But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you....Matt. v. 44.

66

LOVE is the very badge and characteristic of a disciple of Jesus. Love is of God. All tempers and passions which are contrary to love, are earthly, sensual, and devilish." Let no disciple say, This is an hard saying, who can obey it? Nay, but it is the command of thy loving Saviour; he practised it; he has left thee an example. To this end art thou born from above of the Spirit of love; and art possessed with "faith, which worketh by love." Therefore though hard and impossible it may seem to carnal reason, and to flesh and blood; yet we are under the indispensable obligation to follow the steps, and obey the commands of that Jesus, who loved us and died for us, though his enemies. He hath blessed us, and prays for us, and does good unto us, though we have rebellious natures which are at enmity and hatred against him. Never, never till thine enemy's hatred and variance against thee exceed thine to thy Lord, art thou at liberty to dispense with this command. It is for the health and profit of thy soul. In keeping this command of love, verily there is a great reward of inward peace and consolation from the God of love. So shalt thou enjoy the witness of his Spirit, of thine adoption. Tell thy Lord of thine enemies and pray for them by name. Behold the blessed effects of love upon the heart of a most bitter and implacable foe....1 Sam. 24. See how David, the man after God's own heart acts....how his faith works by love. When his persecuting foe, Saul, was delivered into his hand, love would not suffer him to do him any hurt. Yea, love smote his heart for only cutting off the skirts of his robe. Hear the pathetic cry of the bloody-minded Saul; struck with astonishment, and melted by love, he said, "Is this thy voice, such thy conduct to me, my son David? and he wept. Thou art more righteous than I; thou hast rewarded me good for evil; the Lord reward thee for it." Admire and imitate. Love is the weapon of thy spiritual warfare; by it thou art sure to prevail against, and conquer thine enemy. Therefore " if he hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head." So strive to burn up his wrath, and melt him into affection. But suppose it hath not this effect. upon him: it shall turn to the blessing and comfort of thy own soul. Thou shalt enjoy peace and love which is in Christ Jesus.

Lord, shall thy bright example shine
In vain before my eyes?
Give me a soul akin to thine,
To love my enemies.

The Lord shall on my side engage,
And in my Saviour's name

I shall defeat their pride and rage,
Who slander and condemu.

Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.... Heb. iv. 1.

FEAR without faith enslaves the soul to wrath and bondage. - Faith without fear tends to licentiousness. But a loving, filial fear of offending our dear Father and precious Saviour, ever accompanies the grace of faith in the heart. Jesus is the rest of his people. This rest is by promise: and therefore it is sure to all his spiritual seed. They now enter into it and enjoy it by faith. But, from awful instances of others falling away from the hope of Jesus, the apostles ever exercised a loving fear and a godly jealousy over their dear converts, lest any of them should even seem to come short through unbelief. The Lord only knoweth who are his elect according to the covenant of grace. This did not lie open to the eyes even of his chosen apostles. It could only be made manifest by their faith and its fruits. Hence they were continually exhorting disciples to give all diligence to make their calling and election sure. To work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. Not with a fear of suspicion of the love and faithfulness of a covenant God; but nothing doubting the i finished work of Jesus' salvation, or the safety and security of every believer in him. These are truths of the greatest certainty and are to be held with the strongest confidence. But so to fear, lest their own souls should at any time be so captivated by the devices of satan, so enslaved by the snares of the world, so allured by the lusts of the flesh, and the pleasures of sense, so kept from Jesus by the workings of unbelief, that their conduct should give sad evidence of their state. Lest it should seem they sought other lovers but Jesus, other rest but in him, other hope and other comforts beside those which the gospel affords.

So the apostles were excited to a godly fear over their professing brethren. Blessed also art thou, disciple, who thus fearest continually. By this evangelical fear, verily thou shalt be kept from departing from the Lord. Count not this fear LEGAL, as though it tended to bondage. Nay, but it is a fruit of thy Father's love, a grace of the gospel-covenant. It is as essential to the health of thy soul as faith is to thy being a disciple of Jesus. "Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long." If at any time this fear is cast off, thou art that moment in danger of falling. But "in the fear of the

Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge."....Prov. xiv. 26.

Praise, everlasting praise be paid
To him that earth's foundation laid;
Praise to the God whose strong decrees
Sway the creation as he please.

Praise to the goodness of the Lord,
Who rules his people by his word;
And there, as strong as his decrees,
He sets his kindest promises.

Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?....Numb. xx. 10.

Ir is most probable that this harsh, severe speech of Moses, cut many of God's dear children to the very heart and struck terror to their souls. Here we see the true nature of the holy law. It demands attention with power and authority, HEAR. Its voice is of terror; it speaks nothing but wrath to poor sinners' consciences; it calls them by their proper name, REBELS. And what can the poor guilty trembling soul do to appease its terror and escape the wrath to come? Nothing. Alas, it "concludes him under sin," and leaves him as much without hope of mercy, as he has of drawing liquid streams from a barren rock. But by the gospel eye of faith we see that spiritual rock, Jesus, whom the law struck, and thirsty souls in all ages drink living water from this rock of their salvation. Jehovah loves his people; from the affection of his heart (notwithstanding their murmurings) he commands his servant to procure drink for them. But meek Moses reproves the children in wrath and in anger strikes the rock twice. The Lord resents his conduct and expressions toward them. Because the dear Lamb stood up in their behalf, and spoke in effect what Paul wrote to Philemon concerning Onesimus: "What my people owe to law and justice, put that to my account; I will pay all." Therefore the sword of divine justice "awoke against him," he was struck by the severe rod of the law; and hence cooling streams of mercy, refreshing streams of peace, reviving streams of love, richly gushed out to parched, thirsty, dying souls. Yea, the water of this rock follows believing souls, as it did the children of Israel, all the way through the wilderness of this world. They all drink the same spiritual drink at the hands of the Spirit. What consolation to disciples, to consider that our spiritual rock ever stands stedfast and unmoveable! that all who are built upon him are safe and secure from every danger! The storms of temptations, the waves of corruption may dash against them; but can never prevail. Jesus sustains them; everlasting love secures them; omnipotence surrounds them; and even justice and truth are engaged in their defence. Yes, poor believing soul, though the law rates thee a REBEL, and speaks in wrath against thee as such: though thou dost exceedingly quake and fear; yet ever remember, precious "Jesus hath received gifts for the rebellious." Waters of salvation flow plenteously from Jesus. It is thy mercy daily to "drink of this spiritual rock,"....1 Cor. x. 4.

Rebels, we broke our Maker's laws;
He from the threat'ning sets us free,
Bore the full vengeance on his cross,
And nail'd the curses to the tree.

The law proclaims no terror now,
And Sinai's thunder roars no more:
From all his wounds new blessings flow,
A sea of joy without a shore.

But faith which worketh by love....Gal. v. 6.

In the religion of Jesus, every hope of salvation is excluded, but what springs from faith. For faith receives every blessing of covenant love of a gracious Lord. The faith of God's elect hath Jesus for its author, his truths for its object, his word for its warrant, his power for its support, his glory for its aim, and love for its inseparable companion. Thus the faith of the gospel, is ever dis tinguished from natural notions. But it is natural to us all, to mistake error for truth, fancy for faith, the heat of animal passions for love. Yea, and also to be very confident herein. But true faith ever worketh by love; even that "love which rejoiceth in the truth.” ....1 Cor. xiii. 6. Jesus is essentially THE TRUTH. All the love which God hath to us centers in him, and flows to us through him, Hence "God hath chosen US IN him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before God in LOVE: having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted IN the beloved, and blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things IN Christ,"....Eph. i. 3...6...." and we are made the righte ousness of God IN Christ,"....2 Cor. v. 21.

Thus faith hath truth for its foundation, and from the knowledge of the truth it worketh by love. Love to the God of truth, and to our brethren, (not as being of this sect or that party, but)" for the truth's sake that dwelleth in them,"....2 John, ver. 1, 2, There is no fellowship in love, but what consists in the light of the truth. Thus our Lord and we "have fellowship one with another."....1 John i. 7. Take away any part of God's truth, you subvert the foundation of faith, and prevent the operations of love. If we reject the truth, that we are elected to salvation in Christ, redeemed by the blood of Christ, sanctified in Christ, righteous by the righteousness of Christ, and safely kept by the power of God through the faith of Christ to eternal salvation, faith is made void. Then love ceaseth to exist. Truth and love are equally precious. "The belief of the truth," is the precious love of a christian. Love, is the blessed fruit of faith. Herein consists thy blessedness, O christian! "What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder." Therefore we are exhorted, "Hold fast the form of sound words, in FAITH AND LOVE, which is in Christ Jesus,"....2 Tim. i. 13. So by "speaking the TRUTH IN LOVE, we grow up into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ,"....Eph. iv. 15.

Happy the heart where graces reign,
Where love inspires the breast:
Love is the brightest of the train,
And strengthens all the rest.

This is the grace that lives and sings,
When faith and hope shall cease;
'Tis this shall strike our joyful strings
In the sweet realms of bliss.

I will not leave you comfortless....John xiv. 18.

We are born into this world crying; we live in it complaining; and we go out of it sorrowing, for any comfort it can yield us. When cardinal Woolsey was cast off by his king, he said, 'Had I served my God as faithfully as I have my prince, he would not have treated me thus.' The more we know of this world the more we see of its folly and vanity. The more we enjoy of its smiles and friendship, so much the more sorrow and reluctance we have in leaving it. But with our heavenly friend it is quite otherwise. "He never leaves nor forsakes: whom he loves, he loves unto the end." ....Nor will he ever leave his dear disciples in a comfortless state of sorrow and dejection: like poor orphans, cast upon a wide world of sorrow and woe, without any kind heart to pity them, or kind hand to relieve them: for when all other comforts forsake us, still Jesus abides by us: his Spirit comforts us, by shewing what he is to us; what he has done, is doing, and will do for us.. The apostles had full experience of the promise of their gracious Lord. "He comforteth us in all tribulations,"....2 Cor. i. 4. "In me ye shall have peace." And why doth our Lord also assure us, "In the world ye shall have tribulation!"....John xvi. 33....truly he loves us too well to suffer us to take up our rest in it. If with Paul at Ephesus, " after the manner of men, we fight with beasts, "....1 Cor. xv. 32....all this is suffered to render the world more inhospitable; to make us loathe swines food, the husks of this world; that the bread of life, the、 comforts of Jesus, may be more sought after and enjoyed. Why is sin suffered to dwell in us, and to make us groan, and distress us? To make it more hateful to us; to put us out of conceit of ourselves and our own righteousness; and to endear the atonement and righte ousness of Jesus to our souls, that all our comfort should spring from him. Why is satan suffered to harass and perplex us? That as the sheep of Christ's pasture we should keep close to our shepherd; or like frighted children, when surly dogs bark at them, fear keeps. them near their father's protection and within the bounds of his habitation. So we find the comforts of living near our Saviour. Do wę carry about a weak disordered body? Here is our comfort, "We faint not, knowing that the outward man decayeth, yet the inward man is renewed day by day,"....2 Cor. iv. 16. Thus, glory to our loving Lord!" he comforts us concerning our faith, and causes us to rejoice in hope of the glory of God; and to glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, patience experience, experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost,"....Rom. v. 2, 3, 4, 5.