tecting love! Ifa. xxvi. 20. Come my people, enter into your chambers, shut the door, and hide yourselves for a little moment: Why fo, O Lord? Why? until the indignation be over paft. Come faith God, I am refolved to execute my judgments on wicked men, therefore hide yourfelves for a moment. And therefore I fay, let no mans heart fail him, it is but for a moment, and thy miferies fhall end. Beloved, when our miferies are at the greatest, his help is at the neareft; Mans extremity is God's opportunity; when Mordecai is thoroughly humbled, the rod Haman fhall be hanged. 4. Chrift loves his people with a most cordial love, he loves them with all his heart; nay, they are the dearly beloved of his foul, as himfelf calls them, Jer. xii. I have given the dearly beloved of my foul into the hands of of her enemies. Chrift's love to his people, is not a lip love from the teeth outwardly, but a real love, from the heart inwardly; Chrift loves his people, as his father loves him, and how is that, can you tell? No, all the men on earth, nor angels in heaven cannot declare the love that the father bears to Chrift; and yet as God loves Chrift, so doth Chrift love his people. You have a full text for this, they are Chrift's own words, As the Father loveth me, fo love I you. Oh Sirs, how infinitely doth the fon love his people? Why, he loves them as the father loves him. Oh Lord, Lord, what love is this, that the Saviour fhould love the finner, that Chrift fhould love the miserable finner? And yet thus it is, Oh Sirs, believers are like letters of gold engraven on the very heart of Christ: Oh, the breadth, the depth, the height, the length of the love of Chrif, fays the Apoftle, it paffeth knowledge, as if fo he wanted words to fet it forth, Eph. iii. 20. The love of Chrift which paffeth knowledge. As if there were a deficiency in want of words, to fet forth the love of Chrift. But certainly it must be very great, for as the father loves him, fo he loves them. Alas! others loves the faints, but how do they love them? Why, not with a cordial love, they do not love them for their good, but for their goods; it is more for the money in their purses, than for the grace in their hearts; they love the faints as the Samaritans did the Jews, juft as men do with their sun-dials, never to look on them but when the fun fhines; why, fo the world never looks upon the faints, but in the time of profperity: When the Jews flourished and were in their glory, Oh what great friends were the Sa maritans to them? But when the poor Jews were under afflictions, they had no worfe enemies than they. Why, but Chrifl's love is not fo, he loves thee when thou art poor, as well as when thou art rich; as well as when thou art in thy rags, as when thou art ira in thy robes; when thou art in adverfity, as well as when thou art in profperity: Chrift loves his faints as well upon a gallows, as in a palace; for whom he loves, he loves unto the end, Heb. xiii. 5. He is faithful who hath faid, I will never leave thee, nor forfake thee. Never leave thee in any place, nor any condition. Oh, firs, what love is this! And therefore a rush for what the world can do, or for the world's love, 'tis like a Venice glafs, foon broken; it fimiles now, and foon frowns; it cries Hofanna to day, and to morrow crucify him but Chrift's love is with every heart. 5. Jefus Chrift loves his fubjects, with a love of benevolence, John, v. God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, fhould not perish, but have ever lafting life. And Paul fays, He loved me, and gave himself for me, Gal. ii. 20. The father gives the fon, and the fort gives himself; who loved me, and gave himfelf for me; all that Chrift did and fuffered it is for me: All that Chrift hath is mine. Oh foul! Chrift's love is thine to pity thee. Chrift's mercy is thine to fave thee, Chrift's graces are thine to beautify thee, and his glory is thine to crown thee. Chrift's power is thine to protect thee, thou feeeft. He that is fure of God's love to him, is fure of God's power for him: And Chrift's wifdom is thine to council thee, his angels are are thine to guard thee, his fpirit is thine to comfort thee; and his word is thine to teach thee. There are four attributes of God, which are of great fupport to chriftians. 1. His Faithfulnefs. 2. His Mightiness. 3. His Goodness, and 4. His Wifdom. And therefore firs, it is your duty to live upon promifes, while providence feems to run crofs to promifes; Chrifl's love to you it is free love. All that he hath given you it is free, his grace is free, his falvation is free, his peace is free, and himself is free. A dram of Grace in the heart is better than a chain of gold about the neck! Now beloved, all that Chrift hath beftowed upon you, it is free, and therefore it is a love of benevolence. 6. Chrift loves his fubjects with a love of compaffion, fympathizing with them in all their forrows and fufferings: Truly this is a great comfort indeed, in all their afflictions, fays the text, He was afflicted, Ifa. Ixiii. 9. So fays the Apostle, Heb. iv. We have not an high priest that cannot be touched with the • feelings of our infirmities: That is, he is an high priest that is touched with the infirmities: one that doth weep in our tears, and figh in our fighs; and forrows and suffers in our fufferings; and therefore fays Chrift, Saul, Saul, why perfecuteft thou me? Oh what a fweet love is this, a love of compaffion, and sympathizing with us in all for F rows rows and fufferings: Chriit was first perfe cuted by Paul in his members. Now be-. loved, Jefus Chrift loves his fubjects with a love of compaffion; and therefore let thy fufferings be what thy will, Jefus Chrift doth as it were bear a fhare with thee. 7. Jefus Chrift loves his people with a love of delight and complacency, Prov. viii. 17. I love them that love me. The King fhall great delight in thy beauty, Pfalm. xlv. 11. ipeaking there of Chrift, the King fhall greatly delight in thy beauty, with great delight and complacency. And therefore, beloved, Chrift calls his church, his Love, his dove, his beloved, his fair one. O how infinitely doth Christ love his church! certainly Christ bears a great love to his church; and hence it is you read, Chrift walks among the golden candlesticks, and he feedeth among the lillies, and his delight is with the fons of men. Although poor believers be ravens in the world's eye, yet they are doves in Chrift's eye, they are very precious in his esteem, though they be the loathing of wicked mens fouls, yet they are dearly beloved of God's foul, he delights in them. Oh how much is Christ taken with them, the king fhall ly delight in them. great 8. Chrift loves his people with an everlasting love, and enduring love; it is a love that never dies, never waxeth cold: Chrift's love is like a fountain, over-flowing, but never |