none but Christ, none but Christ, saith the martyr, and as Augustine aith, O! Lord, take away all, on ly give me thyself.

Fourthly, Love is compared to fire, and it hath a most vehement flame, Canticles viii 6. Now, bes loved, the saints' love to Christ, it is not only compared to fire, for its warming and heating; but for its kindling, increasing, burning and flaming.Whilst I was musing, saith David, the fire burned, Psalm xxxix. 3. What fire? Why, the fire in his heart, and not the fire on his hearth. And when the Apostles went to preach the gospel, the fire sat upon their tongues, in Acts ii. 3.

Now beloved, as the saints' love is compared to fire in scripture; so you shall find afflictions, persecutions, dangers, and these cruel things that accompany the poor saints in the world, are called waters and floods in Dan. ix., Psalm lxix., and Matt. vii., But two scriptures that are more than ordinary, in Rev. xvii. 15, where they be called waters. The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sat, they be peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. The Spirit opens it to our hand and you have another full scripture in Rev. xii. 14, where it is said there of the dragon, That he cast out much water like a flood after the woman.- -Now, what is this flood here? why, this flood is bloody persecution and devilish persecutions. Now, beloved, how long hath the dragon been spuing out her water upon the church; and wherefore is all this water thrown out? it is to quench the fire that I speak of;

but can they do it? No, alas! they may spue till their eyes come out of their heads, and to no purpose, Cant. viii. 7. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it. All the bloody persecutions and afflictions cannot quench love: and therefore, let wicked men send forth as many floods as they will, it cannot drown the saints' love. All the water that Saul and his party threw after David did not quench his. No, saith he, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, yet will I fear no ill. Psalm xxiii. 4. David is not afraid to go by death's door. And all the waters that Herod and the rulers threw after the Apostles could never quench their love.

Now, beloved, you will find after the Apostles were whipt soundly, they went away rejoicing, and rejoicing in this very thing, that they were accounted worthy to suffer for Jesus Christ. And Heb. x. They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods. And saith Paul, in Romans viii. 35: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, and the like? Believe it, sirs, all these are trying things, and yet saith he, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? No, no, they cannot do it, there is nothing shall ever be able to separate us from the love of Christ: so that the believer's love is not made of such metal to be quenched by this flood, the saints are all on fire for Christ. And we find that great flood which Nero and Julian poured out upon the Primitive Christians, What, did it quench the fire?

I remember one of them said, saith he, Had I ten heads, they should all suffer for Christ. And another, saith he, If every hair of my head were a man, they should all suffer for Christ. Alas! the poor christians catched their torments like so many crowns: and therefore the scripture tells you, that many waters cannot quench love.

Now, beloved, put these four things together, and it is very clear, that the saints' love to Christ is very vehement and strong; they will hang for him, they will burn for him, do anything for him, suffer the greatest torments, rather than he should lose the least dram of glory. But will you say, why do all Christ's subjects love him with this love.

The reasons are two, First, Because he deserves it: Secondly, He commands it.

First; Christ deserves our love: why do we love him?-why? he deserves it at our hands, were it ten thousand times more than it is. Beloved, it was he that created us; it is he that sanctified us; it is he that redeemed us, and loved us, it was he that changed our natures, and pardons our sin; it was he that made our peace, and pacified his Father's wrath for us, satisfied his Father's justice for us, and wrought everlasting righteousness for us: it is he that bore our cross, that we might wear his crown. He waded through a sea of suffering for us, to bring pardon to our souls; and doth not this Christ deserve our love? O infinitely, infinitely, and truly, sirs, the more Christ hath done and suffered for us, the dearer should he be unto us.

Secondly; As Christ deserves our love, so he commands it: Christ commands us to love him above life, above wife, above relations. Christ will have it all, or none at all. Jesus Christ must weigh heavier than all relations in the balance of our affection: he commanded to love him above all.

Application. I now proceed to the application of all to ourselves, which is the third thing in order to be handled, and I shall make three uses of it. First, For consolation. Secondly, Examination. Thirdly, Exhortation.

First of all, Is it so that Christ loves us with an everlasting and never dying love? Why then, here is comfort for you who are his people. I speak only now to such. Comfort ye my people, saith God, Isai. xl. 1; and saith Christ, John xiv. Let not your hearts be troubled. Christ would not have his poor saints troubled; and saith the Apos tle, rejoice evermore, 1st Thess. v. 17. Alas, how can we rejoice when men villify us, when men re proach us, abuse us, and persecute us, how can we rejoice? but do but hear what Christ saith, Matth. v. 11, Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you, and speak all manner of evil against you falsly for my name's sake. Mark,Blessedness goeth in the first place, Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you.

O sirs, It is a matter of blessedness, and therefore be not cast down. You know what was said of old, In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world, John

xvi. last verse. O poor soul! this is all the hell that ever thou shalt have, therefore be of good cheer; here thou hast thy bad things, thy good things are to come; here thou hast thy bitter things, but thy sweet things are to come; here thou hast thy prison, but thy palace is to come; here thou hast thy rags, thy robes are to come here thou hast thy sorrow, thy joy is to come; here thou hast thy hell, thy heaven is to come; after the cup of affliction, comes the cup of salvation; the sweetness of the crown which shall be enjoyed, will make amends for the bitterness of the cross which was endured.

One passing by a place where a cross lay on the ground, he caused it to be reared up, and found much riches and treasure under it. Oh, sirs, under the great troubles, lie your greatest treasures, patience for sorrow; the seed of sorrow on earth, shall reap a golden crop of joy in heaven; they that sow holiness in the seed time of their lives, shall reap happiness in the harvest of eternity. Oh! sirs, never think to have an end of your sorrow, till there be an end of your sin. The apostle tells us, Our light affliction which is for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. A dram of reproach to a weight of glory? O what is a short moment of pain to an eternity of pleas ures? and therefore saints be of good cheer, here is comfort for you; your best days are to come, you are subjects who are beloved entirely, cordially, infinitely, with an undying love.

Use 1. For the use of examination. 1. Is it so