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Now this is the object which the Evangelists had in view, when they recorded the miracles of our Lord. They endeavoured to convince us, that Jesus was the Christ; yet not merely to extort from us a speculative assent to this truth, but to make us rely on him as our Saviour, that we might experience the true "end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls." This was an end worthy the inspired writers, an end, which has in myriads of instances already been accomplished, though its success hitherto has been only as the drop before the shower.]

INFER

1. How should we value the Holy Scriptures!

[All the books that ever were written are of no value when compared with the sacred volume. In the Scriptures, we not only think, but know, that we have eternal life. They testify of Christ: they declare him to be our incarnate God, our all-sufficient propitiation, our ever-living advocate, our Almighty friend. He is no longer sojourning with us on earth; but we may see him, hear him, converse with him, and enjoy the most intimate fellowship with him, in his word. In that word we may find abundance to confirm our faith, to enliven our hope, to direct our feet, to answer every purpose which our hearts can wish. Let us then "search the Scriptures:" let our meditation be upon them: let them be sweeter to us than honey and the honey-comb:" let them be "esteemed by us more than our necessary food."]

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2. How careful should we be to exercise faith on Christ!

[All our knowledge even of the Scriptures themselves will be of little use to us, unless we be possessed of a living faith: they will indeed "make us wise unto salvation;" but then it is "through faith in Christ Jesus"." More can not be said, and less must not, respecting the excellency of faith, than what is spoken in the words of our text. Every thing relating to spiritual or eternal life must be received by faith, and maintained by faith. In heaven this principle will be superseded; but till we arrive at those happy mansions, we must "walk by faith," and "live altogether by faith on the Son of God, who loved us, and gave himself for us."

Let us then read the Scriptures, in order to increase and confirm our faith: let even the strongest believer improve them to this end; and in due time he shall be where faith is lost in sight, and hope in enjoyment.]

q John v. 39.

r 2 Tim. iii, 15.

s 1 John v. 13.

MDCCXXXIV.

INQUIRIES ABOUT LOVE TO CHRIST.

John xxi. 17. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee.

IT requires much wisdom to discharge the office of a reprover aright. We have a duty to the Church, not to countenance sin in any one, and least of all in a person professing godliness: on the other hand, we have a duty to our offending brother, not to wound his feelings by a needless severity. If his fault have been private, a private admonition will suffice; but if his sin have given open offence, we must bear a public testimony against him, and require a public acknowledgment of his fault. Our blessed Lord was full of compassion towards Peter, after his shameful dereliction of duty: he looked upon him with pity; he appeared to him before any other of his Apostles; and restored him publicly to his office, from which he had fallen. But in what manner did he restore him? He drew forth from him, in the presence of all the Apostles, repeated confessions of his faith and love; and re-invested him with his Apostolic commission, precisely as often as Peter had publicly renounced it.

The questions put to Peter on this occasion, and the answers he gave to them, will naturally furnish us with the following remarks:

I. That repeated violations of duty are a just ground for questioning our love to Christ

There is no surer test of our love to Christ, than our obedience to his commands

[This is what our blessed Lord himself requires as the fruit and evidence of our love; "If ye love me, keep my commandments"." And certainly a more unexceptionable test cannot be conceived. Had he required only some particular feelings, a person of a sanguine disposition might easily have wrought up himself to those frames which he supposed

a John xiv. 15.

to be indications of love to Christ: and many, on the contrary, might have been discouraged, under the idea that they never had experienced what was necessary to their salvation. But the evidence of an obedient life is such as no man can have who does not love the Lord', and as every man will have who does love the Lord: so that it is less likely to be mistaken than any other, and carries stronger conviction with it: it enables us to determine with certainty, who does love him, and who does not. St. John, who was, beyond all others, the loving, and beloved Disciple, not only establishes this as the most unequivocal test of our love, but without hesitation pronounces him a "liar," who pretends to have any knowledge of the Saviour, without justifying his pretensions by this mark. We may therefore assume this as an infallible distinction between those who are sincere followers of Christ, and those who are only hypocrites and dissemblers with God.]

In proportion as this evidence is wanting, doubts must be entertained of our love to Christ-

[We speak not now of a course of open sin, which would at once brand us as enemies of Christ: nor, on the other hand, do we speak of those infirmities which are found in the best of men we refer rather to those habitual deviations from duty which afford us just reason to doubt of our state. We know that, amongst men, there is always a desire to please those whom we love. The "loving one another in word and in tongue is contrasted with the loving in deed and in truth." And supposing the fact to be true, that was an unanswerable question which Delilah put to Sampson; "How canst thou say 'I love thee,' when thy heart is not with meh?" If then our heart be not with Christ, if we seek not after him in earnest prayer, if we feel no desire to do his will, if we live in a way which is displeasing to him, if we indulge dispositions and habits which are directly opposite to those which he himself cultivated, how can we imagine that we love him? Such a life is rather characteristic of his enemies than of his friends: and, while we live in such a state, we have far greater reason to suspect our love to him, than to indulge any confidence respecting it.]

We wonder not that "Peter was grieved" at being a third time questioned about the sincerity of his love for we cannot but feel,

b John xiv. 24.

d John xiv. 21. with 2 Cor. viii. 8.

e 1 John v. 3. and 2 John, ver. 6.
g 1 John iii. 18.

John xiv. 23.

f 1 John ii. 3, 4.

h Judg. xvi. 15.

II. That the very existence of a doubt respecting it ought to fill us with deep concern—

Let it only be considered, what such a doubt implies: it involves a doubt,

1. Respecting our interest in God's favour

[There is no medium between a state of acceptance with God, and of obnoxiousness to his wrath and indignation. We must either be his friends or his enemies: we must either be his children, or "the children of the wicked one." Now our blessed Lord has said, "If God were your father, ye would love mei:" and consequently, if there be room for questioning our love to him, there is room also for questioning our relation to God. And is it not an awful thing to doubt, whether we be children of God, or children of the devil? Is it a light matter, to whom we belong? Should any man feel composed or satisfied, till he has ascertained this point on sure and scriptural grounds?]

2. Respecting our prospects in the eternal world[There are two states, in one or other of which all will be placed as soon as they go hence: to some will be assigned a state of happiness in heaven; to others a state of misery in hell and whichever be our lot, it will be eternal.

Now that heaven cannot be the receptacle of those who love not the Lord Jesus, is evident: for what should they do there or how could they be happy, if they were there? We are not happy even here amongst those whom we do not love; notwithstanding we may manage to conceal our aversion, and to put on a cheerful countenance before them: but in heaven there can be no concealment: our real dispositions will all be manifest; and if we cannot cordially unite in the exercises of those around us, we shall find nothing to amuse or divert our minds in other words, if our whole delight be not in singing "praises to God and to the Lamb," we shall find no congeniality of sentiment with those around us, nor any occupation suited to our taste: and the very consciousness of our unfitness for the place, will render the place dreary, the company odious, the employment irksome.

And must it not be inexpressibly painful to be left in suspense; to see time running away, and eternity fast approaching, and not to know whether we shall spend that eternity in heaven or in hell? If we were not ourselves melancholy examples of the same obduracy, we should wonder how any one could give sleep to his eyes, or slumber to his eye-lids, till he had attained some solution of this doubt. Were he only in suspense about the issue of a trial for life and death, it

i John viii. 42.

would create considerable anxiety: how much more then should it, when it respects everlasting happiness or everlasting misery! Well indeed may that man be grieved, who is in the least doubt what answer he shall give to the question in our text, "Lovest thou me?"]

We cannot however but take occasion from the instance before us to observe,

III. That notwithstanding we have deviated for a time from the path of duty, we may be so far recovered as to warrant an appeal to Christ,

that we do indeed love him

God forbid that we should encourage any man to think lightly of sin; or that any thing we speak for the comfort of true penitents should have such a construction put upon it. Yet we must not conceal the truth, for fear it should be perverted; nor must we forbear to magnify the grace of God, lest some one should abuse it. Our position, properly understood, will not sanction false confidence in any man. concede, that a man may have fallen as grossly as ever Peter did, yet may he afterwards recover his confidence towards God, provided, like Peter, he, 1. Bitterly bewail his sin

We

[Peter, after his fall, "went out and wept bitterly:" and as our Lord had particularly "prayed for him, that his faith might not fail," we can have no doubt but that he sought for mercy in God's appointed way. Now let this be done in sincerity and truth, and we do not hesitate to declare, that it shall not be done in vain: whether the guilt be contracted by an ignorant opposer of the Gospel, or a backslidden professor of it, and whether it be more or less heinous, it shall certainly be forgiven, and peace shall be again restored to his wounded conscience. "God will heal his backslidings, and love him freely," yea, and seal a sense of his pardoning love upon his soul. Upon his confessing with David, "I have sinned against the Lord," the Lord will say to him, "I have put away thy sin; thou shalt not die." But besides this he must,]

2. Take occasion from his fall to search out and mortify his besetting sin―

[Peter's besetting sins were self-preference, and selfconfidence. He had such an over-weening conceit of his own strength, that he engaged, that "though all the other k Isai. i. 18. 1 John i. 7, 9.

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