Thus is this whole business stated by the apostle, Eph. i. 4, " Ac- cording as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." It begins in the love of God, and ends in our love to him. That is it which the eternal love of God aims at in us, and works us up unto. It is true, our universal obedience falls within the compass of our communion with God ; but that is with him as God, our blessed sove- reign, lawgiver, and rewarder: as he is the Father, our Father in Christ, as revealed unto us to be love, above and contrary to all the expectations of the natural man; so it is in love that Ave have this intercourse with him. Nor do I intend oidy that love which is as the life and form of all moral obedience ; but a peculiar delight and acquiescing in the Father, revealed effectually as love unto the soul.
That this communion with the Father in love may be made the more clear and evident, I shall show two things: — [1.] Wherein this
' Deut. vi. 4, 5.
■^ " Amor superiie descendens ad diviuaiu pulclniliidiiieni omnia couvocat." — I'roclus lib. do Anima. et Da'm.
' " Uuio substaiitialis est causa amoris siii ipsius; similitudinis, est causa amoiis alterius; sed uiiio roalis quam amans (juivrit de re amata, est eifectus amoris." — Thorn. 12, (1. 28, 1, 3.
* Josh. xxii. 5, xxiii. 11; Neli. i. 5.
' Vs. xviii. 1, xxxi. 23, xcvii. 10, c.wi. 1; 1 Cor. ii. 9; James i. 12; Isa. ivi. 6; Matt. xxii. 37; llom. viii. 28.
OF COMMUNION WITH GOD THE FATHER. 25
love of God unto us and our love to him do agree, as to some man- ner of analogy and likeness. [2.] Wherein they^ differ; which will farther discover the nature of each of them.
[1.] They agree in two things: —
\st. That they are each a love of rest and complacency.
(\st) The love of God is so. Zeph. iii. 17, " The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing." Both these things are here assigned unto God in his love, — ^rest and DELIGHT. The words are, '1J^?l|^^ t^''"!"!', — " He shall be silent be- cause of his love." To rest with contentment is expressed by being silent ; that is, without repining, without complaint. This God doth upon the account of his own love, so full, so every way complete and absolute, that it will not allow him to complain of any thing in them whom he loves, but he is silent on the account thereof Or, "Rest in his love;" that is, he will not remove it, — he will not seek farther for an- other object. It shall make its abode upon the soul where it is once fixed, for ever. And complacency or delight: " He rejoiceth with singing;" as one that is fully satisfied in that object he hath fixed his love on. Here are two words used to express the delight and joy that God hath in his love,— Si'^i^^ and ^'^^ The first denotes the inward affection of the mind, joy of heart; and to set out the in- tenseness hereof, it is said he shall do it i^CP^^'ri, — in gladness, or with joy. To have joy of heart in gladness, is the highest expression of delight in love. The latter word denotes not the inward affection, but the outward* demonstration of it : dyaXXiav seems to be formed of it. It is to exult in outward demonstration of internal delight and joy; — " Tripudiare," to leap, as men overcome with some joyful surprisal. And therefore God is said to do this '^P.^, — with a joyful sound, or singing. To rejoice with gladness of heart, to exult with singing and praise, argues the greatest delight and complacency pos- sible. When he wovild express the contrary of this love, he says oux ivdoariss, — " he was not well pleased," 1 Cor. x. 5 ; he fixed not his delight nor rest on them. And, " If any man draw back, the Lord's soul hath no pleasure in him," Heb. x. 38 ; Jer. xxii. 28 ; Hos. viii. 8 ; Mai. i. 10. He takes pleasure in those that abide with him. He sings to his church, " A vineyard of red wine : I the Lord do keep it," Isa. xxvii. 2, 3; Ps. cxlvii. 11, cxlix. 4. There is rest and compla-
' ' AvaXoyov V Iv a^ao-cci! nrul; xecf vTt^o^iiv ouaais (piXiais, x.ai T>)» (pikn<riv oi7 yivitr^a.!,
etc.— Arist. Eth., lib. viii. cap. 7.
2 " Effectus ainoris qiiando habetur amatum, est delectatio." — Thom. 12, q. 25, a. 2, 1. " Amor est complacentia amantis inamato. Amor est niotus cordis, de- lectantis se in aliquo." — August.
* " Externum magis gaudii gestum, quam internam animi Isetitiam significat, cum velut tripudiis et volutationibus gaudere se quis ostendit." — Pagnin. "515; Isetitia gestiit, auiuii Igetitiam gestu corporis expressit, exilivit gaudio." — Calas.
26 OF COMMUNION WITH GOD THE FATHER.