apprehensions of Christ's Loveliness may excite to some love but the full well grounded perswasions of Christs love to you will above all heighten your love to Christ. Doubts of Christ's love do cause fears and fears do contract the heart and therefore are opposite to love which is the expansion and enlargement of the heart perfect love casteth out fear the more love the less fear and the more doubts and fears the less love Such as doubt much of Christs love to them they may love Christ truely but they cannot love Christ strongly You will love a less lovely person that loves you more than a more lovely person that hates you the love of the Person beloved is a most amiable Qualification and strong attractive yea one of the greatest Incentives and Inducements unto love Get then a perswasion of the infinite love to you of this Infinitely lovely person that you may be able to say with Paul Gal. 2. 20. Who loved me and gave himself for me Look diligently into the Word of God and find out the Characters there of those that are Beloved by Christ and then look narrowly into your selves and see whether your face will not answer that face in the Looking glass of the Scriptures see whether you cannot find the lineaments of the New Man within you whether you have not experienced a gracious change Is there not Light where there was Darkness Is there not Life where there was Death Is there not Love where there was Hatred Is there not the Law of God written where the Law of Sin did command all Is not the Biass of your Wills and Hearts God-ward and Christ-ward and Heaven-ward which heretofore was onely Sin-ward and Earth-ward and Hell-ward Pray earnestly unto God that he would give you a full assurance that if you are indeed effectually called if you are indeed united and related unto Jesus Christ you may know it and no longer doubt thereof In a word seek diligently after the Manifestations of Christ's Love in all the wayes of his Ordinances rest not in the out-side of Ordinances but seek after Christ in Ordinances follow him from Sabbath to Sabbath from Ordinance to Ordinance and always be looking for him and looking towards him till he turn about and look upon you and give you a gracious smile seek and wait for that Manifestation of himself which he hath promised to hem that love him Ioh. 14. 21. Wait for his Mission of the Holy Ghost from Heaven 1 Pet. 1. 12. to shed abroad the sense of his Love into your hearts Rom. 5. 5. and if you did know assuredly and had a sense hereof given unto you by the Spirit of Christ O the Joyes which then you would have in him O the love which then you would have to him As your Joyes would be unspeakable so your Love would be unspeakable too such a warmth of heart and burning of love to Christ you would feel within you as is beyond the Rhetorick of the Tongue to set forth 7. Would you have much Love to Christ get much hatred of Sin and accordingly watch and pray and strive and fight against Sin as the worst of Evils as that which doth so much displease your Lord. Bewail sins of daily incursion and labour that your sins of Infirmity may be less every day than other Take heed of sins of sudden surprize but chiefly of designed sins and that you comply not with any temptations unto grosser miscarriages which like water cast upon the Fire of your love to Christ will put out the flame and leave onely a few unperceivable sparks in the corner of your hearts Suffer not Sinne to have any room in your hearts or if it will abide and you cannot thrust it quite out let it not have a quiet habitation within you disturb sin as much as you can wage war every day with your remaining Lusts let no day pass over your heads without giving some blows some thrusts and wounds to Sin Stâ—eighten the room of Sin in your hearts as much as may be the more room Sin hath in your hearts the less room Christ will have there Particularly take heed of inordinate love to the world and the things in the world the prevalency of which love will damp your love to Christ by how much more the world gets of your love by so much the less Christ will have of it A subordinate love you may have to Persons and Things in the world but let no person or thing have your chief love but only Christ love nothing for it self with an abstracted love but love all inferiour things with inferiour love love all under the Lord and in the Lord and for the Lord's sake get all inordinate affections to the world crucified by the Cross of Christ. You must have dying affections to perishing things if you would have a living and active love to the ever-living Jesus 8. Would you have much love unto Christ associate your selves most with those that have most love unto Christ you may fetch light from their light you may fetch warmth from their Fire dead coals are enkindled by the living and your dead hearts may be enkindled with love to Christ by the warm discourse of those that have warm hearts Be ready to speak of Christ and for Christ in any company as you have sit opportunity and diligently watch for an Occasion shut your ears against and reprove profane â—ilthy Communication divert that which is vain and frothy and be ready to begin and promote that which is serious savoury that which is gracious and may tend to your own and others Edification Study the Art and practise it of provoking all whom you converse withall not unto Strife and Contention but unto this love and Affection unto the Lord Jesus Christ and whilest you are endeavouring to warm others with this Love you may be warmed your selves 9. And lastly Would you have much Love unto Christ be much in the exercise of this love hereby it is encreased and heightned Use legs and have legs and if you act this love frequently it will hereby get strength and Activity every day endeavour to put forth some vigorous acts of love unto Jesus Christ. In your ordinary Callings and secular Business and Employment you may send up some looks of Love unto Jesus Christ in your Ejaculations But especially in the Duties of Gods immediate Worship labour that your love may flow out unto Christ most vigorously In your daily secret Devotion and Family-Worship let love to Christ draw forth tears from your eyes at least cause grief and sorrow in your hearts in the acknowledgement of your sins whereby he hath been dishonoured and displeased Let love to Christ draw forth earnest desires after Christ and those communications manifestations and consolations which he doth give to none but such as are his let love to Christ put requests into your mouths arguments into your requests and fervour into your arguments in
Body the Church who is the beginning the First-born from the Dead that in all things he might have the Preeminence For it pleased the Father that in him all fulness should dwell If we read believe and consider this great Description of Christ we must needs see and say that Christ is most Excellent and Amiable and that no beloved is like to the Beloved of true Christians therefore it is that true Christians do love Christ because of his loveliness Rea. 3. True Christians do love Christ because of His love His love which he doth bear to them He loves them with a First love and with a Free love He loves them with a tender and compassionate love with an active or doing love with a passive or suffering love His love is Infinite without Bounds or Limits it is Superlative without comparison Transcendent beyond comprehension Everlasting without change and which will have no end or conclusion He lov'd them when they were polluted in their sins and washt them with his own blood he loved them when they were Naked in their Souls and clothed them with the Robes of his Righteousness He loves them in their sickness and sorrows and is their Comforter He loves them in their wants and Straits and is their Benefactor He loves them in Life and is the Life of their Souls He loves them at Death and is the Stay of their Hearts And he loves them after Death and will be their Portion for ever There is great Reason that true Christians should love Christ because of his loveliness and there is further reason that they should love him because of his love especially when both are incomparable both are incomprehensible I shall further speak God willing unto both these with other reasons under the motives in the Exhortation to excite Christians to the love of Christ. SECT VIII Vse 1. FOR Information hence learn that there are but few true Christians in the world because there are so few that love this unseen Christ. There are many Christians in Name few Christians in deed and in truth The time hath been when openly to profess the Name of a Christian did argue true love unto Jesus Christ I mean in the Primitive times when Christians were Persecuted by the Heathens as in the Ten first dreadful Persecutions under the Heathen Emperours when the world was watered with Christian blood then especially at some times and in some yea most places whoever openly acknowledged themselves to be Christians they exposed themselves unto Imprisonments Racks Tortures Burnings and the most cruel deaths It was the Truth and Strength of Love unto Jesus Christ which carried them thorow such great sufferings as many did in those dayes undergo for the sake of Jesus Christ But now there are Multitudes of bare nominal Christians they call themselves Christians being baptized in Christ's name but they are altogether without love to Christ whose Name they bare Surely there are but few not only in the Christian World but even in England where Christianity is to be found in as great purity as in any place that love Jesus Christ in sincerity No grossely ignorant persons do truly love Christ such as don't know Christ they can't love him ignoti nulla cupido there is no desire after nor love unto an unknown thing An unknown evil cannot be hated and an unknown good cannot be loved No grossely Erroneous persons do truely love Christ such as do not receive Christ's Truths they cannot love Christ's Person Joh. 14. 23. If any man love me he will keep my words The words of Christ do include not only the words of his Precepts but also the words of his Doctrine Such as erre grossely I mean in the Fundamental Truths of Christianity they are no friends to Christ but his Enemies so far are they from true love unto him No grossely wicked persons do truly love Christ such as profane persons who Blaspheme the name of God in their hideous Oaths the love of Christ doth teach an Holy Awe and Reverence of Gods Name such are Persecuters of Gods people for Righteousness sake How can they love the Head that hate the Members Christ accounteth himself to be persecuted in the perseution of his Members Act. 9. 4. Saul Saul why persecut est thou me and v. 5. I am Jesus whom thou persecutest and surely persecutors of Christ do not love Christ. Such are Scoffers at Religion who deride Holiness and mock at the name of a Saint or Godly person whereby they evidently shew their contempt of the Holiness of Christ from whom the Saints derive all theirs and how can they love Christ that do contemne him and his Image No unrighteous persons do truly love Christ whether they be so in regard of distributative justice or in regard of commutative justice whether they be unrighteous in Execution of judgement in distribution of Rewards or Punishments whether they be unrighteous in their Traffick and Dealingâ— Christ strictly requireth justice and Righteousness and how can they love him that do not keep this Commandement No Covetous persons do truly love Christ the Apostle saith 1 Joh. 2. 15. If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him And I may say that if any man love the world that is with his chief love the love of the Son is not in him the love cannot be chiefly set upon things below here on Earth and upon Christ who is above in Heaven No Licentious persons do truly love Christ no Drunkards Adulterers or any that indulge themselves in unlawful delights the love of Christ doth teach us to deny such Lusts and to Mortifie them No meer civil persons that are unconverted no Hypocrites that have a forme of Godliness but are without the power of it do truly love Christ the former may be loving and courteous unto men but they have no love to Christ the latter may Profess love to Christ and Seem to love him but they do not really love him In a word none who are under the reigning power of any sin do truly love Christ The Reign of sin is in the heart and this is inconsistent with the love of Christ in the Heart Now let us separate all these forementioned persons from the rest Grossely Ignorant persons grossely erroneous persons grossely wicked persons the Profane the Persecutors of Gods people the Scoffers at Religion all Unrighteous persons all Covetous Persons Drunkards Adulterers and all Licentious Persons meer Civil persons Hypocrites and all that are under the reigning power of sin and how few will there be left that do truly love Christ and by Consequence there will appear but very few that are true Christians SECT IX Vse 2. FOR Examination Here you may know whether you are true Christians by the Tryall of your love unto Jesus Christ. Examine your selves therefore whether you love Jesus Christ whom you have never seen the most in the world do love truly those persons and things only
of Glory who hath All power and authority both in Heaven and Earth can you love such as have Wisdom and Learning though it be terrene and not love Jesus Christ who is the wisdom of the Father who knoweth all things and whose wisdom is divine can you love such as are liberal and bountiful and not love Christ whose bounty is superlative and whose gifts are most rich and transcendent can you love friends that are kind and not love Jesus Christ who is the best friend that ever the children of men had can you love a Benefactor that feeds you and cloathes you and giveth money to you and yet not love Christ who offereth to feed your hunger-starv'd souls with the bread of life to cloth your naked souls with the robes of His Righteousness and to give the spiritual Riches of Grace to you the least dram of which is of more worth than all the riches of the Earth can you love Riches and not love Christ in whom there are treasures and by whom you may have not only spiritual riches here but also the heavenly inheritance hereafter can you love honours and not love Christ by whom you may have the highest dignities the honour of children to the King of Heaven now and a Crown of Glory in the other world can you love liberty and not love Christ by whom you may be made free from the Slavery of the Devil and your own lusts can you love safety not love Christ who is the only Saviour of mankind and who alone puts you in safety from the reach of the worst of Enemies the worst of Evils can you love peace and not love Christ by whom you may have peace with God and peace in your own conscience can you love pleasures and delights and not love Christ by whom you may have joys unspeakable and full of glory besides those everlasting pleasures which are to come without love to Christ you are under the guilt of all your sins neither your orginal sin nor any of your actual sins are pardoned they all lye upon your own score and you must answer for all your selves and how fearful is your account like to be without love to Christ you are under the curse not only under the curse of the Law for your breach of the Law but also under the curse of the Gospel for disobedience to this command of the Gospel which requireth you to love the Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 16. 22. If any man love not the Lord Iesus Christ let him be Anathama Maranatha that is let him be cursed till the Lord come and when the Lord cometh will he take off the curse from you no he will come in flaming fire to take vengeance upon you having threatned then to punish all such with everlasting destruction as shall be â—ound to have disobeyed the Gospel and what then is like to become of you Sodom and Gomorrha those wicked Cities will then be punished dreadfully with a worse fire than that which was rained down from heaven and consumed their persons habitations together I mean with the fire of Hell which will be kindled and kept alive unto Eternity by the breath of the Almighty but you who do not love the Lord Jesus Christ notwithstanding all discoveries of him invitations to him and proffers of kindnesses by him you will be punished more dreadfully than the wicked Sodomites it will be more tollerable in the day of Judgment for them than for you the torments of Hell will be intollerable by any but they will be most intollerable by Gospel-sinners the fire of Hell will burn upon you the most fiercely and the scourge of Conscience will lash you the most furiously Consider this all yee that have no love to Christ otherwise when he cometh to judgment he will tear you to pieces and there will be none to deliver you if you have not the sweet fire of love to Christ enkindled in your hearts here you will be thrown into the dreadfull fire of Hell which will burn you Everlastingly 2. This reproves such of you as have some love but it is very little love to Jesus Christ you that love Christ is not your love very small not only in comparison with the love to you but also in comparison with the love which some Christians have attained unto how strong was the love of the Apostles unto Christ when they left all and followed him especially after the resurrection of Christ and his Ascention into Heaven when the Holy Ghost was sent down and sat in the likeness of fiery tongues upon them O! what a fire of love unto Christ was there then enkindled within them Hence that bold profession which they make of Christ before the chief Priests and Elders Act. 4. Hence their rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ when they were beaten for their owning and preaching of him Act. 5. 41. The love of Peter and Iohn was great unto Christ and the love of Paul was not inferiour unto the love of the chiefest Apostles hence it was that he took such pains to preach the Gospel in so many parts of the world even from Ierusalem round about unto Illyricum Rom. 15. 19. See also how he approves himself to be a Minister of Christ and giveth evidences of his strong love to his Master 2 Cor. 11. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. Are they Ministers of Christ I speak as a fool I am more in labours more abundant in stripes above measure in prisons more frequent in Deaths oft of the Iews five times received I forty stripes save one Thrice was I beaten with rods once was I stoned thrice I suffered Shipwrack a Night and a Day I have been in the deep in journeying often in perils of Waters in perils of Robbers in perils by mine own Countreymen in perils by the Heathen in perils in the City in perils in the Wilderness in perils in the Sea in perils among false brethren in weariness and painfulness in watchings often in hunger and thirst in fastings often in cold and nakedness Besides those things which are without that which cometh upon me daily the care of all the Churches who is weak and I am not weak who is offended and I burn not and chap. 12. 10. I take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches in necessities in persecutions in distresses for Christs sake The ground of all which was the love of Christ which did constrain him as 1 Cor. 5. 14. he had such a love to Christ that he professeth Phillip 1. 21. To me to live is Christ and to dye is gain Christ was his life and his life was wholy at Christs devotion But where is such love now to be found I might speak also of the love of some ancient Fathers Ignatius Polycarp Ierome and others take one instance in Ierome who thus expresseth his love unto Christ If my Father were weeping on his Knees before me
my Mother Hanging on my Neck behind me my Brethren Sisters and Kinsfolk Howling on every side to retain me in a Sinfull course I would sling my Mother to the Ground run over my Father despise all my Kindred and tread them under my Feet that I might run unto Christ. How little is your love in comparison with the love of those Famous Hero's I mean those eminent Martyrs who have despised the Flames and endured such Racking and Torturing Deaths for the love which they have born unto Jesus Christ the fire of their Love burning stronger within them than the fire without them in which their Bodies were consumed Is not your love also small in comparison with the love of our late Reformers which fired them with such courage and resolution as to withstand a whole world of Antichristian Fury and Opposition Is your love comparable to that of many Eminent Divines and private Christians of our own Nation of the Age immediately going before who are now asleep in their Graves but how few are there come up in their Rooms It is observed and it is greatly to be Lamented that there is of late years a great decay in the Power of Godliness amongst those that are Sincere and is it not evident in the great Decay of love even in true Christians unto Jesus Christ are not you Dwarfs in comparison with others are not you Babes in Christ and Weaklings in your love to Christ Is it not evident that you have but little love to Christ when he is but little in your Thoughts and Meditations the Thoughts are the Handmaids of the Love where the Love is strong and ardent there many thoughts will be attending upon it but will not your Hearts tell you that your Thoughts of Christ are very few you can think often of your Food but how little do your Thoughts seed upon Christ who is the Bread of Life You can often think of your Rayment but how little do you think of the Robes of Christ's Righteousness You can think often of your Earthly Friends but how little do you think of Jesus Christ your Friend in Heaven Objects of Sense are often not only in your Eyes but also in your Thoughts but how little is Christ entertained in your Thoughts who is the Object of Faith Moreover doth it not argue little Love to Christ that you speak so little of him and for him in your converse one with another If you had much Love to Christ would not this Love breath forth more in your Discourses You can readily speak of your selves and do often either Directly or Obliquely commend your selves which discovers your great Self-love how little do you commend your Lord and Master and Extoll his excellencies with your lips and doth not this evidence that you have but little love to him in your hearts You can readily discourse of News and Publick Occurrences which is lawfull and needfull so that due limits be observed but when you leave Christ quite out of your Discourse it shews that you have not abundance of Love to him because out of the abundance of the Heart the Mouth will speak Such as have much love to the World will speak of their Riches such as have much love to Pleasures will be often speaking of that subject such as love their Friends much will be often speaking and commending of them when they are in company and when you speak but little of Christ it is a sign that you love him but little Doth not the little Zeal which you have for Christs Honour in the World argue that you have but little Love to him where is your activity for Christ to promote his Interest amongst those Relations and Friends that you have acquaintance with do you labour all you can to bring others into the wayes of God and into acquaintance with Christ Besides will not your little secret Devotion argue your little Affection unto Christ will not your closets or other retiring places witness how little you are in secret prayer and converse with Christ there Brief and Straitned prayer in secret doth argue a Heart Straitned in love to Jesus Christ. Doth not your Backwardness to the Exercise of this Love to Christ shew the weakness of your love how slow of Heart are you to the Love of Christ how hard to be perswaded you need not be perswaded to Love your Wives if they be Kind and Helpful you need not be perswaded to Love your children if they be Pretty and Hopefull you need not be perswaded to Love your Friends if they be Friendly and Faithful and yet whatever attractives of Love the most strong of any be in Jesus Christ you are backward to this Love Need I say more to convince you that you have but little Love to Christ will not your own Conscience from these clear Evidences sufficiently witness the thing And now Christians think what a Sin what a Shame what a Folly it is that you should have so little Love unto Jesus Christ If it be so great a Sin for such as are Strangers unto Christ to have no Love at all to him that it brings them under the most Dreadful curse surely it cannot be a small Sin that you who are his true Disciples should have but little Love unto him is it not very displeasing to the Father that you should have but little Love to his Son if he do not hate you because of your Relation unto Christ yet is he not angry with you for the Lukewarmness of your Affection unto Christ which Sin is Aggravated by the nearness of your Relation Is it not Dishonourable unto Christ that you should have so little Love to him don 't you in Effect say there is no great worth or Amiableness in him when you have no great Love unto him are you not hereby ingrateful unto Christ beyond what can be perallell'd by any ingratitude unto the most obliging Earthly Friend Is it not your shame that you should have so little Love to Christ when he doth so much deserve your Love Besides the Infinite Excellencies and Perfections which are in his person doth not his Infinite Kindness unto you call for not only the Truth but also the Strength of your Love Think what he hath Done for you think what he hath Suffered for you think what he hath Purchased for you think what he hath Promised to you think what he hath Laid out for you think what he hath Laid up for you and yet to have but little Love to Christ yet to make such poor Returns Moreover is it not your Folly to have but little Love to Christ Don't you hereby bereave your selves or debarre your selves of such peace as passeth all understanding of such sweetness and comfort both in the strength of your love and in the sense of His Love as is inconceivable is not Injury and Mischeif unto your selves the consequent of your little Love unto Christ must you not draw on Heavily in the
by Unrighteousness He is most Just towards the worst and punisheth them here lesse than their iniquities do deserve But what kindness and clemency doth he shew to his own subjects and people and will not you have a great love to so great a Person should not the consideration of the high dignity of your Lord raise your love of him unto a great heighth when Christ hath such Authority shall he not command your hearts when Christ is invested with such power that he can defend you against the rage and cruelty of your most powerful and malicious adversaries will you not love greatly such a Person as well as trust confidently under the shadow of his Government 2. Consider Christs Holiness and Purity some great Persons who abound in Wealth and Honour who have some kind of amiable natural qualities and acquired accomplishments which might render them very useful in their Countries yet through their wickedness and debauchery their filthiness and impurity their impious and vicious lives they stain all their other excellencies and render themselves the objects of contempt and scorn unto those who otherwise would bear great respect and love to them But Christ is most amiable for his Holiness and Purity he was holy in his birth although born of a sinful woman yet he was born without sin when he lived amongst impure sinners he kept his garments from all stains and spots his heart and life were free from all pollutions and never was he guilty of the least transgression either in action or the least inclination O what an excellent Person was Christ when here upon the Earth how glorious in holiness what bright beams of perfect purity and exact innocency did Christ scatter in those dark places of the Earth where he lived and amongst those dark sullied sinners with whom he did converse how then doth Christ shine in holiness now he is entred into the Holy of Holies which is above and there doth coverse with none but such as are Holy I know because of Christs Holiness and Purity he is the object of the hatred and enmity of the wicked and ungodly because Christ is an enemy unto their darling and beloved lusts they have an enmity against Christs Person when he was here below he telleth his brethren John 7. 7. The World hateth me because I testifie of it that the works thereof are evil and the hatred of the world doth still abide upon the same account Christ doth reprove the world of sin and this the world cannot endure and away with the beams of Christs Holiness doe offend their Sore Eyes his holy precepts do offend their carnal hearts yet notwithstanding this he is a most sutable object for the love of Saints upon the account of his Holiness such as are truely judicious will love them most who are best and such are really the best Men and Women in the world as are most holy if you are Christ's disciples indeed you love holiness where ever you see it and can you love the imperfect holiness which is in Gods people and will you not love Christ who is perfectly Infinitely holy himself and the spring of all that holiness which is to be found in any of the Children of Men if there be such a wonderful lustre in the derived holiness of some that it makes them to shine as lights in a dark World what a wonderful transcendent lustre is there in the origiginal holiness which is in Christ which as it is matter of great admiration so it calls for great affection Psal. 119. 140. Thy word is very pure therefore thy Servant loveth it Christ is the Word not the written Word but the Essential Word and he is very pure therefore you should love him 3. Consider Christ's Wisdome and Omnisciency Wisdom doth make the face to shine Learning doth advance some very highly in esteem such as know most if their morals be sutable to their intellectuals are most admired by those that understand what true worth is especially if there be spiritual Wisdome in conjunction with natural and acquired if there be much Grace in the heart as well as much Knowledge in the head how worthy are such to be beloved Daniel was a man of great learning and wisdome skill'd in all the learning of the Chaldeans which was not sinful and diâ—bolical and besides this he was endued with divine wisdome by the teachings of the Holy Spirit the Angel told this Daniel more than once or twice that he was a Man greatly beloved he was greatly beloved by the Lord of Heaven greatly beloved by his Prince on Earth and greatly beloved by his people and by all except some few that envied his prosperity and favor Daniels Wisdom did render him so universally amiable How then should Christ be beloved because of his Wisdom and Knowledge the wisdom of Christ is far beyond the Wisdome of Daniel or the Wisdom of Solomon who was wiser than Daniel these men had Wisdome which made them famous and esteemed in their day but Christ is Wisdome the Wisdome of the Father they were children of wisdome but Christ is the Father and Fountain of wisdome they had some jewels of wisdome but the treasures of wisdome are hid and laid up in Christ Col. 2. 3. they had learning and knowledge but their knowledge was Ignorance compared with the knowledge of Christ the greatest part of the things which they knew being but the least part of the things which they knew not they knew some things but Christ is omniscient and knoweth all things they knew many secrets of nature but Christ knoweth the secrets of Heaven the mind of God and nothing is hid from him How greatly beloved then should Christ belif you are wise you will if you would be wise you must love Christ who is so Infinitely wise himself and who alone can make you truly wise 4. Consider Christs Truth and Fidelity Truth and Faithfulness are very rare in our dayes when Falshood and Deceit do so much abound what was said of old Isa. 59. 14. 15. Truth faileth and falleth in the Street the same may be said now and therefore such as are True without Guile Faithful without Deceit are worthy of great esteem and Love But what Love should you give unto Christ who is not only True but Truth it self who is most Faithful in all his undertakings and promises and never deceived any that put their trust in him who is often better than his word never worse you will love a true and faithful Friend and will you not love a true and faithful Christ the best Friend of the children of Men as Christs faithfulness should encourage your confidence in him so it should endear your love unto him 5. Consider Christs fulness and All sufficiency Such as have large and plentiful Estates are greatly beloved by the poor and indigent if they find them also to have large Hearts and open Hands ready to distribute unto their wants and necessities none
most endeared and choisest Affections Thus far the Motives drawn from the Consideration of what Christ is SECT XII THe 2d sort of Motives to excite your Love to Christ may be drawn from the consideration of Christs love unto true Christians If you are Christians indeed Christ loveth you 1. with the Freeest Love 2. With the Truest Love 3. With the Strongest Love 4. With the surest Love 1. Consider that Christ Loveth you with the Freest Love There are many motives and attractives for your Love to Christ but Christs love to you is most free nothing in your selves to draw and engage his love except deformity and enmity to him except filthiness which he loatheth and wickedness which his soul hateth be motives There is no man in the world that loveth you but he findâ—th or fancyeth some loveliness in you something to be a motive to draw his love to you witt is a motive to some wealth to others beauty to some strength to others near Relation to some dear love to others liberality to some service to others greatness to some goodness to others likeness whether it be in good or evil is a motive to the love of the most But Christs first love to you is altogether free that which is a motive to men and induceth their love to you is no motive to incline the Love of Christ the sin which you brought into the world with you and the many sins which since you came into the world have been committed by you are enough to shut out all motives of Love in Christ unto whom all sin is so odious and abominable Whatever motive induced Christ to love you it was not drawn from your selves but it was drawn from his own bowels And will not this free love of Christ incline you to love him Doth he love you most freely and will not you love him most dearly Did Christ love you without any motive to draw his love and will not you love Christ in whom there are so many motives to draw your love Did Christ begin to love and will not you make a return Did Christ love you under your deformity and will not you love him in whom there is such perfect beauty If you now have any spiritual beauty it is through the comeliness which Christ hath put upon you but Christs first love was free which is Matter of the greatest admiration and should be a Motive unto the greatest Affection 2. Consider that Christ loveth you with the Truest love There is little true love in the world you have many that truly hate you few that truly love you and there is much dissimulation in the pretended love and affection of some all that Flatter you do not truly love you love in shew and outward appearance in good words and fair speeches is common but love in deed and in truth that evidenceth it self in real offices of Love where there is the greatest need this is rarely to be found Iob complaineth Iob 6. 15 16 17. My brethren have dealt deceitfully like a brook and as the stream of brooks they pass away which are blackish by reason of the ice and wherein the snow is hid what time they wax warm they vanish when it is hot they are consumed out of their place In the prosperity of Iob he had many friends and their love and friendship did seem to have some strength and consistency like the ice upon the brook but when heat of trouble and calamity came upon Iob then the love of his friends did melt and vanish away like ice and snow before the warm beams of the Sun the Love of the most is selfish for their own ends and therefore when their love is not like to be beneficial but rather create trouble and prejudice to themselves it cometh to nothing True Christianity doth teach another kind of Love and those that are powerfully Religious have a true love which is ready to shew it self most in an Adverse estate But none do or can love you with such a true love as Jesus Christ there is no flattery or dissimulation in his Love his love is not in the least counterfeit it is not in the least selfish and for his own ends he doth not love you to Receive good from you but that he might Do good unto you He loveeth you not onely in Prosperity but chiefly He doth evidence his love in Affliction and adversity He is a present help in the time of trouble and then doth give the most tender demonstrations of his Love he is touched with the feeling of your infirmities when you are tempted and sympathizeth with you in your sorrows when you are afflicted He shewes his Love in visiting you under your troubles in supporting you in relieving you and in delivering you Oh! what Love should you have unto the Lord Jesus Christ who Loveth you with such a True love 3. Consider thâ—t Christ Loveth you with the Strongest Love His love is more strong than Death more ardent than the Fire which hath a most vehement Flame The strength of Christs Love to you doth shew it self in the activity of his Love in his Doing for you and this will appear in three things 1. In what he hath done for you 2. In what he is doing for you 3. In what he will do for you 1. The strength and activity of Christs Love to you doth shew it self in what Christ hath done for you I shall briefly name some particulars 1. It was the strong Love of Christ which brought him down from heaven for you to assume your Nature what manner of love was this that God should become man that Spirit should become flesh that he who made the world should be born of a mean Virgin and all for your sakes 2. It was the love of Christ which made him to fullfil all righteousness for you He yielded perfect obedience to the Law both Moral and Ceremonial that you might have the benefit of it It was the Love of Christ which made him submit himself to the temptations of the Devil for you that he suffering being tempted might be able to succour you when you are tempted 4. It was the Love of Christ which made him endure the contradictions of sinners for you he bore many affronts contumelies envyings and blasphemies of wicked men that he might give you an example how to carry your selves under the like circumstances 5. It was the Love of Christ which made him lay down his Life for you Ioh. 15. 13 14. Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friend ye are my friends That such a person as Christ so excellent so innocent should undergo death and such a death as that of the Cross so disgraceful so painful that he should submit to such Ignominy and endure such Agony such tearings in his flesh such pressures in his spirit and that with such resolution and willingness with such submission and patience and that
4. 7. 3 4 5. which at enâ—â—ance were but to â—he Ankles a little further were up to the Loyns a little further a deep River over the head where a man might swim methinks you should perceive an encreasing of your love under these various motives if your love were more shallow at first methinks by this time it should have got some depth when such Winds do blow the waters should flow and overflow methinks your love to Christ should be raised unto a high tide and run with a strong Stream Thus for the motives drawn from the consideration of Christs Benefits all which are so many Orators for your love SECT XIV THe fourth and last sort of Motives to 〈◊〉 your love to Christ may be drawn from the consideration of that love which Christians have or shou'd have unto him and here consider 1. The Duty 2. The Priviledge 3. The Honour 4. The Wisdom 5. The Excellency 6. The Necessity 7. The Usefulness 8. The Delightfulness 9. The Attainableness of this love to Jesus Christ. 1. Consider it is your Duty to love Christ if it be your Duty to have a Natural affection unto Parents Children it is much more your Duty to have spiritual affections unto Christ If it be your duty to have conjugal affection unto your Earthly Husband and Wife it is a greater duty to have conjugal love unto this your heavenly Husband If it be your Duty to love Brethren Sisters and Kindred that love you it is a greater Duty to love Jesus Chriâ—t who loves you above all Relations if it be your Duty to love your Enemies it is much more your Duty to love Christ who is your best Friend It is the will of your Heavenly Father that you should love Christ the Devil would have you â—ate him but God would have you love him and whether it be most reason that you should obey the Will of God or the Will of the Devil judge ye It is the Will of Christ that you should love him the will of the flesh is against this love but whose will ought you to comply withall you are not debters to the Flesh that you should obey it's command neither are you Debters to any Creatures to give them your choicest affections but you are debtors unto Christ to give him your chief love Christ hath most right to your love and will you not give to Christ his due if you are bound to give men their due are you not much more bound to give unto Christ his due Christs due is your best and have you any thing better than your Hearts to present him withall will Christ accept of any thing at your hands should you withhold from him your Hearts had you Thousands of Rams and ten Thousand Rivers of Oyle to offer to him had you all the Treasures of the Earth at your dispose and should lay it down all at his feet it would be all slighted and disregarded by him if you give away yours Hearts from him 2. Consider it is your Priviledge that you may love Christ that Christ will give you leave to do it and kindly accept of your Love Should Beggars fall in love with Princes in order to the Marriage Union both their Persons and Love would be rejected with scorn anger and disdain There is a far greater distance between you and Jesus Christ than there is between the highest Prince and the meanest Beggar and yet the Lord Jesus Christ doth give you leave to love him with a Spiritually conjugal love in ordeâ— to the nearest Spiritual Union and Conjunction and notwithstanding his greatness and your meaness he is not ashamed to give entertainment unto your Love although you are so mean as Creatures have been so vile as Sinners yet he doht not scorn and disdain you but both Persons and Love may find ready acceptance with him It is your duty to love Christ because he commands you and it is your Priviledge that you may love Christ because he allows you to do it 3. Consider it is your Honour to Love Christ. The real Honour of any is not the Noble Blood which runs in their veins the high lineage from whence they are descened the great Titles with which they are Invested or the most eminent Earthly dignities unto which they are advanced The Heathen could say Et Genus et Proavos et quae non fecimus ipsi vix ea nostra voco our stock and noble Ancestors and what we have not done or deserved our selves we can hardly call our own And Virtus sola unica Nobilitas Vertue is the only true Nobility And the Scripture telleth us that the vilest Men are exalted Psal. 12. 8. and that the most high ruleth in the Kingdom of Men aud giveth it to whomsoever he will and setteâ—h up over it the basest of Men Dan. 4. 17. Princes and Nobles by their Vices and Wickednesses may render themselves more vile then the Earth under their Feet more base than the mire in the Streets The Word of God accounteth only them to be truly Honourable that are truly Gracious and this Grace of Love to Jesus Christ doth put a great Honour and lustre upon all those that have it There is no greater and higher object for your love than the Lord Jesus Christ a person of so great eminency and excellency the Love of Chriâ—t doth enoble the Heart and none in the world have such truely great and generous Souls as those who have the graeatest love to him According to the Spirit so is the Man â—ither Bâ—se or honourable and according to the chief love so is the Spirit if your Heart do chiefly love any inferiour things as all sublunary things are hereby you are debased and dishonoured if your Heart chiefly love Christ who is a Superior good and superlatively amiable hereby you are dignified and become truly honourable We read of Hope that is the Grace of Hope that it maketh not ashamed Rom. 5. 5. And the same may be said of this Grace of Love to Jesus Christ it maketh not ashamed The most in the World do love those things which one time or other will make them a shamed the covetous will be ashamed of their love of Riches and the voluptuous will be ashamed of their Love of Pleasures and the Ambitious will be a shamed of their love of Honours disappointment of Happiness and true contentment will make all ashamed of their inordinate Creature-love especially when they come to reap the bitter Fruit of their Sin in their Everlasting punishment Rom. 16. 21. What â—ruit had you then in those things whereof you are now ashamed for the end of those things is Death But the love of Christ maketh not ashamed it is no matter of dishonor and therefore neither is nor will be matter of shame for any to love Jesus Christ with the greatest Strength and Ardency if the wicked do despise and scorn Gods people upon the account of this love their scorns
are their reall Glory as on the contrary their esteem of any upon the account of sin is a reall shame and dishonour 4. Consider It is your Wisdom to love Christ. Deut. 4. 6. Keep therefore and Do them for this is your Wisdom and Vnderstanding in the sight of the Nations which shall hear these Statutes and say surely this great Nation is a Wise and Vnderstanding People None have such Wisdom and Understanding as those who have and keep this Statute and Comâ—â—ndment to love the Lord Jesus Christ Psal. 111. 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom a good Vnderstanding have all they that do his Commandments Tâ—e fear of the Lord and the love of Christ are always in conjunction or rather the former doth include the latter this is the beginning and cheif part of Wisdom and those have the greatest Understandings who have the strongest Affections to the Lord Jesus Christ. The love of Christ is the most reasonable and therefore the most wise love That love is most reasonable which is chiefly carryed forth towards that object which is most suitable and really most Amiable none so suitable and amiable an object as the Lord Jesus Christ as appears in what hath been already said concerning Christs Person Christs Love and Christs Benefits Such as love other persons or things with a cheif love they are mistaken in the objects of their love they apprehend more excellency and desirableness in them than really is in them and so their love is a foolish love and unreasonable there being nothing really worthy of it nothing really amiable in the cheif place beneath and besides Christ. Such as make choice of Christ for the object of their chief love they make the wisest choice there are really those excellencies in him which they apprehend and beyond what they can possibly apprehend and conceive They are fools that are slow of Heart to love Christ and they are most wise that are most forward unto this love It is your Wisdom to love Christ cheifly and to love Christ ardently such Wisdom as will make your faces shine in the Eyes of good men and which will put a lustre upon your Spirits in the Eyes of God True Wisdom doth not consist in the invention of curious and quaint Notions in the framing sound and rational Deductions in uttering the sense of the mind in neat and florid Expressions but the cheif Wisdom doth lie in the right placing of the Affections and none have attained so high a pitch of true Spiritual Wisdom as those that have attained the highest pitch of love to Jesus Christ. It is matter of great wonder when there is the greatest reason and the strongest arguments for the love of Christ that Men of the greatest Parts and Learning who have heard of Christ do not readily fall in love with him and attain higher degrees of this love than others of a more inferior capacity But the Scripture must be fulfilled Math. 11. 25. I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes Such of you as are but Babes in worldly Wisdom and humane Learning as have but mean natural parts and no improvement by education yet if you love the Lord Jesus Christ above all persons and things in the World you are far more Wise than the greatest Schollars that are without this love 5. Consider the excellency of this Love unto Jesus Christ as the Knowledge of Christ is the most excellent knowledge Phillipians 3. 8. Yea doubtless I count all things but loss for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Iesus my Lord So the Love of Christ is the most excellent love It is a love of the most excellent object the Lord Jesus who is so Excellent it is a love of the most Excellent original it cometh down from Heaven it is wrought by the Spirit of God it is a love that renders them most excellent that have it The wicked that are without this love are like dross the Righteous that have it are like Gold the wicked that hate Christ are like dirt the Righteous that love him are like Jewels other loves do darken and defile the love of Christ doth brighten the Spirit and renders Men truly illustrious and the excellent of the Earth 6. Consider the Necessity of this love unto Jesus Christ. 1. The love of Christ is universally necessary some of you have need to do this thing and others of you have need to do that but all of you have the greatest need to love Christ some of you have need of this Friend and to love him that you may keep him and others of you have need of another Friend one Friend cannot serve the necessities of all but all of you have need of Christ for your Friend he is the only Friend that can serve all your necessities and you have need to love him above all Friends it is necessary that you who are poor should love Christ who have but few or no Friends and it is necessary that you who are rich should love Christ who have many Friends Christ being a Friend instead of all to them that have none and better than all to them that have the most 2. The love of Christ is absolutely and indispensably necessary it is not necessary that you should climb up into a high seat of dignity and honour but it is absolutely necessary that your Affections should climb up and ascend to Jesus Christ who is above it is not necessary that you should abound in wealth that you should have full bags and full coffers and much riches in your houses but it is absolutely necessary that you should have the Riches of this Grace of love to Jesus Christ in your Hearts Food is not so necessary to satisfie your hunger clothes are not so necessary to cover youâ— nakedness houses are not so necessary to shelteâ— you from the injury of the Weather the most needful thing is not so necessary to youâ— bodies as this love to Jesus Christ is necessary to your Souls You may be poor and in the lowest condition here on Earth and yet be truly happy whilst you live and Eternally happy in the other world if you have this love to Jesus Christ but without this love whatever your Riches and Honours and Friends your Earthly delights and enjoyments be though never so desirable never so plentiful yet you are miserable and shall be miserable You may love other Persons and Things in the world subordinately but you must love Jesus Christ cheifly otherwise you are under the curse both of the Law and Gospel and you cannot escape the vengeance of Hell 7. Consider the Usefulness of this love unto Jesus Christ. 1. The love of Christ is useful in Prosperity to ballast the Heart that it be not overset with the full gales of a flourishing condition it is of use to moderate the Affections
drink of those Rivers of Pleasures which are with thee O hasten Lord hasten thy glorious appearance that thou mayest be Glorified before the whole World and we be glorified with thee that we may be then taken to live with thee and reign with thee and be made perfectly happy in the full and everlasting enjoyment of thee Thus I have done with these Directions the last thing in this Use of Exhortation And what do you now say after all Motives to excite and perswade you to the Love of Christ and Directions therein shall all be in vain What do you say Sinners shall Christ have your hearts or no will you harbour base lusts in your hearts that will damn you and keep out the Lord Jesus Christ who alone can save you shall I gain no hearts for Christ by all may Sermons which I have preached concerning the Love of Christ My Lord and Master hath sent me to woe you to win your hearts for him may I speed or no shall my Message be accepted and Jesus Christ the most lovely person find entertainment with you If any person or thing in the world which you do most dearly love do so well deserve your love lock your ears still against all my words and let them perish like an empty sound in the Air lock your hearts against Christ who stands knocking at the door and give an absolute and peremptory refusal to give him any room there But if in the whole world you cannot find out a suitable Beloved besides Christ if there be nothing here below but is unworthy of your hearts if all inferiour things whilest they have your chief Love do debase you and defile you and unless your hearts be taken off from them will certainly ruine and destroy you everlastingly O then be perswaded without any further delay to open the everlasting doors of your hearts to let Christ into them and set Christ up in the highest seat of your Affections O be perswaded to give Christ your chief Love to give him your Heart and your whole heart with grief and hatred let go your hold of sin and embrace the Lord Jesus Christ in the Arms of your dearest Love And then I would say to you as our Saviour did to Zacheus when he gave him entertainment in his house This day is Salvation come unto you O happy day unto you O happy you that ever you were born if this day Christ should be heartily entertained by you This then would be the day of your Conversion in which the Angels would rejoyce and though Grief and Trouble might invade you for a while because of your sin yet this would make way for your spiritual Joy weeping might endure for a Night but joy would come in the Morning but O the Joy which you will then have in the day of your Coronation when all tears shall be wiped away from your Eyes and when you shall have admission into the glorious presence of the Lord where there is Fulness of Joy and Pleasures for Evermore And what do you say Believers you that have some Love to Christ shall this Doctrine and these Sermons which I have preached be a means to raise and heighten your Love Your Love hath been too much mixed will you love Christ more purely your love hath been very weak will you love Christ more strongly Your Love to Christ hath been but a spark shall it now break forth into a flame after such blowings shall there be no burnings When you think of Christs Person so amiable his Love so incomparable his Benefits so ineâ—timable shall not this fire your hearts and will you not now love him more dearly and ardently than ever will you be perswaded to get off your hearts from Earth and Earthly things and get up your hearts to your Lord which is in Heaven and to settle your Love there upon him so as never to withdraw it from him any more Will you love the Lord Jesus much whom you can never love too much will you now dwell in the Love of Christ and be more frequent and â—ervent in the actings of it Then O what comfort would you find in your Love and what sweetness in the sense of Christs Love This would be the surest Evidence that Christ loveth you because Christ loveth first and how would this sweeten your passage through the Valley of Affliction and through the Valley of Death This would sweeten a bitter cup and make a sweet cup more sweet In Life the sense of Christs Love will be better than life but at Death this will be the onely stay and support which you can have nothing else can give any well-grounded comfort in a dying hour Death rageth and playeth the Tyrant every where shooteth his Arrowes hither and thither sometimes he smiteth those that are Elder than your selves and sometimes those that are Younger sometimes those that are weaker than your selves sometimes those that are stronger sometimes those that are better sometimes those that are worse sometimes the righteous are smitten sometimes the wicked sometimes the profane and sometimes the Professors that all might be awakened to prepare And what is it that can give you comfort when you come to the sides of the pit You may have the Love of your dear Yoke-fellowes weeping and mourning at your Bed-side Children Kindred and Friends wringing their hands and looking with a pitifull countenance upon you grieving to part with you but what comfort can all their Love yield unto your departing Spirits their Love may disturb you and make you the more unwilling to dye and leave them because they are so unwilling to part with you But the Love of Christ and sense thereof will be a Comfort indeed because he is a Friend whom you are not departing from but going unto and O the delight which then you may have when Friends look most sad and Death looks most grim when the trembling Joynts the clammy Sweats the intermitting Pulse the falling Jawes the ratâ—ing Throat and other symptomes give notice of near approaching Death then to think I am now come not onely to the Door of Eternity but also to the Gate of my Fathers House where many Saints are gone before me and many Angels are attending for me and where my dearly beloved Iesus is and hath prepared for my Reception and eternal Habitation Here are Friends about my â—â—d-side who ere long will convey 〈…〉 to the Grave to be fed upon by 〈…〉 are Angels also by my bed-side 〈…〉 Soul that so soon as it is loosned 〈…〉 Carkase they may convey me 〈…〉 Paradise Within a few 〈…〉 and I shall be with my dearest 〈…〉 Faith will be swallowed up 〈…〉 Hope in Fruition and my 〈…〉 to Perfection O the Glorious 〈…〉 there and then will shine into every 〈…〉 of my mind O the Love and Ioy and â—â—effable Delight when I come to see and enjoy and live for ever with my most dearly Beloved This This onely will make you
put life into your love will he send his Angels to convey your souls into his presence when separated from our Bodies and shall not your Hearts get to him and lodge with him before will he raise up your Bodies at the last day and will not the hopes of this raise up your Affections shall you be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the Air will Christ there own and crown you and will not the believing fore-thoughts of this ravish your Hearts with love to Christ and transport you with unspeakable joy the strength of Christ's love to you methinks should engage your love for him not only in the the Truth of it but also in the strength of it 4. Consider that Christ loveth you with the surest love Some Friends may love you a while with some kind of strength and ardency but such differences may arise between you as shall soon weaken and cool their love and of Friends they shall prove strangers yea become Enemies unto you or if their love doth abide it is not sure because they may not abide if their Love dye not whilst they live They may soon dye and then their love is at an end but the love of the Lord Jesus Christ unto you is the most Sure love if he begin to love you he will continue to love you if he love you once he will love you to the end or rather without end the love of Christ is not subject to mutations and changes like unto ours if you 〈◊〉 in your love he will not fail in his love and though you offend him he is not irreconcileable he may indeed upon unkindness on your side withdraw the manifestations of his love for a while but he will never wholly remove his love from you the love of Christ admits of no changing knows no ending Christians what motives can you find in any person or any thing in the world which you have seen comparable to those which you have in this Lord Jesus Christ though you have never seen him He is a Person most amiable in himself his Greatness his Holiness his Wisdome his Faithfulness his Fulness his Kindness do make him shine with an admirable lustre his Relation to the Father and the love which the Father doth bear to him his Relation unto you being your Shepherd your Captain your Teacher your Advocate your Soveraign your Benefactor your Brother your Husband your Redeemer all these do commend him to your love but when matchlesse beauty and lovliness do meet in a person that doth bear matchless love to you when this most amiable Lord Jesus doth love you with such a free love such a cordial love such a strong and active love such a sure and constant love when his love is incomparable surpassing all other love and incomprehensible surpassing all knowledge O with what activity ardour and constancy should you love so suitable an object SECT XIII THe third sort of motives to excite your love unto Christ may be drawn from the consideration of Christs Benefits If you are true Christians you have 1. Spiritual Light from Christ. 2. Spiritual Life from him 3. The Pardon of sin from him 4. The Robes of Righteousness from him 5. The Peace of Conscience from him 6. The Joyes of the Holy Ghost from him 7. The Riches of Grace from him 8. The Dignity of Children from him 9. The Spirit of Prayer from him 10. Title to the Kingdom of Heaven with the first Fruits and fore-tastes of it from him here and shall be put into the possession of it by him hereafter 1. You have Spiritual light from Christ Christ is the Sun from whom all the beams of this light do come time was when you were not only in the dark but darkness but Jesus Christ did enlighten you Eph. 5. 8. For ye were sometimes darkness but now are yee light in the Lord walk as Children of the light it is Christ that hath turned you from darkness to light that hath translated you out of darkness into his marvellous light he hath caused a marvellous light to shine into your minds whereby he hath discovered to you the wonderful things of the Law that thereby you might discern the odious nature of Sin and whereby he hath discovered to you the wonderful mysteries of the Gospel that thereby you might discern the excellency of Gospel-priviledges and the exceeding Riches of Gods Grace and Kindness through Jesus Christ. Christ hath opened your Eyes to see the chiefest evil that you might be delivered from it and the chiefest good and happiness that you might attain unto it And doth not this light which you have from Christ call for your love If the man that was born blind and was cured of his natural darkness by Christ did love Christ for this favour so as boldly to plead for him before the Pharisees though he were for it cast out of the Synagogues as you may read in Iohn 9. How much more reason have you to love Christ who hath cured you of your Spiritual darkness which had it continued you would have gone blindfold to Hell where there it blackness of darkness for ever 2. You have Spiritual life from Christ you were Spiritually dead and Christ hath quickned you Eph. 2. 1. You hath he quickned who were dead in sins and trespasses We read that Christ raised Lazarus from the dead after he had been buried four dayes Iohn 11. Lazarus did love Christ before but no doubt this Resurrection of him so wonderfully did endear his love to Christ exceedingly and shall not Christs raising you up from your Spiritual death raise your Hearts unto a great height of love to Christ you will greatly love one that is instrumental to save your natural life when in great hazard and danger especially if he should do it by venturing his own and will you not greatly love Christ who hath given you Spiritual life which is far more excellent than the life of Nature and when he dyed that you might live and when if you had not received this Spiritual life from him you could not have escaped eternal Death 3. You have the pardon of sin from Christ this Christ hath purchased for you and the purchase hath cost him dear even his blood which was of more worth than the treasures were there so many of ten thousand worlds this Christ hath sued out for you by his intercession at the right hand of God Whilst you were under the guilt of sin you were bound over by the Justice of God to suffer the vengeance of Eternal Fire but being pardoned your obligation to future punishment is taken off and you are no more lyable to wrath to come and the vengeance of Hell than if you had never siâ—n'd And will you not love the Lord Jesus Christ who hath procured for you so great a priviledge we read of one that had much forgiven her and she loved much Luk. 7. 47. and have not you had
to lawful things and it is of use to keep the Heart from unlawful and sinful loves if Christ have not your Hearts some base and foolish lusts will have them which will wound your Consciences with guilt and peirce your Hearts thorow with many sorrows 2. The love of Christ is useful in Adversity to bear up the Heart from sinking and being overwhelmed with the Winds and Waves of Trouble and Affliction it is of use to establish the Heart from being extraordinarily moved in the most Stormy times not only Faith but Love too is of a fixing nature to keep from amazing fears of evil tidings and the greatest perils and of a strengthning Nature to stay and support the Spirit and keep off pressing Griefs and despondencies in the darkest and most doleful days 3. The love of Christ is useful to quicken and excite unto duty this makes the yoke of Christ easie and will enable you to draw cheerfully therein this makes the burden of duâ—y so accounted by the most to be no burden in esteem if you have much love unto Christ you will account duty to be your priviledge and the Service of Christ to be freedome and none of his commands will be grievous but all of them joyous unto you if you have much love unto Chriâ—t your Hearts will be ensiamed hereby with zeal for your Masters Glory and you will never think you can do too much for him 4. The love of Christ is useful to arm you against Temptations If Faith be a Shield Love to Chriâ—t is a Breaâ—-plaâ—e against the sharpest Darts which the Devil can throw at you â—ove to Christ doth Garrison your Hearts against this Enemy and is a strong defence against any overtures which the Devil may make in his Temptations to draw you to sin how can I do this evil and offend my dear Lord will be the answer of love to repel temptations to sin whatever alluring proffers they be accompanied withal Temptations will have no force to prevail over you if this love of Christ be strong within you 5. The love of Christ is useful to fit you for the cross and the greatest sufferings which you may be called unto for the sake of Christ. If you have great love to Christ you will be ready to suffer for Christ with patience and with 〈…〉 the heaviest cross will seem light disgrace and shame will be accounted honour losses will be esteemed gains pains pleasures or at least priviledges prisons will seem Pallaces and death will be accounted life O how have some run to the stake and embraced the Flames of Fire kindled to burn them when they have felt the fire of love to Christ burning strongly within them thus this love is usefull in Life 6. The love of Christ is useful at death This love in its strength will put a beauty upon the Aspect of death which seems so grim and terrible unto the most If you have much love to Christ you will look upon death as Christs messenger sent for you to bring you out of the dark Prison of of the World and the Body and to convey you into the Mansions of Glory where your dear Lord is and you will not be unwilling to leave the World that you may live with Christ. 8. Consider the sweetness of this love unto Christ. If there be sweetness in the love of the Members there is much more sweetness in the love of the head if there be delight and comfort in the love of Christs disciples for their Masters sake there is much more delight and comfort in the love of Christ himself the Master for his own sake the Apostle telleth us of comfort in love Phillip 2. 1. that is in the love one of another but the consolations in the love of Christ are far exceeding there are no such sweet motions of Heart as those of the strong and fervent outgoings of it in its love to Christ especially when Christ doth draw near and manifest his love unto the Soul Christ doth rejoice in his love unto his Disciples and they may rejoice in their love to him and this joy in the love of Christ is a full joy Iohn 15. 11. These things have I spoken unto you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full in the former verse Christ speaketh of his love to them and here of his joy in them they were the objects of his joy as they were the objects of his love and according to the measure and strength of their love to Christ so is the fulness of their joy in Christ. Cant. 4. 9. Thou hast ravished my heart my Sister my Spouse thou hast ravished my Heart with one of thine Eyes with one chain of thy neck they are the words of Christ the Beloved unto his Spouse the Church expressing the ravishing delight which he found in her Looks of Faith or glances of Love and the chain of Graces which she was adorned withall How then may your Hearts be ravished with unspeakable delight in looking upon Christs most amiable face and in the fervent actings of your love unto him when a glance of his Eye a smile a beam from his countenance doth enkindle a fire in the breast and this fire of love to Christ doth burn and flame O how sweet is this flame beyond what tongue is able to express 9 And lastly Consider the Attainableness of this love to Chrâ—â—t Bâ—uâ—ts are not capable of this love to Chriâ—t but you are capable as your minds are capable of knowing him so your hearts are capable of loving him Others have attained this love who were as much without it and as much averse unto it as any of you may be Here you are capable hereafter if you live and dye without it you will be utterly uncapabâ—e You have now the means of Grace and as of other Graces so of this Grace of love to Christ in the diligent use of the means you may attain there unto Thus I have done with the Motives to excite you unto the love of Christ. SECT XV. THe second thing propounded in the Prosecution of the use of Exhortation was to give Directions and the directions will be of two sorts 1. How to attain this love to Christ. 2. Wherein to show this love to Christ. First How to attain this love to Christ and here I shall 1. Direct you how you may attain this love to Christ in the truth of it where you are wholly without it 2. Direct you how to attain much of this love to Christ where you have it but in a low degree and weak measure The first directions then shall be how you that are Graceless and Christless and wholly withoâ—t this love to Christ may at-this love to Christ. 1. If you would attain this love unto Jesus Christ whom you have never seen you must get a thorow peâ—swasion that there is such a Person aâ— Jesus Christ and that he is such a Person indeed as the
Scriptures have revealed him to be The reason why Heathens and Infidels are without love to Christ is because they have never heard of him and the reason why many nominal Christians that have heard of Christ are without love to him is because they are not really perswaded that there is or ever was such a person as Jesus Christ in the World If you would attain this love you must give firm assent to this Truth which is the greatest of all and the very pillar foundation of the whole Christian Religion that Christ really is and that the History of him is no cunningly devised Fable If you have reason to beleive that there was such a a Person as Alexander the Great that there was such person as Iulius Caesar both which lived before Christs time you have more reason to believe that there was and is such a Person as Jesus Christ you have only Prophane history for the former but you have Sacred history for the latter you have only the writings of men to testifie the one but you have the word of God in the Holy Scripture to testifie the other You have as much reason to beleive the history of the Gospel as to beleive any other history and you have more reason to believe the history of the Gospel than to believe any other history I shall suggest one reason amongst many that might be mentioned The History of the Gospel was written by unlearned Fishermen and it was beleived by as leaâ—ned men as any in the world in and near the time of their writing which belief some of them sealed with their blood which they would never have done had they found any reason to suspect the truth of this history which had there been any reason of suspition they might easily have found out in those times when such a grand Fable as this had it been a Fable could not possibly have gained credit amongst wise and inquisitive men especially when it would have been their greatest worldly Interest the preservation of their Estates and Lives to have disbelieved and disowned it If beside the Apostles all the learned Fathers whose Works are extant amongst us who lived near the Apostles times and some of whom suffered Martyrdom for Christ's sake did see reason to believe that there was such a Person as Christ surely you have reason to believe and no solid reason to discredit the report of him in the History of the Gospel And when you have attained a firm Assent unto this get a full perswasion that Jesus Christ is such a person as the Scriptures do record and testifie him to be Be perswaded of his Amiableness his Greatness his Holiness his Wisdom his Faithfulness his Fulness his Kindness the Relation he stands in to the Father his onely begotten and dearly beloved Son the Relation he standeth in to his People especially in his Offices of Prophet Priest and King as I have set him forth in the Motives to stirre up Love acquaint your selves with the History of his Birth so Wonderfâ—ll of his Life so Holy of his Works so Powerfull of his Doctrine so Heavenly of his Sufferings so Great of his Death so Painfull and yet so Voluntary of his Resurrection Ascension Session and Intercession at the right hand of God so needfull for us as you have this History upon record in the New Testament the assent to this in your Minds will be a preparative for the attaining of true Love to Jesus Christ in your Hearts 2. If you would attain true Love unto Jesus Christ you must get Conviction of Sin and a sense of your Need of Christ. The prevailing love and liking of Sin is inconsistent with true love unto Jesus Christ such as love Christ do hate Sin and such as love sin have an Enmity against Christ Whilest your hearts goe after your Covetousness or your Voluptuousness or are set upon any other Wickednesse your hearts cannot be set upon Christ Before you can love Christ your hearts must be taken off from sin Get therefore a conviction of Sin as the greatest Evil in the world Be perswaded what an evil thing and a bitter it is to transgress Gods Law and thereby to affront the highest Majesty the great King of Glory Look into the Word and Law of God and see what is there required what is there forbidden and then look back upon your Lives or look into the Register of your Consciences that you may find out what your sins of Omission and Commission have been Take a view of your transgressions of the Law and of your disobedience also unto the Gospel and as you are guilty before God so labour for a clear sight and deep sense of your Guilt how you are under the Curse for your Disobedience how you are liable to ruine and eternal destruction for your sins Look upon sin as the most mischievous thing in the world if there be any evil in any temporal calamities which ever did befall any of the children of men yea if there be any evil in future miseries in the extremity and eternity of Hells Plagues and Punishments be perswaded that there is far more evil in sin which is the cause of all Think how miserable you are whilest under the Guilt and Reigning power of sin that the Worm is not so vile that the Toad is not so full of deadly Poyson that the filth of the Earth is not comparable unto the filth of your sins Think how base and disingenuous you have been how monstrously ingrateful to your Maker and Benefactor what Traytors and Rebels you have been to your Supream King and Soveraign Think what peril and danger continually you are in of Death and Hell how weak the thred of Life is which ties Soul and Body together which may be suddenly cut when you are least aware when you are most secure and then if you be found in a Christless state your Souls will be conveyed immediately unto a place of remediless and eternal misery Be perswaded that you are undone irrecoverably unless the Lord Iesus Christ do help you that you are lost for ever unless the Lord Jesus Christ do save you that you cannot escape the dreadful Vengeance of God but must be tormented most horriâ—ly and everlastingly amongst the Devils and the damned in Hell unless the Lord Jesus Christ do deliver you from the Wrath which is to come The sight and sense of sin your miserable condition thereby and of your indispensable need of Christ will make way for your Love of him If any of you were in debt many thousand pounds unto a severe Creditor and had not one penny to discharge it and you were threatned by him to be thrown into Prison where you must lie and â—ot and starve and die without hopes of relief or release except you could make payment of the debt And if you should hear of such a Rich man that were willing and did proffer to be your Surety and to pay all for
have interest in Christ and in all his Benefits If you ask me what this Faith is that gives an interest in Christ what it is to believe I answer out of Iohn 1. 12. that it is to receive Christ. But to as many as received him to them gave he Power to become the Sons of God even to them that Believe in his Name Be perswaded then to receive Christ and accept of him upon the terms of the Gospel Receive and take hold of Christ by the hand of Faith And that you may do this 1. You must let go your hold of sin if your hugg sin in your bosom if you harbour base Lusts in your Hearts you cannot receive and give entertainment to Christ there you must thrust sin out if you would let Christ in 2. You must let go your hold on the World I don't say you must let it go out of your hands and throw away the estates which God hath given except it be to part with some proportion in a way of Mercy and Charity and except you be called to leave all rather than to forgo Christ or any of his Truths but you must let the World go out of your Hearts the World must not sit upon the Throne of your Hearts that seat must be reserved for Christ cheif love and inordinate love to the world and things in the world must be taken off 3. You must let go hold of self your own Righteousness and all self-confidences must be parted with you must be humbled and emptied of your selves if you would be prepared for the receiving of Jesus Christ and receiving of that fulness which there is in him And then 1. Receive Jesus Christ as your High-Priest to reconcile you unto God trusting alone in his Merits and Mediation 2. Receive Jesus Christ as your Prophet to instruct and lead you in all Truth by his Word and Spirit 3. Receive Jesus Christ as your Soveraign Lord and King to Rule you 4. Receive Jesus Christ as your Captain to tread down your Spiritual Enemies under your feet 5. Receive Jesus Christ in all his Relations of Shepherd Friend Brother and especially in the Relation of an Husband and joyn your selves to him and make over your selves to him dedicating and devoting your selves to him and giving up your selves to be guided guarded provided for and governed by him This is to receive Christ and this is to Believe this gives Union and Relation and interest in the Lord Jesus and if you do thus joyn your selves to Christ by Faith you will quickly feel love to Christ to spring forth to work and act and that vigorously and to bring forth such fruit in the life as shall evidently shew that love to Christ is rooted in the Heart 4. If you would attain Truth of love to Jesus Christ be diligent in the use of all those means which God hath appointed for the working of it I shall instance only in two means 1. Be diligent in Hearing the Word Preached as Faith cometh by Hearing so love to Christ is wrought by the same means Hear and your Souls shall live saith the Prophet Isa. 55. 3. and I may say hear that your Hearts may love that where the Eye cannot the Ears may affect the Heart with love to the Lord Jesus Whilst Lydia was hearing Paul Preach her Heart was opened Act. 16. 14. and whilst you are hearing Ministers Preach of Christ your Hearts may be opened to receive him and to embrace him in the arms of your dearest love See Act. 11. 15. As I began to speak the Holy Ghost fell on them as on us at the beginning whilst Peter was Preaching and the Gentiles were hearing the Holy Ghost was sent down from Heaven and fell upon upon and so whilst you are hearing the Word God may give forth of his Spirit to work this Grace of love to Jesus Christ in your Hearts 2. Be diligent and earnest in Prayer unto God for this love confess and bewail before him your want of this love tell him you deserve a double Anathema because you do not love Christ and withall tell him you cannot of your selves love him that you can as easily lift a Mountain to Heaven as lift up your hearts unto Christ but desire that he would draw up your love to Christ by his Spirit Beg of him that he would put out the fire of Lust and all inordinate creature-love and that be would enkindle a fire of love in you to this most lovely Jesus which no corruption in your Hearts may be able extinguish And in your Prayers present your Hearts to the Lord Jesus offer them up freely to him and desire that he would accept of them that he would take hold of them and take possession of them and erect his Throne in them and an Everlasting habitation for himself Section XVI HAving given directions how you may attain the Truth of love to Christ where you are without it I come now to give directions how you may attain much of this love to Christ where you have it but in a low degree and weak measure Would you attain much love to Christ 1. Be much in Contemplation of Christ consider often what motives there are of love in him presse them upon your Spirits and labour to awaken and rouze up your Hearts unto the vigorous exercise of this love Spend time in secret retirement and there think and think again of the Superlative Excellencies and Perfections which are in Christ's Person how wonderfull and matchless his love is what heigths in it that cannot be reached what depths in it that cannot be fathomed what other dimensions which cannot be comprehended Meditate often of his benefits how incomparable his love-tokens be and whilst you you are musing you may feel the fire burning whilst you are looking you may feel your Hearts leaping whilst you are taking a view of him ere you are aware your Hearts like the Chariots of Aminadab may run to him O the ravishments of love the transports of Soul which some Believers have found in their retired thoughts and views of Christ. Get often into the Mount of Divine Contemplation and there look upwards unto Heaven and think with your selves Yonder Yonder above the shining Sun is the more Glorious Son of Righteousness there at the right hand of the Throne of God is my beloved Iesus the Son of God seated and though he be so high above me both in place and dignity yet he thinketh upon me and pleadeth for me and many a gift hath he thence sent by his Spirit conveyed unto me and I can ask nothing of the Father in his name but if it be really for my good I have it by his means O dear Iesus how lovely art thou in thy self the darling of heaven the Delight of the Father the Admiration of Angels O what brightness of Glory what shining lustre art thou arrayed with thou art clothed with most excellent Majesty and Honour thou art girded
with infinite Might and Power the beauty of thy face is most wonderfull the smiles of thy countenance are most sweet and delightful and doth this lovely fair One this fairest of ten thousand this most excellent and alltogether lovely Person bear a particular love to me to such a vile worm as me to such a dead Dog as me to such an undeserving ill-deserving hell-deserving sinner as me O what marvellous kindness is this what infiâ—iâ—e Riches of Free Grace doth he know me by name hath he given himself for me and given himself to me and shall not I give him my heart am I written in his bookâ— Redeemed with his blood clothed with his Righteousness beautified with his Image hath he put the dignity of a Child of God upon me and prepared a place in the Fathers house for me O wonderful O admirable what shall I render what returns shall I make had I a thousand tongues should I not employ them all in speaking his praise had I a thousand Hearts should I not present them all as too mean to thank-offering unto him And yet am I slow slow of Heart to love this dear and sweet Iesus awake O my Soul awake from thy dulness and stupidity shake off thy sleep which glues thine eye-lids so close together shake out the dust of the Earth which hath got into thine eyes and keeps thee from the view of thy beloved Arise O my Soul and lift up thy self unfetter thy feet unâ—log thy self take the wing and mount up above the sky and visible Heavens even to the place where the lovely and dear Iesus is Take thy leave of the world and all things therein Bid farewel to the flattering honours the deceitful Riches the glozing Pleasures that are here below bid adieu to them and leave them to those that place their chiefest happiness in them if Earth hath thy body for a while yet let it have thy heart and chiefest affections no more come O my Soul ascend and soar aloâ—t unto the Heaven of Heavens the way unto the Holy of Holies is accessible the vail is rent the fore-runner is entred and thou mayest have entrance too with thy Thoughts and Desires and Loves and Hopes and Ioyes there thou mayst see and veiw and admire and embrace thy dearest Lord there thy Heaâ—t may find a fit object for it's Love even thy dearest Lord Iesus who wil not reject despise thee but give kind entertainment unto thy love and withall give the fullest sweetest returns there thy Heart may find a room to dispose of it self and not only a lodging like that of a wayfaring man for a night but an habitation wherein to dwell and to take up it's Eternal abode let thy Heart be thy fore-runner that when thy body drops off from thee thou mayst know where to betake thy seâ—f and find ready entertainment there where thy Heart hath been long before Why dost thou hang downwards O my Soul why dost thou bend so much to the Earth and Earthly things what is there here below that is not beneath thee and altogether unworthy of thy Love how empty and vain and thorny are these things don 't wast thy time weary thy self for very vanity don't prick and wound thy self with these things any more What aileth thee O my Soul that thou art so backward to the Love of Christ is it because thou canst not see Christ with the Eyes of thy Body thou shalt see him with those Eyes hereafter when he comes in his Glory thy body is raised and repaired and sitted to bear such a sight thou can'st not see the Wind but thou hearest it's noise and feelest it's blasts and dost thou not hear Christ's voice in his Word dost thou not feel the breathings of his Spirit in his Ordinances Thou art invisible thy self O my Soul and art thou so drenched in flesh that visible objects shall have more Power to draw down thy heart than this most glorious object though now invisible shall have power to draw up thy Heart dost thou question and doubt of his love to thee and doth this damp and discourage thy Affection whose Image is this which is engraven upon thee is it not the Image of Christ what writing is that upon thy Heart is it not Gods Law written by Christs Spirit whose deckings and adornings hast thou got about thee what Beauty is this which is put upon thee is it not Christs comeliness where hadst thou those Bracelets that Ring those Iewels that chain of Graces are they not Christ's love-tokens which he hath given thee and yet wilt thou doubt of his love if thou feelest corruption strong yet dost thou not perceive some Grace although it be weak hast thou not some love to Christ although it be low are not thy desires chiefly after him which evidence that thy chief love is to him and is it so with any but such whom Christ doth love doth not Christ love first and yet wilt thou question his love banish then thy fears silence thy doubts O my Soul rouze up thy self and climb â—p by the Iacobs ladder which is let down to thee from Heaven and settle thy love upon Iesus Christ and those things which are above where Christ sits at the Right hand of God Such retired Contemplations of Christ and Soliloquies and pleadings with your own Souls when alone by your selves will tend exceedingly to the promotion of your love unto Christ. 2. Would you have much love to Christ Be much in Reading and Studying the Scriptures The Scriptures are a Glasse in which Christ may be seen he cannot be seen Face to Face in this World this is the happiness of the Triumphant Church in Heaven not of the Militant Church upon the Earth what may here be discerned of Christ it is in the glass of the Scriptures and Gospel-Ordinances this is that glass spoken of 2 Cor. 3. 18. We all with open face beholding as â—n a glass the Glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from Glory to Glory Christ is the Glory of the Lord the brightness of his Fathers Glory would you have much love to him be often looking veiwing and beholding of him in the glass of the Scriptures by much beholding of him you may be transformed more and more into the likeness of his Holiness and into the likeness of his Love which is Glory begun The Scriptures have the Image of Christ engraven upon them the Image of the Father is upon the Son and the Image of the Son is upon the Scriptures there you may see the Picture of Christ the Beauty of Christ at least some lineaments are there drawn by the hand of God although not fully and to the life I mean such you will see in him when you come to behold him face to face in Heaven yet his Beauty is drawn in such proportions and with such shadows as you are now capable of beholding Would you have much love unto Christ whom
you have never seen look much upon his Picture and Image in the Scriptures The Scriptures are Christs Love letters In the second and third Chapters of Revelations Christ doth send Seven Epistles to the Seven Asian Churches there are many Epistles and Love-letters as it were in the Scriptures especially in the New Testament wherein Christ doth give most kind expressions of most endeared Love unto his People Read much and study Christ's Love letters especially those parts of the Scriptures wherein Christ doth express most of his kindness and love See how kindly Christ doth express himself Ioh. 14. v. 1 2 3 13 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 27. Chap. 1â— v. 9. 13 14 15 16. Chap. 16. v. 7. 22 24 26 27. 33. Chap. 17. v. 9 10 11 15 20 21 22 23 24. Chap. 20. v. 17. Read often and consider such places Let the Word of Christ dwell richly in you and his will feed and maintain your love to Christ this is a means to have Christ dwell in your hearts not onely by Faith but also by most endeared Love 3. Would you have much Love to Christ be much in Prayer unto God for this Love Eph. 6. 23. Peace be unto the Brethren and love with Faith from God the Father Not onely Peace is from God who is called the God of Peace and Faith from God who works it by his Almighty power but alos Love is from God who is the God of Love he circumciseth the heart to love himself and to love his Son This love of Christ is a Grace of the Spirit which God doth freely give and powerfully work the Beginnings of it the Increase of it all the Measures and Degrees of it are from him If you would attain high measures of love to Christ you must apply your selves unto God in Prayter and therein diligently seek to him for it If you would have much love to Christ in your hearts you must be often at the Throne of Grace upon your Knees and there humbly acknowledge if not the want yet the weakness of your love to Christ bewail your Sins which do damp your Affections and earnestly request that he would work your hearts unto a strong love be importunate in Prayer for this follow God day by day with the same requests plead with him for it fill your mouths with Arguments and fill your Arguments with Faith and â—ervent Desires Tell him whatever lovelinesse and love there be in Christ whatever attractives to draw forth your love yet of your selves you are utterly unable to put forth the least motion of true affection unto Christ. Tell him that this love to Christ though it be your Duty yet it is his Gift that you ought to act it but this you cannot do unless he works it Tell him how easily he can enkindle this Fire of Love to Christ in your bosoms and blow it up into a flame Tell him he hath bid you to ask and you shall have and whatever you ask according to his will he heareth and that it is his will you should love Christ not onely truely but also strongly Tell him you desire much love to Christ and that these desires do come from himself and therefore earnestly desire the fulfilling of them Tell him if you do not love Christ much you shall be apt to over-love the Creature which will be displeasing to him therefore request that you may have such a love to Christ as may overpower all other love and keep your hearts from all Inordinacy of affections to any thing beneath and besides the Lord Jesus Christ. Plead how much it will be for his Glory that you should have much love unto Christ that hereby you shall be enabled to honour him the more in the world Plead how much it will be for your good tell him if you asked Corn and Wine and Oyl if you asked Wealth and Honours and Creature-delights in abundance they might be a snare to you and for your hurt but a strong love to Christ is needfull and usefull and be sure will be for your good urge his Promise of Circumcising the heart to love him and plead his Faithfulness and if you be thus importunate in Prayer for much love to Christ and will not be denyed you shall not be denyed 4. Would you have much Love to Christ get much Faith Faith worketh Love both to the Father and to the Son According to the measure of your Faith so will the measure of your Love be Such as are without any Faith are without any Love such as have but a â—eeble faith have but a weak love and such as have the strongest faith have the strongest love The strongest faith giveth the clearest discovery of Christs infinite Excellencies and Perfections It is not the eye of Sense which doth discern Christ neither is it the eye of Reason which doth discern him whatever discoveries we have of Christ it is by Revelation and this is discernable onely by Faith Faith is the Evidence of things not seen and the unseen Christ is evident by Faith to be the most excellent Person and the most sutable Object of love and the more evident the Object of love is the stronger will the love be Moreover Faith is not onely the Eye of the Soul to discern Christ but also the Hand of the Soul not onely to take hold on him but also to receive from him of his Fulness Grace for Grace and by consequence more of this Grace of love to him Our Communion with Christ is by Faith the more intimate acquaintance and fellowship we have with those whom we love the more endeared will be our love the strongest Faith brings us unto the greatest intimacy fellowship and familiarity with Christ and therefore it is a means of the strongest Love Endeavour then to get a strong Faith and to live daily in the powerfull exercise thereof the more you live by Faith the more you will dwell in the Love of Christ. 5. Would you have much Love unto Christ labour for much of the Spirit labour for much of the Light of the Spirit There must be not onely the Glass of the Scriptures and the Eye of Faith but also the Light of the Spirit that you may have a clear discerning of this lovely Lord Jesus Labour for much of the Operation of the Spirit the Spirit is like Wind to blow up the Sparks of Love in your hearts into a flame Labour for the inhabitation of the Spirit and that the Promise may be made good to you which Christ giveth to his Disciples Ioh. 14. 16 17. And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the Spirit of Truth whom the World cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you 6. Would you have much Love unto Christ labour for clear Evidences of his Love unto you the
in your understandings but get them fastened and fixed and close girt about the loins of your mindes hold the truths of Christ fast prize them above all jewels don't part with them upon any terms let all go estate liberty and life it self rather than any of this rich treasure which Christ hath entrusted you withal 3. Assert the truths of Christ be not ashamed or afraid to own any truths of Christ in the most adulterous gainsaying generation profess your belief of Christ and of the truths of Christ endeavour that the light of these truths may shine abroad and cast forth such bright beams in the dark world where you live that others may be brought hereby unto the knowledge of the Truth 4. Endeavour to maintain Christ's truths earnestly contend for the Doctrine of Faith once delivered to the Saints endeavour to convince gainsayers and to defend Christ's truths against those corrupt and erroneous opinions and Doctrins which like leaven is very apt to spread and infect the mindes of men 2. Shew your love to Christ in your publick spiritedness and zeal for Christ's honour and interest let your affections be publick not private narrow contracted and centring in self let your love be a publick and general love Love not only Relations but love all Christ's disciples though of different Perswasions and interests because of the image of Christ love not only your Friends that love you but also your Enemies that hate you because of the command of Christ. Let your desires be publick desires desire the welfare of the univeral Church and of all Gods people throughout the world and accordingly Pray for their Peace and Prosperity and endeavour as you have opportunity to promote the publick good more than your own private advantage seek not your own things but the things of Jesus Christ. Let your griefs be publick griefs grieve not only for your own sins but also for the sins of others whereby Christ is dishonoured in the world grieve not only for your own afflictions but also for the afflictions of Ioseph Heb. 13 3. Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them and them which suffer adversity as being your selvs also in the body You are in the same mystical body with all Christ's afflicted members and when some members suffer the rest should suffer too by way of sympathy Bleeding in their wounds and grieving in their sorrows be ready also to relieve any especially Christ's disciples when they are in distresse and want according to your capacity and as you have opportunity Employ all your Talents for your Masters glory and endeavour to promote the interest of the Lord Jesus unto the utmost of your abilities 1. In reference to those which are without If you are called your selves labour to call others unto Christ as Andrew called Peter Phillip called Nathaniel unto the Messias Iohn 1. 40 41. 44 45. If you have found the Messias or rather have been found of him let your love to Christ and love to Souls prompt you to endeavour the Conversion of others that are your Relations your Friends and Acquaintances Put your unconverted Friends in mind of their miserable Estates whilst under the guilt and reigning power of sin whil'st slaves to the Devil and their own lusts mind them of Death and the fearful consequences thereof to all unpardoned sinners tell them of Christ that he is the only Saviour and Redeemer of Mankind How able and willing he is to save them if they seek after him and apply themselves unto him tell them that not long since you were in the same estate with themselves living in the practice of the same sins and going on in the same way to destruction and that the Lord hath shewed mercy unto you in your Conversion and bringing you into a state of Salvation tell them that there is mercy also for them if they look after it that Gods Grace is most free his mercy most plentiful that Christ is most Gracious and casteth out none that come unto him tell them of the amiablenesse of Christ's Person of the surpassing love which he hath shewn to fallen mankind in his dying for them and that though he were dead yet he is alive and lives for evermore to intercede for all them that make choice of him make use of him for their Advocate Therefore perswade them that they would break off their sins by Repentance which otherwise will be the ruine both of their bodies and of their Souls in Hell and without delay that they would come unto Christ and accept of him upon Gospel-terms If any of you cannot manage these arguments well your selves perswade them if you can to hear such Ministers and Sermons as through Gods blessing have been effectual for your Conversion and thus you may be instrumental to augment the Kingdom of Christ which is one of the best ways of expressing your love unto Christ. 2. In reference to them which are within labour to promote the interest of Christ amongst them that are truly Gracious by vigorous endeavors to strengthen and establish them to quicken and encourage them in the wayes of the Lord Communicate the experiences which you have had as you see there is real need and it may tend not so much to your praise as your Masters honour Labour in your places to be both shineing and burning lights be forward to every good word and work Look upon your selves as the devoted Servants of Christ and that you are not your own and therefore lay out your selves to the utmost for him and give all diligence to glorifie him with your bodies and spirits with your Estates and interests with your gifts and talents all which are his and ought to be at his devotion 3. Shew your love to Christ in your vigorous resistance and opposition of Christ's Enemies There are three grand Enemies of Christ which you are by your Baptisme engaged to fight against namely the Devil the Flesh and the World which war both against Christ and against your Souls This Trinity of Adversaries agree in one and combine together against his anointed doing their utmost endeavour to break his bands to untye his cords and to unhinge his Government they would pluck the Crown off of Christ's head could they reach it and the Scepter out of his hand they would devest Christ if they could of all his power here on Earth and confine him to his territories in Heaven but all their attempts in this kind have been and will be in vain Christ hath tryed the strength of these Enemies and hath vanquished them but still some life and power is left with them to war against the holy seed you are Christs Souldiers listed under his banner shew your fidelity and your love to your Captain and General in manfully maintaining the spiritual combat against his and your spiritual Enâ—mies fight the good fight of Faith resist unto blood don't yeild upon any account disdainfully turn away
the Eye and Ear when these Enemies would entice and allure you and stoutly make resolute opposition against them when they do most furiously assault you hearken to no suggestions of the Devil temptations of the world or motions of the Flesh which would induce and draw you into ways of sin or which would force and drive you out of the ways of Christ resist and oppose and labour to gain some victories over these adversaries every day especially get conquest over the Flesh and the other two will be soon vanquished Christ shewed his love to you in submitting himself to be Crucifyed for you do you shew your love to Christ in Crucifying your Flesh with its affections and lusts for his sake in your selfdenial and mortifying the deeds of the body when you deny your Carnal Reason your carnal Wisedome your carnal will your carnal Affections your carnal interest all inordinacies of your sensual appetite for the sake of Christ when you crush pride Envy Revenge Malice inordidinate anger inordinate love inordinate desire inordinate grief lustfullness and all evil concupiscence for the sake and because of the command of Christ all these are acts and evidences of love to Christ and herein you should exercise your selves daily 4. Shew your love to Christ in your following of his example discover your affection unto him in your imitation of him in writing after his copy in treading in his steps in walking as Christ himself walked when he was here upon the Earth shew your love to Christ by labouring after likeness unto Christ that you may be like him both in your inward disposition and in your outward conversation Christ was lowly be you humble and mean in your own esteem Christ was meek be you gentle easie to be intreated and not easily provoked Christ loved God let God be the object of your love Christ hated sin let sin also be the object of your hatred Christ contemned the world do you get crucifyed affections unto it Christ was compassionate to those that were in distresse do you labour for the like bowels Christ used to Worship publickly in the Synagogues to pray with his Disciples and to spend time also in secret prayer do you give your attendance in the publick assemblies of Gods people worship God in your Families and be often upon your knees at the Throne of Grace in secret Christ's mind was a heavenly mind let the same mind be in you as was in Christ. Christ's will was submissive to his Fathers will let the same will be in you as was in Christ. Christ's words were Gracious and edifying let your speech be always with Grace sâ—oury and which may be for edification Christ's life was an active life he was always doing good and he was exactly holy in all his actions be you active and diligent in the service of God in doing good to others and be holy as Christ was holy in all manner of conversation thus should you shew your love to Christ in following Christs example and in imitating of him in every thing wherein you are capable of such imitation 5. shew your love to Christ in your readiness to take up and patiently bear Christ's cross I don't say you should desire sufferings for Christ but sure I am that strong love to Christ will not permit you to decline them don't go out of Godâ—s way for them neither go out of God's way from them if you meet with the cross in the way of duty don't either turn back or start aside but chearfully take it up when you have got it up patiently bear it and don 't throw it off till God take it off when it is your duty to suffer for Christ look upon it also to be your priviledge and be glad of the opportunity rejoycing that you have any thing to part withal for the sake of Christ if it be good name or good estate or good Friends if it be liberty or life it self such expressions of love are very honourable and very pleasing to your Lord and Master 6. And lastly Shew your love to Christ in your desires after Christ's presence here and in your longing for his second appearance at the last day 1. Desire Christ's Gracious presence here and the manifestations thereof that according to his promises he would come unto you that he would draw near and that you might feel that he is near desire that you might have clearer discoveries of Christ and more intimate communion and fellowship with Christ above all company and fellowship desire the company fellowship and acquaintance with Christ that you might walk with him and converse with him and that there might be a dayly intercourse between Christ and your souls and that all distances between you and strangeness might be removed let your love express it self in desires after Christ when he is absent and in delights when he is present rejoice in the Lord exceedingly when he doth manifest himself unto you graciously admire his beauty and delight in his smiles admire his love and delight in the perswasions of his favour let the actings of your love and the workings of it be such to your beloved dayly 2. Desire also and long for the second appearance of Christ at the last day when he saith Surely I come quickly do you say Amen Even so come Lord Iesus Look upon time as slow of heel and wing that it runs no faster that it flies no swifter look to the End of 〈◊〉 and long for it because then with these Eyes you shall see him whom your 〈◊〉 loveth because then you shall see Christ come down from the Throne of God with such Brightness of Majesty and Brightness of Beauty as will transport you with Wonder and Joy Say When Lord Iesus wilt thou take to thy self thy great Power and cloath thy self with thy Authority and come down to judge the World when wilt thou open the everlasting gates of Heaven which have been shut so long When wilt thou descend from Heaven with a shout with the sound of the great Trumpet and send thine Angels to gather all thine Elect from the four Winds that all who love thee may meet in one Society when shall we put on our Garments of Immortality and be caught up in the Clouds to meet thee in the day of thy Triumph When shall the day of our Coronation come and of our admission into the Glorious Mansions which thou hast prepared for us in the Glorious Pallace which is above When wilt thou shew us thy self and give us to behold thee face to face When wilt thou shew us the Father and give us to behold him immediately without a Glass When wilt thou shew us thy Glory which thou hadâ—â—â— with the Father before the World was 〈◊〉 and give us not onely to see it but also to share in it When wilt thou open the Treaâ—sures of thy Love and receive us into the nearest closest and sweetest embracements thereof and give us to
filled with perplexing fears he could conceal himself no longer from them as in Gen. 45. 1. Then Ioseph could not refrain himself before all that stood by him he wept alou◠and said unto his brethren I am Ioseph and ver 4. Ioseph said unto his brethren come near me I am Ioseph your brother whom ye sold into Egypt So Christ may conceal himself for a while from his people whatever love he hath to them and whatever they have to him some unkindnesses they have shewn may be the cause of this hiding but when they are sensible of their fault full of grief and perplexity for their offences his Love will not permit him to hid himself much longer His Love will engage Him to manifest and discover himself and say I am Jesus your Saviour come near me my brethren come near me that you may have a clearer view of me that ye may know me and know that I do love you The Word also of Christ doth engage him manifest Himself unto them that Love Him It is Christs promise here in the Text He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will Love him and will manifest my self unto him Christs word is sure True and faithfull is Christs name the ordinances of the heaven may sooner fail than Christ fail of His Word and Promise Section III. 3. HOw Christ doth manifest Himself unto them that Love him 1. Christ doth here in this world manifest himself but in part and darkly The soul is not now capable of the fullest and clearest Manifestation of Christs This is a happiness reserved for the other world 1. Ioh. 3. 2. Beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Ioh. 17. 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me It is Hereafter that Christs Disciples shall be perfectly like unto Christ and shall have a perfect manifestation of Christ that they shall see him as he is It is Hereafter that they shall behold his glory The lustre and brightness of Christs glory is so great that should he now let forth the beams thereof upon them it would dazle and amaze them it would strike them blinde yea it would strike them dead there is need because of their weakness that Christ should keep a veil on his face when he makes discovery of himself they cannot now bear the full patefaction and manifestation of Christ therefore Christ doth discover himself but in part As the Queen of Sheba saith concerning Solomons wisdom and prosperity 1. King 10. 6 7. It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and thy wisdom howbeit I believed not the words until I came and mine eyes had seen it and behold the one half was not told me thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame thereof It is not the one half which Christs Disciples do now hear or can discern of their masters excellencies It hath not now entred into their hearts to conceive what Beauties and Glories and most admirable perfections there are hid in their Beloved not only Christ's Love but also Christ's Loveliness doth pass their knowledge there are such dimensions of most wonderful Glory in Christ's person as do infinitely transcend the capacity of the most elevated minds fully to comprehend Christ doth manifest himself truly to them that Love him yet it is but partly and that but a little part it is but darkly by the beams of a more obscure light 1 Cor. 13. 9 10 11 12. For we know in part and prophesie in part But when that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away When I was a child I spake as a child I understood as a child I thought as a child but when I became a man I put away childish things For now we see thorow a glass darkly but then Face to Face Now I know in part then I shall know as I am known We Ministers 〈…〉 part we can tell you but a little of what there really is in Christ and both we and you know but in part our conceptions of Christs excellencies and our expressions now are childish hereafter there will be a perfect manifestation of Christ and then all imperfections of knowledge will be removed Now you may see Christ but it is through a glass darkly hereafter face to face Indeed it is said 2 Cor. 3. 18. We all with open face beholding as in a glass the Glory of the Lord are changed c. There is a comparative open discovery of Christ now in Gospel-times over what there was under the Law the veil of Types and Figures which covered and in a great measure hid Christ from the view is now removed our face is now open from that veil but Christs face is not fully open there is glass still between our eye and Christ's face the glass of Ordinances which though it doth help us to see him yet it keeps us from the clearest discovery of him we see but thorow a glass darkly our eyes now need this glass to help our weakness and that we may see what we do see there is a time coming when we shall be above the need and use of the Ordinance-glasses I mean when we shall see Christ face to face and know him in heaven as we are known by him 2. Christ doth now manifest himself gradually unto them that Love him Christ doth not shew at once altogether what he means to discover of himself and of his Love but he doth it by degrees a little at one time and a little at another time a little in this Ordinance and a little in that now he lets down some comfortable beams of the light of his countenance into the soul by and by clouds do arise and obscure this light and darkness is upon the spirit Sometimes Christ opens the curtain and looks upon the soul gives gracious smiles by and by the curtain is drawn and his face is hid now he appears and then he disappears he manifesteth himself at one time withdraws himself at another time and so leads his people on from one discovery of himself unto another until he bringeth them at last unto the full discovery of himself in Glory 3. Christ doth manifest himself most sweetly unto them that Love him especially after long absence When the soul hath been seeking and cannot finde him wandring in the wilderness under amazing fears perplexing doubts doleful despondencies sinking and heart-overwhelming grief after a black night of deep desertion Oh how sweet is the day-spring from on high Oh how comfortable are the bright beams of the morning light when he shineth upon their dark and despised and sorrowful spirits giving them to know assuredly that they are
the Arms of thy dearest Love and give him such entertainment that he may abide with thee for ever 2. There are others of you have had some manifestations of Christ unto you formerly but you have lost them your beloved hath withdrawn himself and is gone you call and he giveth no answer you seek him but you cannot find him Time hath been when your Lord was present and gave you Gracious visits frequently many a secret smile you have seen in his face many a comfortable word you have had from his mouth many a love-token you have received at his hand Time hath been when you had your evidences written out fair and clean with the Seal of the Spirit set unto them and how exceedingly did you then rejoice in the sense of Christ's love how did you feast your selves upon his rich entertainment of Gospel-priviledges which through him you were invested withal And O the admirings which then you had of free Grace O the sweet meltings of heart in the kindly sense of sin O the enlargements of desire which you had in your Prayers O the burnings of love to Christ which you have often felt in your bosomes O the lively hopes which you had and ineffable delight in hope of the Glory of God! But now there is a strange decay within you of Grace and Alteration as if you were not the same Men and Women as you were before You have withdrawn your selves from Christ and he hath withdrawn himself from your Souls you have let down your watch and the Devil hath got advantage against you by his devices he hath watched his opportunity and entangled you in the snares of some sins whilst you have heedlesly gone to the utmost confines of duty and been upon the borders of sin the Devil hath sent forth a â—quadron of temptations not with fiery darts but with silken cords which have treated and parlyed with you to entice and perswade to go a little further they have told you what pleasant fruâ—t doth grow within those borders most sweet and delicious to the tâ—ste that there are Silver and Golden Mines which you might quickly dig up and find precious substance that there you might have honour and esteem and what would you turn your back upon all these would you be so nice and strict as not to despense with a little duty as not to step over the hedge a little way where the delights and advantage would be so great And if you have hesitated they have told you that it was very disputable whether the confines of duty did not reach beyond the place which they would bring you unto propounding the example of others of the same Religious Profession that have frequently gone so far and why should you scruple or if it were a transgression it was but a little transgression they would not desire you to go far and who is there that lives and doth not transgresse those bounds and you might easily repent and find mercy if God were offended you might quickly retire and return into your former limits then whilst you have been parlying with temptations the silken cords have been fastned about you and e're you have been aware you have been drawn along partly willing and partly unwilling and enticed unto some kind of sins and complyed with some kind of lusts indulging your selves to give them satisfaction whereby you have been beguil'd and befool'd whereby you have been secretly wounded and inwardly defiled and thus your evidences for Heaven have been miserably blotted so that now you are not able to read them Time hath been when worldly Affections seemed to be mortified within you to be dead and buryed many a sore thrust and wound you had given unto them and how did they bleed and faint and grew so weak that they seemed to be giving up the Ghost and you have thought sureâ—y they would never â—â—ir much in you any more and then your love to Christ was strong and active it did burn and flame within you and O the zeal which you then had for your Masters honour and you seemed to have no interest to carry on in the world but the interest of Christ and you minded not your own things upon your own account but all your interests were swallowed up in the interest of Jesus Christ which you chiefly minded and cared for and made every thing else to truckle under it and to be subservient unto it but now your affections to Christ are strangely cooled if there be the fire of love to Christ still within you it is not fire in burning coals or in a vehement flame but it is a fire in a few scattered sparks and those raked over that they give neither light nor heat and are hardly if at all discernable by you and your wordly Affections which seem'd to be dead they have gotten Spirit and Life and Vigour and Strength O the eager desire which you have after the world and the things in the world and these accompanied with eager prosecution of the world now the world hath your thoughts in contrivements about it and the world hath your tongues in your most frequent discourse of it now the world hath your hand and your time but that which is worst of all the world hath your heart too the world hath justled Christ off of his Throne and for the present doth usurp his seat And is it then a wonder if your beloved be offended that you should thus decline in your love that your hearts should go a whoring from him unto the Creature in your giving those affections unto any thing in the world which are his due Hence it is that Christ hath shut up his countâ—nance from you or if he looks it is with frowns upon you you have lost your first love and you have lost your first sights and your first tastes of the Love of Christ now your spiritual joys and comforts are fled out of sight they are lost and gone and the bare remembrance of them only doth remain and whatever delights you have they are only such as come in at the door of sense you have none at all that come in at the door of faith and your sensual delights have expelled and banished your spirituall now the rich Gospel-priviledges have not that savor and sweet relish with you as heretofore your minding and savouring so much the Earth and Earthly things hath disrelished your spiritual appetite O the mischief which indulged sin hath done unto you O the unfelt wounds but so much the more deep and dangerous which sin hath given you O the defilements of sin in your Consciences and the stains blots which sin hath cast upon your profession O the havock which sin hath made amongst your graces and amongst your comforts Leaves you have still of an outward profession but where is your fruit to be found If you have some fruit is it not withered fruit â—our and ill-rellished not such ripe and mellow and sweet
fruit as heretofore in your flourishing estate Surely the Lord is at a 〈◊〉 distance from such of you and are there not too many such amongst you And what need have you to remember whence you are to fallen to ransack your hearts to find out your sins to humble your selves deeply to repent and grieve and mourn to turn your laughter into weeping and your joy into heaviness and to return unto the Lord speedily and do your first works otherwise some fearefull judgements are like to befall you and the Lord may be even forced to awaken you with a vengeance and make you a terrour unto your selves and unto all about you Don't provoke the Lord by your thus running away from him to follow you with a storm as he did Ionas and to devour you in the floods and waves of dreadfull afflictions that hereby he may reduce and restore you and keep you from being drowned in utter perdition and eternal destruction It may be the Lord hath scourged some of you for your faults with the rods of some crosses and disappointments some outward losses and troubles it may be he hath put bitternesse upon those breasts which you have been sucking and mingling gall in the cup of your pleasures which you have been drinking and you have begun to think of your evil wayes and seen what an evil thing and bitter it is to backslide from the Lord and you have thought it was best with you when you were nearest unto Christ. It may be God hath dealt with you as he telleth his backsliding people he would do with them Hos. 2. 6 7. Behold I will hedge up thy way with thorns and make a wall that she shall not find her paths Aud she shall follow after her Lovers but she shall not overtake them and she shall seek them but she shall not finde them Then shall she say I will go and return to my first husband for then it was better with me than now And now you are seeking after your Beloved but he hath withdrawn himself from you and seems to take no notice of you you call and cry and sigh and weep and lament and complain and seek and wait and yet he withholds from you all special discoveries of his Love Possibly doubts may hence arise and fears grow upon your spirits and you are ready to sink and sometimes are almost overwhelmed with inward trouble Let this Doctrine be an encouragement to you still to seek diligently and wait patiently for the Lord will manifest himself again unto you in his own time which is the best time He may try you for a while whether you will follow him in the dark he may suffer you to wait some time for him who have made him to wait so long time for you But if you persevere to seek him diligently in his wayes you shall finde that it will not be in vain And what would you say ye backsliding souls if the Lord should manifest himself unto you at this time would you not abuse his kindness if he should discover his Love to you again would you not grow wanton and carnally secure if he should now renew your evidences and give them fair written and easie to be read by you would you not blot them again by your sins if he should now speak peace unto your Consciences would you not again return unto folly If he should now restore unto you the joyes of his salvation and send down the Holy Ghost from Heaven to come unto you to be your comforter and to dwell with you would you not griev and quench the Spirit and provoke him to another retirement and more dreadfull withdrawings than before It may be the Lord will try you it may be the Lord may draw near and make some discovery of himself and discovery of his Love unto you it may be the Lord may look kindly now upon you and secretly by hiâ— Spirit speak kindly unto you you are now looking and longing and hoping and waiting possibly this may be the time of your seeing his face and the smiles that are there of your feeling the sweet sheddings abroad of his Love into your hearts by his Spirit at least he may give you a glimpse a glance a little taste such as shall ravish your hearts However wait for him and with earnest desires and importunate requests plead with him for his returns and these manifestations and that in such kinde of Language as this Come Lord Iesus Come quickly make haste O my beloved make haste to my soul that thirsteth for thee as the parched land after the sweet showers that fall from heaven as the hâ—nted Hart after the cooling and refreshing streams of the water-brooks O when shall I drink of those waters of Life which thou hast to give who art the fountain and spring from whence they flow when shall I taste again how good thou art when shall I see thee again and feed and feast my soul again with thy love when Lord O when wilt thou come unto me wilt thou cast off for ever wilt thou be favourable no more hast thou in anger shut up thy bowels shall this cloud alwayes sit upon thy brow shall this curtain alwayes be drawn before thy face Truth Lord I have grievously sined and greatly offended thee but have I not do I not truly repent is there any thing in the world so grievous unto me as the remembrance of my miscariages I acknowledge my offence my folly and horrid ingratitude but shall my sins be alwayes a wall of separation between me and my beloved are not thy bowels tender are not thy mercies plentifuâ—l is there not forgivenâ—â—s with thee that thou mayest be feared and the more dearly beloved dost thou not forgive freely without upbraiding hast thou not promised to be found of all them that diligently seek thee and didst thou ever fail in thy word unto any and shall I be the first are â—ot the desires of my Soul after thee and that Chiefly and that Earnestly Is there not dearth and drought in all things beneath thy self nothing that can give me satisfaction have I not renounced the World for my Portion Thou mightest send me to the World for help and comfort to the World which I have over-earnestly desired and loved and over-eagerly â—ought for contentment and happiness in But is this thy wont and thy way and the manner of thy dealing with them that are grieved for their Sin and ashamed of their Folly Hast thou not promised to manifest thy self unto them that love thee and do not I love thee dost not thou who knowest all things know that I love thee though my Love be imperfect yet is it not true though it be weak yet is it not sincere else whence are these desires after Thee above all Persons and Things in the World are not these the product of true Love and wilt thou not make good thy Promise then to manifest thy self unto me and if I
had the Manifestations of thy Love would not my love grow and encrease hereby Should I not love the more dearly and strongly if I had clear discoveries and were perswaded assuredly of thy love unto me Truth Lord I am altogether unworthy of such a favour but didst thou ever bestow this favour upon any for their deserts are not all thy Gifts free and am not I as capable as any of Free-grace the more unworthy the more I shall admire thee the more is forgiven I shall love the more And may I not now have a taste of thy Loving kindness Hasten my Beloved O hasten unto me and be as a Roe upon the Mountains of Spices Do not veil thy face from me any longer do not conceal thy love but now O now draw near and make me exceeding glad in the light of thy Countenance and in the beauty of thy Face and smiles thereof Such desires and pleadings as these might prevail with the Lord forthwith to return again unto you and to say Well Soul I have heard thy Prayer thy breathing and thy cry thy pleadings have prevâ—â—ed with me and I am now come unto thee and be it to thee according to thy Desires Come Soul and look up lift up thine eyes and see Here I am Behold me Behold me this day I am come to bring glad tydings of great Ioy unto thee I assure thee that I am thine and all mine is thine and thou art mine and shalt be mine for ever And what words can found so sweet and yield such comfort as these or such like spoken by the Spirit unto the hearts of those from whom Christ is withdrawn SECT VIII Vse 3. THe Third Use doth concern you that do love Christ and have the Manifestations of his Love to your Souls Three things be exhorted unto 1. Rejoyce in the Lord. 2. Admire his Free Grace 3. Labour to retain these Manifestations 1. You that have the Manifestations of the Love of Christ Rejoyce in the Lord of all Persons in the world you have most reason to rejoyce you are the happiest men and women alive It is not Wealth in the greatest abundance which can make men happy the richest Persons have often thorns of the greatest discontent to pierce their hearts and Stings of the greatest guilt to wound their Consciences It is not the highest Honour and worldly Dignity which can make men happy the vilest men are often exalted and those that are in the Highest places are in the most Slippery places from whence they are soon cast down into destruction and whatever security they have in Life yet they are usually consumed utterly with Terrours when grim Death doth appear and summon them to depart It is not the sweetest sensual Delight which can make men happy Vanity is the Attendant and Vexâ—tion of Spirit is the Consequent of all those pleasures that are sensual and sinfull which are the seed also of Pain and Everlasting torment Such onely can be said to be happy in truth as are really united and related unto Jesus Christ and through him reconciled unto God and entituled unto the Kingdom of Heaven but you are the most happy and have reason to take the most comfort who have not onely Relation unto Christ but also the Manifestations of him who know that Christ is yours and you are his that Christ loveth you and that his Love as it had no beginning so it is without changing and will know no ending If you know that Christ loveth you you have reason to rejoyce because hereby you may know assuredly that you are Elected that God by an eternal and unchangeable Decree hath chosen you when he hath chosen so few of fallen Men and none of the fallen Angels and when there was not the least foreseen Motive to induce him hereunto the assurance of this may yield unexpressible sweetness unto you If you know that Christ loveth you you may know assuredly your Effectual Calling Conversion and wonderfull Union unto Christ and O what matter of Joy is it to think how God hath called you out of Darkness into his marvellous Light how he hath delivered you out of the Snare of the Devil and the bonds of your own Lusts and set your Souls at liberty how he hath wrought a Miracle in your first Resurrection from the Grave and spiritual death of Sin put forth the same power in your New Creation change of your Natures as in his first Creation of the World how he hath dissolved and made a divorce between your hearts and your sins and so wonderfully United and espoused you unto the Lord Jesus and by this Conjunction and Relation given you an Interest in all the Priviledges which Christ hath purchased If you know that Christ doth love you you mâ—y know assuredly that you are Justified through his Merits and Mediation and O what matter of Joy is this to think that all your sins Original and Actual are pardoned that none can lay any sin to your charge because God hath justified you that there is none that shall condemn you because Christ hath loved you and out of Love hath dyed for you and is now making Intercession for you at the right hand of God Rom. 8. 33 34. to be acquitted from all Guilt and no more lyable unto future wrath than if you had never offended and when you had no Righteousness of your own to be accepted as perfectly Righteous in the sight of God through the Imputation of Christ's perfect Righteousness Who have reason to rejoyce if you have not reason If you know that Christ loveth you you may assuredly say that you are the Sons and Daughters of the Lord Almighty and will you not rejoyce when of Children of the Devil Children of Disobedience Children of Wrath you are made the Children of God the Glorious Jehovah that is the Supream Sovereign and King of the whole World and when you have not an empty Name onely but are intituled to all the Priviledges of his Children If you know that Christ doth love you you may know assuredly that he will keep alive his Interest in you preserve his Grace in your hearts and enable you to persevere in Faith and Holiness notwithstanding all the alluring Temptations which you may meet withall in the World notwithstanding all the Suggestions and Oppositions of Sathan and notwithstanding all the powerfull workings of your remaining lusts and corruptions all which do combine together and use all their power and policy which is great to extirpate your Grace to draw you unto sin to entice or force you out of the wayes of God and O what matter of comfort is it that the Lord Jesus who loveth you hath undertaken for you to keep you in his hand and by his unseen but mighty power to enable you to resist and overcome to hold on in his wayes and hold out unto the end so that you may triumph with the Apostle and say as Rom. 8. 35 37. Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or disiress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword Nay in all these things we are more than conquerours through him that loved us And you may be perswaded as Paul was and greatly rejoyce therein that as v. 38 39. Neither death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor heighth nor depth nor any other Creature shall be able to separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus your Lord. If you know that Christ doth love you you may know assuredly that your Prayers have audience with God that whatever imperfections and sinfull mixtures they have yet that they are mingled with the sweet Incense of Christ's Merits through which they are persumed and accepted and what comfort is this that whatever you ask of the Father in the Name of your dear Lord Jesus if it be for his Glory and your good he will certainly procure it for you To conclude If you know that Christ doth love you you may know assuredly that you are Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven and that as certainly as you are alive you shall attain eternal Felicity in the Beatifical Vision and Fruition of your Lord as certainly as you have the first Fruits so certainly shall you have the Harvest as certainly as you have the Earnest so certainly shall you have the Inheritance as certainly as you see Christ by Faith here so certainly shall you have the Beatifical Vision of his Person and Glory in Heaven and be made perfectly happy in the eternal and full Enjoyment of him O how should you then rejoyce in the Lord rejoyce in his Person rejoyce in his Love rejoyce in his Benefits rejoyce in what you have and rejoyce in what you hope to have by him rejoyce in what you see now and feel now and taste now and rejoyce in the foresights and foretastes of your Happiness to come Rejoyce in the Lord always and again I say Rejoyce 2. If you have Manifestations of Christs Love unto you Admire his Free Grace in these Manifestations as Ioh. 14. 22. when Christ had promised to manifest himself unto such as love him Iudas not Iscariot he was the Traytor and had no true love to his Master but Iudas the Brother of Iames saith to him Lord how is it that thou wilt manifest thy self unto us and not unto the World This Question is not a Question of Enquiry concerning the Way and Manner how Christ would manifest himself unto them but it is a Question of Admiration concerning the Thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What is done or What is come to pass How is it or Whence is it His Question did not expect an Answer neither do we find any to it but onely expressed his Wonder that Christ should manifest himself unto them And how should you wonder then that the Lord Jesus should manifest himself unto you That the Lord Jesus whose Name is Wonderfull and hath so many Wonders in him a Person of so great Eminency and Excellency who hath such a Crown of Glory upon his Head such Robes of Glory upon his Back and on the Vesture of his Garment and his Thigh a Name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords that this most excellent Person should manifest himself unto You such as You when he conceals himself from the greatest Princes of the Earth who by their Interest Authority and Influence might that highly promote his Glory he should manifest himself unto You who for the most part are low and mean poor and despised in the World that when he hideth himself from most of the Wise and Prudent and great Scholars in the world who by their Parts and Learning might magnifie his Name and spread his Fame he should manifest himself unto you who for the most part are persons of mean parts and Education that when Christ hideth himself from many Moralists who have escaped the grosser Pollutions which are in the World he should reveal and manifest himself unto you some of whom before Conversion were notoriously guilty of most foul sins that when Christ manifesteth himself unto so Few that you should be in the Number of those Few how many wonders are here That this Glorious Person should send down another Glorious Person I mean the Holy Ghost from Heaven which is more than if he had sent down all the Glorious Angels which are in Heaven to make this Discovery of himself unto you That he should make use of the Foolishnesse of Preaching as a Means to effect this great thing that while a man of like passions and infirmities with your selves is opening and applying the Scriptures the Lord by this means should unveil himself and open the treasures of his Love unto you that your humble fervent and believing prayers here on Earth should ascend up to the throne of God that is in Heaven and move the Lord Jesus that is there to come down thence though not in person yet by his Spirit that prayer should open heavens gate and have such a prevalency for this manifestation and discovery of Christ though the best prayers of the best men are not without mixture of sin that whilst you are sitting at the Lords table the Lord himself should give you a visit and whilst you are eating bread and wine at the Sacrament he should give you to see and feel and taste himself and his Love by your spiritual senses It was wonderful humiliation in Christ that when he could have commanded the most stately Horses yea Lions Elephants or Unicorns he should ride to Ierusalem upon an Ass and when Christ hath the Chariots of so many thousand glorious Angels which he could command and ride triumphantly in when he makes discovery of himself unto his people that he should make use of the Chariots of so mean Ordinances in the discovery of himself unto you how many wonders are here how should you admire his wonderful Grace and Love and say what is man that thou art thus mindful of him or any of the sons of men that thou shouldst thus visit them what are we unworthy wretches and why shouldst thou manifest thy self unto us even so dear Jesus because it seemed good in thy sight especially you have reason to wonder and admire at the manifestations which Christ hath given of himself and love to you when you consider the excellency of these manifestations and discoveries beyond all other discoveries If you have seen the most rare works of Art and Human Invention the most curious Pictures the most stately Edifices or any other works of the most ingenious contrivement If you have viewed the works of nature which do far exceed those of Art the beautiful frame of the Heavens over your heads and the glorious Luminaries of Sun Moon and Stars in their wonderful light and motion the Earth under your feet when it hath got on its best attire when the