l54 BAXTER'S DYING THOUGHTS. XIII. It is God's love shed abroad on 'the heart by the Holy Ghost, which musi makeus " rejoice in hope of the glory-of God : " this will do it, and without this it will not be done. This would turn the fears of death into joyful hopes of future life. If my God will thus warm my heart with, his love, it will have these following effects.in this matter: 1. Love longeth for union, or nearness, and fruition ; and it á would make my soul long after God in, glorious ,presence. 2. This would make it much easier to me to believe that there is certainly a future blessed life for souls ; while I even tasted how God loveth them. It is no hard thing to believe that the sun will give light and heat, and revive the frozen .earth.; nor that; a father will show kindness to his son, or give him an inheritance. Why should it be hard to believe that God will glorify the souls whom he loveth, and that he will take them near himself; and that thus it "shall be done to those whom he delights to honor ? 3. This effusion of divine love would answer my doubts of the pardon of sin : I should not find it hard to believe that love itself,, which bath given us a Savior, will forgive a soul that truly repent- eth, and hates his sin, and giveth up himself to Christ for justifica- tion. It is hard to believe that a tyrant will forgive, but not that a father will pardon a returning prodigal son. 4. This effusion of divine love will answer my fears, which arise from mere weakness of grace and .duty ; indeed it will give no other comfort to an unconverted soul, but that he may be accepted if he come to God by Christ, with true faith and repentance ; and that this is possible. But it should be easy tobelieve, that a tender father will not kill nor cast out a child for weakness, crying or un- cleanness : divine love will 'accept and cherish even weak faith, weak prayer, and weak obedience and patience, which are sin- cere. 5. This effused love would confute temptations that are drawn from thy afflictions, and make thee believe that they are not so bad as flesh represented' them: it would understand that every son that God loveth he chasteneth, that he maynot be'condemned with the world, and that he may be partaker of his holiness, and the end may be the quiet fruit of righteousness: it would 'teach us to believe that God in very faithfulnes8 doth afflict us ; and that it is a good sign that the God of Love intendeth a better life for his beloved, when he trieth them with so many tribulations here'; and though Lazarus be not saved for his suffering, it signi- fied that God, who loved him; had a life.of comfort for him, when he had his evil things on earth. When pangs are greatest, the birth is nearest.
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