work after Christ Secondly I will rise now and go about the City c. i. I will betake my self to all publick Ordinances and shew more zeal and life in my duties and in these will I make enquiry Thirdly I asked the watch-men i. the Ministers of the Gospel which are or should be as faithful watch-men that watch for our Souls and be able to speak a word in season c. So nothing will satisfie the Soul that truly loves Christ without him and no means shall be neglected till she enjoy Him Secondly Why must he be thus beloved Reason 1 First Because he is lovely altogether lovely First Lovely in his life observing all the will of God there was a wonderful beauty upon him if we behold and can understand that hidden glory of an untainted Holinesse and exact conformity to the will of God Secondly Lovely in his death never more lovely and amiable to the believing Sinner then when he was most despicable in the eyes of Rebellious Sinners O then he appears most beautiful and desireable when he hangs on the Crosse there making our Peace procuring our Pardon obtaining Life and Glory for us by that shameful death Thirdly Lovely in all his Graces each Grace a matchlesse Jewel Rocks of Diamonds Mountains of Pearl not worthy to be mentioned with the least of his Excellencies If he put but a little of this Grace upon any Soul though he be never so vile cloath'd with corruption as in Ezek. 16. from the 9. to the 16 vers yet may be made beautiful by his Comelinesse Fourthly Lovely in all his Ordinances in which the more immediate sight the Soul hath of him the more he is taken with his Beauty No wonder he is call'd in Hag. 2.7 the desire of all Nations Reason 2 Secondly Because of his deserving love we loved him because he first loved us Consider in his love these four particulars First He laid down his life for us such a Love will deserve love and life too Joh. 15.13 Greater Love hath no man then this that a man lay down his life for his friend Secondly He lives now in Heaven for us 7 Heb. 25. He ever liveth to make intercession for them He is there minding our necessities agitating our affairs by his sitting there we have Liberty of comming thither by his sitting there in glory we have our standing here in Grace Thirdly He accounts that as done to himself that is done to them that are his Zach. 2.8 He that toucheth you toucheth the Apple of his eye and Mat. 10.40,41,42 c. He that receiveth you receiveth me and so he said to Saul Acts 9.4 why persecutest thou me when he was with Commission from the High Priest dragging the poor Professors of Jesus Christ to the Prison Fourthly He longs to have us with him Joh. 17.24 Father I will that where I am there they may be also to behold my Glory He is not q. d. satisfied without their company and is alwayes imparting his most secret Counsels to them Joh. 15.16 Henceforth I call you not Servants for the Servant knoweth not what his Lord doth but I have called you Friends for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you Reason 3 Thirdly Because otherwise we shall not regard his words which is intimated in the Text If we love him we shall keep his Words but if we love him not we will not keep his Words It is want of love to Christ that is the cause of the abounding of every sin for if we did love him we should keep his Commands which is the second particular Secondly What is it to keep the words of Christ First There is a Natural and Mental keeping of the words of Christ and so we must keep them that is Remember his Words his promises Counsels and Appointments The Memory is mans Storehouse or Cabinet that should be kept Sacred for the Truths of Christ So the Disciples kept the word of Christ when they remembred his sayings and David Psal 119.93 J will never forget thy Precepts for by them thou hast quickned me i. I will keep thy Precepts for what we forget we lose and what we remember we keep And thus as Friends take pleasure to look sometimes on the Love-tokens of their absent Friends So may we have singular comfort and refreshment to see the Heart of Christ in the Counsels Promises and Appointments left with us Secondly There is an Evangelical and Practical keeping of the words of Christ When we do believe promises and obey commands Promises not believed and Precepts not obeyed are as water spilt on the earth besides the vessel that should receive it Heb. 4.2 but when they are believed they be as liquor put into the vessel for its proper use Hence saies Christ Luke 11.28 Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it Then we keep the words of Christ when we believe his promises observe his precepts in all our conversation and walk by his appointments and institutions in all our duties Thirdly Why 't is their property and duty that love Jesus Christ to keep his words Reason 1 First Because true love is comprehensive He that love Christ truly loves all that is his He that loves him that begat loves him also that is begotten The nearer any thing is to Christ the better it is beloved and then we love the word when we keep it as a special pledge of his love To have his word and a heart to keep it is a double blessing and indeed such a gift as the word of Christ is is worthy to be loved for it self and kept for the givers sake Reason 2 Secondly Because true love is Operative 't is the principle of Gospel obedience 2 Cor. 5.14 The love of Christ constraineth us Where there is the disposition of a Son there will be obedience to the Fathers commands so where there is a spiritual love to Christ it will set the soul on work and quicken it to keep the words of Christ as is said of Faith Shew me thy Faith by thy works So shew thy love to Christ by thy works as Faith without works is dead so is love without obedience Reason 3 Thirdly Because keeping the words of Christ gives the clearest and surest testimony of the truth of our love to Jesus Christ. Probatio delectationis est exhibitio operis Greg. Hom. Obedience is the most lively testification of love as Christ said to Peter Lovest thou me c. shew it in this in doing thy duty Feed my sheep So Christ tells us in the Text Where the fire of love is in the breast there the flame of duty and service is in the hands Joh 15.14 Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you In the 1 Joh. 5.3 In this is the love of God that we keep his Commandments Use 1 Use 1. For Exhortation First To a mental keeping of the words of Christ according