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Answer

1. In general: one whom God loves and favours, must do as the favourite of a prince useth to do, to keep himself in his prince's love and favour, tie will study what the will of his prince is, and will do all that he can to please him. This is a great art to study — to know what is the will and pleasure of God (Ephesians 5:17) and to conform to it. The reason whereof is this —

1. Because the will of God is the sovereign will to all the world, therefore to thine and mine: there is no controlling of it.

2. Because the will of God is a holy will; and we can never keep ourselves in the love of God but by what is agreeable to His holiness: and that is, when we ourselves are holy (1 Peter 1:15, 16). Answer

2. But now more particularly:

I. He that will keep himself in the love of God, must he himself love God. For love deserveth love, and love begetteth love. God's love worketh thus toward us, and therefore our love must work toward God.

II. He that loves God loving him, is drawn to God by the attractive beams of Divine love. He that loves God loving him, is inflamed with God's love; as it is in a burning-glass.

III. He that will keep himself in the love of God, must mind and meditate on four attributes and properties of God's love, which will have great influence upon his heart and love.

1. On the eternity of God's love to him.

2. On the freeness of God's love (Hosea 14:4).

3. On the immensity of God's love (Ephesians 3:17-19).

4. On the unchangeableness of God's love (Hebrews 6:17, 18; Jeremiah 31:3; Romans 8:39).

IV. He that will keep himself in the love of God, must keep himself free from the love of the world. Because the love of this world is contrary to the love of God, and therefore inconsistent with it (1 John 2:15, 16).

V. He that will love God, and keep himself in the love of God, must not be a self-lover. There is no greater enemy to the love of God than to love ourselves (2 Timothy 3:2).

VI. If ye would keep yourselves in the love of God, be very shy of sin, both in the risings of it, and as to the temptations to it.

1. Sin is "enmity against God" in the abstract (Romans 8:7).

2. Sin is hateful to God (Proverbs 6:16; Psalm 96:10).

3. Sin separates from God.

VII. He that will keep himself in the love of God, must clear up his interest and union to Jesus Christ.

VIII. An eighth way of keeping ourselves in the love of God, is by keeping God's commandments (John 15:10, 14).

IX. The way to keep ourselves in the love of God, is to walk closely with God in ways of strict holiness. This is a commendation and character upon record of God's chiefest favourites. Thus it was with Abraham (Genesis 17:1); thus it was with Enoch (Genesis 5:22); thus it was with Noah (Genesis 6:9): thus it was with Caleb (Numbers 14:24); and thus David (Psalm 73:28).

X. They keep themselves in the love of God who do not wave or abate their profession and practice of godliness in evil times, and do not balk the ways of God under severe providences and sharp trials.

XI. Another means to keep ourselves in the love of God is to keep in our hearts a quick sense of the pardon of sin; of the wonderful love of the Lord to a poor sinful soul, to pardon great and many sins.

XII. A further means to keep ourselves in the love of God, is not only to love the Lord, but to keep up our love to Him to the height.

XIII. If we will keep ourselves in the love of God, let us labour to grow in grace, "and to carry on the work of it in our souls to the highest perfection.

XIV. A great means of keeping ourselves in the love of God is this, to "pray in the holy Ghost."

XV. We keep ourselves in the love of God when we declare a public spirit for the cause of God in His Church against the enemies of it by being zealous for His glory and valiant for His truth in our station.

XVI. A great means of keeping ourselves in the love of God is to be sincere and sound in the worship of God.

XVII. A great means of keeping in the love of God is keeping up the communion of saints in all the parts and duties of it.

XVIII. The last means I shall name is in the words immediately following my text ("Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life"), which, doubtless, the Holy Ghost points us to, as an effectual means to "keep ourselves in the love of God."

1. Because it is the highest act of God's love to us — to bestow eternal life on us.

2. The Lord, that hath provided eternal life for us, will have us always to walk in expectation of it (Genesis 49:18; Titus 2:13).

3. We have no ground at all to expect eternal life from God without keeping ourselves in the love of God (Romans 8:23, compared with ver. 39).

4. We keep ourselves in God's love by being found in such a state and in such a way as leads to life, which is chiefly faith and obedience.

5. Now a son that is heir-apparent by adoption in Christ to such an estate of eternal life in heaven, he will not only be always in expectation of it, but will judge himself bound to study all the ways he can possibly do to please God, to keep in His love and favour, and withal fear and take heed of forfeiting the love of God.

(W. Cooper, M. A.)

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KJV: But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

WEB: But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.