will be answered in God's time. And keep on your minds the fulness of consolation which the text affords. As Christ is true; as he ministers for you in heaven, interceding; as the Father will make good his words, and regards your petitions with much greater earnestness and compassion than ever your earthly parents did; trust him, and expect the best things from him in time and eternity.

Lastly: I never think it needful to say somuch to established Christians: yet these I must speak to in conclusion. You know that these things are true experience has convinced you of it. You have a proof of the certainty of the Scriptures, much more satisfying than any other: believing on the Son of God, you have the witness in yourselves. Treasure up past experience of Christ's love. To keep up Christian simplicity must be your daily endeavour. Go on in the same simple way in which you were taught at first. Watch against the snares and distractions of the world; watch against pride and vain-glory; watch against false refinements in religion. It is time for you to shew your thankfulness to God for his great mercies; to be fathers in Christ; and to be useful by word and deed in helping forward the work of God on younger converts. And, look forward: in a little time the new nature you have received in Christ will be taken up into heaven. There your treasure is; there, simply, let your heart be also.

97

SERMON VII.

THE BANDS OF LOVE.

HOSEA Xi. 4.

I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love.

NOTHING can be conceived more affectionate, more tender, and more apt to melt the soul in the finest feelings of love, than the views of Scripture which represent the loving-kindness of Jehovah. There are many such descriptions in the word of God; it would, indeed, be to recite a very large part of the Psalms, and the Prophets, and the New Testament, to lay them before you. No allusion which gives us the idea of the kindest affections is omitted. Sometimes Jehovah appears as a husband:

Thy Maker is thine husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the Lord hath called thee, as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth when thou wast refused, saith thy God." Sometimes, as a most tender mother: "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they

may forget, yet will I not forget thee." In the chapter of the text he appears as a most kind father: "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt." A little after, as a nurse-(wondrous condescension!):-" I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arm." And, when provoked at their perverseness and enormities he represents himself as ready to forsake them, how amiably does the heart of a tender father appear! "How shall I give thee up, Ephraim; how shall I deliver thee, Israel?" I cannot do it; my affection for thee will not allow it: “ mine heart is turned within me; my repentings are kindled together."

What manner of love is this! But it is our wisdom to consider these things as descriptive of the real character of the blessed God, not merely as metaphors and fine flowers of speech. For it is under a believing view of the God of grace, thus really gracious, really compassionate, that the very instructive words of the text are to be fulfilled upon us: "I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love." And, O thou tender-hearted, compassionate, infinitely lovely Lord God our Creator, do thou be pleased by thy good Spirit to let in the true light of thy gracious character into our souls this day! Have pity on our blindness, weakness, and ignorance; and O give us such a spiritual sight of thee, that we may be drawn to love thee in some degree as we ought!

And first, this gracious character of the blessed God, as it is in itself, shall be briefly laid open; and then the use and application of it to various states of men shall be given.

1. I shall not spend your time in considering the case of Israel in particular. For what Jehovah was to Israel in kindness and affection, flowed from his gracious nature, which we are considering; and in his dealings with Israel we see a shadow of his dealings with the Church in all ages. He is said to draw men, then, with the cords of a man, with bands of love, when he wins our hearts by the most engaging and endearing acts of kindness. "A whip for the horse, and a bridle for the ass;" but to draw men to love, to reason, to their own interest, motives of love are the best adapted, at least are the most desirable. He would draw us, then, to love, serve, and obey him, by the most winning motives, such as are apt to excite the grateful affections of mankind, such as men are most influenced by in their dealings with one another. This, I take it, is the exact meaning of the text, "He drew them with the cords of a man, with bands of love." And, oh, if the character and real nature of God were more known among us, this sweet drawing in its powerful effects would also be better understood. But it has, perhaps, been unwarily and too largely asserted, by divines in our days, that all those descriptions of God's pity and kindness which we meet with in Scripture are

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mere metaphorical or comparative speeches, used in condescension to us. If those who are fond of this way of treating the Divine character would have us to look on them as no marks at all of the nature of God, I see not of what possible use they can be. How can we be drawn by God's love as the cords of a man, if we believe not love to be in him, or if the word "love" means not the same thing in God and in man? What information can we receive from such descriptions? When, then, it is said, "it grieved the Lord at his heart that he had made man on the earth," cannot I conceive that he really felt grief on the account? though surely not such a grief as we feel, because ours, by reason of its excess, and various sinful mixtures, disturbs our happiness, which must not for a moment be conceived in the Almighty. As this, so all other instances of the like kind are to be guarded: in God the affections are pure and undefiled, every way worthy of his infinite majesty. But still, God, whose name is love, does love; is loving to every man; and his tender mercies are over all his works. The words "love" and "tender mercies" are surely not mere sounds; they speak the heart of God. It is our duty and wisdom to think of them habitually in this light, that we may be drawn with cords of a man; as one man's love is engaged by the lovely and loving dispositions of another. I fear, for want of thus realizing the loving qualities of God, under pretence of our