are beloved by him with an everlasting love, are brought to believe on him.

I may know I am beloved of the Lord, from what? why, experiencing his love shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Ghost. Jonathan loved David as his own soul. Most of you know what love is in a carnal sense; and if there be a union of souls between creature and creature, surely there must be a union of souls between the Creator and the creature beloved of God; it cannot be otherwise; this love will have its effects.

If I am beloved of the Lord; if having his love in my heart, I show it by loving those he has loved. Some people may say, I love you, but I do not love those about you, your friends; why you are not bound to love all alike, but it may teach you to be civil to that person's beloved. As soon as ever we hear of a christian, as soon as ever we hear of a believer, as soon as ever we hear of a sinner turning to God, O it will rejoice us; and we shall be like the angels in heaven, who rejoice over one sinner's repentance, more than over ninetynine just persons that need no repentance. Some people may say, I love dearly to hear of a person's being converted by such a minister; I love dearly to hear of persons converted by a dissenter; I love dearly to hear of persons converted by a churchman, but I do not like people should be converted by this and that person; why I believe there are a great many people whose hearts are thus narrow, but this mixture is not of God; and I pray God they may know it by experience; that they may know they are beloved of God, then they will rejoice when other people are brought to believe on him, whoever is made the instrument. Grace and mercy be with all them that

love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. What would have become of poor Paul if he had only loved his own followers: the Romans he never saw till he was taken there a prisoner, but he loved all the rest of the apostles, writ letters to all sorts, not to their particular parties or churches, but to all those that loved the Lord Jesus in sincerity; and if we do love in this manner, we may be assured we are beloved of the Lord, for none but the Lord could beget such love in us.

If we are beloved of the Lord, we shall be hated by the world. If you were of the world, the world would love you, but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Will you make me believe that any of you are beloved of the Lord, that never lost your good character by it; why you may as well make me believe that you are emperors of the world; where is the blessing the sermon on the mount speaks of; where is the blessing of persecution; where is the blessing of being hated of all men; where is the blessing of being hated for the cross? you love the Lord, and not carry the cross after you; you love the Lord, and not be hated as your Lord was? I don't say all are hated alike; poor ministers are set in the front of the battle; in proportion to our successes we shall be hated. There are numbers of ministers now sleep in whole skins, that were formerly in a worse plight; the devil disturbs them not because they are quite civil, and do not trouble and contradict him; but if you oppose the world and the devil, the world will hate you; and no greater proof of being beloved of the Lord, than the world hating you, but it must be for Christ's sake. So Ahab said of the prophet, all

his prophesying is against me; I hate him; the world hated him; the world hated me, says our Lord, before it hated you: and the apostles, when they began to speak for God too, they were hated like their Lord; and glory to God for it, for it is a blessed mark of their belonging to God, when they are honoured to suffer for him, and we are never right till we are bearing the cross: to see men or women sleeping under the cross, skulking and hiding from it, is this love? give me a professor that will wear a cockade in his hat, and is never easier than when he is combating the enemies of his King.

If I am the beloved of the Lord, I really shall live above the world. You may say what you will, and you may bring the scriptures as low as you think proper, but the friendship of the world is hatred to God; and if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Now by not. loving the world, I don't mean that you should shut up your shops, and run into a convent: how idle for persons to say they love God, and hide themselves from the world: that is no religion at all. But the greatest proof of a Christian's loving God is, I am in the world, but not of it; I work with my hands all the day, but my heart is from it. I remember a dear friend once sent me word, many years ago, how busy he was morning and night, up early and late; perhaps, says he, you will think by this account, I am worldly; he said, no, sir, I thank God that my heart is above the world: God grant we may thus prove we love God. I don't say, but many that love the Lord may be in another situation; but when persons are enabled to leave all for Christ, it is a great

mercy: God be praised, we have some such; God add to their happiness.

They that love the Lord, will study to keep from offending God, not for fear of being damned, but because sin murdered his dear Son; there are a great many people abstain from sin for fear of punishment; but hear what Joseph said, My master has done thus and thus by me, how can I therefore do this great wickedness and sin against God? my God that loves me; so they would not stab him, because he had been wounded enough already.

If we are the beloved of the Lord, we shall be willing to work for the Lord; faith without works is the religion of every carnal man; make an end of one good work, and then begin another, and lay it down and wonder that Jesus Christ should accept any thing at your hands. I knew a lady some time ago, that wanted still more to be employed for God; says she, if Jesus Christ would but help me to do such and such a thing I have in view, O I would kiss his feet, and dedicate my. self more and more to his honour: a true christian loves to be thus employed, but above all he is glad he has the blood of Christ to wash his duties in.

I shall mention but one thing more, though I might mention twenty; if we have the love of God in our hearts, though we cannot get over the fears of death at all times, yet I think the bent of the mind of such a person will be, when shall I see the object of my love, him whom my soul loves? they sit at ordinances, and long to be led to the fountain head. I am in a strait between two, says Paul; the word signifies a strong, an intense desire to be with Christ: he does not say to be in

heaven, but to be with Christ, which is far better; but to stay here is better for you, therefore you should be content to stay, not because you love the world, but as willing to wait your Master's call. I could not help admiring while I was reading it, that when Christ ascended to heaven, one angel, one particular angel, it must have been a blessed one, left those that were attending Christ into glory, stopped in the way, for what? why, to preach to the apostles: Why stand ye thus gazing into heaven? I am ashamed of you, says he ; here is an angel, one of the convoy, waiting upon them: he does not say, let me go to heaven with thee, and let me come down again and preach; no, he stays down thus to preach to a few poor fishermen. Lord search us, Lord try us, Lord God Almighty help us to examine ourselves, that we may know whether we are beloved of the Lord or not.

So that some may say, I think I can apply all the marks, though I don't depend upon marks I have a number of bills here to-night; one says? if I am beloved of the Lord, why am I so poor another says, if I am beloved of the Lord, why am I so afflicted? say another, if I am beloved of the Lord, why am I left to starve ? can I think God loves, when I see thousands and thousands squandered away every day, and yet my poor babes groaning, my poor children quite emaciated, for want only of a little bread that I see in the baker's shop, as I go along; if I am beloved of the Lord, how is it that my poor children are ready to cry for bread, and I have none to give them; that others are adorned with diamonds, but I have not so much as a rag to put on my little one's back. If I am beloved of the Lord, how