Increase of Love.

175

earth; and his engagements are the greater, because Christ took him in his arms when he was hanging over hell.

When Paul writ this epistle to Timothy, he was about fifty-five years of age, and yet those twenty years run out since his conversion had not stifled his admiration, nor damped his thankfulness for converting grace. Take a prospect of it in this chapter, And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious, ver. 12, 13. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord. He seems to set his sin and God's mercy in opposition. I was injurious, but I obtained mercy. I was a blasphemer, but I obtained, &c. I-mercy. Who would imagine, but that of all persons he should have passed by me, while he had taken this or that polished pharisee, this or that doctor of morality? but that he should overlook them, and set his eye upon me, so injurious, such a blasphemer, such a persecutor! A great sinner, when he reflects upon his sin, wonders that a but was not made at him. You find that no apostle gives such epithets to the grace of God as our apostle does. None so seraphical in his admiring expressions. Riches of grace, exceeding riches of grace, abundant grace, riches of glory, unsearchable riches of grace. He never speaks of grace without an emphasis. Single grace, and single mercy would not serve his turn.

2. Love and affection. Mary Magdalen, out of whom Christ had cast seven devils, was most early in her affection, to bestow her provision of spices upon the dead body of her Saviour. The fire of grace cannot be stifled, but will break out in glory to God. This is such a grace, that man in innocency could not have exercised in such a height; because now the sinner is not only in his own sight unworthy of pardon, but worthy of the greatest hatred and punishment. You scarce find yourselves possessed with

greater affection to any, than those who have been instruments to free you from your sinful fetters. How often do you bless them, could pull out your eyes for them, and think all ways too little to manifest the sense of your obligations to them! And does the instrument carry away all? surely God has the greatest sacrifice of affection, when the convert considers that his powerful grace was the principal agent to draw him out of this spiritual mire. As when a present is sent to you, you shew a courtesy to the servant, but the chief part of your kindness is devoted to the master that sent him. What flames of love, raptures of joy, transports of affection, boilings of courage for God in a young convert! The soul is most courageous for God at first conversion, because it is then most stored with comforts; and is so struck into amazement at the marvellous light which darts upon him, that he is ambitious to be a martyr for God presently; After that you were illuminated, you endured a great fight of afflictions, Heb. 10. 32. Grace is not only attended with afflictions, but bestows a courage upon a convert to endure them. The soul then thinks it is able to undergo any thing for God, who hath bestowed so much grace upon it.

A christian hath the greatest love to Christ at the first turning to him; for since the horror of all his sins, and the natural ugliness and deformity of that which he has served so long, comes with a full sense upon him; and since the admirable excellency of Christ shines upon him, which is a sight he was never acquainted with before; the greatness of the danger he was in, and the incomparable love which beams upon him from his believing a Saviour, fills his affection with full sails. Thus do men, who have been tossed in a dangerous tempest, afflicted with the darkness of the night, as well as their danger, rejoice and welcome the rising sun in the morning, which dispels their tumultuous fears, as well as those gloomy shadows.

Increase of Obedience.

177

God permits a man's sin to abound, that his love after pardon may abound too; Her sins which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much, Luke 7.47, un, therefore, it is the consequent, not the cause of remission. And this interpretation agrees best with the following words, to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little. It is more consonant to reason, that where there are greater mercies, there should be greater returns of affection. Remission of sins is the greatest evidence of God's love, and therefore should be the greatest incentive of ours. And indeed Christ never appears to a penitent with a more comely air in his countenance, than upon the removal of great judgments, or the pardon of great sins; In that day shatt the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely, for them that are escaped of Israel, Isa. 4. 2. In that day in what day? After great judgments, ver. 1, and in the foregoing chapter, in purging away great filth, ver. 4. The branch Jesus appears most lovely, when he comes laden with the fruit of grace, with the sanctifying juice of his blood; as a ripe bunch of grapes looks pleasantly in a thirsty traveller's eye. This convert Paul was more affectionate to Christ than any of the other apostles; for when he could not look upon him, he is enamoured on his very name, and delights to express it no less than five hundred times, as, I remember, some have numbered it in his epistles; more proportionably than Peter, Jaines, and John did in what they writ.

3. Service and obedience. Such will endeavour to redeem the time, because their former days have been so evil, and recover those advantages of service, which they lost by a course of sin. They will labour that the largeness of their sin may be answered by an extension of their zeal. Such will be almost as much ashamed to do but common service, as they are now ashamed of their scarlet sins. As men further they go backward, the greater leap they usually take for

M

ward. Grace instructs a man in holiness out of gratitude. The grace of God teacheth us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, Tit. 2. 12. Grace teaches us. The greater the grace, the more pressing is the instruction: as it increases gratitude, it increases service.

That Peter, who had been so criminal in denying his Master, and adding perjury to his perfidiousness, was as active in service, as he had been in apostacy. He laid the first stone of the christian church among the Jews after Christ's ascension; he preached the first sermon to them, and charged them home with his Master's murder, Acts 2. He was also the spokesman in all business, described in the first six chapters of the Acts. He laid also the first foundation of the Gentile church; for God in a vision revealed to him the calling of the Gentiles, passing by all the other apostles, to whom it was not known but by Peter's relation,* Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago, God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe, Acts 15. 7. A good while ago, which good while ago refers to the time, Mat. 16. 18, wherein Christ said, upon this rock will I build my church. He was chosen by God to this purpose, i. e. separated from the rest of the apostles, and adorned with this prerogative. Great sins did not make Christ change his resolution.

7

Never an apostle that had been bred up under Christ's wing, that was so active an instrument as this Paul, who had been so bitter an enemy. He laboured more abundantly than all, 1 Cor. 15. 10. In matters of obedience he would not ask counsel of flesh and blood; Immediately I conferred not blood, Gal. 1. 16. in his

He was quick with flesh and

He had endeavoured to weaken Christ's kingdom; he now endeavours to list men in his service.

Camer. on Myro in Acts 15. 7.

He had

·

Increase of Humility.

179

breathed out, threatenings, he now breathes out affections; he could even spend and be spent for the interest of his Saviour. And usually we find converted souls most active in the exercise of that grace which is most contrary to that which was their darling sin.

4. Humility and self-emptiness. Christ chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and the weak things of the world, to confound the things that are mighty, 1 Cor. 1. 26, 27, that nothing should be attributed to their worth and dignity, but to his grace and mercy. Were the gospel discovered only to the wise, they would look upon it rather as a discovery made by the optics of their own reason. And if God did bestow his grace only upon men of unspotted conversations, they would rather think it a debt God stood obliged to pay them, than a free act of grace. As God reveals knowledge to the simplest, Mat. 2. 25, so he does manifest grace to the sinfulest, and as Christ blessed his Father for that, so no doubt but he doth return the same thanks for this. Such great sinners receive all from God, and so have more reason to hang down their heads; others may sometimes cast many a loving look to their own righteousness, and, like Nebuchadnezzar, glory, This is the Babylon which I have built; and boast of their good acts, and freedom from the common pollutions of the world.

But such who were fallen over head and ears in the mire, and were dirty all over, have no cause to boast; for God did not find them, but made them worthy. They brought nothing but dirt and rags, that were not worthy the washing; only God would pick glory out of their worthlessness, to his own. grace. Such are sensible, that God was not their debtor, but they his; and that there was nothing in them to oblige God to bestow the least mite of mercy on them.

Therefore we find not one of these mountainous