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Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine....Solomon's Song i. 2.

SUCH is the familiar, loving language of chaste virgins espoused to Jesus. Love in the heart begets desires after tokens of affection from the object beloved. "Saw ye нIм whom my soul loveth?" asks the enquiring heart. "If ye have taken away HIM," says sorrowful Mary. "That I may know HIM," says affectionate Paul. “Let FILM kiss me," saith the church; as though all the world knew whom is meant or who is their beloved. Every heart that is blessed with the discovery of Jesus, will be excited with such desires after him. Here is a very short and abrupt request; "Let him kiss me," that will make me quite happy. My heart is simple, I have but one ob、 ject in view. O, if Jesus will but favor me with a love-token all my fears vanish, my scruples are at an end, my doubts are all silenced; peace, happiness, and joy shall possess my mind. So the loveallured heart reasons and prays. But sometimes delays excite impa tience, and promote jealousies, which issue in mourning surmises. "Hope deferred, makes the heart sick." I fear Jesus doth not love me, or sure he would hear, and not delay, affording me sweet evidences and pledges of love." But so Jesus proves the soul's faith and stedfastness to him; so he draws out its importunity after him. "Whom having not seen, we love; and though now we see him not, yet believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory.... Pet. i. 8.

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Such is the language of faith. Where revealed love is received in the heart, sensible tokens will be longed after and shall be enjoyed nor can the believing heart rest satisfied, nor be truly happy without them; its cry is none but Christ, none but Christ! What are the smiles of the world if Jesus frowns? What is life itself without his presence and favor? His presence creates a paradise; nearness to him is heaven on earth; his cross is our glory; his kisses our comfort. "For thy love is better than wine." I have tasted both; I have felt the sweet effects of each. Experience has taught me, that as wine revives and cheers the heart, so doth love; I cannot live without love; I cannot be happy without a sense of it. I cannot be holy, I cannot serve cheerfully, or obey perfectly, nor conquer sin powerfully, but while love, thy love, O my beloved Jesus, inspires, enlivens, and influences my heavy, sluggish heart. Such sentiments possess loving, longing souls. O, this love is a precious plant! It springs not in nature's garden; its original is divine; it comes from God. "For GOD IS LOVE.".... John iv. 8. Those who have obeyed the Father's voice, "kiss my Son."....Psalm ii. 12...." Know that the love of Christ passeth knowledge."....Eph. iii. 19.

I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee....Jer. xxxi. 3.

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THUS the Lord speaks to his church as to a collected body; therefore ye members of Jesus, what foundation of comfort, what cause of rejoicing have you daily! But what doubts and scruples do often arise in your poor hearts concerning God's love to you! Why is this? Because we judge of and determine the bounds of the love of our God, from the sense and feeling we find in ourselves, instead of abiding by the Lord's own gracious declarations in his word to us. How absurd would it be for us to judge of the dimensions of that glorious luminary the sun, by the little light and heat which we partake of! Shall we conclude from the severe cold we feel in winter's frost; or, in the sense of midnight darkness, that light and heat cease to exist in the sun? Alas! we may as well "measure the waters in the hollow of our hand, mete out the heaven with our span, weigh the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance," as truly as to estimate and judge of the infinite, boundless love of God to poor sinners in Christ Jesus, from our perception and sense of it. Dost thou, O soul, experience the drawing of thy heart to Jesus for righteousness, atonement, life, and salvation? This is not of the will of the flesh, but of the power of God, the effects of his loving kindness to thee. For, saith Jesus, "no man can come unto me, except the Father draw him."....John vi. 44. As the rays of light lead to the source from whence they flow, so this stream of love, in time, instructs our souls in the most comfortable truth of God's everlasting love. Think not, because I experience repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, am obedient to the gospel of holiness, therefore, for these graces, now the Lord begins to love me. O no! for his love is of an earlier date; this is reversing God's method; and in times of darkness and desertion, and under satan's buffetings, when thou hast no light to see thy graces, nor feeling sense of comfort in the exercise of them, this method of judging of God's love will be most distressing to thy poor soul. 0, may the Spirit of truth help us to judge of God's love according to his own word of grace. "I have loved thee with an everlasting love; and therefore (for this cause) with loving kindness have I drawn thee" from darkness to light, from the kingdom of satan into the kingdom of my dear Son; glory shall crown what grace begun. What motive so powerful, what doctrine so influential to animate and enliven the soul with fervent love and cheerful obedience as the daily reflection and constant belief of the everlasting, unchangeable love of God to us in Christ Jesus? "Not any thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."....Rom. viii. 39.

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As nero-born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby....1 Pet. ii. 2.

"WHAT I cannot comprehend shall never be the object of my faith," is the weak language of a proud sceptic. "Where I cannot comprehend, I silently adore; what I cannot explain, yet I humbly believe, because divine truths bear the impress, "The Lord hath spoken." This is the language of an humble, gracious heart. "Marvellous are thy works, O Lord, in wisdom hast thou made them all." Glorious is thy grace in Christ Jesus; in love hast thou revealed it to the children of men. Here is the wisdom of saints, to learn from the images of nature the mysteries of grace. From the book of the former we are taught sweet and precious instructions in the latter. How kindly has the God of nature provided for the infant cry of the new-born babe! It soon discovers its wants; and though as sensible of the provision it has brought, and its right unto it, it scarce breathes the air, but it hunts for the breast of its parent, and its tender appetite is drawn out after the milk. No less pleased and delighted is the affectionate mother to administer to its wants and relieve its sorrows, and nourish and strengthen her new-born infant. Dwelleth such love in parents to their offspring? Infinitely greater is the love of God to his babes in Christ. Dwelleth such a disposition in the babe of nature after milk? So also is this exemplified in every child of grace in his love to and hunting after the milk of God's word. Hath the God of nature made such suitable provision for the children of this world? Glory to his grace, so hath he richly provided spiritual milk for the children of his kingdom. Desire it, saith he, and grow thereby; feed on it and be strengthened: but the Spirit of wisdom hath given us a caution to try the milk, to see that it be sincere milk; not any milk, but the pure and unmixed milk of God's word and truth; Jesus is the very essence and substance of it. If the nourishing doctrines of God's everlasting love and election in Christ, pardon by his blood, clothing by his righteousness, and final salvation of all his dear people through him, are omitted by ministers, they administer skimmed milk, which has lost its strengthening and nourishing qualities: hence, it will not edify and cause the soul to "grow strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus." When from the word of God its rich qualities are extracted, carnal reason is set up, human pride is established, creature righteousness is exalted: hence, instead of "growing up unto Christ in all things," professors grow into self-complacency and vain confidences. O, love the revealed word above all human teaching; prize and attend upon the faithful ministers of Jesus, that thou mayest be "nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine."....1 Tim. 4. 6.

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Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust, that he will yet deliver us....2 Cor. i. 10.

DIVINE Confidence is founded upon God's revealed truth; it arises in the heart in proportion to the discovery which is made of free-grace promises to sinners in Christ Jesus. Faith looks at nothing in nature, nor in the creature; it stands not upon any human probability or rational possibility; but, as the queen of graces, faith looks wholly to the king of glory, consults the word of his truth, relies on his promises and oath, and trusts in the power of an omnipotent Lord. Past experience of former deliverances sweetly encourage the soul to trust God for future. So the apostles reasoned upon temporal deliverances from the persecuting powers of earth and hell, which were engaged against them. All hope and help from the right hand and left were cut off. In themselves they had the sentence of death. They were like malefactors in their own apprehension, doomed to certain execution. But God had delivered them in time past! He did deliver them at the present; hence, their trust was excited for future deliverance. Just so they taught and gloried in a salvation equally as extensive, through all the periods of time past, present, and to come; which should certainly issue in everlasting glory.

O believer, here is a mode of reasoning for thy soul. Exercise thy faith on things past, present, and to come. Call to mind how God in time past delivered thy soul from thy great death in trespasses and sins. In how many dangers has he kept thee? From how many snares has he delivered thee? And art thou this present hour a saved sinner, living by faith on the Son of God? O, see thy Lord's past mercies! O, consider thy Lord's present blessings! Thence honor him with the faith of thy heart, the trust of thy soul, that he will yet deliver thee from every enemy. Art thou harassed by temptations? Remember, "thy Lord knoweth how and when to Ideliver out of them!"....2 Pet. ii. 9. Art thou groaning under a body of sin and death? Crying out, O, wretched that I am? Consider the everlasting love and almighty power of thy precious deliverer; exult and triumph with, "thanks be to God who giveth the victory through Jesus Christ." Thus daily study, O soul, to live in an habitual view of thy God and Saviour; pray and wrestle for constant applications of Jesus' grace, daily feelings of his love by the Spirit; so shall every lust of thy nature be subdued, satan shall fly from the resistings of faith, victory shall be obtained over the world, holiness will be delightful to thy heart, and heaven desirable and longed for by the soul. Ever remember "it is God who worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure, as the only enlivening confidence to encourage thee to work out thy salvation with fear and trembling."....Phil. ii. 12, 13.

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth....John

xvii. 17.

WITH what confidence and joy are we assured of our sanctification, both from the prayer of Jesus on earth, and his intercession in glory! Man cannot sanctify himself, it is the work of the Lord the Spirit; he effects it by his sovereign power; earth and hell shall not prevent it. O special mercy! Not to be left to act with the generality of professors, who, like Pilate, demand "What is truth?" and then turn away from it as offensive, and hate and oppose it. Yet, if there is but kept up a great cry and vehement zeal for good works and holiness, it is enough; no matter what principles they spring from. Nay, under pretence for these, truth is trampled under foot. But not so Jesus prayed, nor taught; nor are his members thus sanctified. Jesus is essentially the truth. We are sanctified to God no other way than in him, and by the faith of him. "We are chosen from the beginning through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth." "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,"....John viii. 32....saith Jesus; free from the deceitful hopes and vain confidences that are natural to ùs. Souls sanctified through the truth, are no longer left to deny the foundation truths of God's word; his sovereign, everlasting, electing love of sinners in Christ Jesus this essential truth, of their sins being atoned by the precious blood, and their persons justified by the perfect righteousness of Jesus imputed to them; the certain perseverance and sure glorification of every believing member of Christ. Thus our judgments are sanctified in truth, in opposition to the false notions of self-righteousness and sinless perfection. These proceed from self-ignorance, blindness to God's law, and leave its professors under a fatal error; nor are we left to dream of universal redemption which detracts from the glory of God by ascribing salvation to free-will; nor to reject the sovereign agency of the holy Spirit, which reduces the gospel of grace to a covenant of works. Glory to our Lord, not only are we sanctified as to a right judgment in all things, but our affections are also sanctified to love the truth and cleave to it, seeing all our hopes center in it, and deriving all our comforts from it; and it is the delight and joy of our souls to live in conformity to the truth. Jesus hath our hearts. Fellowship with him is our heaven upon earth. What is contrary to that is hateful to us. Sin is become the burden, and holiness most pleasant to the sanctified soul. To fancy thyself perfectly freed from all sin, is a mark, not of a soul sanctified through the truth, but deceived by lies: but daily to feel a holy striving against sin, fervent desires after greater conformity to Jesus, and abiding in the truth of his word, is a full proof "of the sanctification of his Spirit unto obedience.".... 1 Pet. i. 2.

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