one thing which happily may be an occasion of doubt and that is the seeming unreasonablenesse of this part of Pauls prayer Doubt For may some say what reason is there that Paul should pray for that which he hints is impossible Why should he pray that the Ephesians might know that which he expresly saith was above knowledge The love of Christ which passeth knowledge There bee three things which may satisfie this scruple Satisfaction and demonstrate the reasonablenesse of this request 1 Admit the love of Christ be above knowledge yet 't is not unreasonable to desire to know it For look as albeit the fulfilling of Divine precepts be above our power yet notwithstanding it is to be in our endeavour In like manner albeit the knowledge of Christ of Christs love though it s above our intellectuals yet it may bee in our desires The same infiniteness which Grace puts in the Will making it endeavour to fulfill that which it cannot nay yea and doth also put on the desire for the obtaining of that which cannot be obtained But 2 To know the love of Christ may be said to be above knowledge with reference to men as men not unto Saints as such Indeed the spirit of man is not able to know or search into the love of Christ that is above its knowledge But the Spirit of Christ is able both to search into and to reveal his love And though Christians as men cannot attain to the knowledge of the love of Christ by the light of reason yet as Saints by the light of faith they may especially the Holy Ghost in the mean time shedding it abroad in their hearts as it is Rom. 5.5 3 The love of Christ may be said to be above knowledge in regard of its perfection of degrees not simply inregard of its parts 'T is true the perfect knowledge of Christs love passeth the understanding of men and Angels which is its glory But yet in some measure it may be known the which is our duty For that which cannot bee known perfectly in the highest degree may yet be known partially and in some measure Thus the Text may bee cleared from the doubt propounded Now there are four ways in which I shall look upon this Scripture and so speak unto it 1 As it includes the truth and reality of Christs love to the Saints Division of the word 2 As it concludes the height and royalty or transcendency of that love 3 As it holds out the Apostles desire that the Ephesians might know both 4 As it contains the ground of keeping up the Ephesians hearts from fainting at Pauls tribulations which is the drift and scope that Paul drives or aimes at in them And thus there will be four Doctrines which I shall take up and speak unto from these words I. There is love in Christs bosome towards all beleevers Doctrines from the words II. That love which Christ beareth to beleevers is a transcendent love III. It is a thing of necessary concernment for every Christian to know the transcendent love of Christ IV. The Spiritual knowledge of the transcendent love of Christ towards Beleevers is of special efficacy to keep up ther hearts from fainting under any trouble I begin with the first which however it might more fully be gathered from another Text yet because it will be a good foundation for the following Discourse and is clear enough in this place I shall briefly speak unto it now viz. There is love in Christs bosome towards all Beleevers I suppose it is clearly couched at least in these words Science supposes ens Paul would not doubtlesse pray that the Ephesians might know that which was not things must be ere they can be known Nothing falls under the understanding till it first bee in being I shall briefly open the Point Point opnened and then prove it and apply it How love may be said to be in Christ How love may be said to be in Christ as any other affection I shall not need to inquire though happily love may bee said to be in Christ as God for as hee is man there is no doubt of it in far more proper sense then any other passion may because it is as it were his essence God being as John saith love 1 Joh. 4.16 What Christs love is What the love of Christ is I shall not curiously define The Moral'sts have so many definitions of love that indeed it is hard among them as the Proverb is to finde this wood for trees i. e. to know what love is among their various definitions therof Passing by therefore their nicities I shall content my self with this plain description of love It is the commanding affection of the Soul Love described consisting in the expansion or going out of the heart towards a person or thing in wishings and workings for its good Cunctorumque Deum primum quaesivit amorem I call it an affection and the commanding one it being indeed on all hands assented unto Love is Queen regent in the Soul and it sits upon the Throne commanding all It is the Centurion in the bosome and hath the same power over all the affections which the Centurion hath over all his servants I say it consists in the expansion or stretching out of the heart Look as hatred contracts and gathers in so love opens and dilates the heart I adde that it consists in the general in wishings and workings for good I do not specifie the end for that describes and denominates the particular kinds of love therefore only in the general I say it consists in the going out of the heart in wishing and working for the good of the person or thing loved So that now when I say that there is love in Christs bosome towards all beleevers I mean that the commanding affections of Jesus Christ is set upon them that his heart is open and stretched out unto them and that the wishings and workings of his Soul are towards them for good Beleevers who they are described By Beleevers in a word I understand all those who close with Christ as tendred in the Gospel However there be difference between them in the degrees of their faith the ways of their light yet all agreeing in this that they see themselves lost without Christ and that God the Father doth freely tender him in the word of grace they do thereupon go our in the strength and sincerity of their souls to imbrace him as hee is tendred They are beleevers all of them and in this thing Christ puts no difference as it is Act. 15.9 between them but burns in his bosome with real love towards them all For proof Point proved I should but darkeâ— the point if I should bring all that cloud of witnesses which would gladly come and set seal to this sweet truth Ask John and he will witness that Christ loved him He was indeed a bosome-beloved Beleever
Joh. 13.23 19.26 and of him it is often said he was the Disciple whom Jesus loved yea and John will witness for more than himself He saith Jesus loved him and all Beleevers besides him For speaking to them he saith He i. e. Christ hath loved us Apoc. 1.5 Call in Paul and he will prove that Christ loveth Beleevers for Christ loved him and such was the love that Christ bare to Paul that he professeth that he could nay did live upon it I live saith he by the Son of God who loveth me Gal. 2.20 Nay Paul further bears record to this truth and witnesseth that Christs love stretcheth forth it self to every beleeving Soul We are saith he more than conquerers through him that loveth us Rom. 8.37 I shal adde no more testimonies to prove this truth Even the least Beleever though but a babe is able to lisp in the language of this love and tell you that there is a divine fire of love in Christs bosome burning brightly towards Beleevers I shall hint three Demonstrations of the Doctrin taken from the behaviour of Christ towards Beleevers which will evidently clear cordial love unto them Châ—ists love demonst ated Oculus amoris index 1 Christs eye is always on Beleevers and he takes delight to look there where they are The eye is the Index of love It is a sweet starre alway shining over the hearts and houses of those whom we love The Proverb tells us where we love there we look Ubi amor ibi oculus Now it is easie to observe the rowlings of Christs eyes how that still they are towards Beleevers Wil you listen to Christs love in its language this way Let me sethy countenance saith he to the Beleever for it is lovely Cant. 2.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i e. Thy appearance Such is the pleasure that Christ takes in beholding of beleevers that he seems to live upon their looks and speaks as if hee were ravished with their sight Thou hast ravished my heart my Sister my Spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e Thou hast heartened me Cant. 4.9 He speaks once and again as if he did suck sweetness from the speech thou hast ravished my heart with thy sight How can we question Christs love to beleevers when his eyes are thus fixed on them that their sight doth ravish his soul Build upon it O beleeving soul Christs delight in looking on thee doth demonstrate his love to thee He peeps through the Lattesses to declare his love Cant. 2.9 Nay as if he were over-powred as indeed such an effect doth a look of love produce while he beholds beleevers he saith Turn away thine eyes from me for they have overcome me Cant. 6.5 The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it signifies have made me proud or as our Margent hath it have puft me up Christ seems to pride himself in the looks of beleevers his eye is on them and his heart is taken up if their eye be on him 2 Christs tongue speaks his love to beleevers Lingua amori tuba The tongue is loves trumpet the breathings of the Heart fill the Lips with sounds of love Love that is secret in the bosome sounds sweetly in the breath Speech as a Silver trumpet loudly sounds love It is said of Shechem the Son of Hamor that his Soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob and the Text saith he loved her and his tongue spake it for it is added that he spake kindly to the Damosell Gen. 34.31 Beleevers Christs tongue bewrays him his lips speak his love to you Oh how oft hath Christ spoke sweetly to thy Soul O beleever Canst not thou gather by his speaking to thy heart for that is the Hebrew phrase for speaking kindly the love of his heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How near thy heart O foul do those words of thy Saviour go If any thirst let him come and drink freely Doth not his heart open as a fountain of love in this speech And speaks hee not to thy heart i. e. very kindly when he saith If thou do but thirst come and drink Ask the poor Woman that had the bloudy issue Mark 5. whether or no Christ did not speak to her in the language of love when he said Daughter thy faith hath made thee whole Poor heart she had touched him as she thought at unawares and when she heard him speak of it she trembles as if she expected words of wrath But while she touched his garment secretly love touched his heart sweetly and his tongue bespeaks it when he called her Daughter And as Christs tongue trumpets out love when he speaketh to so when he speaketh of beleevers O the high Epithites 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apâ—a Hermog i. e. that which he addes to beleevers names when he speaketh of their persons how rhetorical how encomiastical is the language of his love when he speaks of his Spouse Thou art faire saith he thou art fair thou hast Doves eyes thy hair is as a flock of Goats thy teeth are like a flock of Sheep thy lips are like a thread of scarlet thy neck like the tower of David c. Cant. 4.1 2 3 4. As beleevers declare their love to Christ by speaking highly of him so Christ declares his love to beleevers by speaking highly of them If beleevers call him the Lilly of the vallies he calls them the Lilly among the thorns Christs love will not permit him to speak of them in low language Thus the lips of your Lord O beleevers are a demonstration of his love to you 3 Christs actions seal to the truth and strengthen the demonstration of the Doctrin If there were nothing but the eye or the tongue it might bee feared lest the love expressed by them were but either feigned or fond But actions following these seal it up that the love is not complemental but cordial If love be only in the lip it is without life and it may be suspected as counterfeit But when men not only speak Act iâ— amoris ancillâ— but act love then love lives and is love indeed Indeed where love is in truth it will bee seen in act every action being only Loves Lackey to go of its errands and Loves servant to do its work Now should we take a view of the actions of Jesus Christ we shall see that they strive to excel and exceed his words in the declaration of his love to beleevers I shall only hint at some as intending the larger Discourse of them in the next Doctrin 1 Consider Jesus Christ manifesting himself and his secrets to beleeving souls and this will demonstrate the truth of his love Dalilah questions the truth of Sampsons love from the concealment of his secrets from her How canst thou say I love thee when thy heart is not with me saith she Judg. 16.15 Thus she seems to argue Where there is love
in truth there will be a communication of secrets But this I finde not in thee therefore I question whether thou indeed dost love me How ever Dalilah did or might argue thus against her Sampson Beleevers cannot argue so against their Saviours love The Lord Jesus unbosometh himself to Beleevers the secrets of his heart are with them Christ tells his Disciples that hee would manifest himself unto them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. lny himself open Joh. 14. The men of the world are strangers to Christs affections and therefore they are so to his secrets Carnal people do not know the minde of the Lord because hee doth not love them But we saith Paul that is we who are beloved by Christ we have the minde of Christ 1 Corint 2.16 Look as the Father loveth the Son and declares it by this that he sheweth him all things which himself doth Joh. 5.10 In like manner the Son loveth beleevers and actually demonstrates it by this that he declares all things i. e. all these secrets which were needful for them to know that he heard of the Father Joh. 15.15 The secrets of Christs Cabinet-councel are with those whom hee loves 2 Christ often takes Beleevers to his house and feasts them Thus wee deal with our friends and thus we declare to them our loves Christ deals so with his The King hath brought me into his Chamber Cant. 1.4 Nay he hath brought me into his banqueting house Cant. 2.4 When David would declare his love to Barzillai he said Come thou over with me and I will feed thee with me at Jerusalem 2 Sam. 19.23 thus Christ often speaks and declares his love to beleevers Come thou to me poor soul and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem Nay Christ declares his love not only by inviting and bringing beleevers to his house but also by coming to theirs He doth stand at their door and knock and if they will but open he will enter Apoc. 3.6 if they love him so much as to let him in hee will come and declare his love by dwelling with them Joh. 14.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. make out abode or long stay with And he will feast with them in their house i. e. their hearts And because he will declare hee comes to shew love he will make the feast at his own cost He hath gathered his myrrhe with his spice for this purpose as it is Cant. 5.1 3 Christ unites himself to beleevers and in that demonstrates that hee loveth them Affection begets union Austin long ago defined Love to be the juncture of two in one Amor est junctura duo copulans Love it makes one of two It is said of Jonathan and David that their souls were knit together 1 Sam. 18.1 Christ and beleevers are knit together it is Christs love which makes the knot It s a more than moral union which is between Christ and beleevers they are not only his friends and brethren but his Spouses and Members If he bee a Head they shall be the body and if he be a Vine they are the branches Nay the union between Christ and Beleevers is nearer than that of the vine and branches of no branch can it bee said properly that it is in the vine and the vine in it But of Beleevers it is said Christ is in them and they are in him This union demonstrates also the truth of Christs love to beleeving souls I shall now make a word of Application and conclude this point There be but three uses unto which I will speak viz. a use of Information Comfort and Counsel Use I. The point informs us of the sweetness of Christ to all the Saints O how sweet how kind how gracious is Jesus Christ to beleevers thus to minde then thus to set his heart upon them Beleevers the Lord loves you Is he not in this sweet unto you Ruth at the consideration of Roaz his love falleth on her face and faith Why have I found grace in thine eyes that thou shouldest take knowledge of me seeing I am a stranger Fall on your faces Beleevers you were once strangers to Jesus Christ but you have found grace in his eyes your names are written upon his heart in letters of love well may you say that Christ is sweet seeing he loves such strangers as you were The King of Israel is surely sweet in setting his love upon you who were strangers unto Israel O how happy art thou O poor beleever in being the object of thy Lords love The meanest beleever may raise up a very high structure of happinesse upon this corner stone Christs love O how blessed art thou in thy beloved poor soul and how sweet is hee to thee that hath alway a fire of love burning in his bosome towards thee II. This point is very comfortable to beleevers It is a cordial to you is it not O beleever that Christ doth love you doth it not revive your hearts my brethren to hear that hee who is the Lord of Life and glory in himself is a Lord of grace and love to you Jesus Christ who hath written upon his Garments Lord of Lords hath also written upon his bosome love to beleevers Certainly Beleevers could you but see how near you are to Christ how highly he prizeth you how dearly he loves you I should not need to bid you rejoyce or be glad or be of good comfort Object No will the soul say Indeed you need not if I could but see that Christ loved me but I doubt that Res Doubt it not O beleeving soul but be confident and in that confidence bee comforted Christ loves you and that as wee shall shew hereafter with a transcendent love Object But it is good to have a ground of confidence and in vain shall you comfort me if I see no reason in your words Why what reason is there that Christ should love mee Res Christs love is its own reason He therefore loves because he will It may be the vanity of our wanton love that we love meerly because we love But it is the glory of Christs love that he doth so ☜ Mark and mind this The reason why Christ loves thee O poor soul is in his own bosome If thou look in thine thou wilt not finde it because it is not there but look up into Christs bosome and there it is He will have mercy upon whom he will Christ will love thee and doth love thee O Beleever because he will Do not therefore stand questioning why he should but be comforted and rejoyce in this that he doth love thee even thee O poor soul Though it may bee thy faith be little yet Christs love to thee is true Q. But though he love me now will he love me still Will not Christ dislike me hereafter and upon that dislike desert me Sure I am I shall give him cause and I fear he will take it And certainly if Christ desert I dye I
is that although in wrath his iron rod break the Nations in peeces yet his golden Scepter is still stretched out in love to entertain the Saints You read in Cant. 3. that Solomon made a Chariot of the wood of Lebanon he made the pillars thereof of silver the bottome of gold the covering of it of purple the middest being PAVED WITH LOVE Cant. 3. v. 10. That Chariot which Solomon made for himself and in which hee rode might well set out the Chariot in which Christ rideth up and down the world of beleevers whom he governs Indeed it is very glorious and it glitters with beams of light but withall it is very gracious as being paved with stones of love Love is the throne in which he sits love is the Scepter with which hee ruleth and all his government is managed in such a way as that beleevers may say that he is the Lord of love even in his ruling of them Absolom did but flatter when hee stood by the way of the gate and kissed all that passed by and by it insinuated how sweetly hee would govern if he came to the Kingdome but that which was flattery in Absolom is reality in Christ When any of the spirituall pilgrims come as beleevers do to do him obeysance as they ought to doe being under his commands hee putteth forth his hands and taketh them and kisseth them and doth not only promise but perform transcendent love in all his commands over them But to read this more particularly you will see the transcendency of Christs love discovered in his command over beleevers if you consider three things First Christ layeth no commands upon beleevers but such as are full of love sweetnesse He reduceth all the Decalogue to these two heads Thu shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with al thy mind and thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self Mat. 22.37.39 Well might John say That his Commandements are not grievous 1 Joh. 5.3 the word is burthensome and indeed what burthen is there in the commands of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a weight unlesse love be a burden Indeed he might have commanded which is his peculiar Prerogative what he pleased but he commanded nothing but what is pleasant in it self and will be so to a sanctified soul which is the transcendency of his love A new Commandement saith he do I give unto you that ye love one another as I have loved you that ye also love one another Joh. 13. v. 34. Well may the Commandement be called New it being such as was never given by any King besides himself And surely there was great love in his bosome to beleevers when hee only laid a burthen or a command of Love upon their shoulders All her ways are ways of pleasantness Prov. 3.17 The waies of Christ which are his Commands are waies of pleasantnesse for I take it The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is used for the pleasantnesse of a life of love 2 Sam. 1 26. that Solomon there by wisdome understandeth Christ Beleevers if you could but live in love you would fulfill the Law of your Lord for hee being a Lord of love to you Love is the fulfilling of the Law he layeth upon you Yea such is the transcendency of his love to beleevers that hee layeth no Commandement upon them to do any thing which hee did not himself Flesh and Blood may think it a hard and a harsh Command to wash the feet of a poor beleever a fellow servant But grace will see the Command to be sweet and lovely and Jesus Christ to be loving in laying this Command because it is no other than what himself hath done before Ask the servant whether his Lord be loving who layeth no Commandement upon him but that which is sweet in its self and sweet in its fruit and no worse than his Lord himself will undertake Beleevers it is your case all the Commands of your Lord Christ are sweet in themselves and sweet in their fruit and they are such as he himself while hee lived stooped unto Doth not this declare transcendent love Secondly Christ layeth all his commands in a way of love that which he biddeth beleevers do who are under his command it is in a loving way As the command is so is the manner of its imposing i. e. sweet and loving It is possible that a sweet thing may be injoyned in a harsh way An easie commandement in it self may be burthensome in the way of its imposall To command with a bended fist and a frowning forehead is not to command in a loving way but now Jesus Christ when ever he commandeth hee commandeth sweetly and smilingly he doth not lift up his voyce and cry as some understand that place Esa 42. v. 2. Hee doth not speak in an austere rough rugged manner But as the Lord is so is his language loving Observe with what love he layeth his commands on beleevers You are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you Joh. 15 14. He doth not threaten and say I will be your Foe if you will not obey but if you do you shall bee my Friends And so again If you love me keep my Commandements It is worth the noting that grace may be said to come in this respect by Christ He gave not his Law as Moses did with thundring and lightning in a dreadfull manner But he gave the Law to his Disciples himself in a sweet and loving way Hee beginneth his Sermons with Blessed are ye And all his commands drop from him like the drops of dew upon the tender grasse He shall come down saith the Psalmist Psal 72. v. 6. like rain upon the mown grasse as showers that water the earth i. e. Hee shall come down both softly and sweetly this is spoke of Christs comming as a King so that you may see the transcendency of Christs love unto you in the manner in which hee layeth his Commandements on you Thirdly Consider the end that Christ doth aim at in all his Commandements and that will also discover the transcendency of his love to beleevers Hee seeks not himself but them in all his Commands Hee biddeth the beleever work not that he may reap any thing himself but that the beleever may get all hee putteth them to labour in his Vineyard that they may have all the harvest As it is inconsistent with his Deity to have any thing added to him so also it is inconsistent with his love Hee putteth his servants to reap that they may have all the corn and hee setteth them to work rather that he may give them wages than that himself shall get any thing by their workings Take my yoke upon you saith hee and you shall finde rest unto your soules Christ layeth a yoke upon their necks not to burthen them but to ease them not to break their backs but to refresh
me If he layeth me in his bosome why is it that he suffereth me to lye at the worlds feet Answ 1. This may consist with love tell me thou weak soul was not Christ the dearly beloved of the Father and yet did not the father permit wicked men to persecute him Canst thou be reviled buffeted scourged or crucified worse than he yet notwithstanding all he was beloved of the Father and that in a transcendent manner in like manner thou mayest be the beloved of Christs soul and yet be delivered into the hands of thine-enemies as it is Jer. 12.7 Nay this is not onely consisting with love but 2 It is an act of love for while Christ permits these sufferings of thine hee maketh thee like unto himself It is desired of Paul as it makes him conformable unto Christ Phil. 3.10 Even a mourning garment is glorious when it is the same that Christ weareth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. We boast in a glorying manner What soul is there that may not as it were be proud and glory in its tribulations as the word signifieth Rom 5.3 when he considereth in them he is made like to Christ yea a suit of sackcloth is to a spirituall soul brave and fine when the Lord of glory goeth in the same fashion Object 2 But some will object further and say I do not question whether Christ loves me transcendently because of the sufferings I lye under but rather because of the desertions in which I am Alas I question whether he loveth me at all because he withdraweth himself from me so long much more reason have I to question whether be loveth me transcendently while I see him altogether deny me his company Indeed in a sense I think that the love of Christ passeth knowledge for I know but little of Christ Methinks I see him withdrawn I will not deny but he hath sweet smiles but I am a stranger to those smiles Time was when I thought hee loved me transcendently but now I fear hee loveth me not at all for hee deserteth me Answ To such a soul as objects thus I would say but three words First These withdrawings of Christ whereof thou complainest are but in shew not in substance The Sun is but absent in shew when it doth not shine it is prerent still though behind a cloud I have often thought that Christs withdrawing in this respect may be called rather his concealed presence Note this than his real absence He was close by Mary although she did not see him He was in the company of his Disciples though they knew it not His presence was not manifest not because his person was not there but because their eyes were held that they should not know him Luke 24 v. 16. Secondly These withdrawings whereof thou complainest are not total Christ never so withdraweth from the beleever but he leaveth something behind he putteth in his hand before he goeth as it is Cant. 5. v. 4. And surely his hand was never empty ☞ Mind this If he be absent in shining he is present in strengthning though he doth not appear rich in love yet he is still present upholding thy life The very breath that thou breathest poor deserted creature doth declare that Christ is present in some measure It were impossible that thou shouldest breath if Jesus were not within thy bosome thy weepings after him are demonstrations that in some measure he is with thee Thirdly Christs departure will not be final hee will be found again though he be not felt now And when he cometh he will make rich amends for his absence This said Mr. Peacock after this desertion The Sea is not more full of water nor the Sun more full of light than my heart is full of joy the joy that I feel in my heart is incredible Ah said another poor soul that had cryed Christ was gone He is come he is come he hath kissed me with the kisses of his lips his love is better than wine he hath not deceived me neither will he deceive any I shall therefore retort the Argument thus Though beleevers give Christ occasion to goe away very often yet Christ never goeth away altogether but even in his conceived absence vouchsafeth a concealed presence and at his sensible return maketh rich amends for his staying and going away What doe these declare but that his love is transcendent and as the Text saith passing knowledge Four words I shall adde by way of Application viz. A word of 1 Information 2 Reproof 3 Exhortation 4 Perswasion First for Information in as much as it is thus clear that Christ loves his with transcendent love then it may inform us of these four things First in the deservednesse of that great and dreadfull curse which Paul denounceth against those who love not Christ 1 Cor. 16.22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus let him be Anathema Maranatha That is let him be cursed with the highest and greatest degree of cursing that may be possible for of those three degrees of cursing which the Jews used in their threefold excommunication this of Anathema Maranatha was the highest and it includes as much as this Let the Lord come and strike this person with eternall perdition And tell me do not those deservedly expose themselves to this dreadfull curse who do not love such an one as Jesus Christ is who loveth all his with a transcendent love Mind this wretches you who love not the Lord Jesus what can you say for your selves that you should not lye under this curse Why do not you love Jesus Christ what reason have you for it Is not he lovely fairer than the sons of men Is not he loving Doth not his love to his pass the love of women Were Christ unkind you might with some pretence plead that you have reason not to love him but being so kind so loving as that he openeth his bosome and letteth out transcendent love to all that are his Certainly you may expect and that justly to be accursed in this high degree for not loving Christ Secondly See here the true ground of a beleevers glory Is it not a ground of glory to be beloved of Christ with such a transcendent love as you have heard Well may beleevers make their boast of Christ all the day long and well may they glory in the love that they enjoy for why that love is transcendent passing knowledge None of all the sonnes or daughters of men have any such just ground of glory though they should enjoy the love of all the creatures as beleevers have who do enjoy only the love of Christ For that love they have in him transcends and excells and that infinitly all that love which any can have from all the creatures Let the world falsly and fondly brag of their creature-loves and pity them Oh beleevers when you see them do so But rejoyce your selves in the mean time with joy exceeding great and full of glory
And the point will bear you out in it for you have such a love as is not to be found in all the world beside Having the love of Christ you have that love which passeth knowledge And surely beleevers if the men of the world think they have good ground to glory in this that they enjoy the Low love though of some seeming great creatures you have much more ground to rejoyce who enjoy this high love of him who is indeed greater than all the creatures Jesus Christ Do men think they have just ground to sit and glory in that they sip the puddle drops of creatures loves Have not you more ground and that juster and truer to sing and glory in this that you drink in the pure love of Jesus Christ which is so sweet so excellent and so transcendent as that it passeth knowledge Thirdly in as much as Christ loveth beleevers with a transcendent love then see here the rise and ground of all that which Christ doth for them You wonder beleevers at least you might and that justly whence it is that Christ doth so much for you One while he is filling you with his unsearchable riches another while he is crowning you with his own glory Now you have him giving you choice gifts and anon you have him bringing of you choyce graces In this duty you have him imbracing of your souls in his arms And in that duty you find him kissing you with the kisses of his lips and you are ready to cry out Whence is it that Christ doth all this for me One while thou art sick and Christ visiteth thee and maketh thy bed and sitteth by thy bed side other whiles thou goest abroad and Christ walketh with thee and thou leanest upon him as upon thy beloved Now thou art in the wildernesse it may be under some banishment and Christ commeth to thee And anon it may be thou art in prison under some restraint and Christ visiteth thee there too And all this maketh thee cry out Whence is it that my Lord should thus come to me Why see the Point and in that see the cause He loveth thee O beleever and he loved thee with a transcendent love And hence it is that he doth all that he doth for thee and giveth all that he bestoweth on thee You wonder why Christ should sanctifie such unsanctified hearts as yours are cleanse by the washing of water and by the word such impure spirits as yours be And you are ready to say Whence is it that the Lord of glory should stoop to wash such a creature as I am Whence is it that he at whose feet Angels fall and bow should come wash the feet of such a creature as you be Hence it is beleevers Christ hath loved you and that with a transcendent love Wonder not therefore henceforth unlesse it be with the wondring why Christ doth any thing or all things for you there is a reason yea great reason though not in you yet in himself It is this we have been speaking of i. e. the transcendent love he beareth to you Fourthly let this inform beleevers that sith Christ loveth them with a transcendent love at all times they have then a just ground to act their faith upon him in any case Why is it O beleever that thou doubtest whether Christ will do this for thee or give that to thee when as thou considerest he loveth thee with such a transcendent love upon all occasions act your faith O ye children of faith in your beloved what ever it is that you want and he hath what ever it be that thou wouldest have and he can give Beleeve that Christ will not let thee goe without it for why he loveth thee with a transcendent love In three cases more particularly this truth will inform you of the sure ground that beleevers have to act their faith on Jesus Christ First in case of hearing of their prayers These things I touched at in the first Ser. mon but not so fully Surely he that so transcendently loveth their persons will without doubt hear their prayers Thou sayest O beleeving soul thou hast great necessities and they force thee to make many prayers Thou sayest that Christ can help thee at all hands and therefore thou art calling upon him at all times But thou sayest will hee hear mee Why shouldest thou not beleeve that he will when thou considerest the transcendent love he beareth to thee The love that is in his bosome towards thee will open his ears to hear the breathings that come from thee Indeed sometimes hee may seem to be deaf and not hear thy prayers and sometimes also he may seem harsh and not accept of thy person But it is to try thy faith For notwithstanding hee will hear thee and accept of thee in what thou desirest according to his will for thy good that he may declare his transcendent love You know Christ called the woman of Canaan Dog and seemed to speak harsh to her and yet even all the while that hee looked as it were sourly upon her and spake as it were sadly against her yet even then did his bowels roule for her and even then was there love in his bosome to her And therefore though for a while he seemed to deny that hee might try the sincerity of her faith yet afterwards he granted her requests that he might declare the reality of his own love In this case therefore you have a sure ground of faith O beleevers Christ will not reject your prayers because he loveth your persons and the more transcendent his love is towards the one the more sure may you be that he will hear the other Secondly In case of obtaining counsell from Christ and knowing the mind of Christ This Point will inform us in a sure ground of faith and love O beleever love will open Christs bosome and let thee see the counsels that are there Surely hee will counsel thee in case of doubts because he loveth thee as he doth Thou sayest here is a Scruple and there is a question and I would fain know the mind of Christ concerning this or that But how can I hope that ever he will open his mind to me either in the one or about the other Why sayest thou so O beleever is not his transcendent love a good ground for the acting of thy faith in this case Verily because his heart is to thee therefore it will be with thee That I may allude to that phrase of Judges 16. v. 15. How ever Dallilah said to Sampson How canst thou say I love thee when thine hart is not with me thou hast no reason to say as she said in such a way as she did Thou mayest beleeve that his heart will be with thee because thou hearest that he loveth thee I would fain perswade my own heart and yours also in these times of doubting and of darknesse in which wee need counsell and would bee glad to
liberally to those that ask and upbraideth no man Then ask of him much Beg of him a wise and an understanding heart to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge Intreat God that thou mayest be taught of him to know what is the love of himself and of his Son As Christ saith Every man that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh to me So every Soul that the Father teacheth will quickly learn to know what is the love of Christ to beleevers And that thou mayest bee able to know the love of Christ in its luster beg of God to bestow upon thee his Spirit Christ hath said The Father will give the Spirit to him that asketh him And the Apostle saith As no man knoweth the things of a man but the spirit of a man which is in him so none can know the things of Christ but the Spirit of Christ Go to the Lord Jesus and remember him of his promise Tell him he hath promised to send his Spirit and that when the Spirit is come he shall take of Christ and shew it unto the Soul Intreat him therefore to shew his Spirit and intreat him also that his Spirit would come with the shedding abroad of his love Say O! that the Spirit would take of thy love and shed it into me and O! that he would shed it abroad into mine heart that I may be able with all Saints to comprehend the height and the depth and the length and the breadth of the love of Christ and that I may be able also to know that love which passeth knowledge Having thus hinted a few words as concerning the means how we may attain the knowledg of Christs love I shall now adde a word or two concerning the manner how we should behave our selves in the use of this means while we study the knowledge of Christs love and for this take these directions First Be very exact Exactness is requisite in all studies but especially in this Gather up O Beleever all the crumbs and filings of this gold Christs love When thou readest any thing concerning Christ be exact to observe the smiles of his countenance the words of his lips the gesture of his hands the turning of his eye love doth thus observe them Sic oculos sic ille manus sic ora ferebat Observation was made of eyes and of hands and of countenance so doe thou observe be very curious â—o study this love in all its circumstâ—â—ces in all its doings in all its demonstrations If ever you would shew exactnesse in any study shew it in this Doubtlesse the exacter you are in this study the clearer you will be able to comprehend Christs love Secondly be loving Those know most of Christs love to them who abound most in love to him John seemeth to be most loving of all the Disciples and therefore hee seemeth to have the greatest knowledge of Christs love he was so happy as to lean on the bosome of the Lord Jesus and to him was revealed more than to the rest of the Apostles Look as that man doth but in vain expect mercy of God who is without mercy himself so doth that soul in vain desire to know Christs love who is without all love himself you may doe well to observe the context here in this 3 Ephes 17 18 19. v. The Apostle saith that you Being rooted and grounded in love may bee able to comprehend with all Saints what is the length breadth and depth and height of the love of Christ c. To be grounded in love is an excellent way to comprehend love And doubtless Christ will bee very kind in the revelations of his love to those in whom hee observes the workings of love Thirdly bee very admiring in all the study let all your reading bee mixed with admiration at every love-passage of Christ sit and meditate at every word of love stay and wonder adore the glory of that light which appeareth in any beam of love And in the admiration of that love which doth appear cast thy self at the feet of Christ and cry out O the depth of love in thee O the riches of the love of thy bosome that shouldest thus let out thy self to beleevers Lastly when thou comest as it were at a stand and canst not comprehend the transcendency of this love Imitate the Philosopher and cast thy self into that sea of love which thou wouldest fain fathome or sound and art not able Let that love comprehend thee which thou canst not comprehend thy self Emerge and drown thy self in that vast Ocean of thy Saviours bosome and because thou art not able with any line of thine to sound the depth sink thy very Soul that it may be able to taste that which thy study will not help thee so much as to see I shall now adde but a word to stir you up in the use of these means and in this manner hinted seriously to prosecute the sweet study of the love of Christ First I might tell you That all the time that you spend in this study will be very delightful and very profitable and you will have no reason to repent thereof Those who have spent or rather mis-spent their time in reading of the fine Histories of feigned Loves have at last been forced to confess their follies in so doing That well-deserving person Sir Philip Sidney is reported to have lamented upon his Death-bed the mis-spending of those parts which God had given him in the penning of that well-penned peece his Arcadia But surely beleevers to lye upon a Death-bed and to consider that although all thy time were every hour thereof spent in the study of Christs love you will bee so farre from repenting of it as that you will have just cause to rejoyce in it But not to urge this doe but Secondly consider the times in which we live How little love is there in these dayes surely the love of many is waxen cold though it bee pressed much yet it is but little practised Though all pretend to complain of the want of love and seem to presse the exercise of love Yet where is the man that maketh it the sweetnesse of his life to let others tast the sweetnesse of his love Surely while there is such little love among men it is but meet that we should study the love that is in Christ But Thirdly especially consider the sweetnesse that the knowledge of the love of Christ will bring to thy soul in any case Little do you know what comfort is wrapped up in the knowledge of Christs love How oft doth but a thought of this revive the spirits of the fainting Saints With what a composure of spirit is a beleeve able to behave himself in any tribulation when he knoweth that the love of his Saviour is without knowledge Without the knowledge of this love nothing will bee sweet but with the knowledge of this love nothing can be bitter And this is that which we shall come unto
A Discovery of GLORIOUS LOVE OR The Love of Christ to Beleevers Opened In the Truth thereof In the Transcendency and thereof In the Sweetnesse thereof Together with the necessity that lyes upon every Beleever to strive after the Spirituall and Experimentall knowledge of it Being the sum of VI Sermons Preached upon Ephesians 3.19 By JOHN DURANT Preacher of the Gospel in the City of Canterbury 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. Wee will make thy love to be remembred more than wine Cant. 1.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. He brought me into the house of wine his banner over me was love Cant 2.4 London Printed for R. I. to be sold by W. Gilbert son at the Bible in Guilt-spur-street without New-gate 1655. To the Right Honourable Robert Earl of Warwick c. My Noble Lord I Presume your Lordship well knows that Christs love is our soul and therefore sole life Then and indeed not till then do wee live when wee injoy divine love Our bosomes cannot breath forth the breath of life before Christ breaths in the breath of love Indeed it s the misery of most that they are strangers to this truth To speak to many of the Lord Jesus and to tell them of a life in love above what sence feels and of a comfort a glory a happinesse flowing from thence far surmounting what sight fees is a mystery which they cannot perceive nor indeed beleeve for t is foolishnesse unto them Not onely the News-mongers at Athens counted this News which they never heard of But even the Philosophers there themselves accounted Pauls preaching of these things a strange doctrine But I hope I may without either falsenesse or flattery say your Honour is well acquainted with these things As experimentally knowing that all your honour joy felicity lyes in this that you know the love of Christ passing knowledge And this is one ground of this dedication of these ensuing Sermons But it s not the onely ground For I desire by this also to declare to the world and your self how sensible and mindfull I am of those obligations which your Honour hath laid upon mee not onely by your owning of and respect unto my person but which I prize most my Ministry His person is above my praise whose pen hath blotted the common way of dedications Quia laudatur â—laudatoviro est la is vera But his ground was because for the most part they only flatter And yet hee allows of dedications when the argument of the Book agrees with the person whom its dedicated to Sir Francis Bacon de augment sâ—en lib. 1. page 19. The considâ—ration of which I hope as hath been hinted will secure mee from his or others censure Besides I know there is a difference between flattery and gratitude though the one bee odious as a vice yet the other is amiable as a vertue And t is at this which I have aimed in this dedication I know that the bare remembrance how gratefull soever of favours received is no requital But yet though it serves not to remunerate the favour yet 't will to vindicate the benefactor that hee hath not ill bestowed his benefits My Lord If I say that I cannot requite all your favours it s no more than all know And if I say that Christ can it s no more than I know you beleeve and I desire T will bee no over-exalting of Christs love nor any diminution unto your favours If I say that the least grain of love from Christ to you will abundantly compensate all the weight of your love to mee And this My Lord is not onely my prayer but my beliefi in your behalf I shall not trouble your Lordship with many words Onely let mee have leave â—o sound in your ears two words of the Lord Jesus the one was a word of Prophecie the other of Advice 1. His word of Prophecie was The love of many shall wax cold It s your duty to search Mat. 24.12 and t will bee your honour to find that there is no fulfilling of that in your soul But alas who can say that hee sees not too great a fulfilling of this in himself Oh! the decay of love zeal activity appearance c. in the things of Christ that is every where It s a thing that calls for bloody tears that besides the abounding of iniquity in enemies there is such waxing cold of love in friends I have sometimes thought Christ spake this Prophecie as Paul did his rehearsall Phil. 3.18 viz weeping II. Christs word of advice was this Strengthen the things that remain that are ready to dye Apoc. 3.2 It s well that under spirituall decayes wee have any thing that remains happy they who have not lost all It s wisdome to strengthen that which languisheth holy they that strive to do thus and the following Sermons may bee helpfull herein If the Spirit lay this truth upon our hearts That Christ loves us with a transcendent love 't will at once make us bleed for coolings and burn yea blaze a fresh with the fire internally and flames externally of love to Christ his people his truths his designes c. But I have gone beyond my intentions though I hope not beyond your acceptation If you will permit mee to adde that I am in the number of those who both praise and pray for you and professe to bee much obliged to you I shall trouble you no further save with the sincere subscription that I am My Lord. Your Honours singularly obliged Soules servant JOHN DURANT To his beloved friends the godly Inhabitants of the Town and Port of Sandwich Particularly The Congregation over which the Holy Ghost hath made my reverend Brother Mr. Francis Prentice Overseer Beloved in Christ HOwever those who are in the world may account the insuing Sermons riddles and paradoxes yet to you whom I hope Christ hath taken out of the world they are experienced truths It s true yee know them already for I have preached them to you But that you might have them in remembrance I have been willing to Print them for you And yet not for you only but for as many as beleive in the Lord Jesus It was Peters care to perpetuate those things by writing which hee had preached by word That so albeit his hearers knew yet they might bee established * in the truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. rooted or setled as upon a firm foundation Certainly next to the knowing of truths is the establishment in them which some wanting are gone aside after airy vanities T is true your establishment primarily and causally depends on the Spirit But yet secondarily and instrumentally it is attained unto by the word For therefore it was that Peter writ as hee sayes 2 Pet. 1.12 and surely his writings were words And yet the words of Christ were not bare letter No they were Spirit and Life And the truths of Christ held forth by any according to the
measure of the gift received are as truly Christs words now John 6.63 as when hee was here on earth else how could Paul say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. according to the eies sight that Christ came and preached to the Ephesians and was evidently crucified before the Galatians as t is Eph. 2.17 and Gal. 3.1 neither of whom heard of Christ till after his ascension I hope it will bee no pride but a gratefull and necessary witnesse to the grace of Christ if I say I have both spoke and writ the truth as it is in Jesus and as the Spirit hath given utterance Yea and that in a measure also I can say that those things which I have heard and seen I have declared unto you that your joy might bee full I know nothing so directly tending to both the truth and fulnesse of a Saints joy of which I account my self obliged to bee a helper as the knowledge of the love of Christ 2 Cor. 1. ult Now this is the subject I treat of And this I desire to put you in remembrance of as knowing nothing more strong and constraining unto duty 2 Cor. 5.14 than joy springing forth of this well of salvation I shall not trouble you with a large Epistle Four words only in this publick view for so is printing I shall leave with you as my witnesse unto Christ in some present truths now denied which I desire may never bee a witnesse against you 1. That Jesus whom wee preach and whose love wee declare is the same Christ still i.e. the same God in mans nature which is the choyce thing in him capable of being anoynted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. the self same not another and so of making him Christ hee that ascended is the same that descended and hee that descended is the same also that ascended as t is Eph. 4.9 10. Hee still retains the human nature which once hee took and so is still not only the same God but man It s true the manhood or flesh of Christ is now glorified but t is not annihilated his body is made glorious but still t is in body The man is set down on the right hand of God Heb. 10.12 2. This Jesus shall come again in the same mannâ—r in which hee did ascend as hee was visible even to the eyes of the flesh when hee went away so shall hee bee seen in like manner comming again Act. 1.10.11 Hee is not so swallowed up in Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as that hee is gone out of the flesh But albeit his all and onely presence bee now in Spirit yet hee shall come again and all eyes shall see him and they also who pierced him and all kindreds of the earth as it is Apoc. 1.7 Whoever shall say these Scriptures are not to bee taken in the letter I know I have the mind of Christ if I say in this hee hath not the Spirit 3. That till this comming again wee are to wait for him and upon him in the spiritual and yet external observation of the Ordinances of the Gospel And in them wee are to expect and shall find the sweet and spiritual incomes of himself in discoveries of that love of which I treat 4 That in the day of Christs comming again those Ministers will bee found blessed Lu. 12.42 who as faithfull and wise Stewards shal be found giving the houshold their portion of meat in due season And these Saints will be blamelesse who in that day shall bee sound exercised in and yet living above the observation of preaching fellowship prayers and breaking of bread which Christ hath commanded to bee kept up til hee come And now beloved what is the panting of my Spirit both for my own soul for yours and for all the Saints Is it not this that the morning of that day would dawn Is it not Christ is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. the day dawning and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. the light bringer and he is also the morning star that the shaddows would fly away and that the day spring from on high might again in the glory of Christ God and man visit us Surely these are the daily groanings of the Spirit in mee But with these there is also a mixture of sighs oh that the Spirit would make us diligent that wee may bee found of him in peace 2 Pet. 3.14 without spot and blamelesse and oh that we may bee counted worthy to escape all these things which in part are already come to passe and to stand before the son of man yea and oh that when the Lord shall call us to an account concerning the oracles Rom. 3.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. to commit as a choice treasure the ordinances which he hath committed to us wee may be found First neither as having defiled them with our own inventions Nor Secondly as dis-esteeming them upon pretence of our attainments No nor thirdly to have made them our rest and confidence But I shal sigh the rest in secret I beseech you beleeve that my heart underwrites this that I am Yours intirely affectionate in the love and labour of the Gospell JOHN DURANT A word to the Reader IN these Sermons I presume thou wilt perceive the plainnesse of man and my prayer is that thou mayest likewise perceive the power of the Spirit The time of their preaching was some eleven years since even the noon of the day of Englands trouble At that time they were accounted seasonable The matter of them is some Gospell light of the glorious love of Christ and this makes mee think they can never bee unseasonable The manner of their delivery was as it ought to bee not with enticeing words of mans wisdome But in the simplicity plainness of the Gospel The end was and is next to Christs glory thy good O beleever who ever thou art and if this bee not attained I must cry out I have laboured in vain And Two requests I have unto thee The first is that thou charitably cover the failings of the Preacher Remember the heavenly treasure of the Gospel is in earthen vessels The second is that thou carefully correct the Errata's of the Printer which by reason of my absence from the Presse could not bee avoided If to these two thou wilt over and above adde thy prayers for mee that I may still bee inabled from an experimental knowledge of Gospel truths so publish the same unto poor souls Thou wilt doe more than requite mee for my pains in this even oblige mee to a publication of some other Papers In hope whereof I subscribe my self Thine in the sincerity and strength of Gospel-love John Durant SERMON I. EPHES. 3 ver 19. And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge KNowledge is the perfection of the Rational Creature It is that whereby we come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Philosopher speaks i. e. to partake of Divinity to
shoar yet I am loath to desire to be from this Sea for it were delight in the highest manner to be drowned here The love of Christ is so surpassing sweet in it self and so infinitely necessary for our souls as that it is my desire at least to make some further discovery of its transcendency You see what an Hyperbole the Apostle useth to express the greatness of Christs love by viz. That it passeth knowledge The last time wee gave out the meaning of the expression and entred upon the proof of it in the prosecution of this point of Doctrine viz. That the love which Christ beareth to Beleevers is a transcendent love This being the main thing which I eye in the Text and indeed the main thing which every soul ought to eye and live upon I shall proceed further in the prosecution thereof All which I spake the last time for the demonstration of the truth of the Doctrin was but in a general way I shall therefore now go on to demonstrate the love of Christ to be transcendent from a brief survey of the course of his life Indeed Christs Life was as it were but one great act of love begun at his Birth and carried on even to the time of his Death If we follow this Lamb in the whole tract of his Life we shall see that from his Cradle unto his Crosse the whole way was paved as the bottom of Salomons Chariot was with love There be three Heads or demonstrations which I shall now touch upon that the transcendency of Christs love to Beleevers may appear yet more full and glorious They are these 1 His Birth and Incarnation 2 His Life and Conversation 3 His Death and Passion Each of these seriously considered will abundantly demonstrate the love of Christ to beleevers to be transcendent First consider his Birth and Incarnation How doth Christs love transcend in this act The low condescension of Christ in becoming Man doth evidently declare the high transcendency of his love to beleevers Had it not been great love in the Lord Jesus to have taken upon him the Angelical nature Sure it had If Christ would have come into the World with tidings of love and life he might have came as an Angel of glory not as a pe ce of clay and such a condescension as that had been much But he passed by the nature of Angels and took upon him the nature of man that in this act he may declare love to beleevers The Apostle tells us that he took not upon him the nature of Angels Heb. 2.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. in no wise at no hand would he take upon him the Angelical Nature but he took upon him the seed of Abraham to declare his love to the Children of Abraham That we may see a little more clearly how the love of Christ doth transcend in his birth I shall speak to this head in some particulars and by all of them you shall see how Christs love unto beleevers did appear and shine gloriously in this act of his when he became man and was born for their sakes Here I shall consider therefore particularly under this Head these four things 1 Whence Christ came 2 Where Christ came 3 How Christ came 4 Why Christ came when he was incarnate And out of all these you will see the transcendency of Christs love 1 Consider whence he came Christ was in the bosome of the Father where hee lay and lived in his Fathers love hence he came to declare love to beleevers John tells us hee came down from Heaven Joh. 6.38 Jesus Christ from all eternity was in Heaven There he had his Fathers company There he enjoyed his Fathers love There he was blessed in his Fathers bosome for so the Scripture saith he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 1.18 He was living in the light of the Fathers love And being with God he solaced himself in God In that very light and glory in which God himself was in that same light and glory did Christ triumph And yet from this from this he came for beleevers sakes He forg at as it were his Kindred and Fathers house to bee born for beleevers To undertake a long journey and from a rare place for any doth declare much love to them O how long a Journey did Christ undertake and from what a Paradise of pleasure did hee come unto beleevers when he was born Surely great was his affection transcendent is his love who came at least for a time from the house of Love his Fathers bosome to open to Beleevers the fountain of love his own bosome 2 But where did Christ come when he came from Heaven was it into some Goshen some land of light was it into some Paradise some land of life was it into some Elysium some place of pleasure Nothing lesse The place to which he came was Aegypt where beleevers sat in darknesse It was the Wildernesse where beleevers were in the shadow of death It was into this World where nothing is but vanity and vexation Here it was that Christ came for beleevers sakes And on what transcendent love was it that brought Christ here His eyes saw that his beloved ones were in a defiled place which therefore could not be their rest as it is Micha 2.10 his love therefore prevailed with him to come here to fetch his beloved hence It was great love which Ebedmelech the Aethiopian shewed unto Jeremiah when hee came to the brink of that filthy Dungeon in which the Prophet was and put down cords to draw him thence But what great love had it been if Ebedmelech had not only come to the brink of the Dungeon but come down into the Dungeon and not only drew him up with ropes but carried him up in his arms this had been love indeed Why let me tell you beleevers you were in this World in a worser Dungeon than Jeremiah was in which you were ready to dye for hunger and to be drowned in the mire thereof And the Lord Jesus Christ came when hee was born not only to the brink of the Dungeon with cords to draw you up but into the Dungeon it self to take you up in his very bosome and to bring you out from perishing here I came forth from the Father saith Christ that was great love but he addeth I came into the world Joh. 16.28 Here was love indeed For Christ to come from Heaven the Fathers Throne into the world Satans Kingdom For Christ to come from the place in which glory shines Heaven unto a place which lies in evil the world For Christ to come out from the presence of the Father who always smiled upon him and to come into the place of men who ever frowned upon him For him to come from thence where he always heard the Hallelujahs of Angels to come here where his ears were filled with the revilings of sinners 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O the height and the depth O the
was to unite himself more clearly and convincingly unto beleevers Union is an effect of affection and love desires to unite And if union be designed as the end of any act we may safely say Love was the Agent in that design Christ indeed unites himself to Beleevers by communicating unto them his own Divine Nature but that hee might make the Union more firm he was born to take upon him their Human nature Beleevers Christ is nearer united to you than unto the Angels his love to you did in this respect transcend his love to them hee took not upon him their nature and so was not united to them that way but he took upon him your nature and was for this end born that hee might be united to you this way Say is not this love Yet 5 Christ had another end of love for which hee was born viz. That he might be fitted in a more familiar manner to condescend to the capacities yea and to sympathize with the infirmities of beleevers Christ desires to converse with them sweetly and to sympathize with them seriously neither of which he could so clearly do as God therefore it was he would be born man As he was God and had only the divine nature beleevers were not able in so free a manner to converse with him his glory was so amazing that their weak eyes could not behold it his Majesty was so overpowering that then frail spirits could not converse with it Hee was therefore pleased to take our nature and be born that they might converse familiarly with his grace and not dye who could not behold fully his glory and live Had Jesus Christ took upon him the nature of Angells and so have come into the world unto his alas his presence like that of the Angells had been terrible Beleevers could not have borne it For this end therefore the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us as 't is John 1.14 That so we might behold the glory of God in the only begotten son the divine glory can now more safely bee contemplated by beleevers while it is in the tent that I may allude to the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of flesh then it could bee by it self Now Beleevers may look upon the luster of his Deity more sweetly while they can behold it as it were through the love-hood of humanity Besides Christ being born he is now fitted to sympathize with the infirmities of his It behoved him saith the Holy ghost in all things to be made like and this is spoken of his becomming man unto his Brethren that hee might bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. one that can shew tender mercy or pity Heb. 2.17 Christ by his being born and so actually experiencing the infirmities of the humane nature knows now the better how to sympathize with his Now tell me is not this great love that Jesus Christ who might if he would have solaced himself in the contemplation of his own glory and never have stoopt to the sence of our infirmities yet that he would be born that so we might behold his glory and he might sympathize with us he by his birth condescending to our capacities and making himselfe sensible of our infirmities 6 Adde to all these ends this in the last place That Christ by his nativity hath raised our humane nature the dignity of which was another end of it Oh! how might I shew the love of Christ to transcend in this end of his nativity Certainly beleevers Christ by uniting your nature to his own did mightily dignifie it How doth the humane nature shine in the luster of the divine How doth the peble mans nature glister in the golden I should say the glorious ring of the divine nature O the transcendency of Christ love that hee would stoop so low as to be born for this end that thereby he might raise high the nature of his beloved ones i.e. beleevers So that thus you see how the birth of Christ throughly viewed giveth a bright discovery of the transcendency of his love Certainly if you spiritually contemplate all that love which shines in the birth of the Lord Jesus you will easily conclude that his love to beleevers passeth knowledge The second head from which I said I would demonstrate the transcendency of Christs love was the life of Christ And now a little to speak to this you must not imagine that I dare undertake the whole History of his life and demonstrate his transcendent love from every Act thereof No this were too large a field to walk in I shall hint something in the generall of it and then I shall in a more particular manner speak to some remarkable passages thereof all speaking transcendent love to beleevers Generally the life of Christ was a perfect myrrour of his love every action of it was full of love and if wee put all the actions of his life together we may conclude that he was born not so much to live as to love There was not a word which dropped from his lips but it was full of love and for his works which he did they all spake love so loud as that the deafest eare might hear it So that we may say as the Psalmist in another case There is no speech nor language where the voyce of his love was not heard the line thereof went through every act of his life Should we begin at the Temple where he disputed with the Doctors and follow him to the mount where he was crucified by the souldiers we should see all the way strewed with love-roses And as there is no beam in the Sunne in which there is no light so there was no Act in the life of Christ but to a spirituall eie shines with the light of love But omitting others I shall instance only in five particulars and shew how Christ in the actions of his life did declare the transcendency of his love 1 Jesus Christ did run for beleevers sakes through all the miseries of this life You cannot bee in any misery which is humane but Christ was in it for you to sweeten it unto you Art thou hungry he was Mat. 4.3 Art thou thirsty hee was Art thou weary hee was John 4.6 Meetest thou with scoffings scornings derisions blasphemies buffettings Why thy Lord Christ out of his transcendent love runned through all these in his life for thee Beleevers I beseech you mind it when ever you meet with any of the miseries of this life your beloved met with them for your sakes and that for this end that hee might sweeten them to your souls And therefore when you meet with and are pressed by the miseries of this life in any kind then think upon your Saviours love who lived a life sensible of these miseries out of his love to you And I doubt not but you will say O transcendent love 2. The Lord Jesus submitted to all the duties of religion which was not only to fulfill the righteousness of the
here Beleevers look upon your Saviour in the Garden See him when his soul began to be sorrowfull and very heavy and listen a little to what he saith My soule is exceeding sorrowfull even unto the death Matth. 26.38 you experienced Saints Tell mee what manner of love is this For your Lord to be sad unto the death that he might remove those clouds which have sometimes kept your soules in the shadows of death and darknesse But go on and listen to your Lords cry to the father once again when he begged that the cup might passe from him Surely the wrath in the bottom of the cup was very bitter which made him desire to be delivered from it But as surely the love in Christs besome was very sweet which yet prevaileth with him to submit his will to the Fathers and to drink it up for your sake Did you hear ever of sweating in a cold night and that upon the cold ground in an open Garden Surely you will say hee must be hot within that can or could do so Why the heat of your Saviours love was such as that it supported him to bear the heat of Gods wrath than as cold as the night was and t was a winters night as is rationally conjectured and as open as the place was a garden yet then and there he did sweat and that clods of blood his veines issuing out freely and the air congeling it presently and this in the beginning of his sufferings beleevers for your sakes I presume you are not blind and yet certainly you are if you cannot read matchlesse love in this Some have been so weak reports reiterated tell us so as to write letters to their beloved with their blood If it be true you will say it is much and I le say 't was mad But yet let me tell you it s no simple tale but a sweet truth Christ in the garden bled enough to write a large letter of love to you And if you read spiritually you read such love as yet when you read you cannot expres it while you read the story of Christs agony in the garden The greatnesse of Adams folly is not so legible in his eating the forbidden frult in the garden which was the shutting or us out of paradise As the transcendency of Christs love is in his agony in the garden which was to re-instate beleevers in a happyer state than Paradise was or could bee But le ts follow our Lord from the garden to the High Priests hall and here let 's hear a little the hideous out-cryes of the rude rabble against him Ah Lord what was that stopped our Saviours ears so that hee would not regard and silenced his tongue that hee would not reply was 't not love when you read how some spit upon and others railed at Christ How some blasphemed him and others buffetted him how many scoffed how many scorned how many accused how all cryed out against him I say when you read this cannot you as sweetly read the transcendent love of Christ to you as the transcendent malice of the Jews against Christ But not to stay here goe out with Christ to Calvary As hee ascends the Mount doth not the demonstration ascend too See him nailed to the Crosse for your sakes and tell mee if that sight doth not clear this truth as a nail fastened by the masters of assomblies such as Paul was viz. That the love of Christ passeth knowledge Surely beleevers Christs hanging on the Crosse and then breathing out his last breath and powreing out his hearts blood in a shamefull cursed and tormenting way for your sakes is enough to make you cry out O the depth of his love 'T was well said by one that Mount Calvary was Loves Academy and he is worse than a Dunce that cannot learn the transcendency of Christs love to beleevers here The blood of the Crosse speaks love in strength and no such Sermon of love in the Bible nor in the Creation as the blood of the Crosse saith a fine pen. Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends Joh. 15.13 Indeed man hath no greater nay scarce so great a love as that But Jesus Christ had and shewed as great nay a far greater love than this for hee laid down his life for his foes such beleevers you were 'T was but a brag of Peter his words were greater than his love when hee said hee would dye for Christ But 't was a reality in Christ when speaking of the baptism of his death hee said How am I streightened till it bee accomplished Certainly it was large love that streightened his soul till he tasted of death for you The Scriptures record it as the character of the transcendency of the Martyrs love to Christ that they loved not their lives unto the death for his sake But alas their death for Christ was but their duty they were bound to it because Christ loved them Whereas Christs love to us is grace for hee loved us first Ask a condemned Malefactour what if the Prince's Son should go to his father and say Father I confesse the wretch is deservedly to dye but I see a willingnesse in thee that hee should live only I perceive it sticks with thy Justice Thou wouldest magnifie thy mercy in his pardon couldest thou also satisfie thy justice why for that Father here I am and I will dye my self to satisfie thy justice onely let the poor wretch live to the glory of thine and my free grace and having thus said should goe to the place of execution and dye indeed Ask I say the Malefactor what kind of love hee counts and calls this Beleevers ask your own hearts for you were the Malefactors and tell mee what word is great enough to expresse the great love of Jesus Christ which hee lively expressed to you in his death for you Surely you will say the thought of the love is too big for your mouth you cannot through your narrow expressions let out your large conceptions of Christs love in his death I must professe if you can I cannot This head of demonstration is fitter for meditation than expression And yet when wee have meditated the most of it wee shall never bee able to reach the height of it The thoughts of Christs life are swallowed up by the thoughts of his death His death doth set out his love most to the life I will wind up this head with this conclusion You are no Scholars in Christs School if you cannot read a large and long lecture of love upon Christs Crosse Let it passe as an aphorism The love of Christ expressed in his death transcends so high above our thoughts that wee shall never bee able to come to the height thereof all our life His love transcends our expressions confounds our conceptions yet it must be believed and applyed At present I shall offer but three words to help you in the application of
their bosomes Many Kings and Rulers aim at themselves in their commands and they seek too too often rather their own greatnesse than their Subjects good But beleeve it Jesus Christ your King is not such an one All that he aims at in his government is your good The end of his Commandements are your comfort As his government increaseth over you so his peace increaseth in you This is the effect and fruit of all his Commandements not so much that others may take notice of his glory in commanding as that you may find his grace in obeying Indeed love is the work and wages of his Commandement hee therefore bids you do so that he may love you therefore it is that though you are frail and weak and cannot obey hee will be kind to love you notwithstanding all So that now the Commands of Christ being as it were love materially in the substance and love formally in their imposals and love finally in their aim what can you conclude from all this but that the love of Christ even to beleevers is declared to be transcendent in the exercise of his command over them Christs care speaks love Secondly consider the care that Christ hath of them O the transcendent love that Christ expresseth to beleevers in the care that hee taketh of them for all necessities He is not only a Lord to command and to set them on work but he is a Father to take care and provide for his And it is easie to observe transcendency of love in the transcendent care that Christ hath to provide for his Food and rayment and lodging are the least things that can be taken care for and yet you shall see Christ doth not only take care for them but he doth take care for other things also yea and as he doth take care that beleevers have food to eat so it is of the finest the kidnys of the wheat and the finest flower Rayment and glorious rayment a house a brave one too First Christ taketh care that beleevers may have food to eat Hee knoweth they must have bread and therefore hee hath provided bread of life hee knoweth they must have drink and therefore hee hath opened the sealed fountain of the water of life The care that God hath to feed his people in the Wildernesse did demonstrate his love unto them that he gave them quails and mannah c. Beleevers while you are in the wildernesse of this world your Lord hath declared his love in making rich provisions of spiritual food for you Hee hath prepared the hidden mannah which hee will give unto you A feast of fat things full of marrow of wine on the Lees well refined as it is Esay 25.6 Nay even in the middest of your enemies he hath prepared a table for you And not only that you may be sure of food but that the food might be surpassingly sweet Hee hath made himself to be meat for you If it be true that the Pelican feedeth her young ones with her own blood then that Bird may be a type of your beloved His flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drink indeed and this doth hee give for the life of your souls O beleevers Cleopatra that shee might outvie Marke Antonies love caused as the History relateth a pearl of great price to be dissolved that he might drink thereof Christ beleevers hath done more for you and hath outvied her love to him Gold and silver pearls are but corruptible things in comparison of this precious blood and yet that blood he hath prepared for beleevers to drink that they might live for ever Secondly Christ hath provided not only food for the belly but rayment for the back too And as the food so also the rayment do transcend in love A garment of needle-work Psal 45.14 rich and costly attire Christ hath provided for beleevers When thou wast naked beleever and hadst no cloaths to cover thee but the filthy rags of thine own works which did defile thee then even then he cloathed thee in broidered work Ezek. 16.10 11 12 13. and shod thee with badgers skins and covered thee with fine linnen and decked thee with ornaments and put bracelets on thine hands and a chain on thy neck a jewel on thy sorehead ear-rings on thine ears a beautifull Crown upon thine head c. Thus did he adorn thee and thus did he array thee and thou wast exceeding glorious with the garments he put on thee Greater love can none declare than this to give another as good garments as himself doth wear why this doth Jesus Christ In the mount of Transfiguration Matth. 17. v. 2. it is said his rayment was as white as the light And when the Saints appeared to John in his vision they appeared in garments of the same colour it is said They were arrayed with white robes Rev. 7 13. Righteousnesse is his garment and so it is beleevers too It was an act of great love to Mordecay and Haman thought the King could expresse no greater that the Royal apparrel should be brought which the King used to wear and to be put on him Why beleevers such is the transcendent love of Christ to his in his care for your apparrel that the royal apparrel which he weareth himself is brought to you and is put on your souls Now and you are all glorious within here and it shall be put on your bodies hereafter even that body which is now vile Phil. 3. last shall be made glorious like to his glorious body And when Christ shall come and appear in his garments of glory Col 3.4 1 Joh. 3.3 you shall appear with him in the like And then he shall be admired not only in himself 2 Thes 1.10 but in you O transcendent love that Jesus Christ should provide such cloathing for us poor creatures Thirdly as for lodging Christ hath provided that likewise for beleevers Indeed himself had no house here on earth not so much as a hole wherein to lay his head and therfore beleevers fare no worser here than he did they have as good a lodging as their Lord In this world indeed they have not a house to be in nor a bed to lye on as their own But as to hereafter he hath provided a hous and that not a mean one but a mansion house and the building thereof is brave It is a building of God and the bravery of it appeareth in this which was the bravery of Christs body Heb. 9.11 that it is a house not made with hands The Shunamite did declare her love to the man of God by making of him a litle chamber and by setting a bed therein and a table and a stoole and a candlestick for him 2 King 4.10 Jesus Christ sheweth greater love than this in having provided a better room for beleevers not a little Chamber but a great Mansion a bed of glory Abrahams bosome not a stool but a Throne not
of the love of Christ of the Son of God who loveth me As Moses pressed the Israelites to the sincere keeping of the Law for it is saith he your life In like manner may we presse Christians to the serious knowledge of Christs love because it is our soules life Fourthly The knowledge of Christs love is the foundation of a soules joy and Christians comfort and therefore of such necessary concernment The reason why the Saints are sometimes so sad is because they doe not know the love of Christ at least in all the dimensions thereof Hence it is that Peace is joyned with love somtimes in the Gospell Peace saith Paul bee to the brethren but from whence from this as it is added and love from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ Ephes 6.23 the hearts of beleevers would be at Peace if so be they did but fully understand the love of Christ O saith the soul of that beleever and of this beleever indeed they live sweetly upon Christs love because they have it but I go sadly in the want of Christs love because I think there is none for me The soul is sad because it seeth not the fulnesse of the love of Christ I saith another soul such an one who hath more grace than I and such an one who hath lesse sinne than I have he may live joyfully because of Christs love but I must goe sadly because I fear hee will not love me The reason of this soules sadnesse is because it knoweth not the fullnesse of love that is in Christ and the freenesse thereof without doubt did we but know the love of Christ better than we do wee should not be so sad so often as we are That bosome Disciple John who knew much of the love of Jesus and had declared the knowledge of it unto others he saith it was for this end these things write I unto you saith hee that your joy might bee full Sith therefore the joy and the comfort of our soules is built upon the love of Christ as its foundation it doth necessarily concern us to get the knowledge thereof Fifthly the knowledge of Christs love is of necessaay concernment because it is the rise of Christian thankfullnesse Hence it is that thankfullnesse springs it is from this fountain whence it floweth Those soules will bee most thankfull for the love of Christ that understand is most Ignorance begets ingratitude but knowledge maketh thankfull Blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits Men will not be thankfull for that which they do forger neither can men remember that which they do not know All that Christ looks for from the Saints is this that they should acknowledge the transcendent love he beareth unto them Wee will never be able to sing glory and dominion be to him who hath loved us except wee know how hee loved us Look as a Lark at the discovery of the light of the day ascends chirping and chirping and the lighter the Heavens appear the higher she ascends and the sweeter shee sings In like manner the soul who knoweth the love of Christ and seeth the light thereof mounteth and singeth and the more bright the beames of Christs-bosome love shines in upon them the higher is the soul elevated and the sweeter it doth chirp and chant that spirituall song of thankfulnesse unto Christ You are bound beleevers to thank Christ for his love but you will never to purpose go about to cancell that bond if so be you doe not know the transcendency of that love with which hee hath bound you Sixtly Christs love is all the legacy he hath left Christians Surely it is of necessary concernment for Christians to know that which Christ left them in his will He hath not left them ample possessions nor brave buildings in this world his father though he loved him left him not a house to put his own head in here but dear love rich love transcendent love love passing knowledge this Christ hath left to beleevers as his father left him as the father hath loved me so have I loved you Joh. 1.5 ver 9. Aske the widdow whether it doth not necessarily concern her to know that which her husband left her Aske the child whether there lie a necessity upon him to know that which his father left him both the one and the other will say yes Why beleevers your everlasting father and your soules husband Jesus Christ hath left you nothing but his love surely it is necessary that you should know it Seventhly As the soul is filled with the knowledge of the love of Christ so it is filled with the fulnesse of God You empty creatures doth it not concern you and that necessarily to be filled with the divine fulnesse the fulnesse of God surely you will say yes then know it doth as necessarily concern you to bee acqainted with the love of Christ without that you cannot be so filled Some have thought that knowledge is nothing but an union between the thing known and the understanding Hence it is that they say and conclude that by how much any partake of knowledge by so much they partake of fulnesse God is love and if the knowledge of Gods love be the union thereof with the soul then certainly by how much we know the one by so much wee partake and are filled with the other Observe how the Apostle therefore joyneth this in the Text To know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge saith he that you may bee filled with all the fullnesse of God Every drop of this knowledge of the love of Christ tendeth towards the filling of the soul with the fulnesse of God surely therefore to be filled and to be filled with God and to bee filled with the fulnesse of God yea with all the fulnesse of God being so necessary for every soul as it is and the knowledge of Christs love being so advantagious to this It must needs bee a thing of speciall concernment for every Christian to labour to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge Briefly now for application First it may serve for a use of Lamentation that notwithstanding the knowledge of the love of Christ is thus necessary yet First that this knowledge hath been little studied Secondly though it should be much studied yet it can be little obtained First I say it hath been but little studied Men have been very swift in searching after other truths but they have been slow in searching after this An ample exact discovery of this love of Christ may well be set down among the desiderata i.e. the desirables of Divines it having been so little handled by any Indeed much of the Law in the point of duty hath been discovered but little of the Gospel especially in this point of Christs love hath been inquired into I doe not know any one Authour of eminency indeed as yet I have met with none at all who on purpose hath handled or
discoursed exactly concerning this subject viz. the transcendency of the love of Christ I have heard that that precious Divine Dr. Preston was wont to complain of the great defect this way Surely it is very sad to think that the knowledge of the love of Christ being of such necessary and high concernment hath been so little inquired into O what a gallant Gospel-designe were it for some one who is acquainted with the Spirit in a large measure to goe over the whole history of the Gospel and to observe the glorious shinings of the love of Christ to beleevers in all It would bee precious if some would take it in hand and perfect it to the purpose But it is sad to think it hath been neglected so long Secondly we may lament not onely to think this knowledge hath been but little advanced by the labours of any but especially that it is such that after all labour it can be but little gained We may weep to think how little of the love of Christ it is that those who have most knowledge of it doe or can know We read of a Book which was sealed and John wept much saith the Text because no man was found worthy in heaven or in earth that was able to open the Book or to look thereon Beloved the heart of Christ may be compared to a glorious Book in which the mysterious history of his transcendent love is written But alas who is there not onely in earth but in heaven that is able to open this Book and to discover the mysteries thereof Beloved when we shall come to heaven wee shall then be in a capacity of more perfect knowledge of the love of Christ But alas even then wee shall never be able to comprehend the love of Christ in the perfection thereof that is so fully as it may be known Then indeed we shall apprehend it in the perfection of our knowledge i.e. so far as it can bee known by the finite knowledge of creatures but yet then we shall not know it so full as it is The Schoolmen speak of knowledge as they doe of seeing Duplex plenitudo scientioe visionis viz Plenitudo 1 Subjecti 2 Objecti There is a twofold fulness of knowledge First a fulnesse in regard of the object i.e. such a fulness as regards the thing it self Secondly a fulnesse of knowledge in regard of the subject in which it is Now for mine own part I incline at least for present to conclude that although without doubt there shall be a fullnesse of knowledge of Christ in respect of our knowledge i.e. according to the utmost bounds or extents which our knowledge when it is perfected to the highest is capable of yet notwithstanding in regard of the fulnesse of knowledge as it relates to the thing it self viz. The love of Christ quoad essentiam virtutem intensivam extensivam i.e. when it is considered so far forth as it may be had unto all the effects and purposes whereunto that knowledge doth extend it self this I say I think wee shall not have but to all eternity wee shall be admiring and adoring of this love of Christ which passeth knowledge Wherefore then wee must needs lament to consider that although the knowledge of the love of Christ be of such necessary concernment yet it hath been but little searched after by many and when wee shall make the greatest search after it we shall never be able fully to attain it Use Secondly it may be a use of Reproof unto those who neglect this study of the knowledge of the love of Christ altogether Many there are who are little in the study of the Bible lesse in the study of the Gospel but least of all in this which is the light and lustre and glory of all the Gospel the love of Christ to beleevers And I cannot chuse but think those blame-worthy and to be reproved who in these times speak much of their parts and abilities in the beating out of some truths merely controversall which yet I speak not against in its place and yet neglect this knowledge which is of such necessary concernment I doe not altogether blame those who study this headship of Christ I mean this Government it being I think this present truth which is most controverted in these times yet notwithstanding to study so far the head of Christ as to neglect his heart so far to mind his government as to neglect his love is without doubt a thing to bee reproved But much more are those to bee reproved who study neither the one nor the other but spend all their time their pains and their parts in controversies and niceties prying either into unrevealed positions or being busied about needlesse questions neglecting in the mean time this one necessary thing viz. the knowledge of the love of Christ How many are there that may as one said of the Schoolmen bee like unto Travellers or men in a journey who have good bread about them but goe gnawing and biting upon hard stones so indeed some men who have at least means to have the bread of life Christs love but they neglect it and spend their time in gnawing upon hard trivialls at least not usefull questions Be reproved O all ye who so far spend your selves about the obtaining of any knowledge when in the mean time you doe neglect the study of this knowledge the love of Christ which is of necessary concernment Lastly we shall adde a word of Exhortation to stir up all to the study of the love of Christ You who have spent or rather mispent many a precious hour in reading of Romanses and fond histories of feigned loves yea you who spend all your time though it be about some matters of concernment but neglecting this be stirred up now to lay out your selves in the study of that which is sweet and necessary viz. the study of the love of Christ which passeth knowledge you must conceive that as I hinted in the explication my desire is that you would labour to be well versed and to be exact students in this businesse I would not have you content your selves in some generalls but labour to make a particular discovery of the love of Christ in its substance in its circumstances and in its sundry actions and declarations O remember that this knowledge includeth in it all that knowledge which is necessary to be known for salvation When you have studied it well you shall find that there is nothing in the whole doctrine of salvation which is not comprehended in this love of Christ as Calvin hath well observed upon the place This knowledge is both safe and sweet it is not such knowledge as wil puffe up the head but it will purifie the heart I doe not doubt that any can grow wanton who attaineth to any spirituall saving degree of this knowledge The love of Christ will constrain to duty and restrain from sin therefore betake your selves to
as the last thing observed from these words viz. to let you see how efficacious the love of Christ is unto the supporting of beleevers in any tribulation SERMON VI. EPHES. 3. Ver. 19 And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge HE that is but little skilled in the knowledge of the face of times may very well see that these times wherein wee live are very sad Calamity lyeth upon every Creature and woe hath as it were entred upon the Stage of the World and acts a very bloudy part to the terrour of all even beleevers themselves some put on black and walk disconsolately yea almost all the sonnes of men are clad in mourning as being sensible of the misery under which most of the world at this day groans In these times therefore what can be more suitable to our thoughts than to consider of that which may serve to support our spirits It is the wisdome of such as are weak and lyable to faintings to carry about them some cordiall or other to revive them And it should bee doubtlesse the wisdome of beleevers who are liable alwayes to tribulations to lay in something which may keep them from fainting under these tribulations Indeed our Lord Jesus out of the riches of his mercy hath prepared and provided rich and glorious cordials to support the souls of his And it is our duty especially who are the Ministers of the Lord Jesus to help beleevers with these cordials which our Lord and their Lord hath prepared And therefore while others forgetting not onely the Saints but themselves take leave to presse and urge great things as matters of faith upon poor souls as if they had dominion over their faith I shall endeavour to imitate the great Apostle Paul rather to shew my self a helper of your Joy 2 Cor. 1. ult than a Lord of your faith It was this indeed which Paul was much upon viz. the furtherance of the joy and comfort of beleevers And it is this which he drives at in these words in the behalf of the Ephesians for fearing lest the newes of these troubles in which hee was should so far trouble the Ephesians as to make them faint he therefore boweth his knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that he would be pleased to give them the knowledge of the love of Christ that so by it their spirits may be kept from fainting either at the news of his or fear of their own tribulations This being therefore the end why Paul prayeth to God in the behalf of the Ephesians that they might know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge I did observe this Doctrine from it viz. That the spiritual knowledge of the transcendency of Christs love towards his is of special efficacy to keep our hearts from fainting under any troubles I suppose you easily see both the foundation and the proof of this point in this place yet that you may see both the clearer let mee hint these three things First consider it That the Apostle supposeth that the Ephesiant hearts were apt to faint at their tribulations At the 13 verse his desire that they might not faint doth clearly intimate this that they were apt to faint Indeed the children of faith are not onely prone to fear but are apt to faint in those fears Secondly observe how upon this fear of the Apostle lest they might faint or if you will upon his desire that they might not faint he falleth to prayer and maketh it his request to God whose alone royalty is to support the fainting spirits of all the creatures that be would be pleased to keep them from fainting For saith hee for this cause I how my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus that is upon this desire of mine that you might not faint I bow my knee to him who alone is able to support your spirits Thirdly Consider that among the rest of those things which he prayeth to God for in their behalf that they might not faint hee prayeth for this in the Text as in the last place that they may know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge And indeed the very spirit and strength of all that which the Apostle had prayed for in the former verses in their behalf lyeth in this last And happily therefore it was that hee bringeth in this as the last particular being as it were that last cordiall which he prayed for in their behalf and if it had failed hee knew not as it were what to ask of God for them This is as it were the last Dosis of the Doctor which if it help not the patient the Doctor is at a stand and is puzled and knoweth not what else to give so that I suppose you may easily see not onely the footing that this Text affords for this truth but also a great and solid proof of the truth thereof in it And yet that you may see this truth more clearly from this place I will in a word shew you how that the very spirits and strength of the other cordialls which hee here prayeth for are as it were wrapped up in this viz. The knowledge of the love of Christ For consider First hee prayeth that they might bee strengthened in the inward man by his Spirit verse 16. Now what is that strength of the inward man by the Spirit but that divine and spirituall joy which is through him The joy of the Lord doth give strength Nehem 8.10 Now it is easie to demonstrate that the chief ground upon which the Holy Ghost doth build that joy which through him is in the hearts of beleevers is this viz. the shedding abroad of the love of Christ in them Christ having promised to send the spirit as a comforter to beleevers he saith that he i.e. the spirit shall take of mine and shew unto you John 16. ver 14 15. Now what is there in all Jesus Christ of sweeter efficacy and power which the spirit can take and declare to beleevers than the knowledge of his love which passeth knowledge So that if the strengthening of the inward man by the holy Ghost bee that which helps to support thy soul from fainting And if that working of the holy Ghost bee by a creation of divine joy or bringing of divine comfort And that bringing of comfort in the spirit depends upon revealing something of the heart of Christ to the soul then it must needs bee that the spirit of this cordiall lyeth in the knowledge of the love of Christ which alone the Spirit is able to bring in as it were from Christs heart and shed it into the hearts of beleevers for the strengthening of the inward man Secondly the Apostle doth pray as a means to keep the Ephesians from fainting that Christ may dwel in their hearts by faith ver 17. Now a very few thoughts will discover that the strength of this comfort doth lye in the knowledge of Christs love For whereas the soul may