Jefus Chrift. 1 John i. 3. This divine fellowship is promised by Christ to all his friends, John xiv. 21, 23. He that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifeft myself to him;—we will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. This myftical fellowship is peculiar to the friends of God; and others know nothing of it. They are represented as poor ftrangers and aliens, that have no communication with God. Eph. ii. 12. Col. i. 21. He is fhy of them and they of him: they keep at a distance from one another, like perfons difaffected.— This communion on God's part confifts in his communicating to his people the influences of his grace, to quicken them, to inflame their love, to give them filial boldnefs in drawing near to him, in affuring them of his love to them, and representing himself to them as reconciled and acceffable. And on their part it confifts in a liberty of heart and speech in pouring out their prayers to him, a delightful freedom of fpirit in all exercises of devotion, in returning him love for love, and dedicating themfelves to him. Thus there is a kind of interchange of thoughts and affections, mutual freedoms and endearments, between them. And O! how divinely fweet in fome happy hours of facred intimacy! This indeed is heaven upon earth and, might it but continue without interruption, the life of a lover of God would be a conftant series of pure, unmingled happiness. But, alas! at times their Beloved withdraws himfelf, and goes from them, and then they languifh, and pine away, and mourn, like the mourning turtle that has loft his mate. This intercourfe with God may be a ftrange thing to fome of you; and to vindicate the want of it, you may give it fome odious name; enthusiasm, fanaticism, or heated imagination. But I must tell you, if you know nothing of it, your temper and experience is entirely different from all the friends of God, and, therefore, you cannot rank yourselves in that happy number.

Now

Now the ordinances of the gofpel are, as it were, the places of interview, where God and his people meet, and where they indulge thofe facred freedoms. It is in prayer, in meditation, in reading or hearing his word, in communicating at his table; it is in thefe and the like exercises that God communicates, and, as it were, unbofoms himself to thofe that love him; and they enjoy the freedom of children and friends with him and on this account they delight in thofe ordinances, and take pleasure in attending upon them. The workings of their hearts in this respect, you may difcover in David, when, by the perfecution of Saul, or the rebellion of his fon Abfalom, he was banished from the stated ordinances of public worship. Pfal. xlii. 1, 2, 4. and lxxxiv. throughout, and xxvii. 4.

And now, my brethren, to come nearer home, have not fome of you experienced the facred joys of communion with God? And were not those the sweetest hours of your life? Have you not found it good for you to draw near to him? And when he has withdrawn his prefence, how have you languished and mourned, and could never be eafy till he was pleafed to return to you? Do you not also find a facred pleasure in the inftitutions of the gofpel, because there you hope to meet your God, and enjoy communion with him? Is this the principle that prompts you to pray, to hear, and perform every religious duty? Then you may appeal to a heart-fearching God, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.

You

But does not this view of the matter give the confcience of fome of you reafon to condemn you. have neither known nor defired this fellowship with the Father, and his Son Jefus Chrift. Alas! you know nothing of those freedoms of divine friendship: and you have no prevailing pleasure in devotion. You either neglect the duties of religion, or elfe you perform them from cuftom, education, constraint of confcience, or fome other fuch principle. Let me point out one inftance as a fpecimen; and that is fecret prayer and

clofet

closet-devotion. Nothing can be more exprefsly commanded than this is by Chrift, Matt. vi. 6. and is this your daily practice? Is this the moft pleafant exercife of your life? Or is it a mere formality, or a wearinefs to you? My brethren, inquire honeftly into this

matter.

4. And lastly, If you love the Lord Jefus Chrift, you earnestly study and endeavour to please him by a life of univerfal obedience. Love is always defirous to please the perfon beloved; and it will naturally lead to à conduct that is pleafing. This, then, you may be fure of, that if you love Jefus, it is the labour of your life to please him. The grand inquiry with you is not, Will this or that please men? will it pleafe myfelf? or will it promote my intereft? but, will it please my God and Saviour? If not, I will have nothing to do with it. This is the ftanding rule of your practice: Let others confult their own inclinations, or the taste of the age; let them confult their own fecular intereft, or the applause of mortals; you confult what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. Rom. xii. 2. See alfo Eph. vi. 6. 1 Pet. iii. 17. Heb. xiii. 21. and if you may but please him, it is enough. But are there not fome of you who are hardly ever concerned with this dutiful folicitude? If you can but please yourselves, and those whofe favour you would court, if you can but promote your own intereft, you are not folicitous whether you please God, or not. This proves you def titute of his love.

The only way to please God, and the best test of your love to him, is obedience to his commandments. This is made the decisive mark by Christ himself. If a man love me, he will keep my words-He that loveth me not, keepeth not my fayings. John xiv. 23, 24.-He repeats it over and over in different forms: He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. ver. 21. If ye love me, keep my commandments. ver. 15. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatfoever I command you. John xv. 14. This is the love of God, fays St. John;

that

that is, it is the fureft evidence, and the natural, inseparable effect of your love of God, that you keep his. commandments; and his commandments are not grievous, 1 John v. 3. that is, they will not feem grievous to one that obeys them from the generous principle of love.

Here then, you that profess to love the Lord Jefus, here is an infallible teft for your love. Do you make it the great study of your life to keep his commandments? Do you honeftly endeavour to perform every duty he has enjoined, and that because he has enjoined it? And do you vigorously refift and ftruggle against every fin, however conftitutional, however fashionable, however gainful, because he forbids it? And is the way of obedience pleafant to you? Would you choose this way to heaven rather than any other, if it were left to your election? What does confcience anfwer to this? Do not fome of you ftumble and hesitate here? If you should speak the truth, you muft fay, "I cannot but confefs that I do wilfully indulge myself in fome things which Jefus has forbidden, and leave unattempted fome duties which he has commanded?” Alas! is this the cafe? Then his love does not dwell in you you are undeniably his enemies, whatever be your pretenfions. But if you can fay, "Lord, I own that in many things I offend; in many things I come fhort of my duty; but, if I know myself, I think, I can honeftly declare, that it is my fincere and earneft defire to do thy will, and that it is my real endeavour in every inftance in which it is made known to me;" I fay, if you can make this declaration, your cafe looks encouraging: this is the dutiful temper and modeft language of genuine love.

And now, my brethren, if Jefus fhould put this queftion to each of you, Loveft thou me? Are you prepared to answer him? Can you defire more plain, or more certain evidences than have been given? Surely, no; and therefore, if you are still quite undetermined, it is owing to the real obfcurity and perplexity of your

cafe,

cafe, or to your careleffness and inattention, or to your wilfully fhutting your eyes againft conviction. My brethren, if you have these characteristics of love to Jefus, away with your painful jealoufies, and believe that your hearts are upright before him. But if you are deftitute of them, be affured you are equally def titute of his love. Love can never be feparated from its natural fruits and effects; and therefore, without thefe, it is the greatest absurdity to pretend to it. Can you rife up now, and tell the Lord Jefus to his face, "Lord, it is true, I have not the fruits and evidences of love, but I love thee notwithstanding; I love thee above all, though I have no frequent affectionate thoughts of thee; I love thee, though I hate to think of thee; though I have no pleasure in converfing with thee, nor any concerns to please thee, and keep thy commandments; that is, I love thee, though my temper and conduct towards thee be thofe of an enemy !" Alas! firs, will you prefume to impofe upon an omniscient God, with fuch abfurd contradictory pretenfions as these? Would fuch a love as this pass current among men: Offer it now to your governor, your father, or your friend, and fee if they will accept of it. Tell your friend, "I moft fincerely love you, though I do not love to think of you, or converfe with you: I love you, though I care not whether I please you!" would he not discard you from his friendship, as an inconfiftent pretender, and highly resent it, that you should think to impofe upon him by fuch abfurd pretenfions? And fhall that pafs for fincere, fupreme love to God, which would not be accepted as common friendship among men? Shall enmity, disguised under hypocritical pretenfions, be offered to him, under the name of friendship? With horror I mention it; and yet I muft mention it, that you may be shocked at your conduct? do you think he wants understanding to be thus impofed upon? It is a plain cafe you have not the least spark of true love to him; you are enemies to him in your minds, by wicked works, thereVOL. III. .

fore