for q Jenkins on Jude 4. Part 1. p. 152. as one sayes If every leaf and spire of grass nay all the stars sand atomes in the world were so many souls and Seraphims whose love should double in them every moment to eternity yet could not their love be enough for the loveliness of our God yet Christ that he may not fail of catching our love casts out the bait of his own love to allure ours to himself He beginneth and loveth that we may love him again 1 John 4.19 r Manton on Jude p. 100. As water is cast into a Pump when the springs lye low to bring up more water so Christ hath shed and poured out his love upon us that our love might rise up to him again by way of gratitude and recompence God loves that he may be loved sayes Å¿ Amat Deus ut ametur cum amat nihil aliud vuâ—t quam amari sciens amore esse beatos qui se amaverint Aug Man mihi p. 236. Austin and when he loves he desires nothing but to be loved again knowing that those who love him are happy in that love I have already made out the exceeding greatness of Christs love towards us in the undertaking and accomplishing of our Redemption the consideration whereof cannot without monstrous ingratitude but engage us to love him again 1. Can you think of Christs Undertaking for us and not love him That he not like Jonah would be cast into the Sea to allay a storm raised for his own sake but when our sins had raised a storm of Divine wrath would be cast in to allay it When he saw the misery of Mankind he said Let it come on me 2. Can you think of his Incarnation and not love him That he should divest himself of his Robes of Glory and condescend to take upon him the Rag of our flesh That he who was God and Lord of all should humble himself and empty himself and make himself of no reputation and be made in the likeness of man yea take upon him the form of a servant Phil. 2.6.7 3. Can you think of his Passion and not love him Indeed his Incarnation was a Passion and his whole life as continued suffering but I mean that which is emphatically so called that which he suffered at or immediately before his death which who can think of and not be all in a flame of love t Ambrose Looking unto Jesus p. 658. That the Judge of all the World should be accused judged and condemned That the eternal Son of God should be found struggling with his Fathers wrath That he who had said I and my Father are one should sweat drops of blood in his Agony and cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me as he did on the Cross That the Lord of Life should with unconceivable pains breath out his soul and dye on the Tree of shame and curse 4. Can you think that all this should be for us and not love him That when he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief u Manton on Jude p. 109. they were our griefs which he bore and our sorrows which he carried Isa 53.3 4. The very same griefs that we should have suffered so far as his holy person was capable of them his desertion was equivalent to our loss his Agonies to to our Curse and punishment of sense We were the Malefactors and the Kings Son chose our Chains and suffered in our stead 5. Can you think that he suffered all this for us very willingly and not love him When he had undertaken to be baptized with this baptism he was straightned till it was accomplished Luke 12.50 He did with the like indignation rebuke Peter disswading from his Cross as he did the Devil tempting him to Idolatry Get thee behind me Satan Mat. 16.23 compared with Mat. 4.10 He was satisfied with all the travel of his soul as it was the means of our salvation Isa 53.11 as if he had said Welcome Agonies welcome stripes and wounds welcome Curse welcome Cross welcome Death so that poor souls be saved 6. Can you think of his love in all this and not love him his infinite love far beyond his sufferings and the outward expressions of it as the Windows of the Temple were more large and open within than without Can you think of it and not love him 7. Can you think that all this was intended to constrain your love and not love him He made himself so vile that he might be the more dear and precious unto us every one of his wounds is a mouth open to plead for your love Certainly if love brought Christ from Heaven to Earth to the Cross to the Grave it should carry our hearts to him in Heaven again with ardent and fervent love w O duri induâ—ati obdurati filii Adam quos non emollit tanta benignitas tanta flaÌ„ma tam ingâ—ns ardor amoris Bern. Serm. in Pent. mihi p. 45. And oh hard and extreamly hardened Sons of Adam whom so great bounty so great a flame and heat of love doth not mollifie and melt into love again x Omnis equitas ditit ut dilectus diligentem diligat amatus amanti mutuam charitatem impendat Bern. de Caenâ Dom. Ser. 13. All equity dictates that he who is beloved should love him again by whom he is beloved and shall Christ only have love unjustly detained from him after he hath loved us y Magnes amoris amor Love is the Loadstone of love and were it not a shameful thing that Christs love should lose its attractive power upon us on whom it is most laid out It is not first love that is required of us but only a reflection of his own love back again and z Nimis durus est animus qui amorem si nolebat impendere nolit rependere Aug. de Catech. rud cap. 4. there is too much of the stone in that mans heart who if he will not begin and lead will not follow in this way of love and repay love for love Well for a cloze of this I shall shew you how the consideration of Christs love hath warmed and affected others hearts and leave it as a goad in your sides to quicken your imitation What should this but make us call upon our souls to the love of him who hath thus loved us as Austin did a O anima mea insignita Dei imagine redempta Christi sanguine desponsata fide dotata spiritu ornata virtutibus deputata cum Angelis Dilige illum a quo tantum dilecta es intende illi qui intendit tibi quaere quaerentem te amae am itorem tui a quo amoris cujus amore praeventaâ—s qui est causa amorâ—s us Aug. Man mihi p. 240. O my soul stampt with the Image of God redeemed with the blood of Christ espoused by faith endowed with the spirit adorned with graces committed
suam erga ipsos neque plane talem qualis esse solet dilectio a creaturâ promonans sed talem esse qualis est creatoris ipsius Dei amor Nota igitur Christum non tantum nos priorem dilexisse ut est nos diligimus eum quia ipse nos dilexit prior 1 Joh. 4.19 sed etiam talem esse ejus erga nos amorem qualis est ille Dei amor hoc est infinitum incomprehensiblem c. Rolloc in Johan p. 796. It signifieth sayes Rolloc in loc that his love towards them was not common and ordinary nor such as is wont to proceed from the creature but it was such as is the love of God the Creator himself Note therefore that Christ did not only love us first as it is 1 John 4.19 We love him because he loved us first but also that his love towards us is such as is that love of God that is infinite and incomprehensible The love of Christ towards his own as Mr. Hutcheson observes in his Comment on this place Doct. 3. is matchless and can be resembled by no love on earth but is like his Fathers love to him as being eternal sincere and intimate incomprehensible infinite and unchangeable as the other is Let Gerhards note on the place seal up this testimony i Colligitur autem ex hoc ultimo exhortationis argumento quod Christus omnes verè credentes summo ineffabili amore prosequitur si quidem ita diligit eos ut ipse a patre diligitur quo nihil quicquam dulcius nihil jucundius cordi pio contrito nunciari potest quid enim ulterius desiderare possumus si certi sumus nos ita a Christo diligi ut ipse a patre diligitur quà m nemo dubitare potest esse summam ineffabilem dilectionem c. Gerh. Harm p. 1010. We may gather from hence sayes he that Christ loves believers with the highest and ineffable love seeing he loves them so as he is loved of the Father than which nothing can be declared more sweet more pleasant to a godly contrite heart for what can we desire more if we are assured that we are so loved of Christ as he is loved of the Father Who can doubt but that it is the highest and ineffable love There is indeed a difference in this That the Father loveth Christ our Mediator as God per naturam naturally because coëssential and coëqual with himself as Man per gratiam unionis by the grace of Union because the humane nature is assumed into the person of the Word But Christ loves believers by grace and adoption But there is an agreement in this That first as the Father loved Christ from eternity so Christ hath loved us from eternity Secondly As the Father loves Christ truly sincerely and ineffably so Christs love to us is true sincere and ineffable Thirdly As the Father out of love bestowed all blessings upon Christ as Man so Christ out of love bestoweth blessings of all kinds upon us Fourthly As the Father loveth Christ constantly and for ever so Christ also loveth us constantly and for ever so that upon the whole matter we may conclude as Mr. Cartwright doth his Comment on this place k Quamobrem verè dicitur Eph. 3.19 Amorem Christi omnem humanam intelligentiam superare Cart. Har. p 930. That it is truly said as it is in the Text That the love of Christ passeth all knowledge That 's the second Argument Sect. 3. Arg. 3 MY third Argument for the exceeding greatness and incomprehensibleness of the love of Christ shall be drawn from the infinite fulness of it in respect of its dimensions l Col. 1.19 It hath pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell and all fulness of love as well as any thing else The Apostle speaks something of the dimensions of it in the Verse preceding the Text v. 18. where he ascribes length and depth breadth and height to it and thence concludes it to be a love which passeth knowledge I know that some of the Ancients have applied this to several things which I willingly omit as not conducing to my present purpose nor indeed agreeable to the Apostles scope which is to magnifie the love of Christ and engage the Ephesians in the study of it and therefore m Paulus nihil per istas dimensiones intelligit quà m Christi charitatem de quaÌ„ continuò post Calv. in loc Quos termi â—os ad Christi dilectionem transfort Aret. Longe satius videtur ut hae dimensiones ad illam ipsam Dei Christique charitatem referantur cujus praemissa subjectae est mentio Bod. in loc p. 398. Calvin with other Expositors conceive that the Apostle understands nothing by these dimensions but the love of Christ of which he speaks so immediately after Only the Question is From whence the expression is taken First Some think it may be an allusion to the heaving and waving of Offerings among the Jews under the Law which you find mentioned Exod. 29.26 On which words n Vide Fagium in locum Fagius in his Annotations upon the Chaldee Paraphrase hath this note out of the Hebrew Doctors That there was a double Ceremony used in some of the Jewish Sacrifices and particularly in this which was for the consecration of their Priests The one was an heaving upward and downward and this was called Terumah from Rum Elevare to heave The other was a moving forward and backward on the right hand and on the left that is from East to West and then from North to South and this was called Tenuphah from Nuph Agitare to wave Thus the shoulder of the Ram of Consecration was to be heaved and the breast waved before the Lord v. 26. 27. called therefore the Heave-offering and Wave-offering These Ceremonies according to o Vide Lyr. in loc Cartwr Annot. in Exod. p. 382. Rabbi Solomon were thus performed Moses did put his hands under the hands of Aaron and his Sons who held the things that were to be offered and first lifted them upward then drew them downward and afterwards drew them Eastward Westward Northward and Southward The Jews had a good meaning in these Rites p Ad designandum quòd ea â—fferebant Deo qui coelo terrae quatuor orbis partibus dominatur Lyr. Cart. Fag ut suprà for hereby was signified That God was the Lord of Heaven and Earth And we may make a good use of it our selves q Ainsworth on the place If Ministers would learn from hence how with all their heart and with all their strength they should give themselves unto the Service of God in his Church with much labour and manifold afflictions even as the Prince of our salvation was consecrated also through afflictions 2 Cor. 6.4 c. Heb. 2.10 And if both Ministers and People would learn how with raised and enlarged hearts and minds they
charitatis medullis habent quidèm pietatis similitudinem sed non veritateÌ„ habent Prosper ad Ruf. de grat lib. arbitr mihi p. 125. Father observes There may be many commendable and admirable things found in a man which without the marrow of love have indeed a shew but not the truth of godliness Love is the great affection of Union it is gluten animi the cement of the soul Though u Scientia foris stat dilectio intrat Lyr. in Eph. 3.19 knowledge stand without and gives us a view of Christ yet its love that enters in clasps about him and cleaves to him So that notwithstanding all our knowledge Christ and we shall still abide strangers and the distance remain till love bring us together which is the bond of perfectness that is w Qâ—od vinculum est perfectissimum animos scilicet conjungens Grot. in loc the most perfect bond because it doth joyn hearts together Col. 3.14 x Dr. Reynolds of the Pasoâ—s p. 96. So that herein Divine Love hath the same kind of vertue with Divine Faith that as this is the being and subsisting of things to come and distant in time so that is the union and knitting of things absent and distant in place as Christ and Christians are he being in Heaven and they on Earth whom yet having not seen they love 1 Pet. 1.8 and by love are united to him and become one spirit with him 1 Cor. 6.17 And therefore * O foelix hominum genus Si vestros animos amor Quo coeluÌ„ regitur regat Boet. de Consol Phil. lib. 2. mihi p. 47. O happy you whose hearts by love Are rul'd which rules in Heaven above Give me leave here a little to commune with you about your love to Christ and to shew you why and how you should love him the one to move you to it the other to guide you in it CHAP. VI. 1. WOuld you have a reason for your love Reasons and Motives for loving Jesus Christ Truly were it so with you as it should be this fire would burn into a flame without blowing but the truth is mens hearts have lost their ingenuity else there would not need so much adoe to perswade them to that which is not only their duty but their priviledge it being indeed an honour that Jesus Christ will give us leave to love him Consider therefore because need so requires those * Hos 11.4 bonds of love which your Lord hath cast forth to draw in your hearts to the love of himself Sect. 1. 1. The first Reason for our love to Christ IT 's the sum of all that the Lord requires of you and the best of all that you can return unto him 1. It 's the sum of all that he requires of you As love from Christ is the top of your happiness so love to Christ is the sum of your duty The whole Law is briefly comprehended all the Commandments which are exceeding broad and of vast extent Psal 119.96 are summ'd up and epitomized in this single word this sweetest Monosyllable Love y 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In summaÌ„ ac compendium reducituâ— nà mtota Lex nihil aliud is quà m amoâ—em Dei proximi praecâ—pit Bâ—z in loc Rom. 13.9 Love is the sum and substance of what we owe to God and Man the short summary and compendium of a Christians whole duty whence the Apostle calls the observance hereof the fulfilling of the Law v. 10. and the z Hoc praeceptum Dei amandi alterum amandi proximi dicuntur Hebraeis summae magnae Grot. in loc Jews called the Commands of loving God and our Neighbour The great Summes Now as the Servants of Naaman said to him 2 Kings 5.13 so say I to you If the Lord had commanded you some greater thing would you not have done it If he had required you to sacrifice your Children to burn your bodies to ashes would you not have done it how much more then when he bids you give him only your hearts your love 2. It 's the best of all that you can return unto him a Amor est primum maximum donum quo nihil magis donari potest cùm per ipsum caetera omnia donantur Lessius de summo bono lib. 2. cap. 6. p. 134. See Jenkins on Jude Part 1 mihi p. 140. 4. and Manton on Jude p. 117. Amor ubi venerit caeteros omnes in se traducit captivat affectus Amor per se sufficit per se placet propter se Ipse meritum ipse praemium ipse causa ipse fructus ipse usus per amorem enim conjungimur Deo Aug. Man cap. 18. mihi p. 234. Love is the best thing that the best man ever gave to Christ It 's love that doth engage all besides and sweetens all that is engaged Love is Queen Regent in the soul and all other Graces Gifts Duties Services attend her beck and serve her interest and are welcome before the Throne according to the strain of love that is in them Love is the kernel of every gift the beauty of every performance the marrow of every duty the lustre of every â—race the salt which seasons every Sacrifice â—ithout which the exquisitest service is but a â—ead carkass embalmed The greatest gift withâ—ut love is rejected the least with it is acceptâ—d Love is an act of grace of it self other â—hings are not acts of grace without love as Almes yea Martyrdome it self is nothing withâ—ut love 1 Cor. 13.3 but small things are made â—reat by love A Cup of cold Water Mat. 10. A Widows Mite Luke 21. find acceptance â—s coming from love It 's love whereby a Chriâ—â—ian comes nearest to God who is love and â—e who dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God â—n him 1 John 4.16 It s love which removes â—im furthest from hypocrisie for in this only the â—ypocrite cannot imitate him he can speak and â—o and suffer but he cannot love and the want â—f this spoils all It s your best nay it s your All â—ts all that the Apostle desires Christians may reâ—urn to God for the mercy and peace bestowed on â—hem Jude 2. b Solus amor est ex omnibus animae motibus sensibus atâ— affectibus in quo potest creatura etsi non ex aequo respondere auctori vel ipsi mutuam rependere vicem Aug. Manual cap. 18. mihi p. 233. It s only love of all the motiâ—ns and affections of the soul by which the Creaâ—ure though not in a way of equality can answer his Creator and make any return to him And its only by love that the Redeemed of the Lord can return unto him their Redeemer for his great love in working Redemption for them And therefore seeing you can do no better nor more for Christ it is but reasonable that you should love him But that 's not all For The second Reason Sect. 2. 2.
COnsider how strongly this love o◠Christ is urged in Scripture and from thence you may see further reason to love him He is not content barely to propound and prescribe it but useth such arguments a◠may allure or affright draw or drive perswade or force you to observance and obedience 1. As if there were something valuable in your love he doth invite and encourage you to love him by the great and precious Promises which he hath made unto it c Haec precatio vice oraculi habenda est c. Calv. in Ephes 6.24 That Apostolical benediction Ephes 6.24 may be understood in the nature of a Promise the words are Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Now Grace is as large a word for Blessing as Love for Duty of the same extent in the New Testament with Peace in the Old d Hebraeorum usitata salutatio erat Pax tibi At post patefactum redemptionis humanae mysterium in quo fontem gratiae Deus aperuit humano generi gratiam etiam adjungebant Dav. in Coloss p. 11. The form of Blessing among the Jews was Peace be unto you Gen. 43.23 but when the Mystery of Mans Redemption was revealed in which God opened a fountain of Grace to mankind it was changed into Grace be unto you as appears in the Epistles where Grace is wished by the Apostles unto Christians either by it self or in conjunction with Peace by way of Amplification By this Grace is meant the e Morn Exercise Part. 2. 40. pag. 218. Blessing of the Eternal God f Pink's Tryal of a Christians sincere love to Christ on that Text. All those precious Mercies and glorious Benefits which flow from the grace and favour of God It s a short but comprehensive word and contains all good in it yet this grace in its greatest fulness and utmost latitude is wished for and shall be bestowed on all those that love the Lord Jesus in sincerity To this you may add Joh. 14.21.23 He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father c. In these two Verses there are four things promised to those who truly and obedientially love the Lord Jesus 1. There will be no love lost to lay it out upon Christ you shall have it again with advantage for if you love him so as to keep his Commandments Christ hath promised love for love his Fathers love his own love for your love He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him g Gerh. Har. in loc which is not to be understood of a general but special love not of first love but after love not of a love of benevolence but of friendship and complacency he will so shed abroad his love into your hearts by the Holy Ghost that you shall know and feel and taste the love of the Father and Son towards you which appears further from that which is promised afterwards Christs love to such as love him will not be an empty and idle but a full and operative love For 2. He sayes he will manifest himself to you I will love them and will manifest my self to them He will deal with you as with Friends and will make known to you whatsoever shall be necessary for your salvation John 15.15 he will impart a fuller knowledge of himself to you by the spirit of Wisdome and revelation Eph. 1.17 and larger tastes of his love You shall be kissed with the kisses of his mouth Cant. 1.2 brought into his Banqueting-house and his Banner over you love under the shadow whereof you shall sit with great delight and his fruit shall be sweet to your taste Cant. 2.3.4 He will so manifest himself in a way of love to his people as to give them occasion to cry out with that holy man * Aliquando intromittis me in affectum multùm inusitatum introrsùs ad nescio quam dulcedinem quae si perficiatur in me nescio quid erit quod vita ista non erit Aug. Conf. lib. 10. cap. 40. At some times thou inwardly infusest into me a delight that I am not usually acquainted with a sweetness of I know not what kind which could it be once perfected in me it should be I know not what manner of height which this life shall never arive unto Such manifestations will Christ give of himself to those who love him as none know but they who experience them nor can they themselves sufficiently express them But then 3. He sayes further that his Father and he will come unto you We will come to him that is We will make secret and sweet approaches to such a sould by the spirit for the further enlightning quickning comforting supporting and strengthning of him till he be sealed up to the Day of Redemption This is a great matter yet not all for 4. He promiseth that his Father and he will make their abode with you and make our abode with him whereby is signified the continuance and duration of that grace which is shown by the Father Son and Holy Ghost when they come to a beloved and loving soul They will not come as Sojourners but as Dwellers not turn aside to tarry with you for a night but abide with you for ever Now what greater thing can be promised unto or bestowed upon the Sons of men in this life than that which is comprehended in these words and yet these are promised to the love of Christ so that if a man should set his love to sale he cannot do it to more profit and benefit to himself than by laying it out upon Christ who is most rich and liberal in his rewards to his people for their love as appears from what hath been said though there be more yet even that which neither eye hath seen◠nor ear heard nor can enter into the heart of man to conceive which the Apostle sayes is prepared for those that love the Lord 1 Cor. 2.9 And if any evil befall them that also through the skill and care of their wise Physician Venenum pro remedio who can make a soveraign Treacle of the most deadly poyson shall co-operate for the good of those who love God according to the Promise Rom. 8.28 But these I leave to be enlarged in your own Meditations and pass on 2. If this golden Key of the Promises open not the door of your hearts to let Christ into the possession of your love behold the iron Hammer of the Threatnings ready to force it open Mens dead dull and disingenuous spirits need this as well as other wayes and Christ is so resolv'd upon our love that he will leave no means unattempted to procure it Know therefore that it is not an arbitrary matter whether you love Christ or no for necessity lies upon you and woe be to you if you love him not Love
to the tuition of Angels Love him by whom thou art so much beloved mind him who mindeth thee seek him that seeketh thee love thy Love by whom thou art loved who hath prevented thee with his love and is the cause of thy love But because we cannot so much as love him without his influence let us go to him as he doth b O ignis qui semper ardes nunquam extingueris O amor qui semper ferves nunquaÌ„ tepescis accende me accendor totus a te ut totus diligam te Minus eenim te amat qui tecum aliquid amat quod non propter te amat Diligam te Domine quoniam tu prior dilexisti me Aug. Solil p. 164. O fire which alway burnest and art never extinguished O love which art alway hot and never coolest kindle me let me be wholly enflamed by thee that I may wholly love thee for he loves thee too little who loves any thing with thee which he doth not love for thee Lord let me love yea with thine help I will love thee because thou hast first loved me Let Anselme conclude this matter who thus breaths after a loving Saviour c Certe Domine quia fecisti me debeo amori tuo meipsum totum quia me redâ—misti debeo meipsum totum quia tantum promittis debeo meipsum imo tantum debeo amori tuo plus quam mâ—ipsum quantum tu es major me pro quo dedisti teipsum cui promittis teipsum Fac precor Domine me gustare per amorem quod gusto per cognitionem sentiam per affectum quod sentio per intellectum Plus debeo quam meipsum totum sed nec plus habeo nec hoc ipsum possum per me reddere totum Trahe me Domine in amorem tuum hoc ipsum totum Totum quod sum tuum est conditione fac totum tuum dilectione Ansel Medit. de Gen. Hum. cap. 7. mihi p. 269. 16. Inter opera Tom. 3. mihi p. 199. Fol. Surely O Lord because thou hast made me I owe my whole self to thy love because thou hast redeemed me I owe thee my whole self because thou promisest so much I owe thee my whole self yea I owe to thy love as much more than my self as thou art greater than me for whom thou hast given thy self and to whom thou promisest thy self Cause me O Lord I beseech thee to taste that by love which I taste by knowledge let me feel by affection that which I feel by understanding I owe thee more than my whole self but I neither have more nor can I give thee this wholly of my self Lord draw me and that wholly into thy love All that I am is thine by condition make me all thine by love and affection Thus he And now lay these things together His loveliness in himself his love towards you surely it will strongly conclude that he deserves your love which should be a strong incentive to you to love him Give me leave to add one motive more and I have done Sect. 4. The fourth Reason 4. ALL true believers who have a saving knowledge of Christ and experienced his love towards themselves do and cannot but love him The Church testifies this saying to him in her conference with him Cant. 1.3 4. The Virgins love thee The Vpright love thee The Virgins that is d Ainsworth on the place those chosen called and faithful ones who with chaste and pure minds serve the Lord only and worship him in spirit and truth and stand with Christ on Mount Sion whom you find described Rev. 14.3 4. These love the Lord for the odour of his good ointments which they perceive by his Word and Spirit they love him because he first loved them and hath shed abroad his love in their hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to them It is said of the Israelites Numb 33.29 e Trap on the place That they removed their Tent from Mithcah which signifies Sweetness to Hashmonah which signifies Swiftness to teach us saith one that the Saints have no sooner tasted of Christs sweetness but they are carried after him with incredible swiftness For as f Amor Dei amorem animae parit cam intendere sibi facit Aug. Man p. 236. Austin observes The love of God doth breed and bring forth the love of the soul and makes it to be intent upon himself The Upright that is g Ainsworth those who have upright hearts and righteous conversations These upon the remembrance of the love of Christ manifested by his Sufferings Death Resurrection Ascension and the graces and benefits flowing from them to his Church do love him that is are confirmed and encreased in love to him more and more h Robotham on Cant. p. 80. As fire is encreased by adding of fuel unto it so is our love to Christ upon fresh and new manifestations of his great love towards us That the Church her self did love Christ is clear from the whole Book of Canticles i Watsons Christs loveliness p. 435. which is nothing else but a Divine Epithalamium or Marriage-Song in which are all the strains of holy love set forth in the purest Allegories and Metaphors such as do represent that dear affection and union which is betwixt Christ and his Church She calls him her Beloved Cap. 2.3 nor did she love him from the teeth outward as we say but with a love fetch'd as deep as the bottome of her heart O thou whom my soul loveth sayes she Cap. 1.7 k Jeanes Scholast pract Divin Part 1. on Col. 1.19 p. 221. The remembrance of his love to her had such an impression upon her heart as to make her sick of love Cant. 2.5 l Sibs Bowels open'd p. 305. A sickness not unto death but unto life a sickness that never ends but in comfort and satisfaction It wrought in her a love of a most powerful and unconquerable influence a love as strong as death Cant. 8.6 a love as forcible and irresistible as death trampling upon and breaking through all difficulties that occurre in performance of duties unto or undergoing of sufferings for Christ A love inflamed into jealousie and this jealousie as cruel or hard as the Grave as it there follows that is as inexorable unto all the enemies of Christ unto her most profitable and pleasant sins her darling and most indulged lusts A love of the same nature with fire the coales thereof are coals of fire which hath a most vehement flame ibid. For 1. As Fire is the hottest of Elements so her love of Christ was more solidly intense than her love of any creature whatsoever She was as it were all of a fire with the love of him 2. As the motion of fire is upwards towards Heaven so the Churches love of Christ was as a fiery Chariot whereby she was carried up into Heaven 3. As fire burns all things combustible so
her love of Christ consumed all her corruptions and whereas elementary fire may be quenched the love of Christ is a coelestial flame Many Waters cannot quench it neither can the Floods drown it v. 7. It could not be extinguished or abated by the calamities which she underwent for his sake And in the last place It was so sincere and incorrupt as that it could not be bribed by any treasure If a man would give all the substance of his house for love it would be contemned The Apostle Peter could appeal to Christ himself in the case when he demanded of him the third time * Joh. 21.17 Simon Peter lovest thou me Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee The same Apostle witnesseth concerning Believers to whom he wrote that they did love the Lord Jesus 1 Pet. 1.8 yea though they had never seen him m Multum est amare eum quem de facie non noveris Grot. in loc It is much to love one whom we never saw and yet these loved Christ whom they never saw from what they had heard of him by the preaching of the Apostles and from what they knew and tasted of him by faith Faith is not as n Fides non est nuda otiosa frigida notitia sed inflammat cor ad amorem Christi Qui verè in Christum credant eundem etiam diligunt Gerh. in Petr. p. 78. Gerhard notes on that place a naked idle cold knowledge but inflames the heart with the love of Christ they who truly believe in Christ do also love him That Woman who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called a sinner Luke 7.37 whatever her name was for it was not Mary Magdalen though she be so called in the Contents of that Chapter in our Bibles as a learned o Dâ—spaigne Shibboleth p. 11. c. French-man observes She I say having experienced the great love of Christ in forgiving her many sins did love him again yea she loved much v. 47 p 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ignat. Epist ad Rom. p. 89. Ignatius who saw Christ in the flesh being about twelve years old when he was Crucified thus wrote to the Romans Believe me that I love Jesus who gave himself for me and a little before in the same Epistle he writes q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ibid. p. 88. My Love is crucified making Christ the only object of his love They were the dying words of r Melch. Adam Vit. Ger. Theol. p. 154. Luther I bless thee heavenly Father that thou hast revealed Jesus Christ unto me whom I have believed whom I have professed whom I have loved whom I have glorified t Wards Sermons 8. p. 15. Wals. None but Christ p. 64. Mr. Welsh a Suffolk Minister being in a deep muse after some discourse that had passed of Christ and tears trickling abundantly from his eyes before he was aware being urged for the cause thereof confessed ingenuously It was because he could not draw his dull heart to prize Christ aright nor to love him enough And it was a high expression of devout Herbert in his Poems * Herb Poems p. 40. Ah! my dear God! though I am clean forgot Let me not love thee if I love thee not Nor is this to be wondred at for his love constrains them and truly u Amat non immerito qui est amaâ—us sine merito amat sine fine quia sine principio se cognoscit amatum Bern. Epist 107. he loves deservedly who was loved without desert he may well love without end who knows himself to have been beloved without beginning as the Father speaks w Wall None but Christ p. 64. Indeed our cold love of Christ would be almost as great a wonder as his great love to us and might make us justly fear that we never savingly knew him I hope by this time you are sufficiently convinced of the reasonableness of knowing Christ so as to love him which methinks should make every one of you breath after Christ and his love in the language of the Seraphical Doctor x Eiâ— dulcissime Jesu transfige saluberrimo vulnere amoris tui medullas animae meae ut verè ardeat langueat liquefiat solo desiderio tuo deficiat Bonaven Solilo cap. 2. Well sweetest Jesus strike through the inmost parts of my soul with the most wholesome wound of thy love that it may truly burn and be sick of love and melt and faint with desire of thee only Thus much by way of motive to perswade your love CHAP. VII 2. Direction how Jesus Christ is to be loved WOuld you have a Guide for your love I shall in some few particulars direct you how you should love the Lord Jesus Sect. 1. 1. The first general Direction respects the quality of it grounded on Ephes 6.24 LOok that your love be such for quality as the Apostle makes the character of true love to Christ which hath the blessing entailed upon it Ephes 6.24 Grace be with all them that love the Lord Jesus in sincerity so it is in the Text of our Bibles and in the Margin With incorruption In the Greek it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which because it hath been variously interpreted I shall first open the words and then deduce what I intend from them y Optat incorruptibilitatem id est immortalitatem coelesteÌ„ gloriam in vitaÌ„ aeternâ Pisc in loc Piscator takes this as a distinct blessing which the Apostle prayes for on the behalf of these Ephesians He had before prayed for Peace Love with Faith and Grace and here sayes he he wisheth for them incorruptibility that is immortality and heavenly glory in the life eternal z Ad immortalitatem vel cum immortalitaté vitâ videlicet aeternâ metâ ejus gratiae quaÌ„ pro fidelibus precatur Bez. Beza renders it Ad immortalitatem or Cum immortalitate To or with immortality and refers it to Grace in the beginning of the Verse as if the meaning were Grace be with them that love the Lord Jesus unto immortality that is eternal life which is the end of that grace which he begs for Believers To this sense is the Syriack Version by Temellius a Gratia quae non corrumpitur Trem. Grace which is not corrupted And b Sic maneant in gratia quod non decidant ab ea sed perveniant ad gloriam quae est gratia consummata Lyr. in loc Lyra's note agrees hereunto who sayes the Apostle here prayes That they may so abide in grace as not to fall from it but to reach unto glory which is grace consummate and made perfect c Incorruptibilem hanc gratiam oppoâ—o ego Anâ—themati illi aeterno quod Paulus alibi denuncial adversus eos qui non diligunt Dominum nostrum Jâ—sum Christum Rolloc in loc Rolloc understands it in this sense opposing this incorruptible grace to that eternal curse
which the same Apostle denounceth in another place of which I have spoken before against those who love not the Lord Jesus Some understand this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for that which is in our own Translation In sincerity Thus d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod alias verti salet immortalitas hic sonat integritatem ac sinceritatem animi vacantis omni corruptelâ vitiorum Eras in loc Erasmus whose note is That though this word is wont to be elsewhere rightly rendred Immortality yet here it signifies integrity and sincerity of a heart free from all sinful corruption e Subindicare voluit Paulus tunc demùm omni corruptelâ fore vacuum cor hominis si omni hypocrisi caret Calv. Calvin follows this sense and sayes that the Apostle useth this word to signifie that then is the heart of man void of corruption when it is without hypocrisie Several f Videsis Vorstium Bodium Baldvinū Hemingiū in loc others follow this sense but I passe them over Some understand the words according to the sense of the Margin with incorruption that is with constancy and continuance Thus the Greek Scholiast as I find mentioned by Bodius expounds it of a perpetual and incorruptible love which fails not nor is diminished but grows and is encreased day by day till it come to the highest pitch of perfection And thus g Significatur is qui nullâ vi nullis precibus nullis illecebris se corrumpi id est a recto abduci patitur Talis animi status hic dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 potestque hoc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verti constantèr Grot. in loc Grotius who sayes it may well be rendred Constantly and that such a one is signified by it as will not suffer himself to be corrupted nor drawn away from that which is right by any force intreaties or allurements whatsoever h Intelligo de constantiâ sinceritate Aret. in loc Others I find who take in both these latter Interpretations and understand it both of sincerity and constancy too Believers sayes a i Fergusson on the place late Writer are here described from this that they love the Lord Jesus in sincerity or incorruption that is not for a time only but constantly not in hypocrisie or shew only but sincerely and really And truly there is such a near and necessary conjunction betwixt these two that they cannot well be separated for that which is sincere will be constant and that which is constant is sincere especially seeing the word signifies both and therefore hence I would direct you as ever you would obtain that grace favour and all good which in this Apostolical benediction is annexed unto it that you look your love to Christ be for the quality of it sincere and stedfast pure and permanent without reservation and without recidivation Sect. 2. The first Branch of the first Direction That it be sincere 1. LOok that your love to Christ be a sincere love for that may be one sense of the word k So it is in our Translation as I shewed you before Quest But how shall I know that my love to Christ is sincere Answ I shall not handle the case at large yet I shall give you some characters of such a love which may give you some light in this matter and for those who desire further satisfaction I shall refer them to the l Reynolds on Psa 110. p. 59. c. Pinks Tryal of Christians love to Christ the three last Sermons especially Morn Exercise Part 2. Serm. 9. p. 218. Authors quoted in the Margin where they may find the case more fully and largely resolved The Characters which I shall give are these 4 Characters of sincere love to Christ 1. Sincere love of Christ is spiritual in its principle and constitution It is not founded in Nature but Grace and springs not from custome education formal profession external communion or an historical faith but it is begun in a deep sense of our infinite wants and miseries without Christ The first character It is Spiritual together with his suitableness sufficiency and readiness to relieve and rescue us and it is carried on and further strengthned and encreased by evidence of our propriety and interest in him Unfeigned love is the daughter of unfeigned faith Now this faith as it believes what Christ is in himself abundantly able and willing to answer all the necessities of the soul works a love of desire after him and as it applies and brings home all this with some clearnesse and evidence to the soul so it works a love of complacency This is the first Character and of great concernment for if ever you would make good your love to Christ you must make good the ground and principle of it 2. Sincere love is Cordial in the exercise of it 1. It is with the heart The second Character It is Cordial O thou whom my soul loveth sayes the Spouse Cant. 1.7 m Quem ex animo diligo Mercer in loc Whom I love with my very soul n Ainsworth It notes the unfeignedness and fervency of her love Sincere love is not complemental but cordial it stands not in outward expression but intimate affection When Christ wooes for your love he bids you give him your heart Prov. 23.26 and sayes as Jehu did to Jonadab 2 Kings 10.15 Is thine heart right as my heart is with thine heart if this be wanting he values not all your good words but will say as Delilah did to Sampson Judg. 16.15 How canst thou say I love thee when thy heart is not with me 2. It is also with the whole heart Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind sayes our Saviour Mat. 22.37 There is no love befitting God but such a love He loves a broken but cannot endure a divided heart he will have all or none We should love Christ infinitely and because we cannot we must love him unfeignedly which we do not unlesse we love him with our hearts without halting and with our whole hearts without halving o Dr. Preston of Love p. 155. The Lord will have the whole stream of your affection desires intentions and endeavours to run to him there must not a rivulet run out of it it must not be drained away but the whole stream must be all bestowed upon himself there must be no division there but he must have all and there is good reason for it for he hath loved us with his whole heart and his whole soul Jer. 32.41 Christ then must be the Center of all the affections of your whole heart if you would love him sincerely as you ought to do The third Character It is Chaste 3. Sincere love is chaste love The love of a soul to Christ is of the nature of Conjugal love which when it is chaste hath these properties
1. That it is a Personal love a love of the Person more than his portion p Meretricius amor est plus annulum quaÌ„ sponsum amare It is the love of a Harlot to love the Ring more than the Husband Our love of Christ must be a personal love we must love him more than his He indeed sayes q Amat profecto castè qui ipsum quem amat quaerit non aliud quicquam ipsius Bern. Ser. 7. in Cant. p. 138. Bernard loves chastely who seeks him whom he loves not any other thing which he hath It s adulterate love to love the priviledges and blessings of Christ above himself and as r Greenham p. 516. one of our own speaks If we love not Christ more than his benefits we are not worthy of him A Christian doth and may lawfully love the Ordinances Priviledges Graces and Benefits which come by Christ but yet he loves Christs person more than these and above all these so that if there were not any of these in hand or in hope yet would he look upon Christ as altogether lovely and love him without these Å¿ Nobilis amator non quiescit in dono sed in me super omne donum Thom. A â—emp de Imit Christ lib. 3. cap. 6. mihi p. 153. That is the noble lover who rests not in any gift received from Christ but rests in Christ above every gift so the devout A Kempis brings in Christ speaking to the soul 2. That it is a love of the Person considered in the utmost extent of that relation of a Husband that is not only as a Cherisher and Preserver but also as a Head Guide and Lord. Thus a Christians sincere love to Christ respects and is carried out to whole Christ not only as Jesus to Save but also as Lord to Rule It looks at Christ as Mediator and loves him in all the offices of his Mediatorship not only as t Isa 55.4 Eph. 5.23 Col. 2.6 Witnesse but also as Leader and Commander not only as Saviour of his Body but also as Head of his Church not only as Priest to satisfie and intercede but also as Prophet to teach lead and guide and as King to Rule govern and exercise dominion As the Heart must not be divided which is the principle of our love so Christ must not be divided who is the object of our love As we must love with the whole heart so we must love a whole Christ or not at all Take it for a clear truth sayes one That if thou lovest not Christ as thy Soveraign Lord u Morn Exercise Part 2. p. 229. if thy heart be not knit to him as thy High Priest with God if thou hast not affectionately entertained him as thy Master and Teacher in a word if thou art not consecrated unto God by Christ if thou art not a loyal Subject and a willing Disciple love in sincerity doth not dwell in thee 3. That it is an unshared and incommunicable love When a Woman is married to an Husband if she love him sincerely as she ought he hath no Corrivals in her affection but she gives him her whole love and doth not divide it betwixt him and others her heart is set upon him more than all the World besides so it is with a Christian who truly loves Christ He hath none in Heaven but Christ and there is none on Earth that he desires besides him Psal 73.25 His Motto is that of the w Lambert Martyr None but Christ None but Christ As Christ is all in all to him so he is all in all his affections for Christ x Reynolds on Psal 110. p. 74. The fourth character It is Real As the rising of the Sun drowneth all those innumerable Stars which shined in the Firmament before so the beauty of this Sun of Righteousness doth blot out or else gather together unto it self all those scattered affections of the soul which were before cast away upon meaner objects This is chaste love and the third Character of that which is sincere 4. Sincere love is real love not not in word and in tongue only but in deed and in truth If that be required in our love to Christians as it is 1 John 3.18 surely it must not be omitted in our love to Christ Our Saviour himself makes this the proof of our love If you love me keep my Commandments John 14.15 And again He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me v. 21. And again If a man love me he will keep my words v. 23. So John 15.14 You are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you You see then That exhibition of works is the probation of love as the y Probatio dilectionis est exhibitio operis Bern. in Coen Dom. Ser. 8. Father speaks It s in vain for men to talk of loving Christ if they do not walk after him in a free chearful universal and constant obedience to his Commandments z Leighs Crit. Sacr. in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some derive the Greek word for love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because love is alway operative As Fire is the most active Element so Love is the most working Grace Indeed a Amor si non operatur non est Greg. Love if it be not operative is not at all b Qui praecepta Dei contemnit Deum non diligit neque enim regem diligimus si odiâ— ejus leges habemus Isid He doth not love God who contemns his Precepts as we love not a King when we hate his Laws c Vide Hardy on John Part 2. p. 472. 473. We cannot approve the sincerity of our love but by the reality of our obedience He who loveth Christ sayes d Qui diligit Christum probat sectatur ea quae Christo grata esse novit atque odit fugit quae Christo minimè placere novit Contra verò ubi non est Praeceptorum Christi observatio ibi non est vera dilectio quamvis multa sit de dilectione gloriatio c. Gerh. Har. mihi p. 925. Gerhard doth approve and follow those things which he knows to be acceptable unto Christ and doth hate and avoid such things as he knows will by no means please him On the other side where there is not an observance of Christs Precepts there is no true love of Christ though there may be much boasting of it Deeds speak more strongly than words If a Wife should boast that she loves her Husband and in the mean time oppose him in all things she will never be able to perswade her Husband nor any others that she truly loves him So those who boast that they love this heavenly Husband the Lord Jesus and in the mean time trample his Commandments under their feet do but deceive themselves The true and noble love of Jesus as a e Amor Jesu
neither things visible nor invisible so that I may but obtain Jesus Christ Let fire cross concourse of wild Beasts the cutting separating and breaking of my bones the dissipation of my members the destruction of my whole body and the torments of the Devil let all come upon me only that I may obtain Jesus Christ * Clarks Lives 4. Vol. 1. p. 7. 8. Polycarpus being urged by the Proconsul to blaspheme Christ with promise of his liberty returned this excellent answer Four score and six years have I served Christ neither hath he ever offended me in any thing and how can I then revile my King that hath thus kept me Being threatned with wild Beasts unless he would repent he answered Bring them forth for I have determined with my self not to repent and turn from the better to the worse When * Idem p. 145. Chrysostome had received a threatning message from Eudoxia the Empress he returned this answer Go tell her Nil nisi peccatum timeo I fear nothing but sin If the Queen will let her banish me The Earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof If she will let her saw me asunder Isaiah suffered the same if she will let her cast me into the Sea I will remember Jonah if she will let her cast me into a burning fiery Furnace or among wild Beasts the three young men and Daniel were so dealt with if she will let her stone me or cut off my head I have Stephen and the Baptist my blessed companions if she will let her take away all my substance Naked came I out of my Mothers Womb and naked shall I return thither again Thus he I shall add but the example of Moses who is an instance of this stedfast love in both parts of it as you find Heb. 11.24 25 26 27. When he was come to years he refused to be called the Son of Pharaohs Daughter the pleasures of sin and the treasures of Aegypt Here was inviolable love He chose affliction with the People of God esteemed the reproach of Christ above the Worlds wealth feared not the wrath of the King Here was invincible love This is to love Christ aright and if you would love him as you ought you must learn thus to love him To love him as that z Disce O Christiane quemadmodum diligas Christum disce amare dulcitèr ne illecti prudentèr ne decepti fortitèr ne oppressi ab amore Domini avertamus Bern. in Cant. Ser. 20 p. 148. Father directs sweetly lest being enticed wisely lest being deceived and strongly lest being oppressed you be turned aside from your love of the Lord. a Sit fortis constans amor tuus nec cedens terroribus nec succumbens laboribus ibid. Let your love therefore as he goes on be strong and stedfast neither giving way to terrors nor sinking under labours b Non abduci blanditiis nec seduci fallaciis nec injuriis frangi 〈◊〉 corde toto animo tota virtuâ—e deligeâ—e est ibid. Not to be drawn away with flatteries nor seduced with fallacies nor broken and overcome with injuries this is to love him with all the heart with all the mind and with all the strength Thus love the Lord Jesus sincerely and stedfastly which is all the direction I shall give you for the quality of your love I now proceed to another Direction CHAP. VIII 2. LOok that your love to Christ be The second generall direction respects the measure of our love †Modus diligendi Deum est sine modo diligere Bâ—rn de dâ—l Dec. mihi p. 295. for the measure of it without measure There can be no excesse in loving Christ as there may be in loving other things the Woman in the Gospell loved much Luke 7.47 but not too much As his love to us was a transcendent love so must ours be to him it must transcend our love to all other things in the World We are to love him sayes a ‖ Reyn. of the Pass pag. 82. learned Man above all things 1. Appretiativè setting an higher price upon his Glory and Command than upon any other thing besides 2. Intensivè with the greatest force and intention of our spirit setting no bounds or measure to our love of him 3. Adaequatè as the compleat perfect and adequate object of all our love in whom it must begiâ— and in whom it must end Christ must be loved saith the * Reyn. on Psal 110. pag. 74. same Authour in another place with a principall and superlative love grounded on the experience of the soul in it selfe that there is ten thousand times more beauty and amiablenesse in him than in all the honours pleasures profits satisfactions which the world can afford that in comparison or competitiâ—n with him the dearest things of this World the Parents of our Body the Children of our Flesh the Wife of our Bosome the Bloud of our Veines the Heart in our Breast must not onely be laid down and lost as sacrifices but hated as snares when they draw us away from him * Preston of Love pag. 162. Indeed we do not love him as God but as a Creature if we do not love him above all to say we love him as God yet not to love him above all is a contradiction Nay we love him not at all if we love him not above all For as †Pinks Triall of Love pag. 33. one observes so much only do we love Christ as we love him more than we love any thing else besides though never so lovely 1. Because we have infinitely more reason to love him than it is possible we should have to love any thing else and therefore it is not to be accounted love unto him if we can afford as much and more to something else 2. Because if we love but one thing better than we do him that one thing may force us to despight forsake and betray him as accursedly as if we preferred an hundrd things before him yea he that resolvedly prefers but one thing before his Communion with Christ will quickly be intreated by his own heart to prefer more Sect. 1. IF you would have these things more particularized our Saviour hath done it in Luke 14.26.33 From whence I have sufficient ground to call upon you to love Jesus Christ as * Wals none but Christ pag. 62. I find Bernard professed himself to do Plusquam tua plusquam tuos plusquam te 1. Love Jesus Christ plusquam tua more than all your enjoyments of estate riches wealth Christ is to be loved above our enjoyments houses lands and whatever you have in this World for so sayes our Savior Luk. 14.33 Whosoever he be that forsaketh not all he hath he cannot be my disciple It was a true acknowledgement of Austin * Minus te amat qui tècum aliquid amat quod propter te non amat Aug. Confes lib. 10. cap. 29. See
passe this and come to speak of Christians love one to another Sect. 3. 2. A Christians love is most eminently to be manifested towards the Saints By love oâ— the Saintâ—s especially all the Saints Col. 1.4 all In quibus aliquid Christi videmus in whom we see any thing of Christ as it is reported Bucer's was Though Christian love be very extensive yet there is an order to be observed in that extent Next unto Christ his Saints must have the highest Room in our hearts and our choisest chiefest love is to be reserved for them a Jenkins on Jude Part. 1. page 133. Though a love of benevolence is not to be denied to the bad yet our love of Complacency must be set upon the good Though the Holy Ghost hath exempted none from being the Object of our Beneficence whereby our love is expressed we must do good to all yet there is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an especially put upon the houshold of faith They must have a special preferment in our affection and a preheminence in the fruits of it Galatians 5.10 b Ut ca objectâ— melius videntur quae suâ—t magis in lace posita quia lux est formale obâ—ectuÌ„ visâ—s sic illi homines magis amantur qui sunt Deo magis conjuncti quia Deus est formale propriuÌ„ objectum charitatis Dav. in Col. p. 30. Nor is it without reason that the Saints should be more loved by us than others because that which is the formall reason of love is most conspicuous in them for as those objects are best seen which are most in the light because light is the formall object of sight so those men are most to be loved who are nearest to God because God is the formall and proper object of love c Sanctior est copula cordium quà m corporuÌ„ Bed The bond of grace is more eminent than the bond of nature and d Sanctâ—ora membra sunt maâ—ori charitate amplectenda Aug. where there is the most holiness such are to be embraced with the most love thus e Beatus qui amat te amicum in te inimicum propter te Aug. Conf. lib. 4. cap. 9. page 73. Though all men are to be loved for Christs sake even enemies and wicked men yet believers are to be loved in him and happy is that man who thus expresseth his love to Christ This is a matter of such concernment and consequence among Christians that I shall crave leave to expatiate a little in venting the thoughts and desires of my heart about it And here I could wish that I had occasion to say to the Christians of this Generation as the Apostle doth to the Thessalonians 1. Thes 4.10 As touching Brotherly love you need not that I write unto you for ye your selves are taught of God to love one another and indeed you do it But alas its f A complaint of the want of love among Christians otherwise It was said of the Christians in Tertullians time g Tert. Apol. cap. 39. p. 47. Vide ut invicem se diligant See how they love one another Then there was so much love that it was Ad stuporem Gentilium To the wonder of the Gentiles but now there is so little that it is Ad pudâ—rem Christianorum To the shame of Christians We live in the last and worst days of the world 2. Timoth. 3.1 in which as our Saviour foretold Mat. 24.12 iniquity abounds and the love of many waxeth cold It was the conjecture of h Meritò primum Dei judicium fuit in aquâ contra ardoreÌ„ luxuriae ultimum vero judicium erit in igne contra teporeÌ„ charitatis Ludolph de vitâ Christi Part 2. cap. 87. one That as Gods first judgment against the old World was by Water against the heat of Lust so his last judgment upon the World that now is will be by Fire against the coldness of Love Which if true we may fear that great and terrible day is not far off seeing the hearts of men yea of good men are so cold in love one towards another Oh! my friends for the enmities and animosities the envy and strife the divisions and dissentions the hatred and wrath which have been and are among Christians themselves not only in other places but even in England a place of the greatest light and profession whereby they maligne censure reproach despise oppose bite and devour one another there are at least ought to be great searchings of heart and Oh! that my head were waters and my eyes fountains of tears to weep day and night for the want of love in the Christians of this generation towards one another Hear a little some of the complaints which have been made and not without cause about it The fire of brotherly love sayes i Wats Perfume of Love pag. 625 626. one is almost ready to go out scarce any sparks of it yet remaining among us but instead of the fire of love the wild-fire of passion rageth vehemently and is predominant Many live as if they had been born on the mountains of Bether the mountains of division and as if they had been baptized in the waters of Meribah the waters of strife Alas sayes k Baxters Saints Rest Edit 4. Part 1. p. 138. 135 133. 136. another that Turks and Pagans can agree in wickedness better than Christians in the truth that Bears and Lions Wolves and Tigers can agree together but Christians cannot that a legion of Devils can agree in one body and not the tenth part of so many Christians in one Church I read indeed in Pagan writers that Christians were as cruel as Bears and Tigers against one another Ammâ—anus Marcellinus gives it as the reason of Julians policy Am. Marcell 〈◊〉 Juliani in proclaiming liberty for every party to profess and preach their own opinions because he knew the cruell Christians would then most fiercely fall upon one another and so by liberty of conscience and by keeping their Children from the Schools of learning he thought to have rooted out Christianity from the earth But I had hoped his accusation had come from the malice of the Pagan writer little did I think to have seen it so far verified Did I ever think to have heard Christians so to reproach and scorn Christians and men professing the fear of God make so little conscience of censuring vilifying slandering and disgracing one another Lord what Devils are we unsanctified when there is yet such a nature remaining in the sanctified Such a Nature hath God in these dayes suffered to discover it self even in the godly that if he did not graciously and powerfully restrain they would shed the blood of one another and no thanks to us if it be not done It was a just charge and sad complaint made by l Hildersham on Psal 51. p. 691. a Reverend and holy man more than thirty years agoe which
of minds and friendly society Hence it is that all our Companies and Fraternities in Cities have their Guild-halls where they meet and â—â—asts likewise at certain times for the mainâ—aining of love and amicable correspondence Therefore this Sacrament was called by the Ancients Synaxis a collection gathering together or assembling the faithfull namely inâ—o thatVnity which Christ by his Merits â—urchased by his Prayer obtained and by â—is Spirit wrought in them 3. This makes that Sacrament agreeable â—o its Type the Jewish Passover which was not only a Feast of Remembrance but also a Feast of Love It was Commanded to be one whole Lamb and eaten in one Family and not to have one bone of it broken to signifie that there should be allVnity and no Schism or Rupture in the Church which is Christs Body The bread also was to be eaten without Leaven which might signifie how far they should be removed from the swelling of passion and sowreness of malice who did eat of the same unleavened-bread And the Apostle makes this application of it to Christians in reference to this Supper 1 Cor. 5.7 8. 4. The Rites in use among the Primitive Christians which were annexed to this Sacrament do clear this Their Holy Kisse Romans 16.16 which the Apostle St. Peter calls the Kisse of Charity 1 Peter 5.13 Their Love-Feasts Jude 12. which as x Caena nostra de nomine rationem sui ostendit vocatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id quod dilectio penes Graecos est Tert. Apol. cap. 39. p. 58 See Jenkins on Jude pt 2. p. 256 269 Tertullian observes carried their Nature in their Name called so to signifie and strengthen Love among Christians Their collections for the poor 1 Cor. 16.1 2. These were all in Testimony of Love and for the preservation of Charity among Christians 5. Our Saviour himself put this out of doubt for immediately before he ordained this Sacrament he gave his Disciples an Example of love in washing their feet which was for their instruction to teach them to love and condescend to one another John 13.15 You see by this that one end of the Lords Supper was for the advancement of love among Christians nor is there any sin more contrary to this Ordinance as y Non est peccatum Sacramento Eucharistiae aequè adversúm atque discordia Luth. Loci com clas 2. p. 141. Luther notes than dissention z Ushers Ser. before the Parl. on 1 Cor. 10.17 p. 8 9 p. 13. Christians therefore should remember that as oft as they come to the Lord table so oft do they enter into new bonds of peace and tie themselves with firmer knots of Love together this blessed Communion being a sacred Seal not only of the union which we have with our Head by Faith but also of our Conjunction with the other members of the body by Love And therefore it is a lamentable thing Dolendum quidem est quum nos pauci numero idem profiteamur Evangelium sacrae Coenae occasione quam praecipuum inter nos unitatis vinculum esse decebat in varias sententias distrahi Calv. Epist fol. mihi pag. 246. to behold how this Holy Sacrament which was ordained by Christ to be a bond whereby we should be knit together in unity is by Satans malice and the corruption of Mans disposition so strangely perverted the contrary way that it is made the principall occasion of that woefull distraction which we see among Christians at this day and the very fuell of endlesse strifes and contentions Beloved these things ought not so to be though so they have been and still are and Oh! that Christians would at length lay it to heart that Christs end and design in this Ordinance may be accomplished by their mutual love one to another and disappointed by their differences and dissentions Now lay all these together Christs Preaching and Prayer and Passion and appointing this Ordinance for the knitting of Christians hearts together in love and judge you whether they are not a sufficient obligation to all those who profess his Name have tasted of love from him and bear any real love to him again to see that they love one another with a pure heart fervently 1 Pet. 1.22 With the heart sincerely and unfeignedly without complement hypocrisie or dissimulation With a pure heart pure in it self being purified by faith Acts. 15.9 purified in obeying the truth through the Spirit 1 Pet. 1.21 pure in its love loving not for carnal but holy ends and seeking the soul-good of one another in the first place And all this fervently the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Leighs Crit. Sacr. Gerh. in loc p. 136. which notes both the Intention of love that it be with all the might and likewise the Extention of love that it be constant without cessation or interruption Thus should Christians love one another and that for Christs sake who hath deserved and doth expect it at our hands to whom we cannot better express our love at this distance than by loving those who stand in so near a relation to him and are placed in such vicinity to us that they may be called his Proxies to receive the fruits of our love to himself in his absence from us And therefore for a close give me leave to renew my Exhortation to you and to beseech yea conjure you in the words of the Apostle Paul to his Philippians Chapter 2. 1 2. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfill ye my joy that you be like minded having the same love bring of one accord of one minde You see it's love and unity and unanimity the Subject which I have in hand which he exhorts unto and Oh! how eloquent and emphaticall how strong and cogent is he in those arguments which he useth for the pressing of it I am perswaded sayes b Reynolds Serm. on the place page 2. one that thâ—re is scarce in all the Scripture to be found an Exhortation wherein the duties required are set on with more invincible obsecration with more melting and conquering perswasion than in these words For the uniting of the Pilippians hearts sayes c Ut Philippensium animos componeret ôquam sacro fascino usus est Ipsa suada credo si loqui posset non potuisset 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ubi quot verba tot tela quae nimirum animos nostros percellant sodicent lanâ—inent Mortoni sententia de pace procurand inter â—vangel pag. 25. another he useth a kind of holy charm and inchantment I believe Perswasion it self could not speak more perswasively where there are as many weapons as words able to work upon any heart not possest with an iron sinew Let us take a short view of his Arguments If there be any Consolation in Christ d Reynoâ—ds Ubi suâ—â—â— p. 27 c. Where is there Consolation
Author y Non satis est credere quòd Dominus Deus sit nisi credas quòd Dominus Deus tuus sit Fer. ibidem hath it a little after That it is not enough to believe that Christ is Lord and God unless we believe that Christ is Lord and our God Thus the Apostle Paul Gal. 2.20 I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me See how he applys to himself the love of Christ and the fruits of it This is so clear as the adversaries themselves cannot deny but that many choice ones have had a full and satisfying light springing in upon their souls and clearing their eternal condition to them but then they say it is by way of extraordinary revelation a speciall priviledge vouchsafed to some few of Gods choicest Worthies by a rare indulgence And yet as to the matter in hand the way and manner of the Apostles expressing themselves in this particular shews that this is not a priviledge peculiar only to a few but common to all believers I shall bring two places to prove this the one is 1 John 4.16 the other Rom. 5.5 in both which places besides their asserting the thing it self the great point of assurance in most significat tearms they speak of it in the plurall number and make mention only of common means for obtaining of it Let us consider the places In the one place sayes the Apostle John We have known and believed the love that God hath to us In the other place sayes the Apostle Paul The love of Christ is shed abroad into our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us Now both the one and the other do 1. Assert assurance John speaks of knowing the love of God and the word he useth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth z 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat veâ—e certò solide cognoscere Leighs Crit. sacr to know truly and certainly and it is a knowledge with Application We know the love that God hath to us Paul speaks of the shedding abroad the love of God which is no other than witnessing of this love to our hearts as a Dei dilectio effusa dicitur id est abundamer tâ—sâ—ata hominum animis Grot. in loc Grotius observes The sence of this love wherâ—by we perceive that we are beloved by him and tast that he is gracious as b Charitas Dei dicitur effusa in cordibus nostris quia scâ—sus illius charitatis est effasus â—eaâ—imus eâ—im â—os à Dâ—o diligi gustamus quà m bonâ—â— sâ—â—vis est Dominus Gerh. in loc Gerhard notes It is a Metaphoricall expression and can signifie nothing else than this for as c Quod largâ—tâ—r effunditur in corda noâ—tra id corda replet quod corda replet id non potest anlatere quin certissiâ—â—e sentiatur Pareâ—s in loc Pareus hath it That which is plentifully poured out into our hearts doth fill our hearts and that which doth fill our hearts cannot be hid but must certainly be perceived by us And they do 2 Expresse it in such a way as shews it to be a thing not peculiar to some few but common to many for first It is expressed plurally not I know the love of God to me as of one but we know the love of God to us as of many besides himself and The love of God is shed abroad not into my heart only but into our hearts intimating that it was not peculiar to himself but common to other believers with himself And then Secondly They both mention a common means of obtaining it John mentions faith We have known and believed that is as d Cognovimus credendo talis enimnotitia non nisi fide percipitur Calv. in loc Calvin observes We have known by believing because such a knowledge springs from faith Now though all men have not faith 2 Thes 3.2 yet all true Christians have and such a faith as is capable of improving into assurance And then Paul mentions the Holy Ghost the love of God is shed abroad into our hearts by the Holy Ghost whereby we come to know the things that are freely given us of God 1 Cor. 2.12 Now all who have reall interest in Christ are partakers of this Spirit for If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his All have him as a Sanctifier and many have him as a Sealer So that this assurance of Christs love is not so peculiar unto some nor vouchsafed to them in such an extraordinary way but that others may attain unto it Seeing therefore it hath been attained by others and is attainable by you in an ordinary way let the consideration of it quicken your endeavours after it Indeed it is not a thing which will be done Sedendo votis by sitting still and wishing for it no it will cost you labour and diligence 2 Pet. 1.10 before you come to it but think not much of a little pains to obtain that which will make such abundant recompence for the pains bestowed about it when it is obtained Content not your selves therefore with a low measure of faith but go on from faith to faith till you come from affiance to confidence so as to know the love which God hath unto you And beg beg hard the Spirit of Christ which is promised to those who ask him Luke 11.13 that you may know the things which are freely given you of God and particularly this love having it shed abroad into your hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto you 2. Such a knowledge of Christs love when attained is exceeding sweet and comfortable I confesse your future safety and happiness lyes in this that Christ loves you but your present comfort lyes in your knowing that he loves you e Robinsons Essayes p. 11. He whom God loves though he know it not is an happy man but he that knows it knows himself to be happy and that is most comfortable It 's true that the love of Christ in it self is better than Wine sweeter and more delightfull than all earthly delicates and creature-comforts whatsoever but it is not sweet to us till it be shewed and sealed manifested and assured by the kisses of his mouth which are the tokens and pledges of his love which made the Church so earnest in desiring of them Cant. 1.2 Indeed there is no comfort without it Quid est Deus nisi meus What is God if he be not mine is a true saying and what is the love of Christ to me if I have no share in it And there is but little difference as to present comfort betwixt having no share in it and not knowing whether we have or no. A condemned man that hath his pardon granted though he shall not die yet he hath little comfort in his life till he know it And though a Christian who is beloved of Christ shall not perish yet
to be a meer Ignoramus in the things of Christ and e Maxima pars eorum quae scimus est minima pars eorum quae nescimus that the greatest part of what he knows is but the least part of that which he knows not The devout Author of the Contemplations of Divine love concealed himself and set them forth under the name of Idiota and Idiot it may be from an humble apprehension of his own ignorance of that love which he wrote of But this is not to be understood as arising from any defect on the Spirits part as if he were not able to teach this love perfectly but on our part because being finite and frail creatures we are not subjects capable of receiving it fully as it is Indeed if Christ should let forth himself in the sulness of his love towards his Saints considered in their present mortal and imperfect estate they were never able to bear it but must use the language of Christ to his Spouse according to our Translation f Cant. 6.5 Turn away thine eyes from me for they have overcome me though as spoken by Christ it is otherwise interpreted by g Ainsworth in loc Expositors And therefore God is wont to reserve the fullest draught of this sweetest Wine till last to strengthen his Children against Satans assaults which are usually fiercest towards their latter end and to sweeten their passage hence which is accompanied with such admirable effects as is a further evidence of the greatness of that love from whence it proceeds which is the second Branch of the Argument 2. The present fruits and effects of what Believers do attain unto in the knowledge of Christs love are many times so great as do undoubtedly argue the love it self to be far greater If the fruits of this love be such as pass understanding this love it self must needs do so much more Quod efficit tale illud est magìs tale And yet so it is The Apostle makes mention of such things as h 1 Cor. 2.9 Malo simpliciter intelligere Dei gratias quae fidelibus quotidiè conferuntur Calv. in loc Trap. eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man prepared by the Lord for them that love him which is primarily to be understood of those Favours and Love-tokens which God bestows upon his people here that Gospel-joy and present comforts which Saints have in this life that praemium ante praemium for he reserves not all for the life to come but gives a few Grapes of Canaan in this Wilderness Thus in another place he makes mention of i Phil. 4.7 the Peace of God which passeth all understanding which Believers experience whiles they are here below to the keeping their hearts and minds as in a Garrison against all assaults And another k 1 Pet. 1.8 Apostle tells us of a joy unspeakable and full of glory which believers have from Jesus Christ and the sense of his love apprehended by faith The present peace comfort and joy of a Christian in this life is many times unspeakable and unconceivable that passeth all understanding how much more then that love which influenceth all this If there be so much in the fruit the effect the stream what is there in the root the cause the fountain Surely the love of Christ must needs be exceeding great when the shedding of it abroad into the hearts of his people by his Spirit in a little more than ordinary measure whiles they are upon earth doth so transport them into an extasie of unexpressible joy and consolation as sometimes it doth especially those discoveries of himself and manifestations of his love which he makes to some of his special Favourites towards their dissolution which I hinted before and shall here give a double instance of it in two famous Christians the one is of l M. Leighs Sermon at the Funeral of Mrs. Brettergh p. 16. 17. Mr. John Holland an eminent Minister of the Gospel in his time He the day before he dyed as often before so then more eagerly called for a Bible saying Come O come death approacheth let us gather some flowers to comfort this hour which being brought he turned with his own hands to the eight Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans and giving the Book to a stander by bid him read At the end of every Verse he made a pause and gave the sense of it Having thus continued his Meditation and Exposition for the space of two houres or more on the sudden he said O stay your reading what brightness is this I see Have you light up any Candles To which he that stood by answered No it is the Sunshine for it was about five a Clock in a clear Summers Evening Sunshine saith he nay it is my Saviours shine Now farewell World welcome Heaven the Day-star from on high hath visited my heart O speak it when I am gone and preach it at my Funeral God dealeth familiarly with Man I feel his Mercy I see his Majesty whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell God knoweth but I see things that are unutterable The other is of m This is in her life which was written by a Friend and joyned with the Sermon fore-mentioned and another Sermon upon the same occasion Mrs. Katharine Brettergh a gracious Gentlewoman of the Family of the Bruens in Cheshire She in the beginning of that Sickness whereof she dyed had a very sore conflict with Satan who prevailed so far as to bring her into great doubt and fear concerning her condition but it pleased God before her death to bruise Satan under her feet and to make her more than a Conquerour filling her with joy and peace in believing so that the joy of her heart broke out at her lips in such expressions as these Whiles her Husband read the 17th Chapter of John when he came to the ninth Verse she cryed out O Lord Jesu dost thou pray for me O blessed and sweet Saviour how wonderful how wonderful how wonderful are thy Mercies Then reading the 22d Verse with marvellous joy she uttered the words of David many times over I confess before the Lord his loving kindness and his wonderful Works before the Sons of Men for he hath satisfied my soul and filled my hungry soul with goodness When he came to the 24th Verse she said Now I perceive and feel the countenance of Christ my Redeemer is turned towards me and the bright-shining beams of his mercy spread over me And then again remembring some passages in that Chapter she said O my sweet Saviour shall I be one with thee as thou art one with thy Father and wilt thou glorifie me with that glory which thou hadst with the Father before the World was And dost thou so love me who am but dust and ashes to make me partaker of glory with Christ What am I poor wretch that thou art so mindful
and dearliest loved by us so as that when it comes to this that we cannot enjoy both to leave them and cleave unto Christ to undervalue any advantages which we may have by them in comparison of those which come by Christ and to be hardned against all their tears entreaties and offers which tend to the keeping or drawing us from His service Thus have the Saints loved Him Hierom deserves to lead the way in the instances which shall be produced for that noble resolution recorded of him in these words * Clarks lives part 1. p. 132. If my Father stood weeping on his knees before me and my Mother hanging on my neck behind me and all my Brethren Sisters Children and Kinsfolk howling on every side to retain me in a sinfull life I would fling my Mother to the ground run over my Father despise all my Kindred and tread them under my feet that I might run to Christ When †Clarks â—n â—rtyrol â—g 93 94 Saturus a nobleman in Africk was threatned by Genserick that if he would not turn Arian he should forfeit his house and goods that his Children should be sold and his Wife given to the Camel-driver his Wife hearing of her doom went to him with her garments rent her hair disheveled her Children at her heels and a sucking infant in her hands whom casting at her Husbands feet she said to him Have compassion of me thy poor Wife and of these thy Children look upon them let them not be made slaves let not me be yoked to a base marriage that which thou art required to do thou dost it not willingly but by constraint and therefore it will not be laid to thy charge But he gave her answer in the words of Job Thou speakest like a foolish Woman Thou actest the Devils part If thou lovedst thy Husband thou wouldest never seek to draw him to sin which will prove the second death I am resolved therefore as my Lord commands me to forsake Wife Children Lands House c. that I may be his Disciple Thus * Idem p. 249. George Carpenter a Bavarian Martyr said to one that came to him in prison and bad him recant his errors that he might return to his Wife and Children My Wife and my Children are so dear to me that they cannot be bought from me with all the riches and possessions of the Duke of Bavaria but for the love of my Lord God I willingly forsake them all Thus †Masons Acts of the Church p. 332. Richard Woodman an English Martyr being perswaded by the Bishop of Chichester to look to his Wife and Children answered God knoweth how dearly I love my Wife and Children in him but they are in Gods hands and I have them as if I had them not but regard the pleasing of God more than all other things * Clarks English Martyrol p. 211. A poor woman in Cornwall another Martyr in Q Maries time being bid by the Bishop to remember her Husband and Children answered I have them and I have them not whilest I was at liberty I enjoyed them but now standing here as I do in the cause of Christ and his truth where I must forsake Christ or my Husband I am content to stick to Christ only my heavenly Spouse and to renounce the other Many other such Testimonies might be produced but I shall close with that of one †Wards Life of faith in death among his Sermons p. 162. Kilian a Dutch Schoolmaster who to such as asked whether he loved not his Wife and Children answered Yes If all the world were gold and were mine to dispose of I would give it to live with them but yet my soul and Christ are dearer to me than all And thus must we love Christ if we would love Him aright when we are called to it as they were I shall conclude this branch with that notable saying of the same Author who ended the former * Fligeâ—dis est magis totum muadum habere contrariuÌ„ quà m Jâ—suâ— ossâ—â—sum 〈◊〉 oâ—â—â—bus Câ—â—â—â—â—â—â—is sâ—â— fesâ—s solus dilectus specialis Diligantur omnes propter Jesum Jâ—â—â—s aâ—â—â—em propter seipsum Solus Jesus Christus est singulariter aâ—â—â—lus qui solus bonus fidelis prae omnibus invenitur amicis A. Hemp. de Imit Christi lib. 2. cap. 8. pag. 114. It is more eligible to have the whole world against us than to have Jesus Christ offended and therefore among all that are dear unto you let him alone be your beloved in a special manner Let all others be loved for his sake but he for his own sake Jesus Christ alone is singularly to be loved who alone is found good and faithfull above all other friends Sect. 3. 3 LOve Jesus Christ plusquam te More than thy self than thy own life Above our own lives This is one of the things which our Saviour requires us to hate if we would be his Disciples indeed in the place forementioned Luke 14.26 If any man come to me and hate not besides Father and Mother c. as before even his own life he cannot be my Disciple The meaning whereof is this When we cannot preserve our life without being treacherous to Christ renouncing our profession of him and quitting our affection and service to him we must so far hate our own lives as to part with them freely upon the hardest terms rather than forsake him Every Christian is bound to love his neighbour as himself Mat. 22.39 That is * Mant. on James p. 262. pursue his good with the same heart and in the same way that he would do his own But he must love his Saviour more than himself It s true †Caryll on Job Vol. 1. p. 240. that life is a mans most precious treasure and the most excellent thing in nature which every one loves so dearly and prizeth so highly as that * Nihil quicquam est carius pensiusque nobis quam rosmet ipsi Anl. Gel. Noct. Attic lib. 12. cap. 5. mihi p. 269. nothing is more dear and precious therefore will a man part with any thing with all things for the preservation of it 'T was a great truth though the Father of lyes spake it Job 2.4 Skin for Skin yea all that a man hath will he give fâ—r his life And yet this precious life so it is called Prov. 6.26 must be neglected under valued and parted with as a sacrifice when called for on Christs behalf When a Christian is driven to this straight that life and sin or death and Christ lie before him and one cannot be avoided death with Christ is to be chosen and preferred and life with sin against Christ is to be refused with abhorrency This is Christs demand and expectation from his followers nor is there any unreasonableness in it if we consider 1 That we owe our lives to Christ who laid down his life for us Caryll on Job Vol. 1. p.
IX ANd so much for that second direction con-the Measure of your love to Câ—rist I shâ—â—l adde but one more which concerns the expressing of your love to Christ in his present distance from you 3. The third Dirâ—ction concerns the expressing of our love to Christ Expresse your love to Christ in his present distance from you by your love one towards another and towards all men according to the Apostles distribution 1 Thes 3.12 Sect. 1. By love to all men 1. A Christians love is to extend is self to all men This our Saviour intends when he bids us every one love our neighbour as our selves Mat. 22.39 Where by Neighbour we are not to understand only our own country mâ—n kindred and friends a Pareus Musc Grot. Perkins Whâ—te in loc Spanhem Dâ—b Evanâ— vol. Dâ—b 138. according to the corrupt glâ—sse of the Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 5 43. but all men to whom we may be 〈◊〉 according to Christs own sence in the Parable Luke 10.30 c. And so a Stranger nay an enemy may be our neighbour b Ham. Pract. Cat. edit 5. p. 53.40 Grot. in Luc. 10.33 Salmer in Parab Tract 16. for such were the Jews to the Samaritans c Proximus non sanguinis propinquitate sed rationis societate pensandus est in quá soccii suâ—â— omnes homines Aug. Epist 52. mihi pag. 267. There is a propinquity of nature as well as of Blood and this neighbourhood is to be esteemed according to the former and not only according to the latter d Ille cui à nobis praebendâ—m est vel à quo nobis praebendum est officium misericordiae rectè proximus deciâ—ur Aug. de doct Christiana Edit Calixt quarto lib. 1. cap. 30. So that he is rightly called our Neighbour to whom we may shew or from whom may be shâ—wn unto us any office or work of mercy e Mâ—nt on James pag. 260 261. Thus all mankind is according to the expression of Scripture our own flesh Isaiah 58.7 Our bloud Acts 17.26 And by vertue of this affinity of nature our love is to reach unto all We must do good unto all Gal. 6.10 as God himself doth whose mercies are said to be over all his works Psal 145.9 That is they are spread as â—n Expansum or Firmament over the whole Creation which he makes appear by doing good to all And according to the Rule of the Gospel we are to bear such a love to our Neighbour in this extended sence as we do to our selves we being bound to desire and endâ—avour their good by vertue of their manhood and humane nature as we would our own that is with the same heart and in the same way that we would pursue our own good we are engaged to persue theirs though not in the same measure and proportion It is a likeness of quality not of equality of kind not of degrees which our Saviour requires when he sayes Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self Thus our love is to extend it self 1. To those who are farre from us and strangers to us as well as to those who are next us Gaius is commended for his love to strangers 3 John 5. That which we do to our ownâ— for affections sake let us do to others that are strangers to us for humanities sake saith f Quod praestamus nostris per affectum praestemus alienis per humanit atatem Lact. de vero cultu lib. 6. cap. 12. â—â—hi pag. 347. Lactantius 2. To those who are bad as well as to those who are good g 〈◊〉 apere 〈…〉 ereaâ—us nemo tameâ— est à beneficâ—â—s charitaâ—â—s excludeâ—dus Fulg. Ser. de charitate p. 506. Though in this work of love some arâ— to be preferred before others yet none are to be excluded A wicked man is partaker of the humane nature and under a possibility of being made partaker of the Divine nature and therefore to be loved you were as he before conversion and God can convert him and make him as you are and therefore love him Hereby you will imitate your heavenly Father Who maketh his Sunne to rise on the good and on the bad and maketh his rain to fall on the just and on the unjust Mat. 5.45 It s true that David sayes he did hate those that hate the Lord Psal 139.21 and so will every good man but h Vir pius odit improbum sed perfecto odio perfectum autem odium est quod nec justitiâ nec scientiâ caret id est ut nec propter vitia homines oderis nec vitia propter homines diligas Dav. in Coloss p. 31. as a learned man observes He hates them with a perfect hatred now sayes he perfect hatred is that which neither wants justice nor knowledge that is so as neither to hate mens persons for their vices sake nor yet to love mens vices for their persons sake 3. To enemies as well as friends and indeed this is proper to Christianity All men will love their friends sayes i Amicos dâ—ligere omnium est inimicos autem solorum Christianorum Tert. ad Scap. Tertullian but Christians onely will love their enemies k Jenkins on Jude part 1. p. 131. To be kind to the kind argues civility to be unkind to the unkind argues corruption to be unkind to the kind argueth divelishness to be kind to the unkind argueth Christianity l Dav. in col ibid. This doth especially evidâ—nce the force and efficacy of love for as that fire is hottest which warms not onely those things which are near but also those which are at a distance so is that love the most perfect and lively wich reacheth not onely to friends but also to enemies m Robinsons Essayes pag. 145. Let therefore the grace of God herein especially triumph over our corruption that whereas by nature we would be loved of them whom we hate by grace we may love them which hate us This is a great work of grace indeed yet most necessary for all Christs Disciples for we have his command to love our enemies to bless them that curse us and to do good to them that hate us and to pray for them that despightfully use us and persecute us Mat. 5.44 besides which we have his example he loved us when we were strangers and a far off Ephes 2.12 13. yea ungodly sinners and enemies against him Romans 5.6 8 10. Colos 1.21 Now the consideration of this that we were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hatefull and hating one another and that then the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared unto us this according to the Apostles arguing Titus 3.2 3 4. should have a mighty influence upon our spirits to the melting and moulding of them into love and meekness towards all men even those who are ungodly and strangers yea enemies unto us but I
plea Thy Father did command before he died saying So shall ye say to Joseph Forgive I pray thee now the trespass of thy Brethren c. Gen. 50.16 17. When Christ took leave of his Disciples he left this as his last charge that they should love one another and let us see how he propounds and sets this home that it might take place with them John 13.34 35 You may take the rise of this Discourse from the 33 verse where he gives this sweet and kind compellation Little children and he doth it to make the easier way for what he had to propound to them As if he had said p Gerh. Harm p. 849. It becommeth obedient children to bear in continuall remembrance the words of their dying Father and it is but necessary for you who are my children to keep and carry about with you for ever fixed in your hearts this which as my dying legacy I bequeath to you of loving one another When he coms to the matter you may see how he fils his mouth with Arguments as many arguments almost as words A new commandement I give unto you that ye love one another c. You see 1. It is a commandement q Gerh. p. 852. not a bare advice and counsell which he leaves as an arbitrary matter for them either to do or not to do according to their own will and pleasure but he binds them to it by a weighty and serious command Now r Intonante divino praecepto â—on objicienduÌ„ sed obediendum Tert. When the sound of a divine precept enters into our ears we must leave off objecting and fall to obeying 2. It is a commandement of his own prescribing a commandement I give unto you s Gerh. ubi supra I who am your one and only Master Mat. 23.8 10. I to whom your audience and obedience hath been bespoken by a voice from the excellent glory Mat. 17.5 2 Pet. 1.17 I whom you own as your Lord and Master John 13.13 I command you to love one another and therefore it concerns you who are my Disciples and followers to observe me herein Again 3. It is a commandement which I give unto you as a special token and priviledge t Gurnal Christian Arm. part 2. p. 424. He was now taking his farewell of them and this was as the streakings of that milk wherewith he had fed them never dropt a sweeter discourse from his blessed lips he saved his best wine till last He was now making his last will and among other things which he bequeaths to his Disciples he takes this commandement as a Father would do his seal-ring off his finger and gives it unto them Yet this is not all for 4. He gives it them not barely as a commandement but as a new Commandement A new commandement give I unto you u Wats Perfume of Love p. 618. Which is not to be understood as if it were so new as never to have been heard of before for it it was as old as Moses written in the ancient Statutes and Records Lev. 19.18 Nay as old as Adam written in the Heart of Man by Nature as with the point of a Diamond in which respects it was an old commandment And yet new 1. Because Excellent for the Hebrews call that New Novum Hebraicâ dicitur phrasi non quia novum sed quia praestantissimuÌ„ Mald. which is Excellent Psal 33.3 a new song there is an excellent song and a new commandement here is a most excellent commandment as if he had said I have given you many commandments whiles I have been conversant with you but now I give you one which is instar omnium one instead of all one most excellent this of love Again new 2 Because renewed thus the Jews use to speak that which is renewed they call new thus Jer. 26.10 the new gate there is the gate that was but repaired and Ezek 36.26 the new heart is the renewed heart This commandement of loving one another Christ here calls a new commandment coming forth now in a new edition corrected and enlarged corrected and amended from the false glosses and corruptions of the Scribes and Pharisees and enlarged from his own example as it follows in the next words As I have loved you that ye also love one another Before it was only Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self now it is Love one another as I have loved you And yet he hath not done for 5. it is a commandment strengthend with the most forcible Motives 1. The first is in the words even now mentioned That you love one another as I have loved you This Motive is drawn from his own example his love which he hath shewed unto us and there are two things in Christs example which may engage our love one to another for from his Love towards us 1. We have the strongect Reason and ground for our love to Christians x Particula 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ponitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est quia ego vos ditexi ideò aequum est ut vos invicem diligatis Gerh. Har. p. 855. So some take this As here for Because as if the meaning were Because I have loved you it is but equal and reasonable that you should love one another Thus he propounds his own love towards us in taking our nature upon him coming in flesh living so lovingly and kindly among those with whom he conversed and at length sealing up all with his blood and death as a strong Obligation to us to love one another and so indeed it is What can be greater y Gâ—rnals Christian Armour Part 2. p. 424. What should not the love of Christ command a Christian if it were to lay down his life for the brethren would it be denied how much less when it is only to lay down our strifes and animosities and to embrace one another in love If Christ your Master and Lord your Head and your King hath thus loved you who are but Disciples Servants Members and Subjects much more ought you to love your fellow-servants members and subjects 2. We have the highest and best Rule and pattern for our love to Christians Christ by his love to us hath not only given us an Argument why but also a Direction how we should love one another and we are bound to conform to him herein He that saith he abideth in Christ ought himself also so to walk as Christ also walked 1 John 2.6 and We must walk in love as Christ also loved us sayes another Apostle Ephes 5.2 We must follow Christ in his love though we cannot do it passibus aequis We must write after his copy though we cannot make such fair Characters We must love one another as he loved us though we can never love as much as he in the same manner though we fall short in the measure z Gerh. Ub. supra p. 855. Jâ—â—â—es Schol. pract Divinity Part
and â—hall we be so disingenious as not to hearken â—o him and observe him herein Yet this is not all and therefore Sect. 4. 2. The second Motive from Christs Prayer COnsider in the next place his Prayer for it Having preached it up among his Disciples on earth in the Chapters forementioned as if he were resolved not to misse his work he sets upon praying it down from his Father in Heaven in the seventeenth Chapter which contains his excellent Prayer f Gurnall Uhi suprà p. 426. and what he insisted most upon in his Sermon that he enlargeth most upon in this Prayer Love was the charge which he laid upon them and Vnity is the blessing which he begs of his Father for them verse the eleventh Holy Father keep through thy Name those whom thou hast given me and why all this care that they may be one as we are As if he had said Father did we ever fall out was there ever discord betwixt us why then should they who are thine and miâ—â— disagree So verse the 21. and again verse the twenty third he is pleading hard for the same mercy and why so oft is it so hardly wrung from God that Christ himself musâ— tug so often for it no sure but as Christ said of the voice that came from heaven John 12.30 This voice came not because of me but for your sakes So must I say here This ingeminated zeal of Christ for his peoples unity and love was for their sakes that seeing how much his Heart was set upon their loving one another their hearts might also be more set upon it 〈◊〉 seek and pursue it and that seeing how greaâ— an enemy he was to contentions and divisions they might be scared from raising and fomenting them And doth it not concern Christians to make that the matter of their study and endeavour which Christ made the matter of his prayer did he pray for Love and Vnity for us and shall not we strive for it for our selves Oh! how sad and dismall a sight is it to behold Christians by their wrath and bitternesse against one another to make as much as in them lyes the Prayer of Christ of none effect Surely this would have some influence to the uniting of Christian hearts in love if it were more seriously pondered by them Yet this is not all The third from Christs passion for 3 Consider that he not only Preached it and Prayed for it but also Paid for it g Gurnall ibidem p 427. As he went from preaching up love on earth by his Sermon to pulling it down from heaven by Prayer so he went from praying to paying for it and the price which he laid down for it was his Blood It 's true that our Reconciliation with God and Vnion with him was the first and chief thing which he purchased for his people by his death and bloodshed bâ—t yet he had in his eye also their reconciliation and union with one another and next to that this was mainly inâ—ended by him For his Church is his House and Resting-place Psal 132.13.14 and he knew he should take but little rest if that were on fire by divisions and dissentions It is his Kingdom Psal 2.6 and how should his Laws be obeyed if all his Subjects were in an hubbub against one another In a word his Church is a people which he hath taken out of the world for his Name Acts 15.14 that is for his Honour and Glory but he would have little credit to be the Head of a wrangling divided people And therefore where he prays that they may be made perfect in one John 17.23 he insists upon this as his great Argument That the world may know that thou hast sent we Now that the knitting of Christians together in Love was one great end of Christs death is clear from Scripture take a place or two Ephes 1.10 The Apostle here shews That this was the mystery of Gods will purposed in himself from all Eternity and published by the Gospel viz. That he might gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in heaven and which are on earth even in him The meaning of which place is this h Fergus on the place That out of Christ all things are scattered and disordered the whole world is a confused Chaos and horrible confusion but in and by him by his Merit and in his Body all his Elect whether Angels or Men whe her already glorified or yet upon earth who before were separated from God and one another are recapitulated and gathered together into one as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is well rendred that is i Significat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—artes dissectas divulsas in uauÌ„ corpus conjungere ut quum oratores brevem enumerationem argumentorum texunt aut qui calculis subductis singula in unam summam revocaâ— Bez. in loc Qui dispersos in unum agmen cogit rectè dicitur cos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Grot. in loc Are made one with God by the union of Faith and one among themselves by the union of Love as k In ejus corpus coâ—lesâ—eâ—do Deo unimur inter nos mutuò fumus conjunctâ— Calv. in loc Calvin observes on the place Now this was effected by his Crosse as appears from the next Chapter where we have the matter more clâ—arly and fully proved See Ephes 2.14 15 16 For he is our peace who hath made both one c. The main and principal intendment of which words is to set forth the efficacy of Christs Mediation towards the effecting of union peace and reconciliation for the Sons of Men according as they need To this purpose l Goodwins Univers Peace-maker p. 2. 6. In the beginning of the fourteenth verse be in generall proclaims Jesus Christ to be our peace He is our peace that is the Author and Worker of our peace Then in the following words he proceeds unto those particulars in which we needed and Christ was made our peace and they are two 1. Between our selves mutually and here he instanceth in the greatest breach and enmity that ever was that betwixt Jew and Gentile this is in part of the fourteenth and the whole fifteenth verse 2. Between God and us in the sixteenth verse In the handling of these he layes down the Parts and Means of accomplishing both and observes a notable parallel therein The Parts of the Peace made among our selves Jews and Gentiles are two 1. Positive Making both one verse fourteen Making of twain one new man verse fifteen He made peace betwixt them by uniting a distant different and divided people And here you may note 1. The Nearness of the Vnion m Non ait Unum populum sed unum hominem ut arctior conjunctio significetur non tà m civium ejusdem civitatis quà m membroruÌ„ ejusdem corporis habentium unum Caput nempè Christum unam quasi a
his life will be full of trouble and his heart exceedingly tormented and disquieted if he know it not and though he go to heaven it will not be with such full sail he will not have an entrance administred so abundantly as otherwise it might f Wall None but Christ p. 52. Good and evil affect not till it be apprehended Job lamented not all his losses till a messenger related them to him nor did Jacob rejoyce that Joseph was alive till he knew it Who joyes in an inheritance fallen to him till he know it nor can we joy in Christ as a Saviour nor in his love till we know him to be our Saviour and that he hath loved us The best knowledge of the Sun is by seeing its light and feeling its influence the knowledge of Hony is by tast and the best knowledge of Christ and his love is by tasting and seeing that he is gracious Lay both these together and they may be a strong inducement to make you look after a knowledge of the love of Christ by way of Application Experience and Assurance which is the first particular Sect. 2. By way of Admiration 2. BY way of Admiration Know Jesus Christ in his love so as to admire him and it We are wont to supply the defect of our apprehensions about great and extraordinary matters with admiration now what more worthy of our admiration than Jesus Christ whose Name is wonderful Isaiah 9.6 and his Love which as the Text tells us passeth knowledge He is Wonderful in his Person and in his Works and no lesse wonderful in his Love which doth influence all his works of Wonder for our good We admire Mysteries which g MysteriuÌ„ est sacrum secretum secretam habens intelligentiaÌ„ Dav. in Col. p. 132 are holy secrets hardly understood and surely then we have reason to admire Christ to whom the great Mystery of godliness is reducible for what is it according to the Apostles account 1 Tim. 3.16 but God was manifested in the flesh justified in the Spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the world received up into Glory All which are meant whatever some have delivered to the contrary of Christ and as Hierom said of the Revelations Quot verba tot Sacramenta I may say of these words As many words so many mysteries and as many mysteries so many matters of admiration Study and meditate upon the Lord Jesus and his love as much as you can that you may have some understanding of him and it but when you have gone as farr as you can there will be still Plus ultrà The riches that are in Christ are unsearchable riches Ephes 3.8 The love that he hath manifested unto us is unknowable love the dimensions of it for height dâ—pth length aâ—d breadth are unmeasurable verse 18.19 And therefore when you are at a losse in your search stand still in holy silence and fall to admiring what you fall so infinitely short of apprehending Admire him in his Philanthropie his love to mankind in general That the eternall Son of God should set his heart upon the Sons of Men and love them them rather than the Angels them when fallen as well as the Angels when ungodly rebels and enemies that he should love them so as to leave his Glory which he had from all eternity with his Father and be made flesh for them and lead a life full of miseries and necessities and aâ— last die a shameful painful accursed death for â—hem to pay their scores to Divine Justice and to bring in everlasting Righteousness eternal Redemption and Salâ—ation for them This is strange and extraordinary love worthy â—o bâ— admired for no reason c n be given of it hâ— loveâ— us thus because he loved us and upon no â—ther aâ—count Here then is a fit place to cry out with David Psalm 8.4 Lord what is man that thou art mindful of him or the son of man that thou visitests him What is man Enosh forgetful man as h Propriè obliviscenâ—em Enosh denotare videtur Euseb De praepar Evang. l. 11. miâ—i c. 4. p. 148. Eusebius wâ—ll have it deriving it from Nashah which signifies to forget forgetful of thee and of thy benefits towards him Or rather i Homo dicitur Enosh sed demum post aeâ—umnosum conditionem autegrâ—ssae praevâ—â—catâ—â— culpâ iâ— munâ—u i roductâ—â—â— ca vox â—am homiâ—em 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inopâ—ae variae moleâ—â—ori morâ—is necâ—ssituâ— moriendi ut veâ—bo dicem adversis rebus obnoxium connotat Martinius Lexic Philol. in Praef. 〈◊〉 Sickly mortall miserable man as others who better derive it from Anash which signifies to be sick and in misery What is this man that thou shouldst be mindfull of him not so as barely to remember him but so as tâ— shew eminent care and kindnesse to him as words of memory in the hebrew language do import according to the learned k Rivet in loc Rivets observation on the place and what is the Son of Man the Son of Adam the Son of him whose originall was earth and dust as the word Adam signifies who by his Apostacy and rebellion had forfeited thy favour and love What was he that thou shouldst visit him not with a grievous but gracious visitation not to punish and destroy him as he had deserved but to redeem and save him What matchlesse admirable love was this Admire his singular special love to your souls you who are believers That when others after all this are left without the knowledge of Christ and his love he hath made it known to you by his Word and Gospel that when thousands among whom you live who hear of Christ and his love and have offers of both made unto them are left with the reins on their own necks to follow lying vanities and forsake their own mercy to refuse resist and rebel against all the offâ—rs of grace and you have hearts and natures as full of emnity and opposition against Christ as any and have manifested so much and gone on to maintain it for some time more or lesse yet the Lord hath at length turned the stream taken the stone out of your hearts overcame the resistance of your froward Spirits made you willing in the day of his power and drawn you effectually to run after him and close with him so that you are now in Christ partakers of his love having it shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto you and are under his care and keeping till you come to receive the end of your Faith the salvation of your souls to be filled with all the fulnesse of God to see him face to face whom now you see through a glasse darkly and to be for ever satitfied from that Fountain of love immediately whence you have but small snips and tastes through the Conduits of Ordinances here Is not this strange love and can any other