in up his son to him, and this is all I have to say to you, Sir.' But to the doctor who stood by he said, ' I dare say Sir you think my body is in great distress?' to which he replied 'yes' But I do declare unto you it is not any distress whatever, for the Lord has been pleased to bless this bed of affliction to my soul, so that it is no affliction to me; I will not call him a hard master, and though I am thus naked as to my body (he having in his fits greatly torn his shirt), I have a better dress than this, I do not mean a fig-leaf one, no, I mean the robe of Christ's righteousness, which will cover my poor naked soul, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.' He then called for his youngest child, that he might take his leave of it; the child being fearful clung to his mother, Just so the Lord Jesus will hug and take care of me.' To his wife he said, You have been a good wife to me, although I have at some times been crooked to you, yet I love you and my children, but this is a natural love, the love that I have to Christ is above all this. I did think at first that I should like to have lived a little longer with you, if it had been the Lord's will, but since it is not, I am willing to lay down these earthly weapons, and let his will be done; and I hope you will be a good mother to your children as you have been, and I can give you and my children up into the hands of the Lord, knowing that He has promised to be a Father to the fatherless, and a Husband to the widow. It will be a dull Christmas with you, but it will be a merry one with me.' Then he said, My dear brother and sister in the flesh, and Spirit too I firmly believe, I shall soon be in the New Jerusalem, and sing-and you will say What will you sing?—why I shall sing the new song. My body is nearly dead you see, but my soul is alive in Christ Jesus. I doubt not but some of you who have heard me may be ready to say, that what I have said is not the truth; but look at Revelations xxii. 18, 19, and you will find that it reads thus, " For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of this prophecy of this book, if any man shall add to these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; but if any man shall take away from the words of this book of this prophesy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." After this he was not able to speak any more, and from hence the faithfulness of the Lord is most gloriously manifested, as he testifieth "According to thy day so shall thy strength be;" for it is believed by faithful witnesses that were present with him, that the Spirit of God spake through his body when he was nearly dead, to the astonishment of those present, as well medical gentlemen as others. A Sermon was preached on the occasion, from "And speak comfortably unto her. And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she shall sing there." To see a man once raving mad, Oh! what a glorious thing; He saw the door stand open wide, To dwell at his right hand. There to extol the sacred Three, There with the dying thief to shout, And with Manasseh too he'll vie, That ever he was brought so high, And rest in Jesus' arms. My soul, it longs for that sweet day, When I shall hear my Saviour say, Come join the happy throng; When we shall bow, adore, and sing, Ascribing glory to our King. In everlasting songs. Essex. GOD'S LOVE ΤΟ HIS P. M. CAUSE OF THEIR LOVE TO HIM. A SERMON, LATELY PREACHED IN THE PARISH CHURCH OF which are born by me from the belly, which are carried by me from the womb. And even to your old age, I am he, and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear, even I will carry and will deliver you," which shews to a demonstration, that God's love to his people was an everlasting love. 5. It was an unexampled love. And indeed, from what has been PEOPLE, THE already said, you must have perceived it to be such. It is impossible to consider the antiquity, freeness, unchangeableness, and eternity of God's love to his people with our feeling convinced that it is unexampled. Never was any such love found among men : history bears witness to bright exam BY THE CURATE, AND FOR PREACHING WHICH HE RECEIVED AN INSTANTANEOUS DISMISSAL FROM HIS CHARGE. "We love him, because he first lov- ples of love in men, both for their ed us."-John iv. 19. (Concluded from page 173.) 66 THE same truth is also found (Isa. liv. 6-10), where the Lord comforting his church under the figure of a sorrowing woman, says, The Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee, for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy upon thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wrath with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee." And to these declarations, for the comfort of all trembling believers, the Lord adds another (Isa. xlvi. 3, 4.), where he 66 says, Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, country and for their friends; But history fails to furnish an instance of love equal to that of God towards his church. The examples which it furnishes, are of the love of men towards their friends; this is the love of God toward his enemies. For" herein is love (says St. John), not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation of our sins." While we were yet without strength (says St. Paul), in due time Christ died for the ungodly; for scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet for a good man some would even dare to die but God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." Agreeably with this, is the testimony of Christ himself when discoursing with Nicodemus, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life." And when the sinfulness of the objects of his love, and the unspeakable mercy of an holy and righteous God in giving up his Son to die for them are born in mind, we are sure that it will fully manifest itself as unexampled love. Having endeavoured to set before you the love of God to his people, we pass on to consider, II. Their love to him, We love Him." Nothing can be more evident, than that the word "we" is not of general import, as used by St. John in the epistle whence our text is taken. When I say general import," I mean, that the expression has no relation to man universally, but is restricted to those whom God has chosen out of mankind, and to whom it is given on behalf of Christ to believe on him. It is of such believers then that we speak, when we say, that their love to God is, 1. A grateful love. Now when we speak of gratitude, blessings conferred as the source of it are immediately suggested to our minds. The exhibition of gratitude in a captive set at liberty towards the person who has been instrumental in knocking off his chains, at once proclaims that pardon has been granted to him, and his freedom restored. Nor only when we see gratitude evinced, are the blessings merely which gave rise to it suggested to our minds: the author of these blessings is at the same time presented to us, as we see him to be the object of the freedman's warmest thanks. When therefore we speak of a grateful love in God's people, and know for a certainty that he is the object of it, because we see them presenting their thanksgiving to him, we cannot hesitate to infer, that they must have received some distinguished blessings from him, as the source of it. What these blessings are, we learn from the word of God. The first is "Election" " Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?" Rom. viii. 33. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world," Eph. i. 3, 4. The next is effectual calling. "Whom he did predestinate, them he also 66 whom ye also are the called of Jesus" Rom. i. 6. Even as whom he hath Rom. ix. 24. The next is called." . But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons" Gal iv. 4, 5. "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of sons, by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will." Eph. i. 5. The next, is justification. "Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Rom. iii. 24. 'Whom he called them he also justified." Rom. viii. 30. The next is sanctification. And now, brethren I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among them which are sanctified." xx. 32. To them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus." 1 Cor. i. 2. 66 Acts And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." John xvii, 19. The next is conservation. "Who are kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation." 1 Pet. i. 5. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." John x. 27, 28. The last is glorification. "Whom he justified, them he also glorified,” Rom. viii. 30. Such is a summary of those blessings which God bestows upon his believing people. And think you that when you take a retrospective view, and behold their natural wretchedness and misery, and consider seriously the freeness of these blessings-that they are given to them "without money and without price" and the unspeakable value of them -as raising them from the lowest abyss of misery, and exalting them to thrones of glory-as rescuing them from eternal shame and contempt, and crowning them with glory and honour-Oh! I say, is it possible for them thus to look back, and not have their souls filled with grateful love to Him, who first loved them? Oh no, dear brethren, the law of gratitude is written upon the heart of every one of God's believing people, and is shewn forth daily by their loving Him, 2. With an affectionate love. "Love begets love," and when the love of God in Christ Jesus is revealed to his people, it meets with an immediate response in their bosoms. As" love begets love," so is the love which is begotten assimilated to that also which begat it: The one possesses in a degree the warmth and affection of the other. Hence it comes to pass, that the affectionate love of God to his people, is reflected in their affectionate love to him. Having shewn such love to them, affection towards him bursts forth within them; As Jonathan loved David, so do they love him, even as their own soul. And such being the mutual love of God and his people, there is necesarily a mutual intimacy between them they are the friends of God, and like Noah and Enoch of old, walk with him. He manifests himself unto them, in all the endearments of his love, as he does not unto the world, and they enjoy a sweet and secret intercourse with him, which the world knows nothing of. In the ordinances of his house, and in the meditations and devotions of the closet, he converses with them, and unfolds to them his wondrous love: when like the diciples, as they journeyed with their Lord and Master to Emmaus, they are constrained to say, did not our hearts burn within us, while He talked with us by the way." And as this intimacy increases between them and their loving .. Jehovah, SO does their affection towards him increase, until they are brought to love him, 3. With a supreme love. Love to God in his people, does not destroy their love to their fellow creatures, it only purifies and regulates it. Such is the earthly nature of every renewed soul, that its affections are prone to fix themselves on earthly objects, with the view of seeking delight in them apart from God. This desire after earthly things, the love of God, "when shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost," subdues and regulates. lates. Instead of loving the delights of earth, apart from God, his people (so far as they are lawful) love them all in him he is the supreme object of their love, the centre of their every affection. Having a spiritual eye, they see him in every thing, and every thing in him. And while with a regulated affection they love those earthly objects that are worthy of it, in the language of the Psalmist they exclaim, "Whom have I in heaven but thee, O Lord, and there is none upon earth I desire besides thee." Nor is this affection the mere expression of the lips, they love him, 4. With a devoted love. Instead of the eternal, free, unchanging, everlasting, and unexampled love of God, causing his people (as some persons vainly imagine) to indulge in habits of licentiousness, or to spend their days in spiritual sloth or carnal indulgence; it leads them to reckon themselves dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. When this unspeakable love of God, is manifested to the souls of his beople, instead of doing evil that good may come (as some men say they do), they are constrained to live no longer unto themselves, but "unto him who died for them, and rose again." They look upon themselves as no longer " their own, but as bought with a price;" and therefore consider themselves bound by every tie, "to glorify God in their bodies, and in their spirits, which are God's." Instead of grasping their money with the iron hand of covetousness,-remembering that they are God's stewards, and that as such their wealth is not their own, but that they are merely put in trust with it, for the purpose of using it to their Lord's glory-it is their delight to honour the Lord with all their substance, and to improve their talent to the interests of his kingdom. Instead of spending their days in inactivity and idleness, they are found to be not slothful in business, but fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." Their time, as well as their money, they know is the Lord's: and such is the constraining influence of the love of God upon their hearts, that they cannot but consecrate it to his service. Their influence too, --- instead of being exerted for the purpose of feeding their own vanity, by appearing to add to their greatness and importance, is directed to the advancement of their Redeemer's glory, and to the spread of the knowledge of God. So deeply is gratitude impressed upon their hearts, for the blessings which God vouchsafed to give them, that devotion to his cause seems to flow spontaneously from them. It is their delight to serve him, for they find his service to be perfect freedom. They serve him because they love him; and loving him, they seek to please him, by "walking worthy of him unto all well pleasing; being fruitful in every good work, and encreasing in the knowledge of God.” Nor is this devoted love a transient affection, they love him, experience blight, from the severe blasts of earthly temptations; yet, by reason of the incorruptible nature of the root, it survives all storms. Oh! yes, and not only thus does the love of God's people shew itself towards him as a persevering love, it proves its enduring nature, by the continual succession of fruit which it produces. It bringeth forth its fruit in its season, even the lovely fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. And the more mature this love becomes through age, the more delicious are its fruits-the more the believer advances in love to God, the more is love to man exhibited in his life. Love to God, produces love to the brethren;" By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples; if ye have love one to another." "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." Do you wish to see true brotherly love! you must visit the man who really loves God: there, and only there will you meet with it, for there, and only there does its root exist. He who loves God, will love his brother also; and when he remembers God's tender compassion, he is ready to bear with his brother's infirmities, to pity his weakness, and to forgive his trespasses. Thus through life, the believer loves God with a persevering love, and when it is ended, he loves him with, 6. An eternal love. As love was formed in his soul on earth, so in heaven does it continue to exist. If St. Paul could say of God," Whom having not seen we love," surely we may suppose that when his people see him face to face, they will love him still more, and better. And this is the case, for when they see him as he is, they love him as they ought: and as there are no hinderances to their purified love in heaven, so there is no end to it. In heaven's genial soil, it lives in unfading beauty and like its eternal Author, is alive for |