and the perplexing desertions, of which we hear so many sad complaints. The one grand remedy for all prevailing love of God. these evils, is the There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment: he that feareth is not made perfect in love. Were we but enabled to exercise this holy disposition in a manner becoming our christian profession, we should then live in the light, and walk in the light; doubt would vanish, and every uneasy apprehension be swallowed up in a humble every childlike confidence. Let us, therefore, labour after this divine endowment, in proportion to its unparalleled worth; knowing that it stands at the head of all perfection, and is attended by all the graces of the Spirit. There remain in the church, saith St. Paul, faith, hope, love, these three but the greatest of these is love. Faith and hope, as I have elsewhere had occasion to observe, are only for a season; but love is of endless duration. In the life that now is, it will quicken our obedience, deepen our resignation, increase our enjoyments, and prepare us for the highest services; while it effectually qualifies us for all the unknown felicities of the upper world. Let us go then, my beloved brethren, and write the words of my text upon the posts of our doors, upon the walls of our houses, and in the secret chambers of our hearts, that wherever we turn our eyes, we may meet with a standing admonition to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind; that it may be well with us at home and abroad, in life and in death, in time and in eternity. and the perplexing desertions, of which we hear so many sad complaints. The one grand remedy for all these evils, is the prevailing love of God. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment: he that feareth is not made perfect in love. Were we but enabled to exercise this holy disposition in a manner becoming our christian profession, we should then live in the light, and walk in the light ; doubt would vanish, and every uneasy apprehension be swallowed up in a humble every childlike confidence. Let us, therefore, labour after this divine endowment, in proportion to its unparalleled worth; knowing that it stands at the head of all perfection, and is attended by all the graces of the Spirit. There remain in the church, saith St. Paul, faith, hope, love, these three but the greatest of these is love. Faith and hope, as I have elsewhere had occasion to observe, are only for a season; but love is of endless duration. In the life that now is, it will quicken our obedience, deepen our resignation, increase our enjoyments, and prepare us for the highest services; while it effectually qualifies us for all the unknown felicities of the upper world. Let us go then, my beloved brethren, and write the words of my text upon the posts of our doors, upon the walls of our houses, and in the secret chambers of our hearts, that wherever we turn our eyes, we may meet with a standing admonition to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind; that it may be well with us at home and abroad, in life and in death, in time and in eternity. |