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In these words our Saviour implicitly reproves his disciples for their fond way of expressing their love to him, by doating upon his bodily presence, and sorrowing immoderately for his absence and he expressly warns them to evidence their love to him by their obedience to his commands; If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Where observe, Christ requires an obedient love, and loving obedience.
Love without obedience is but dissimulation: obedience without love is but drudgery and slavery. Such a love as produces obedience, must be a dutiful love; a love of reverence and honour to him as a commander, and an operative and working love, a labour of love, as the apostle calls it; Not waiters, but workers, are the best servants in Christ's esteem.
And such an obedience as is the product of love, will be a willing, easy, and cheerful obedience a pleasing and an acceptable obedience, a constant and abiding obedience; all other motives without love are servile and base, and beget in us the drudgery of a slave, but not the duty of a son: He that fears God only, is afraid of smarting: but he that loves God, is afraid of offending.
Learn hence, That the best and surest evidence we can have of our love to the Lord Jesus Christ, is an humble, cheerful, universal, and perservering obedience, to his commands: Keep my commandments: that is, endeavour it without reserve; for though we cannot keep the commandments to a just satisfaction, yet we may perform them to a gracious acceptation.
And the word My, my commandments, is a sweetening and alleviating word. Moses's law, an unsupportable load, but Christ's law an easy burthen. The law from Sinai, dreadful; the law from Sion, gracious; it pardons weakness, and accepts sincerity.