some others are. But they do not discover to others, nor can discern in themselves any degree of life and vigour, of heavenliness and spirituality, of love to God, or zeal for him, proportionable to their high expectations from him, or to the great import of this thing-to be beloved of God: there is no discernible growth or spiritual improvement to be found in them. How remote is their temper from that of the primitive Christians! It is apparent what is yet wanting; they are not edified (as those were), walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost.

Wherefore the matter is plain, there is such a thing as an effectual overpowering communication of the Holy Ghost for the manifesting of the love of God, of great necessity and importance to Christians, which may be had and ought to be diligently sought after.

CHAPTER VI.

Of the Delight or Joy arising from the Communication of the Love of God to the Soul of Man. Cautions necessary upon this Subject.

THIS manifestation of the love of God, communicated to Christians by the Holy Ghost, is infinitely delectable. If we consider the matter

a Acts ix. 31.

his

represented to us thereby, the love of God, how transporting would the thought of it be to an enlightened mind! No one, whose nature is not overrun with barbarism, would entertain the discovery of the harmless innocent love (though it were not profitable to us) even of a creature like ourselves, otherwise than with complacency. Men are pleased to behold love expressing itself towards them, in a child, in a poor neighbour, in an impotent servant, even in their horse or their dog. The greatest prince observes with delight the affection of the meanest peasants among subjects; much more would they please themselves, if they had occasion to take notice of any remarkable expression of his favourable respect to them: but how unspeakably more, if he vouchsafe to express it by gracious intimacies and by condescending familiarities! How doth that person bless himself, how doth his spirit triumph, and his imagination luxuriate in delightful thoughts and expectations, who is in his own heart assured he hath the favour of his prince! With what complacency are inward friends wont to receive the mutual expressions of each other's love; and can it be thought, the love of the great and blessed God should signify less?

How great things are comprehended in this:— The Lord of heaven and earth hath a kindness towards me, and bears me good will! How grateful is the relish of this apprehension, both in respect of what it imports in itself, and of what it is the root and cause of!

True ingenuousness of nature values love for itself. If such a one will think of me—if I shall have a place in his remembrance-if he will count me among his friends,—this we are apt to be pleased with. Tokens are sent and interchanged among friends, not only to express love, but to preserve and cherish it, and keep up a mutual remembrance among them. And as there is a great pleasure conceived, in receiving such expressions or pledges of love from a friend,not so much for the value of the thing sent, as of what it signifies, and because it is the token of his love and of his kind remembrance,-so is there no less pleasure in giving and sending than in receiving: because hereby, as we gratify our own love by giving it a kind of vent this way, so we foresee how we shall thereby excite theirs; which we put a value upon, even abstracting from any advantage we expect therefrom. How dignifying is the love of God! How honourable a thing to be his favourite! The Apostle seems to put a mighty stress on this, when he utters those emphatic words, "wherefore we labour, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him;"" as if he had said, "neither life nor death, neither being in the body nor out of it, signify any thing to me; they are indifferent things in comparison of this honour, that he may accept me,—that I may be pleasing to him, and gracious in his eyes,-that I may stand well in his thoughts, and that he may bear a kind and favourable regard to me."

2 Cor. v. 9.

This is a thing in itself delightful, not only as it is honourable, but as it is strange and wonderful. Things that are in themselves grateful, are so much the more so, for their being somewhat surprising, and above all our expectation. I say, supposing they have an antecedent gratefulness in them, (for otherwise we know there are also very unwelcome wonders, and which are so much the more dreadful, because they are surprising and unexpected,) it is greatly heightened by their being quite out of the road of all our thoughts, great things that we looked not for. And who would have looked for such a thing as this, that the Lord of glory should place his love on such a worm as I! This is set off with the more advantage, because the same light, that represents to a soul God's love, also discovers to it, at the same time, its own deformity and unloveliness. And then how taking and overcoming is the thought,-I, impure wretch! lost apostate creature, one of a race and crew of rebels, who was confederate with rebellious men against him, yea, in a combination with those revolted creatures the devils, now taken (I know not why) into a state of acceptance and favour with him! And his love is declared to be towards me! Why towards me -in myself so vile! And such love! the love of a holy glorious God, towards one in whose very nature was such wickedness! Why towards me rather than others, not naturally more vile than I? How can this be thought

on without crying out, O wonderful! O the depths, breadths, lengths, and heights of this love, that so infinitely passeth knowledge! And here the greater the wonder, the greater is also the delight.

The effects also of this love are great in the eyes of the soul, according to the apprehended greatness of their cause. If we indeed were to form conceptions of these things by our own light and conduct, our way were to follow the ascending order, and go up from the effects till we reach the cause; but he can, if he pleases, in the cause present to us the effects, and magnify them in our eyes, by giving us to see to how great and magnificent a cause they owe themselves. Now, shall we know whence all hath proceeded that he hath done for us. Again must the transported soul admiringly cry out, "I now see, whence it was that he gave his Son, because he so loved the world; why he came and bled and died, who hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in his blood. What a lustre does that love cast upon those sufferings and performances! I see, why he sent his gospel to me, why so convincing awakening words were often spoken in my ear, why he so earnestly strove with me by his Spirit, why he gave not over till he had overcome my heart, why he humbled, melted, broke me; why he drew so strongly, bound me so fast to himself, in safe and happy bonds; why he shone into my mind with that mild and efficacious light, transformed my whole soul, stamped it with his holy image,