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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 Prieft 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, I Pet. i. 21. But this is that I fay when by, and through 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, through Chrift alone. Though 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. Though 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 ftream, wherein though actually all our light our refreshment lyes, yet by him we are led to the Fountain, the Sun of eternal love itfelf. Would believers exercise themselves 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 difturbing thoughts are apt to arife in this thing. Few can carry up their hearts and minds to this height by faith, as to reft their fouls in the love of the Father; they live below it, in the troublefome region of hopes and fears, ftorms and clouds. All here is ferene and quiet. Put how to artain to his pitch they know not. This is the will of God, at he may always be eyed as benign, kind, ten

der,

der, 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 himself, 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 promiseth: for the love of the Father is the only reft of the foul. It is true, as was faid, we do not formally in the first instant of believing. We believe in God through Christ, 1 Pet. i. 21. Faith feeks out reft for the foul. This is prefented to it by Chrift, the Mediator, as the only procuring cause. Here it abides not, but by Christ it hath an accefs to the Father, Eph. ii. 18. into his love, finds out that he is love, as having a defign, a purpose 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 Christ, and by him brought into the bofom of God, into a comfortable perfuafion, and fpiritual perception and sense of his love, there reposes and rests itself. And this is the first thing the faints do, in their communion with the Father, of the due improvement whereof more afterwards.

2. For that fuitable return which is required, this alfo, (in a main part of it, beyond which I fhall 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,

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 first, and then we love him again. I fhall not now go forth into a defcription of divine love; generally, 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 breeds in the foul a dread and averfation. Hence the flying, and hiding of finners in the fcriptures. But when he who is the Father, is confidered as a Father, acting love on the foul, this raises 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 business stated by the apostle, Eph. i. 4. According as he hath chofen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him 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 in us, and works us up unto. It is true, our univerfal obedience falls within the compass 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

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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 fhew 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 rest and complacency.

1. The love of God is fo, Zeph. iii. 17. The Lord. thy God in the midst of thee is mighty: he will fave be will rejoice over thee with joy, he will reft in this love, he will joy over thee with finging. Both thefe things are here affigned unto God in his love; reft and delight. The words are, he shall 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 is filent on the account thereof. Or reft in his love, that is, he will not remove it; he will not feek farther for another object. It fhall make its abode upon the foul where it is once fixed, for ever. And complacency or delight: he rejoiceth with finging, as one that is fully fatis fied in that Obje he hath fixed his love on. Here are two word ufed to exprefs the delight and joy that God hati D

in his love. The firft denotes the inward affection of the mind, joy of heart; and to fet out the intenfenefs hereof, it is faid, he fhall do it in gladness, or with joy; to have joy of heart in gladness is the highest expreffion of delight in love: the latter word denotes not the inward affection, but the outward demonftration of it: It is to exult in outward demonstration of internal delight and joy. Tripudiary; to leap as men overcome with fome joyful furprifal. And therefore God is faid to do this, with a joyful found, or finging: to rejoice with gladnefs of heart, to exult with finging and praise argues the greatest delight and complacency poffible. When he would exprefs the contrary of this love, he fays, he was not well pleafed, Cor. x. 5. he fixed not his delight, nor reft on them. And if any man draw back, the Lord's foul hath no pleasure in him, Heb. x. 38. Jerem. xxii. 28. Hof. viii. 8. Mark i. 10. He takes pleasure in those that abide with him. He fings to his church, A vineyard of red wine, I the Lord do keep it, Ifa. xxvii. 3. Pfal. cxlvii. 11, cxlix. 4. There is reft, and complacency in his love. There is in the Hebrew, but a metathesis of a letter between the word that fignifies a love of will and defire (is fo to love) and that which denotes a love of reft and acquiefcency, (which is) and both are applied to God, He wills good to us, that he may reft in that will. Some fay, to love, is perfectly to acquiefce in the thing loved. And when God calls his Son, beloved, Matth. iii, 17, he adds as an expofition of it, in whom I reft well pleafed.

2. The return that the faints make unto him to compleat communion with him herein, holds fome analogy with his love in this; for it is a love alfo of

reft

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