March - the Free Presbyterian church of Scotland

Keeping Alive the Love of God 73from low and grovelling objects, to the high and heavenly. The love of Godwill give alacrity and energy in the performance of every duty, will enable usto bear affliction with patience, and will render our devotional exercises notonly pleasant but profitable. Unless we have the love of God in exercise, wecannot glorify Him, and our most difficult services will be worthless.(2) To perform faithfully the duty enjoined in the text will be the mosteffectual method of promoting the welfare and salvation of our fellowcreatures. Man is not placed here to live merely for himself. He is bound tolove his neighbour as himself – to do good to all men, especially to the householdof faith. He should imitate his divine Master, who went about doinggood, both to the bodies and souls of men.Christ expects His disciples to abound in good works, to let their lightshine, so that others, seeing their good works, may glorify their Father inheaven. And when He comes to collect His sheep into the eternal fold, Hewill make their affectionate efforts, in ministering to the necessities and comfortof His poor and afflicted brethren, to be the measure of the reward whichHe will confer on them. Now the love of God is the root from which everybranch of true piety springs. The love of our neighbour cannot exist in vigour,unless it derive daily strength from the love of God. If then you would aboundin the fruits of holiness, be careful to water the root. “Keep yourselves in thelove of God”, and you will not cease to do good to your fellow men, as youmay have opportunity.(3) The more we keep ourselves in the love of God, the more ready shallwe be for the heavenly inheritance, where perfect love reigns in every heart.Not only so, but a richer reward will be possessed; for notwithstanding theimperfection of our services, God is pleased to make our good works herethe measure of the reward which He will bestow hereafter. All His people areequally justified, but all will not be equally glorified. In our Father’s houseare many mansions, and some are doubtless much nearer to the celestialthrone than others. In heaven some saints will occupy a much higher and morehonourable place than others. All will be as happy as they are capable ofbeing, but the capacity of those who loved God most fervently and constantlywill be greater than that of those who loved less.Had the great and righteous God gathered together all the sins that had been committedby His elect from the foundation of the world, and searched the bosoms of allthat were to come to the end of the world, and taken them all, from the sins of theirnature to the least deviation from the rectitude of His most holy law, and the highestprovocation of their regenerate and unregenerate condition, and laid them on a mereholy, innocent creature, O how would they have overwhelmed him and buried himfor ever out of the presence of God's love!John Owen