1In the second place, as you may try your love by your taking care not to offend God, so likewise you may try it by your sorrow and grief after you have offended him: For you must know this, that love, as it hath the greatest joy of any thing else, when it obtains that which it would have, so it is attended with the most exquisite grief, when it is disappointed. As when one loveth another earnestly, if any breach fall out that shall make a separation between them, if any strangeness grow between them, if they love, they will never be at rest, it will trouble and disquiet them; but as the Scripture speaks, they are sick of love, that is, they cannot be quiet while there is such a condition, while there is any alienation, while there are breaches and offences between them. for you know that nothing is so sweet as love; as you have it in Cant. 1.2 Love is better than wine: and as David expresseth it, Psal. 63.3. Thy loving kindness is better than life. So sweet (I say) is love, as sweet as wine, and better than life. Now, by the rule of contraries, then, to have a breach made, to have a bar, and an interruption in this loving kindness of the Lord towards us, or in our love towards him, it is bitter as wormwood, and sharp ⟨p. 117⟩as death. Therefore you may examine your selves by the offences you offer to God, when they are past; if you love him, it is certain they will trouble you exceedingly; for so much sorrow for sin, so much love. And you may take it for a sure rule, in what measure any man desires to please the Lord, in that measure he will be grieved that he hath displeased him. Therefore examine thy self, Hast thou sinned against him many times, and doest thou look back upon those sins in a careless manner, be sure that thou lovest him not. Examine this by that which passeth between man and man: When a father or a husband hath any thing committed against them by a child or a wife, if they shall withdraw themselves, and profess themselves displeased, and yet the child or the wife, in the mean time, be never troubled at this, but be at rest, well enough content it should be so, and are not disquieted for it; will not the parent or husband take this exceeding ill at their hands, when he seeth his displeasure slighted? For this is much greater than the offence it self.
1In the second place, as you may try your love by your taking care not to offend God, so likewise you may try it by your sorrow and griefe after you have offended him: For you must know this, that love, as it hath the greatest joy of any thing else, when it obtaines that which it would have, so it is attended with the most exquisite griefe, when it is disappointed. As when one loveth another earnestly, if any breach fall out that shall make a separation betweene them, if any strangenesse grow betweene them, if they love, they will never be at rest, it will trouble and disquiet them; but as the Scripture speakes, they are sicke of love, that is, they cannot be quiet while there is such a condition, while there is any alienation, while there are breaches and offences betweene them. for you know that nothing is so sweete as love; as you have it in Cant. 1.2 Love is better than wine: and as David expresseth it, Psal. 63.3. Thy loving kindnesse is better than life. So sweete (I say) is love, as sweete as wine, and better than life. Now, by the rule of contraries, then, to have a breach made, to have a barre, and an interruption in this loving kindnesse of the Lord towards us, or in our love towards him, it is bitter as wormewood, and sharpe ⟨p. 117⟩as death. Therfore you may examine your selves by the offences you offer to God, when they are past; if you love him, it is certaine they will trouble you exceedingly; for so much sorrow for sinne, so much love. And you may take it for a sure rule, in what measure any man desires to please the Lord, in that measure hee will be grieved that he hath displeased him. Therefore examine thy selfe, Hast thou sinned against him many times, and doest thou looke backe upon those sinnes in a carelesse manner, be sure that thou lovest him not. Examine this by that which passeth betweene man and man: When a father or a husband hath any thing committed against them by a childe or a wife, if they shall withdraw themselves, and professe themselves displeased, and yet the childe or the wife, in the meane time, be never troubled at this, but be at rest, well enough content it should be so, and are not disquieted for it; will not the parent or husband take this exceeding ill at their hands, when hee seeth his displeasure slighted? For this is much greater than the offence it selfe.
- 12. Trial.2. Tryall.
- 2Cant 1. Psal. 63.3.
