III. In what an awful condition they are —
No words can adequately describe the misery of such a state. The persons who are obnoxious to this charge, are in a state,
1. Of fearful delusion —
[However pointed out by God, they put far from them the accusation, and boldly deny the charge. They cannot conceive of themselves as persons so lost to all that is good, as to have no love of God whatever in their hearts. They will admit that they do not love him so ardently, or serve him so fully, as they ought : but they will not admit that they have no love to him. They substitute some good sentiments re- specting God in the place of real love to him ; and thus, deceiving themselves by their own vain imaginations, they neglect to humble themselves before God on account of their extreme wickedness. Truly, if there were but one such per- son in the midst of us, one who was buoying himself up with some fallacious conceits, whilst God said respecting him, ' There is a wretch that has no love to me ;' who amongst us would not be ready to weep over him ? and who would not labour to undeceive him, whilst yet a discovery of his error might be available for his welfare?]
2. Of just condemnation —
d 1 John hi. 17. c 1 John v. 3.
[It is not possible but that such persons must be objects of God's wrathful indignation. In fact, they are the very image of Satan himself: for what can be said worse of Satan than this, or what can characterize him more justly than this, that he has no love to God ? It is not necessary that a man should have committed murder or adultery, to deserve the wrath of God. If he has no love to the Supreme Good, to Him whose perfections are infinite, to Him who every moment maintains him in existence ; if he have no love to Him who gave his only dear Son to die for him, and offers his Holy Spirit to renew and sanctify him, and would gladly confer on him all the blessings both of grace and glory ; his desert of Gods wrath is unquestionable. St. Paul says, " If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran- atha :" and there is not a creature in the universe that will not assent to the same denunciation, in reference to the wretch that loves not God.]
3. Of utter incapacity for happiness, even if he were actually admitted into heaven —
[Suppose a man, destitute of love to God, were admitted into heaven ; what happiness could he find there ? Amidst all the heavenly hosts, there would not be so much as one with whom he could hold communion, or have one single feeling in sympathy. As for God, the God whom he hates, he could not bear the sight of him. The sinner would know, that it was in vain for him to assume any appearances of love ; for that his heart could not but be known to God, and consequently he must be an object of God's utter abhorrence. For the em- ployments of heaven, it is obvious he could have no taste: and he would solicit a dismission from the place, where every thing he saw and heard must, of necessity, generate in him the bit- terest feelings of envy, malignity, and despair. To take his portion under rocks and mountains would be to him a deliver- ance from scenes to which he was utterly averse, and from vexations painful to him as hell itself.]
Now, then,
1. Let every one of us institute an inquiry into this matter —
[St. Paul exhorted the Hebrews of old to " examine them- selves, whether they were in the faith:" so now I would say, " Examine yourselves," whether there be in you any love to God. Do not take it for granted, without examination ; and be careful, also, not to try yourselves by an inadequate test. Take the tests that have been before proposed ; and see what is the habitual state of your minds in relation to them. To what purpose will it be to say, you love God ; when the entire