we seen concentered in him all divine and human excellence, so as to be constrained to say, " Who is like unto Thee ? " And do we " account all things but dung for the excellency of the knowledge of him?" If we love him aright, our love to him must infinitely exceed all creature-attachment : life itself must have lost its value, in comparison of his will and his glory. To say, " My beloved is mine, and I am his," must be the summit of our ambition, more in our estimation than ten thou- sand worlds. Inquire then whether this be indeed the habit of your minds ? The splendour of the sun eclipses the feebler radiance of the stars : and in like manner will the glory of the Sun of Righteousness, if it be indeed beheld by us, cause all sublunary glory to vanish from before our eyes.]
2. His ways?
[" He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me," saith our Lord himself. We know how strongly even creature-affection will operate to make us consult the wishes, and perform the will, of the object beloved: and the love of Christ will assuredly operate in the same manner : it will " constrain us to live, not to ourselves, but unto Him who died for us and rose again." His command- ments, whatever self-denial they may require, will never ap- pear grievous ; but we shall account his service to be perfect freedom. In proportion as " God enlarges our hearts," it will be our delight to " run the way of his commandments." How is it then with us in this respect ? Are we panting after higher degrees of holiness, and labouring with augmented diligence to do whatsoever will be pleasing in his sight ? Are we " forgetting what is behind, and reaching forward to that which is before," accounting nothing attained whilst any thing remains to be attained, and longing to " stand perfect and com- plete in all the will of God ?" This, this is the fruit of love : and if we say that we love Christ whilst we are strangers to this frame, " we are liars, and the truth is not in usV]
3. His salvation ?
[It cannot fail but that, if we love Christ, we must love that glorious plan of salvation which he has revealed to us, " and glory above all things in the cross of Christ:" there will appear a suitableness in it, a perfect correspondence with all our wants and necessities. The atonement which Christ has offered for us will be regarded with wonder and admiration, as the most mysterious fruit of divine wisdom, and the most stupendous effort of divine love. The opening made by it for the harmonious exercise and united display of all the divine
b 1 John ii. 4.