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approbation. This is no disparagement to faith, whose nature and use is to work by love. (Gal. v. 6.) What a man loveth, such he is. The love is the man. Our love is judged by our life, as the cause by the effect: but the life is judged by the love, as the fruits by the tree, the effects of the cause. 'Mores autem nostri non ex eo; quod quisque novit, sed ex eo quod diligit, dijudicari solentinec faciunt bonos vel malos mores, nisi boni vel mali amores,' saith Augustine; that is, our manners are not used to be judged of according to that which every man knoweth, but according to that which he loveth: it is only good or evil love, that maketh good or evil manners. If Plato could say, (as Augustine citeth him, lib. viii. de Civit. Dei,) 'Hoc est philosophari, scilicet Deum amare:' To be a philosopher, is to love God. Much more should we say, Hoc est Christianum agere,' this is the doctrine and work of a Christian, even the love of God. Indeed it is the work of the Redeemer, to recover the heart of man to God, and to bring us to love him by representing him to us as the most amiable, suitable object of our love: and the perfection of love, is heaven itself. O jugum sancti amoris, (inq. Bernard.) quam dulciter capis, gloriose laqueas, suaviter premis, delectanter oneras, fortiter stringis, prudenter erudis!' that is, The yoke of holy love, O how sweetly dost thou surprise! How gloriously dost thou enthral! How pleasantly dost thou press! How delightfully dost thou load! How strongly dost thou bind! How prudently dost thou instruct! O fælix amor ex quo oritur strenuitas morum, puritas affectionum, subtilitas intellectuum, desideriorum sanctitas, operum claritas, virtutum fæcunditas meritorum dignitas, præmiorum sublimitas.' O happy love, from which ariseth the strength of manners, the purity of affections, the subtlety of intellects, the sanctity of desires, the excellency of works, the fruitfulness of virtues, the dignity of deserts, the sublimity of the reward! I appeal to your own consciences, Christians, would you not think it a foretaste of heaven upon earth, if you could but love God as much as you desire? Would any kind of life that you can imagine, be so desirable and delightful to you! Would any thing be more acceptable unto God? And on the contrary, a soul without the love of God, is worse than a corpse without a soul. "If any man love not the

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Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema, Maran-atha.” (1 Cor. xvi. 22.)

And do I need to tell you what a powerful incentive it is to love, to know that you are beloved? It will make Christ much more dear to you, to know how dear you are to him. What is said of affective love in us, may partly be said of attractive love in Christ. " Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it:" (Sol. viii. 7:) no riches can purchase what it can attract. When you find that he hath set you 66 as a seal upon his arm and heart," (ver. 6,) and that you are dear to him as the "apple of his eye," what holy flames will this kindle in your breast! If it be almost impossible with your equals upon earth not to love them that love you, (which Christ telleth you that even publicans will do, Matt. v. 46,) how much more should the love of Christ constrain us abundantly to love him, when being infinitely above us, his love descendeth, that ours may ascend! His love puts forth the hand from heaven to fetch us up.

O Christians, you little know how Satan wrongeth you, by drawing you to deny, or doubt of the special love of God! How can you love him that you apprehend to be your enemy, and to intend your ruin? Doubtless not so easily as if you know him to be your friend. In reason is there any more likely way to draw you to hate God, than to draw you to believe that he hateth you? Can your thoughts be pleasant of him; or your speeches of him sweet? or can you attend him, or draw near him with delight, while you think he hateth you, and hath decreed your damnation? You may fear him, as he is a terrible avenger; and you may confess his judgments to be just: but can you amicably embrace the consuming fire, and love to dwell with the everlasting burnings?

O, therefore, as ever you would have the love of God to animate, and sanctify, and delight your souls, study the greatness of his love to you, and labour with all possible speed and diligence, to find that Christ by his Spirit is within you. It is the whole work of sanctification that Satan would destroy or weaken by your doubts: and it is the whole work of sanctification that by love would be promoted, if you knew your interest in the love of Christ.

12. It is the knowledge of Christ dwelling in you, and so of the special love of God, that must acquaint you with a life of holy thankfulness and praise. These highest and most acceptable duties, will be out of your reach if Satan can hide from you that mercy which must be the chiefest matter of your thanksgiving. Will that soul be in tune for the high praises of the Lord, that thinks he meaneth to use him as an enemy? Can you look for any cheerful thanksgiving from him that looks to lie in hell? Will he not rather cry with David, "In death there is no remembrance of thee: In the grave who shall give thee thanks?" (Psal. vi. 5.) "What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?" (Psal. xxx. 9.) Shall the damned praise thee, or shall they give thee thanks that must be scorched with the flames of thine indignation? Can you expect that joy should be in their hearts, or cheerfulness in their countenances, or praises in their mouths, that think they are reprobated to the fire of hell? Undoubtedly Satan is not ignorant, that this is the way to deprive God of the service which is most acceptable, to him and you of the pleasures of so sweet a life. And therefore he that envieth both, will do his worst to damp your spirits, and breed uncomfortable doubts and fears, and wrongful suspicions in your minds. Whereas the knowledge of your interest in Christ, would be a continual storehouse of thanksgiving and praise, and teach your hearts as well as your tongues, to say with David, "Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered; blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice ye righteous, and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart." (Psal. xxxii. 1, 2. 11.) Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities: who healeth all thy diseases: who redeemeth thy life from destruction, and crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies." (Psal. ciii. 1—4.) "O Lord, my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me: O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave; thou hast kept me alive that I should not go down to the pit. Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness: for his

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anger endureth but for a moment: in his favour is life." (Psal. xxx. 2-5.) Thanksgiving would be the very pulse and breath of your assurance of Christ dwelling in you. You would say with Paul, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in celestials in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love: Having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins according to the riches of his grace, wherein he hath abounded toward us," &c. (Eph. i. 3-8.) Thus faith and assurance, as they have an unspeakable store to work upon, so it is natural to them to expatiate in the praise of our Redeemer, and to delight in amplifications and commemorations of the ways of grace. Just so doth Peter begin his first epistle, 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time, wherein ye greatly rejoice," &c.

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No wonder if the heirs of heaven be inclined to the language and the work of heaven. I think there are few of you that would not rejoice, and by your speech and countenance express your joy, if you had assurance but of the dignities and dominions of this world. And can he choose but express his joy and thankfulness, that hath assurance of the crown of life? What fragrant thoughts should possess that mind that knoweth itself to be possessed by the Spirit of the living God! How thankful will he be that knows he hath Christ and heaven to be thankful for! What sweet delights should fill up the hours of that man's life, that knows the Son of God living in him, and that he shall live in joy with Christ for ever! How gladly will he be exercised in the praises of his Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier, that knows it must be his work for ever! No wonder if this joy

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a stranger to their hearts, that are strangers to Christ, or strangers to their interest in his love: No wonder if they have no hearts for these celestial works, that have no part in the celestial inheritance, or that know not that they have any part therein. How can they joyfully give thanks for that which they know not that they have or ever shall have, or have any probability to attain!

But to that man that is assured of Christ within him, heaven and earth, and all their store, do offer themselves as the matter of his thanks, and do furnish him with provisions to feed his praises. What a shame is it that an assured heir of heaven should be scant and barren in comfort to himself, or in thanks and praise to Jesus Christ, when he hath so full a beap of love and mercy to fetch his motives from, and hath two worlds to furnish him with the most precious materials; and hath no less than Infinite goodness, even God himself, to be the subject of his praise! "O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, because his mercy endureth for ever (whatever others do): Let Israel say, let the house of Aaron say, let them that fear the Lord say, that his mercy endureth for ever." (Psal. cxviii. 1-4.) The knowledge of our interest fitteth us for his praise. "Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee." (Psal. cxviii. 28.) "O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds; I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord!" (Psal. cxvi. 16, 17.) "His praise is for the congregation of his saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him; let the children of Zion be joyful in their King." (Psal. cxlix. 1, 2.) "Let them praise the name of the Lord; for his name alone is excellent, his glory is above the earth and heaven. He also exalteth the horn of his people; the praise of all his saints, even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him." (Psal. cxlviii. 13, 14.) "I will also clothe his priests with salvation, and his saints shall shout aloud for joy." (Psal. cxxxii. 16.) Praise is a work so proper for the saints, and thanksgiving must be fed with the knowledge of your mercies, that Satan well knoweth what he shall get by it, and what you will lose, if he can but hide your mercies from you. The height of his malice is against the Lord, and the next is against you and how can he shew it more than by

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