enemies, his wisdom and power appear, ordering them for excellent effects: for the same things that increase the guilt and punishment of their enemies, increase the graces and reward of the saints. These light afflictions that are but for a moment, work out for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.' When all the folds of providence shall be opened, we shall clearly understand that every dispensation was as it ought to be, and for the best.

The belief of this is the reason of those commands; Be careful for nothing, but in every thing, by prayer and thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God: and the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds, through Christ Jesus." An unbelieving heart anticipates future evils, exasperates the present, and makes sharp reflections on the past. It makes men dead with fear, drunk with sorrow, mad with oppression. But faith in the gracious providence of God frees us from vain fears, sad prognostics, and the miserable perplexities that torment the minds of men. Musing on our miseries is like chewing a bitter pill; but it is readily swallowed by resignation to the blessed will of God. Faith enlightens us to consider things with a rectified judgment, and not with the partiality of the passions. In the church's extremity, when conspiring enemies are great in numbers and power, faith raises the drooping spirits; If God be for us, who can be against us?' When Antigonus was ready to engage in a sea-fight with Ptolemy's armada, and the pilot cried out, "How many are they more than we ?" The courageous king replied, "It is true, if you count their numbers: but for how

many do you value me?" One God is all-sufficient, against all the combined forces of earth and hell. We are therefore commanded to cast all our care on him; for he cares for us.' It is very dishonourable to God to distrust him in doing our duty for it proceeds either from a jealousy of his goodness, or low thoughts of his power; as if he were unable and unwilling to save us. A prudent use of means is requisite, otherwise we do not trust but tempt his providence. There is a vicious carelessness, and a virtuous care. But diffident and anxious cares, as if all things ran at random without the ordering of our heavenly Father, is not only fruitless but pernicious. The apostle tells the believing Hebrews, 'Ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye may inherit the promise.' Some evils would admit of no consolation without the promise. But the just shall live by faith,' of God's presence with them to support and relieve them in their sorrows, and of a perfect and gracious deliverance out of them. God will shortly put an end to the malice of the wicked, and the patience of the saints. In the next state, when he has cleared our sight, we shall justify his wisdom, and discover that all events were divinely ordered and are beautiful to admiration. Now in the church's distress we are apt to say with Gideon, 'If the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us?' But then we shall turn the current of our wonder upon our own ignorance and infidelity; that, notwithstanding the evidence of the word, and the experience of the saints, prove that God turns all temporal evils to their spiritual good, yet we are unbelieving.'

CHAPTER VIII.

THE second particular grace that we should strive to increase, is love. It is the apostle's prayer for the Philippians, that their love may abound more and more in knowledge, and all judgment.' Love is the affection of union. Of this we have an illustrious instance recorded in Scripture, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David; and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Love is to be directed to a double object, God and cur neighbour.

I shall consider the excellency of this sanctified affection, and its exercise and reference to both supreme and subordinate objects.

Love is the leading affection. Not only desire and joy, which are of near alliance with it, but anger and hatred, between which affections and love there is a repugnance and entire opposition, are inseparable from it: for aversion and flight from evil proceed from the love of some good, of which the evil deprives us. Hence it follows, that it is a matter of the highest consequence, by wisdom discreet and severe, to direct our love to worthy objects. Love is the principle in all the passions; and it either sanctifies and refines them from the relics of carnal infection, or seduces and corrupts them. The mind is so clouded by carnal love and overruled by pleasant error, that it prefers sensual happiness before that which is spiritual and suitable to the nature and dignity of the soul. If the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness?"

The angels of light are distinguished from the angels of darkness, not so much by knowledge and power, as by love and holiness. The devils are immortal spirits, but under the tyrannous power of hatred and revenge, of envy and malice, which are their sin and torment.

Men are not distinguished so much by their understandings as their wills; not merely by knowledge but love, the first act of the will, the faculty which rules in man and obeys God. There may be knowledge of the divine law, and an approving of it, by those who do not practise it; for the contemplation of its goodness and equity constrains the mind to assent to it. From hence we may infallibly infer, that the radical difference and distinguishing character, between a saint and one in the state of polluted nature, is the affection of love with respect to its objects and degrees. Love to God as our sovereign happiness, is the immediate cause of our conversion and re-union with him. Love to vicious objects, or when with an intemperate current it descends to things not deserving its ardent degrees, alienates the heart from God. Holiness is the order of love. The excellency of holy love will appear in the following considerations.

1. Love has the supremacy among all the graces of the Spirit. This, in the most proper sense, is the fire which our Saviour came to kindle on earth. The apostle declares, that charity is greater than faith and hope, which are evangelical graces of eminent usefulness: for,

1. It is the brighest part of the Divine image in us. God is love.' It is the most adequate notion of the Deity, and more expressive of his blessed nature than any other single attribute.

The

most proper and honourable conception that we can form of the Deity, is love directed by infinite wisdom and exercised by infinite power. Faith and hope cannot be ascribed to God; they imply imperfection in their nature, and necessarily respect an absent object. Now all things are present to the knowledge of God, and in his power and possession. But love is his essential perfection; the productive principle of all good. Love transforms us into his likeness, and infuses a divine temper into the soul. In the acts of other graces we obey God; in the acts of love we imitate him.

This may be illustrated by its contrary. There are sins of various kinds and degrees; spiritual and carnal. Spiritual, (such as pride, malignant envy, irreconcilable enmity, delight in mischief,) which are the proper characters of the devil and denominate men his natural sons. Carnal sins, which the soul immersed in flesh indulges, all riotous excesses, intemperance, incontinence and the like, of which a mere spirit is not capable, denominate men the captives and slaves of Satan. Now spiritual sins induce a greater guilt, and deeper pollution than carnal. The more exact resemblance of the evil one, makes sinful men more odious to God.

2. Love is more extensive in its influence, than faith and hope. Their operations are confined to the person in whom they are. The just lives by his own faith, and is saved by his own hope, without communicating life and salvation to others. But it is the spirit and perfection of love to be beneficial to all. Love comforts the afflicted, relieves the indigent, and directs those who want counsel. It is the vital cement of mankind. In