The Nature of Love to God

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The third time Jesus said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." John 21:17

"If anyone does not love the Lord—a curse be on him!" 1 Corinthians 16:22

There is nothing more essential to religion, or of more importance in it—than divine love. Divine love is the sole spring of all acceptable obedience in this life, and the grand pre-requisite for complete happiness in the enjoyment of God in the world to come; and without it, our religion, all our gifts and improvements, however high and showy—are vain. Religion without love, is as great a contradiction as friendship without love. To worship a God whom we do not love; to adore excellences which we dislike; to profess a religion founded by an enemy—this is the greatest absurdity imaginable. Such a religion must appear abominable both to God and man.

Divine love is the subject of my text, which I have chosen for your present meditation; and you see that I have not chosen a subject which is trifling in itself, or the disputed peculiarity of a party. You need not, therefore, be under apprehensions, that I would proselyte you to anything but the sincere love of God and Jesus Christ. However I would not have you judge of my design by my verbal declarations—but by the apparent tendency of my discourse, of which you will be able to form a judgment when I have finished. Therefore entertain no prejudices or suspicions, lest you deprive yourselves of that benefit you might otherwise receive from your present attendance.

There is so little solicitous inquiry among men concerning the sincerity of their love to God, that it would seem self-evident, and beyond all dispute. Whatever sins they indulge themselves in, however much they practically neglect God and religion—yet still they insist upon it—that they love him sincerely.

But is divine love indeed a thing so common, so universal? We read that the carnal mind is enmity against God. Romans 8:7. And is there no such thing as a carnal mind now to be found upon earth? We are told of some that were haters of God. Romans 1:30; and enemies in their minds by wicked works. Col. 1:21. And are there none such to be found among us?

The heart-searching Jesus, while conversant among mortals, told the Jews, who made so great a profession of their love to God, and suspected their own sincerity as little as any of us, "I know you, that you have not the love of God in you." John 5:42. And were he now to pass sentence upon us, would he not make the same declaration with regard to many of us, who, perhaps, are least apprehensive of it? Is it a needless thing for us to enter into a serious conference with our own hearts, and ask them, "Do I indeed love the ever blessed God, and the only Savior? Will my love stand the test? What are its properties and effects?" Is this, my friends, a superfluous or impertinent inquiry? I am sure it did not seem so to Christ, who put Peter to the trial upon this point no less than thrice.

Our Lord made a meal with his disciples, to convince them of the reality of his body after his resurrection. When it was finished, he turns to Peter, and asks him a very serious question, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?" The very proposal of the question seems to suppose that Peter had given some reason to suspect his love to him, as he had really done, a few days before, by denying him thrice, with shocking aggravations; and with this reference the inquiry was very cutting to Peter, and no doubt made him think thus with himself: "Ah! it is no wonder my Lord should call my love in question, who so lately most ungratefully denied him!" The question is put to him openly, before the whole company, which might perhaps increase his confusion; but it was prudently ordered, that he might declare his love to Jesus as openly as he had denied him, and that his brethren might be satisfied of his sincerity, and recovery from his late fall.

The first form of the question implies a comparison: "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?" That is, more than these your fellow-disciples? "It is not long since, Peter, that you declared, Though all should forsake you—yet I will not; though all my fellow disciples should prove treacherous—yet I am determined to adhere to you, come what will; and are you still of the same mind?" Peter modestly replies, "Lord, you know that I love you!" As much as to say, "Lord, I own that I have fallen more foully than any of my brethren, and I dare not say I love you more than they do. I dare say nothing of the high degree of my love, in comparison with others; but, Lord, I must assert the sincerity of my love, as weak as it is, and I humbly adventure to appeal to you, who know all things, and cannot be deceived with fair pretensions, for the truth of my profession."

Peter, no doubt, hoped this declaration would satisfy his Lord. But Jesus, after a pause, put the question to him again, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?" And Peter insists upon his former answer, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you!"

Now he hoped to escape all future questions upon this point. But Jesus, as though he were still suspicious of him, puts it to him a third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?" Peter was grieved that this inquiry should be put to him successively no less than thrice; it cut him to the heart with the remembrance of his base denial of his Master as often, and perhaps with a fear that Jesus would not now be convinced of his sincerity—but was about to expose him as a traitor, and discard him. Upon this he grows warm, and replies with the most passionate vehemence, "Lord, you know all things—you know that I love you!" As much as to say, "Lord, why do you try me so often upon this point? Look only into my heart, which lies all open to your view, and judge yourself, whether I do not sincerely love you. I must confess my late conduct looked very suspicious: and I reflect upon it with shame and sorrow! I am unworthy to be ranked by you among your friends. But, Lord, as unworthy as I am, and as base and suspicious as my conduct was—I must insist upon it, that I do love you; and it wounds me to the heart that you should seem so jealous of me. I cannot give up this point; and I appeal to yourself for the truth of it!"

Jealousy in love, my brethren, suspicion among friends, is a very painful and anxious passion; and never so much so to a pious heart, as when the sincerity of our love to God is the object of it. Such a person cannot be easy, while a matter of so much importance lies under suspicion—but must put it beyond all doubt.

And let me tell you—this is a question in which we are all most nearly concerned. Are our conduct and temper towards God so entirely and uniformly friendly and dutiful, as to put it beyond all doubt that we do truly love him? Alas! are there not many things that look very suspicious in our case? Should Jesus now call each of us by our names, as he did Peter, and ask us, one by one, "Do you love me?" What could we answer? Could we honestly desire him to look into our hearts, that he might see that sacred principle there? And could we produce the genuine evidences of it in our lives?

My friends, if there be an inquiry within the compass of human knowledge which deserves the most solicitous attention, certainly this does! And it is my present design to assist you to come to a determination upon it. I say, we are now going upon this search, "Do I really love the Lord Jesus?"

Come—let us all join in it; let us all resolve to be determined in this point before we leave this place! For this purpose, I shall point out some plain marks of genuine love. And then, supposing that you will have discovered your real character in this respect, I shall address you as divided into two different classes: the friends, and the enemies of Jesus. And as love to God the Father, and love to Jesus Christ, who is God as well as man—I shall not distinguish between them—but speak upon the one or the other, as may be most conducive to my design.

I. I am to point out some plain, genuine MARKS of divine love. And these I shall derive either from plain Scripture; or from the apparent nature and inseparable properties of love.

I need hardly tell you, that while there is so much hypocrisy, flattery, and compliment in the world; a man's mere professing the Christian religion, and a supreme regard to its Founder—is no certain evidence of sincere divine love. Insincerity and treachery, which have done so much mischief in private friendships, and betrayed so many kingdoms, has diffused itself, like a malignant poison, into the affairs of religion; and men dare to compliment and flatter even the heart-searching God! Judas betrayed his Lord with a "Greetings, Master!" and a kiss! And his conduct before that, had the appearance of sincere friendship, otherwise the disciples would have suspected him for the traitor upon the first hint. Therefore there must be something more substantial toevidence the truth of our love, than a mere profession, or the external forms of religion.

Nor does true love consist in a speculative, languid esteem, or a careless, unaffecting good opinion of Jesus Christ. We may thinkand speak highly of him, and believe very great things concerning him, while the heart is dead and cold towards him; yes, full of enmity against him. All this may be the effect of education, or cool reasoning, and may hover in the head, without sinking deep into the heart, and becoming a governing principle in practice. It is this speculative good opinion of him which, I am afraid, the generality mistake for divine love. They cannot but know that their hearts are habitually careless and indifferent towards God, that they do not feel those affectionate emotions and strong tendencies of soul towards him, which they feel towards all other objects of their love. However, when they happen to think of him, it is sometimes with a kind of high esteem; and this they take to be agenuine love to him—though it has no correspondent effects upon their temper or conduct!

I may add farther, that some may love God upon a mistake; that is, they love him upon supposition that he is quite another kind of being than he really is. But did they conceive of him as he is, he would appear to their depraved hearts rather an object of terror and abhorrence, than of love and delight. For example, they suppose Him so soft, easy, and passive a being—as not to resent their rebellious conduct! They suppose God to be so merciful—as hardly ever to execute justice upon sinners! They suppose Him to be so careless of the honor of His law and government, as to pass by all their disobedience! They suppose God to be so foolishly fond of His creatures, as to advance them to happiness promiscuously, without any regard to their moral character, or the honor of His perfections.

Such a deity as this—is formed exactly according to their taste, to encourage them in sin, and relieve them from horrors of conscience and the fears of eternity! It is no wonder that they should love such a 'god' as this—so like themselves. Even criminals would love a judge of this character. This is not the true God—but the creature of their own foolish imaginations! This is not that God before whom the celestial multitudes cry, "Holy, holy, holy!" and who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity; who is a God of truth, and without iniquity; just and righteous; who turns the wicked into hell, and all the nations that forget God; and who will not admit one soul into heaven but what is made holy in temper and practice beforehand. And did they view Him as He really is—they would be so far from loving him, that their carnal minds would rise in enmity against Him!

Now to love God upon such a supposition, is not to please him—but to reproach and affront him; and he resents it as the highest indignity! How would you take it, if a fool or a villain should love you upon a mistaken notion, that you were a profligate, a thief, or a liar, like himself? Would you thank him for such a friendship? No! You would esteem it the basest affront. And when you had convinced him of his mistake, his love would be turned into hatred.

My friends, we must love God for what He is—otherwise we do not love Him at all. We must, therefore, know Him in such measure as He is, before we can rationally love Him; and particularly we must know and delight in those perfections which are most unacceptable to guilty and depraved creatures—His justice, holiness, and infinite hatred of sin—before we can truly love Him!

Having cautioned you against these plausible and popular mistakes, I now resume my purpose, and shall point out someundoubted marks of genuine and sincere love to God. And that I may not perplex you with too many particulars, I shall only mention these four:

that it is of a divine and supernatural original; and that it produces frequent and affectionate thoughts of its object; a delight in communing with him: and an earnest study and endeavor to please him—by a life of universal obedience.

1. If you would determine this important inquiry, "Do I really love the Lord Jesus Christ?" you must previously inquire HOW you came by your love; whether it is the mere effect of human nature, of education, or of anything within the power of man; or whether it was wrought in your hearts by the almighty power of God, after many rebellious straggles and insurrections, and a full conviction of the innate enmity of your carnal minds against him? If it is the spontaneous production of your own hearts, or of natural causes, if you have always been possessed of it, and never found it difficult to obtain or cherish it; if you have not been sensible of a supernatural power working it in you—then you may be sure that it is all delusion!

For though the passion of love is innate in our nature, and is easily excited by a thousand created beauties—yet, alas! it has no natural tendency towards the true God. Human nature in its present state is strangely indisposed and disaffected in this respect, as experience has abundantly convinced us—unless we have been stupidly unobservant with regard to ourselves. A state of nature is uniformly represented in Scripture as a state of enmity against God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, John 3:6; and, therefore, by nature, we are all flesh in the Scripture style. Now, "they that are in the flesh cannot please God," says Paul, "because the carnal mind is enmity against God," etc. Romans 8:7, 8.

The Scriptures everywhere represent us as being saved in the way of reconciliation; now reconciliation supposes a previousvariance and enmity. Nay, Paul expressly tells us, that "we were enemies, when we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son." Romans 5:10. By nature, we are children of wrath, Ephesians 2:3; and surely we cannot be children of wrath—and lovers of God—at one and the same time! Here, then, you must all plead guilty. Whatever you now are, it is beyond all doubt that you were once enemies to God. It is sufficient conviction against you who you are men, and belong to a race which is universally alienated from God. And now have you ever been brought out of that state? If not—then you are enemies to God still.

You could not pass from death unto life in a dream, or an entire insensibility; for you must have experienced a great change, and you must have been sensible of, and may now recollect a great many deep and affecting sensations that attended it. You must have seen and been shocked at your enmity towards God! You must have been brought to cry in the most importunate manner to God to give you a better temper, and to shed abroad his love in your hearts by the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5. In short, you are made new creatures; old things are passed away, and all things are become new; and all these new things are of God, who has reconciled you to himself. 2 Corinthians 5:17, 18.

Now if these are the test, what would you say to this question, "Do you love Me?" Some of you, I trust, could answer; "Lord, I am afraid of the truth of my love; but this I am sure of, a great change has been wrought in my soul. Whether I am now a sincere lover of God or not, I am sure I am not what I once was; not only my outward practice—but the inward temper of my heart towards you is vastly altered; it is more filial, affectionate, and dutiful." If any of you can advance thus far in your answer, my friends, it looks comfortable, though you should still be jealous of yourselves. But, sirs, let conscience now deal honestly with you: are there not many of you who are still in your natural state? All your religion is an earth-born, self-sprung thing. You have never been the subjects of a supernatural work of divine grace, nor felt such a great change in the temper of your minds; and if this is your case, I must pronounce, that, however many amiable qualities you may possess, and however fair a profession you make of religion—that you have not the love of God in you; for how should you have it, when it is not natural to you, and when it has not been implanted in you by an operation above nature? Indeed my friends, if this is your case, you are plainly convicted this day of being destitute of the very first principle of all true religion. Admit the conviction: you may as well expect to be men without being born—as to love God without being born again. But,

2. If you truly love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity—then you frequently and affectionately think of him. This you know is the genius and tendency of love in general—to fix our thoughts upon its object; and the Psalmist often mentions this, as an attendant of his love to God. "How precious are your thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! if I should count them, they are more in number than the sand! When I awake—I am still with you." Psalm 139:17, 18. "I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the night-watches." Psalm 63:6. "My meditation of him shall be sweet." Psalm 104:34. Isaiah represents the whole church as saying, "The desire of our soul is to your name, and to the remembrance of you. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you." Isaiah 26:8, 9. This you see, is the character of the lovers of God.

And on the other hand, his enemies are characterized as people who do not like to retain him in their knowledge, Romans 1:28, who forget God; Psalm 9:17, and 1:22. "God is not in all your thoughts!" Psalm 10:4. They practically say unto the Almighty, "depart from us; we desire not the knowledge of your ways!" Job 21:14.

The thoughts of an enemy are always ungrateful, especially if he is unable to avenge himself of his adversaries; and the mind will turn every way to avoid them. But thoughts of one we love, how sweet, how welcome, how often do they return! How often does the dear image of an absent friend rise to the mind! and with what affectionate endearments! Unless you are entire strangers to this sincere passion, you know, by experience, this is the nature and tendency of love.

And do not these things enable some of you to give a comfortable answer to this question, "Do you love Me?" You are often jealous of your love; but if you love him not, why do your thoughts make so many eager sallies to him? Once your thoughts could dwell within the compass of created nature, and fly from vanity to vanity, without attempting a flight to heaven. But now do they not often break through the limits of creation, in eager search after God as that supreme good? And with what affectionate eagerness do they at times dwell there? How do your souls delight to survey and gaze at his perfections, and contemplate the wonders of his works! And how often do your thoughts hover round a crucified Jesus, and, as it were, cling and cluster to his cross—like the bees round the hive!

You do not indeed think of him as frequently, or with such affectionate endearments as you should. But can you not appeal to himself, that the thoughts of him are welcome to your minds; that you do at times dwell with pleasure in the delightful contemplation, even when your hands are busy about other things; and that it is your daily sorrow that your hearts are mot more intimate with him, and pay him more frequent visits?

Does not your experience tell you, that you cannot always let your thoughts grovel in the dust, or run out in an endless chase of things below—but that, in some happy hours, they rise on the wings of love, and most affectionately cleave to your dear Redeemer? And your thoughts are not the cold speculations of a philosopher—but the warm, passionate, and heart-affectingthoughts of a Christian. If this is your care, my friends, take courage. You love the Lord Jesus Christ—and you may be sure he loves you, and will treat you as his friends!

But are there not many of you who may be convinced by those things, that you have not the love of God in you? For are you not conscious that your affectionate thoughts are prostituted to some trifle in this fleeting world, and hardly ever aspire to Jesus? Nay, are not the thoughts of God, and divine and eternal things, unwelcome to you? And do you not cast them out of your minds as you would shake a spark of fire from your clothing? Do you not find yourselves shy of him, and alienated from him? Do not those things give you pain which would turn your thoughts towards him? You do not affect such subjects of meditation or conversation, and you soon grow weary and uneasy when your minds are tied down to them. And what can be the cause of this—but a strong disaffection to God, and a secret consciousness that he is your enemy on this account?

O sirs! what can be more astonishing, or what can be a stronger evidence of enmity to God, than that men should live in such a world as this—and yet hardly ever have one affectionate thought of their great Author, Preserver, and Benefactor! His glory shines upon them from all his works, and meets their eye wherever they look! His Word exhibits him to their view in a still more bright and amiable light. It represents the Lord Jesus in all the love and agonies of his crucifixion, and in all the glories of his exaltation! They are receiving mercies from him every moment of their lives; for in him they live, and move, and have their being. Their own reason and consciences tell them that he is the most excellent and lovely being, and worthy of supreme and universal love, and they profess to believe it; and yet he cannot, after all, gain so much as their frequent and affectionate thoughts!

Their thoughts, those cheap and easy things—are ungratefully denied to him, who gave them a power of thinking! Oh what stupid indifference about the supreme good, or rather what prevailing enmity is here! Can you pretend to be lovers of Jesus Christ while this is your case? Can you excuse or extenuate this under the soft name of infirmity? No, it is rank, inveterate, sullen enmity! And the righteous God resents it as such! But,

3. If you love truly God and the Lord Jesus Christ—then you delight in communion with them. Friends, you know, delight to converse together, to unbosom themselves to one another, and to enjoy the freedoms of society. They are fond of interviews, and seize every opportunity for that purpose; and absence is tedious and painful to them. If you are so happy as to have a friend, you know by experience this is the nature of love. Now, though God is a spirit, and infinitely above all sensible converse with the sons of men—yet he does not keep himself at a distance from his people. He has access to their spirits, and allows them to carry on a spiritual communication with him, which is the greatest happiness of their lives. Hence God is so often said, in the Scriptures, to draw near to them, and they to him, James 4:8; Hebrews 7:19; Psalm 69:18; and 73:28; Hebrews 10:22; Lam. 3:57.

And John, speaking of himself and his fellow-Christians, says, "Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:3. This divine fellowship is promised by Jesus Christ to all his friends, John 14:21, 23. "He who loves me—shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him; my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." This mystical fellowship is peculiar to the friends of God—and others know nothing of it. They are represented as rebellious strangers and aliens—who have no communication with God. Ephesians 2:12, Col. 1:21. He is shy of them, and they of him. They keep at a distance from one another like alienated people.

This communion on God's part, consists in his communicating to his people the influences of his grace, to quicken them, to inflame their love, to give them filial boldness in drawing near to him, in assuring them of his love to them, and representing himself to them as reconciled and accessible. And on their part—it consists in a liberty of heart and speech in pouring out their prayers to him, a delightful freedom of spirit in all exercises of devotion, in returning him love for love, and dedicating themselves to him.

Thus there is a kind of interchange of thoughts and affections, mutual freedoms and endearments, between them. And oh! how divinely sweet in some happy hours of sacred intimacy! This indeed is heaven upon earth: and, might it but continue without interruption, the life of a lover of God would be a constant series of pure, unmingled happiness! But, alas! at times their Beloved withdraws himself, and goes from them, and then they languish, and pine away, and mourn, like the mourning turtle-dove that has lost his mate. This fellowship with God may be a strange thing to some of you; and to vindicate the lack of it, you may give it some odious name, such as enthusiasm, fanaticism, or a heated imagination. But I must tell you, if you know nothing of it, your temper and experience is entirely different from all the friends of God, and, therefore, you cannot rank yourselves in that happy number.

Now the ordinances of the gospel are, as it were, the places of interview, where God and his people meet, and where they indulge those sacred freedoms. It is in prayer, in meditation, in reading or hearing his Word, in communion at his table; it is in these and the like exercises that God communicates, and, as it were, unbosoms himself to those who love him; and they enjoy the freedom of children and friends with him: and on this account they delight in those ordinances, and take pleasure in attending upon them. The workings of their hearts in this respect, you may discover in David, when, by the persecution of Saul, or the rebellion of his son Absalom, he was banished from the stated ordinances of public worship, Psalm 62:1, 2, 4, and 84 throughout, and 27:4.

And now, my friends, to come nearer home, have not some of you experienced the sacred joys of communion with God? And were not those the sweetest hours of your life? Have you not found it good for you to draw near to him? And when he has withdrawn his presence—how have you languished and mourned, and could never be easy until he was pleased to return to you? Do you not also find a sacred pleasure in the institutions of the gospel, because there you hope to meet your God, and enjoy communion with him? Is this the principle that prompts you to pray, to hear, and perform every religious duty? Then you may appeal to a heart-searching God, "Lord, you know that I love you!"

But does not this view of the matter give the conscience of some of you reason to condemn you? You have neither known nor desired this fellowship with the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ. Alas! you know nothing of those freedoms of divine friendship; and you have no prevailing pleasure in devotion. You either neglect the duties of religion, or else you perform them from custom, education, constraint of conscience, or some other such base principle. Let me point out one instance as a specimen; and that is secret prayer and closet devotion. Nothing can be more expressly commanded than this is by Christ, Matthew 6:6, and is this your daily practice? Is this the most pleasant exercise of your life? Or is it a mere formality, or a weariness to you? My friends, inquire honestly into this matter!

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