396 DOCTRINE OF THE SAIKTS' PERSEVERANCE. [CIIAP.
of love and obedience unto God ; if not, it may well doubt it never tasted of that love or enjoyed any fruits of it.
Idly. It gives the love of God the glory of its constancy and un- cluingeahleness. This is another star of an eminent magnitude in the heaven of love. It is not a fading, a wavering, an altering thing, but abides for ever ; God " rests in his love," Zeph. iii. 1 7. It is a great thing, indeed, to apprehend that the great God should fix his love upon a poor creature, but add hereunto that he rnay love them one day and hate them the next, embrace them one hour and the next cast them into hell, one day rejoicing over them with joy, another rejoicing to destroy them; as it is dishonourable to God, and derogatory to all his divine excellencies and perfections, so, in particular, it clotheth his love with the most uncomely and undesir- able garment that ever was put upon the affections of the meanest worm of the earth. What can ye say more contemptible of a man, more to his dishonour among all wise and knowing men, or that shall render his respects and affections more undesirable, than to say, "He is free of his love, indeed, but he abides not in it. What a world of examples have we of those who have been in his bosom and have again been cast out ! " Though among men something may be pre- tended in excuse of this, with respect \vaio their ignorance, the shortness of their foresight, disability to discern between things and appearances, yet in respect of God, "before whom all things are open and naked," in whose eye all incidences and events lie as clearly stated as things that are already past and gone, what can be said of such a vain supposal for the vindication of his glory? It is said that " men change from Avhat they were Avhen God loved them, and therefore his love changeth also." But who first made them fit to be beloved? did not the Lord? Do they make them- selves differ from others? On what account did he do it? was it not merely on the account of his own grace? Can he not as well preserve them in a state of being beloved as put them into it? And if he determined that he would not preserve them in that condition, why did he set his love upon them when himself "knew that he would not continue it to them? Was it only to give his love the dishonour of a change? I say, then, the doctrine contended for gives the love of God the glory of its immutability, asserts it to be like himself, unchangeable, — that there is not, indeed, in itself the "least shadow of turning." It may be eclipseil and obscured, as to its beams and influences, for a season ; but changed, turned away, it cannot be. And this consideration of it renders it to the souls of the saints inestimably precious. The very thought of it, considering that nothing else couUl possibly save or preserve them, is marrow to their bones and health to their souls, and makes them cry out to all that is within them to love the Lord and to live unto him.
X.] THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE DOCTRINE. 397
Zdly. It gives it the glory of its fruitfulness. A barren love is upon the matter no love. Love that hath no breasts, no bowels, that pities not, that assists not, deserves not that heavenly name. Will ye say she is a tender, loving, mother who can look on a lan- guishing, perishing child, yea, see a ravenous beast, whom yet she could easily drive away, take it out of her arms and devour it be- fore her face, and not put forth her strength for its assistance or deliverance? or will ye say she is a tiger, and a monster in nature? And shall we feign such a love in God towards his children (which is such that all the bowels of a tender parent to an only child are but as a drop to the ocean in comparison of it) as that he looks on whilst they languish and perish, fall, sink, and die away into everlasting calamity? yea, that notwithstanding it he will suffer the roaring lion to come and snatch them away out of his arms, and devour them be- fore his face ; that he will look upon them sinking into eternal separa- tion from him, and such destruction as that it had been infinitely better for them never to have been born, without putting forth his power and the efficacy of his grace for their preservation? " O foolish people and unwise! shall we thus requite the Lord" as to render him so hard a Master, so cruel a Father to his tender ones, the lambs of his Son, washed in his blood, quickened by his Spirit, owned by him, smiled on, embraced ten thousand times, as to suffer them so to be taken out of his hands? Is there nothing in his love to cause his "bowels to move and his repentings to be kindled together" towards a poor dying child, that surely departeth not without some sad looks to- wards his Father? "Nemorepente fit turpissimus." Is this the kindness which he exalteth above the love of a woman to her suck- ing child, of a mother to the fruit of her womb? Oh that men should dare thus foolishly to charge the Almighty, to ascribe such a barren, fruitless love to him who is love, towards his children, who are as the apple of his eye, his dear and tender ones, as would be a perpetual blot and stain to any earthly parent to have righteously ascribed to him! I say, then, our doctrine gives the love of God the glory of its fruitfulness. It asserts it to be such a fountain-love as from whence continually streams of grace, kindness, mercy, and re- freshment do flow : "Because he loveth us with everlasting love, there- fore with loving-kindness he draweth us," Jer. xxxi. 3. From that love proceed continual supplies of the Spirit and grace by whicli those of whom it is said they " abide" are preserved lovely and fit by him to be beloved. It tells us that because God " loveth his people," therefore are they " in his hand," Deut. xxxiii. 3. It declares it to be such a love as is the womb of all mercy, whence pardon, healing, recovery from wounds, sicknesses, and dying pangs, do continually flow; a love upon the account whereof the persons loved may make conclusion that they shall lack nothing, Ps. xxiii. 1 ; a love whose