right, to comfort you; and if ye be not right, is it not beft for ye to know, while it may be amended? Thou that liveft in the Church, and haft gone farre, examine thy felfe in this, Haft thou done all out of Love? Thou haft kept thy felfe in good courfe: thou keepeft the Lords day, and liveft like a Chriftian, thou doeft many things indeed. But let mee aske thee this question, Doe you all all out of love? for without love all is naught. If a man should bee a Martyr, (which is the highest action;) yet without this love, it were to no purpose, 1 Corinthians 13. Put the cafe a man should doe many things for thee, yet if hee doe it not out of love to thee, you cannot regard it; Neither circumcifion, nor uncircumcifion availes any thing, but faith which workes by love, Galathians 5. It is all one,whether you pray or not;heare or not, live well or not, if it bee not out of love. What was faid of circumcifion or uncircumcifi on, may bee faid of any duty; all that you have done, is as nothing, if it bee not out of love: try your felves by this, for I know not in all the A frames of Theology, fuch a touchftone of Hypocrific,as this. This most unmaskes à man of any thing. As it was with the Apostle, The Law revived, and he died, Romans 7. So, it may be, T you have thought your felfe a living man, fee then if you love, deceive not your felfe any lon

ger.

This is a Dorine of much moment; if GOD would conveigh it with Majeftie, by the power of his Spirit, it would amaze and startle the ftou

teft

teft ftomacke to heare, Curfed is he, that loves not the Lord. If you love the Lord, hee will beare much with you: fee what a teftimony hce gives of David, for all his failing. But doe what you will for him, without love, and hee will regard it but as a Complement. As men count that a Complement not to be regarded, with which the heart go's not, fo doth God: looke therefore, that you love the Lord Iefus, for it is a thing of great confequence, the curfe follows you,if you doe it

not.

You are now therefore to examine your felfe, Whether you love or no? And to helpe you in it, I will lay downe fome markes of this love; but firft fet downe with your felfe this conclusion, If I love not the Lord Fefus, I am an accursed

man.

a

Doe you feele this love in you? have you fense of it? Ammon was ficke of love, fo that his friends could fee him weare away: fo the Spouse, I am ficke of love, Canticles 2. And doft thou love the Lord, and canft not feele it? Doft thou feele thy heart working towards God? This love is a thing that one would thinke needs no markes, you cannot but fee it. It is noted in Love, fo, that if you did love the Lord, you would have a longing defire after him: there will be joy in the fruition of him,anger against all impediments to it, griefe when he withdrawes hi nfelfe, hope when there it any probability of enjoying him, feare to lofe him. Now doe not deceive thy felfe, thou loveft the Lord, thou wil E3

fay,

Notes of triall of this love of Chrift.

the Lord

I

fay, but is this love to his perfon, orto his kingdome, his goods? When thou prefenteft Iefus Chrift alone to thy felfe, canft thou then love him? The Virgins love him, the Harlots love him. And there is a great deale of harlotry love in the world,to the Lord Iefus. It was one thing to love Alexander, another to love the King. It is true, Chrift is a great King, that can doe much good or evill in the world, and fo many may love him. But canft thou answere this queftion, Loveft thou me? with Peter, Lord thou knowest that I love thee, Iohn 20. Thou that knoweft my heart, and the fecret turnings of it, canft beare me witnefle that I love thee.

Doeft thou love his company? Love is seene in nothing more than this. Doeft thou love his prefence, to walke with God? Docft thou obferve all his dealings to thee from morning to night, refer all still unto him? Art thou still in dealings with him Still thou haft fomething to doe with him; there is not an houre that paffes thee, wherein thou haft not recourse unto him: when Chrift takes a man unto himselfe, bee comes and fups with him, Apocalypfe 3. Haft thou then this communion with Chrift? Doth hee fup with thee, dwell with thee? Now, communion ftands in fpeaking to another, and in hearing him fpeake to us. When you pray, then pray you formally, as one that is glad when the duty is Over? oh if you loved the Lord, you would never be better, than when you are at prayer. And you would goe to prayer, as you would goe to fpeake

ac

fpeake with your dearest friend. So do you hunger after the Word, which is the character of Chrift his Will, his Love-letter? Put the cafe a Woman should have her Husband at the EastIndies, how welcome would a letterbee to her from him? Therefore Mofes that loved God, defired to fee his glory, Exodus 33. to know him better, to grow more acquainted with him. Now, that the Word doth to thee, it fhewes to thee that glory which Mofes faw.

If you love the Lord, Holy-daies and Sacrament-daies would bee as Feaft-daies, and Wedding-daies, for then you meete with God more neerely. Doe you then put off your comming to the Sacrament, and would you not come ncere it for the fpeech of fome, and yet will you fay that you love the Lord? where love is, there is delight. A man delights in his fellowship, whom hee loves, whom ye have not feene, yet ye love him; yea, whom, though ye fee him not, yet yee beleeve, and joy with joy unfpeakable and glori ous. Doe you then delight in his prefence? for delight will be in the injoying of that wee love; joy followes love.

To delight in a mans company, is that marke of love which cannot be diffembled. Doft thou then love the appearing of the Lord Iefus ? & Thef falonians 3. If one should bring you newes that you must goe to the Lord, or he would come to you to morrow, would this be acceptable newes to you? Doth he bring good tidings? Ifa Spoute fhould have her betrothed husband beyond the

Seas

Rev. 13.

Seas, and should heare of his returne; if she should fay, that it were the worst newes that could come to her, would you thinke that she lov'd him? No, there could not come a more welcome Meflenger to thee than fuch a one, if thou didst love the Lord. Bleffed are the dead that dye in the Lord (for fo faith the Spirit) from henceforth they rest from their labours. So faith the Spirit, not fo faith the Flesh. So much the more fpirit a man hath, fo much the more he will fay, it is bleffed, and the more hee will pray fubmittingly for it, quickly. Indeed a godly man, when the flesh is predomi nant, and the fpirit under hatches, then he may be defirous to be Ipared a while; oh fpare me a little, as the Spouse may fometimes with her Husband, deferring his comming, when he is not fitto receive him; the house is not ready, not cleane enough.

A Crowne of Righteoufneffe, faith, the Apostle, is laid up for all them that love the appearing of the Lord Iefus. 1 Timothy 4 8. And the fecond time Shall Chrift appeare to falvation, to all them that look for him,Hebrews 9. Art thou then one that lookes for Chrift, that defires nothing but union with him, hee will come to thee to thy falvation. men looke not for kim, will hee come to them to falvation? It may be in fone disease, when thou canft take no pleasure in the world, you wish that you were with Chrift. Nature may have a great hand in this.

If

But in thy youth, in the midst of all worldly contents, when thou art in thy pleasant Orchard,