jects of that, which, in a favorable aspect of it, can be regarded only as preparatory to religion. This danger, which is imminent and in many cases has proved destructive, ought to be carefully guarded against; especially by those, who, as ministers of the Gospel and as professed religious teachers, are supposed to have a better acquaintance than others with the facts and principles of religious experi ence. (3.)-In concluding the remarks of this chapter, we take the liberty to urge upon all, who wish to live the true inward life, the importance of not resting satisfied with mere intellectual light, however valuable it may be; of not resting satisfied with joyful or any other emotions, which stop and terminate in themselves; and of acting invariably upon the principle, that nothing ought to satisfy themselves, and that nothing can satisfy God, but the subjection of every natural desire, and the substi-tution of desires, affections, and purposes, which terminate in God and God alone. Move onward, therefore, with a firmness which no obstacles shall shake, to the entire revolution and renewal of the inward nature; the increased illumination of the conscience, that great light of the mind; the sanctification of the desires, which embrace the whole propensive and "affectional" nature; and the subjection of the will, which is naturally so proud and rebellious, to the will of God. Fear not that God will desert you. Aided by the intellectual light which he has seen fit to give, and by those favorable emotions he has already excited, form the fixed, unalterable purpose, "the high resolve," in reliance upon divine grace, to be wholly his. No doubt, in many cases, the struggle will be severe. The unsanctified desires especially, including the various appetites, propensities, and affections, which form so important a part of our nature, are selfish and tenacious; and, considered as opposed to any and all human strength, are undoubtedly invincible. But God has said, "My grace is sufficient for thee." His word shall never fail; and least of all, in such a struggle, in which his own heart of infinite love is enlisted. Desire after desire will fall; idol after idol will be demolished; the Christian graces will successively gain the ascendancy; till the Holy Ghost shall take up his permanent residence in his own purified temple, and victory will sit crowned in the centre of the heart. Jehovah, sovereign of my heart! CHAPTER SEVENTEENH. Some marks or characteristics of Perfection of Love. IF the doctrine, which is variously termed sanctification, evangelical holiness, and evangelical or christian perfection, be true, or if the related and equivalent doctrine, which is denominated assurrance of faith, be true, then it will follow, that it is our duty and privilege, even in the present life, to realize in our own souls the fulfilment of that great command, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart." In other words, it is our duty and privilege to possess what may properly be called "perfect love." Accordingly it becomes a very important and interesting inquiry, When can our love properly be said to be perfect? It will be our object in the remarks which follow in this chapter, to endeavor to answer this inquiry. But before proceeding, it may be proper to premise here, that perfection of love implies the removal or extinction of all selfishness. In other words, perfect love is always PURE love. We may probably conceive of love, which is pure in its nature; but is deficient, and therefore not perfect in its degree or intensity. But we cannot conceive of love which is acceptable to God, and is perfect in degree, which has any intermixture of selfishness. Another remark, which may properly be made here, is this. Perfection of love is necessarily relative to the capacity of the subject of it. In other words, what would be perfection of love in one would not be in another, whose capacity of loving is greater. That precise amount or degree of love in man, which would be characterized as perfect in consequence of being all his capacity could render, would be imperfect in an angel or other being of greater capacity. With these remarks in recollection, we proceed to inquire, when our love to God may be regarded as PERFECT. In other words, when shall we know, or at least have reasonable grounds to believe, that we fulfill in our own hearts that great and excellent command, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and soul and mind and strength ?— Love to a human object is generally understood to embrace two things; FIRST, a pleasure or complacency in the object, and SECOND, a desire to do good to that object. When speaking of God, who sustains to us a relation higher and different from that sustained by human beings, we may with propriety alter the form of expression slightly, although with essentially the same idea at the bottom, and say that love to God embraces two things, FIRST, a pleasure or complacency in his character, and SECOND, a desire to promote his glory. The characteristics of entireness or perfection of love, which we shall proceed to mention, are based, in part, upon this distinction. FIRST.-Accordingly the first mark of perfect love to God is an entire approbation of and delight in his character in all respects. In other words, approving and complacent emotions, without the least intermixture of doubt and dissatisfaction, arise in view of his power and justice, as well as of his goodness and mercy, so that we delight truly and continually in his whole character, and in all the exhibitions of his character, as they are actually made known to us in the Holy Scriptures or in any other way. The least want of trust and complacency in the divine character will necessarily be a vicious ingredient or element in the affection of love, which cannot fail to diffuse weakness and imperfection throughout.-This is one point, then, on which it is important to examine ourselves. If we find, that the character of God, as it presents itself to notice in all its varieties, appears to us exceedingly pure and lovely; if we contemplate it with a perfect conviction, that all its manifestations will be in accordance with truth, mercy, and righteousness, and with no other emotions in any respect, than those of entire complacency, then we have reason to think, that we have one of the marks or characteristics of perfection of love. Not, in all probability, the leading and decisive, but still an indispensable one. SECOND. A second mark of perfect love to God is the existence of a desire to promote his glory, which is the other higher and more decisive characteristic of this complex mental state, in such a degree, that we are not conscious of having any desire or will at variance with the will of God. |