you, is your convoy to accompany and fecure you, till it fee you fafe into your harbour of eternal rest.

(2.) You have heard how the care of God is engaged for you by promise; now see how it actuates, and exerts itself for the people of God in the various methods of providence; and here, oh here is the sweetest pleasure of the Christian life, a delight far transcending all the delights of this life. Sit down Chriftian in this chamber also, and make but such observations upon the care of thy God as follow; and then tell me whether the world, with all its pleasures and delights, can give thee fuch another entertainment.

1. Reflect upon the constant, sweet, and suitable provisions, that from time to time have been prepared for thee, and thine, by this care of thy God; from whencefoever thy wants did come, I am sure from hence came thy supplies, it hath enabled thee to return the fame answer the disciples did to that question, Luke xxii. 35. "Lacked ye any thing, and they said nothing."

2. Reflect with admiration upon the various difficulties of your lives, wherein your thoughts have been entangled, and out of which you have been extricated and delivered by the care of God over you; how oft have your thoughts been like a ravelled skeyn of filk, so entangled and perplexed with the difficulties and fears before you, that you could find no end, but the longer you thought, the more you were puzzied, till you have left thinking, and fell to praying; and there you have found the right end to wind up all your thoughts upon the bottom of peace and sweet contentment, according to that direction, Pfal. xxxvii. 5. "Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in

him, and he shall bring it to pass."

3. Observe, with a melting heart, how the care of thy God harh disposed and directed thy way to unforeseen advantages : Had he not ordered thy steps when, and as he did, thou hadst not been in poffession of those temporal and spiritual mercies that sweeten thy life at this day. Surely the steps of good men are ordered by the Lord: and as for thee, Christian, what reason haft thou, with an heart overflowing with love and thankfulness, to look up and fay, My Father, thou art the guide of my youth? It is sweet to live by faith upon divine care. Oh what a ferene life might we live, careful for nothing, but making known our requests unto God in every thing, Phil. iv. 6. cafting all our care on him that careth for us, 1 Pet. v. 7. perplexing our thoughts about nothing, but rolling every burden apon godly faith. Thus lived holy Musculus, when reduced to extreme poverty and danger at the same time; then it was that he solaced his foul with that comfortable distich, a good Jeffon for others;

Eft Deus in caelis, qui providus omnia curat,

Credentes nusqam deferuisse poteft.

ie. There is a God above, who, as he provides for, and takes care of all, can never forsake those that believe in him.

The provident care of his heavenly Father, made his heart as quiet as the child at the breaft. Christian, thou knowest not what distressful days are coming upon the earth, nor what perfonal trials shall befal thee in this world; but I advise thee, as thou valuest the tranquility and comfort of thy life, shut up thyself by faith in this chamber of divine care; it is thy best security in this world: Reflect frequently, and thankfully, upon the manifold supports, fupplies, and salvations thou haft already had from this fountain of mercies, and be not discouraged at new difficulties. When an eminent Christian was told of some that way-laid him, to destroy him, his answer was, Si Deus mei curam non habet, quid vivo? In like manner thou mayst say, if God had not taken care for thee, how couldst thou have lived till now? how couldst thou have over-lived so many troubles, fears, and dangers as thou haft done?

CHAP. ΧΙ.

Opening the fixth and last chamber, viz. The love of God, as a rest. ing-place to believing fouls in evil times.

Sect. I.

T

HOUGH all the attributes in the name or chambers of this house of God are glorious and excellent, yet this of love is tranfcendently glorious: Of this room it may be said as it was of Solomon's royal chariot, Cant. iii. 10. "The midst thereof is paved with love." In this attribute the glory of God is signally and eminently manifested, 1 John iv. 9, 10. And upon this foundation the hopes and comforts of all believers are built, and founded, Rom. viii. 35. "Who shall " separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or dif"tress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or "sword?" He defies and despises them all, because neither of them alone, nor altogether by their united strength, can unclasp the arms of divine love, in which believers are safely enfolded. In this attribute God's people, by faith, entrench themselves,

and of it a believer faith, Hic murus aheneus esto, this hall be my strong-hold and fortress in the day of trouble. And well may we fo esteem and reckon it, if we consider,

1. That wherever the special love of God goes, there the special prefence of God goes also, John xiv. 23. "He shall " be loved of my Father, and we will come unto him, and make " our abode with him." And O how fecure and fafe muft those be (however times govern) with whom God himself maketh his abode? For as the Pfalmist speaks, Pfal. xci. 1. "He that " dwells in the secret place of the Most High, thall abide under "the shadow of the Almighty." And he that is over-shadowed by an almighty power, need not fear how many mighty enemies combine against him.

2. Wherever the special love of God is placed, that person becomes precious and highly valuable in the eyes of God; he appretiates and estimates such a man as his peculiar treasure, which naturally and necessarily draws and spreads the wing of divine care over him for his protection, Deut. xxxiii. 12. "The " beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him, and the Lord " shall cover him all the day long." Things of greatest value are always kept in safest custody.

3. Upon whomsoever the special love of God is set, there all events and ifssues of troubles are sure to be over-ruled to the eternal advantage of that foul, Rom. viii. 28. Which confideration alone is sufficient to unsting all the troubles in the world, and make the beloved of the Lord shout and triumph in the midst of tribulations.

But let us enter yet farther into this glorious chamber of divine love, and more particularly view the admirable properties thereof; though, when all is done, it will be found a love paffing knowledge; our thoughts may admire, but can never meafure it.

1. And first, you will find it an ancient love, whose spring is in eternity itself. Believer, God is thine ancient friend, who foresaw and loved thee before thou, yea, before this world was in being; the fruits and effects thereof thou gatherest in time, but the root that produces them was before all times, Prov. viii. 22, 23. "The Lord poffessed me in the beginning of his way, " before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was." Thus was the love of God contriving, and providing the best of mercies in Chrift for us; while, as yet, there were no fuch creatures in the world, por a world prepared to receive us.

2. The love of God to his people is a free, and altogether

undeserved love. It must needs be so, seeing it preceeded our very being; which had it not done, yet no motives bad been found in us, to allure it to us more than others, Deut, vii. 7. "The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor chuse you, because ye were more in number than any people (for ye were the fewest of all people) but because the Lord loved "you." So that we cannot find one ftone of our merit in the foundation of this love; for those whom it embraces in its arms, are immerentes, & male merentes, ill-deserving, as well as undeserving. We were loved of God, before we were lovely in ourselves; it is freely pitched upon us, not purchased by us, Isa. xliii. 24.

3. The love of God to believers is a bountiful love, streaming forth continually mercies both innumerable and invaluable to their fouls and bodies, 2 Pet. i. 3. Christian, it would quickJy weary thine arm, yea, let me say, the arm of an angel, but to write down the thousandth part of the mercies which have already flowed out of this precious fountain to thee; though all thou hast received, or shalt receive in this world, are but the beginnings of mercy, and first-fruits of the love of God to thee; 'tis the love of God which daily loads thee with bene. fits, as the expression is, Pfal. Ixviii. 19. And if thou art daily loaded with mercies, what an heap of mercies will the mercies of thy whole life be?

4. The love of God to believers is a distinguishing love; not the portion of all, no, nor yet of many befides thee, 1 Cor. i. 26. The generality of the world dwell in the room of common providence, not in the chamber of special love, into which God hath admitted thee this confideration should make thee break out in admiration, as it is, John xix. 22. "Lord, how " is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to me, and not to the " world?"

5. The love of God to believers is a love transcendent to all creature-love; it moves in an higher sphere than the love of any creature doth, Rom. v. 6, 7, 8. We read of Jacob's love to Rachel, which is so celebrated in the sacred story for the fervour of it; and yet all that it enabled him to fuffer, was but the summer's heat and the winter's cold; a trifle to what the love of Chrift engaged, and enabled him to fuffer for thy fake, We read also of the love of David to Abfalom, which made him with, would God I had died for thee, O Abfalom, my fon, my fon! This love was only manifested in a with, which, haply, might have been retracted to, had there been an exchange to be made indeed: but the life of Chrift, worth millions of

his life, was actually and willingly staked down for thy foul. We read of the love of one difciple manifested to another difciple in a cup of cold water; but Chrift hath manifested his love to thee in pouring out his warmest heart blood for thy redemption. O what a transcendent love is the divine love!

6. To conclude, (though alas, little is faid of the love of God,) it is an everlasting and unchangeable love. Hills and mountains shall fooner start from their bafes, than his lovingkindness depart from his people, Ifa. liv. 10. Though he afflict us, still he loves us, Pfal. lxxxix. 32, 33. Nay, though we grieve him, yet still he loves us, Mark xvi. 7. Tell the disciples, and tell Peter. Peter had grieved Christ, denied Chritt, yet will he not renounce nor cast off Peter.

Sect. II. Well then, if God hath opened to your fouls fuch a chamber of love, where your fouls may be ravished with daily delights, as well as fecured from danger and ruin; O that you would enter into it'by faith, and dwell for ever in the love of God! I mean, clear up your interest in it, and then folace your fouls in the delights of it. Need I to use an argument, or spend one motive to press you to enter into fuch an heaven upon earth? If the deadness of thy heart doth need it, take into confideration, reader, these few that follow.

Motive 1. Ponder with thyself how fad and miferable the case will be with thee in the days of calamity and distress, if the love of God shall then be clouded to thy foul. In those days, fuch as love thee, will either be abfent from thee, or impotent to help thee; all thy friends and familiars may be removed far off, and whither then wilt thou turn, should God be far off too? This was that evil which Jeremiah so vehemently deprecated, chap. xvii. ver. 17. Be not a terror unto me, thou art my hope in the day of evil; q. d. O Lord, my foul depends upon refreshinent and comfort from thee, when all the fprings of earthly comfort are dried up. Shouldst thou be a terror to me in the day of evil, it will be the most terrible disappointment that ever befel my foul; if thou be kind, I care not who be cruel; if I have the love of God, I value not the hatred of men; but if God be a terror, who, or what cam be a comforter? The love of God is the alone refuge to which the gracious foul retreats, upon all creature disappointments, and failings. This, therefore, is the main thing to be feared against the evil day.

Motive 2. The knowledge and assurance of the love of God is a mercy attainable by a gracious foul, notwithstanding the imperfections of grace. Peter had his falls and failings as well