X20 Of-COMMUNION `CQM) this account, thou doeft thy endeavour to make him a lyar, who fpoken it, t John v. io. I can believe that God is love to others, for he hath faid he is love; but that he will be fo to me, I fee no ground of perfuafion ; there is no caufe, no rmufon in the world, why he should turn one thought of love or kindnefs towards me; and therefore I dare not raft my felf upon it to hold communion with him in his efpecial love. He bath fpoken it as particularly to thee, as tocny one in the world. And for caufe of love, he bath as much to fix it onthee, as on any of the children ofmen ; that is none at all without himfelf. So that I (hall make fpeedy workwith this obje&ion. Never any one from the foundation of the world, who believed fuck love in the Father, and made returns of love to him again, was deceived, neither (hall ever any to the world's end be fo, in fo doing. Thou art then in this upon a moll fure bottom; If thou believeft and receiveft the Father as love, he will infallibly be fo to thee, thoughothers may fall under his feverity. But, I cannotfind my heart making returns of love unto God. Could I find my foul fet upon him, I could then believe his fouldelighted in me. This is themolt prepofterous courfe, that poflibly thy thoughts can picth upon, a moll: ready way to rob God of his glory. Herein is lave, faith the Holy Ghoft, not that we loved God, but that be loved us firfi a John iv. to, ut. Now, thou wouldeft invert this order, and fay, Here-. in is love, not that God loved me, but that I love him firft. This is to take the glory of God from Mtn, that whereas he loves us without a caufe, that is in our felves, and we have all caufe in the world to love him, thou wouldeft llave the contrary, viz. that fomething fhould be in thee, for which Godfhould love thee, even thy love to him; and that thou Ihouldeft love God, before thou knoweft any thing lovely in him, viz. whether he love thee or no. This is a courfe of flefhes finding ouy that will never bring glory to God, nor peace to thy own foul. Lay down then thy reafonings; take up the love of the Father upon a pure ad. of be- lieving, and that will open thy foul to let it out unto the Lord in the communionof love. To make yet force farther improvement of this truth, fo opened, and exhorted unto as before it will difcover unto us the eminency andprivi- lege of the faints of God. What low thoughts foever the fons of men may have of them, it will appear that they have meat to eat that the world knows not of; they have clofe communion and fellowfhip with the Father, they deal with him in the interchange of love. Men are generally efteemed according to the companythey keep. It is an honour to Rand in the prefence of princes, though but as fervants, What honour then have all the faints, to fand with boldnefs in the prefence of the Father, there to enjoy his bofom love ? What a bleffmg did the Queenof Sheba pronounce on the fervants of Solomon, who flood before him, and heard his wifdom? How much more bleffed then are they, who Rand con- tinually before the God of Solomon, hearing his wifdòm, enjoying his love? Whilft others have their fellowlhip with fatan, and their own lulls, making provifion for them, and receiving perifhing refrefhments from them, whofe end is deflruftion, whole God is their belly, andwhofeglory is in their fhame, who mind earthly things ; they have this fweet communion with the Father. Moreover; what a fafe and f Beet. retreat is here for the faints, in all the form, reproaches, fcandals, mifreprefentations which they undergo in the world
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