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thinks will be pleafing to him; and accord-Sunday ing to the degree of Love, fo is this defire more or lefs: Where we love earnestly, we are very earnest and careful to please. Now if we have indeed that Love to God we pretend to, it will bring forth this Fruit, we hall be careful to please him in all things. Therefore, as you judge of the tree by its fruits, fo may you judge of your Love of God by this Fruit of it; nay, indeed, this is the way of trial which Chrift himself hath given us, John xiv. 15. If ye love me, keep any commandments; and St. John tells us, 1 Ep. v. 3. That this is the love of God, that we walk after his commandments; and where this one proof is wanting, it will be impoffi ble to testify our Love to God.

34. But it must yet be farther confidered, that this Love of God muft not be in a low or weak degree; for befides that the motives to it, his Excellency and his Kindness, are in the higheft, the fame commandment which bids us love God, bids us love him with all our hearts, and with all our strength; that is, as much as is poffible for us, and above any thing elfe. And therefore to the fulfilling this commandment, it is neceffary we love him in that degree; and if we do fo, then certainly we fhall have not only fome flight and faint endeavours of pleafing, but fuch as are moft diligent and earnest, such as will put us upon the most painful and coftly duties, make C

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35. Now examine thy felf by this; Haft thou this Fruit of Love to fhew? Doft thou make it thy constant and greatest care to keep God's commandments? to obey him in all things? earnestly labouring to please him to the utmost of thy power, even to the forfaking of what is deareft to thee in this world? If thou doft, thou mayft then truly fay, thou loveft God. But on the contrary, if thou wilfully continueft in the breach of many, nay, but of any one command of his, never deceive thy felf, for the Love of God abides not in thee. This will be made plain to you, if you confider what the Scripture faith of fuch, as that they are enemies to God by their wicked works, Col. i. 21. that the carnal mind (and fuch is every one that continues wilfully in fin) is enmity with God, Rom. viii. 7. that he that fins wilfully, tramples under foot the Son of God, and doth defpite unto the Spirit of Grace, Heb. x. 29. and many the like. And therefore, unless you can think enmity, and trampling, and defpite to be fruits of Love, you must not believe you love God, whilft you go,on in a wilful disobedience to him.

36. A fecond Fruit of Love, I told you, was Defire of Enjoying; this is constantly to be feen in our love to one another. If you

have a friend whom you entirely love, you defire his converfation, wifh to be always in his company: And thus will it be alfo in our Love to God, if that be as great and hearty, as this.

37. There is a two fold enjoying of God the one imperfect in this life, the other more perfect and complete in the life to come: That in this life is that converfation, as I may call it, which we have with God in his ordinances, in praying and meditating, in hearing his Word, in receiving the Sacrament, which are all intended for this purpose, to bring us into an intimacy and familiarity with God, by fpeaking to him, and hearing him fpeak to us.

38. Now, if we do indeed love God, we fhall certainly hugely value and defire these ways of converfing with him; it being all that we can have in this life, it will make us with David, efteem one day in Gods courts better than a thousand, Pfal. lxxxiv. 10. We fhall be glad to have thefe opportunities of approaching to him as often as it is poffible, and be careful to use them diligently, to that end of uniting us ftill more to him; yea, we fhall come to these spiritual exercises with the fame chearfulness we would go to our deareft friend. And if indeed we do thus, it is a good proof of our Love.

39. But I fear there are not many have this to fhew for it, as appears by the common C 2

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Sunday backwardnefs and unwillingness of men to come to thefe; and their negligence and heartlefnefs when they are at them; and can we think that God will ever own us for lovers of him, whilft we have fuch dislike to his company, that we will never come into it, but when we are dragged by fear, or shame of men, or fome fuch worldly motive? It is fure, you would not think that man loved you, whom you perceive to fhun your comand be loth to come in your fight. pany, And therefore be not fo unreafonable as to fay, you love God, when yet you defire to keep as far from him as you can.

40. But befides this, there is another enjoyment of God, which is more perfect and complete, and that is our perpetual enjoying of him in Heaven, where we fhall be for ever united to him, and enjoy hinï not now and then only, for fhort fpaces of time, as we do here, but continually, without interruption or breaking off. And certainly if we have that degree of Love to God we ought, this cannot but be moft earnestly defired by us fo much, that we fhall think no labour too great to compafs it. The feven years that Facob ferved for Rachel, Gen. xxix. 20. feemed to him but a few days, for the love that he bad to her: And furely if we have Love to God, we fhall not think the fervice of our whole lives too dear a price for this full enjoyment of him; nor efteem all the enjoyments of the

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world worth the looking on in comparifon Sunday thereof.

41. If we can truly tell our felves, we do thus long for this enjoyment of God, we may believe we love him. But I fear again there' are but few that can thus approve their Love. For if we look into mens lives, we fhall fee they are not generally fo fond of this enjoyment, as to be at any pains to purchase it. And not only fo, but it is to be doubted, there are many, who if it were put to their choice, whether they would live here always, to enjoy the profit and pleasure of the world, or go to Heaven to enjoy God, would, like, the children of Gad and Reuben, fet up their reft on this fide Jordan, Numb. xxxii, and never defire that heavenly Canaan,. fo clofe do their affections cleave to things below, which fhews clearly they have not made God their treasure; for then according to our Saviour's rule, Matt. vi. 21. their heart would be with him. Nay, farther yet, it is too plain that many of us fet fo little value on this enjoying of God, that we prefer the vileft and bafest fins before him, and choose to enjoy them, though by it we utterly lofe our parts in him; which is the cafe of every man that continues wilfully in thofe fins.

42. And now I fear, according to these rules of trial, many that profefs to love God, will be found not to do fo. I conclude all with the words of St. John, 1 Ep. iii. 18. which

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