rd of the other, that these commands are
pleasing in God's sight. And truly believing in the Son must be grateful
to him, not only from the general nature of obedience to his will, but
also because this doth most honour both to the Father and to the Son. The
Father counts himself much honoured, when we honour the Son, and there is
no honour the creature can be in a capacity to give unto him like this, to
cast all our hope, and hang all our happiness upon him, (John v. 23, 24),
to set to our seal that he is true and faithful, (John iii. 33), which is
done by believing. But most of all, this is pleasing in his sight because
the Father's good pleasure concentres in the same point with the soul's
good pleasure, that is, on the well beloved Son, Christ. Therefore faith
must needs be well pleasing to the Father, for what is faith else but the
soul's complacency and satisfaction in the Son. As the Father is already
well pleased with his death and sufferings, so he propones and holds him
out in the gospel, that you may be as well pleased with him as he is. This
is believing indeed, to be pleased with him as the Father is pleased, and
this pleases the Father too. Oh that you could understand this! The gospel
is not brought unto you, that you may reconcile God, and procure a change
in his affection, but for this end, to beseech you to be reconciled unto
God, to take away all hostile affections out of your heart. And this is
the business we have to do, to persuade you that the Father holds him
abundantly contented with his Son. "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased." And to move you to be as well contented with him as he is,
he says, "Hear him. I hear him for you, hear ye him for me. I hear him
interceding for you, hear ye him beseeching you." Now this may take down
all ground of jealousy concerning our welcome and acceptance, it cannot
but be an acceptable and pleasing thing to God, that the affection and
desire of the soul fall in and embosom itself with his good pleasure upon
Christ his Son.

And then, in the next place, it is well pleasing to God that ye love one
another, not only because he shall see his own image and likeness in your
love, (for there is nothing in which a Christian more eminently resembles
his Father, or more evidently appears to be a child of the Highest, than
in free loving all, especially the household of faith, and forbearing and
forgiving one another, and so he cannot choose but like it well)