before his Nat. Hist confess by whom I have profited The reason of the silent Dedication foregoing made to many Friends in general without mention of any one in particular if any be inquisitive about it was this because that * The Lady Mary Lister Relict of Sir William Lister of Thornton in Craven in Yorkshire who exchanged this life for a better Aug. 14. 1664. truly honourable person to whom it was intended * Isa 57.2 was entred into peace and brought to rest in the bed of silence before I could get it published and thereby made uncapable of it but infinitely to her advantage who I verily believe was taken from studying to know the love of Christ on Earth that she might be filled with all the fulness of God in Heaven where I leave her and having given this account of my self I shall add what I have to say concerning the present work and its this It was never intended to please the captious but to profit the conscientious nor to tickle the fancies of the curious but to warm the hearts of the devout and pious and therefore I have studied * Nos qui rerum magis quà m verborum amatores utilia potiùs quà m plausibilia sectamur c. in scriptiunculis nostris non lenocinia esse volumus sed remedia c. Salv. de Gub. Dei Praes p. 2. sound matter rather than fine words and to be profitable rather than plausible So that if you are nice and delicate and seek after strong lines quaint expressions high notions and * 1 Cor. 2.4 the enticing words of mans wisdom here is not for you but if you are serious and sollicitous for savoury and wholsom Truths these I can promise you which meeting with a quick appetite and good digestion may through the blessing of God to be * John 6.63 Spirit and life to your souls And that they may be so I would advise every one of you that when you begin to read this Book you would at least send up some short Ejaculation to that God * Hos 14.8 from whom all our fruit is found that there may be a blessing in it to our selves and all others into whose hands it shall come in the attainment whereof I shall think my labour well bestowed and abundantly recompensed especially if you will gratifie with your remembrance at the Throne of Grace the unworthy Author who is Your Servant for Jesus sake PETER WILLIAMS YORK December 24. 1664. The Contents of the Book CHAP. I. Sect. 1. THe coherence of the Words Page 1 Sect. 2. The several Readings Page 2 Sect 3. The meaning of the Words Page 6 The Objections answered which are made against the sense asserted Page 10 Sect. 4. The sense of the Apostles Prayer Page 13 Three Observations raised ibid. CHAP. II. The first Observation Page 14 Sect. 1. An Introduction to the handling of it ib. The Method propounded Page 15 Sect. 2. What love is here meant in general Page 16 More particularly ibid. Sect. 3. The three first particulars Page 18 Sect. 4. The fourth particular Page 20 Sect. 5. The fift particular Page 23 Sect. 6. The sixth particular Page 25 CHAP. III. The greatness of Christs love confirmed by Arguments Page 27 Sect. 1. The first Argument ibid. Sect. 2. The second Argument Page 30 Sect. 3. The third Argument Page 34 Sect. 4. The fourth Argument Page 40 CHAP. IV. Sect. 1. The fifth Argument Page 51 Sect. 2. The sixth Argument Page 54 Sect. 3. The seventh Argument Page 61 Sect. 4. The eighth Argument Page 63 CHAP. V. The Application of the first Vse for exhortation to labour to know this love of Christ Page 67 Sect. 1. The Preface to the handling of it ibid. Sect. 2. Directions about our knowledge of Christs love 1. That it be an affectionate knowledge Page 71 Sect. 3. The first Branch of the first Direction That it be a knowledge accompanied with love to Christ Page 73 CHAP. VI. Reasons why we should love Christ Page 75 Sect. 1. The first Reason ibid. Sect. 2. The second Reason Page 78 Sect. 3. The third Reason Page 88 Sect. 4. The fourth Reason Page 98 CHAP. VII Rules for our love to Christ Page 103 Sect. 1. The first Rule about the Manner ib. Sect. 2. The first Branch of the first Rule That it be sincere Four Characters of sincere love Page 106 Sect. 3. The second Branch of the first Rule That it be stedfast and constant Wherein this constancy appears Page 112 CHAP. VIII Tbe second Rule The Measure Page 113 Sect. 1. Christ to be loved above enjoyment Page 114 Sect. 2. Christ to be loved above Relations Page 118 An Objection answered ibid. Sect. 3. Christ to be loved above our lives Page 125 Sect. 4. Objections answered Page 134 CHAP. IX The third Rule about expressing our love to Christ Page 145 Sect. 1. By love to all men Page 146 Sect. 2. By love to the Saints especially Page 149 Sect. 3. Mutual love commanded by Christ Page 157 Sect. 4. Christs Prayer for it Page 165 Sect. 5. One main end of instituting the great Ordinance of the Supper Page 172 CHAP. X. The second Branch of the first Direction Let your love run to him by desire and rest on him by delight Page 182 Sect. 1. Desire after Christ ibid. Sect. 2. Rest on him by delight Page 185 Sect. 3. Let trust and fear be attendants Page 191 Sect. 4. Objections answered Page 194 Sect. 5. Objections answered Page 199 CHAP. XI The second Direction about our knowledge of Christs love That it be an effectual knowledge Page 201 Sect. 1. By way of Application with experience and assurance to our selves Page 201 Sect. 2. By way of Admiration Page 208 Sect. 3. By way of Gratulation Page 213 Sect. 4. By way of Obligation Page 216 CHAP. XII The third Direction That it be a progressive knowledge Page 232 Sect. 1. In respect of our selves Page 233 Sect. 2. In respect of others Page 241 CHAP. XIII General motives to know this love of Christ Page 246 Sect. 1. The double evidence that it carries with it Page 247 Sect. 2. The influence it hath Page 251 Sect. 3. A Question answered Page 255 Sect. 4. The second Vse for Caution Page 264 Sect. 5. The last Vse for consolation Page 271 The transcendency Of CHRISTS Love towards the Children of Men. EPHES. 3.19 The former part of the Verse And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge CHAP I. Sect. 1. THese words are a branch of the Apostles Prayer for the Ephesians The coherence of the Text with the Verses foregoing begun at the fourteenth Verse and reaching to the end of the Chapter made indeed upon design but a holy and good one viz. To prevent their fainting at his present tribulations for the Gospel v. 13.14 I desire that you faint not at my tribulations for you which is your glory For this cause I bow my knees unto the
indeed Christians should in their prayers and desires be reaching after that both in respect of grace and comfort for themselves and others which they shall not fully enjoy till they come to heaven Thus Paul for himself reached after such a measure of holiness as the Saints shall have at the resurrection of the dead k Phil. 4.11 That perfection of holiness that acâ—ompanieth the estate of the resurrection Trap. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead And thus he prayes here for these Ephesians That they might know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge and be filled with all the fulness of God Sect. 4. BY this time I hope you perceive the Apostles meaning He prayes The sense of the Apostles Prayer that these Ephesians might know that is know more with more clearness certainty experience and assurance of the love of Christ that singular eminent excellent love which yet in it self is so great that it is without the reach of humane understanding even that which is most sanctified to comprehend it fully in the dimensions of it Having given you this account of the words The Observations raised the Observations which I might draw from them are three That the love of Jesus Christ to mankind is an exceeding great and incomprehensible love 1. It is called love passing knowledge The knowledge of this love and improvement therein ought to be the study of every Christian in this life 2. The Apostle prayes for it as that which they should long and labour after for themselves Acquaintance with Jesus Christ in the greatness of his love is an excellent help to stedfastness in the profession of the Gospel amidst all the difficulties and discouragements of the world 3. That is the ground of his prayer It is the first of these which I mainly intend yet in the handling of this I shall have occasion to speak something of the other two CHAP II. The Point then is this THat the love of Jesus Christ which he hath shewed to the Children men Doct. is an exceeding great and incomprehensible love A love that passeth knowledge Sect. 1. An Introduction to the handling of the Doctrine THE very first letter of his Name is wonderful Isa 9.6 and he is as wonderful in his love as in any thing else This is the Golden Mine in the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2.10 There are unsearchable riches in Christ Eph. 3.8 and this is the vein that runs through all these riches The Apostle calls Godliness a mystery a great mystery 1 Tim. 3.16 and this love of Christ is the golden string that runs through all these mysteries and on which they hang together l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ultimus scopus aedeoque centrum Scripturae ad quod omnia referuntur est Christus Jesus Gech Exeg de Sacr. Scrip. p. 27. As Christ is the Center of the whole Scripture so the love of Christ is the Center of all that vast circumference of good things which poor Christians have or hope for by him A love as far beyond the thoughts and understandings of men to comprehend as it is beyond their merits to deserve so that in handling hereof I may say as a m Chrysost as he is cited by Mr. Trap on the Text. Father doth upon the same subject I am like a man digging in a deep Spring I stand here and the water riseth upon me I stand there and the water still riseth upon me and no hopes of ever fathoming this Abysse of love But if you say Why then do you take such a subject in hand I answer Though we can never know it all yet we may and must grow in the knowledge of this love of Christ and dive into this Sea that hath neither bank nor bottome and where as in the Salt Waters the deeper the sweeter So that the mysterious depth and unsearchableness of this love is no Supersedeas to our studying and preaching nor to your hearing and learning of it We cannot preach Christ but we must preach love for he is Love you must give us leave therefore to speak of it though we do but balbutire stammer it out for we can do no more we can tell you that it is exceeding great though how great it is we cannot tell only because it passeth knowledge you cannot think we speak too highly of it for n Christus non patitur Hyperbolen Christ admits of no Hyperbole and if we speak not all you cannot blame us for who can declare it neither Men nor Angels And yet in speaking and hearing of it we may say It is good to be here that when we cannot comprehend this love of Christ we may be comprehended by it which is worth our labour In the prosecution of this point The Method propounded I shall shew you what love I mean and give you arguments of its incomprehensibleness and so apply it Sect. 2. What love here meant In general TO shew you what love I mean I told you it was the love of Christ before and I mean in general his Redeeming love that love which he hath manifested and magnified in the redemption and salvation of sinners which work lay mainly on the hands of Christ as to the management and accomplishment of it a work appointed and undertaken on purpose to magnifie love and grace as the work of Creation was to magnifie power which it doth in an unspeakable and unconceivable manner More particularly In particular 1. I mean that love of the Lord Jesus whereby when from all eternity he was the darling and delight of his Father o Prov. 8.30 ever by him as one brought up with him and was daily his delight v. 31. rejoycing alway before him yet even then his delights were the Sons of Men. p Hoc tamèn foelicissimo non abstante quem apud patrem fruebar statu sic filiis hominum delector ut cum iis versari lubet benedictiones omni genere communicare Cartwright in loc Notwithstanding his most blessed condition with his Father yet so great was his Philanthropie his love to mankind that he was so delighted in us as to be willing to converse with us and communicate all kind of blessings to us 2. That love whereby he so freely and readily undertook the great and costly work of fallen mans recovery that when man could not help himself and all the Angels in Heaven were not able to administer sufficient help for his restoration but mans redemption had ceased for ever in respect of any possible assistance from the creature to advance and effect it then he willingly submitted to it q Psal 40.6 7. 8. Heb. 10.5 6 7. that when sacrifice and offering burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin would not do then he said Lo I come to do thy will O God Yea it was his delight to do this will of God in saving
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.
dust of the Earth in a measure and weigh the Mountains in scales and the Hills in a ballance as the Prophet speaks Study it we may and must make it the chief of our studies to know it experimentally and savingly but yet after our most diligent study and the highest knowledge of it which we can attain unto in this life we must sit down content with that learned mans Motto in reference to Science in general z QuantuÌ„ est quod nescimus Quo magis studiis incumbimus eo magis nos vidâ—mus quòd nihil sciamus Bever Epistol Quest de Ter. vitae p. 86. How much is there which we know not and say as Father Paul of Venice was wont to say The more we study it the more we see how little or nothing we understand of it Even Agur himself though a very wise man yet in his own thoughts in respect of the knowledge of God and Christ was but at the first beginning of his Catechism a Prov. 30.4 What is his Name and what is his Sons Name But to shut up this As soon may a man find out God who is unsearchable as find out the love of Christ to perfection for God is love and Christ is God and his love like himself infinite That 's the first Sect. 2. MY next Argument shall be formed out of Christs own words Joh. 15.9 As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you From whence I thus argue If Christ hath loved us as his Father loved him then his love is exceeding great and incomprehensible But Christ hath loved us as his Father loved him Therefore c. The Minor is proved from the place forementioned which will strongly conclude that which I bring it for There is no doubt but as the Father is Fons Deitatis the Fountain of the Deity so he is Fons amoris the Fountain of love and as he is the Fountain of love surely he lets out the largest measures of love upon Jesus Christ b Omnia diligit Deus quae fecit inter ea magis diligit creaturas rationales in illis eas ampliùs quae sunt mâ—mbra â—nigeniti sui multo magis ipsum â—nigenitum Gerh. loc com Exeges p. 295. ex Augustin God loves all he made especially rational creatures more especially believers but above all his only begotten Son Pater diligit filium secundum utramque ejus naturam quia secundum naturam divinam diligit cum tà m perfectè fervidè sicut seipsum viz. amore immenso secundum naturam verò assumptam diligit eum amore praecipuo magis viz. quà m cuncta simùl creata Dion Carth. in loc mihi p. 854. The Father loves the Son according to both his natures according to his divine nature he loves him so perfectly and ardently as himself that is with an unmeasurable love according to his humane nature he loveth him with a principal love above all the creatures besides Now Christ sayes here that he hath loved us as his Father loved him which questionless is in a most transcendent manner I know there are that expound this Scripture to another sense which must not pass without some consideration that it may not prejudice the conclusion which I would draw from it c Unum comparationis membruÌ„ Sicut dilexit me pater ego vos dilexi alterum verò Manâ—te in dilectione meâ Mald. Maldonate would have the words to run thus As the Father hath loved me and I have loved you so continue in my love taking love in the last clause for that love by which we love Christ and the two former branches for a double Argument to urge continuance in that love as if the meaning were d Discipulos ad di igendum se hortatur idque duas ob causas alteram quòd se quoque pater diligat aequum sit ut illi diligant quem pater tantoperè dilexit alteram quòd ipse quoquè eos diligat ità rec procum eos sibi amorem debere Idem Continue in your love to me because my Father loveth me and it is but equal that you should love him whom the Father loves so much and likewise because I have loved you and therefore you ought to love me again But he confesseth e Omnes quos legerim interpretes existimant comparationem Christum non nisi inter se patrem facere Idem that all the Interpreters which he had read do take the comparison to lie betwixt the love of the Father to himself and his love to his Disciples and I shall not follow him in his singularity when the commâ—nly received sense is so clear and plain Nor is love in the last clause to be taken for that love which believers bear to Christ as he would have it but for that love which Christ bears to them 1. The very words sound to this sense for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Beza well translates Manete in illâ meâ charitate Continue in that my love f In charitate quâ ego vos prosequor Bez. in loc Vide plura in Gerh. Harmon in loc p. 1008. which I bear towards you as he expounds it 2. Besides this best agrees with that which goes before and that which comes after Immediately before he mentions his love to them and therefore this cannot well be expounded to any other sense than their taking care for to demean themselves as that they may continue in the experience of his love towards them And immediately after he compares his Fathers love and his own again v. 10. and prescribes them the same means for abiding in his love which himself used for abiding in his Fathers love viz. Obedience Now as the Fathers love signifies his Fathers love to him in one part of the verse so Christs love in the other part signifies his love to them It appearing then by these considerations that Christs love to them is here meant the Argument which he useth for their continuing in his love is drawn from the greatness of it in respect whereof it would be not only their duty but their priviledge to continue in it â—â—d the greatness of this love he sets forth by way of comparison which because he could not find on earth for as to any humane comparison it is altogether matchless as I shall shew you more afterwards he fetcheth one from heaven and sayes he loved them as his Father loved him and that must needs be with an exceeding great and incomprehensible love So Interpreters generally expound it a taste whereof I shall give you in the words of some of them g Sicut impensè infinitè me dilexit pater sic ego vos impensè insinite diligo Cart. Har. Metaphr in loc p. 927. As my Father hath loved me greatly and infinitely so do I love you greatly and infinitely thus doth Mr. Cartwright paraphrase it h Significat non vulgareÌ„ dilectionem
last We may please our selves and it may be those that hear us too by preaching other things but we shall not save our selves and those that hear us unless we preâ—ch Jesus Christ We are but Prevaricators in our office if Jesus Christ be not the Vnum Magnum nay the Vnum Maximum in our Ministry This is also the great business of every Christian for himself to know Jesus Christ our life depends upon it according to our Saviours own words Joh. 17.3 This is life eternal to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent For the excellency of this knowledge the Apostle Paul counted all things but dross and dung Phil. 3.8 This is the one thing necessary without which all a mans other knowledge will but hasten and heighten his condemnation Si Christum discis nihil est si caetera nescis Si Christum nescis nihil est si caetera discis Englished thus If Christ thou know it will suffice Though else thou knowest naught If Christ be hid thou art not wise Though all else thou be taught Now the love of Christ is the main matter to be studied and known by every one who would study and know Jesus Christ and indeed we cannot miss of love in the study and knowledge of Christ for Christ is love His Name his Natures his Offices his Doctrine his Life his Death his Priviledges his Ordinances his All have a deep tincture of love in them and this love is to be known and that it may be known to be studied by us by all of us even the best of us If you say We hear this often enough Object and know this well enough I answer * Nunquà m satis dicitur quod nunquà m satis discitur That is never said enough Answ which is never learned enough And though you know the love of Christ do you know it as you ought to know it If you do not you must go over it again that you may know it better and you do not know Christ as you ought nor his love as you ought until you have him and it by heart You who know most and best are yet to seek you know but in part there are all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge hid in Christ Col. 2.3 unsearchable riches Ephes 3.8 which can never be traced and found out You may be all your time searching and digging into them and yet though you should live never so long not come to the bottome at last but must breath out your soules with an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the conclusion oh the depth for this is a love which passeth knowledge Object If you say that it is an heartless hopeless work which I put you upon when I bid you study to know the love of Christ seeing it passeth knowledge Answ I Answer That it 's true the love of Christ is such as passeth knowledge the riches of Christ are unsearchable riches but yet the unsearchable riches of Christ should not make us idle but active in digging and searching them out as far as we can the unknowable love of Christ should not deaden and straiten but quicken and enlarge our appetite to endeavour after as full a knowledge as we may What wise man will stand still or go back because he cannot finish his journey in a day Will not men dig for Gold because they cannot get to the bottome of the Mine And shall we refuse to know as much as we can of this love of Christ because we cannot comprehend as much as there is Far be it from any of us to cherish any such thought for the checking whereof consider 1. That you may know enough of Christ and his love to serve for your souls salvation which its your great interest to mind and look after as the great end of your being 2. You shall not need fear to be cloyed and glutted in the study of this love Varietas delectat variety delights and there is so much variety in this one subject the love of Christ as renders the study of it very delectable 3. The deeper you go in this love of Christ the sweeter yea if as * Plut. Moral Tom. 2. Lat. 8. mihi p. 117. Plutarch notes Eudoxus was content to be burnt up by the Sun if he might have liberty first to stand so near as to learn the figure magnitude and form of a Star how much more and better should a Christian be content to enter upon and proceed in the search study knowledge and understanding of this love of Christ till he be at last swallowed up of that which he is never able fully to comprehend Sect. 2. IN the prosecution of this Exhortation I shall do these two things 1. I shall direct your knowledge that you may not mistake about it 2. I shall excite you to it by the encouragements which the Apostle layes down about the Text that you be not disheartned so as to decline your duty in this particular By way of Direction which is needful 1. Directions about our knowing the love of Christ for all knowledge of the love of Christ is not sufficient and saving there is a general notional speculative historical knowledge which will be prejudicial and not profitable in the end though this be good as far as it goes yet where there is no more it is not sufficient Those who know the love of Christ in the notion only for Discourse sake or for a Professions sake only will fall as short of Heaven as the most ignorant person yea those who know the love of Christ no better than thus will but descend the more learnedly into Hell and incurre the more severe condemnation Now that you may not mistake here nor miscarry hereafter in this business of knowing the love of Christ I shall direct you to mind the qualifications of your knowledge and I shall mention three Direction 1. That it be affectionate knowledge 1. Look that your knowledge of the love of Christ be Cognitio affectiva an affectionate knowledge let it not swimme in your heads only by empty Notions but sink down into your hearts in sweet savoury warming and lively affections towards him And Sect. 2. 1. SEE that you have such a knowledge of Christ and his love The first Branch of the first Direction That it be a knowledge accompanied with love as is accompanied with love to him True love is grounded in knowledge and true knowledge hath love built upon it Though your heads be never so full of the knowledge of Christ yet if your hearts be not also full of love to him it will neither be acceptable to Christ nor profitable to your selves The Apostle tells us how little the understanding of all mysteries and all knowledge will profit a man without love 1 Cor. 13. for as the t Multa scilicâ—t laudabilia atque admiranda possunt in homine reperiri quae sine
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
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
wherewith the Saints are inflamed is such as cannot be quenched with any calamities or persecutions whatsoever Thus Mercer takes it o Persecutiones possumus â—ccipere adversatorum terrorem minas ne hae quidem amorem Ecclesiae in Christum extiguere possint minùs bland tâ—ae illecebrae Merc. in loc By Waters and Floods sayes he we may understand Persecutions and the terrour and threats of Adversaries even these cannot quench the love of the Church to Christ how much less can flatteries and allurements do it To this purpose is that of the Apostle Rom. 8.35 ad fin What shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or Sword c. I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor thingt to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I know these words are generally taken by p Grot. Vorst Calv. Bez. Eras Pareus Pisc Expositors for that love with which the Lord loveth us yet some of the q Ambros Ansel Theoph. Ancients take them for that love which we have towards him And r Nec inepta nec impia est sententia Pet. Mart. in loc Peter Martyr though he follow it not sayes it is no ill or unfit sense I think Deodat doth well who takes in both senses What grief or calamity can make us doubt that Christ hath withdrawn his love from us and make us cease loving him So he and the Commentators forementioned on that place in the Canticles do make this Scripture parallel with that And it is a great truth that as none of these things can make Christ cease loving those whom he hath once loved so neither can they make a Christian cease loving of Christ whose heart is sincerely pitch'd upon him in a way of love It is every ones duty Å¿ Qui non est paratus omnia pati ad voluntateÌ„ stare dilecti non est dignus amatoâ— appellari Opoâ—tet amantem omnia dura amara propter dilectuÌ„ lib nâ—èr amplecti nec ob contraria accidâ—ntia ab eo deflecti A Kempis de Imit Christi lib. 3. cap. 5. p. 152. He who is not ready to suffer all things and to stand to the will of his beloved is not worthy to bear the name of a lover It becomes him who loves to embrace willingly all hard and bitter things for his sake whom he loves nor for all contrary occurrences to be turned aside from him And it is the property of every upright Christian This hath been verified in the whole noble Army of Martyrs in all Ages who have with the strongest resolution and most invincible stedfastness entertained all the threats and torments of their enemies rather than deny Christ or be separated from his love Upon this account they have been tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection Others had tryal of cruel mockings and scourgings yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment They were stoned they were sawn asunder were tempted were slain with the Sword they wandred about in sheep-skins and goat-skins being destitute afflicted and tormented as you have it Heb. 11.35 36 37. Thus the t Nec retardali estis ab aâ—itormentorum metused ipsis tormentis magis estis ad aciem provocati sortes stabiles ad maximi certaminis praelium prompta devotione prodistis Cypr. Epist 9. Father speaks of the Martyrs and Confessors in his time as good Souldiers of Jesus Christ That they were not retarded from the battel by fear of torments but were more provoked to the battel by those very torments coming forth strong and stedfast with ready devotion to that battel which had the greatest conflict u Ita animati ut incorruptam fidei firmitâ—tem non blanditiae decipiant non minae terreant non cruciatus ac tormenta devincant Nec plus ad dejiciendum potest terrena poena quam ad erigendum tutela diviua Nor did flatteries deceive nor threats terrifie nor pains and torments overcome the incorrupt firmness of their faith which wrought by love as true faith doth Gal. 5.6 Nor was any earthly punishment more able to cast them down than Divine protection was to raise them up w Tolerâstis usque ad consummationem gloriae durissimam quaestionem nec cessistis suppliciis sed vobis potiùs supplicia cesserunt Idem ibid. Steterunt torti torquentibus fortiores pulsantes ac laniantes ungulas pulsata ac laniata membra vicerunt Inexpugnabilem fidem superare non potuit diu saeviens plaga repetita quamvis rupta compage visâ—crum torquerentur in servis Dei jam non membra sed vulnera Idem ibid. They endured the most grievous Inquisition to the consummation of their glory nor did they yield unto punishments but punishments rather yielded unto them And a little after The tormented stood stronger than their tormentors their beaten and torn members overcame those instruments of cruelty wherewith they were beaten and torn Cruel stripes of long continuance and often renewed could not overcome their impregnable faith no not though their very bowels were digged out and not so much the members as the wounds of the servants of God were tormented In another place having written to some Martyrs they return him an answer wherein among other things they tell him x Hostes veritatis non tantum non perhoâ—rescimus sed provocamus inimicos Dei jam hoc ipso quòd non câ—ssimus vicimus Epist 26. inter Cypr. Epist Now we are not only not afraid of the enemies of the Truth but we provoke them and in this very thing that we yield not to the enemies of God we overcame them And a little before they tell him That it was the Trumpet of the Gospel which animated them to this combat And among other places these are two there mentioned which gave them great encouragement He that loveth Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me Mat. 10.37 and that fore-cited Rom. 8.35 c. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ c. It was their love to Christ which made them invincible in all their sufferings for Christ and this was an evidence of the truth and rightness of it that it was stedfast and invincible I might give you innumerable instances of this as many Martyrs so many instances I shall content my self with naming two or three Ignatius whose heart was enflamed with love to Christ as I hinted before kept this fire in amidst the waters and floods of Persecution which he met with Hear what he sayes whiles he was a Prisoner a little before his suffering y 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ignat. Epist ad Roman Edit Usser mihi p. 86. Now I begin to be a Disciple I care for
one notes Whatsoever thou keepest by impiety thou most certainly losest but that which thou losest in the way of Godliness thou most certainly preservest 3. All that love the Lord Jesus in sincerity do love him above themselves and their own lives Thus the Apostle Paul in his Farewell Sermon to the Church of Ephesus Acts 20.22 23 24. And now behold I go bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem not knowing the things that shall befall me there Save that the holy Ghost witnesseth in every City saying that bonds and afflictions abide me But none of these things move me neither count I my life dear unto my self so that I might finish my course with joy and the Ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus Neither count I my life dear unto my self * Tantum abest vincula metuam ne moâ—tem quidem defugio Hebraeis praetiosam habere vitam dicitur qui ei parcit 2 Reg 1.13 14. contra nullo pretio babere qui noâ— parcit Ezec. 36.5 Grot. in loc I am so far from fearing bonds that I avoid not death it self There is an Hebraism in the words for according to that dialect he is said to count his life dear who spares it and he counts is not dear who doth not spare it as Grotius observes †Turpe est caeco vivendi amore sic nos teneri ut propter vitam perdamus vivendi causas Neque enim simplicitèr vitaÌ„ naÌ„ pro â—ihilo ducit sed ejus respectum obliviscitur ut cursum suum absolâ—at ministerium suum compleat quod à Christo accepit Calv. iâ— loc Nor doth he simply make nothing of his life but only forgets his respect of it in reference to the honour and service of Jesus Christ in the Ministry of the Gospell and the finishing his own course with joy and indeed it is a base thing for a man to be so in love with life as for it to lose the ends of his being it was otherwise with our Apostle who counted not his very life dear to himself Again in the very next chapter Acts 21.13 when Agabus had foretold the danger that would attend him upon his going to Jerusalem and friends disswaded him from going thither he answered What mean you to weep and break my heart I am ready not onely to be bound but to die also at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus * Ecce verè strenuus miles ardens amatâ—r sorâ—ts pagnator impâ—rterritus praeâ—a quem nihil seperare potest á charitate Dâ—i quae est in Christo Jesu Domino nostro Lorin in loc é Carthus behold a truely stout souldier an ardent Lover a valiant Champion an undoubted Preacher whom nothing can seperate from thâ— love of God w ch is in Christ Jâ—sus our Lord †Suo responso declarat Paulus non nisi mortis contemptu pâ—â—â—â—os fore Chr sti servos ad praestandum efficium nec probè unquam animateâ—â—ore ad vivendum Domino nisi qui vitam suam pro testimonio verâ—tatis libenter deponat Calv. in loc By which answer Paul declares that the servants of Christ will never be ready to perform their duty but by the contempt of death nor will they ever be well animated to live unto the Lord unlesse they will freely lay down their life for the testimony of the Truth Thus it is said of the faithfull ones in Rev. 12.11 That they loved not their lives to the death that is * Mede in loc They valued their life at nothing or spent it freely for Christ as Mr. Mede expounds it †Brightman in loc They loved not their lives unto the death more than God or they neglected or contemned them that is in respect of the Truth as Mr. Brightman hath it * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dr. Tâ—o Taylor in loc pag. 618. They slighted dispised their lives and rather exposed them to hazard and losse than to be removed from their holy profession as Dr. Taylor notes †Semetipsos parvi duxerunt pro Christo etiam instantemortis periculo Grot. They set themselves at a low rate for Christ even when they were in present danger of death so Grotius * Non dilexerunt vitam suam magis quà m mortem pro Christi gloriâ oppetendam Par. in loc They loved not their life more than suffering death for the Glory of Christ so Pareus The meaning is They loved not their lives so farre as to avoid death for Christs sake but freely ventured and laid down their lives and suffered death it self in witnessing to the Truth of the Gospell and professing the Name of Christ Thus have the Martyrs in all ages loved Christ who have offered up their lives as a sacrifice for Christ not onely with patient submission but also with earnest desire yea with stedfast resolution to offer them up all though they had never so many A Noble Gentleman in the persecution of the Church of Christ in the Valtoline †Clarks Gen. Martyr p. 327. as my Author reports being threatned with death unless he would abjure his Faith answered God for bid that to save this temporall life I should deny my Lord Jesus Christ who with his precious blood upon the Crosse redeemed me at so dear a rate and having so long freely and publickly professed him should now hazard the losse of eternal life to which I was elected before the foundation of the World I say God forbid whereupon they murthered him †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ign. Epist ad Rom. Edict Usser mihi p. 86. Oh that I were with the wilde beasts which are prepared for me said Ignatius I would allure them to make a quick dispatch of me and if they would not I would provoke them Sulpitius Severus in his History writing concerning the persecution in the time of Diocletian and Maximinian hath this observation of the Christians readinesse to suffer death for Christs sake * Certatim gloriosa in certamina â—uebatur multoque avidiùs tum Martyria gloriosis mortibus quaerebantur quà m nunc Episcopatus pravis ambitionibus appetuntur Sulpit. Ser. Hist sacr lib. 2. p. 385. They rushed sayes he with strife and emulation into those glorious conflicts and much more greedily were Martyrdoms soughâ—â—y glorious deaths than Bishopricks now are coveted with corrupt ambitions And Georgius †Memorabilis Eusebii locus quem quisque Christianus scire debet Quo tempore de hâc persecutione loquitur mirandam supra modum alacritatem vimque reverà divinam singularem animi propensionem eorum qui in Christum crediderunt intuebamur Simulatque enim sententia contra priores pronuntiata fuit alii aliundè ad tribunal judicis prosilierunt seque Christianos confiteri acerbitates multiplicia tormenta pro nihilo ducere absque metu terrore pro religione loqui cum gaudio denique risu laetitiâ postremam mortis sententiam
1. in his Treat of Christs fulness p. 226. And here there are these things in which our love of Christians should be conformable to Christs love towards us 1. The love of Jesus Christ towards us was a free love he loved us when we deserved it not without consulting his own profit or advantage but only minding our salvation and hereby he hath taught us to love one another freely not respecting our own profit but the will and command of God paying it as a debt not to purchase some benefit to our selves thereby not loâ—king at our own things herein but at the things of others the good and benefit of those whom we love more than our own 1 Cor. 10.24 Philippi 2.4 2. The love of Jesus Christ towards us was a true and reall love he did not feign and câ—unterfeit a love to us but did truly love us it was not complementall but cordiall it was not verball but reall He went about doing good and suffering evil for our sakes all his life long Acts 10.38 Heb. 12.3 and then gave himself for us his blood his life out of his great love to us Ephes 5.2 and hereby he hath taught us to love one another sincerely and really without dissimulation Romans 12.9 unfeignedly 1 Peter 1.22 not in word and in tongue only but in deed and in truth also 1 John 3.18 There must be a work and labor in our love 1 Thes 1.3 Heb. 6.10 so as that we must perform all offices of love and kindness to the Saints Our love towards them must be expressed by sympathizing with them in all conditions Rejoycing with them that do rejoyce and weeping with them that weep Rom. 12.15 Distributing to the necessities of them that want as we are able and opportunity is offered to us Rom. 12.13 Gal. 6.10 1 John 3.17 James 2.15.16 Bearing with them in their infirmities Gal. 6.2 Forbearing of them and forgiving of them when they offend us Ephes 4.32 Col. 3.12 13. Yea laying down our lives for the brethren as the case may be and need sometimes requires 1 John 3.16 Rom. 16.3 4 Phil. 2.17 18. We must not count our very lives too dear for the brethren a Cotton upon John p. 262. Roberts Bel. Evid p. 232. when the laying of them down may be serviceable to the glory of God and the good of his Church and the sparing of them would be prejudicial both wayes 3. The love of Jesus Christ towards us was a constant love Having loved his own which were in the world he loved them to the end John 13.1 Whom Jesus Christ once loves he loves for ever nor do the unkindnesses of his Children tire him out and make him cease loving of them They may make him hide his face from them but not set his heart against them b Herberts Poems The Bag. p. 145. Storms are the triumph of his art Well may he close his eyes but not his heart Now hereby he teacheth us to be constant in our love one to another to continue and persevere in our love to the end Heb. 13.1 yea to abound and increase more and more as the Apostle prayes 1 Thes 3.12 Our love of the Brethren should be perpetual and not be altered interrupted and abated by their petty unkindnesses much lesse by the greatest and most miserable change of their outward condition Proverbs 17.17 Thus have we from the love of Christ both a Reason and a Rule for our love to one another and by both a strong obligation thereunto 2. The second Motive it laid down in the 35. verse By this shall all men know that you are my Disciples if you have love one to another This is the grand Character of Christianity without which all our profession will come to nothing There is a great Emphasis in the words which tends to the stronger enforcing of that which he brings it for c Gerh. Harm p. 856. Dr. Pierce Sermon on the place mihi p. 405. He doth not say Hereby you shall be my Disciples but hereby it shall be known for we are made Disciples by faith but manifested to be so by love Nor doth he say hereby I shall know that you are my Disciples for he knew all men and needed not that any should testifie concerning man John 2.24.25 Nor doth he say hereby you shall know that you are my Disciples though that be true 1 John 3.14 but hereby others shall know Nor doth he say hereby they shall ghesse and conjecture but hereby they shall know as by a sure and infallible sign Nor doth he say hereby your Discipleship shall be known as a special secret to very few but as the Sun in his Meridian all men shall know it Nor doth he say that all men shall know that you are my Servants and brethren but my Disciples whiles you observe my precepts and follow my example as Disciples should do Nor doth he say that hereby all men shall know that you seem to be my Disciples in a disguise but that you are so without a fiction Lastly he doth not say your Discipleship shall be known by the assembling your selves in the house of Prayer your crying Lord Lord your shewing signs and wonders working miracles or casting out Devils in my Name your being Orthodox in judgment and jumping together in your opinions but by this it shall be known as a Token which never failes If you have love one to another So that this is the Badge of Christianity and Character of every true Christian to love one another d Charitas est quaed im forma informans alias virtutes adeò ut aliae sine charitate informes sint virtutum quasi simulachra Rolloc in Col. 3.14 without which all our Profession Priviledges and Performances are nothing in the account of Christ. One would think our Saviour had by this time said enough to engage all Christians to love one another but he hath not yet done and therefore if you passe on to the fifteenth Chapter you will find him go over it again and again In the twelfth verse sayes he This is my Commandment that you love one another as I have loved you e Gurnals Christian Arm. Part 2. p. 425. As if he would signifie to them that as he had one Disciple who went by the Name of the Disciple whom Jesus loved So he would have a darling Commandment in which he takes some singular delight and that this should be it viz. Their loving one another And for a Conclusion â—e goes over it again in the seventeenth verse These things I command you that you love one â—nother intimating that this one thing was â—ll things all that ever he had spoken to them â—nd given them in charge were either comâ—rehended in this or to be referred to it Thus â—ur Saviour enjoyned and enforced this duty of â—ove among Christians this was his Doctrine which he preached to and pressed upon his Disciples and in them upon our selves
but in and by Christ who is called the Consolation of Israel Luke 2.25 and wherein stands this Consolation by him but in being our Peace-maker making peace and accord betwixt God and man betwixt a man and himself and betwixt Man and Man Here lyes the Spring of all your Comfort and if you have drawn Waters of Consolation hence with joy and would draw more be like-minded having the same love for how can you expect Comforts from Christ if you minister discomforts unto one another If any Comfort of Love If you have ever found sweetness in the love of God in the love of Christ in Brotherly love If you ever received comfort by my love to you if you desire to return any comfort back by your love to me shew the power of that love which is to unite the mind hearts souls judgments and affections of Brethren one unto another through want whereof you will deprive your selves of one of the sweetest comforts of Christianity If any fellowship of the Spirit If you know and have experiâ—nced what it is to have e 2 Cor. 13.14 Communion with the Spirit in his f Joh. 16.8 Convincing g 2 Thes 2.13 Sanctifying h John 14.26 Teaching i Rom. 8.14 Leading k Rom. 8.26 Strengthening l John 14.16 Comforting and m Rom. 5.5 Confirming influences as a Spirit of n Ephes 1.17 18. Wisdom and Revelation as a Spirit of o Rom. 1.4 Zech 12.10 Grace and Holiness as a Spirit of p Isa 11.2 Counsell and Knowledge as a Spirit of q John 16.13 Truth as a Spirit of r Isa 11.2 2 Tim. 1.7 Might and Power as the Å¿ John 14.16 Comforter as a t Rom. 8.16 Witnesse and u Ephes 1.13 Seal and x verse 14. Earnest If you have ever found the benefit of Communion of Saints and know what it is to have fellowship with them in the same Relations Principles Ends Interests Gifts Graces Ordinances Providences Priviledges Hopes of which y 1 Cor. 12 4 7 11 12 13. Ephes 4.3 4 5 6.15 16. Col. 2.19 the Spirit of Christ is both the Vinculum and Vehiculum knitting and uniting the whole Body of Saints to their Head and the Members one to another furnishing every Member with supplies and influencing with life and power for communicating of those supplies for the good of one another and of the whole If these things are so and you have any sense and experience of them it will be your great concernment to love one another because as there is nothing doth more further and strengthen your fellowship with the Spirit and by the Spirit with one another than Love doth so there is nothing doth z Ephes 4.30 31 32. Mat. 12.25 more weaken and obstruct both than divisions and dissentions If any Bowels and Mercies In Christ towards you if his tender heart have been wide open to refresh you In you towards me if you have any sympathie with a suffering Apostle with a Father in bonds In me towards you if you have ever found in me the compassions of a Father In you towards your Brethren if you will not be like Judas a Disciple without Bowels whose Bowels gushed out a Brother without Natural affections shew this tender-heartednesse in being like-minded one to another having the same love The Bowels are wrapped round as it were within one another and so should the hearts and affections of believers be Fulfill ye my joy Afflictions I have enough already you need not by your dissentions add more A Prisoner in bonds expecting the sâ—nâ—ence of Death the sword of Persecution but â—hese things trouble me not I can rej ice in Dungeons in Bonds in Deaths if it go well with the Church of Christ I prefer Jerusalem above liberty and life and my chiefest joyes This would cumulate and compleat my afflictions this would be heavier than my chain darker than my prison sharper than my sword worse than a Nero unto me if you my Children should wound my soul with your dissentions God hath used me as a means of much joy to you in using me as an Instrument to administer the Consolations of Christ the Comforts of Love the Fellowship of the Spâ—rit the Bowels of Christianity unto you And God hath used you as a means of much joy to me Your fellowship in the Gospel my joy Chapter 1.4 5. Your faith in Christ your readiness to suffer for his Name my joy Your care of me and supplying my wants once and again my joy Chapter 4.10 16. These things are the beginnings of joy Would ye Compleat it would you make my soul run over with comfort Would ye Crown me with Glory and Joy O then mind the same things have the same love and then I have all I abound and am full There is no greater joy to a Minister of the Gospell than to hear that his Children walk in the Truth John 3.4 You see how the Apostle fills his mouth with arguments that the hearts of these Philippians might be filled with love one towards another And I shall resume all that hath been said into an heap of Arguments for the re-inforcing of this duty There is Consolation in Christ there is Comfort of Love there is a Fellowship of the Spirit there are Bowels and Mercies there is the joy of many faithful Ministers of the Gospell to be fulfilled there is a great Ordinance in one main end of it to be observed there is the Purchase of Christs Blood to be obtained there is his Prayer to be answered and sealed there is his Example to be imitated there is his Love to be returned there is his Commandment to be obeyed there is our Discipleship to be manifested in the truth and power of it and therefore it is but equall and reasonable nay simply necessary for all those who bear the Name of Christians to love one another and I beseech you do it yea abound and increase more and more And the Lord who is the God of Love and peace 2 Cor. 13.11 make you to increase and abound in love one towards another and towards all men To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God even our Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his Saints 1 Thes 3.12 13. which though we â—ail of here upon earth yet this is some relief â—nd comfort that it shall be fully and comâ—leatly obtained in heaven where all darkness â—hall be removed from the minds of Gods â—eople and all corruption from their hearts â—he cause of present strifes and contentions and nothing but love and concord shall sway and â—ear rule for ever where Luther and Zuinâ—lius and all dissenting Brethren shall be â—ade friends and agree well together as a Si non amplius in his terris te visurus sum â—bi tamen conveniemus ubi Luthero cum Zuinglio optime convenit Melch. Adam in vitâ
Iryn page 879. Grynoeus wrote in a Letter to Chytraeus a little â—efore his death where not only the wound of contention is cured but the scarr which is â—ere oft left upon the place is not to be seen â—here to disfigure the beauty of its rest and â—eace the consideration whereof hath made b Spero me brevi ex his rixis migraturuÌ„ esse ad Ecclesiam in quâ sine Sophisticâ Deus celebrabitur Melanct. Epist p. 224. Spero me brevi in Ecclesiam Coelestem migraturum esse procul remotam ab illis furiis quae nunc Ecclesiam horribiliter turbaâ—t Idem pag. 514. Cupio ex hâc vitâ migrare propter duas causas 1 Ut fruar desiderato conspectu Filii Dei Coelestis Ecclesiae 2 Ut liberer ab immanibus implacabilibus odiis Theologorum Melch. Ad. in Vit. Strigel p. 427. some pious precious souls weary of earth and willing to be dissolved wishing and desiring the wings of a Dove with the Prophet David Psalm 55.6 that they might flee away and be at rest in that place where there is a Rest remaining for the people of God as from all other evils so from this of divisions and dissentions among Brethren Heb. 4.9 And thus much shall suffice to have been spoken concerning the first Affection Love to the Lord Jesus on whom I have given the longer Attendance and served with the more solemnity because of her Royalty as Queen Regent in the soul As for the rest which are her Train of Handmaids waiting on her I shall dispatch them with the more ease and brevity yet can I not wholly omit them forasmuch as Love her self is not compleat without them Briefly thus CHAP. IX The second branch of the first Diâ—â—â—tion about 〈…〉 of Christs Love 2. LET your Love to the Lord Jesus run towards him by Desire and rest on him by Delight which a Amor currit per desiderium quiescit per gaudium it is proper for true Love to do Know him so as to love him and love him so as to desire him and delight in him Sect. 1. Thaâ—â—t be accompanied with Desire 1. LET your Love to Christ run towards him in desires earnest hungring and thirsting desires afterVnion and Communion with him The tidings which you have of him in his word as the Desire of all Nations b Whitak Serm. on the place p. 46. Haggai 2. 7. because of his desirableness in himself and in comparison of other things Cant. 5.10.16 Proverbs 3.15 because of the c Desideratus cunctis gentibus dicitur quoniaÌ„ omnes gentes illius adventu redemptione multùm indigebant unaquaeque res quasi pondere naturae appetit id quo maximè indiget Riber in loc absolute need which all have of him without whom they can neither live comfortably nor die happily as being without God and without hope so far as they are without Christ Ephes 2.12 and because of his desire towards them to do them good and communicate of his fulness to them Prov. 8.31 Cant. 7.10 this should render him desirable unto you whatever he is in the thoughts and esteem of the blind unbelieving world Isaiah 53.2 and should make him actually desired by you even by all of you that you may tast and see how good and gracious how loving and lovely he is Psalm 34.8 And every tast which any of you who know and love and believe in him have had of his sweetness and fulness should set you on longing for more not with pain as at first but with pleasure Know Christ therefore so as to love him and love him so as to d Amor est pondus animi quocunque fertur amore fertur animus in Deum tanquà m in centrum aeternae quietis Aug. de civ Dei lib. 11. ca. 28. p. 677. Less de sum bono lib. 2. cap. 11. p. 201 202. long after him long to know him more long to love him more long to enjoy him more on earth till your knowledge love and longing shall be perfectly satisfied in heaven e Sistitur appetitus in viâ satiatur in patriâ Indeed a Christians appetite is stayed with what he hath from Christ for a Viaticum in his present pilgrimage but it is not fully satisfied till he come home to his own Country and Fathers House in which respect our present life is but a life of desires in comparison and the life to come most properly the life of enjoyments Whiles the men of the world make choyce of many things to be the objects of their desires do you pitch upon Christ who alone is sufficient to satisfie your desires which all other things never can When you hear many say Who will shew us any good and place that good in some outward thing do you with David say Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me Psalm 4.6 Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none on earth that I desire besides thee e Arrowsmiths Armil Catech Aph. 1. Exerc. 4 page 59. Psalm 73.25 f Let Diotrephes say It is good for me to have the preheminence Judas It is good for me to bear the Bag Demas It is good for me to embrace this present world But do you conclude with David Psalm 73.38 It is good for me to draw nigh to God And in drawing nigh to him let your souls follow hard after him Psalm 63.8 Panting after him as the Hart panteth after the Water brooks Psalm 42.1 Thirsting and longing for him as the dry and thirsty land for water Psalm 63.1 Thus pant and thirst and long for his manifesting himself to you in mediate communion in grace Let him kisse ne with the kisses of his mouth Cant. 1.2 Stay me with Flagons comfort me with apples for I am sick of Love Cant. 2.5 Let my beloved come into his Garden and eat his pleasant fruits Cant. 4.16 Make hast my beloved and be thou like a Roe or a young Hart upon the mountains of spices Cant. 8.14 And 2. for his coming to take you up into immediate communion with himself in Glory O! when shall I come and appear before God in Glory Psal 42.2 When wilt thou shew me the path of life that I may come into thy presence where is fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore Psalm 16.11 When shall I behold thy face in righteousness so as to be satisfied with thy likeness Psalm 17.15 I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ Phil. 1.23 Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly Revel 22.20 I conclude this in the words of that Devout Soul Come Lord my head doth burn my heart is sick Herberts Poems Home p. 99. While thou dost ever ever stay Thy long deferrings wound me to the quick My Spirit gaspeth night and day O shew thy self to me Or take me up to thee Sect. 2. 2. LET your Love to Christ rest on him by Delight With
goodness mixed with love Hosea 3.5 You see then that it is a meer slavish fear from which the people of God are redeemed so as that it shall not have the sole prevalency in their service though there will be some mixture of it with their love and will have some prevalency in their service in their present imperfect estate And this I take to be the true sence of this place Sect. 5. OBject 2. But it may be said where there is love there is none of this fear for there is no fear in love but perfect love casteth out fear as the Apostle hath it 1 John 4.18 Answ 1. It s true r Hildersh on Psalm 51. p. 365. that in love there is no such fear nothing is more contrary to the nature of love than these fears are but in the person that hath true love these fears may be 2. Perfect love will cast out all these fears and the perfecter our love to God is the more it will cast out these fears deliver us from them but the love of the best of Gods servants is imperfect and will be till we come to heaven for there and there only are the Spirits of just men made perfect Heb. 12.23 Having removed these Objections which may be of use for the convincing of some that fear is not so Anti-evangelicall as they are apt to mistake it to be and for the comforting of others who are ready to conclude against themselves because of those remainders of servile feare which they find in their hearts I resume my exhortation and renew my request unto you to fear the Lord. Suppresse all slavish fear as much as may be but cherish Reverential and Filial fear Fear the Lord and his Greatness so as to stand in awe of him and take heed of offending him in any thing and fear the Lord and his Goodness so as to be carefull to please him in all things There is one way of accomplishing both these and that is the way of Love nor can there be a better Gâ—t your hearts inflamed with love towards Christ and that will suppress slavish fear for it casts out the fear that hath torment 1 John 4.18 perfect love casts it quite out and according to a Christians growth in love will this fear decay in him But it will promote Reverential and Filial fear Å¿ In quantum quisque amat in tantuâ— timet As far as a man loves Christ so far will he thus fear him for t Res soliciti pleâ—â— timoris amor Love is full of that fear which makes a man solicitous to avoid what may offend and follow what may please him whom we love And you have as much reason to question the truth of your love from the defect of Reverential and Filial fear as from the excesse of Slavish fear And thus I have at last dispatched this first Direction concerning your Knowledge of the Love of Christ that it be Affectionate so as to love him in the Manner and Measure and to Express that Love in the Way prescribed so as to Desire and Delight in him to Trust in him and Fear before him I proceed to what remains CHAP. XI 2. LOok that your knowledge of the love of Christ be Cognitio â—ffectiva Direction 2. That it be an effectuall knowledg let it not be an empty barren ineffectual knowledge but such as is full fruitful and effectual And that these four wayes Sect. 1. 1. BY way of Application Experience By way of application with assurance to our selves and Assurance Content not your selves with the knowledge of Christ and his love at a distance but reach aster such a knowledge as may bring all home to your selves Be not satisfied to know that Christ is the Saviour of the world and hath born great and wonderful love to the Sons of Men but labor so to know his love and salvation as to apprehend appropriate and apply all to your own comfort and benefit To know within your selves as the Apostle speaks Heb. 10.34 to know in all your hearts and in all your souls as Joshua speaks Josh 23.14 viz. sensibly evidently experimentally assuredly that he is your Saviour stood in your room bore your sins and suffered Gods wrath for you whereby God is as well pleased with you as if you had suffered for them in your own persons in hell eternally that he bare a special love to you in particular and that you have a reall interest in a sure title to the priviledges and blessings which he out of his infinite love hath purchased at so dear a rate for poor sinners Such a knowledg as this would I have you look after and to help you forward herein there are two things which I would propound for your Encouragement 1. Such a knowledge of Christs love is attainable A Christian may know the love of Christ with assurance of his interest in it u Culverwels White Stone p. 134. This indeed is a most excellent truth the flos lactis the very cream of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that sincere milk which is to nourish souls 't is the budding and blossoming of happiness the Antedating of heaven the prepossession of glory and therefore envied us by Satan who by his Romish instruments would wrest it out of our hands But we have more clear light from Scripture to discern the truth of what we hold in this particular than to be easily cheated of so fair a Jewel of our Crown as if it were counterfeit Here we see so many eminent Christians both in the Old and New Testament setting their Seals to this truth by their own experience that we cannot but subscribe to it Ab esse ad posse is a fair Argument and I shall use no other to prove what I assert Other Christians have attained a certainty in their knowledge of Christ and his Love not only Objectivè that there is a Christ and that there is such a love but also Subjectivè that this Christ is theirs and this love theirs And therefore so may you That others have is clear In Job 19.25 you may hear Job appropriating a Redeemer to himself I know that my Redeemer liveth He asserts his interest in Christ as his Redeemer and therefore no wonder if he be so confident of his being acquitted at Gods Tribunal as he is Chapter 13 18. I know that I shall be justified A believer then may arrive at assurance full assurance of interest in Jesus Christ Such an Application did Thomas make to himself when he cried out John 20.28 My Lord and my God See sayes x Vide Dei mirabilia quis credidisset ex tà m pertinaci incredulitate tantam futuram fidem Fer. in loc Ferus on the place the wonderful things of God who would have believed that so great faith should have risen out of such obstinate unbelief which he had discoverd just before And what should this teach us but as the same
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
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
with sin And for Service reckon thus with your selves If the Lord Jesus hath thus loved me to suffer such indignities and hardships for me and bestow so many so great so wonderful blessings upon me surely I owe the greatest love duty and obedience to him y Sanè etiamsi millies pro ejus gloriâ possem sanguinem fundere mille annis maximos labores subire ne millessimaÌ„ partem vel unius beneficii possem compensare c. Less de Sum. bono lib 4. c. 4. p. 577. Surely were I able a thousand times to shed my blood for his glory and to undergo the hardest labours a thousand years I were never able to make a compensation for the thousand part of one of his benefits because all his benefits are of infinite worth and were we able to give it would require infinite love and service at our hands But because we cannot do that I firmly resolve to do that which I easily may through his assistance and wherewith the Divine goodness is well pleased namely with all care to keep all his Commandments so that I will rather die than wilfully break any of them yea I will devote my whole life to his service that all my thoughts words and actions may be directed to his glory Thus reason your selves into the obedience and service of Jesus Christ by the consideration of his great love towards you in being humbled and becoming obedient to the death of the Cross for you 2. Draw forth by faith the Power of Christs love in dying for you and rising again for the bringing you into conformity thereunto By faith believe that there is such a power and apprehend and apply it to your selves till you find That you are planted toge her with Christ in the likeness of his death and resurrection Rom. 6 5. So that what was done in him naturally and properly be done in you by way of Analogy and Proportion as z Quod in Christo sactum est per naturam id in nobis fieri intelligit per analogiam proportionem Chrys in loc Chrysostome expounds these words That as he died a true naturall death for sin by a real separation of his soul from his body so you may dy a true spiritual death to sin by a real separation of your souls from the body of sin not from this or that member but from the whole body and every member For a Non mundatur nisi qui omnibus peccatis renunciavit Quis enim mundum dixerit hominem qui vel in unâ tantùm cloacâ volatetur Paris de virtut cap. 22. as none will account that man clean who is found wallowing but in one filthy sink so neither is that Christian clean who hath not renounced all his sins As his was though violent and painful yet voluntary death he gave himself for â—our sins Gal. 1.4 and laid down his life freely John 10.17 18. So though in the mortification of your lusts you offer violence to them and suffer pain in your selves many an agony and soul conflict yet your dying to sin must be voluntary and the sacrificing of your lusts a freewill offering to the Lord. That as his Resurrection was to a new life so you may be raised up from the death of sin to walk iâ— newness of life Rom 6.4 having a new principle the Spirit and not the flesh a new rule the word and not the world a new end not your selves but God the praise and glory of God Phil. 1.11 For so Jesus Christ in that he liveth he liveth unto God Rom. 6.10 b In the Greek it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Beza renders in gloriam thinking that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that the Apostle intends by this clause to set forth the final cause of Christs resurrection which is the glory of the Father vide Bez. in loc To the glory of God the Father v. 4. As he being raised from the dead died no more death hath no more dominion over him v. 9. So you being raised from sin may no more be turned to folly sin may have no more dominion over you Thus conform your selves to Christ in his death and resurrection which because you cannot do of your selves by your own power exercise faith on the operation of God in raising of Christ from the dead till you come to know experimentally the power of his resurrection feeling the same power put forth in your selves for the raising you up to newnesse of life and making you conformable to his death So much for that second Direction concerning your knowledge of the love of Christ that it be effectuall There is yet one more which is this CHAP. XI Direct 3. That it be a progressive knowledge 3. LOok that your knowledge of the love of Christ be Cognitio progressiva a progressive knowledge and that in two respects Sect. 1. 1. IN respect of your selves In respect of our selvs Be not content that you have a true knowledge of Jesus Christ and his love nor take up your rest in any measure of that knowledge to which you have already attained but labour to abound and increase more and more Do you know the love of Christ with an affectionate and effectuall knowledge as you have been directed yet stay not here but go on to know him and it more affectionatly so as to love him more abundantly to desire him more ardently to delight in him more contentedly to trust in him more firmly and to fear offending him more solicitously go on to know him more effectually so as to apprehend his love more confidently and apply it to your selves more assuredly to admire it more humbly to be more cordially and fruitfully thankfull for it to be further removed from sin even the least appearance of it and more devoted to his service standing compleat and perfect in all the will of your God To this purpose consider 1. That it is the property of every true Christian thus to grow and encrease more and more The path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more till it be perfect day Prov. 4.18 The righteous shall hold on his way and he that hath clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger Job 17.9 You cannot evidence that you know Christ at all in truth unlesse you grow in the knowledge of him for Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord Hos 6.3 Thus the Apostle Paul sayes of himself Phil. 3 12 13 14. Not as though I had attained either were already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus Brethren I I count not my self to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things that are behinde and reaching forth to those things which are before I presse toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God
Royall Oake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 OR The Transcendency of CHRISTS LOVE towards the Children of Men. Laid down by the Apostle St. Paul in Ephes 3.19 A Treatise formerly Preached but now enlarged and published for common benefit By Peter Williams Preacher of the Gospel I determined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified 1 Cor. 2.2 Christ is all in all 〈◊〉 3.11 As the Father hath â—…d me so have I loved you Joh. 15.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isidor Pelus lib. 1. Epist 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Macar Hom. 16. p. 237. Jesus Christus totus suavis est totus salubris est totus delectabilis totus denique secundum Sponsae vocem desiderabilis Bern. Ser. 2. post Epiph. p. 22. LONDON Printed by E. M. for Nathanael Webb and are to be sold at his Shop at the Sign of the Royal Oak in St. Pauls Church-yard near the little North door 1665. IMPRIMATUR Joh. Hall R. P. D. Episc Lond. à Sac. Domest Ex Aedibus Londinens Octob. 15. 1664. THE DEDICATION To his Christian and Dearly Beloved Friends in YORK and elsewhere THE AUTHOR as a publick and permanent Testimonial of his unfeigned affection to them and real Gratitude for their Respect and Favour towards him Humbly dedicates this ensuing Treatise being the First-fruits of his Labours in this kind Earnestly beseeching the God of all Grace that he would grant them such a knowledge of this in it self incomprehensible Love of Christ as may tend unto and end in their being filled with all the fulness of God And that through 〈◊〉 â—urrence of his Spirit and Blessing this 〈◊〉 â—â—â—atise may be made somâ— way useful and serviceable thereunto The Epistle to the Readers IF you would know why I have made this adventure to appear thus publickly it is That I might Evangelizare manu scriptione and speak among the people with whom I have been conversant when I am dead and gone For though Speech hath * Hâ—bet â—n sciâ— quid laten is energiae viva vor in auâ—oâ— discipuli de doctoâ—is ore tranâ—susa sortiu sonâ—â— Jer. a wonderful secret Energy accompanying of it and * Multo magis viva vox assicit Plin. Epist lib. 2. Epist 3. Nep. p. 95. Eras â—â—g p. 218. a living voyce is more affecting and perswasive than a dead letter and therefore God hath appointed Preaching to be a standing Ordinance in his Church as the most ready and likely way of conveying Sacred Truths to the minds and hearts of men yet herein * Ward Verba volant Scâ—ipta manent Writing hath the advantage of Preaching that whereas this is confined only to a few that is extended to many and whereas this requires presence and continues but for a while that hath its use in absence and is more permanent Sermons are like showers of rain which water for the instant Books are like Snow which lies longer on the Earth these may preach when the Author cannot and which is more when he is not As for this present Book it Treats of a Subject altogether unexceptionable it being as noble sweet and of as necessary concernment as any I could pitch upon What Subject more Noble than Jesus Christ * Col. 2.3 in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge * Field of the Church lib. 1. cap. 4. p. 8. out of Naz. Orat. 4. de sil 1. p. 133. In whom all things appear full of mercy and full of marvel God before all Eternity and yet made man in time born of a Woman and yet a Virgin wrapped in swadling bands and yet glorified by the Angels c. What more sweet than Love And what love more sweet than the love of Christ This is that which the Church sayes * Cant. 1.2 3. Delici is omnibus lantitiis potiores amores tuos duco Merc. in loc is better than Wine and makes his Name as Oyntment poured forth to the attracting of hearts to himself This is that * Cant. 3.10 firm pavement on which Believers may stand confidently without fear of falling That victorious * Cant. 2.3 4. Banner under the shelter whereof they may sit down chearfully without fear of being foiled by their Enemies and find his fruit sweet to their taste What is of greater concernment to us than to know this love of Christ as we ought to know it so as in heart and life in affection and conversation to be in some measure assimilated and conformed thereunto Our present Justification and Sanctification depend upon it for by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many * Isa 53.11 sayes the Lord by his Prophet And * Phil. 3.10 by knowing him we become conformable to his death sayes the Apostle And our future salvation no less for * John 17.3 this is life Eternal to know the true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent saith our Saviour These are the matters here Treated of which I confess are fitter for a David to handle * 2 Sam. 23.1 The man raised on high the anointed of the God of Jacob the sweet Psalmist of Israel Or for a Paul * 2 Cor. 12.4 who was caught up into Paradise and heard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unspeakable words than for one every way so inconsiderable as I am Nay it s more fit for one of those Purae intelligentiae the Angels that are about the Throne than for any dark and dim-sighted Mortal to discourse of these things And therefore the sense of my own weakness and insufficiency hath been all along a grand discouragement and still is a ground of fear to me lest this excellent Subject should be too much debased in so low a hand and prove to be but * Salv. Ornamentum in luto by so mean handling of it Yet such as it is I have adventured it to publick View and when I have added a few Lines to give the Readers a just account concerning my self and it I shall discharge them of any further trouble by way of Preface And for my self I have this to say That though I fall short of what should be done upon such a Subject and might be done by others of greater abilities and better accomplishments yet I have done as I was able not serving Christ and his Church * 2 Sam. 24.25 with that which cost me nothing which I trust is accepted with the Lord and shall be with his people Indeed I can challenge little for my own besides the Method and Substratum having gathered most of the enlargements and superstructure elsewhere which I the rather chose to do because I thought it might perhaps render the whole the more acceptable to some Readers nor shall I herein I hope incur from any that are candid and ingenuous the imputation of Plagiarism because I punctually and faithfully quote the Authors themselves and thereby * Pliny's Epistle to Vespas
passeth knowledge Now from this Translation which is so generally known and received among us I am not willing to recede without just occasion which not finding as to this place I shall cloze with it and give you that which I conceive to be the true and proper sense and meaning of the words Sect. 3. The meaning of the words THE Apostle prayes That they might know that is k Per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intelligitur non nuda simplex notitia sed affectiva cum desiderio appâ—obatione dilâ—ctione conjuncta Gen. Ha-Harm in Joan. 14.17 mihi p. 933. not by a bare notional but affectionate knowledge such as is accompanyed with desire approbation and love l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hic est in semet experiri Grot. in loc by an experimental knowledge m Ut possitis scire id est animo complecti pro dignitate aestimare charitatem Christi Estius in locum that they might know so as to embrace with the heart and esteem according to its dignity and worth this love of Christ The love of Christ which some extend to Christ and God the Father n Chariâ—otem Christi Dei Patris eandem intelligo Rolloc in locum others to God in Christ o Quam Christus Deus per Christum nobis exhibuit Tirinus in loc Quam exhibuit nobis Deus in Christo vel quâ Christus ipse Filius Dei nos complexus est Bez. in loc others leave it as indifferently applicable to the love which God hath shewed in his Son as John 3.16 Rom. 5.8 Or that love with which Christ himself the Son of God hath embraced us as John 15.13 p Post Dei Patris infinitam incomprehensibilem cognitionem inâ—narrabilem clementiam Christi quoque agnoscere nos vult charitatem Ambros in loc Ambrose restrains it to the love of Christ After the infinite and incomprehensible knowledge of God the Father and his unspeakable mercy he would have us also acknowledge the love of Christ q Charitatem Christi quam exhibuit nobis A Lapide in locum Quâ nos dilexit Est in loc The like doth A Lapide and Estius The love of Christ which he hath shewed to us and wherewith he hath loved us And in this sense I shall take it in the ensuing discourse having spoken of the love of God in Christ from another place 1 John 4.9 10. Which passeth knowledge This admits of a double interpretation 1. To take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knowledge objectively for that habit of knowledge which a man hath attained in other things and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for excelling as it is used 2 Cor. 3.10 and then the meaning is this He prayes that they might know that love of Christ the knowledge whereof excells all other knowledge in the world whatsoever Now this is a great truth for our Apostle elsewhere as a Minister prefers it before all other knowledge 1 Cor. 2.2 and as a Christian before all other things Phil. 3.7 8. for which he had ventured the loss of all and in comparison of which he reckoned no more of any thing which he had parted with or had yet besides him but as loss and dung r Vid. Leigh's Crit. Sacr. in verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dogs meat as the word signifies A very low and diminishing term yet hardly low enough to express any thing by which comes in competition with Christ and the knowledge of him Å¿ Charitatem quae procul dubiò caeterarum rerum excedit cognitionem Theoph. Exaggerat autem Apostolus scientiam charitatis Christi quum asserit eam â—xuperare omnâ—m aliam cognitioneÌ„ Marior è Sarcer Nor are there wanting such as countenance this exposion t Videri autem potest Apostolus respicere ad Gnosticos qui hoc superbo nomine sese nuncupaverunt á scientiâ quam sibi peculiaritèr venditabant utitur enim vocabulo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 undè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Atqui longé majus est scire charitatom Christi utpote quae universam Gnosticorum omniumque Philosophorum scientiam excedit qâ—ià mysterium charitatis Christi quâ semetipsum pro nobis tradidit in cor hominis cujusquam non ascendit sicut in genere de huiusmodi mysteriis sapientiae Christianae testatur Apostolus 1 Cor. 2. Estius in loc See likewise Dr. Hammond on the place And some apply it particularly to that knowledge which the Gnosticks boasted of thinking that the Apostle in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had a particular respect to them 2. The next interpretation is to take knowledge subjectively for the faculty of knowing and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for exceeding that is as we read it passing or surpassing and then the meaning is this He prayes That they might know that love of Christ which for its infinite greatness is without the compass beyond and above the reach of humane understanding nay it surpasseth all knowledge that is finite not only Humane but Angelical as u Omnem superat cognitionem nempè humanum atque adeò Angelicam Zanch. in loc Zanchy notes on the words To this sense the generality of Expositors both antient and modern Protestants and Papists which I have met with do interpret the place For Ambrose and Theophylact among the Ancients I shall have occasion to cite them in the ensuing discourse for others I refer the more intelligent Reader to the Margin w Sic alibi pax Dei quae superat omnem sensum custodiat carda vestra Phil. 4.7 Calv. in loc Paulus volens significare infinitatem rei incomprehensibilis in hunc moduÌ„ consuevit loqui sic Phil. 4.7 Sic hoc loco infinitatem hujus charitatis exprimens ait eam superiorem omni cognitione Rolloc Quae superat humani ingenii captum ut quidem plenè animo concipi possit Bez. Quae scientiam nostram superat seu quam nunquà m satis hâc in vitâ cognoscere vel expendere possumus Baldvin Scire charitatem Christi nostram notitiam suâ magnitudine excedeâ—em Dion Carthus Excedentem notitiam nostram ac majorem quà m ut penitùs a nobis intelligi possit ita paulò inferius dicitur Deum posse omnia facere supra quà m intelligimus Estius Excedentem omnem humanam cognitionem seu quae major sit quà m ut perfectè sciâ—i intelligi vel comprehendi possit Tirinus Quasi diceret charitas Christi tanta est ut superet omnem humanam cognitionem scientiam A Lapide Thus among the Criticks lately set forth together Scire charitatem Christi superantem captum humanum vel excellentiorem quà m ut cognosci possit Vat. Qâ—ae tà m inâ—ens est ut omnem hominum scientiam superet Isid Clar. where he may find their sense in their own words Among these x Est autem haec plana expositio cum superiore Metaphorâ prorsùs
ground of this undertaking was his pure and meer love it was his kind heart that killed him never was his love so plainly and fairly written as in the characters of that blood which he shed on the Cross which he that runs may read for r Si non diligeret non pateretur Bern. lib. de Pass cap. 41. p. 73. if he had not loved he would never have suffered Å¿ 1 Joh. 3.16 Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us Therefore we find his love and his suffering joyned together in Scripture t Gal. 2.20 Who loved me and gave himself for me u Eph. 5.2 As Christ hath loved us and given himself for us an offering and sacrifice to God of a sweet-smelling savour w v. 25. As Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it And this love was great exceeding great for if he had not loved much he would never have suffered so much as he did x In magnitudine passionis magnitudo consideretur charitatis Bern. ibid. Vulnera Christi sunt dolore livida amore fulgida Gerh. Homil Part 1. p. 805. the greatness of his love may be considered in the greatness of his Passion But here how easily might I lose my self in so large a Field were I not confined let it serve therefore to tell you in general That his pains were intolerable his sorrows unutterable his whole Passion unconceivable by any but himself who by enduring was fully acquainted with them His whole life from first to last was but one continued Passion but the extremity of all was in the cloze of all which doth more eminently bear that name Oh! how doleful a Tragedy was this what dreadful things did he suffer then from all hands Heaven Earth and Hell God Men and Devils all laying load on him y Totum pro corpore vulnus He endured much in his Body by spitting pricking buffeting scourging racking nailing piercing till it was all but one wound but he endured more in his Soul which indeed was the soul of his sufferings insomuch as he was z Mark 14.33 34. The words are all emphatical 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which words see Dr. Pearson on the Creed mihi p. 385. 40. Cartwright on the Creed p. 160. Leigh's Crit. Sacr. sore amazed and very heavy exceeding sorrowful even unto death and being a Luk. 22.44 in an agony his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground this made him cry out b Mat. 27.46 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me till at last c Joh. 19.30 he bowed his head and gave up the Ghost-Blessed Lord whither did thy love carry thee and how great was that love which carried thee thus far for us The Jews said when he shed tears over dead Lazarus Behold how he loved him Joh. 11.36 but with much more reason may we say when he shed his heart-blood over us that were dead in trespasses and sins Behold how he loved us Because of that excessive love saith d Propter nimiam charitateÌ„ quâ nos dilexit Deus nec pater filio nec sibi filâ—us ipse pepercit verè nimiam quia mensuram excedit madum superat planè super-eminâ—ns universis Bern. Serm. in Pass p. 34. Bernard wherewith God loved us neither the Father spared the Son nor the Son himself that he might redeem a Servant truly excessive because it exceedeth all measure all bounds and plainly surpasseth all things As the e was no sorrow like to his sorrow so there was no love like to his love In the Greek Liturgy there is mention made and that justly of his unknown sufferings be sure then they were the fruit of his unknown love nothing but love could make him suffer and nothing but great love could make him suffer such grievous things as he did for our sakes e Per vulnera viscera Watsons Serm. Part 2. p. 495. Part. 1. p. 447. We may discern his bowels of love through his wounds he bled love at every vein his drops of blood were love-drops and the more blood he shed for us the more love he shewed to us and the more love he deserves from us Sect 5. 5. THat love whereby in his own due time he f Isa 55.5 Rom. 8 30. Joh. 17.6 cha 6.37 Eph. 3.17 1 Joh. 3.24 1 Cor. 1.9 Eph. 1.3 Joh. 1.16 1 Cor. 1.30 Eph. 1.5 6 7 13. Tit. 3.5 Eph. 5.25 26 27. Joh. 8.36 Rom. 5.1 Rom. 14.17 Tit. 3.7 Ps 110.3 Ezek. 16.8 2 Cor. 11.2 Rev. 1.5 6. Non lavisset nisi dilexisset quarè non priùs lavit et postea dilexit sed priùs dilexit postea lavit Rich. de S. Victore in lâ—c ut citatur à Gerh. in Homil. parte primâ p. 804. calls and coverts unto himself his Elect who from all eternity were given him by the Father and by vertue of Vnion with his Person through a spirit of faith gives them communion in his blessings and benefits as they are able to receive in this world giving them from his own fulness grace for grace Wisdome Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption Acceptance Adâ—ption Remission Obsignation Regeneration Sanctification Liberty Peace Joy in the Holy Ghost and whatever may make them happy in this world and hopeful as heirs of eternal life in the world to come In a word that whereby he loveth them and washeth them from their sins in his own blood and makes them Kings and Priests unto God and his Father which deserves that Doxology which is there annexed to it to be breathed forth by all who have an interest in it To him be glory and dominion for ever Amen Indeed it is a day of power in which a soul is brought into the participation of these priviledges yet it is power mixt with love called therefore a time of love Christ draws fortitèr suavitèr strongly by his power and yet sweetly by his love And though this love may lye hid and concealed for the present by reason of those convulsions and terrours which accompany some mens conversion yet it lyes at the bottome riseth up breaketh forth at last when the wooed soul is won to Christ and espoused to him as a chaste Virgin and hath tasted the sweetness of his fellowship and knows the richness of those possessions and priviledges in which he hath estated her then I say it appears and leaves the man full of gratitude yea of admiration upon sense of the exceeding greatness of that love which hath brought him to all this Thus it was with Paul x 1 Tim. 1.13 c. who upon consideration that he who was a blasphemer a persecutor and injurious should obtain mercy and that Christ Jesus should come into the world to save him the chiefest of sinners is raised and even ravished with the thoughts of it and cryes out y vers 14. The grace of our
Lord Jesus was exceeding abundant towards me with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus and then as if he wanted words to express his gratitude he breaks out into those significant expressions of his affection z vers 17. Prae ardore erumpit in istam exclamationem quia doerant verba quibus suam gratitudinem exprimeret NaÌ„ Epiphonemata praecipuè locum habent ubi abrumpere orationem cogimur quia rei magnitudo superat Quid aut èm Pauli conversione admirabilius Quanquà m nos simul omnes admoneâ— suo exemplo nunquà m de gratiâ divinae vocationis esse cogitandum quin tandèm efferamur admiratione Calv. in loc To the King eternal immortal invisible the only Wise God be Honour and Glory for ever and ever Amen Sect. 6. THat love whereby through his a Joh. 17.11 c. Heb. 7.25 intercession grace b Joh. 10.27 28 29. power spirit and c Heb. 1.14 Psal 91.11 12. 1 Pet. 1.4 5. ministration of Angels he keeps those whom he hath thus called and converted unto that Kingdome Glory Inheritance incorruptible undefiled and that fadeth not away which he hath d Heb. 9.12.15 purchased and is reserved in heaven for them whither he entered as their e Heb. 6.20 fore-runner for them f Joh. 14.2 going before to prepare a place for them from whence g Acts 3.19.21 when the times of refreshing and restitution of all things shall come h 1 Thes 4.16 he will descend with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the Trump of God and i John 14.3 will come again and take them with all his members to himself that where he is they may be also not being satisfied as not being compleat without them who are k Eph. 1.23 his body the fulness of him that fills all in all A matter of strong consolation to believers that all they have by Christ is not confined to this world for l 1 Cor. 15.19 if in this life only we had hope in Christ we were of all men most miserable and that their hopes and reversions by Christ in the world to come are so secured by him that they are as safe and sure as if they were in hand and present possession All which is the fruit of admirable love m Bishop Reynolds on Psal 110. mihi p. 233. 40. for the foundation of all our mercies present or future enjoyed or expected is an overflowing of love in Christ without stint or measure a turning of heart a rowling and sounding of bowels a love which surpasseth knowledge which is as much beyond the thoughts or comprehensions as it is above the merits of men To conclude this As there was an infinite price laid down to purchase Heaven and glory for us and an infinite powerlaid out in calling and keeping the Elect to the possession of the purchase so it was and is no less than infinite love that enclined Jesus Christ to lay down that price and still enclines him to lay out that power on the behalf and for the benefit of dearly bought and as dearly beloved souls This is the love that I mean and if the devout and diligent Reader would be further affected with it I referre him to the holy Rapture of Bishop Hall on this subject first Printed in a small Volume with another Treatise called Christ Mystical and now inserted in the third Volume of his Works in Folio CHAP. III MY next work is to give you the Arguments 2 The incomprehensibleness of Christs love cofirmed by Arguments by which the incomprehensible greatness of this love of Christ may be confirmed and demonstrated And they are such as these Sect. 1. IT must needs be great and incomprehensible Arg. 1 love passing knowledge because it is the love of Christ It was said of Gideon Judges 8.21 As the man is so is his strength and it must be said of Christ As he is so is his love Now he being an infinite person his love must needs be infinite love or else he would not love like himself He was Man indeed that he might be capable of loving us in such a way as we needed but he was God also that he might accomplish the ends and designs of his love which were our Redemption and Salvation now Christ being God and so infinite in his nature which is a piece of every Christians Creed and those who deny it now will * Quos suo tempore compescet aeternus Dei filius Aret. Probl. loc 3. p. 11. feel it to their shame and sorrow another day that love which is in him and inseparable from his Essence for God is Love 1 John 4.16 is undoubtedly infinite and as soon may n InfinituÌ„ secundum quod infinitum est ignotum Bed Ax. Philos p. 97. finite creatures such as we are comprehend that which is infinite as be able to comprehend this love of Christ Alas there are lower and lesser things which puzzle and non-plus the most reaching head among us and how shall we then be able to reach this o Vide Lessiâ— librum de summo bono p. 54. c. Glanvils Vanity of Dogmatizing The natural Works of Creation and Providence have many secrets which we cannot dive into many riddles which we cannot unfold for p Job 5.9 he doth great things and unsearchable marvellous things without number Who can answer the Quaeries put by the mighty God to q Job 38.39 40 41 Chapters Job r Eccles 11.5 Who knoweth the way of the Spirit or how the bones do grow in the Womb of her that is with Child The formation quickning growth of a Child in the Womb is a mystery to us Who is there that is fully acquainted with the introduction nature and workings of his own soul which as now it is is Å¿ Jer. 17.9 deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it Who can see the t Ezek. 1.16 wheel within the wheel the secret spring of Providence that moves and turns the many and seemingly cross revolutions in the world u Psal 77. â—9 Who can trace Gods way in the Sea and his path in the great Waters and his footsteps which are not known and how then w Job 11.7 8 9. can we by searching find out God can we find out his love to perfection It is as high as Heaven what can we do It is deeper than Hell what can we know The measure thereof is longer than the Earth and broader than the Sea to allude to that of Zophar to Job How can we understand the love of Christs heart who are such strangers to the lusts of our own hearts for x Psal 19.12 who can understand hsi errours sayes the Kingly Prophet Let him that thinks to attain unto it first y Isa 40.12 measure the Waters in the hollow of his hand and mete out the Heaven with a span and comprehend the
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
should be conversant in the things of God as the learned r Moralem considerationem qui addunt mihi probantur agitatione pectoris armi exaltatione monitos nos suisse toto pectore opere invigilandum esse divinis excitato semper animo Rivet in Exod. mihi p. 1157. Rivet points us unto who also tells us that Å¿ Iâ—terpretes Christiani eum Ritum ad Christum â—eferent ut indicetur quà m latè pateat ejus benâ—ficium meritum quae sit regni ill us ampliâ—udo Idem ibid. Christian Interpreters refer this Rite to Christ that hereby may be shown how largely the merit and benefits of Christ do extend and what is the amplitude of his Kingdome t Vide Bâ—z Grot. Bod. in loc Beza and Grotius think that the Apostle might have respect hereunto in this place and so doth Bodius 2dly Others take it to be a Metaphor drawn from u Quae addita hic sunt a Mathematicis dâ—sumpta sunt qui solidum corpus ferè sic definiunt quòd habeat latitudinem longitudinem prefunditatem quos terminos ad Christi dilectionem transfert Aret. Thus Baâ—dvin Rolloc c. on the place Mathematicians who make the dimensions of solid bodies to be the bredth and length and depth which dimensions the Apostle transfers to the love of Christ and one more than is usually attributed unto bodies viz height w Infinitae reâ—nquenda sunt ab arte Bed Ax. Philos p. 99. for indeed the love of Christ is beyond all natural dimensions but whether it hath respect to one or the other or both of these the application of these dimensions to the love of Christ according to the sense of Interpreters will serve abundantly to confirm that which I bring it for Thus therefore it is expounded by divers of them First That the length of Christs love notes its eternity and that both a parte ante backward thus he sayes I have loved thee with an everlasting love Jer. 31.3 and his delights were with the Children of Men before they had a being or the World its beginning Prov. 8.31 And also a parte post forward thus it s said Having loved his own which were in the World he loved them to the end John 13.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in perpetuum for ever according to x 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gerh. Har. in loc è Chrysost Chrysostomes gloss he continued alway loving them Thus according to the Hebrew La Netzech and Le Gnolam in finem and in aeternum are all one as Psal 103.9 and as y Dr. Goodwin The heart of Christ in Heaven c. p. 8. one observes the scope of this speech is to shew how Christs heart and love would be towards them even for ever c. You have both put together Psal 103.17 where the mercy of the Lord is said to be from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him Secondly The breadth of Christs love notes its extent unto all the Elect in all Ages of whatever Nation sex or condition without any respect of persons Thus he is said to be the same yesterday to day and for ever Heb. 13.8 and would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth that is all ranks and sorts of men 1 Tim. 2.4 wherefore he bids his Apostles go and teach all Nations and preach the Gospel to every creature Mat. 28.19 Mark 16.15 For there is no difference betwixt the Jew and the Greek but the same Lord over all is rich in mercy to all that call upon him Rom. 10.12 There is neither Jew nor Greek Circumcision nor Vncircumcision Barbarian Scythian Bond nor Free Male nor Female but Christ is all in all and they are all one in Christ Jesus Col. 3.11 Gal. 3.28 Thirdly The depth of it notes its condescension to the lowest depths to draw sinners from thence of which the Psalmist speaks Psal 86.12 13. I will praise thee O Lord my God with all my heart and I will glorifie thy Name for evermore for great is thy mercy towards me and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest Hell Fourthly The height of it notes its reaching up to the joyes of Heaven and happiness and carrying up souls thither I will come again and take you to my self that where I am there may you be also John 14.3 Father I will that those also whom thou hast given me may be with me where I am that they may behold that is enjoy my glory John 17.24 You see the Dimensions of Christs love Now let a poor Christian set himself about the meditation of this love in these its dimensions he may sooner lose himself than find out this love to perfection Alas if a poor finite short and dim-sighted creature begin to look backward into eternity past to find out the rise of this love and then look forward into eternity to come to follow the reach of it how soon must he be fain to sit down and aknowledge himself far short and utterly uncapable of ever reaching the length of it If he again consider how much love every poor sinner needs and how the love of Christ hath filled and furnished so many thousands and millions of elect souls in all ages past hitherto till it hath lodged them safely in glory and then consider again how many more are yet to spend upon it unto the end of the world he will rather cry out in admiration Behold what manner of love is this how great how unmeasurable than be able to say he hath measured the breadth of it And then if he consider from how great a * It is worthy of that ejaculation of the devout Bishop Hall in his Rapture p. 186. Oh love and mercy more deep than those depths froÌ„ which thou hast saved me and more high than that Heaven to which thou hast advanced me depth of misery it redeemeth and to how great a height of happiness it raiseth poor sinners viz. from a close Prison to a choice Palace from a low Dungeon to a high Throne from pressing Chains to a pleasing Crown from the blackest darkness to the brightest light from intolerable torment to unspeakable joy from most grievous bondage to the most glorious liberty from doleful and cursed communion with damned Spirits to delightful and blessed communion with God in every person and glorified Saints and Angels from a state beyond expression or conception for shame and misery to a state unspeakable and unconceivable for glory and happiness in a word from the lowest Hell to the highest Heaven he may well conclude with the Apostle That it is a love which passeth knowledge sooner may the deepest head the clearest eye the largest heart be swallowed up of this love than be able to comprehend it fully in these dimensions for as * Dilectio Christi nobis proponitur in cujus meditatione nos exerceamus dies ac noctes in quaÌ„ nos
qu si demergamus Calv. in Eph. 3.18 Calvin well notes upon these words The love of Christ which is propounded to us is so large a subject that we may exercise our selves in the meditation of it day and night and plunge our selves into this boundless bottomless Ocean till we be swallowed up of it but we can never perfectly understand it That 's the third Argument Sect. 4. MY fourth Argument is this The love of Christ must needs be exceeding great and incomprehensible because it never had nor is capable of a parallel instance among the Sons of Men. If Men were able to express such a love as this of Christs they might be able to know his love as I can understand the love of man to man because I am able to express the same to others but Christs love never was nor ever can be parallel'd his love to mankind is as much above theirs one to another as the Heavens are above the Earth Isa 55.8.9 If all the affection of the whole Creation were resident in one particular person yet it would lie as much short of the love of Christ as finite doth of infinite and therefore our Saviour fetcheth a comparison from Heaven whereby to set it forth and sayes He loved us as his Father loved him John 15.9 which I made my second Argument * Gerhard Harmon p. 1016. The degrees of love are to be measured both by the object and matter of it 1. In respect of the object the lowest degree is when a man loves one that loves him and doth good to him Mat. 5.46 Luke 6.32 33. The next is when one loves him by whom he is not beloved and from whom he receives no benefit The highest is when one loves his enemy who doth not only not love him but hate him nor only doth him no good but heaps injuries upon him Mat. 5.44 Luke 6.35 2. In respect of the matter three degrees likewise may be reckoned the lowest when one doth good to his Neighbour out of the substance which he hath the next when he bestows all the goods which he hath of body mind and estate upon his Neighbour the highest when he layes down his life Now though there may be found who will lay out themselves and their estates for the good of those who love them and are beneficial to them nay of those that love them not and are no way beneficial to them yea that hate them and have done them ill turns yea though there may be some but very rarely found that have laid down their lives for their lovers and friend yet where can we find an instance of those who have laid down their lives for enemies and injurious ones save this of Christs laying down his life for us The height of all humane affection is expressed in two places of Scripture John 15.13 Rom. 5.6 which amounts to no more than this The laying down of life for friends for good men scarcely for a righteous man which circumstances render it unworthy to be laid in the ballance with the love of Christ who laid down his life for the ungodly for sinners and enemies Rom. 5.6 8 10. in consideration whereof Bernard breaks out thus pathetically * Majorem charitatem nemo habet quà m ut animam suâ—m ponat quis pro am cis suis Tu maâ—o 〈◊〉 hâ—buisti Domine ponâ—ns cam pro inimicis cum enim adhuc inimici essemus per mortem tuam tibi reconciliati sumus patri Qâ—aenam aâ—â—a videdebitur esse vel fuisse vel fore huic simâ—lis charitati Vix pro justo quis moritur tu pro impiis passus es moriens propter delicta nostra qui venisti justificare gratis peccatores servos facere fratres captivos cohaeredes Exules Reges Bern. de Pass Dom. mihi pag. 34. Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends but thou O Lord hadst greater love who didst lay down thy life for thine enemies for when we were yet enemies we were reconciled by thy death both to thy self and to thy Father What other love either is or was or shall be seen like to this love Scarcely for a righteous man will one dye but thou sufferedst for the ungodly dying for our sins who camest to justifie sinners freely to make servants brethren captives co-heirs and Exiles Kings Thus he Give me leave here to lay before you some examples of the love of the children of men towards one another as they are recorded in Sacred Writ or in other Histories and we shall still find the love of Christ beyond the highest and noblest of them 1. We read of those who have gone far in love to their Countrey and the people with whom they have lived Moses and Paul for their Countreymen the Jews the one sayes to God If thou wilt not forgive their sin blot me I pray thee out of the Book which thou hast written Exod. 32.32 The other sayes I could wish that my self were accursed from Christ for my Brethren my Kinsmen according to the flesh Rom. 9.3 which words whether we understand them of a temporal death absolutely according to Hierome or of eternal death conditionally if it might be if it were possible as others take them y Vocâ—s illae fuerunt eximiâ— stupendi amoris Rivet in Exod mihi p. 1190. were words of eminent and stupendious love as the learned Rivet observes who though he saw no inconvenience in either sense yet preferreth the former as less liable to exception and attended with fewer difficulties and sufficient to express the affection of these holy men who chose to dye rather than live to see their People destroyed and rejected z Multum charitatis in isto Rege apparet Pet. Martyr in loc It was great love and affection in David towards his People when he desired that the Lords hand might be stretched out against himself and Family rather than against them 2 Sam. 24.17 It was no less love that moved Esther to hazard her own life for saving of the Jews who were her own Countreymen and designed to destruction by the plot of wicked Haman resolutely venturing into the Kings presence uncalled and against Law which if the golden Scepter had not been held forth had cost her her life Esther 4.16 Even among the Heathens there have been found those who out of love to their Countrey and People have parted with the lives of their Children yea their own lives a Fulgoâ— de dictis factisque memorab lib. 5. cap. 6. p. 152. C. Marius waging War against the Cimbrians was warned in a dream that if he sacrificed his Daughter Calphurnia he should obtain the Victory which he did and overcame his enemies The like did Erecteus as the same Author informs me and adds That the greatness of his love to his Countrey overcame his fatherly affection towards his Daughter b Valer. Max. lib. 5. cap. 6.
mihi p. 261 262. Curtius and Decius among the Romans are famous The former for leaping into the Earth when it opened it self and as was said would not be clozed till the best thing in Rome were cast into it The latter for rushing into the midst of the Enemies when his party were like to be overcome in Battel by them both to the loss of their own lives for the preservation of their Countrey c Idem ibidem p. 264. Codrus likewise among the Grecians is renowned who being King of Athens and understanding from the Oracle at Delphos that the War which then greatly wasted that Countrey would not be ended unless he were slain by the hand of the Enemy ventured incognito into the Enemies Quarters and by a wound given to one of the Souldiers provoked and procured his own death 2 We read of those who have ventured far in love to their friends Jonathans love to David was wonderful passing the love of Women 2 Sam. 1.26 He loved him as his own soul 1 Sam. 20.17 insomuch as he incurred his Fathers displeasure and hazarded his own life in his excuse and defence v. 27 to 34. Great was the love of d Valer. Max. lib. 4. cap. 7. p. 213. Damon and Pythias two Pythagorean Philosophers for when one of them was condemned to death by Dionysius the Tyrant the other offered to dye for him But greater the love of those who did indeed dye for their friends e Idem ibidem p. 210. as Volumnius did for Lucullus who hearing that M. Antonius had slain his friend because he took part with Brutus and Cassius made great lamentation for him and continued so to do till he was brought before Antonius to whom he spake after this manner Command me O Emperour to be forthwith carried to the Body of Lucullus and slain there for I ought not to survive him who have been the cause of his unhappy Warfare This was no sooner asked but it was granted and he being brought to the place where his dead friend lay after he had kissed his right hand and taken his head into his bosome he was presently beheaded besides him The like friendship was betwixt Tapeus and Zogius in the Kingdom of China and the like fate happened to them as I find it recorded by a late f Martinius Histor Sinicae Dec. prim p. 116. 117. Author Tapeus being by the Emperour condemned to dye for no just cause Zogius not able to bear it and being moved with the calamity of his friend exposed himself to apparent danger on his behalf often rebuking the Emperour for it with great freedome who at last being enraged said Thou openly discoverest thy self to be a Traytor who to favour a Friend art not afraid to offend a King To which Zogius for vindicating of himself answered boldly You are mistaken O Emperour He that is true to his Friend will be so to you nor is it fidelity towards you to forsake a guiltless Friend You have condemned to death my Friend who is innocent convicted of no crime against all Laws and the custome of good Kings Because I desire to preserve him I came under suspition of treason but what affinity hath Rebellion with faithfulness goodness and love I defend the cause of my Friend that you may not deal unjustly and tyrannically being faithful to both but more to you for both he that preserveth the innocent doth well but he that rectifies the erroneous doth better Then the Emperour in a fury said Either leave off your prating or dye with your Friend To whom Zogius answered It doth not become an honest man for the prolonging of his life to desert that which is lawful and right nor for the avoiding of death to confute by his deeds the things which he hath spoken agreeable to reason The things which I have spoken tend to this That you may see how unjust a death you occasion to Tapeus for where there is no fault there is no room for punishment The Emperour vexed at this constancy commanded them both presently to be slain not knowing sayes the Historian That it is more glorious to dye in the maintaining of friendship than to preserve ones life by unfaithfulness 3. We read of great love among other Relations g Clark's Mirror fol. p. 209 Vrbinius Papinian the Roman had a Servant who hearing that the Souldiers were about to slay him came to him and changed Apparel with him took his Ring and put it on his own finger and letting him out at the back-door went and lay down in his Masters Bed so that when the Souldiers came taking him for the Master they slew him who willingly chose death to save his Masters life This was great love in a Servant h Valer. Max. p. 202. Tiberius Gracchus having found two Snakes in his House was told that upon letting go the Male it would be sudden death to his Wife and to himself upon letting go the Female but he preferring his Wives life before his own commanded the Male to be killed and himself dyed soon after This was great love of a Husband to his Wife i Clark's Mirror fol. p. 293. Cabadis King of Persia being Deposed and shut up in close Prison and his Brother Blazes set up in his room the Wife of Cabadis first procures Horses to be laid in the wayes and then ingratiating her self with the Prison-Keeper got leave often to visit her Husband At last she changed Apparel with him and he getting thereby out of Prison fled upon those Horses and at last recovered his Kingdome again but she being discovered was by the command of Blazes cruelly put to death This was great love of a Wife to her Husband 'T was great love in David as a Father which made him mourn as he did for Absolom though an ungrateful and ungracious Son and to wish that he had dyed for him 2 Sam. 18.33 And it was great love of a Son to a Father which was shewed by one of Toledo as k Fulgos lib. 5. cap. 4. p. 159. Fulgosus relates the story whose Father being condemned to dye he never left entreating by prayers and tears till he obtained that his Father might be released and himself killed in his room I am sensible how far beyond my first intentions I have enlarged my self in the mention of these examples and therefore craving the Readers pardon for this excursion I shall quickly accommodate the whole to my present purpose when I have given one instance more of brotherly love among Christians the rule whereof is set very high That from the consideration of the love of Christ in laying down his life for us we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren 1 Joh. 3.16 and this example which I am now to mention comes up to it In the seventh Persecution under Decius l Clark's general Martyrol p. 52. The same story I find in Ambrose his second Book concerning Virgins only the
names of the persons are not mentioned Operum Tom. 4. mihi p. 100. c. Masons Acts of the Church p. 11. Marc. Marul Spalat de institut benè vivendi lib. 3. cap. 2. p. 226. Andr. Hondors Theatrum Historicum mihi p. 499. at Antioch Theodora a godly Virgin refusing to sacrifice to the Idols was condemned by the Judge to the Stews which Sentence being executed there were many wanton young men ready at the door to press into the House where she was but one of the Brethren called Didymus putting on a Souldiers habit would have the first admittance and coming in he perswaded her to change garments with him and so she in the Souldiers habit escaped away and Didymus was left to the rage and wondring of the people being found a man Hereupon he was presented to the President to whom he presently confessed the whole matter professing himself to be a Christian and so was condemned which Theodora hearing of thinking to excuse him she came and presented her self to the Judge as the guilty party desiring that she might be condemned and the other excused but the cruel Judge neither considering the vertue of the persons nor the innocency of the cause most inhumanely condemned them both first to be beheaded and then burnt which was accordingly executed Here was great love and indeed I have all along singled out the most eminent instances which I have met with of love among the Children of Men. But yet all this lies far short of Christs love towards us For 1. There is so vast a difference betwixt the persons suffering that the best of them are not to be compared with Christ who is worth ten thousand of us and the life which he laid down infinitely more valuable than ten thousand of ours 2. The death which they underwent was a debt which must have been paid by all of them sooner or later whether they would or no but Christ lay under no obligation to dye only he voluntarily undertook it for our sakes 3. The objects for which they suffered were amiable and obliging It was for a Countrey for m Fateor equidem magna charitas est cum quis pro amico ponit animam vix inquit Paulus pro bono quis moriatur At haec charitas longè maior est quuÌ„ quis pro inimico ponit animam suam neque ejusmodi amor inter homines reperitur Christus autem pro inimicis suis mortuus est ergò singulari quodam amore cujus exemplum nullum extat inter homines nos pres cuius est Rolloc in Joan. p. 800. Friends for a Wife for a Husband for a Master for a Child for a Father for a fellow-Christian but it was otherwise here Christ died for ungodly sinners and enemies as I told you before so that if we consider Christ in the greatness and glory of his person and Man in his meanness vileness and opposition to himself and then consider love breaking forth from Christ so far towards such a one as to shed his blood and lay down his life for him and that upon no other account but his own free and undeserved love it may make us cry out with admiration How great is his goodness how great is his love This is that which raiseth the love of Christ so far above out of our sight and reach n Tantus nos dilexit tantùm gratis tantillos tales Ber. de dil Deo p. 296. That so great a person should love so low and vile ones as we were so much and that freely For to use the words of o Quis enim potest colligere mysterii hujus charitatis rationem ut Deus hominis causâ homo naesceretur deindè moreretur pro hominibus pro servis Dominus pro creaturâ Creator pro impiis Pius Propter quid ità nos dilexit Aut ut quid nostrum haberet qui nullius indiget nunquid non charitas haec super scientiam hominum est Aut quis hominum poterit hanc charitatem alicui exhibere quanquà m impar sit ac per hoc supereminet humana commenta Ambros in Text. Ambrose who can gather a reason of the mystery of this love that God for Mans sake should become Man and then dye for Men the Lord for Servants the Creator for his Creature the Holy One for the Vngodly Wherefore did he thus love us What was it to gain of ours who himself stands in need of nothing Is not this love above the knowledge of men or Who among the Sons of Men can shew this love to another though there be no compare and in this surpasseth all humane conception Was ever love like this No it is incomparable for as p Non enim est pater non mater non amicus non alius quisquam qui nos tantùm dilexcrit quantùm tu Domine qui fecisti nos Absoâ—beat igitur quaeso amantissime Domine mentem meam ab omnibus quoe sub coeâ—o sunt ignita melliflua vis tui amoris ut totus tibi inhaercam solâque suavitatis tuae dulcedine pascar delecter inebrier Idiot Contemplat de Amore Divino cap. 5. p. mihi 353. one speaks There is neither Father nor Mother nor Friend nor any other who hath loved us so much as thou O Lord who hast made us Let therefore I beseech thee O most loving Lord the hotly-flaming and sweetly-flowing force of thy love swallow up my mind from all things under Heaven that I may wholly cleave unto thee and be only fed delighted and even overcome with thy sweetness That 's the fourth Argument CHAP. IV. Sect. 1. MY next Argument shall be taken from the way which God takes for the representing and applying of this love to us Arg. 5. that we may have some apprehension of it and acquaintance with it 1. For Representation The love of Christ appears to be incomprehensible because the course which is taken for bringing us to some sight of it is by mediums and reflections The light of the Sun is so strong and piercing and our sight so weak and tender that our eyes are dazled when we look directly upon it and therefore the best sight we have of it is by some medium or reflection Such is the love of Christ the beams of it from the q Mal. 4.2 Sun of Righteousness are so strong that it would soon overcome our weak and dimm sight to look directly upon it and therefore he shadows it out to us and reflects it upon us that we may discern something of it You know how the Church under the Old Testament had Christ and his Love shadowed out under Types and Sacrifices and we have the representation of the same Christ and the same Love for r Heb. 13.8 he is the same yesterday to day and for ever under the Word and Sacraments which are the glasses by which we see darkly and know in part that love of Christ which we
Christ or you are lost and undone for ever See what the Scripture speaks in this particular Psalm 2.12 Kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little h Osculari p o amare obedire obsequi se humilitèr subjicere hoâ—um signum qâ—ippe antiquitùs osculuâ—s erat Glass Rhet. Sacr. p. 1094. Osculum in sacrâ Scripturâ significat unionem charitatem pacem reverentiam Durand Rat. Div. Offic. lib. 4. cap. 53. mihi p. 202. The custome of Kissing of old was a sign of affection or subjection and thus it is used in Scripture to signifie 1. Affection Thus Esau kissed his Brother Jacob in token of love and good will being reconciled to him Gen. 33.4 Thus the Primitive Christians did Salute one another with an holy Kiss Rom. 16.16 1 Cor. 16.20 i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab amore cujus signuÌ„ est Rivet in Psal 2. pag. 29. This was signified in the Word and more from the Apostle Peters Adjunct where he calls it the Kiss of Charity 1 Pet. 5.14 k Precibus finitis mutuo nos invicem osculo salutamus Just Mart. Apol 2. Justin Martyr mentions this as a practice in his time When Prayers are ended we salute one another with a Kiss 2. It signifies likewise Subjection Reverence and Obedience Thus Samuel kissed Saul when he had anointed him King in token of subjection and obedience to him 1 Sam. 10.1 Thus Idolaters kissed their Idols in token of Reverence 1 Kings 19.18 Hos 13.2 Now this place may be understood of both these and all men even the greatest of men Kings and Judges of the Earth are charged to kiss the Son to love and submit themselves to the Lord Jesus and that under a dreadful penalty if they do it not lest he be angry You cannot change the nature of Christ by your not loving of him he will be loving and will love still â—ut you may change the property of it as to â—our selves he will not love you nay you will â—urn it into anger against your selves He can â—e angry and he will be angry with you if â—ou love him not * Habebitis Judicem severum quem benignum dominum recusastis Rivet ubi suprà p. 30. You shall find him a severe â—udge whom you have refused as a mild and â—entle Lord. And a little of this anger is enough â—or your destruction for you shall perish from â—he way if his wrath be kindled but a little â—ou'll perish at the rebuke of his countenance â—sal 80.16 Perishing signifies eternal death â—nd misery in opposition to eternal life and happiness Joh. 3.15 and here it holds forth â—his unto us That those who do not love and obey the Lord Jesus Christ do cast themselves out of the way of Life Salvation and Happiness â—n to a state of Death Destruction and Misery which will certainly be their portion from the just wrath and displeasure of him whom they have provoked by their enmity and disobedience And shall not this awaken you But take another Scripture Prov. 8.36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul all they that hate me love death It is no wrong to the Text to understand these words as spoken by Jesus Christ who having declared his antient love to the Sons Men calls upon them to hearken unto him and receive his counsel and having encouraged them unto it by telling them it would be their wisdome and happiness that they should have life and favour this way v. 32.33.34.35 lest this should not pâ—evail he concludes by laying open the danger of such as refuse in the words forementioned Where you may note 1. That they who refuse the counsel of Christ are sinners against him and that in the highest degree they are Christ-haters 2. That it is of dismal consequence to be in the number of those who love not but hate Christ and not to love him is to hate him there is no medium betwixt them the consequence whereof is 1. That they wrong their souls l Injurius est animae suae Pagn They are injurious to their souls m Expoliat anâ—mam suam Mont. They spoil and rob their souls n Vâ—m addit animae suae Jun. They offer force and violence to their souls o Rapit anâ—maâ— suam Merc. in Lexic Pag. in loc They ravenously devour their souls as the words are variously rendered by Interpreters but to the same purpose p Chamas significat apertam injuriam violentiaÌ„ Merc. The word signifies open injury and violence But besides this 2. They love death q Quia impudentes sibi exitium accersunt dùm me negligunt mortem amare vidâ—ntur quia in exitium suum ruunt Merc. in loc Because as Mercer notes upon the place they foolishly call destruction upon themselves Whiles they neglect me they seem to love death because they violently rush upon their own ruine Now besides that destruction is the portion of those who are enemies to Jesus Christ these two things are observable from this place 1. That 't is self-murder in all those who love not the Lord Jesus it is felo de se their destruction is from themselves they themselves lay violent hands on their own souls 2. That it is wilful self-murder They do wilfully rush upon their destruction and will not be with-held from it as if they were in love with their own death and ambitious of everlasting burnings than which what can tend more to aggravate their sin and condemnaâ—ion And shall not this move you Well I shall shut up this with that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 16.22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha which is a denunciation of the heaviest curse against that man or woman who in the midst his profession doth not sincerely and unfeignedly love the Lord Jesus But this being a place of some difficulty it may not be amiss to spend a little time in the opening of the words and giving you the sense of them r August Epist 178. mihi p. 921. Pinks Sermon upon this place p. 3. The words here used which render the place difficult are Anathema Maranatha the former of which is a Greek word and signifies accursed separated devoted to the Curse It 's questioned whether Å¿ Beza in loc Pet. Martyr Eras Pareus Ravanell in verbo Maranatha Maranatha be one or two or three words but most agree that 't is of the Syriack dialect and signifies the Lord cometh or our Lord cometh Now for the better understanding of the place you must know that it is generally conceived by the learned that the Apostle in these expressions had a special respect to the Jewish way of Excommunication which we are therefore necessarily to take into our consideration for the better clearing of that which lyes before us And here I find some difference about the several kinds and
lovely and delectable And indeed so he is If there be any thing unlovely in him do not love him but because he hath Omnes rationes amabilitatis he is maximè diligibilis as the Schoolmen speak He is most to be beloved because he hath all grounds of amiablenâ—ss in him What is it which is most taking with you which is not in him 1. Is it Beauty He is white and ruddy the chiefest the Standard-bearer among ten thousand Cant. 5.10 Fairer than the Children of Men Psal 45.2 h Pulchritudinem Christi fuisse eximiam omnimodam dubitare nesas est Rivet in Psal 45. pag. 214. Fol. It s a hainous and detestable thing to doubt of his excellent and perfect beauty He is the brightness of his Fathers glory and the express Image of his person Heb. 1.3 2. Is it Riches He is proprietor and possessor of unsearchable riches according to the Apostle Ephes 3.8 He is appointed Heir of all things Heb. 1.2 3. Is it Honour God hath highly exalted him and given him a name above every name Phil. 2.9 higher than the Kings of the Earth Psal 89.27 King of Kings and Lord of Lords is the Name written on his Thigh and Vesture Rev. 19.16 The Lord of Glory as he is called in 1 Cor. 2.8 The King of Glory as David styles him Psal 24.7 that is a most glorious Lord and King by an usual Hebraisme 4. Is it Power and Authority All power that is * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 belong both to him as those places intimate authority is given to him in Heaven and Earth Mat. 28.18 he hath a power whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself Phil. 3.21 5. Is it great Wisdome and Vnderstanding In him are hid all the treasures of Wisdome and Knowledge Col. 2.3 He hath not a little Wisdome but treasures of Wisdome all the treasures of Wisdome 6. Is it Goodness of disposition He may be better than Titus Vespatian called Deliciae generis humani The delight and darling of mankind How earnestly doth he invite and beseech poor sinners to come in to him that they may be saved Isa 55.1 c. Mat. 11.28 2 Cor. 5.20 Vide Watsons Sermon of Christs loveliness passim How patiently doth he wait for their acceptance of his offers of grace Rev. 3.10 even till his head be filled with dew and his locks with the drops of the night Cant. 5.2 How readily doth he embrace and heartily welcome those who come in to him though they have been Prodigals and stood out long against his entreaties Luke 15.20 c. How sadly doth he resent the delayes and denyals of obstinate sinners with sorrow in his heart Mark 3.5 with tears in his eyes Luke 19.41 and lamentable complaints in his mouth Verse 42. Mat. 23.37 John 5.40 all which shews what a gracious disposition he is of 7. Is it Sweetness of Conversation That which was said of Saul and Jonathan 2 Sam. 1.23 They were lovely in their lives is much more true of Christ His life was purer than the Sun-beams as Chrysostome speaks his life was a fair Copy without any blot his lips never spake a word amisse Psa 45. Luke 4.22 John 7.46 his feet never did tread one step awry he went about doing good Acts 10.38 his whole life was a pattern of good works 8. Is it Vsefulness to others Herein he is most eminent He is our Light The Sun of Righteousness more useful than the Sun in the Firmament Mal. 4.2 He is our Life our life of grace and comfort here springs from him John 1.16 Luke 2.25 and so doth our life of glory hereafter Col. 3.4 John 17.22 24. In a word He is our All. i Omnia ad salutem necessaria in omnibus fidelibus sanctificatis Christo copulatis Dav. in Col. p. 306. All that is necessary to salvation in all the faithful that are sanctified and united to him Col. 3.11 k Watsons Sermon on the Text. p. 420. All good is eminently in him and all good is conveyed derivatively from him He is made unto Believers a Paradise a Tree of Life a Jewel a Crown c. yea l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Macar Hom. 31. mihi p. 410. All in all as Macarius speaks Even Christ crucified though to the blind world the greatest stumbling block and Rock of offence yet to them who have their senses rightly exercised to discern him is most amiable When he is to the Jews a stumbling-block and to the Greeks foolishness even then to them who are called both Jews and Greeks it is Christ the Power of God and the Wisdome of God 1 Cor. 1.23.24 which made the Apostle resolve to know and to glory in nothing but Christ crucified the Cross of Christ 1 Cor. 2.2 and Gal. 6.14 The more bloody he was for us the more lovely should he be to us because therein he shewed most love to us m Sihs Bowels open'd p. 374. By how much the more he was abased for us this makes him the more lovely that out of love he would abase himself so low When greatness and goodness meet together how goodly is it And likewise because from hence ariseth our greatest benefit and advantage Christs Cross is our Crown his Passion the ground of our hope and expectation his shame our glory his pain our ease his curse our blessing his stripes our healing his confinement our liberty his condemnation our justification his suffering our reigning his death our life for his Cross was the atonement of Divine wrath the condemnation of sin n â—â—ux Christi est clavis Paâ—adisi Damasc the opening of Heaven which was shut against us Well then lay these things together and if it appear that Jesus Christ is thus lovely there is no question but he deserves to be loved by you especially if you take in the other consideration upon which he deserves your love and that is 2. Upon the account of his love to your selves It 's true o Tam bonus est pulcher in se Deus ut licet non amasset nos nec benefecisset nec fecisset amandus esset supra omnes ematores benefactores conditores nostros imo etiamsi adisset nos malefecisset Nâ—irem de Adorat in Spir. Verit. p. 369. that Christs goodness and amiableness is such as that it deserves our love though he had never loved us nor done good to us yea after he hath loved us p Quia bonus est in se D us plus debemus amare quam quia nos amat benefacit Idem p. 375. we ought to love him more because he is good and amiable in himself than because he loveth us and is beneficial to us But though the loveliness of Christ be sufficient to deserve our love and we can never love him at so high a rate as his amiableness deserves
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
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
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
nobilis ad magna operanda impellit ad desideranda semper perfectiora excitat Amor onus non sentit labores non reputat plus affectat quam valet Amor onus sine onere portat omne amarum dulce ac sapidum efficit A Kemp. de Imit Christi lib. 3. cap. 5. mihi p. 149. 150. devout man speaks doth inforce to the doing of great things and doth excite to the desire of more perfect things Love feels no burden reckons not of labours and affects more than it can do It bears a burden without burden and makes every bitter thing sweet and savoury True love of Christ is real and operative not only full of affection to him but also of action for him expressed in obedience to his Commandments These are the Characters of sincere love and it will concern you to look that your love be thus sincere Sect. 3. The second Branch of the first Direction That it be stedfast constant 2. LOok that your love to Christ be a stedfast and constant love for that may be another sense of the * So it is in the Margin of your Bibles With incorruption word as was shewed before (*) Roberts Evidences p. 21. Two Characters of constant love The first is That it be Inviolable True love of Christ is a long-lasting yea an everlasting affection it will not waste putrifie worm-eat or decay but is incorruptible Now there are two things which go to the making up of this stedfast constant love 1. It must be Inviolable such as will not be corrupted Man hath more Suitors for his love than one Christ sues for it and Satan sues for it and neither will be satisfied without it only with this difference that Christ will have all or none but Satan will be content with a part if he cannot get the whole he is willing to have it divided for thereby he knows he shall have all at last because Christ will not be put off with a piece of the heart nor accept of half our love Now as Christ sues by the Word so Satan sues by the World but when once Christ hath gained the love of a mans heart in good earnest to himself not all the baits which Satan layes for him nor all the fair promises which he makes to him from the Worlds Trinity f 1 Joh. 2.16 Ambitiosus honos opes foeda voluptas Haec tria pro Trino Numine Mundus habet the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride the pleasures profits preferments of this life can bribe or corrupt him in his love to Christ but he remains inviolable against all these Now he can say having loved him and tasted of his sweetnesse unto all other temptations and allurements from the creature Frustrà blanditiae venitis ad me They are no more to him than they are to a dead man for such a one is he to the World and all the flattering enticing blandishments of it as Paul said he was g Quia nihil ad mortuum pertineat Calv. in loc Gal. 6.14 I am crucified to the World This is one Branch of the character of true love to Christ as it is set down Cant. 8.7 If a man would give all the substance of his House for love it would be utterly contemned which though Ainsworth interpret to the sense That neither Love nor any other Grace can be purchased by money yet ordinarily it is interpreted to such a sense as will serve the end I bring it for viz. That the soul which is truly affected to Jesus Christ will not be perswaded out of it by any thing which this World can afford Thus Mercer h Opibus non ducitur aut quaestu Ecclesia ut a Christi amore discedat cum omnia sua propter Christum parata sit relinquere Merc. in loc The Church is not drawn by riches or gain to depart from the love of Christ seeing she is ready to leave all she hath for Christ To the same purpose one of our own i Jacâ—soâ— in loc If a man though the wealthiest man in the World should proffer a Christian all his wealth to hire him to abandon his love and loyalty to Christ he would look upon it with scorn and indignation with contempt and detestation A true Believer will part with all he hath for Christs sake but he will not part with Christ for all the World Such a one was Luther who could not be tempted by all the fair promises which the Romanists made him of Honour and Wealth to abate of his zeal and affection for Christ and his Truth but answered all their temptations with this noble resolution k Contemptus est Romanus furor favoâ— Melch. Adam in vita Lutheri p. 114. The fury and favour of the Romish Party is by me alike contemned So that when one asked Why they did not stop his mouth with Silver or Gold another answered l Hemâ— Germana haec Bestia non curat Aurum ibid. p. 158. Alas this German Beast cares not for Gold Such a one was the noble Marquess of Vico who having left his Countrey Relations and Estate for Christs sake and Religion and having withstood several temptations to return was at last assaulted by a subtile and importunate Jesuit who among other things made him fair offers of money if he would return home but he resolutely repelled this Temptation in these words m Crashaw's gracious life of Gal. Carao p. 211. Let their money perish with them who esteem all the Gold in the World worth one dayes society with Jesus Christ And such a love as this must we have to Christ if we would be constant to him The second is That it is Invincible 2. It must be Invincible such as cannot be conquered As Christ hath threatnings to enforce our love as well as promises to entice it from the Word so hath Satan from the World to keep or call off our hearts from Christ He hath a frowning as well as a smiling World threats as well as promises force as well as flattery and where he prevails not by the one he will make use of the other but now where a soul is fully bent and fixed in love to Christ it will * Gen. 49.24 abide in strength against this as well as the other by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. This love in the heart of a Christian is a fire that hath a most vehement flame which many waters cannot quench nor the floods drown as it is expressed Cant. 8.6 7. Where n Anisworth Jackson Roboâ—ham in loc by Waters and Floods according to a usual Metaphor in Scripture 2 Sam. 22.17 Psal 32.6 Psal 42.7 are meant many and sore afflictions persecutions troubles and temptations and so that which is intended is That no threatnings afflictions and persecutions can beat off the Spouse from the love of Christ The love of Christ
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
Reyn. Vanity of the Creature That he loveth God too little who loveth any thing besides him which he doth not love for him There is so much unsuitablenesse in the things of the World which are terrene and temporall to the nature of a mans soul which is spirituall and immortall so much insufficiency to supply his necessities and satisfie his desires nay so much not onely of vanity but also of vexation in the getting keeping increasing using reviewing and disposing of these things that it is a wonder any rationall creature should be transported with any irregular and in ordinate affection towards them especially seeing by the vote of Scripture such have not the love of God in them 1 John 2.15 But what madnesse is it for men to prefer these things in their affections before Jesus Christ Is it not enough that we may have the World for our use and use it when we have it but we must dote upon it and delight in it and love it above the Lord himself which yet too many do but to their prejudice for as the forementioned Father speaks †Non est in eo fundamentum Christus cui talia viz. terrena temporalia praeponuntur Aug. de civ Dei lib. 21 cap. 26. mihi pag 656. Christ is not the foundation in that Soul where these earthly and temporall things are preferred before him It cuts off their interest in Christ and their title to Heaven and Happinesse How much rather should we choose to love a living Christ than a dead creature a full and sufficient Christ than a vain empty creature an abiding Christ than a perishing creature a sâ—tisfying Christ than a deceiving creature a contenting Christ than a vexatious creature yea it is our wisedome and happiness to love Christ so much more than all creature comforts by how much he is more worthy to be beloved being more amiable in himself and more advantageous to those who love him than they are or can be Love Christ therefore above all you have of this World so as to reserve the chiâ—fâ—st room in your hearts for him whilest these things are in your hands and 〈◊〉 they come in competition with Christ to thrâ—w them oâ—â— as intollâ—rable burdens and tramplâ— them under foot as drosse and dung Thâ—s is to love Christ aright thus have the â—â—riâ—â—â— lâ—â—eâ— him His Disciples forsook all to follow him Mat. 19 27. Thou knowest Lord said * 〈…〉 Clâ—rks English Mâ—â—tyâ—ol p. 146. To the lâ—ke puâ—pose spake another Martyr Stephâ—â— Knight p. 132. one oâ— the Martyrs in Queen Maries time in his last prayer That if we would but seem to please men in things contrary to thy Word we might enjoy the commodities of life as others do but seeing the world will not suffer me to enjoy them except I 〈◊〉 against thy holy Laws behold I â—ave here all the pleasures of this life for the hopes sake of eternall life purchased by Christs bl od and promised to all them that fight on his side Thus must we love him if we would be his disciples for this as was said before out of that place in Luke chap. 14. 33. is one of the terms of Discipleship nor need we be afraid to venture thus far for his sake who hath given us such incouragement as he hath done by telling us Mat. 19.29 That whosoever hath forsaken houses or lands c. for his Names sake shall receive an hundred fold and shall inherit everlasting life Christ will see that his people shall be no lâ—sers in what they pure with upon his account for what they venture of the things of this World shall be mâ—de up in himself in the blessings of his Grace here and Glory hereafter * Amiserum omnia 〈◊〉 habebâ—â—â— nunquid fidem nunquid pâ—etatem nunquid interioris hâ—miniâ— boâ—â— qui est aâ—â—â— Deum dâ—â—es Hae suâ—t opâ—s christianorum 〈◊〉 Aug de civ Dei lib. 1 cap. 10. mihi pag. 21. Austin spends a chapter to shew that Christians are no losers in parting with the things of the world for Christs sake Because they have spirituall riches which they cannot lose their Faith and Godlinesse and the goods of the Inner-man whereby they are rich towards God and which are a Christians truest and best riches and because they have laid up for themselves treasures in Heaven according to our Saviours counsell in Mat. 6.20 whither none of their enemies can come to take them away This made Paulinus the famous Bishop of Noâ—a pray thus unto God as the Father there reports concerning him when the City was wasted by the Goths and himself taken prisoner †Domine non excrucier propter aurum argentum ubi enim sint omnia mea tu scis ib. pag. 22. O Lord suffer me not to be troubled for gold or silver for thou knowest where all my riches are laid up This made the believing Jews before him endure joyfully the spoiling of their goods knowing within themselves that they had in heaven a better and an enduring substance as the Apostle hath it Heb. 10.34 And this should make us willing to do the same when called to it * Optanda nimirum est jactura quae lucro majore peâ—satur Such losse of earthly things for Christ being desireable which is recompensed with greater gain in Spirituall and Heavenly things I shall shut up this with that of a Devout Man * Oportet dilectum pro dilecto relinquere quia Jesus vult solus super omnia amari Dilectio creaturae fallax instabilis dilectio Jesu fidelis perseverabilis Qui adhaeret creaturae cadet cum labili qui amplectitur Jesum firmabitur in aevum Illum dilige amicum tibi retine qui omnibus recedentibus te non relinquet nec patietur in fine perire A. Kemp de imit Christi lib. 2. cap. 7. p. 111. It becoms us to leave that which we love for him whom we love because Jesus Christ will be alone loved above all things The love of the creature is deceitfull and unstable the love of Jesus is faithfull and persevering he that adhereth to the creature will find it slide from him and shall fall with it but he that imbraceth Jesus shall be established for ever Love him therefore and retain him for thy friend who when all things shall give thee the slip will not leave thee nor suffer thee to perish in the conclusion Love him above all the things of the World which are in thy possession for as the same Author hath it a little after †Dilectus tuus talis est naturae ut alienum non velit admittere sed solus vult cor tuum habere tanquam Rex in proprio Throno sedere Idem ibid. Thy beloved is of such a nature that he will not admit a stranger but will have thy heart alone for himself and sit there as King in his own Throne Sect. 2. Above our Relations 2.
LOve Jesus Christ Plusquam tuos More than all your Relations though never so near and dear to you Hear what our Saviour sayes Luke 14.26 If any man come to me and hate not Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters he cannot be my Disciple Object But perhaps this may sound harsh in the ears of some who may be ready to retort What hate Father and Mother c. This is a hard saying who can bear it I shall therefore speak something for the opening and clearing of this Scripture Answer that no Stumbling blocks may from thence lye in the way to discourage any Man from following Christ Know therefore 1. How this is to be understood It cannot be understood as if Christ would hereby extinguish naturall affections in his Followers towards their Relations forbidding our love to them and requiring our hatred of them No no 1. Love to our Relations is implanted by himself in every one by nature 2. It is not only allowed but required by his commandment in Scripture Exod. 20.12 3. It was in himself and expressed by him to his dying hour for then out of filial affection did he commend his Virgin-Mother to the care of his beloved Disciple John 19.27 By which example as the †Bellarmin de Sept. verb. dom lib. 1. c. 11. p. 89. Alex. Roberts Sacred Septenary p. 73. Smith on the Creed p. 230. Gerh. Harmon de pass p. 187. Learned observe Christ would teach us what affection and care we owe to our Relations according to the flesh Farre be it from us therefore to imagine that our Saviour would have us turn Barbarians when we became Christians or that he would have us cast off all naturall affection when we come unto him This is not his meaning But Secondly Christs end and design is to regulate and keep within due bounds our love to our earthly relations and raise our affection to himself to its due pitch and height He would have us to love Father and Mother c. But yet so as to reserve a singular and sovereigne affection for himself not to suffer our love to them to exceed or drown our love to Him Love them we may but not more than himself so it is expressed Mat. 10.37 †Quiamat supra me Beza in loc and so * Beza expounds it here †Certum est vocâ—m hanc impropriè sumi nam parentes odisse impium est semetipsuÌ„ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Grot. Simplicissima interpretatio est quae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exponit minùs amare quendam It is certain sayes Grotius that this word is to be taken improperly for it is a wicked thing to hate ones Parents and impossible to hate ones self Ephes 5.29 And therefore he expounds this hating by lesse loving Thus Deodate takes it and thus they both observe the word to hate is sometimes taken in Scripture see Gen. 29.31 33. Deut. 21 15.16 Thus Glassius takes it * Odissâ— post ponere minusâ— curare seu prae al o charioâ—i negligere significat Glassius Gram. sacr p. 582. Rhet. sacr p. 10 56. Vide Vorst Philolog sacr cap. 5. pag. 149 150. To hate sayes he Signifies to put behind and lesse to care for one or to neglect in comparison of another who is more dear and more highly esteemed So that this phrase 1. Is not to be understood in a strict but in a moderate sence To hate is not to love and this 2. Not absolutely but comparatively not to love them in comparison of Christ not to love them so much aâ— Him or more than Him To set them behind Him and to care for them lesse than Him and to neglect them in comparison of Him who ought to be more dear to them 3. This to be understood upon occasion of their standing in competition with Him †Si nos à Christo sequendo impediat nostrorum amor fortiter resistendum est Calv. in loc If the love of our relations hinder us from following of Christ it is strongly to be resisted as Calvin observes And so Glassius * Odisse igitur parentes alia religionis pietatis causâ est non ita diligere ut Christum ejus doctrinam sed eos post habere ità ut vocatione divinâ serente deserantur si in Christi servitio remoras insicere veliâ—t Glas ubi supra Qui tamen illos non odit sed facit quod plerunque ex odio fieri solet quia illos relinquit Christumque sequitur Idem ibidem To hate our Parents and other things in the cause of Religion and Godlinesse is not to love them so as we love Christ and his Gospel but to set them behind so as to leave them Gods call allowing of it if they prove Remora 's to us in the service of Christ Yet as he addes such an one doth not properly hate but doth that which is wont to be done out of hatred because he leaves them and follows Christ And then as it is observed †Pinks tryall pag. 6. by one 4. The hatred here required is not be understood so much in reference to their persons as to those favours and contentments which we may receive from them When we are driven to that pinch that we must either lose Christ or the good looks good words and good deeds of those whom we account our best friends we should so hate that is by a Hebraisme neglect or disesteem whatsoever comforts or favours we could expect from them that without any long pause or deliberation we may be content to let them go and be glad we are so rid of them that we may stick close unto Christ So that to shut up this in the words of a learned man * Hic verus seâ—sas inde resultat Christum Jesum à suis Christianis sic diligi deberâ— ut illa dilectio non tantum dilectionem parentum conjugis liberoru quaâ—umvis Christianorum longè superet sed etiam si parentâ—s coâ—â—ux vel liberi vel etià m quivis alii nos in aliquibus à Christi doctrinâ vel sequelâ avocare vellent ut eos non tantum nonaudiamus sed ab iis nos segregemus proptereà odio ipsos prosequamur Chem. Lyser Har. in loc This is the true sence that results from the words That Jesus Christ ought so to be loved by Christians that this love must not only far surpasse the love of Parents Wife Children and other Christians but also if Parents Wife or Childrens or any others would in any things call us off from the Doctine of Christ and following of him that we not only hear them not but separate our selves from them and upon that account and in that sence hate them Thus must we love Christ if we would be his Disciples that is preferre Him before all our relations in our thoughts esteem and affection even those who are nearest to us
244. John 10.15 †He did not only spend himself in all to his life but spent life and all that we might not perish though he were the Prince of life Acts 3.15 yet he became obedient to death even the death of the Cross that we might live Phil. 2.8 And this he did meerly out of his great love to us Eph. 5.2 Now if the Lord Jesus did so love us as to give his life a ransom for ours Mat. 20.28 He may well expect that we should not stumble at parting with our lives when he hath need of them and may get himself glory by our death * Wards ubi supra p. 144. My Saviour began to me in a bitter cup and shall I not pledge him said Mr. Saunders when he was at the Stake and ready to be offered 2. It is the truest self-self-love for a man to hate himselfe for Christ as he hath told us John 12.25 He that loveth his Life shall lose it but that hateth his life in this World shall keep it unto life eternall He that loveth his Life that is with an excessive and preposterous love for so the word is here to be understood as †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de amare nimio et praepostero hic usurpatur Gerh. Har. p. 127. Gerhard notes He that so loves his life as that from a desire and endeavour of keeping it he denyes me and my Gospell He shall lose it He shall not onely not keep it but destroy it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies not to lose but destroy to bring unto utter destruction for that is the force of the word here and in other places as the * Perdere hic non significat amittere aut facere â—…i charae jacturam sed exitio tradere Calv. in loc Vis hujus verbi iâ— transitivâ significatione usurpati est in extremum exitium adducere Ger. Har. p. 128. Learned observe The meaning is That his study to preserve his temporall life upon these terms doth expose him to eternall death and destruction for it is to be taken in opposition to eternall life in the close of the verse But he that hateth his life †Non simpliciter vita odio habenda sit quae merito censetur inter summa Dei beneficia sed quia eam libenter objicere debent fideles quum eos à Christi accessu remoratur Calv. in loc Hoc comparativè est dictum quia spernenda sit vita quoties nobis impedimento est ne deo vivamus Idem ibid. Not simply for so it is to be reckoned among the cheifest of earthly blessings to be highly prized and carefully preserved but in reference to Christ and his Gospell out of love to whom life it self is to be undervalued neglected and cast away if it hinder us from living to God and be a Remora in our way to Christ Now he that thus hateth his life and will freely part with it when called thereunto for Christs sake for it is not to be understood * Vide Tolet. Calv. in loc as if a man might desperately destroy himself and put an end to his life upon every slight occasion such a one shall keep it unto life eternall Though it may seem in the eyes of vain and foolish men a throwing away of their life yet it is the safest and wisest way of preserving it It is not Jactura but Mercatura Their parting with a temporall life in this World shall be abundantly recompensed with the gain of eternal life And it is observable what variety of words are used by the Evangelists in this matter which probably might be for the help of our Faith in so difficult a case as this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †Shall keep it Sayes this Evangelist here Though it be a reall parting with it in one sence viz. temporally yel it is as real a keeping of it in another and better sence viz. eternally 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Shall find it So another hath it Mat. 10.39 Though it be lost it is not utterly lost lost at is as to this World but it shall befound again in the World that is to come the Glory and happinesse whereof will make sufficient amends for what they leave and lose here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †Shall save it So a third hath it Mark 8.35 Though they lose the Cabinet they save the Jewel they lose the life of the Body bâ—â— save the life of the Soul which is far better 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Shall preserve it So it is Luke 17.33 A Word that is but once more used in the New-Testament and that is Acts 7.19 which hath respect to Pharaohs command to cast the Israelitish males into the River as soon as they were born Exod. 1.22 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the end they might not live †Verbum significat soetum vivum parere Chemn Lyser Har. in loc Vivum animal producere Scap. The word signifies to bring forth a living creature Beza renders it by Vivificabit and makes it the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shall quicken it Our Translation renders it Shall preserve it Christ doth hereby very fitly expresse the frailty of our present life as * Conciâ—â—è expriâ—it Christus praesentis vitae fragilitatem quum dicit animas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hoc est generari in vitam ubi perditae fuerint periâ—â—e est ac si homines negaret in terrá vivere quia verae demum solidae vitae initium est renunciare mundo Calv. in loc Calvin notes when he makes use of this word and it is as if he should deny men to to live upon the earth because then do men begin to live a true and solid life when they leave the World The meaning of the word which surely is very emphaticall seems to be this Whosoever shall lose his life now shall bring it forth alive again in Eternity The loss of life for Christ is but a misterious Midwifery towards eternall life And it may be upon this account the Passion-dayes of the Martyrs were called by the Antients Natalitia Salutis The Birth days of Salvation We shall not end our lives in the fire said * Clarks enâ—â— Mâ—â— p. 176. Mr. Julines Palmer the Martyr but onely change them for a better life yea for coales we shall receive pearls Thus doth Christ bring meat out of the eater and out of the strong sweetnesse to his bâ—loved and loving ones making death it self to be a womb of life to those who lay down their lives for him So that it is our greatest gain to lose for Christ and our greatest befriending of our selves to be enemies to our own lives upon the account of his Name and Gospel For as †Quicquid impietate conservaveris â—oc certissâ—me amittis quicquid autem pictate amiseris hoc certâ—ssimè coaservas Brent Hom. 20. in Luc. 17. pag. 383.
excipere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Horn. Comment in Sulpit. Sev. loc supra dictum Hornius in his Commentary upon this Author and this place produceth a Testimony out of Eusebius concerning the Martyrs courage under this same Persecution which I have translated and inserted here for he sayes every Christian ought to know it and it is very suitable to the point in hand We beheld sayes the Historian the exceeding wonderfull and truely divine power and singular readiness of mind that was in those who believed in Christ For as soon as Sentence was pronounced against some that went before others from another place leapt out before the judgement seat and confessed themselves Christians making no reckoning of their severities and manifold torments but did speak for Religion without fear or terrour yea received the last Sentence of death with joy laughter and gladness in so much as they sang and sent up Hymns and Thanksgivings unto the God of all even to their last breath In the persecutions of latter times there was the like resolution courage and constancy in those who suffered * Wards life of Faith in death pag. 158. and pag. 160. If I had ten heads said Henry Voes they should all off for Christ God forbid that I should rejoyce in any thing save in the Crosse of Christ. * Wards life of Faith in death pag. 158. and pag. 160. It is a small matter said another to dy once for Christ if it might be I could wish I might dy a thousand deaths for him †Masons Acts of the Church pag. 274. If every hair of my head were a man I would suffer death in the faith I am in said John Ardly a Martyr in Queen Maries dayes Thus hath the love of Saints towards Christ been strong as death and so must ours if we would love him aright Sect. 4. I Have been larger here then was at first intended and yet before I leave it I must crave leave to answer a double Objection Object 1. If this be so that we must love Christ above our lives if we would be his Disciples indeed then it seems there are none true Saints but such as are also Martyrs Answer It is so a See Pinks Trial pag. 44 45 c. but then you must thus distinguish There is Actual and Habitual Martyrdom 1. Actual then life is really laid down for the sake of Christ and his Gospell Such Martyrs have those been who in all ages generations have sealed the Truth with their blood and stood unto their profession of Christ even to the suffering of death from the hands of violent and bloody men 2. Habituall when there is Praeparatio animi a Readinesse of mind to lay down our life for Christ whensoever he shall call for it When there is faith enough to encourage and love enough to constrain us to be Martyrs if the honour of our Profession should require it Such a one was Paul who was ready to dy at Jerusalem for the Name of Christ as you have heard before Now there are none true Saints who are not Habituall Martyrs at least and Actuall too when they are called unto it They do not love Christ as they ought who do not love him a ove their lives so as actually to lay them down for his sake when he doth call for them and to be habitually disposed so to do if he should call for them Indeed Christ doth not alway put his followers upon such an expence as to lay down their lives for him he doth not alway call them to be Actuall Martyrs bâ—t yet it will concern every one who professeth the Name of Christ to looke that he have alway this habitual preparation of mind 1. Because these are the terms of Christianity at all times even in the most calm and serene estate of the Church in which if a Christian find not his heart disposed to lay himself and all that is near and dear to him even his life at the feet of Christ to serve his interest and promote his Glory he hath reason to question the truth of his profession 2. Because those things which have come from the mouth of Christ to this purpose in the Gospell have not come from him as Counsels of Perfection which concern only some particular persons who aim at an higher degree of Glory in the world to come than others have as the Papists would bear us in hand but as Precepts of Necessity which concern every one as if you look into the chapter so often mentioned Luke 14. Those words ver 26.33 were spoken to the great multitudes which followed Christ as appears from ver 25. and they run generally without exception 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If any man ver 26. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Every one of you ver 33. Nor do b Those forementioned p. 60 the grounds and reasons of loving Christ above all concern some only or some above others but all equally and indifferently and therefore there is no colour of pretence to think that some only are obliged by it 3. Because times and the state of things quickly change and alter nor doth the Church ever enjoy such a calm but a terrible storm may arise unexpectedly and quite dash it away and therefore there is no man though born in the most peaceable time of the Gospell but e're the glass of his life be run out he may meet with a fiery tryall And seeing this hath been the way of his providence towards the best of Churches and Saints what reason have any to expect exemption Shall the Earth be forsaken for us or the Rock removed out of his place as he in Job cap. 18.4 4. Because what ever indulgence and abatement may be given to the Church wherein you live yet as particular Professors and Christians though you live and dy during the publick tranquility of it yet you may be privately brought to that plunge that you must either hazard your life or else in some fearfull manner against your Conscience dishonour and deny Jesus Christ As may be the case of Merchants who travell into forein parts and may suddenly fall into such hands as may force them to deny Christ or dy for him Yea at home many may take away our lives who cannot take away our other contentments as Romish Assassinats have deprived Kings of their lives when they could not of their Kingdoms It is certain that whosoever cares not for his own life is master of another mans and by consequence of his Religion if he love his life above it How easie were it they are the words of the forecited reverend Author for a Ruffian that had no Religion of his own to pull such a one into a corner and with a naked blade to make him forswear his Religion as often as he pleased yea if the trick were in use such a one might be robbed of his Religion upon the highway seeing any man that were so disposed
all his confidence when it came to it played the Apostate and turned Papist when the other by the goodnss and power of God helping his infirmities sealed the truth with his blood Remember therefore in the midst of the sense of your own weakness and infirmity that His grace is sufficient for you 2. Cor. 12.9 And that it is given and that on the behalf of Christ who purchased it by his blood upon earth and sues it out by his intercession in heaven not only to believe that you may be Christians but also to suffer for his sake that you may be constant and crowned Christians Phil. 1.29 Not only the occasion of suffering is given by his providence but also the ability to suffer by his influence and assistance without this you cannot but fall with this you shall be sure to stand 3 God hath abundantly provided by his word and works for the encouragement of the weakest Christian if truly such against the strongest triall For thou maist be confident if thou art one of his that either he will not call thee out to such suffering or if he do that he will support thee under it and carry thee through it All have not the Martyrs faith nor shall all have the Martyrs fire yet if this should prove to be the portion appointed for thee never fear but if thou art a true believer he who gave thee power to believe at the first which (l) Noâ— minùs difficile est homini credere quà m cudaveri volare thou couldest no more do of thy self than a dead man can fly he will not deny thee power to suffer whatever he calls thee out unto seeing this as well as the other is his gift as was said before and the purchase of Christs blood especially if you consider his promises Of giving power to the faint and increasing strength to them that have no might 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vide Leighâ— Crit Sacâ— Isaiah 40.29 Of giving his Spirit to help our infirmities Rom. 8.26 to help with us over against us as the word signifies Of not suffering us to be tempted above what we are able and making a way for our escape that we may be able to bear it 1 Corinth 10.13 Of making his strength perfect in the weakness of her servants 2 Cor. 12 9. Besides God is never more for us than when we are mâ—st for him whose glory lyes at stake as well as our lives and he is more curious of that than we can be of this Moreover your Saviour having had experience of all the amazements and horrors of death when he suffered it for you cannot forget both to pity and succour you when you suffer it for him for in that he himself hath suffered being tempted he is able and no lesse willing to succour those that are tempted as the Apostle infers Heb. 2.18 And his being heard in the days when he offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to him that was able to save him from death Heb. 5.7 may be a strong ground of encouragement to hope and believe that we praying for the removall of such a bitter Cup with submission to the Will of God shall obtain as he did though not the removall of it yet strength under it Adde unto all this the instances of Gods presence and power in such cases enabling the weakest and most timerous even Women and Children to undergo this triall for his names sake Wherefore 4 For a close I commend this to the troubled and trembling heart for his Direction in such a case Do not torment thy self with anxious fears and cares concerning thy holding out in a fiery triall but rather mind thy present duty and cast the burden of such things as are to come upon him who careth for thee and will sustaine thee in so doing neither will he ever suffer the righteous to be moved Psal 55.22 1 Pet. 5.7 Sufficient to such a day will he the evil of it when it comes Mat. 6.34 and therefore do not anticipate and make it double to what otherwise it would be Lukin Life of faith Pref. to the Reader Direct 2. p. 8. 9. by your cares and fears about it before it come It is true that a prudent foresight of evil is good Proverbs 22.3 that is so to foresee as to prepare for what we cannot avoid that is our duty as was said before but then let me tell you there is no better way of preparing for it then by minding our present duty And therefore instead of being thus over-solicitous concerning that which is to come Do you examine and prove your selves whether you be in the saith and Christ be in you according to your profession 2 Cor. 13.5 Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 Acquaint your selves with God and be at peace with him Job 22.21 Make this your constant exercise to have a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men Acts 24.16 Draw nigh to God and keep close to him in humble Communion and Walk as before him in holy upright heavenly Conversation Psal 73.28 Gen. 17.1 Make daily improvements in sanctification mortifying corruption and growing in Grace cleansing your selves from all filthinesse of flesh and Spirit and perfecting holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7.1 Stand upon your guard against sins of daily incursion and take heed of those that wast the conscience Psal 19.12 13. Keep your selves from your own iniquity Psalm 18.23 and Watch against those temptations to which you ly exposed by reason of your present condition from Satan the World and the Flesh Mat. 26.41 Revel 16.15 And in simplicity of heart resign up your selves to the will and disposall of him whose you are and whom you serve Mat. 6.10 And thus doing you may be confident that neither tribulation nor distresse nor persecution nor famine nor nakedness nor peril nor sword nor life nor death nor the other thing shall be able to seperate you from any love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord Rom. 8 35. c. And thus I have shewed you that Jesus Christ is to be loved for the measure of it above all not onely our Enjoyments aâ—d Relations but also our Lives And to use u Beatus 〈◊〉 qui inlâ—diget quid sâ—t ama e Jesum contemnere scipsum propâ—er Jesum A Kemp. de Imit Christi lib. 2. cap. 7. pag. 111. à Kempis his words for a close of this head Blessed is that man who knows what it is to love the Lord Jesus and to contemn himself f r Jesus his sake The difficulty whereof may make us breath out our desires to him that helpeth to will and to do in the words of the same devout Author o Amem te plusquam nec me nisi propter te Idem lib. 3. cap 5. pag. 151. Oh! grant that I may love thee more than my self nor my self at all unlesse for thee CHAP.
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
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
for the sutableness of it to our own case and time I shall here transcribe It is utterly a fault among you said he then that the difference in judgment and practice about the Ceremonies of our Church hath caused such strangeness and alienation of mind and affection between such as do truly fear God both Ministers and people We are so far from receiving esteeming loving and maintaing society one with another notwithstanding this difference in judgment about these things that we are apt to despise and judge one another for it and doubt whether there be any truth of grace in them that differ from us in these things Surely saith the one side the indifferency and lawfulness of these things is now so clearly manifested as these men must needs be wilfully blind that do not see it Nay certainly they cannot chuse but see it well enough and were it not for a carnal respect to their credit with the people among whom they have gotten a great name and applause by standing out so long they would doubtless conform themselves And surely saith the other side the utter unlawfulness of these Ceremonies is now so clearly revealed that these men must needs be wilfully blind that see it not nay they do see it well enough and were it not for a carnal respect they have unto their worldly peace and estate they would never use them certainly they sin against their conscience in observing of them And what truth of grace can there be in them that are wilfully blind and for carnal respects do thus sin against their own conscience And thus do both sides grossely and dangerously erre and sin against their brethren And when ye sin so against the brethren saith the Appstle 1 Cor. 8.12 ye sin against Christ For the experience of all times and of this present age proveth evidently that there be of both sides that fear God unfeignedly and in the whole tenour and course of whose conversation the life and power of true godlinesse doth manifestly appear And if thou do not see this whosoever thou art that art most bitter and violent of either side then art thou certainly thy self most wilfully blind And I do assure thee in the Name of the Lord and by good warrant out of his Word that if thou canst not unfeignedly love every one that truly feareth God whether he conform or not conform if thou canst not bewail and strive against these hard conceits thou hast been wont to entertain against such thou canst have no comfort at all in thine own estate before God Thus far he And is the matter any whit amended now Truly no the same occasions of difference in judgement remaining there are the same distances of affection the same heats and contentions of spirit attending thereupon nay I fear greater which is very sad to consider m Reynolds Sermon of the peace of the Church p. 16. 17. Of Brotherly Recoâ—e l. p. 8 19. Indeed it were to be desired though hardly to be hoped that in the Church of God there were no noise of axes and hammers no difference in judgments and conceits but in the best ages of the Church there have been and therefore we can expect no other than that there ever will be varieties and differences of judgment But that in this case of unavoidable differences among good men there should be no more mutuall charity meekness moderation tolerance and humanity expressed and one the contrary so much judging despising rejecting and insulting over one another such bitter invectives and voluminous reproaches such recording of Brethrens infirmities and raking into the sores which Christ died to heal such backbiting slanderous speeches such secret dividing contrivances and deep designs against Brethren that disagreement of judgements should break forth into disunion of hearts that amidst the variety of our severall conceits there should be no more care to preserve still the unity of faith and love by which onely we are known to be Christs Disciples that though there be not Via una one Way there should not yet be Cor. unum one Heart This is a Lamentation and will be for a Lamentation Now when these things are thus among us though they ought not so to be shall we sit still in silence and stupidity and suffer the sweet and soft fire of love to dy out quite and the wild-fire of passion and contention to spread and prevail without moving a tongue or hand or foot towards the repressing of the one and reviving of the other Shall we see Christians taking one another by the throat and stand by as if we were unconcerned in it This were enough to make the dumb to speak For surely should we altogether hold our peace the stones would immediately cry out as our Saviour said in another case Luke 19.40 This may somewhat justifie and vindicate my writing when I may not speak that my Pen may reach those whom my tongue cannot especially when it is upon so harmlesse and innocent a design as the abating of wrath and advancing of love among Christians which the love of Christ the main subject of this discourse doth so naturally and necessarily lead unto Suffer me therefore as I have called upon you to love the Lord Jesus now to call upon you to love one another The Author of that Comment upon the Epistle to the Galations inserted in the sixth Tome of Hieroms works n Sixt. Senens Bibl. lib. 4. p. 309. Gerh. Patrolog p. 317. Rivel crit Sacr. lib. 4 p. 1133. though it be none of his reports of St. John That whiles he abode at Ephesus to a very great age so that he was hardly led to the Church betwixt two when he was not able to make any long discourse to his hearers he used onely to speak these words Little children love one another And truely were I to finish my Testimony or my course so as never to speak or write more unto you I could not do it better than as I now do by bespeaking your love one to another Oh! Christians love one another and I beseech you let this counsell be acceptable unto you do not deny me this request me thinks you should not when I come in Christs name and beg it for his sake who hath laid such obligations upon you hereunto that you must needs be exceeding hard and obdurate if you withstand them Give me leave to propound them to your consideration Sect. 5. 1. COnsider how strictly this is enjoyned and how strongly urged by our Lord Jesus It was his dying charge The first Motive to perswade mutual love among Christians from Christs commands which he frequently inculcated sweetly insinuated and powerfully pressed upon his Disciples and in them upon all Christians o Manton on Jude p. 131. Speeches of dying men are received with most veneration especially the charge of dying friends Therefore the Brethren of Joseph fearing lest he should remember the injuries formerly done to him used this
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
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
of Christ Psalm 110.4 Behold I am alive for evermore Revel 1.18 And he lives for ever not only in his Person but to be for ever the life portion and blessedness of his people because he lives they shall live also John 14.19 9. He is the proper good of his own people He hath not onely given himself unto God for them as their Sacrifice but he hath given himself likewise unto them as their Portion He is theirs and they his Cant. 6.3 They his by a deare Purchase and he theirs by a sweet Communion They are said to have him 1 John 5.12 as a man hath his most peculiar possession his Name is The Lord our Righteousnesse Jeremiah 23.6 he is more ours than we are our own and we have infinitely more in him than in our selves defective in our selves compleat in him weak in our selves strong in him dead in our selves alive in him miserable in our selves blessed in him mutable in our selves established in him Now put all this together Christ being a present precious sufficient pure rare various victorious perpetuall proper Good to his people he is so fit an Object for their Joy and delight that it were a wondrous absurdity for any Soul who knows him and hath tasted of his love and makes profession of his Name to be drowned in sensuall and worldly delights or to set up his Rest in any thing short of Christ Sect. 3. 3. LET Trust and Fear be Attendants upon the Desires and Delights of your Love With trust and fear 1. Trust in him If you believe in God believe also in Christ John 14.1 You must take him in your way to the Father if you would trust in him aright 1 Peter 1.21 John 14.6 and he himself is an Object fit for your trust who is over all God blessed for ever Romans 9.5 1. Trust therefore in him alone whiles some trust in themselves leaning to their own understandings Proverbs 3.5 trusting in their own righteousness Ezek. 33.13 others in their Idols Psalm 115.8 others in their riches Psalm 52.7 others in Chariots and Horses Psalm 20.7 others in Man making flesh their Arm Jeremiah 17.5 let Israel let the house of Aaron let all that fear the Lord trust in him alone Psalm 115.9 10 11. It is better to trust in the Lord Jesus than to put confidence in man than to put confidence in Princes Psalm 118.8 9. in whom there is no help for their breath goeth forth they return to their earth in that very day their thoughts perish Psalm 146.3 4. But happy is he who hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the Lord his God verse 5. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him Psalm 2.12 2. Trust in him at all times Psalm 62.8 in times of prosperity so as not to be puffed up in pride and presumption In times of adversity so as not to sink down in dejection and despondency In times of prosperity so as not to forget God and lift up the heel against him In times of adversity so as not to forsake God and put forth your hands to iniquity 3. Trust in him with all your heart Proverbs 3.5 h Praecipitur ut non verbis sed animo non per hyprocrisin distractionem quandam sed rotundè sincere faciamus quod hîc toto corde faciendum dicitur Cart. in loc With your heart sincerely without dissimulation pretending to trust in him when indeed you trust in something else and with all your heart entirely without division not partly resting on him and partly leaning to your selves or the creature but give him the whole trust of your whole heart 4. Trust in him in reference to all your Concernments your souls bodies lives estates liberties callings duties burdens relations c. You may venture to do it for He is laid in Sion for a Foundation and is a tried Stone a precious Corner-stone a sure Foundation Isaiah 28.16 the Rock of Ages in whom there is everlasting strength Isaiah 26 4. able to bear the weight of that trust which is devolved on him In whom whosoever believeth shall not be confounded 1 Peter 2.6 You need not fear miscarrying when you are in the hands of him who hath thus loved you with so great so dear and costly a love and out of love hath undertaken for you especially considering how great his Truth and Faithfulness is to whatsoever he undertakes being Truth it self John 14.6 the Amen the True and faithful Witness Revelations 3.14 a merciful and faithful High-priest Hebrews 2.17 faithful to him that appointed him Heb. 3.2 and faithful to those for whom he was appointed verse the sixth And likewise how great a sufficiency of power and ability he hath commensurate to his affection being the Mighty God Isaiah 9.6 the Almighty Revelations 1 8. to accomplish all the designs of his love for your good and happiness against all contradiction and opposition whatsoever Who also is and was and is to come Revelations 1.8 everliving to see the full accomplishment of all by his Intercession whereby he is able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him Hebrews 7.25 Stay your selves therefore by firm trust and dependence upon him for he will keep him in perfect peace in i Shalom Shalom Heb. peace peace as it is in the Originall whose mind is stayed upon him because he trusteth in him Isaiah 26.3 And they who know his Name will put their trust in him for he hath not forsaken those that seâ—k him Psalm 9.10 2. Fear least from those Remains of corruption which are within you any thing disingenious or uncomely should break forth to the distasting and displeasing of him by whom you are thus beloved He doth not belong to thee O Lord sayes k Non pertinet ad â—o Domine nâ—â— de tuis est qui te noâ— diligit nec diligit te qui sciâ—â—ter essendit Cypr. de Bapt. Christi p. 494. Cyprian nâ—r is he in the number of thine who doth not love thee nor doth he love thee who knowingly offâ—nds thee Even this Lord of life and love is to be served with fear and his most beloved and loving ones are to râ—jâ—yce with trembling Psalm 2.11 l Sâ—ought Magi. â—â—ares Commission p. 37. We must begin all our service with fear trembling at our own infirmities and must end all again with fear blushing at our own vertues and excellencies That salvation which we hope and expect from him must be wrought out with fear and trembling and that because he is so gracious as to work in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure Phil. 2.12 13. The knowledge of our Redemption by the Blood of Christ is made an argument by the Apostle for passing the time of our sojourning here in fear 1 Peter 1.17 18 19. But here it may be Objected Sect. 4. OBject 1. That it s said in Luke 1.74 That the end of
our Redemption is that being delivered out of the hands of our enemies we might serve without fear Answ In answer hereunto and for the right understanding of this place we must distinguish Fear m Bishop Downhams Covenant of Grace Quarto mihi p. 70 c. See likewise Hierons Abridgment of the Gospel p. 130. Rivet in Psalm 2. p. 27. Scharp Symphon p. 139. 1. In respect of the Object There is the fear of God and the fear of our enemies God hath delivered us out of the hands of our enemies that we should serve him without fear not of himself but of those enemies from whom he hath redeemed us for as God hath redeemed us from the service of our enemies that we might serve him so he hath freed us from the fear of them that we might fear him only Isaiah 43.1 Fear not viz. thine enemies for I have redeemed thee And this serving without fear of our enemies may be taken either Metonymically without cause of fear and then without fear is as much as without danger as n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 absque periculo Theoph in loc Theophylact takes it which belongs to all true believers though but Incipients whose salvation is sure though they are not alwayes sure of it Or else properly without fear it self and then without fear is as much as with confidence and assurance as o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bez. in loc Beza takes it making it parallel with Ephes 3.12 But suppose that fear be meant here in reference to God then 2. Fear is to be distinguished in respect of the Subject the persons fearing and so it is either Servile and Slavish the fear of Bond-slaves which are under the Law or Filial and Son like the fear of Sons who are not under the Law but under Grace The former is properly called Metus whose effect is Metuere ab aliquo to be afraid of the object that is feared The other is Timor whose effect is to fear and reverence the object feared The former is a fearful expectation of some evil from the party feared The other an awfull reverence of the party feared not to offend him by doing evil So that the formal object of the former is Malum poenae in regard whereof they are afraid of God of the other Malum culpae in regard whereof they fear to offend God and displease him The former is rather Metus poena than Timor Dei for if there were no punishment they that have but this fear would not fear to offend God Oderunt peccare mali formidine poenae The other out of love of God and of goodnesse though there were no punishment to be feared feareth to offend Oderunt peccare boni virtutis amore The former ariseth from a Spirit of Bondage Romans 8.15 called a Spirit of Fear 2 Timothy 1.7 and is a fruit and effect of the Law forcing and compelling those who are under it to yield some outward obedience for fear of punishment The other ariseth from a Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8. and is a fruit of the Gospel and of Faith when a man being perswaded of Gods mercy and goodness towardâ— him in Christ feareth to offend so graciâ—us a God and merciful a Father according to that in Psalm 130.4 The former where it is alone is a Sinfull the latter a Godly fear Heb. 12.28 That a Helish this a Holy â—ear p Aliud est timere Deum aliud timere poenam aliud est timere patrem aliud timere judicem filius timet patrâ—m simul tameâ— etiam â—um diligit â—â—r timet jâ—dâ—cem simul autem etâ—am eum odit hic igitur servilis timor dicitur ille autem silialis Ferus in 1 Joan. 4.18 That is a fear of God as a Judge This is a fear of him as a Father That fears him as a Thief doth the Judge Né puniat least he should punish him This as a Son doth his Father Né deserat least he should forsake him That is accompanied with the hatred of Malefactors Qui quem metuunt oderunt This is accompanied with the love of Children who reverence yet love their Parents That hath Torment 1 John 4.18 This is a Treasure Isaiah 33.6 That driveth from God This makes a man cleave faster to him That may restrain the outward acts of sin but This represseth the inward affections to it Now questionlesse it is not to be understood that the Redeemed of the Lord shall serve him without this filial fear for in reference thereunto we are required to serve the Lord with fear Psalm 2.11 nor can we serve him acceptably without it Heb. 12.28 This is one of the chiefest things which God requires of man Eccles 12.13 It is the very chief point of Wisdom Psalm 111.10 So that when it is said in this place that the Redeemed of the Lord must serve him without fear it must needs be meant of that fear only which is slavish and of the reign and predominacy of it as it is in the unregenerate withoâ—t any filial fear not of the remainders of it as it is mingled with filial fear in Gods own Children in this life For such as is our Redemption I speak of it passively as it is in us such is our freedom from servile fear viz. inchoated or begun in this life and increasing by degrees but not compleat or perfect till the life to come which is called the day of our full Redemption Ephes 4.30 and being not compleat heâ—e we are not wholly freed by it from this servile fear The very best whiles they carry about them the body of sin as they do whiles they carry about them this body of flesh whiles they have the reliques of corruption remaining in them are not wholly free from this fear of punishment there is a mixture of it with ther filial fear in their present state of imperfection and it hath an influence to the keeping of them from sin and quickning of them to duty q Hildersh on Psalm 51. p 357 358. Destruction from the Lord was a terror to Job and kept him from opression Job 31.21 23. and Paul was conscionable in his Ministry from the Terrors of the Lord 2 Cor. 5.11 But this fear doth not wholly prevaile with the people of God it hath not the sole influence to keep them from sin and engage them to duty there is faith and love mixt with their fear Paul was constrained by love as well as awed by fear 2 Cor. 5.14 As their love to God is not a fellow-like familiarity as is among equals but is out of apprehension of his greatness holiness and justice tempered with fear and an awful dread of him so neither is that fear of God which is in them a meer servile fear like that of the slave that hath nothing to move him to duty but the fear of the whip but is out of an apprehension and assurance of his
also walked 1 John 2.6 and that is not after the Flesh but after the Spirit for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets them free from the law of sin and death Rom. 8.1 2. Again 4. It leaves them short of communion and fellowship with Jesus Christ for those only have fellowship with him who walk in the Light as he is in the Light but if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lie and do not the truth 1 John 1.6 7. Now how vain and unprofitable must that mans profession needs be which leaves him thus without Christ without the true knowledge of him relation to him union and communion with him surely it will never be available to salvation and therefore no wonder if 5. It leaves them short of acceptance with Christ at the last day and admission into glory for as the Scripture testifies Mat. 7.21 22 23. there be many who cry Lord Lord make a fair outward shew and profession who for want of doing his will seconding that profession with power and practice shall be turned off with a Non novi vos I know you not among the workers of iniquity 3 Without this your profession will but tend to agravate your sin and condemnation 1. Your Sin This reflects the greatest dishonour upon Christ and Religion for the Name of Christ is blasphemed among the Gentiles through such as these Rom. 2.24 and the way of truth is evil spoken of 2. Pet. 2.2 The unholy lives of Christians open the mouths of Turks and Infidels to speak against Christ and Christianity Lo these are they that worship Christ their religion is such as the professors are and as the Disciples are such is their Lord and Master as the worshippers are such is he who is worshipped by them as r Ecce quales sunt qui ChristuÌ„ colunt Talis profecto secta est quales sectatores Aestimari de cultoribus suis potest ille qui coliâ—ur Qâ—â—andò â—â—â—m bonus Magister est cujus tam malus videmus esse Discipulos Salv. de Gub. Dei lib. 4. pag. 149. Salvian brings them in blaspheming Thus they increase their own personal guilt by way of participation the guilt of others blasphemies redounding upon them by whom they were occasioned This makes Christians to be worse than Heathens for Thereby as the same s Ex hoc ipso utique deteriores sumus barbaris si non meliores sumus qui meliores esse debemus Criminosior enim culpa est ubi honestior flatus Salv. ibidem p. 133. Salvian excellently we are worse than they if we are not better because we should be better for the more honourable any mans state is the more criminal is his fault And again a little after t Nos qui Christiani esse dicimur si simile aliquid barborum impuritatibus facimus graviùs erramus Atrociùs enim sub sancti nominis professione peccamus Ubi sublimior est praerogativa major est culpa ipsa enim errores nostros religio quam profitemur accusat Salv. ibid. p. 154. If we who are called Christians do any thing that is like to the impurities of Heathens we err worse than they for we sin the more fouly under the profession of a holy Name where there is the higher priviledge there is the greater fault for that Religion which we profess doth accuse the offences which we commit 2. Your condemnation Such as professe to know Christ and yet in works deny him as they contract a greater guilt so they do deserve and incurre a greater and a sorer punishment The higher any are raised towards heaven by profession and priviledges the lower shall they be cast into hell if they walk not up thereunto This is the condemnation the very emphasis of damnation the sting of hell that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light John 3.19 It had been better for such not to have known Christ and the way of righteousness than to walk contrary thereunto 2 Peter 2.21 Tyre and Sidon Sodom and Gomorrah will fare better in the day of Judgment and meet with an easier Hell than such shall Mat. 11.21 c. Their holy name increaseth their guilt and their profession of goodness makes their wickedness the more damnable as u Magis damnabilis est malitia quam titulus bonitatis accusat reatus impii pium nomen Salv. lib. 4 de Gub. Dei p. 154. Salvian observes Now that this may never be your case 1. Dwell upon the Love of Christ in Redeeming of you by Meditation till you be constrained by the Argument that it carryes along with it to hate and avoid all sin and to yield up your selves sincerely to his service Set your selves therefore to meditate how far his love carried him in doing and suffering for you Consider his Incarnation Life Death remember that it was sin which put him to all that paine and trouble that labour and sorrow which he endured that the removing of this evil of sin made him so willingly undergo all that evil of suffering which you read of And then As to Sin reason thus with your selves Was sin the great cause and instrument of Christs death were my sins the cords that bound him the whips that scourged him the thorns that wounded him the nails that fastned him the spear that pierced him and fetcht his heart-blood from him and shall I love the sins that kil'd my Saviour shall I use them kindly who thus abused him God forbid I would not embrace him as a friend who had slain my Father nor hug in my bosome that Serpent which had stung my friend to death and shall I entertain and cherish sin which hath dealt worse than so with my everlasting Father my best Friend far be it from me Again Did Jesus Christ do and suffer all this out of his love to me but extream hatred against sin and shall I so ill requite his love as to love that which he hated Did he come to take away sin and shall I resume and embrace it was he sent to condemn it and shall I justifie it was he manifested to destroy the works of the Devil and shall I save them did he die for sin x Clarks Lives quarto p. 189. The Glory of their times p. 471 and shall I live in it was he cut of to finish transgression and make an end of sins and shall I continue in sin that grace may abound doth he make daily approaches to me to turn me from mine iniquities and shall I as constantly return to them God forbid Methinks the consideration of these things should set a Christian as far from sin as Anselme was who said x That if he should see the shame of sin on the one hand and the pains of hell on the other and must of necessity choose one he would rather be trust into hell without sin than go into heaven
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. What a Cordial is this to a Christian under all the evils and enemies which he meets with to consider that none of them can separate him from the love of Christ His estate his liberty his relations his life may be taken from him but the love of Christ can never be taken from him He may have many and mighty enemies Men and Devils set against him but Jesus Christ is his friend and will abide so for ever having loved him once he will never cease loving of him but will love him to the end John 13.1 and this is his Cordial of strong consolation to chear and refresh his spirits in all that he endures 2 Because a believer shall be conqueror and obtain a glorious Victory after all his conflicts through Christ â—erse 37. Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us mark it They are conquerors already yea more than so if there be any thing more or better than conquest and victory they have it vertually in and through Christ at present and they shall be really so declared and appear to be so at last Nor doth this arise from a doubtful opinion or probable conjecture but from a full perswasion and assured confidence I am perswaded c. verse 39. g Pareus in loc perswaded from the unchangeable purpose of God his infallible promise and sure covenant from the costly satisfaction and constant intercession of Jesus Christ and from the inward testimony of the Spirit in my heart which cannot faile Thus I hope the matter is sufficiently cleared and confirmed Wherefore Christians seeing you are told by our Saviour That in the world you shall have tribulation John 16 33. and by his Apostles That through much tribulation you must enter into the Kingdom of God Acts 14.22 and seeing you know not what evil may be upon the earth Eccles 11.2 nor how soon you may be called to bear your cross in following after Christ and have your share in great and much affliction let me advise and perswade you to prepare for it and because the love of Christ apprehended and applied by faith is so excellent a cordial against fainting at such a time let me again beseech you to labour after the knowledge of the love of Christ and to know it more and more To this end be much and earnest in prayer for the plentiful effusion of this love into your hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto you Vt totus figatur in corde qui totus fuit fixus in Cruce That he who was wholly fastened to the Cross may be wholly fixed in your hearts as the h August Father speaks Then come what will what can come you need not fear you need not faint whatever you be separated from you shall not be separated from Christ and his love and whatever conflicts you have now you shall be conquerors more than conquerors in the end through him that loved you And thus I have at last dispatched this first and main Use There is something to be superadded by way of Caution and Comfort with which I shall briefly conclude the whole matter Sect. 4. Vse 2 THE next Vse is by way of Caution Take heed of despising and rejecting this Love in the Offers of it by the Ministry of the Gospel Of Caution that we despise not this Love in the Offers of it Hath the Lord Jesus thus loved you and is he still at the cost of sending i 2 Cor. 5.20 Embassadors to make tenders of love to you and will you not accept them shall motions of love be made to your souls from the Lord of Life and Glory as there are in his Word and Ordinances and will you not hearken to them Doth he make Proclamation to all that will k Rev. 22.17 to come and drink of the water of Life freely l Isa 55.1 to buy wine and milk without money and without price to tast how gracious and loving he is and will you still m verse 2. lay out your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not Doth he n Rev. 3.20 stand at the door and knock o Isa 30.18 waiting to be gracious to you and bestow his love upon you even p Cant. 5.2 till his head be filled with dew and his locks with the drops of the night and will you not open to him and give him admission will you q Jona 2.8 for the following of lying vanities forsake your owne mercy Wilt thou O covetous Worldling slight and refuse the love of Christ for the dung and dross of this present world Wilt thou O voluptuous Epicure prefer thy Cups and Queans thy base perishing lusts before it Wilt thou O ambitious wretch choose an aery title of honour a preferment to some slippery place in the Kingdoms of this world which are but Fancies and Fallacies before an interest in this love Alas Sirs do you not know that this r Rev. 6.16 Lamb of God can be angry that he hath Wrath as well as Love and Wrath as infinite as his Love for s Ps 90.11 Who knows the Power of it according to his Fear so is his Wrath and for whom can you imagine this Wrath to be reserved but for his t Nah. 1.2 enemies and such are they who slight and refuse his Love Take heed then what you do Take heed of flying from the arms of his Love till you fall headlong into the fire of his Wrath If you have refused and rebelled hitherto yet now come in and u 2 Chro. 30.8 yield your selves to the Lord and be no more stiff-necked Now x Ps 2.12 kiss the Son lest he be angry Take heed of persisting any longer in your enmity and opposition for y Job 36.18 19. Because there is wrath he may take you away with a stroak and then a great ransom cannot deliver thee He will not esteem thy riches no not gold nor all the forces of strength But if he continue to exercise the z Rom. 2.4 5. riches of his goodness in his forbearance and longsuffering towards you and you go on to despise it and are not led to repenâ—ance by it know this from the Lord that you do but treasure up wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God Beware therefore betimes and a Heb. 3.7 8. to day whiles it is called to day harden not your hearts but hear his voice and accept of the offers of grace which are made unto you lest you feel at last by woful experience the truth of that which you will not now believe that b Heb. 10.31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God who in that great and terrible day will deal 1. In pure wrath without any
his counsells and at last receive you to glory Psalm 73.23 24. 5. Is it your Afflictions you meet with that trouble you yet in Christs love you may have peace and comfort enough to chear you amidst all your Tribulations John 16.33 There is Favour enough in his love to answer all the frowns and displeasures of men Honour enough to answer all your abasements Riches enough to answer all your poverty Liberty enough to answer all your outward restraints Here is love enough to be your ease in pain your health in sickness your gain in losses your peace in war your joy in sorrow your life in death In a word here is love enough to keep you here and to crown you hereafter love enough for this and another world even for all Eternity Onely look to it by Meditation lay hold of it for your present subsistence by Faith plead it by Prayer and take heed of abusing it by making it an occasion to sin n Cùm gratia Dei sit mellen nè comedas eam totam If the grace of God be as Honey for sweetnesse do not make a prey of it and devour it all together by any ungodly practice take heed of turning it into wantonnesse Jude 4. by continuing in sinne that grace may abound Romans 6.1 for that will be bitterness in The END The Authors cited in this Treatise AVgustin Ambrose Anselm Aretius Ainsworth Is Ambros Melch. Adamus Arrowsmith Anon. The Glory of the times Alciat Aristotle Assembl Annot. Beza Bellarmine Bodius Bernard Bede Beverovicius Baldwin Boetius Bonaventure Brentius Brightman Baxter Brinsley Buxtorph Baine Basil Calvin Isid Clarius Camero Chrysostome Th. Cartwright Ch. Cartwright Clark Crashaw Cyprian Chemnitius Caryl Cotton Culverwel Calixtus Casaubon Dionys Carth. Davenant Durantus Damascen Despaigne Downham Erasmus Estius Eusebius Fagius Fulgosus Forbesius Fergusson Fulgentius Ferus Franzius Grotius Gerhardus Gouge Glanvil Goodwin Glassius Godwin Gilbertus in Cant. Greenham Gregorius A. Gellius Gurnal Heinsius Hammond Hall Hondorsius Herbert Hemingus Hardy Hildersham Hierom Holdsworth Hopkins Harmar Junius Trem. Idiota Jenkins Just Mart. Ignatius Isidor Jackson Jeanes Kempis A Lapide Edw. Leigh Luther Lessius Lyranus W. Leigh Lond. Min. Lorinus Lukin Lactantius Ludolphus Marlorat Maldonat P. Martyr Mart Martinius Mason Marc. Marula Manton Montanus Mercer Macarius Mede Musculus Marton Melancton Mat. Martinius Nieremberg Nicols Owen Pearson Plutarch Prosper Pink Pagnin Piscator Preston Perkins Pierce Patrick Parisiensis Pliny Rivet Rolloc Reynolds Ravanel Robotham Fr. Roberts Alex. Roberts Robinson Ribera Sibs Scapula Sulpitius Severus Spanhemius Salmeron Sixt. Senensis Staughton Scharpius Salvian Schrevelius Tertullian Tirinus Theophylact Trap Tollet Bp. Jer. Taylor D.T. Taylor Fra. Taylor Vorstius Vatablus Valerius Maximus Vsher Watson Ward Wall White Whitaker Zanchy Books Printed and are to be sold by Nathanael Webb at the Royal Oak in St. Paul's Church-yard and William Grantham at the Black Bear near the little North-door 1665. SErmons upon Solemn Occasions collected into one Volume in Quarto by Dr. Nathanael Hardy Dean of Rochester The first Epistle General of St. John unfolded and applied in Quarto by the same Author Mr. Isaac Ambrose's Works Containing The first middle and last things in three Treatises of Regeneration Sanctification with Meditations on Life Death Hell and Judgement Redeeming the time A Sermon Preached in Preston at the Funeral of the Lady Margaret Houghton in Quarto Three Gospel Ordinances viz. 1. War with Devils 2. Ministration of and Communion with Angels 3. Looking unto Jesus A view of the Everlasting Gospel or the Souls eying of Jesus as carrying on the great Work of Mans salvation from first to last in Quarto A Discourse of Ananias and Saphyra laying open their sin and punishment by Mr. Will. Houghton in Quarto Hadadrimmon Sive Threnodia Anglicana ob Regicidium A Sermon on the 30th of January 1660. being the Annual Solemn Fast for the horrid Murder of King Charls the I. on Davids Humiliation for cutting off the Royal Robe and detestation of cutting off the Royal Head of the Lords Anointed Noah's Dove with her Olive Branch or the happy tydings of the abatement of the Flood of Englands Civil Discords A Thansgiving Sermon for the Restauration of his Sacred Majesty Charls the II. by Will. Cole B. D. Knowledge and Practice or a Discourse of the chief things necessary to be known believed and practised in order to Salvation by Samuel Cradock B. D. Mr. Richard Vines A Treatise of the Institution right Administration and receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper delivered in twenty Sermons at St. Lawrence Jury in Quarto History survey'd in a brief Epitome or a Nursery for Gentry comprised in an intermixed discourse upon Historical and Poetical relations in Quarto Mr. Walter Cradock Gospel Liberty in the Extention and Limitation of it in Quarto Mr. John Browning Concerning Publick Prayer and the Fasts of the Church six Sermons or Tracts in 4. Reformatio Legum Ecclesiasticarum ex authoritate primum Regis Henrici 8. inchoata in Quarto Christ and the Church Parallels in three Books Quarto by Henry Vertue Irenicum or an Essay towards a Brotherly Peace and Union by Discipulus de Tempore Junior Learn of a Turk or Instructions and Advices sent from the Turkish Army at Constantinople to the English Army in London Mr. Rich. Lewthwait Vindiciae Christi obex errori Arminiano A Plea for Christ in Quarto Welsh Common-Prayer with the Singing-Psalms in Quarto John Ley Entituled A Discourse of Disputation chiefly concerning matters of Religion newly published in Quarto Mr. John Lawson's Gleanings and Expositions of some of the more difficult places of holy Scripture in Quarto Mr. Edward Thorp The new Birth or Birth from above in Quarto Roberti Heggi Dunelmensis aliquot Sacrae Paginae Loca Lectiones in Quarto The Beacon flaming with a non obstante against those that plead for liberty of Printing and publishing Popish Books in Quarto Mr. Nathanael Stephens A Precept for the Baptism of Infants out of the New Testament in Quarto Mr. Edmund Calamy The Monster of sinful Self-seeking Anatomized A Sermon Mr. John Warren of Hatfield Regis in Essex The Potent Potter A Sermon The unprofitable Servant A Sermon Preached at the Assize at Chelmsford in Essex in Quarto Mans Fury subservient to God's Glory A Sermon on the fifth of November Dr. Robert Gell A Sermon touching Gods Government of the World by Angels preached before the Astrologers in Quarto Noah's Flood returning A Sermon preached before the Right Worshipful Company of Drapers in London in Quarto Dr. John Whincop Gods Call to Weeping and Mourning A Sermon preached at a Fast before the Parliament in Quarto Mr. George Walker A Sermon Mr. William Good Jacob Raised A Sermon Mr. Thomas Goodwin The great Interest of States and Kingdoms A Sermon Mr. Samuel Kem The King of Kings His privy marks for the Kingdoms choice of Members A Sermon preached upon the choice of Burgesses for the Parliament in 4. M.
Delight If you love him whom you have not seen then though now you see him not yet believing rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of Glory 1 Peter 1.8 If Christ hath brought you into his Chambers remember his love more than wine so as to be glad and rejoyce in him Cant. 1.4 If he hath brought you into his banqueting house and his banner over you hath been love sit down under his shadow with great delight and let his fruit be sweet to your tast Cant. 2.3.4 say with David Psalm 116.7 Return to thy Rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with me I call for no more at your hands in this than the Apostle doth of his beloved Philippians and in them of all Christians Phil. 4.4 Rejoyce in the Lord alway and again I say rejoyce in which words you see both Who it is that is to be the Object of a Christians joy not himself nor the world nor the creature but the Lord the Lord Jesus Christ and also How he is to rejoice in him viz. Greatly and Abundantly Rejoyce and again rejoyce and continually rejoyce in the Lord alway At all times in all conditions unto the end Nor is all this required without sufficient reason for as Good is the object of Joy so Jesus Christ is such a good as renders him a most adequate object of the joy and delight of all his people g See these particulars more fully opened in D. Reynolds Sermon on Phil. 4.4 p. 8 9 c. 1. He is a Good ever present with them Lo I am with you alway Mat. 28.20 I will not leave you comfortlesse I will come to you John 14.18 He is bodily absent but spiritually present in his Ordinances and by his Spirit he is ever among them to walk in them as in his House and Temple 2 Cor. 6.16 Rev. 2.1 to manifest himself to them to sup with them and make his abode with them as his friends and favorites John 14.21 23. Rev. 3.20 2. He is a most Precious Good not an ordinary common Good which if a man want he may compensate with some other thing but a Treasure and Pearl of highest price in whom are unsearchable riches Ephes 3.8 Hidden Treasures Col. 2.3 In comparison of whom all other things are but losse and dung Phil. 3.7 8. most precious in the eyes of his people 1 Pet. 2.7 precious in his own immediate excellencies The chiefest of ten thousand Cant. 5.10 precious in the respects he bears to us in the sweet and intimate relations of an Husband Head Saviour Brother c. precious in the great things he hath done for us in the rich supplies of grace and peace he doth bestow upon us in the high dignity whereunto he advanceth us c. 3. He is a full and sufficient Good for his people There is in Christ something proportionable to all their wants He is Bread Wine Milk Living-water to feed them Isaiah 55.1 John 6.5 cap. 7.37 He is a Garment of righteousness to cover and adorn them Isaiah 61.10 Rom. 13.14 a Pysician to heal them Mat. 9.12 A Counsellor to advise them Isaiah 9.6 A Captain to defend them Heb. 2.10 A Prince to Rule a Prophet to Teach a Priest to make Atonement for them A Husband to Protect a Father to Provide a Foundation to Support a Root to Quicken an Head to Guide a Treasure to Enrich a Sun to Enlighten a Fountain to Cleanse Acts 5.31 Acts 3.22 Heb. 10 11 12.21 Isaiah 54.5 Isaiah 9.6 Heb. 2.11 1 Cor. 3.11 Revel 22.16 Mal. 4.2 Zech. 13.1 As the one Ocean hath more Waters than all the Rivers in the World and one Sun more Light than all the Luminaries in heaven so one Christ is more All to a poor soul than if it had the All of the whole World a thousand times over 4. He is a most pure Good without any mixture of drosse or bitternesse to abate or corrupt the excellency of it A Lamb without spot and blemish 1 Pet. 1.19 He did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth 1 Pet. 2.22 Holy harmlesse undefiled Heb. 7.26 Never any believer found any thing in him for the which to repent of making choyce of him Even the severest things of Christ are matters of joy unto his servants If he make them sorrowfull their sorrow is turned into joy John 16.20 his very Yoke is easie and Burden light Mat. 11.30 his Commandments not grievous 1 John 5.3 nay his very Cross and afflictions matter of choice of joy of gloriation of triumph Heb. 11.25 29. Acts 5.41 Rom. 5.3 Rom. 8.37 and if his sufferings are so sweet oh then how glorious are his Consolations 5. He is the rarest Good in the world his whole Name is Wonderfull Isaiah 9.6 his whole dispensation mysterious 1 Tim. 3.16 The invisible God manifested a Son born of a Virgin the Law-giver made under the Law the Lord of Glory who thought it no robbery to be equall with God humbled emptied in the form of a servant reckoned among transgressors without form or comliness rejected despised put to shame a man of sorrows a dead man raised by his own power and advanced to the Throne of God these and all the particulars of Christ God-man incarnate and crucified are things so profound and unsearchable that the very Angels desire to look into them with wonder and astonishment 1 Pet. 1.12 6. He is a various Good full of exquisite and copious variety Wisdom Righteousnesse Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 It hath pleased the Father that in him all fulness should dwell Ephes 3.10 He received the Spirit without measure John 3.34 that there might be enough in him to answer all the desieres and delights of his people Wisdom to Teach Righteousness to Justifie Grace to Renew Power to Defend Peace to Comfort Life to Quicken Glory to Save them Seven eyes upon one stone Zech. 3.9 7. He is a most prevailing and victorious Good stronger than the strong-man Luke 11.22 casting out and judging the Prince of the World John 12 31. chapter 16.11 abolishing death 2 Timoth. 1.10 taking away sin destroying the works of the Devil 1 John 3.5.8 and overcoming the world and the lusts thereof John 16.33 treading all his Churches enemies under his and their feet 1 Cor. 15.25 triumphing openly over them in his Crosse before God and Angels Colos 2.15 ascending up on high and leading Captivity Captive Ephes 4.8 By a way of wisdom catching Satan by the book of his Divine power hidden under the infirmity of his humane nature By a way of Judgment condemning him for shedding the innocent blood of the Son of God By a way of power vanquishing him and casting him out of the possession which he had purchast 8. He is a perpetuall and durable Good Death hath no more dominion over him Rom. 6.9 He ever lives to make intercession Heb. 7.25 There is an Oath an Amen upon the perpetuity of the life and Priesthood