cerning the thoughts of the Father towards them: they are well perfwaded of the Lord Chrift, and his good will: the difficulty lies, in what is their acceptance with the Father, what is his heart towards them? Shew us the Father and it shall suffice, John xiv. 8. Now this ought to be fo far away, that his love ought to be looked on as the fountain from whence all other fweetnefs flow. Thus the apostle fets it out, Tit. iii. 4. After that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appearred. It is of the Father of whom he fpeaks; for ver. 6. he tells us, that he makes out unto us, or Sheds that love upon us abundantly, through Jefus Chrift our Saviour. And this love he makes the hinge, upon which the great alteration, and tranflation of the faints doth turn; for (faith he) ver. 3. We ourfelves alfo were fometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, ferving divers lufts and pleafures, living in malice, and envy, hateful, and bating one another. All naught, all out of order, and vile, whence then is our recovery ? The whole rife of it is from this love of God, flowing out by the ways there defcribed. For when the kindnefs and love of God appeared, that is, in the fruits of it, then did this alteration enfue. To fecure us hereof, there is not any thing that hath a loving and tender nature in the world, and doth act fuitably thereunto, which God hath not compared himself unto. Separate all weakness and imperfection which is in them, yet great impreffions of love mult abide. He is a Father, a Mother, a Shepherd, an Hen over chickens, and the like, Pfal. ciii. 13. Ifa. Ixiii. 16. Matth. vi. 6. Ifa. lxvi. 13. Pfal. xxiii. 1. Ifa xl. 1. Matth. xxiii. 37.

I fhall not need to add any more proofs; this is that which is demonftrated There is love in the perfon of the Father peculiarly held out unto the

faints, as wherein he will and doth hold communion with them.

Now to compleat communion with the Father in love, two things are required of believers;

1. That they receive it of him.

2. That they make fuitable returns unto him. 1. That they do receive it. Communion confifts in giving and receiving. Untill the love of the Father be received, we have no communion with him therein. How then is this love of the Father to be received, fo as to hold fellowship with him? I anfwer, by faith. The receiving of it is the believing of it. God hath fo fully, fo eminently revealed his love, that it may be received by faith. You believe in God, John xiv 1. that is, the Father; and what is to be believed in him? His love, for, he is love, 1 John viii. 8.

It is true, there is not an immediate acting of faith upon the Father, but by the Son. He is the Way the Truth and the Life, no man cometh unto the Father but by him, John xiv. 6. He is the merciful High Prief over the house of God, by whom we have accefs to the throne of grace; by him is our manuduction unto the Father. By him we believe in God, 1 Pet, i. 21. But this is that I fay: when by, andthro' Chrift, we have an accefs unto the Father, we then behold his glory alfo, and fee his love that he peculiarly bears unto us, and act faith thereon. We are then (I fay) to eye it, to believe it, to receive it, as in him; the iffues and fruits thereof, being made out unto us, thro' Chrift alone Tho' there be no light for us, but in the beams, yet we may by the beams fee the fun, which is the fountain of it. Tho' all our refreshment actually ly in the ftreams, yet by them we are led up unto the fountain. Jefus Chrift, in refpect of the love of the Father, is but the beam, the stream, wherein though actually all our light,

our refreshment lyes, yet by him we are led to the Fountain, the Sun of eternal love itself. Would believers exercife themfelves herein, they, would find it a matter of no small spiritual improvement in their walking with God.

This is that which is aimed at. Many dark and disturbing thoughts are apt to arife in this thing. Few can carry up their hearts and minds to this height by faith, as to rett their fouls in the love of the Father; they live below it, in the troublesome region of hopes and fears, ftorms and clouds. All here is ferene and quiet But how to attain to this pitch they know not. This is the will of God that he may always be eyed as benign, kind, tender, loving and unchangeable therein and that peculiarly as the Father, as the great fountain and fpring of all gracious communications, and fruits of love. This is that which Chrift came to reveal, even God as a Father, John i. 18. That name which he, declares to those who are given him out of the world, John, xvii. 6. And this is that which he effectually leads us to by himfelf, as he is the only way of going to God, as a Father, John xiv. 5, 6., that is as, love: and by doing fo, he gives us the reft which he promifeth; for the love of the Father is the only reft of the foul. It is true, as, was faid, we do not this formally in the firit inftant of believing. We believe in God through Chrift, 1 Pet. i 21. Faith feeks out reft for the foul. This is prefented to it by Chrift, the Mediator, as the only procuring caufe. Here it abides not, but by Chrift it hath, an access to the Father, Eph. ii. 18. into his love, finds out. that he is love, as having a defign, a purpofe of love, a good pleasure towards us from eternity; a delight, a complacency, a good will in Chrift; all caufe of anger, and averfion being taken away. The foul being thus by faith through Chrift, and by him

brought into the bofom of God, into a comfortable perfuafion, and fpiritual preception and fenfe of his love, there repofes and retts itfelf And this is the first thing the faints do, in their communion with the Father, of the due improvement whereof more afterwards.

For that fuitable return which is required, this alfo, (in a main part of it, beyond which I thail not now extend it,) confifteth in love. God loves, that he may be beloved. When he comes to command the return of his received love to compleat communion with him, he fays, My fon give me thy - heart, Prov. xxiii. 26. thy affections, thy love. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy ftrength, and with all thy mind, Luke x. 27. this is the return that he demandeth. When the foul fees God in his difpenfation of love, to be love, to be infinitely lovely, and loving, refts upon, and delights in him as fuch, then hath it communion with him in love. This is love, that God loves us firft, and then we love him again. I fhall not now go forth into a defcription of divine love; generaliy, love is an affection of union and nearnefs, with complacency therein. So long as the Father is looked on, under any other apprehenfions, but only as acting love upon the foul, it breads in the foul a dread and averfion. Hence the flying, and hiding of finners in the fcriptures. But when he who is the Father, is confi dered as a Father, acting love on the foul, this raifes it to love again. This is in faith, the ground of all acceptable obedience, Deut v. 10. Exod. xx. 6. Deut. x. 12. xi. 1. xiii. 13. 3.

Thus is this whole bufinefs ftated by the apostle, Eph. i. 4. According as he hath chofen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be boly and without blame before high in love. It begins

in the love of God, and ends in our love to him. That is it which the eternal love of God aims at m us, and works us up unto. It is true, our univerfal obedience fails within the compafs of our communion with God; but that is with him as God our bleffed Sovereign, Lawgiver, and Rewarder; as he is the Father, our Father in Chrift, as revealed unto us to be love, above and contrary to all the expectations of the natural man, fo it is in love that we have this intercourfe with him. Nor do I intend only that love, which is as the life and form of all moral obedience; but a peculiar delight and acquiefcing in the Father revealed effectually as love unto the foul.

That this communion with the Father, in love may be made the more clear and evident, I fhall thew two things:

1. Wherein this love of God unto us, and our love to him do agree, as to fome manner of analogy and likeness.

2. Wherein they differ; which will further difcover the nature of each of them.

[1]They agree in two things

(1.) That they are each a love of reft and complacency,

1

1. The love of God is fo, Zeph, iii. 17. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty he will fave, he avill rejoice over thee with joy, he will reft in this love, he will joy over thee with finging. Both thefe things are hear affigned unto God in his love; reft and delight. The words are, he thall be filent becaufe of his love To reft with contentment is expreffed by being filent; that is without repining, without complaint. This God doth upon the account of his own love, fo full, fo every way compleat and abfolute, that it will not allow him to complain of any thing in them whom he loves, but