1. IF thou art one that canst as­sure thy self, that thou hast an Interest in the Love of God, thou art one that hast in experimental Knowledge of this God of Love. If thou art one that hast a Practical obediential Know­ [...]edge of God, then thou mayest [...]omfortably and upon good grounds [...]y, that God loves thee; but it is not [Page 12]every Knowledge of God that will Characterize a person to be an ob­ject of Gods love; for if we look into 1 Rom. 21. we may see that there were some that had a rational con­fused Knowledge of God in the book of the Creatures; and yet we see in the latter end of the Chap­ter, they did rush into the greatest Abominations imaginable. A Know­ledg of God in the book of the Crea­tures (only) will not keep the Crea­ture from committing the greatest sins against God; But thou that wouldst Know upon sure grounds that God loves thee, see if thou doest know God in his power, as to Fear him; in his Mercy, as to Love him, and his faithfulness to believe him. And if all the Attributes of God have such an influence upon thee, then I dare tell thee for thy comfort, that thou mayst assure thy self that God Loves thee: For Christ who is Truth it self, sayth, John. 10.14. [Page 13]That those sheep of his whom he knows with a Knowledge of Appro­bation, they know him with a know­ledge of Love and Obedience: But if thou art one that doest not fear God for his Greatness, nor love him for his Goodness, nor believe him for his Faithfulness; but in straits and troubles, canst allow thy self in taking indirect courses with Saul and Ahaziah, 1 Sam. 28.7. 2 Kings 1.2. it is a sign thou hast at (Present) but little grounds to hope that thou art an object of Gods Love.

2. Thou that wouldest know whe­ther thou canst assure thy self of the Love of God, examine thy self whe­ther thou hast received from God those peculiar favours, which he doth give only to those who are the objects of his Love. Now there are special favours which God bestowes only on his own peculiar people:Ezek. 11.19.20.36.25, 26, 27. Those special favours are A new Heart, and a new Spirit; an heart of [Page 14]Flesh, a saveing knowledge of himself; a self-loathing for Sin, and an enlight­ned understanding, & the fear of God, and Love to God, and Sincerity before God, and all the gifts and graces of the Spirit of God. Now these are the special favours which God be­stowes only on those that are the ob­jects of his Love. Oh my friends, take heed you do not build your hopes of Interest in Gods love upon the sandy foundations of outward in­joyments. Many are ready to look upon their outward injoyments, as Health & Strength, Peace, and Safe­ty, and the blessing of God on their outward injoyments to be infallible signs of Gods love; whereas indeed those outward things are many times instead of being signs of Gods Love (being Unsanctified and Misimpro­ved) are signs of Gods Reprobateing anger. But if God have bestowed those other favours upon thee before mentioned, then thou mayst be sure [Page 15]that God Loves thee. The Love of God doth in a providential way extend it self to all his Creatures; But his everlasting Love, and his choycest and endeared affections, these amongst the sonnes and daugh­ters of Adam, are only partakers of, to whom God hath given a new Heart, and such a practical Know­ledge of himself, together with all the gifts and graces of his Spirit.

3. If thou art one that canst upon good grounds assure thy self that thou art an object of Gods Love, then this Love of God hath been of an at­tractive nature to draw thee to all thy Dutys both Relative and Religi­ous, as we have it in Jeremiah. 31.3. I have loved thee with an Everlast­ing Love; therefore with loving Kindness have I drawn thee. My friends, I beseech you try what in­fluence the Love of God hath upon your Hearts, in the drawing of you to [...]hose duties, which are the most con­trary [Page 16]to corrupt nature; and the most loathsome to the flesh: After that Christ had manifested his love to Za­cheus, and told him that Salvation was come to his house, then he could take shame to himself, in the acknow­ledgement of his Extortion. If thou canst assure thy self of the Love of God, then the Glory of the God of Love will be thy ultimate End in all thy duties; And when thou per­ceivest pride, or self, or vain-glory creeping into thy duties, oh how is thy soul perplexed and disturbed. But on the contrary, if thou art one that doest that which is thy duty, but art drawn thereto by wicked ends, thou hast but little grounds to assure thy self that thou art in the Love of God; If thou art conversant in reli­gious duties, towards God, or cha­rity towards men; and art drawn thereto by Pharisaical vain-glorious ends; It is then high time for thee to look about thee, for that hopes [Page 17]thou hast of the Love of God, is but [...] delusion of the Devil; therefore see if it be Love to God, that makes thee give to the Poor, and desire af­ter communion with God, that draws thee to hear the Word of God and to pray unto God. If it be so with thee, thou mayst go home with com­fort, for I dare warrant thee from the Word of God, that God hath loved thee with an everlasting Love; & that thou hadst a being in the love of God before thou hadst a being in the world; for though a wicked man may be contented to be found in the out­side of duties, for such self-ends as he proposes to himself; yet there be­ing enmity in his heart against God, it is impossible he should propose Gods glory as his main and ultimate end: Therefore if thou art brought to propose Gods glory as thy ulti­mate end, it is an infallible sign that thou art an Object of Gods Love.

4. Another sign of the Love of God manifested to the Creature is, [Page 18]when we are fruitful in our places, to draw others unto Jesus Christ, as well as to bring forth the fruits of an holy conversation our selves. After that the Spouse had been setting forth the excellency of the Love of Christ, and had been begging a kisse of her beloved, she was so taken with his love, that presently shee crys out,Can 1.2, 4. Draw me, we will run after thee; draw me in the singular, we in the Plural will run after thee: A person that has tasted of the sweetness of the Love of God, waites all opportunitys to say with David, Come and see what God hath done for my soul: oh saith the soul, I was by nature an enemy to God, and not only so, but I had en­mity in my heart against God; And blessed be his name that was pleased to bring down that enmity by shed­ding abroad his love in my heart. Thus the object of Gods Love will endeavour to bring others in Love with this lovely object the Lord Jesus Christ: in Hosea 14. after [Page 19]that God had (in the 4. verse) mani­fested the freeness of his love to be­lievers, we may see in the 5. and 6. verses, that God will be as the dew upon Israel, and that he shall grow as the lilly, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon, by which is meant nothing else but the fruitfulness of it.

5. That Soul that hath the Love of God shed abroad in it is insatiably desirous of more of it; a David that hath tasted the sweetness of the Love of God, he can in a sense there­of cry out,Psal. 4.6.4.51.8 Lord lift thou the light of thy countenance upon me, and Lord, restore unto me the Joy of thy Salvation. It is reported of the Lyoness, that when she hath once tasted of mans flesh, she will ne­ver be satisfied without more of it: & when a Soul has once tasted of the sweetness of the Love of the lyon of the Tribe of Judah, by feeding upon his flesh by Faith; he will never be satisfied without more of it. Now if God should put them to their [Page 20]choice (as he did Solomon) and ask such, whether they would have the shinings in of Gods countenance, or the pleasures of sin: Oh, say, such Souls, Give us the sweetness of thy love in Christ! But suppose a Soul be asked, whether it would have the Love of God or the pleasures and profits of the World; oh saith the Soul, the profits and pleasures of the world, are but glistering vanities, that are empty of what they promise, and inticeing with what they have; and God can quickly take the world from me or me from the world: But if I have once the love of God I shall enjoy it for ever: for, neither death nor life, Rom. 8 38, 39 nor Angels nor Principali­ties, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor highth, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now my friends, I pray see whether you have these sharp appetites after more of the love of [Page 21]God, then it is indeed sign that you are objects of the love of God; a true Believer that has tasted the sweetness of the love of God, is ready to say as Rachel did in ano­ther case, Give me Children, Gen. 30.1. or else I dye; so saith the Soul, give me more of the love of God, or else my life will be a burden to me. Oh saith the soul, I am compassed about like Jehosaphat, with Moab, Am­mon, and mount Seir; sin, the world & the Devil; the father torments my Spirit, and the children my flesh; and being now in this deplorable state, if God will not revive my soul with the sweet cordials of his Love, what comfort can I have in my life? Now if thou art thus breathing after more of the love of God, it is a sign thou hast it already, or else thou wouldst prefer any thing before it: but if on the contrary thou canst with Herod prefer an Herodias; sinful pleasure before the love of God; and with [Page 22] Saul, prefer the love of the people of the world, before the love of God; or with Demas, prefer the profits of the world before the love of God,Mat. 14.9. 1 Sam. 15.30. 2 Tim. 4.10. it is a sign thou never yet hast had it shed abroad in thy heart.

6. Wouldst thou know whether thou canst assure thy self of the love of God, then see whether God doth exercise thee with Afflictions, and sanctify afflictions unto thee; as un­sanctified Prosperity is no certain sign of the love of God, so neither are unsanctified Afflictions; for A­haz was under great afflictions, and yet an object of Gods hatred, and God is pleased to Stigmatize him to the world,2 Chron 28.22. to be that King Ahaz. In which God does as it were point with the finger, saying, this is that incorrigible wretch that would not be wrought upon by Afflictions. But if thou art exercised with Afflictions; and those thou art exercised with draw thee nearer unto God, and [Page 23]make thee mourn that thou shouldst provoke thy loving-tender-hearted father, to lay such strokes upon thy back; and that if thou wert put to thy choice thou hadst rather be rid of thy Sin, than of thy afflictions and not be rid of thy sins also; it is a sign that thou art an object of Gods love; This is cleared up from the 3 of the Revelations, compared with Psal. 94. [...] In the Revelations, af­flictions are made a sign of Gods love, those whom I love I rebuke and chasten, in that 94 Psal. we may see, when afflictions are signs of Gods love, and that is, when they are teaching Afflictions; when in Affli­ctions God teacheth us to know the evil of sin, in its cursed nature, which is the meritorious cause of all Affli­ctions: In a word, when Afflictions are so sanctified as to make us love God more, hate Sin more, and con­tenm the world more, and to desire to lye down patiently under the hand [Page 24]and will of God, and say with Ely, it is the Lord, 1 Sam. 3.18. let him do what seemeth good in his sight; and with Hezekiah Good is the word of the Lord; good is this affliction from the hand of my good God, and that it is the grief of thy soul, when thou doest find a contumacious will, thwarting the will of God, and this reluctancy in thy will to submit to the will of God under afflicting providences is thy burden; then I say it is a good sign, nay, an infallible sign, that God doth exercise thee with those afflictions in love to thy precious Soul. Indeed it is too ordinary for Gods people, yea his beloved ones, to look upon Afflictions as signs of Gods anger; but though it be so with some, yet it is not so with all. I knew a gracious woman in Cambridge was wont to say, that if God should not be pleased sometimes to afflict her, she should fear he had forgot her: and truly, I think, if there were more of this [Page 25]gracious submissive frame of Spirit a­mongst Christians, in making a right construction of the dealings of God towards them, it would put a period to those murmurings & complaints, and that uncomfortable deportment that doth so much predominate even in Gods beloved ones when they are under Afflictions.

7. If thou wouldst know whether thou art an object of Gods love, then see if God doth give thee Commu­nion with himself in dutys; an ob­ject of Gods hatred may injoy the or­dinances of God; but only true Be­lievers can injoy Communion with the God of Ordinances. Can. 2.4. The Spouse tells us, that when her be­loved brought her into the banquet­ting house his banner over her was love; which in the original is the house of wines, and is therefore very fitly translated banquetting, because wine is frequently used at banquetting: and that which is comprehended in [Page 26]the words is mainly this, that when believers are found diligently at­tending on the means of grace, God will at one time or other, in one de­gree or other, manifest himself and his love towards them. The world is compared to a sea, and Gods peo­ple in the world are like the disciples on the sea, tossed with the waves of afflictions and temptations, and Christ apppears to them spiritually as he did to the disciples corporally, but they are ready to cry out as the disciples did, it is a Spirit; oh saith a Soul, I had a little comfort in such an ordinance, but I am affraid it is but a Spirit, delusion; but at length Christ speaks so powerfully to the Soul, by the operations of his holy Spirit, that the Soul knows it to be the voice of Christ. And then with the disciples it gladly receives Christ into its Soul, and when Christ doeth thus commu­nicate himself, he doeth then mani­fest his endeared affection to it: oh [Page 27]but methinks, I hear some poor Soul ready to say, truly here is but little comfort for me, for if Gods communicating himself to a Soul in the manner you have been speaking be a sign of Gods love, then God help me, my case is bad enough, for I do not find such communications of the graces and comforts of the Spirit to my Soul. God knows I come time after time to hear the word, and I go to prayer, and I re­ceive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, but I come with a dead heart and a dull Spirit, and so I go away a­gain and have none of those quick­ning influences of the Spirit reviv­ing and refreshing of my Soul. God doth not make me joyful in his house of prayer, which makes me fear that I am none of those whom God loves. Poor Soul, doest thou utter this mournful language, in a formal complementing way, or is it the language of a Nathaniel? [Page 28]doth it proceed really from thy heart▪ then take this for thy comfort and carry it home with thee, and let it be as a cordial to revive thy poo [...] drooping Spirits. That God hath already communicated himself to thy Soul: or else thou wouldst neve [...] desire after communion with him in duty. As a wicked earthly minded Ahab (having never so much of the earth) is sick with vexation of Spirit, for want of Naboths vineyard; so a Godly, Heavenly, Heaven born Saint (though it doth injoy communion with God) it is dissatisfied, because it thinks it hath not so much as others: a stone cast up into the air will never rest till it comes to the earth which is its center, so God being the center of a gracious Soul, it is restless with­out communion with him, but on the contrary, if thou canst go from one duty to another and sit down satisfied with the bare performance of the duty; and yet art flattering thy [Page 29]self that thou art an object of Gods [...]ove; I tell thee thou art but feed­ing on the east wind, and carrying lye in thy right hand, for there are one that can assure themselves of he love of God, but they have such Revelation of God to their Souls, [...]s doth fill them with Heavenly [...]oys: Or make them be dissatisfied without those comfortable discove­ [...]es of God to their Souls.

8. Wouldst thou be assured of [...]he love of God through a suffering Christ, then see if God hath given [...]hee an heart to desire to suffer for Christ: when Christ hath helped the [...]oul by an eye of saith, to see what [...]reat things he'l suffer for his sake, doth as the Apostle says, constrein [...]he soul to expose it self, to the [...]reatest sufferings for the cause of God, when he shall be pleased to all him to it. When the love of God [...]omes to be shed abroad, in the [...]eart by the holy Ghost, it will make [Page 30]a Soul say (with Paul) that it glorieth in tribulation; when the Soul comes to be inflamed with the love of God, many waters of affliction from God, nor floods of persecutions from men cannot drown it: oh saith the soul, how can I shew my love enough to God, that hath shewed so much love to me? But on the contrary, if thou art one that will suffer nothing for God, thou canst not upon any sure grounds assure thy self, that Christ hath suffered any thing for thee to purchase the love of God.

9. Wouldst thou know thy inte­rest in the love of God, then see if thou doest hate sin. For it is incon­sistent, for the Revelation of Gods love to the soul, and the manifesta­tion of the souls love to sin, to be in the soul at one and the same time: nothing gives such a mortal wound to sin, nor makes it bleed to death sooner, in the soul, than the mani­festation of the love of a wounded [Page 31]Saviour that did bleed for the soul. My Friends, you may take this for a certain truth, that propor­tionably to the love of God that is manifested unto you, such will be your hatred of sin that you commit against God, as a woman that hath experienced much of her husbands love, it makes her violent against her husbands enemies, so a believer having experienced much of the love of God, sets his soul the more a­gainst sin which he knows is Gods greatest enemy: oh saith the Soul (that hath the love of God shed a­broad in it) how can I hug this sin in my bosome that did pierce my dear and loving Lord Jesus to the heart, how can I hide this sin as sugar under my tongue, which did cause the ton­gue of my Lord Jesus to utter those bitter cryes, and heart rending ex­pressions, with his eyes full of tears, and his heart full of lamentations; My God [Page 32]my God why hast thou forsaken me? when God hath once discovered the freeness of his Love unto his people, they quickly say with Ephraim, what have I to do any more with Idols? but if on the contrary thou lovest and delightest in sin, and art ready to extenuate it, it is a sign that the love of God is not shed abroad in thy Soul.

10. If thou art one that canst really experience the love of God in and to thy Soul, thou art not only brought to hate sin, because it is such an enemy to that God who hath ma­nifested so much love to thy Soul, but God hath really destroyed Sin in thy Soul, it being thine enemy as well as his. I shall endeavour to set it forth by a similitude, and how God doth manifest his love to his people by destroying their corruption, sup­pose a man were walking on the way with his wife, and she straying out of the way should be surprized [Page 33]by a company of bloody cut-throats, and having took away or defaced her ornaments they should go about to murther her; now though her hus­band could stand still awhile and see his wife somewhat roughly handled, (that she might take heed another time how she strayed so far from him) yet when he sees them about to murther her, then his bowells yern towards her, and though she were in a fault yet still she was his wife, whereupon he goes to her res­cue, destroyes those enemies of hers which otherwise would have de­stroyed her; and thus he shews his love to his wife. Truly my friends thus it is, a true believer hath God for his husband, while we are in this world, we are walking on the way to heaven injoying the presence of our heavenly busband; but the al­lurements of the flesh and the world are apt to draw us aside out of the way (when we are off from our [Page 34]watch). And presently we (like Da­vid) are surprized with sins and de­vilish lusts, which do quickly rob us of our comforts, making us to stand in need (with David) to cry, Restore unto us the joy of thy Sal­vation: and God seemes to take but little notice of us, but when our spi­ritual enemies shall go about to take away our spiritual life (for it is in the nature of predominating cor­ruption, that it would in time eat out the very life and power of God­liness) and so to expose us to eter­nal death. Then is the time for our Spiritual husband to shew his love to his poor spouse, in destroying those enemies; and thou that canst assure thy self of the love of God, thou rejoycest more when God doth manifest his love in destroying thy corruptions than in all outward in­joyments whatsoever. But if on the contrary thy corruptions grow and thrive as much as ever, thou hast no [Page 35]ground to assure thy self that God loves thee. When Christ mani­fested his love to his spouse in in­courageing of her to duty, Cant. 2.14, 15. Oh thou that art in the clifts of the rock, in the secret places of the staires, let me hear thy voice, let me see thy countenance, for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. Pray mind what follows, Take us those foxes, those little foxes which corrupt the vines or spoyle the vines, for our vines have tender grapes: by those foxes we understand as well sin in the heart as heretick in the Church; which sins the soul re­joyceth in the destructions of, which have got an evidence of Gods Love.

11. Another sign of our interest in the love of God is, if we have re­ceived spiritual life from the God of life and love; this we may see in the 16 of Ezekiel comparing the 6. verse with the 8. In the 8. verse we have [Page 36]the impulsive cause of our spiritual life, & that is the love of God, thy time was the time of love. In the 6. verse we have the effect of the Love of God towards us, and this is spiritu­al life, I say unto thee live. So like­wise in the 2 Gal. 20. see how the Apostle makes out his interest in the love of God; saith he (speaking of his spiritual life) I live, yet not I, but Christ that liveth in me; and the life that I now live is by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Now my friends I beseech you draw out your hearts before the Lord, and deal faithfully with your own souls, and see whether you can say with Paul, that the life that you now live is by the faith of the Son of God; then indeed you may comfortably read on the verse and say, who loved me, and gave himself for me; till we have received spi­ritual life from Christ, we can never assure our selves of the love of [Page 37]Christ, nor any benefit by the death of Christ. And so in the 2 of the Ephes. we may see, that our spiritual life is an effect of the great love of God toward us in Jesus Christ. Saith the Apostle in the 4. verse, According to the great love where­with he hath loved us. In verse the 5. Even when we were dead in sins hath he quickned us together with Christ. Now let us see whether the Spirit of life in Christ hath made us free from the law of sin and death. Now we know that the difference between a dead man and a living man is this; A dead man hath not his use of his senses, (as hearing, see­ing, feeling, tasting, smelling) but a living man hath the use of all or some of them. Now soul, wouldst thou read the love of God in thy spiritual life, then see whether thou hast thy spiri­tual eye-sight; hath God anointed thy eyes with spiritual eye-salve, and made thee see in some measure the [Page 38]beauty of holiness and the excellen­cy of Christ, the worth of Gods fa­vour, the vanity of the world and the loathsomness of Sin, so as to loath thy self for Sin. now as dead men haveing no sight, can see no more beauty or brightness in the Sun, than in a dunghill; so a Person dead in trespasses and sins can see, nor Bright­ness or Splendor, Beauty, or Lustre, in the Sun of Righteousness. But if thou art one that canst experience the love of God in raising thee from the death of sin to the life of Righ­teousness, thou canst no longer say (with the daughters of Jerusalem) What is thy beloved more than ano­ther beloved; Cant. 5. but thou wilt be ready to say (with the daughters of Sion) my beloved is white and Ruddy the cheifest of ten thousand. Cant. 5.10. And as this spiritual life doth convince a man of the Excellency of Christ, so likewise of the ugliness of Sin: Now soul, see if thou hast this spiritual feeling: we [Page 39]know that as a dead man cannot see so he cannot feel; though you should [...]ay a milstone upon him he is sensi­ble of no more weight than if it were feather, but a living man is quickly sensible of a little weight: so is it with one spiritually dead in trespasses and sins, he feels no weight in his Sins though they be heavier than the whole creation, though sin be so hea­vy that it is a burden to God, good an­gels, & good Men, & wicked Angels, and the whole creation; yet a wick­ed man that is spiritually dead feels no weight therein: but if thou hast this spiritual life thou art made sensi­ble of the burden of Sin, whether in action, in thought, or in word, and thou hast much trouble upon thy spi­rit for those sins, which a wicked man would make nothing of; and if it be so with thee, then go home with comfort, thou art one that mayst say that God hath loved thee with an everlasting love and that God hath [Page 40]ma­nifested his love to thee in raising thee from the death of sin to the life of righteousness.

12. And lastly, wouldst thou know whether thou art an object of Gods love? then see if God be the highest object of thy love, for though Gods love to us do not flow from our love to God (for saith John, 1 John. 1.9. we love him because he first loved us) yet our love to God is an infallible symp­tome, and glorious effect of Gods love to us; for though God doth not love thee because thou lovest him, yet till thou doest love him thou hast no ground to believe that he doth love thee; now in regard that Gods beloved ones are so ready to questi­on their love to God as well as Gods love to them, I intend to insist upon this Particular by it self, and all that I shall say to it at Present is this, that if thou art one that lovest God, thou doest love the People of God, and the ordinances of God, and wilt not [Page 41]sit down satisfied in an ordinance, without communion with God in the ordinance, and thou hast an impla­cable hatred of sin: now my friends see if it be so with you, doth your love to God thus manifest it self?

But if it be otherwise with thee, instead of hateing sin you love it, in­stead of making communion with God your end in duty, you make self, pride, and vain glory your end: If instead of letting your thoughts dwell upon God, you are dwelling upon the world and vanity; you can have but little well-grounded hopes that you love God, and consequently that God loves you; for saith the Apostle, we love him because he first loved us; in which words we have, first an effect, Secondly a cause; the effect is our love to God, we love him; Secondly the cause, God loves us: and saith Jesus Christ the Wise­dome of the father, I love them that love me; we must not think the [Page 42]meaning of the holy Ghost in that Scripture is to make our love to God the cause of Gods love to us, but the evidence of it. Now my friends, I beseech you gather up all again; and see whether you can experience in your own souls that you have a true knowledge of God and the gifts and graces of the Spirit of God, and whether this love of God doth con­strain thee to duty: And whether thou art a fruit-baring Christian, and doest, in the place in which God hath put thee, endeavour to bring others to God; and examine thine unsatia­ble desires after more of this love of God; and examine whither God doth sanctify afflictions unto thee, and give thee communion with himself in duty; and art thou made willing to suffer for God, and art thou made to hate sin; and hath God destroy'd thy enemies which are thy sins: and see if thou hast received spiritual life from God, and hast a Sincere love [Page 43]to God. Now to conclude, if thou findest none of these markes in thy soul of Gods love, thy case is sad, I would not be in thy Condition for ten thousand worlds: yet though I would discourage thee from going on in thy Sin, because a constant persisting in a course of Sin, is a dreadful Sign of Gods hatred; yet I dare not discourage thee in thy at­tendance on the means of grace because those are Gods lattices through which he does flourish him­self, Can. 2.9. Or, as we have it translated, shew himself unto poor souls: therefore thou that canst ex­perience nothing of the love of God; I beseech thee as thou tendrest the good of thy precious and immortal soul, be constant in attending on the means of grace; thou knowest not how soon God may dart in such beams of his love to thy soul through the thick glass of Gospel ordinances, as may make thee cry [Page 44]out with the spouse, stay me with Flagons, strew me a bed with Ap­ples, for I am sick of Love. And for you that can say you have had ex­perience of the love of God; and can say of a truth that Christ hath kissed you with the kisses of his Lips, and that his left Arm hath been under your neck, and his right Arm hath imbraced you; you that can say that the time was when You did sit under the ban­ner of my beloved with great de­light, and his fruit was sweet to your tast; you that can say, that the time was when God did flou­rish himself unto your Souls, through the Lattice, and the Sun of Righteousness did shine upon your Tabernacle; That God did so manifest himself unto your Souls in all or most of his Ordi­nances, that it may be you did not know whether you were in the body or out of the body, (as [Page 45] Paul saith) your hearts have been forewarned and affected with the presence of God by the influence of his Spirit; Now it may be you walk in darkness and have no light, instead of that sweet com­munion you had with God in du­ty; it may be there may be no­thing but deadness, and dulness of heart, and indisposition of Soul to duty; It may be instead of that shining in of Gods love unto your Souls, you may (with Job) appre­hend God to be your Enemy, and be ready to say that God doth set a print on your Heels and on your Feet, and sew up your iniqui­ties in a bag, and seal up your sins, Job 13.24, 26, 27. you that could formerly say (with David) come and see what God hath done for my Soul, it may be, are now rea­dy to say (with Job,) have pity upon as oh our friends, for the hand of the Lord is upon us, Job 19, 21. and [Page 46]with the Church in the Lamen­tations, Is it nothing to you all you that pass by? Behold and see if there be any sorrow like my sorrow, Lam. 1.12. which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce Wrath. Oh wo is [...] us, for the Day of Comfort and Consolation is passing away and the shadows of the evening and morning are stretched out Now poor souls, you that are thu [...] in Hell upon Earth for want o [...] comfort and consolation from Heaven, give me leave to speak two or three words to you, in or­der to the reducing you to you former comfortable estate; yo [...] that are thus afflicted and to [...] ­sed with Tempest, and not com­forted; it will be your prudenc [...] and it doth highly concern you to take notice what wind hat [...] brought this Tempest, which ha [...] [Page 47]filled your Souls with such clouds of despondencies: for either the East Wind of sinful Security, or the North Wind of pinching Adversity, or the South Wind of unsanctified Prosperity, has undoubtedly raised these storms in your Souls, which for some time and in some measure make an interposition between the comfortable rayes of the Light of Gods Countenance and thy poor soul. For the first, see if the east wind of sinful security hath not raised this Tempest of de­jection and despondency: though God doeth greatly delight to secure his people from the God of this world, yet his people will find but small comfort in their sinful security before God, whilst they be in this World; though God doeth so watch over a be­liever that he shall never be o­vercome by temptations, yet for [Page 48]want of watchfulness in a believer, God may suffer him to be ex­posed to Temptation; though a true believer cannot lose the God of comfort and consolation, yet he may for a time lose the comfort and consolation of his God: if the blasting East wind of carnal security make the ears thin and empty, no wonder if thou art not filled with the south wind of comfort and consolation; if David and Peter think their mountain so strong that they shall not be moved, to deny the Fountain of their Comfort and Consolation, God will most cer­tainly deny them (for a time) the Comforts from the Fountain. Again in the next place, see if the south wind of unsanctified pros­perity have not blown up these storms of sanctifiing Adversity; for Gods end in imbittering our beloved outward enjoyments (by [Page 49]denying us his comforting presence) is to make his consolations more sweet unto us, and us more earnestly to labour after the enjoyment of them: when Gods beloved ones have too much delight in, and too much love to the world, so as to un­dervalue the heavenly manna of Gods love; then the God of love will manifest his delight in, and love to his people, in leaveing them (as to his comforting presence) (with the prodigal) to seed upon the husks of outward injoyments, till they are brought to see the incon­gruity, that is between the empty, in­ticeing, transitory vanity of this World: and their sublime and im­mortal Souls, which can receive no real comfort from, or any satisfac­tory delight or complacency, in any thing but what is of its own na­ture. For [...] the soul of a believer meerly as it is a Creature, is an im­mortal [Page 50]substance and the very breath of God; and therefore no wonder though the creature find such an in­sufficiency of comfort in all outward injoyments, they being so much be­low and unsuitable to its nature. And that I take to be the reason why So­lomon saith Prov. 14.13. that in the midst of laughter the heart may be sad; the fading, earthy, mortal body may laugh in the injoyment of fad­ing, earthly, momentany things, and yet the heart and soul may be sad for want of something of its own nature for to take delight and compla­cency in. Now let us draw to Con­clusion; in a word there must be an assimulation between the Object of delight, and the Subject delighting it self in that object. As for exam­ple, a fish of a cold and moyst nature delights in the passive element of water, being of its own nature; But the Salamander being of a fiery na­ture [Page 51]delights in the active element of fire: So a true believer, being a new creature, born of God by regenera­tion, cannot but mourn in the bitter­ness of his soul, when it does consi­der how the fleshy part has prevail­ed against his Spiritual part (being off from his watch) as (with Michal) to send away his blessed King David (as to his comforting presence) and have left nothing but an Image of outward Injoyments in the room thereof. And if Gods beloved Samp­sons will be solaceing of themselves in the laps of the deceitful Dalilahs, you can expect nothing but that those sweet Syrene-like songs should end in the shipwrack of their spiri­tual Joys: Having provoked God, to deliver them up (with Sampson) to the Philistins, to cut off the seven locks of their spiritual strength, and leave them in the hands of their spi­ritual enemies, that will by (filling [Page 52]of their Souls with horror and vexa­tion of Spirit) do their utmost, to keep those from heaven whilst they live, which they see they cannot keep from heaven when they dye. And now I come to the North wind of affliction, which does often make Gods Davids cry out, I have cleansed my heart in vain, and with Gods Jobs to look upon outward afflicti­ons to be signs of Gods anger and displeasure; whereas indeed as well the North Wind of sanctified af­flictions as the South Wind of sancti­fied prosperity blowing upon our gardens, will make our spices flow forth, will make us to be much in exercising the gifts and graces of the spirit of God in us. Now, soul, see which of these winds it is that has blown up this dreadful storm in thy soul? if it be the East Wind of sinful security, or the South Wind of unsanctified prosperity, or the [Page 53] North Wind of adversity? And in­deed as sin is the meritorious cause of affliction, so affliction makes a soul apprehend it self to be a greater sinner than others, when it is more afflicted than others. And the De­vil has a great hand in this, for as he perswades the [...] that their prosperi­tis is a sign of Gods love, so he per­swades Gods people, that afflictions are signs of Gods hatred. If the people of God did but know the gra­cious end God has in afflicting them, they would never look upon them to be signs of his displeasure: For Gods ends in afflicting his people are to glorify his wisdom in their Di­rection, and his holiness in their Sanctification, and his power in their Supportation and Preservation, and that they might be more conforma­ble to Christ their head, and that they may hate sin the more, and con­temn the world the more, and long after heaven the more, and that they [Page 54]may be in the better capacities to sympathize with Gods people in their suffering, when they are under the like afflictions, and to make hea­ven the sweeter to them, by make­ing the world bitter. Now soul, thou that art under these clouds, and tossed with these tempests, and not com­forted, be sure to look often into the waters of the sanctuary upon the bended knees of thy soul, and there thou shall see the Comet that has made the interposition between the shineing rayes of Gods love and thy poor soul; and when thou hast found out this Achan that troubles the camp, that made thee flee before the men of Aie; and after thou hast con­quered Jericho, and by Gods mini­sters sounding of the Gospel-Trum­pet beat down the walls of the cur­sed Jericho of the Kingdom of dark­ness in thy soul; when thou hast found out the Achan that would pre­serve any of the cursed thing, be un­potant [Page 55]with thy blessed Joshuah, which brings his true Israel into the land of promise, that he would pass the sentence of death, on this thee vish Achan, that first stole thy heart from the God of comfort and consolation, and then stole from thee the sweet consolations of thy God: Oh soul, let not the Silver or Gold of worldly-mindedness which lies hid in the midst of Achans tent, let not any ex­ternal profit that thy sin may bring thee in, make Achan faire ever the better; but seek diligently for it, for it lyes hid in the midst of the tent where it might be the least suspected; & see if Achan has not been a troub­ler to thee by stealing something else besides the wedg of Gold, see if he has not got a cloak of Shinar or a Babylonish garment of self-righte­ousness.

My meaning is this; look diligent­ly into thy heart, see if thou art not ready to be prideing of thy self in thy [Page 56]dutys, and having had great Inlarge­ments in prayer, art thou not ready to think that that duty (as it comes from thee) is more likely to find ac­ceptance with God, than those poor broken expressions of thy friend, whom it may be thou contemnest as not having such abilities, as thou hast. Now soul, if thou canst find this in thy heart, then thou mayst say there is the Babylonish garment, which the old man the unregenerate part, the cursed Achan has stole, and by which God was provoked against thee; but if thou canst say of a truth upon serious self-examination that it is otherwise with thee, and that thy heart doeth not condemn thee of stealing these wedges of gold, that thou hast not an inordinate love to the world, & that thou hast not stole the Babylonish garment of spiritual pride in duty; and through grace thou canst say; that neither the East Wind of sinful security, nor the [Page 57] South Wind of unsanctified prospe­rity, nor the North Wind of Pinch­ing adversity have brought these clouds over thy soul; then comfort thy self with this, that it will not be long ere the Sun of righteousness will dispel those thick and foggy mists of dejection and despondency with the resplendent rays of his love and fa­vour Mal. 4.2. it will not be long before God will say to thy Soul, oh thou afflicted and tossed with tem­pests and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with faire colours, and thy foundations with saphires, Isaiah. 54.11. it will not be long before the Lord will say unto thee thy maker is thy husband vers. 5 though now thou lookest upon thy self, to be a cast-off and a refused Creature; it will not be long before God will say unto thee by his Spirit in his promises vers. 7. though for a small moment he hide his face from thee, yet with everlasting kindness [Page 58]will he have mercy upon thee: And though now in the extremity of thy grief, thou mayest seem to thy self and others, to go on frowardly, or to turn aside, be worse by thy troubles, yet saith God, I have seen his ways & will heal him, I will lead him also & will restore comfort to him & to his Mourners Isa. 57 17, 18.; & though thou mayst pos­sibly think God long, & say as Sisera's Mother did in another case, Judg. 5.28. Why tarry the wheels of his Chariot: yet know this for thy com­fort, that when the seasonablest time is, Cant. 2.8. Thy beloved will come leaping over the Hills, and Skipping over the Mountains, in so much that the greatest opposition shall not hin­der him, when the seasonablest time is for him to come with comfort to thy soul; therefore soul, wait pati­ently, for the vision is for an appoin­ted time, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry; and Gods ends in staying so long before he [Page 59]comes with comfort to thy soul, may be to make comfort so much the more sweet; and welcome to thy soul, and to make thee the more wide and capacious vessel, to con­tain so much the more comfort and consolation; and it is no small ground of comfort, that God has made thee willing to wait so long for comfort, from a right object and in a right way: it may be a ground of comfort to thee that thou art not with Saul, seeking comfort from a musical in­strument, or going to the Devil for comfort, 1 Samuel. 16.23.28.7. Or that thou art not with Cain seeking comfort from riches, Gen. 4.15.17. the next news you hear of Cain af­ter his trouble of Mind was he was building a city: it is ground of com­fort that thou art not with Ahito­phel and Judas making a halter thy comforter; and therefore comfort thy self with this, that God has made thee willing to wait on him for com­fort [Page 60]in his own way; and remember therefore this soul, that Gods time to comfort thee is the best time, and howsoever those various revolution [...] in thy soul, those thy many Ups and Downs, may seem to threaten thee with a miserable disappoint­ment of thy comfort, yet know this that God who takes care of tem­poral sparrows, will not forget hi [...] spiritual doves: oh but it may be some may be ready to say, if I wer [...] some eminent Christian such as Pete [...] or Paul, or Silas and John were, then I should think that God would con­cern himself with my Condition, bu [...] I am a poor inconsiderable Creatur [...] slighted by the world & slighted by Gods people, imputing my trou­ble to be nothing else but a pettis [...] humour, and truly, I am fear­ful I may too truly say with [...] Church, Isa. 49.14. That God hat [...] forgotten me and doth overlook my trouble: poor soul take heed tho [...] [Page 61]doest not dishonour God, by having such low and unbecoming thoughts of him, as to think that there is any [...]hing so great as not to be within his power, or to be so small as not to be within his care. Thy Creation, and Redemption, cost God as much power and love, as the Creation and Redemption of Peter or Paul did, and God doth as much concern him­ [...]elf with thy condition as if he had [...]othing else to look after; and there­ [...]ore comfort thy self with the Con­ [...]ideration of that care and wisedom which God doth manifest in all the windings and circumstances of every Dispensation he orders forth unto [...]hee.

I shall conclude this Discourse with a word to those who have had his assurance of the love of God [...]nd still retain it. All that I shall [...]ay to these is this, be sure that your [...]vidences of the love of God be [...]uly grounded upon the forementi­oned [Page 62]trials, and not upon the injoy­ment of outward mercies, and then be found constant and conscionable in the discharge of all thy relative and religious duties, that thou maist keep up in thy soul the fresh appre­hension of Gods love continually; for though thou that art a belie­ver, canst never lose the love of God as to the habit or being of it, yet thou maiest lose the love of God as to the evidence of it unto thee, and therefore Christ bid those to whom he had discovered his love, to continue in his love, and there­fore saith Jude keep your selves in the love of God.

Object. Hos. 9.15. doeth not God tell his people that he would love them no more; in which words, there are two things.

First something implied, and sup­posed.

Secondly. Something pressed and proposed; that which is implied [Page 63]is that God did love them, but that which is expressed is, that he would love them no more. Therefore how can you make it appear that we can never lose the love of God.

Ans. We do grant that there is implied a love of God to those who were no more to be the objects of his love, but what a love was it? we know God hath a general love to all his creatures, and this general love of pity extends it self not only to rational creatures, but even to wicked men: God hath a love of pi­ty even to wicked men as in Isa. 63.9. In his love and in his pity he redeemed them, who were they that God hath such a love of Pity to, we may see in the 10 vers. It was such as were rebels against him and vexed his holy Spirit, and in the Psalm. 78 38 vers. We may see that God was so full of compassion that he is said to for­give their iniquitys, & would not stir up all his wrath, yet though God did extend [Page 64]so much pity towards them, it did manifest it self only in externals: let us take a view of this people, that were such large sharers in this love of pity and compassion of God; if we look into the 8. vers. we may see their Stubborness and Rebellion, in the 9. vers. they turned back in the day of battel, in the 10. vers. they break Covenant with God, and did not walk in his wayes, in the 11. vers. they were forgetful of his goodness, and for many verses toge­ther we may see their infidelity with the highest aggravation imaginable and in the 29. vers. we may see their great ingratitude in abuseing the mercys of God, first to eat and drink for the gratifying their lusts, and then to rise up to play, in the 32. vers. we may see their incorri­gibleness and unbelief, and yet not­withstanding all this, God had such a general compassion of them, and such love to them, as did ingage him [Page 65]so to manifest his love towards them, as to forgive their iniquitys so as not to cut them off suddenly, and yet notwithstanding all this pitifull love of God, extended to them in a general way, they still remain ob­jects of his wrath and abhorrency, so that he would neither let their bodys come into Canaan, nor their souls in­to heaven, and this love mentioned in Hosea is only such a love as is mentioned in the 63. Isai. and it is no more then if the Lord had said un­to Ephraim, I have exercised much patience towards thee, ever since Jereboam did set up his abominable Idolatry, I have waited to be graci­ous a long time, but now I will drive them out of my house I will un-church them, I will take away mine ordinances from them, they shall no more injoy the ordinary Symptomes of my love, to wit, those spiritual priviledges and advantages by which I do in a general way manifest, [Page 66]my love to a Nation in general, and though I dare not be positive in my assertion, I being but a man, and therefore not infallible, yet I cannot but judg this to be the mean­ing, of the good spirit of our God, because the Ordinances of Good, vouchsafed to a Nation, are in Scrip­ture declared to be manifestations of his love. Thus having endeavoured to shew the meaning of the Holy Ghost in this Scripture, in answer to what might be objected (from it) a­gainst the Immutability of the Love of God to believers, I shall draw up all to this conclusion, that though [...] may seem to be mutable, in the ex­ternal manifestations of his love to a Nation in general, yet he is immuta­ble in his eternal love to every true believer in particular.

And this is that which may be a ground of much consolation to those that can by what hath been said, make it clear to their own souls, that [Page 67]they are such that God hath such an everlasting love unto, for if thou art an object of Gods everlasting love, his Wisdom shall be engaged for thy Direction: and his Power for thy Protection, and his Holiness for thy Sanctification, and his mercy for thy Salvation, Oh my Friende, I want words to set forth and express the thousand part of your happiness, that are in the love and favour of God, truly my friends, I may say of the love of God as David did of the City of God, glorious things are spoken of thee, O thou love of God, thou that artan object of Gods love, thou hast all the Attributes of God, and the offices of Christ, and the influences of the Spirit all ingaged for thy San­ctification and Comfort and Conso­lation: the evidence of this love of God is, that which will be unto thee bread in famine, drink in drought, peace in war, health in Sickness, like in death: the love of God in Christ [Page 68]manifested to thy soul, is that tree which will sweeten the waters of Marah, even the bitter waters of affli­ction: The sense of this love of God is that which will lift thee up above the frowns & flatteries of the world: the clear, discoveries of Gods love will make thee willing to suffer from God or for God: and to conclude all in a world, the sense of Gods love will make thee live holily, and live humbly, and live thankfully, and live matchfully, and live believe­ingly, and live comfortably, and live fruitfully, and dye joyfully, in full assurance of reigning gloriously with him who loved thee before all time, and manifested his everlasting love to thee in time, injoying the fu [...] fruition of his love when time shal [...] be swallowed up to eternity; and then there shall be no more sinfull [...] Comets to make an interposition, the Sun of Righteousnes and thy poor soul, but (eagle-like) thou shalt be [Page 69]continually above the clouds of Sin or Sufferings, and injoy in a greater measure, then now thou art capable, of the love of God, in as great bright­ness and serenity, as thou wilt then be in a capacity to receive. Now to the God of love by all the objects of his love be ascribed all Honour and Glory for ever and ever, Amen.