Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

believes any otherwise than as the devils are said to do. The faith of devils, because they are without hope, fills them with fear and trembling, and, in all probability, with envy and malice against God. But the faith of a man, whose virtue or reformation gives countenance to his hopes, if it is at all attended with reflection, must inspire him with gratitude and love.

So great is the natural inducement to this love, that it may seem to a good mind almost unnecessary to remind us of it by a command. But whereas there are numbers, who, by want of reflection, or generosity of nature, might become careless of improving in themselves so necessary, and so noble, a turn of mind; and whereas, of those who can and do think, there are not a few who might imagine the love of God not necessary in themselves, because not needed by a being infinitely perfect and happy; to leave it not in the power of ingratitude to hide itself either in want of thought, or in the base pretence of a compliment to the Divine perfection, we are, by an express commandment of God himself, ordered to love him' with all the warmth and affection of 'our hearts,' with all the faculties and powers of our souls,' with all the sense and vigour of our minds.' And this is the first and greatest commandment,' on which depends the second, which is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself;' on both, but primarily and chiefly on the first, hang all the law and the prophets,' all our duty and happiness. On faith, the foundation of our religion, is erected the beautiful structure of hope; but it is charity, or the love of God, that raises this building to heaven, that puts the finishing hand, and gives perfection, to the religion of a Christian; and therefore it is said by St. Paul to be 'greater than faith and hope.'

[ocr errors]

Now this commandment, in bidding uslove God with all our hearts,' &c. does by no means absolutely prohibit the love of every thing else; because, if it did this, it would almost wholly defeat itself; as we shall presently perceive, when we come to shew how God woos our love towards him by the enjoyment of the good things he hath bestowed on us; which nevertheless could be no enjoyment, did we not in some degree love and desire them. Besides, he who hath commanded us to love him with all our hearts,' hath also

commanded us by Scripture, and moved us by nature, to love many other things, as our children, our parents, our wives, our benefactors. But these we are to love in a degree limited by the end for which we are to love them, and the useful purposes intended by the relation they are made to stand in to us. This, however, by no means hinders us from loving God in a much higher degree, even with all the ardour and affection that can possibly warm our hearts.

But how, will some libertines say, can we suppose God should command us to love him? Are not his benefits sufficient to win us to this, without his commands? Is God like one of those selfish benefactors among men, who claim returns? No; but if any benefactor hath a right to the gratitude of such as he confers his favours on, it must be God, who gives of his own; whereas all other benefactors only borrow the power to oblige from him. God, having an unquestionable right to our love, may surely be allowed to claim it, if he pleases, were it for no other reason, but because the service we owe him would be wholly unworthy of his acceptance, did it not proceed from love. Besides, it ought to be observed, that this command is a reproach to the tardiness of our gratitude. God need never, I own, have told us what returns he expects from us for his infinite goodness, had we not been too stupid and insensible to render him those returns undemanded.

The truth, however, is, that he requires our love of him, not for his own sake, but for our good, our greatest good; for, of all things, the love of God conduces the most directly to raise and dignify the nature of man; and, of consequence, conduces also most powerfully to make him happy. It ought therefore to be the first endeavour, the most earnest aim, of every man, to excite in himself, by all the ways and means pointed out by reason, and authorized by religion, a high and ardent love of God.

That the love of God is the most powerful instrument to refine and dignify our nature, and make us happy, will, I hope, be easily proved to a congregation of Christians.

Our minds naturally receive a strong turn and tincture from that which hath, for a long time, agreeably entertained them. Habit often renders things extremely pleasing, which at first were very harsh and distasteful. But, when any ob

ject is qualified, not only by its own nature, but also by a habit long indulged, to give us strong and high sensations of pleasure, then it is that it begins to engross all our thoughts, to excite a vehement desire, and through that so to work itself into our nature, that, from thenceforward, we insensibly assimilate ourselves to it. We naturally grow into a resemblance of what we love, if it is a thing that admits of imitation. Such is the ductility of the heart, that nature herself gives place to impressions this way acquired; insomuch that most men, through the influence of this operative affection, generally assume distinctions, both in the eye of God and man, very different from those they set out with.

Now, as God is of all objects the most amiable and excellent, of all beings infinitely the most gracious and beneficent, he is by nature entitled, at least, to the first and highest place in the heart of man, if not to the whole. If in virtue of this title from the superior excellence of his nature, and the resemblance between that and the nature of man, God hath been early and long possessed of the throne in any heart, we may be assured, it is now a heart after God's own heart; and that he whose life or conversation takes its warmth and motion from it, is a godlike man. A soul deeply penetrated with the admiration of infinite excellence, continually inflamed with the contemplation of infinite beauty, and long transported with a grateful sense, with an ardent and vehement love, of infinite goodness, must have copied into itself a lasting and happy resemblance of God. An object, so habitually admired and loved, cannot fail to strike its image irresistibly on the heart.

As there is nothing so delightful to him who loves, as the return of love from an object absolutely possessed of all his affections, so there is nothing he pants after, and woos, with such an ardour of heart. While he hath this animating end in view, no labours seem fatiguing, no pains tormenting, no dangers shocking, if, by resolutely encountering with them, he hopes to render himself, and his services, acceptable to the being he thus ardently loves.

Now, he who loves God, knows that the blessed object of all his desires is not like a man, who, being ignorant of our hearts, may suspect the sincerity of our professions,

[ocr errors]

nay, even the purity and disinterestedness of our services; not like a man, who, being proud or ungrateful, may happen not to set the proper value on our love. No; he is sensible God searches and sees through the heart. He is sure the best of things cannot but love those that love him. He remembers the words of Christ, He that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and manifest myself to him.' He remembers the words of the Psalmist, 'God preserveth all those that love him;' and of the Apostle, 'All things work together for good to those that love God.'

In full assurance that his love will be abundantly returned, he makes it the ruling study and endeavour of his whole life, to give such proofs of his love towards God, as he believes God will be best pleased with, and to render himself, to the uttermost of his power, a fit object of the divine love. To this end he labours to suppress and extinguish in himself every inordinate passion, every impure and corrupt desire; and, for so good a purpose, spares no necessary act of mortification; and therefore consults not with flesh and blood, but with God himself, through his word, as well about the dispositions that are offensive to him, as about the severities requisite to subdue them.

Having made some progress in this, he takes courage, with the hope of pleasing God on yet a nobler plan, namely, that of introducing into his mind, thus cleansed and emptied, a copy drawn from the divine original, of those imitable attributes, which he adores in God, and which he knows God is pleased to see us cultivate in ourselves. God, looking down with the tenderness of a most indulgent father on the well-meant endeavours of a beloved child, willing to do his best, but weak and unequal to so great a design, sends his Holy Spirit to perfect what his poor creature and servant is unable, through the infirmities of flesh and blood, to accomplish.

Thus assisted by his Maker, the lover of God is, as it were, created anew. A plentiful stream of wisdom, justice, mercy, holiness, flows from the divine fountain into his soul, and refreshes it with the water of life. From this time forth he is highly acceptable in the sight of God, who will never forsake or forget him. Can a woman forget her

[ocr errors]

sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, she may forget; yet will not God forget' this soul that loves him, and is now so like him, that, as far as the influence of his ability and station extend, he is in the stead of God to other men, enlightening the ignorant, guiding the blind, relieving the distressed, and, in a word, doing the work of God with a zeal and love resembling that of his ministering spirits, who are sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.'

[ocr errors]

The love of God, having led a man by such steps to so high a pitch of improvement, neither leaves him there, nor suffers his excellent gifts to be buried in mere speculative contemplations on the goodness and perfection of God; but rouses him to an active service of the blessed Being he loves. He knows that keeping God's commandments is the very precise thing by which his love is to be judged of, and his virtue tried; and, of consequence, that it is the great foundation (for so much as rests in his power) on which his hope of enjoying God to all eternity must be built. Christ says, 'If you love me, keep my commandments.' He who says he loves Christ, and yet keeps not his commandments, does but insult him with empty professions. On the other hand, it is impossible to keep the commandments as Christians ought to do, without making the love of God the principle of our obedience. It is the peculiar excellence of Christianity, by which it raises its beautiful head above all other religions, that those who enter rightly into its true genius and spirit, obey the Divine Being, not through superstitious fears, as the heathen, nor through a low hope of worldly blessings, as the Jews do, but through a noble principle of gratitude and love towards God. St. John tells us, God is love;' and common sense must tell us, that we are to serve him, not according to our nature, which is sinful, but according to his, which is holy, and pure, and good; for the purity of his service, and of our true happiness, requires that we should renounce our own corrupt nature, and be conformed to his; it being infinitely more reasonable, that man should aspire towards God, than that God should descend towards man, in order to the happy intercourse of mutual love.

As, on the one hand, the lover of God cannot but love

« VorigeDoorgaan »