It is not possible to enlarge our expectations too much, if only we confine them within the promises of God. As surely as we attain this character,
1. We shall possess his favour —
[Much as " he abhors all the workers of iniquity," he will retain no unkind thought towards us: on the contrary, "he will love us," approving our spirit, accepting our services, and " rejoicing over us to do us goode." The Lord Jesus Christ also says, " And I will love you." A love of benevolence he felt towards us when we were yet enemies; but now he will feel a love of complacency, even such a love as shall make him
attentive to our every want, our every concern
Of course, it must here be supposed, that our obedience to his commandments proceeds from proper principles ; not from a desire of establishing a righteousness of our own, but from a grateful sense of his redeeming love, and from a zeal for his glory : if this be not the case, our best efforts will be even hateful both to the Father and to Christ, inasmuch as they are substituted in the place of that atoning blood of Christ, which alone can cleanse us from all sin : but if our obedience be pure in its principle, uniform in its tenour, and impartial in its extent, then shall it surely be accepted for Christ's sake, and be rewarded with the everlasting favour of our Godf.]
2. We shall have the present manifestations of it to our souls —
[There are manifestations of God to the soul, which the world have no idea of. In reading of the word, in prayer, in meditating on the promises, God will take away the veil from our hearts, and discover himself to us, and lift up the light of his countenance upon us, and " shed abroad his love in our hearts." By the communications of his Spirit to us, he will enable us to cry, Abba, Father ; he will witness with our spirits that we are his children ; he will give us an earnest of our in- heritance, even the present foretaste of heaven itself in our souls. Our Lord, when interrogated by Judas, confirmed this truth by repeated asseverations, and repeatedly also confirmed what he had spoken respecting the character of those to whom these blessings should be vouchsafed5. We may be assured there- fore, that to expect these manifestations is no presumption ; but, on the contrary, they are the proper portion of all who love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.]
From this subject we may clearly see, that religion is, 1. A holy thing —
Jer.xxxii. 41. Zeph. iii. 17. f Sec John xvi. 27. s ver. 22—24.