ment and pronounce the sentence
of condemnation against our own kindred; but I do mean that, seeing
the justice and fairness of God's judgments, we shall readily
acquiesce therein, and ratify them, and rest satisfied to see all
suffer according to their deserts.

3. A third consideration is taken from the nature of love. When love
for any one has taken full possession of our soul, it so completely
changes our whole moral nature into the person beloved, that we
forget our own private interests, and embrace his cause, his
interests, as if they were our own. Henceforth, our will is so
absorbed by his, that we seem no longer to possess any will of our
own.

Holy Scripture gives us a striking instance of this transforming
power of love, in the friendship of Jonathan for David. According to
the forcible expression of Holy Writ: "The soul of Jonathan was knit
with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul."*
David had slain the famous Goliath, and when the Jewish army was
returning home in triumph, the women sang: "Saul slew his thousand,
and David his ten thousand." King Saul was filled with anger and envy
on hearing David praised more than himself; and, from that day, he
hated him, and did all in his power to destroy him. His son Jonathan,
who loved David as his own soul, left nothing undone to save his
friend. He watched everything his father said or did, discovered all
his plans against David, and then would go into the forest, at his
own peril, and warn his friend of approaching danger. He did more: he
forgot, or gave up all his own private interests, and embraced those
of David. For, being the son of a king, he had the presumptive right
to succeed his father upon the throne; but, instead of himself, he
wanted David to reign in his father's place. He did even more: he
embraced a line of conduct entirely opposed to the temporal interests
of his own father, and he thus materially aided in placing David upon
the throne of Israel.

* 1 Kings xviii.

This is a striking instance of the wonderful transforming power of
love. Now, if human love has such a power in this world, what shall
we say of the power of divine love in heaven! There we shall see God
as He is, and that vision will kindle in us a love far greater than
ever we had, or could have, for any one in this world. We shall,
therefore, spontaneously espouse God's cause, and embrace his
interests. We shall love all that He loves, and we shall find it