, but a matter of the heart. God only is the great schoolmaster and teacher of the heart. He must not only com- mand us to love, but teach om* affections by his Holy Spirit, to enable our affections to love him.
Where love is in this regard likewise to give content, there will be love of all those whom the party we approve ourselves to loves. Is there any of Jonathan's posterity, saith David, that I may do good to them for his sake ? 2 Sam. ix. 1. The soul that loves God and Christ saith, Is there any good people, any that carry the image of God and Christ ? It will be sure to love them. It will do good to Jonathan's posterity. Those that hate them that carry the image of God and Christ, that their sto- mach riseth against good men, how do they * love him that begets, when they love not him that is begotten ?' 1 John v. 1. There cannot be the love of God in such a man. Undoubtedly if we love God, we shall love his children, and anything that hath God's stamp upon it. We shall love his truth and his cause and religion, and whatsoever is divine and toucheth upon God. We shall love it, because it is his. It is such an affection as sets the soul on work to think. Wherein may I give content to such a person ? It is full of devices and mventions to please. Therefore it thinks, Can I give consent in loving such and such ? As Christ saith, he that respects these little ones, it is to me, it is accountable on my part, I will see it answered, Matt, xviii. 5. If the love of Christ be in us, we will * That is, ' openly.' — G.
190 A GLANCE OF HEAVEN.