I had this grace that grace the other grace in truth Do thou endeavor to get thy state cleared up to thee in the love of God in Christ Jesus thy Lord. Hath Christ prayed that the World may know John 17 23. to their Conviction Conversion or Condemnation that God hath loved his And shall not they endeavor to know for this end First live much in Communion with Christ It is the love of God in Christ Jesus See John 17. ult Secondly dearly entertain the sweet Spirit of God Rom. 5.5 2. Use To such as have clear'd up to them their Communion with God in love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Bring up your faith to this Persuasion that nothing shall be able to separate you from Put on the breast-Plate of faith and love Fear no enemy for God hath not 1 Thes 5.8 9. I say to you as Gideon to his men Judg. 7.15 Arise for God hath delivered the whole Host of your enemies into your Hand Nor Death nor Life nor shall be able ROM 8.38 39. Nor Death nor Life shall THE Apostle having raised his Fortress built his Towers fenced and fortified his faith in its Communion with God in love through the Lord Iesus and having taken a distinct view of all his enemies now hangs out a Flag of defrance throws the Gauntlet triumphs in the Conflict over all The first rank of enemies he encounters with is death and life which he overcomes by faith Doct. A Christian fortified in the love of God through Christ or his Communion with God in love hath full security against all the attempts whereby death or life may endanger a separation I. We shall consider how far a believer may be in danger by death and life as to a separation from God and his love First as to death it is a dangerous e 〈◊〉 considered in its abstract nature First death is the punishment Gods Iustice every way fitted and proportioned to sin In the day thou eatest thou 〈◊〉 As sin contains in it all the evâ—l the creature 〈◊〉 do against God so death includes in it all the evils mischiefs miseries the wrath of God can bring upon the creature Secondly the Power of Death was committed to the Devil hence the generality of believers under the Old Testament were all their life kept in bondage through slavish fears Heb. 2.14.15 Thirdly death is a thing can no more have Communion with God then sin can sin is absolute opposition to Gods 〈◊〉 and purity Death is absolute opposition to Gods life and being he is called the living God who is eternal unchangeable immortal Fourthly death is attended with Hell in its first institution Rev. 6.8 which is everlasting separation from God By sin the creature separated it self from Go and its punishment was to be everlastingly separated from God Fifthly the Saints of God have mightily cried out to God when they have been in danger to be separated from God by death Heman Psal 88.3 4 5 10 11 12. David Psal 116.3.4 But death can never separate a believer from his Communion with God in love through Christ lesus First the love of God and the love of Christ never dies Death could not abolish Christs love to believers Iohn 13.1 nor can it abolish the love of believers to Christ Rev. 12 11. The love of Christ to believers and their love to him is strong as death Cant. 8.6 they never encountred death but overcame Secondly Saints have walked in the â—alley of the shadows of death and have â—ept their Communion with God and have not heard nor felt any evil Psal 3.4 Thirdly Christ hath taken the Power of Death out of Satans hand and taken it into his own hands and commanded his people to fear not Rev. 17 18. Fourthly Christ hath executed that revenge threatned Hos 13.14 against Death and the Grave for all the sorrows fears temptations cruelties it hath executed against him and his holy Saints Fifthly Christ hath abolisht death 2 Tim. 1.10 the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifiâ—s to make weak and useless to take away all the power and strength of a thing death is not now as it was its sting is gone Boys play with a Bee when the sting is out Nor only so but Christ â—ath brought in the room of it Life and Immortality hence that Iohn 11.26 Mat. 22.32 Sixthly Saints now die like Christ though in the Grave his soul was separate from his body yet neither was separated from the Godhead Though death may separate between soul and body in a Saint it cannot separate either from Communion with God Rom. 8.11 Seventhly death to Saints strengthens their Communion with God it separates an holy Saint from a filthy world a precious soul from a 〈◊〉 body precious graces from filthy corruptions 〈◊〉 precious Spirit from vile flesh Death to Saints separates only the precious from the vile whereby they come into more intimate Communion with God 2 Cor. 6.17 Eighthly it is not to believers Death and Hell follows it but Death and Heaven follows it Death is so far from separating it carries the soul into the full enjoyment of God Secondly let us consider how far a Christian may be endangered by life Here consider four things First the many errors slips falls backslidings believers are subject to in this life Psal 19.12 James 5.19 20. if any of you erre in judgement or practice How much by these things a believer is endangered to a separation from the love of God and his Communion with God appears Heb. 3.12 Hebr. 10.38 2 Pat. 3.17 Secondly they are endangered in this life by the corrupt customes and conversations of the ungodly with whom they converse in the world how apt Gods people are to this appears by that exhortation Rom. 12.2 How much they are endangered thereby See Psal 106.36 what great Apostacies false Professâ—â—â— have made thereby See 2 Pet. 2.20 Thirdly they are endangered by the profits pleasures promises and allurements of the world By these Demas was brought off from his fellowship in the Gospel 2 Tim. 4.10 Hence that 1 Tim 6.10.11 How much hereby they are endangered to fall from the love of God 1 John 2.15 Fourthly they are endangered by those many afflictions temptations reproaches persecutions that befal them in this life when many afflictions followed the believing Hebrews their 〈◊〉 began to saint their handâ— hang downs their knees grow seeble and their 〈◊〉 were in danger of turning 〈◊〉 from the ways of God Heb. 12. â—â— 1â— When Christ spake bus of his own sufferings to 〈◊〉 he startled and said Master 〈…〉 self when Christ call'd him to be an eye witness of his sufferings Peter 〈◊〉 to sleep he that promised never to forsake Christ to die with him comes to deny him had not Christ prayed aâ—prehand for him his faith bad utterly â—â—â—ed Yet none of these things that 〈◊〉 a believer in life shall 〈◊〉 him First not the first the Office of Christ is to
yet shall never enjoy them so he makes some to taste the wrath and torments of that wrath which is to come who never yet shall feel them Thirdly into this Deep falls in the depths of Satan deep temptations as it was with Christ in this condition so 't is in its meawith Saints now the devil and the powers of darkness bestir themselves Luke 22.33 When Sun sets and darkness covers the earth then the Lions and wilde beasts go forth Psal 104.20 21. so when God hides his face see Christs Complaint in that day Psal 22.1 12 13 16 20. Fourthly into this Deep falls the depths of Hell Hell is deep and large Isa 30. ult nothing deeper Job 11.8 the bottomless Pit Rev 7.1 In the depth of spiritual desertion Saints have complain'd of the snares of death and sorrows of Hell Psal 116.3 Christ Psal 16.10 so â—â—man counted himself 〈◊〉 free of that damned Company and Corporation of devils and reprobates Psal 88.5 Such scorching and scalding drops of wrath God in this condition sometimes lets 〈◊〉 the Conscience as if they were Pledges and Earnests of damnation as if be haâ— already kindled Hell fire in the foul Fifthly into this Deep falls the depth of sorrow and affliction Psal 102. see the title Psal 69 1 2. here is Complaint see his Prayer ver 15. No sorrows like these no afflictions so deep as these they enter into the soul here often misery appears remediless and the foul expects endless sorrow yea refuseth all the comforts that are administred from any hand but Gods alone Psal 77.2 Thus you fee spiritual desertion is a Depth into which many Deeps fall the Depth of sin ' wrath Satan one Deep here calleth on another Secondly let us consider how much these Depths may endanger to separate a believer First in this state Saints apprehend a total cessation of Gods love to them an everlasting night on them that the light of Gods Countenance shall never shine on them more Jonah 2.4 I am cast out of thy sight Thus they say The Lord will cast off for ever Psal 77.8 9. so David Psal 13.1 How long for ever In the favour of God is life Psal 30.5 If he frown who can live In his favour is light if he hide his face who can behold him Job 34.29 Secondly in this state God may seem to withdraw that Spirit which is the bond of our Communion with God hence that Psal 51.11 12. The Spirit in this state useth to suspend its Testimony refuse light to our Evidences and withhold that witness it formerly bare to our Adoption yea it may suffer Satan to bear false witness to our spirits and perswade us that we are hypocrites children of wrath fitting for destruction Thirdly in this state God calls to remembrance sins which the soul thought had long since been repented of and that God had pardoned Thus were the sins of Jobs youth and Davids original sin thus a believer may be brought to question all Gods former Acts of grace and his own faith and repentance and suspect all his former comforts yea the being of any grace at all in truth and this is very dangerous Fourthly it is a state of darkness and no light Isa 50.10 Cant. 3.1 Now he that walks in darkness knows not John 12.35 so these knew not what to do what way to take He that walks in darkness trembles at every thing even the Promises of grace are stumbling blocks to that soul In darkness are terrible apprehensions as to the Egyptians in the Plague of darkness Psal 78.49 the terrours of God are upon Saints in spiritual desertions Psal 88.15 16. Job 7.14 Fifthly in this state God seems for the present to neglect all their Prayers Lam. 3.8 Christ Jesus Psal 22.1 2. Saints here are ready to say as Saul The Lord is departed from me and answereth me no more Sixthly in this state the soul suffers the affliction is on the spirit of a man it s a wound on the spirit Prov. 18.14 a Dagger at the heart â— Psal 42.10 see Christ in his Desertion Maâ— 26.38 Heman suffered not in his inferiour only but in the superiour faculties of his soul Psal 88.15 In other afflictions the body suffers and the soul only by sympathy here the soul suffers and the body only by sympathy Thirdly let us consider these depths shall never be able to separate I. Because they are all consistent with love and always end in love 1. They are consistent with love Heb. 12.5 6. he seems if not only yet principally to intend the Castigation that fall upon the souls and spirits of believers God never loved Christ better then at that time when he cried out My God My God Josephs bowels yearn'd most when he dealt most roughly with his brethren so God Ier. 31.20 II. Be sure all will end in love Isa 54 7 8. Cant. 31 5. Isa 57.18 Secondly because these Depths of spiritual desertion are but to bring forth fulâ—ess of Conformity to Christ in his Death and Resurrection Christs sufferings were some in his body these were call'd his Baptism some and the greatest in his soul these were call'd his Cup Matth. 20.22 23. in this Cup was a mixture of sin wrath death â—nd hell He tells those disciples they should â—artake with him in both When Christ â—ried out My God my God why it was â—bstractio visionis not dissolutio unionis for â—ill he cried My God so it is to Saints in â—he like condition and what faith Christ â—xercised in that state he commanded other â—elievers to do Isa 50.10 Thirdly because there are depths in the â—ercy and free-grace of God that easily wallow up this depth of spiritual deserâ—on and all the depths that run into it â—om 11.33 O the Depth Eph. 3.18 The â—ee-grace of God is a mighty Ocean Miâ—h 7.19 Fourthly because God hath pawn'd all â—e Ordinances of Heaven and Earth that â—othing what he seems to do against them and nothing they do against him shall provoke him to cast them off Jer. 31.35.36 37. 1. Use If such who are lockt fast in the Armes of God such who are in everlasting Communion with God Communion with God in love which love is unchangeable as God himself in love which is in Christ Iesus and therefore can no more fail then his love to Christ can fail If such as these may fall into these depths of spiritual desertion in which are the depths of sin of wrath O where shall the sinner and ungodly appear who are treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath O the infinite unsearchable bottomloss depths of sin wrath devils hells worst of sorrows endless torments wherein all unbelievers impenitent unregenerate persons shall be plunged in swallowed up without Redemption 2. Use This fully informs us that the beâ—â— of Saints must live all their days in every â—ondition on a dependence onthe freâ— grace of God By the Eclipse of the Moon we comâ— to know it borrows its light
the soul like Manoahs Angel ascends up to God in heaven it is a common proverb that love alwayes descends seldome ascends It is not so between God and beleivers 1 Jo. 4 19. and that love which ascends from us to God what is it but that which first descended from God to us A woman that hath no love no affection for such a person nor any thoughts of him it may be never saw him yet when such a person comes to make known his true love and affection to her it presently begets love in her bosom so Thus the Apostle doth describe it Eph 1.4 see how it begins in the love of God to us and ends in our love to him this is that the eternal love of God aimed at and works up every believer to God loves that he may be loved Where God loves he takes up his rest in that soul Zeph. 3.17 where the soul lovâ—s God it takes up its rest in God Psal 116.7 and values the love of God above richest enjoyments Psal 63.3 Now it cannot live but in the love of God Psal 30.5 Fourthly by actuating the whole foul in a way of service and sincere obedience to God What the Apostle saith of the love of Christ 2 Cor. 5.10 the same is true of the love of God it constrains it besiegeth it hemms us in it takes full possession of the soul brings it under the regency of divine love is wholly at the Command of love 1 John 5.3 This is the love of God Herein is Gods love manifested to be special love to us and herein is our love manifested to be sincere love to him This is the spirit in the wheels that moves all the faculties and affections of the soul to God in a way of duty and obedience In this way God manifests his Communion of love with us Jo. 14.23 and we manifest our Communion of love with God 1 John 1.7 To walk in the light is to walk in a way of holiness and holy obedience to God and whereas many failings and fallings short will be found in the best obedience yet there is a remedy provided the blood of Christ 1. Use This point leads us to the uppermost spring the highest original of grace and glory to believers and that is the love of God not the love of Christ as Mediator but the love of God whence Christ and all spiritual blessings with him originally flow to us In vain shall we seek for any other motive to God in his dispensations of grace to us besides his love Deut. 5.7 8. God hath predestinated you to the adoption called justified sanctified you and will glorifie you only because it pleased the Lord to love you 2. Use Is love the bond of our Communion with God First then it is a very near close intimate Communion Love is a transanimation one soul in another 1 Sam. 18.1 or with another it is a believer engraven in Gods heart appled in Gods eye carried up and down in Gods armes like a beloved disciple lying in Gods Bosom the Place the Seat the Center of love Secondly it is of love therefore a choice Communion Love singles out its object it looks upon many chuseth few the children of his love are a chosen generation 1 Pet. 2.9 God singles some out of all the world to have Communion with and they single God out of all the world to have Communion with him Psal 73.25 Thirdly it is of love therefore a strong Communion Love is strong as death invincible by any opposition conquering every thing that is against it The Love of God pardons all sin swallows up all distances The love of God in communion with the soul sweetens every bitter thing heals all lapses repairs all breaches ends all controversies between God and the soul Hos 145 5. Fourthly it is an everlasting communion because it is of love the love of God in the heart of a believer never faileth 1 Cor. 13.8 much less can the love of God fail in his own heart the love of God is one of the longest and most lasting things in God Psal 36.10 Continue in the Hebrew Draw out at lengthâ— as is the love so is the Communion 3. Use Is love the bond of our Communion with God take that exhortation Jude 21. Keep your selves in the love of God keep up your faith in Gods love keep the apprehensions and manifestations of Gods love warm in your hearts This will keep you in sweet Communion with God which is the life of ouâ— faith the soul of our Christianity thâ— joy of our salvation all joy and peace iâ— believing This is strong consolation Peace that passeth understanding Thiâ— is our stability in grace our security for glory 1 Iohn 4.16 we have known and believed God is love ROM 8.38.36 VVE are come to the third particular viz. the primary and principal subject in which the love ef God to us centred and that is Jesus Christ which is in Christ Jesus Doct. That love of God which is the bond of communion between himself and believers with all its gracious effects Blessings Priviledges is manifested and dispensed to us only in and through Jesus Christ Our life and salvation is first in God himself with whom is the fountain of life and who is the Father of lights in whom our life is said to be hid Coll. 3.3 and so in him it is ours by the eternal purpose of his love and grace in himself This love of God as it was the only moving cause to God of the eternal purpose of his grace concerning us so it is the chief Agent and principal Efficient of all grace in us as we declared in the last Point Yet we must consider the only Medium or means by which God doth manifest his love to us through which he doth dispence all the effects of his eternal love and grace to us is Jesus Christ who is appointed of God to be the only Executor of all his Decrees of love and grace and is ordained to come in as Mediatour in all things between God and us This I shall endeavour to demonstrate 1. Demonst Jesus Christ was anointed with all that love which God the Father had taken up in his own bosom to be laid out on all his elect ones and thus he became Son and Heir of all the love of God to his beloved Hence Christ is made known to us as the eminently beloved one of the Father Mat. 3.17 The beloved with an Amphasis in whom we are said to be accepted Eph. 1.6 his dear Son or the Son of his love into whose Kingdom we are said to be translated Col. 1.13 And from the love of God to him is the love of God derived to us John 17. ult 2. Dem. Jesus Christ alone is the great manifestation of Gods eternal love to us as being the first and most immediate effect of it 1 John 4.10 so as we cannot nor ever could come to the least measure of knowledge of