There is yet one more ingredient in this love, namely, that it must be exercised towards the saints for Christ's sake —
[It must be " shewed towards the name of our God" as reconciled to us in Christ Jesus. It is this which gives to love its chief excellence. Though the saints are ostensible objects towards whom it is exercised, yet it must in reality terminate on God in them. It is to him that every thing must be done : but as he personally is out of our reach, we are to do it to them as his representatives. He is to be the one great object in whom all our affections centre : and not being able to pour out our ointment upon his head, we must, in testimony of the desires of our souls, pour it out, as we are able, upon all his members.]
This principle so operating, most assuredly " ac- companies salvation" —
[It is declared by our blessed Lord to be that whereby we may know to a certainty our own conversion % and may be distinguished for his people by all who behold us^. Moreover, if we live in the exercise of this principle, we are assured by God himself, that " we shall never fall, but that an abundant entrance shall be ministered unto us into the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ*^." And so infallibly is the final salvation of the soul connected with it, that every exer- cise of it shall be remembered, " not so much as a cup of cold water given to a disciple in the name of a disciple, ever falling short of its reward." Indeed, God would consider himself as *' unrighteous, if he were to forget" to recompense these things in the eternal world. Not that any works of ours can claim any recompence on the ground oi merit : but, on the ground of God's promises, we may be assui'ed that salvation shall be given to us, if we live under the influence of this love : and we may expect it from him as a merciful, a faithful, and a " righteous Judge '^."]
Such being " the things that accompany salvation," we proceed to shew,
II. Our duty in relation to them —
It is the duty of all to abound in them —
[It is supposed in the text that the believing Hebrews had both possessed and exercised this love : indeed, it was from a persuasion of this that St. Paul was so well satisfied of their
* 1 John iii. 14. ^ John xiii. 35.
<= 2 Pet. i 10, 11. '12 Tim. iv. 8.
2292.1 THINGS THAT ACCOMPANY SALVATION. 2lS
being in a state of acceptance with God. And we too must live under the habitual influence of this gracious principle, taking every occasion to manifest it towards the saints in acts of kindness both to their bodies and their souls. " We must walk in love, as Christ has loved us."]
It is yet further our duty to persevere in these labours even " to the end " —
[We are " never to be weary of well doing :" never to think that we have done enough ; or rather, never to think we have done any thing, as long as any thing remains to be done. We are not to be deterred by difficulties, nor to draw back on account of disappointments. In extending our labours of love to all the saints, we shall sometimes find that we mistake the characters of those whom we have endeavoured to serve : but we must not on this account neglect or intermit our duty. We may take the more care to discriminate between the different characters of men ; but must on no account refuse to give the children their meat, because some portions of our bounty have been unwittingly wasted upon dogs. If any have abused our kindness, the loss is their own : but if we neglect to shew kindness, the loss is ours. We must never lay down the habit, but with our lives.]