33° S E K M 0 N S upon Serm. XLII. for Chrifts fake will pardon our fins,if we will but forbear further hoftility, and enter into his peace : None are bound to.believe that God efpecially loveth them, butthofe that are fpecially beloved by him; for none are bound to believe a falfhood 5 and a fàlfhood it is to us, till we have the faving effects and benefits; and therefore it is not the fpecial, but thegeneral love of Cod!tvhich draweth in our hearts to him ; yea, his Saints, after fome teftimonies received of Godv fpecial love, make this to be the great . engaging motive, Gal. 2. 20. I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himfe f for me. 2. There it a fpecial love, when this glace it applied to us, Eph. 2. 4, 5. Bat God, who it rich in mercy, far his great lwe, wherewith he loved us when we were dead in trefpaffer and fins. He did not begin to love us when we were converted ; that is of a more an- cient and eternal rife; but then he did begin to apply his loveto us; and this no ordina- ry, but great love; when God was angry with us, and pronounced death on us in the fentence of his law ; then he quickned us and reconciled us to himfelf, when his law reprefented him at an enemy , and in the courfe of his Providence he appeared as an enemy, and the apprehenfions of our guilty fears befpeak him an ene- my;then did God for Chrills fake beftow his converting grace upon us:Now 'tis a great advantage to draw nigh to God as a reconciled Father,and actually in covenant with us; Purely this is and will be the object of our everlalting love and joy, Rom 5. 18. And a notable prop of confidence in prayer ; could we once believe that he dearly loye-rh us, and is actually reconciled to us, and taketh us for his children, and delighteth in our profperity : Oh how chearfully ihould we come into his prefence, John 1'6. 27. The Father himfelf loveth yens, becaufe you have loved me, and believed that I came out from God. We have then not only his own interceffion, but the Fathers efpecial love, as the ground of our audience and acceptance : Now this particular interelt dependeth on fomething wrought in our fouls by the holy Spirit ; our Lord mentioneth two things ; their faith in Chrift, and love to God, or a thankful acceptance of him as our Lord and Saviour; love to God, or a thankful obedience to him, John 54.22, 23. We cannot perceive our fpecial interelt in the love of God, but by the evidences of our fìncerity ; when we fee Gods love- tokens in our hearts, faith and love wrought Taus by his fpirit, then we may know that he loveth us by this fpecial love t the quefion is, Doth God love me ? Hath he given his Spirit ?. How (ball I know that ? Anfwer, By the Effefts; Do you believe in Jefus Chrift ? How (hall I know my faith isígcere, and the faith of Gods Ele&? Doth it work by love ? Gal. 5.6. How (hall I know that I love God? The ads of fincere love are feeking after God, and delighting in him; if you cannot find the latter, the former is a comfortable evidence, Prov. 8. 17. I lbve them that love me, and they that feekme early (hall find me. The dederium unionise the defrous feeking love ; if it be ferious and earneft,it is fincere, tho you find not fuchde- lightful apprehenfions of his grace to you ; clearahis once,and when you come to pray, you may know that God loveth you with a fpecial love ; the dearelt friend we have in theworld doth not love us the thoufand part fo much as he doth ; nay, as Yaldeffo faith, the higheft Angel doth not love God fo much as he loveth the loweft Saint ; God lo- veth like himfelf, becoming the.greatnefsand infinitenefs of his own Being; and with this perfwafion pray to him. 2. God,' love is not a cold and unefellual love : That confifts only in raw wifhes, but an operative, alive love,that iffueth forth to accomplifh what heintendeth to us, tho by the molt coftly means, and at the dearth rates; God is good and doth good, Pfal: I id. 68. He bath a love to us, and will do good to us ; our love many times goeth no further than good wilhes, and good wends ; be warmed, be 'loathed ; but give not shofe things which are needful to the body, jam. 2. 26. Our Lord yelled not in kind wifhes, but giveth a full demonftration of his love; if Chrift be needful for the Saints, they (hall have hilt, God (pared not his own Sen. 3. 'Tis a great love, fuch as may raife our wonder and aftonifhment, and fo may en- large our expe&ations and capacities for the reception of other things, Eph. 3. 18, 19. That ye may with all faints comprehend what is the beighth and breadth, the length and depth, and to know the love of Cbrifl, which paj'eth knowledg, that ye may be filled with all thé firinef r of God. There is fuch an infinitenefs and immenfity in this love of God in Chrilh, as raifeth our delires and hopes to expel all other things from bim, which belong to our happinefs; if God will do this, what will he not do for thole whom he loveth ? he that hath given a talent, will not he give a peny ? We confident; ly go to one with a requeft, who bath done force great thing for us already : What greater thing cculd there be, than his giving his Son to die for a fitful work' ? John 13. 13.
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