love Him! How poor our return for His amazing love to us! Do we not often say, 'Lord! it is my chief complaint, O for grace to love Thee more!' More or less, Those who love the Lord Jesus have the testimony of it in their conscience before Him who searcheth the heart, so that, like one of old, they can thus appeal, "Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love Thee!" But love to the Lord may be well questioned, if the expressions of feeling be not corroborated by some outflowings in praise, worship, thanksgiving, prayer, esteem for the written word of God, and love to the brethren of Christ, and that too not in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Love to the brethren is natural to a saint of God. according to the measure of faith in exercise, he bears their burdens, shares their sorrows, and participates in their joys. He is bound in the bundle of life with them-" He that hath the Son of God, hath life;" and this life flows out in sympathy with Him who is our life, and therefore with those that are His. Our conduct toward those who belong to Christ is the scriptural standard of our love to Him. If there be no love to the saints, it is because there is no faith in, or love to, the Lord Jesus. "He that loveth Him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of Him." "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." Obedience to the Scriptures will also mark the reality of love to the Lord, as He said, "He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me." The unregenerate may imitate others, and outwardly manifest much apparent religious zeal, but they know nothing of subjection of heart to the Lord Jesus-of doing anything in obedience to Him. The true believer also ponders the promises, statutes, testimonies, and warnings of the word of God, lays them up in his heart, because they are God's, as also Jesus said, "If a man love Me he will keep My words;" "He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings." John xiv. 23, 24. We might enlarge, but enough has been advanced to prove that the Scriptures clearly define those who love the Lord, and those who love Him not. And where is the believer who cannot say that these observations describe his case? That he sees himself reflected in this mirror of divine truth? Then how full of comfort and encouragement the blessed declaration, "The Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved Me, and have believed that I came out from God!" And its kindred Scriptures also, "There is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." Rom. viii. 1. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God." 1 John iii. 2. "Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." Gal. iii. 26. "All things are yours." 1 Cor. iii. 21. "He that hath the Son, hath life." 1 John v. 12. ON THE ENJOYMENT OF CHRIST. (Extracts.) "THE temptation with which Satan often disturbs the children of God, is to hinder them from living upon Christ as poor needy helpless sinners, and from finding, by faith, all they want in His fulness; this exalts the Saviour too much, and makes them too safe and happy. Therefore Satan would persuade them to get riches, and strength, and a clean heart quite without sin, in themselves, so that they might look inwards with complacency, outwards with " Stand by, I am holier than thou," and upwards with "God, I thank thee I am not as other men are." Thus pride enters, and Christ is thrust out. "How heavenly those souls act, that act from an enjoyment of Christ." Paul Hobson, A. D. 1647. "We may see this carried out at the death-bed of a Christian; if Christ Himself has been his joy, all that belongs to him will be precious; if the soul is chiefly occupied with the work of Christ in bringing salvation, there will be peace, because it knows salvation; but if the Person of Christ has become the object of affection, and the soul is occupied with Himself, such an one has a continual spring of joy within, as well as settled peace." "And the thought of Himself to whom I am going fills the soul with joy. It is true that I am going to heaven, but the thought that makes heaven a heaven to my soul is, that CHRIST HIMSELF is there: there is some one to go to; the Person I have loved while on earth, I am going to be with in Heaven." Luke ix. 58. THOU hadst not where to lay Thine head, Though all was Thine, no spot for Thee, 'Tis love that "passeth knowledge," Lord, With seeing eye may we approach, Thy voice commanding healing, life, Thy will, Thy purposes to bless, To faith, responsive faithfulness Each gift bestowed; To touch, Thine answering mercy, And virtue flowed. Close followed, when Thine own Thou took'st, To desert places, where awhile Thou would'st abide. Still blessing, still receiving all- The poor to teach, and by Thy power When praying, we behold Thee, Lord, And we adore; This moves us more than all beside, Than all Thy power. 'Twere wond'rous, but as Son of Man We know Thee, Lord; For us dependant e'en as slain, For us Thine head un-rested, Lord, That we the "Heirs of God" might be And, gracious still, Thy work above For each their place, and well I know Rous'd by Thy voice to Thee I'll come, E'en first Thy sleeping ones to Thee, Lord, for that joy may I endure, And happily, Each sorrow in this world of sin, |