SERMON XII.

Preached November 8, 1676.

I JOHN IV. 20.

He that loveth not his Brother, whom he bath feen; how can be love GOD, whom he bath not Jeen?

W

E have already in the preceding difcourse offered fundry confiderations to those, who are apt to take it for granted that they are lovers of God, though they never really difcerned any motion of love to him in their hearts at all; or who fondly imagine that the conviction of their judgement in this matter, is to be taken for the affection of the heart. We have also spoken in several particulars to another fort, who suspect they are no true lovers of GOD, and are many times ready to conclude fo; because their love to him is not fo fervent and paffionate as they think it ought to be. And now

III, WE come to the third fort that we have to do with, to wit, those who are apt to cenfure other perfons, merely upon this account; because they make profeffion of fuch a fervent love to Go D,

I.

VOL. as they themselves are altogether ftrangers to. All expreffions of fuch a fervent paffionate love to Go D fall under a fufpicious cenfure, and accufation from these men. As for inftance, they charge all fuch expreffions of love with hypocrify, or with enthusiasm: thinking it proceeds from nothing else but a phantaftick representation of the object they pretend to love; or elfe, they refolve it all into the temper of the body, and fay it owes it felf to nothing elfe but to fuch or fuch a crafis, a present habit and temperature, or a freer circulation of the blood, and quicker agitation of certain brifk and agile spirits. And thus they think that a mechanical account is to be given of all fuch kind of affections; and that whofoever well understands the structure of the brain, or the nature of the fpleen, and hypochondria, and the various twiftings of the nerves about the veins and arteries, may very well be able to give a good account of all fuch kind of love.

I. Now as to the firft of thefe, to wit, the charge of hypocrify, we must allow (as there will be further occafion to evince hereafter when we come to the last doctrine) that if any do pretend to fuch a love to Go D, and join with it an immoral converfation, there is a great deal of reafon for the charge; and in fuch a cafe we must fall in with the accufer and fay the fame. But if this charge be faftened upon perfons, whose walk and converfation is fober and juft, we have then feveral things to fay to it. As

(1.) IT is a most uncharitable cenfure to fay.SERM. that all pretence to a more fervent and vehement XII. love to Go D, is for this very reafon hypocritical.

I wonder why fo? Does not this feem to fay, that there can be no fuch thing as a real, and fervent love to GOD? This is furely a very strange accufation, at once without warrant, and against the exprefs law of charity, which requires us to think no evil. And it is an effential character of it to be abfolutely difinclined to take up an evil furmife, or bad thoughts of any one, where there is not a very manifest and apparent cause.

(2.) The charge is moft unreafonable. There is not the leaft ground for fuch a cenfure, fuppofing the perfons to be in the main of a fober, just, and unexceptionable deportment among men. Of fuch it may most unrighteously be faid, that they are hypocrites, while they pretend to love God. But how will you prove your charge? by what medium will you make it out, that all pretences of love to Go D, by fuch perfons, are hypocritical? And furely that is a moft unreasonable cenfure, for which no reason can be given,

(3.) SUCH a charge or accufation muft needs proceed from a moft idle and pragmatick temper. For thefe cenfurers fhew themselves to be vain bufy-bodies, who meddle out of their own province. But what have they to do to judge the hearts of other men? That is a province they have nothing at all to do in. What is it then but a vain pragmatick humour that prompts them to 9 3 meddle

a 1 Cor. XIII. 5.

I.

VOL. meddle in a sphere wherein they have no concern. Who art thou, faith the Scripture, that judgest an other man's fervant? to his own master be standeth or falleth. Nay,

(4.) It is to be guilty of the most infolent prefumption; for it is to incroach upon the prerogative of God, to whom alone it belongs to fearch, and judge the heart. Who are they that take upon them to judge one another? We must all appear before the judgement feat of Chrift. Whoever they are that do judge fo, they subject themselves to the judgement of GOD. Therefore fays our Lord, Judge not, that ye be not judged . That is, in effect, if you judge fo at random, and where you have nothing to do, you fhall know what judging means, when you fhall be judged alfo.

(5.) I WOULD further fay, by way of queftion, pray what is the thing you find fault with in this cafe? Is it this love' it felf, or is it the appearance of it? Sure it will not be faid, it is the love itself. Who would be fo impudently profane as to fay, it is a crime to love God? or that fuch love is criminal, when it is warm and vehement? as if it was poffible to love God too much. Sure this will never be faid by those who confider that we are required to love bim with all our heart, and with all our foul, and with all our mind. And befides, this were to make the accufation to contradict it felf; for whenfoever the charge of hypocrify is alledged against any one, the thing pretended

Rom. XIV. 4.
Matt. vII. 1.

C XIV. 10.

Matt. xx11. 37.

pretended to is implied to be good and commen- SERM. dable. XII.

Or is it the appearance of fuch love that is found fault with? that is juft the fame thing as to find fault with the fun for fhining. It is true, all discovery of this or any other excellency whatfoever ought to be modeft, and fober; most remote from any thing of boafting or vain-glorious oftentation, than which, in fuch a cafe as this, nothing in all the world can be more fulfom. But what! fhould a man be afhamed to become, and appear an earnest lover of GOD? Was the Pfalmift shy of appearing fo, when he again and again avowed it with fo much folemnity? when he made profeffions of his love to GOD, which he defigned, and no doubt knew would be recorded to all future times? And the noble perfonage whom we spoke of before, was he ashamed to have it recorded, that he was fuch a one's friend? It is fo remarkable that we cannot look over a page in the book of pfalms, but we shall find some or other expreffion now made publick to the world, of an avowed love to God. I love the LORD, fays he, because he hath beard my voice and my fupplications. And again, I will love thee, O LOR D my strength. The word there used is most emphatically expreffive of the most vehement, ardent, fervent love. I will love thee from my very bowels. And what! is this a thing for a man to be afhamed of? to profefs himself an earnest lover of GOD, if indeed he is fo. He only has reafon