Secondly, That Love that accompanies Salvation, is Obediential Love, it is Operative and Working Love; the Love of Christ makes a man subject to the commands of Christ; If any 1man love me, he will keep my Commandments. And again, He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them, he it is that 2loveth me. Divine Love is very Operative. Psal. 116. 1. I love the Lord, says David. Well, but how doth this Love work? Why says he, I will walk in his ways: I will pay my vows: I will take the cup of salvation: I will offer the ⟨p. 449⟩of thanksgiving; and I will call upon the Name of the Lord, as long as I live, Vers. 2, 9, 13, 14, 17. Divine Love is not stinted nor limited to one sort of duty, but is free to all: He that loveth, flieth; he that loveth, runneth; he that loveth, believeth; he that loveth, rejoiceth; he that loveth, mourneth; he that loveth, giveth; he that loveth, lendeth; he that loveth, beareth; he that loveth, waiteth; he that loveth, hopeth, &c. Heb. 6. 10. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love. Love makes the soul laborious; that Love that accompanies Salvation, is very Active and Operative, it is like the virtuous Woman in the Proverbs, that sets all her Maidens on work; it is never quiet, but in doing the Will of God; it will not suffer any Grace to sit idle in the Soul; it will egg and put on all other Graces, to act and operate. Love sets Faith upon drawing from Christ, and Patience upon waiting on Christ, and Humility upon submitting to Christ, and Godly-sorrow upon mourning over Christ, and Self-denial upon forsaking of the nearest and dearest comforts for Christ, &c. ⟨p. 450⟩As the Sun makes the Earth fertile, so doth Divine love make the Soul fruitful in Works of Righteousness and Holiness. He that loves, cannot be idle nor barren; Love makes the Soul constant and abundant in well-doing, 2 Cor. 5. 14. The love of Christ constraineth 3us; it doth urge us, and put us forward; it carries us on, as men possessed with a vehemency of spirit, or as a ship which is driven with strong winds towards the desired Haven. Natural love makes the Child, the Servant, the Wife obedient; so doth Divine love make the soul, better at obeying, then at disputing. A Soul that loves Christ, will never cease to obey, till he ceases to be. That Love that accompanies Salvation, is like the Sun;
Secondly, That Love that accompanies Salvation, is Obediential Love, it is Operative and Working Love; the Love of Christ makes a man subject to the commands of Christ; If any 1man love me, he will keep my Commandments. And again, He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them, he it is that 2loveth me. Divine Love is very Operative. Psal. 116. 1. I love the Lord, says David. Well, but how doth this Love work? Why says he, I will walk in his ways: I will pay my vows: I will take the cup of salvation: I will offer the ⟨p. 449⟩of thankssgiving; and I will call upon the Name of the Lord, as long as I live, Vers. 2, 9, 13, 14, 17. Divine Love is not stinted nor limited to one sort of duty, but is free to all: He that loveth, flieth; he that loveth, runneth; he that loveth, believeth; he that loveth, rejoyceth; he that loveth, mourneth; he that loveth, giveth; he that loveth, lendeth; he that loveth, beareth; he that loveth, waiteth; he that loveth, hopeth, &c. Heb. 6. 10. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love. Love makes the soul laborious; that Love that accompanies Salvation, is very Active and Operative, it is like the vertuous Woman in the Proverbs, that sets all her Maidens on work; it is never quiet, but in doing the Will of God; it will not suffer any Grace to sit idle in the Soul; it will egg and put on all other Graces, to act and operate. Love sets Faith upon drawing from Christ, and Patience upon waiting on Christ, and Humility upon submitting to Christ, and Godly-sorrow upon mourning over Christ, and Selfdenial upon forsaking of the nearest and dearest comforts for Christ, &c. ⟨p. 450⟩As the Sun makes the Earth fertil, so doth Divine love make the Soul fruitful in Works of Righteousness and Holiness. He that loves, cannot be idle nor barren; Love makes the Soul constant and aboundant in wel-doing, 2 Cor. 5. 14. The love of Christ constraineth 3us; it doth urge us, and put us forward; it carries us on, as men possessed with a vehemency of spirit, or as a ship which is driven with strong winds towards the desired Haven. Natural love makes the Childe, the Servant, the Wife obedient; so doth Divine love make the soul, better at obeying, then at disputing. A Soul that loves Christ, will never cease to obey, till he ceases to be. That Love that accompanies Salvation, is like the Sun;
- 1John 14. 21, 22, 23.
- 2I have read a story of an Elephant, who being fallen down and unable to help himself, or get up again, by reason of the inflexibleness of his legs, a Forester coming by, helped him up; wherewith the Elephant by the very instinct of nature, was so affected, that he followed this man, and would do any thing for him, and never left him till his dying day. Ah Sirs, will not Divine Love make a man do more?I have read a story of an Elephant, who being f•ln down and unable to help himself, or get up again, by reason of the inflexibleness of his legs, a Forrester coming by, helped him up; wherwith the Elephant by the very instinct of nature, was so affected, that he followed this man, and would do any thing for him, and never left him till his dying day. Ah Sirs, will not Divine Love make a man do more?
- 3[Greek or Hebrew]. Loves property is to do eternally, it is an eternal, lasting principle, and actions will last as long as principles; its action is as abiding as it self.〈non-Latin alphabet〉. Loves property is to do eternally, it is an eternal, lasting principle, and actions will last as long as principles; its action is as abiding as it self.
