consentiens atque etiam cum eo quod scripsit suprà vers 8. Bez. in loc Beza commends this as a plain exposition altogether agreeing with the foregoing Metaphor and with that which was written in the 8th Verse of the unsearchable riches of Christ y Haec Graecorum expositio est eademque facilis perspicua ut non sit opus alioruÌ„ duriores minùs probabiles interpretationes hùc adferre Estius in loc Estius in like manner commends it as the exposition of the Greek Interpreters and that both easie and plain so that there is no need of adding any other more difficult and less probable interpretations Nor do I find any thing opposed so considerable as to disswade me from assenting to them in this Exposition As for what is objected by that late Reverend and learned z Dr. Hammond on the place Annotator of our own who thinks this cannot probably be the meaning of the place that this passing knowledge should signifie unsearchable and unintelligible because the Apostle at the same time prayes that they may know it it hath been long since answered nor do I think it sufficient to invalidate this interpretation Yet lest it should lye still as a stumbling block in the Readers way I shall endeavour the removal of it and so proceed to that observation which I mainly intend In this sense therefore the words contain an Orthodox Paradox for the Apostle gives the love of Christ this character That it passeth knowledge and yet at the same time makes it his prayer for these Ephesians That they might know it and both true nor doth he make a vain prayer which I shall labour to clear in these particulars 1. The love of Christ passeth the knowledge of every natural man His natural capacities can never reach the understanding of it it is not obvious to sense and reason nor can a humane knowledge comprehend how or why it should be or what it is a Paulus scientiam hic statuit quae sit omni notitiâ superior meâ—itò nam si hùc facultas humana conscenderet frustrà peteret nunc Paulus ipse a Deo donari Calv. in loc Object If it did not exceed the comprehension of mans natural abilities the Apostle would never have prayed for it as a gift from God And if he have a notion that it is as he may from the light of Scripture yet his natural corruptions keep him from any saving acquaintance with it from any taste and experience of it 1 Cor. 2.14 The blindness of his mind keeps him that he cannot know it and the emnity of his heart keeps him that he will not receive it But he writes to believers and prayes for them such as he calls Saints and faithful in Christ Jesus Chap. 1.1 Answ They were a visible Church wherein probably all the members were not real Saints though in the judgement of charity he writes to them and prayes for them as such But grant they were all real Saints yet the love of Christ might be said to pass their knowledge For 2. Though by the help of the Spirit every believer doth know and that not only notionally but experimentally by spiritual sight taste and feeling the love of Christ for the Spirit of God doth make believers b 1 Cor. 2.12 Rom. 5.5 know the things that are freely given them of God and c Quisque spiritu Dei fretus pro modulo suo tantum percipiat quantum est satis ad salutem Bez. in loc sheds abroad this love of Christ into their hearts so that every one who is partaker of the Spirit of Christ doth according to his measure perceive as much of this love as is sufficient to their salvation Yet their present condition being imperfect they cannot now perfectly comprehend this love in its fulness and dimensions for d 1 Cor. 13.12 what we know we know but in part and what we see we see but as through a glass darkly in this life The perfect knowledge of this love is reserved for Heaven though even there Christ in his love will be e 2 Thes 1.10 admired as much as apprehended and therefore I think f CharitateÌ„ hanc Christi mens humana capit non capit atque in eo capit quòd rapitur in admirationeÌ„ videt aliquid superesse quod persentiscere quidèm potest attamen nonità percipere ut possit explicare totum Camer de Eccles mihi p. 220. Et in Myroth p. 250. Camero states the matter right when he sayes The mind of man even of him who is most spiritual and most clearly enlightened for to him I apply it doth receive this love of Christ and doth not receive it receiving it so as to be drawn into admiration seeing alway somewhat remaining which he can perceive indeed but yet not so as to be able to explain the whole of it Thus he And to this sense doth g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. in loc Theophylact expound this place for propounding this Question Seeing it passeth knowledge how shall we know it he gives this Solution First The Apostle sayes indeed that it passeth knowledge that is humane knowledge but you shall know it not by humane knowledge but by the Spirit Again He doth not say that you shall know this love how great it is but only that it is great and passeth all knowledge And h Nullus sapiens est adeò in hâc vitâ qui possit perfectè lantam charitatem considerare sed in futuro saeculo scietur haec charitas Ansel in loc Anselm excludes the best from a perfect understanding of it here There is none so wise sayes he in this life who can perfectly consider so great love but in the world to come it shall be known Object But if they knew the love of Christ already in part and could not know it perfectly to what purpose doth he pray for it Answ To very good purpose For 3. That knowledge which the Saints have of the love of Christ in this life is capable of further measures and degrees i Etsi in hâc vitâ praesenti plenum hujus rei nec sensum nec cognitioneÌ„ assequamur tamèn eo usque per spiritum Dei sanctum in ejusdem sensu apprehensione proficimus ut ex ipsâ effectuuÌ„ magnitudine causam fonteÌ„ hunc dilectionis majoreÌ„ immensioreÌ„ esse in Deo ipso statuamus quà m ut ab ullo corde humano ab ullo intellectu creato tota ejus amplitudo capi possit contineri Bodius in Ephes p. 401. and though they could not know it perfectly here yet they might know more of it and know better what they had already known and this is that which the Apostle prayes for that they might have a further and fuller measure of knowledge of this love of Christ which in it self is so great as that it cannot be perfectly known in this life and
for q Jenkins on Jude 4. Part 1. p. 152. as one sayes If every leaf and spire of grass nay all the stars sand atomes in the world were so many souls and Seraphims whose love should double in them every moment to eternity yet could not their love be enough for the loveliness of our God yet Christ that he may not fail of catching our love casts out the bait of his own love to allure ours to himself He beginneth and loveth that we may love him again 1 John 4.19 r Manton on Jude p. 100. As water is cast into a Pump when the springs lye low to bring up more water so Christ hath shed and poured out his love upon us that our love might rise up to him again by way of gratitude and recompence God loves that he may be loved sayes Å¿ Amat Deus ut ametur cum amat nihil aliud vuâ—t quam amari sciens amore esse beatos qui se amaverint Aug Man mihi p. 236. Austin and when he loves he desires nothing but to be loved again knowing that those who love him are happy in that love I have already made out the exceeding greatness of Christs love towards us in the undertaking and accomplishing of our Redemption the consideration whereof cannot without monstrous ingratitude but engage us to love him again 1. Can you think of Christs Undertaking for us and not love him That he not like Jonah would be cast into the Sea to allay a storm raised for his own sake but when our sins had raised a storm of Divine wrath would be cast in to allay it When he saw the misery of Mankind he said Let it come on me 2. Can you think of his Incarnation and not love him That he should divest himself of his Robes of Glory and condescend to take upon him the Rag of our flesh That he who was God and Lord of all should humble himself and empty himself and make himself of no reputation and be made in the likeness of man yea take upon him the form of a servant Phil. 2.6.7 3. Can you think of his Passion and not love him Indeed his Incarnation was a Passion and his whole life as continued suffering but I mean that which is emphatically so called that which he suffered at or immediately before his death which who can think of and not be all in a flame of love t Ambrose Looking unto Jesus p. 658. That the Judge of all the World should be accused judged and condemned That the eternal Son of God should be found struggling with his Fathers wrath That he who had said I and my Father are one should sweat drops of blood in his Agony and cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me as he did on the Cross That the Lord of Life should with unconceivable pains breath out his soul and dye on the Tree of shame and curse 4. Can you think that all this should be for us and not love him That when he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief u Manton on Jude p. 109. they were our griefs which he bore and our sorrows which he carried Isa 53.3 4. The very same griefs that we should have suffered so far as his holy person was capable of them his desertion was equivalent to our loss his Agonies to to our Curse and punishment of sense We were the Malefactors and the Kings Son chose our Chains and suffered in our stead 5. Can you think that he suffered all this for us very willingly and not love him When he had undertaken to be baptized with this baptism he was straightned till it was accomplished Luke 12.50 He did with the like indignation rebuke Peter disswading from his Cross as he did the Devil tempting him to Idolatry Get thee behind me Satan Mat. 16.23 compared with Mat. 4.10 He was satisfied with all the travel of his soul as it was the means of our salvation Isa 53.11 as if he had said Welcome Agonies welcome stripes and wounds welcome Curse welcome Cross welcome Death so that poor souls be saved 6. Can you think of his love in all this and not love him his infinite love far beyond his sufferings and the outward expressions of it as the Windows of the Temple were more large and open within than without Can you think of it and not love him 7. Can you think that all this was intended to constrain your love and not love him He made himself so vile that he might be the more dear and precious unto us every one of his wounds is a mouth open to plead for your love Certainly if love brought Christ from Heaven to Earth to the Cross to the Grave it should carry our hearts to him in Heaven again with ardent and fervent love w O duri induâ—ati obdurati filii Adam quos non emollit tanta benignitas tanta flaÌ„ma tam ingâ—ns ardor amoris Bern. Serm. in Pent. mihi p. 45. And oh hard and extreamly hardened Sons of Adam whom so great bounty so great a flame and heat of love doth not mollifie and melt into love again x Omnis equitas ditit ut dilectus diligentem diligat amatus amanti mutuam charitatem impendat Bern. de Caenâ Dom. Ser. 13. All equity dictates that he who is beloved should love him again by whom he is beloved and shall Christ only have love unjustly detained from him after he hath loved us y Magnes amoris amor Love is the Loadstone of love and were it not a shameful thing that Christs love should lose its attractive power upon us on whom it is most laid out It is not first love that is required of us but only a reflection of his own love back again and z Nimis durus est animus qui amorem si nolebat impendere nolit rependere Aug. de Catech. rud cap. 4. there is too much of the stone in that mans heart who if he will not begin and lead will not follow in this way of love and repay love for love Well for a cloze of this I shall shew you how the consideration of Christs love hath warmed and affected others hearts and leave it as a goad in your sides to quicken your imitation What should this but make us call upon our souls to the love of him who hath thus loved us as Austin did a O anima mea insignita Dei imagine redempta Christi sanguine desponsata fide dotata spiritu ornata virtutibus deputata cum Angelis Dilige illum a quo tantum dilecta es intende illi qui intendit tibi quaere quaerentem te amae am itorem tui a quo amoris cujus amore praeventaâ—s qui est causa amorâ—s us Aug. Man mihi p. 240. O my soul stampt with the Image of God redeemed with the blood of Christ espoused by faith endowed with the spirit adorned with graces committed
Reason be given of it but the good pleasure of your Redeemer Even so because it seemed good in his sight How should this make you retire inward and in contemplation and admiration of these things cry out in imitation of the Man after Gods own heart 2 Sam. 7.18 Who am I O Lord God and what is thy poor creature that thou hast brought me hitherto And this was yet a small thing in thy sight O Lord God for thou hast spoken of thy servants soul for a great while yet to come even so long as eternity And is this the manner of Man O Lord God And what can I say more unto thee For thou Lord God knowwest and lovest thy servant for thy loves sake and according to thy heart thou hast done all these things to make thy Servant know them and taste of them Wherefore thou art great O Lord God and thy love is great there is none like unto it and be thou admired and adored in the greatnesse of thy love wherewith thou hast refreshed the soul of thy Servant for ever Thus admire the love of Christ and to engage you herein know that it is admired by Angels who l Calvin in loc with wonder and admiration desire to look into these things 1 Pet. 1.12 and it shall be admired by glorified Saints to all eternity 2 Thes 1.10 The happiness of heaven sayes m Doctor Holdsworths Ser. p. 526 one is all extasy an extasy of admiration at the love which hath been shewed to them and experienced by them in bringing them thither Now it is good for Christians to begin that work on earth which they shall be ever doing when they come to heaven And let me tell you for the further quickning of you to this work that the knowledge which you have of the love of Christ which doth not leave you admiring of it is but a drie and carnal not a savory and spiritual knowledge I hope the consideration of all this will make the Devout Soul breath forth it self in such language as this which he may learn of a n Bishop Halls Holy rapture p. 212. holy man wherewith he ends his Patheticall Meditation of the love of Christ and with that I shall end this particular Lord what room can there be possibly in these straight and narrow hearts of ours for a due admiration of thy transcendent love and mercy I am swallowed up O God I am willingly swallowed up in this bottomless abysse of thine infinite love and there let me dwell in a perpetual ravishment of Spirit till being freed from this clog of earth and filled with the fulness of Christ I shall be admitted to enjoy that which I cannot now reach to wonder at thine incomprehensible blisse and glory which thou hast laid up in the highest heavens for them that love thee in the blessed communion of all thy Saints and Angels thy Cherubim and Seraphim Thrones Dominions and Principalities and Powers in the beatifical presence of thee the ever-living God the eternal Father of Spirits Father Son and Holy Ghost one infinite Deiâ—y in three co-essentially co-eternally co-equally glorious persons To whom be blessing honour glory and power for ever and ever Amen Sect. 3. 3. BY way of Gratulation By way of Gratulation Know the love of Christ so as to be Thankeful for it Nature it self teacheth us to be grateful to those who have shâ—wed kindness unto us and shall we receive so many benefits from Jesus Christ the fruits of his meer love and not think every one of us with David of a Quid retribuam What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me Psalm 116.12 and seeing he needeth not nor doth desire more and we can give no better let us not be backward to take the cup of salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord verse 13. If he had called for some greater thing would we not have done it how much more when he sayes only Offer unto God Thanksgiving and pay thy vows to the most high Psalm 50.14 and counts himself glorified thereby for sayes he verse 23. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me Yea he hath let us know by the man after his own heaâ—t That this praising of him with a song and magnifying him with thanksgiving is better pleasing unto him than an Ox or Bullock that hath horns and hoofs Psalm 69.30 31. The love of Christ in redeeming and saving lost sinners should not be thought or spoken of without a Doxology by all that hear of it especially by those who have tasted of it This should make Christians keep a perpetual * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est gratum se declarare pro accepto beneficâ— illud agnoscendo et autorem ejus praedicando Dav. in Coloss p. 22. Eucharist declaring themselvs thankfull for so great a benefit by acknowledging of it and speaking to the praise of the Author of it The Scripture is not without examples for your imitation in this particular and therefore go you forth by the footsteps of the flock write after the Copies which are set before you take with you the words and in the sence of Christs love say with David Psal 86.12 13. I will praise thee O Lord my God with all my heart and I will glorifie thy Name for evermore For great is thy mercy towards me and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest Hell And again Psal 103.1 2 3 4. Blesse the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his holy Name Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases who redeemeth thy life from destruction who crowneth thee with loving kindnesses and tender mercies With the Mother of our Lord Luke 1.46 47. My soul doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit doth râ—joyce in God my Saviour For he hath regarded the low estate of his poor servant With those in Rev. 5.9 12 13. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain and hath redeemed us to God by his blood out of every Kindred and Tongue and People and Nation to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing and therefore blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sitteth on the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever Finally with John p Gratias egit agere nos docet immortales Christo protantis beneficiis quòd lavit quòd fecit Sacerdotes Reges Deo patri Par. in loc Rev. 1.5 6. Vnto him that hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his own Blood and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen Thus Christians sound forth the praises of him who hath thus loved you seeing he hath shewed so much good will towards you and wrought so much peace for you which you deserved not do not deny to
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ c. And because he knew that the experimental knowledge of the love of Christ would be a special means to keep them close to Christ and his Truth notwithstanding all discouragements therefore among other things he prayes That they being rooted and grounded in love might be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height And as it is in the Text to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge which love duly and rightly taken in would tend to their establishment as good rooting doth to a Tree and a firm foundation to a Building for so the words a Radicati propper agriculturam fundati propter aedificationem Aug. Epist 120. mihi p. 697. Duae similitudines quas adhibet exprimunt quà m firma constans debeat esse in nobis charitas Paulus vult cam penitùs animis nostris infixam esse ut sit quasi benè fuâ—datum aedificium profunda plantatio Calv. in loc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rooted and grounded in the 17th Verse do import Sect. 2. The several Readings BUT I come to the words themselves and I meet with several readings and interpretations of them among Expositors which I shall mention and pitch upon that which I conceive most agreeable to the Apostles meaning in this place 1. The Syriack Translation as I find it rendred by b Ut cognâ—scatis magnitudinem chaâ—itatis Christi Trem. Tremelius runs thus That you may know the greatness of the love of Christ This is good those two words passing knowledge being supplyed by one word greatness yet it seems to be defective for according to the sense of this place there is not only a positive but a superlative greatness in the love of Christ an exceeding greatness as is expressed concerning Gods Power Eph. 1.19 2. The vulgar Latine runs thus Scire etiam supereminentem scientiae charitatem Christi which Erasmus from the ambiguity of the word scientiae being both the Genitive and Dative Case is doubtful how to paraphrase whether according to the Dative Case To know the love of Christ which is greater than can be known or according to Ambrose which excelleth or hath the preheminence of our knowledge or else according to the Genitive Case To know the excellent love of the knowledge of Christ c Posterior sensus magis quadrat ad Graecum sermonem Eras in loc but he enclines to this latter sense as most agreeable to the Greek Of this Reading I shall speak more under the next Head and in the mean time I have this to say against Erasmus his drawing of the Vulgar Translation to this sense That I much question whether it be agreeable to the mind of that Interpreter whoever he was for its likely if he had intended any such thing he would have otherwise placed the words not Scire supereminentem scientiae charitatem Christi but Scire supereminentem charitatem scientiae Christi Besides the great Patrons of this Translation I mean the Papists carry the sense quite another way at least those which I have seen as Dion Carthus Estius Tirinus A Lapide of whom more afterwards 3. The next Reading is that which was even now mentioned Vtque sciretis eximiam dilectionem cognitionis Christi And that you may know the excellent love of the knowledge of Christ Nor is Erasmus single in owning of it d Hieronâ—mus interpretatur eximiam dilectionem cognitionis Châ—isti Bez. in loc Beza fathers it upon Hierome e Det vobis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inquit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut intelligatis excellentâ—m atque supereminâ—ntem amorem illius cognitionis Christi Hoc est quâ—m cùm ad cognitionem sui nos vocavit exhibuit ac declaravit nobis Christus Heins in loc Heinsius contends stiffly for it and expounds it to this sense That the Apostle prayes for their knowledge and understanding of that excellent transcendent and unspeakable love which Christ exhibits and declares to the Sons of Men when he calls them to the knowledge of himself f In his verbis potest esse trajectio quasi dicat Apostolus excellentem Dei charitatem in ipsâ Christi cognitione quae nobis contigit elucere Vorst Schol. in loc Vorstius is not against it and expounds it to the same sense g Summam illam dilectionem Dei scilicet proximi quae ex cognitione Christi oritur Grot. in loc Grotius allows it and gives this sense of it That they might know that is experience in themselves that love of God and their Neighbour which ariseth from the knowledge of Christ He tells us of a M. S. in which the words are thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and sayes that it seems there were some Copies in Hierome's time which had it thus because he so expounds it And our English Annotator who treads in his steps Dr. Hammond makes mention of a M. S. of the Kings wherein the words are so placed And indeed if the words were so read in all or the most Copies it were indisputably on their side but seeing it is otherwife I crave leave to dissent and reserving all due reverence to the learned Authors forementioned to conclude with Beza h Quidam in hoc explicando loco frustrà se torserunt ut Hieronymus qui interpretatur eximiam dilectionem cognitionis Christi obscuro sensu trajectione ità violentâ ut admitti certè non possit Beza in loc That those who go this way do but in vain trouble themselves to produce an obscure sense of the words not without a more violent transposition than can be well admitted especially seeing they may be carried without any straining to a better sense another way 4. Another Reading is that of Ambrose who renders it Scire etiam supereminentem scientiam charitatis Christi as if it were not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And thus Augustine reads it in his 120th Epistle mihi p. 697. To know the transcendent knowledge of the love of Christ But this requires a greater mutation of the words than the former to make it good nor do I find or hear of any Original Copy to countenance it as the other hath Besides this Augustine mentions it only in transitu and though Ambrose thus renders the words yet his Comment is wholly agreeable to the sense I aim at if it were his which yet i Bellar. de script Eccles p. 64. Geth Patrolog p. 281. Rivet Crit. Sacr. lib. 3. cap. 18. many learned men do question I shall produce instances from him afterwards and in the mean time shall leave this and come to that which I conceive to be the main 5. In the last place therefore Beza reads the words thus Cognoscere charitatem illam Christi omni cognitione superiorem which our English Translatours follow and render it as you read And to know the love of Christ which
indeed Christians should in their prayers and desires be reaching after that both in respect of grace and comfort for themselves and others which they shall not fully enjoy till they come to heaven Thus Paul for himself reached after such a measure of holiness as the Saints shall have at the resurrection of the dead k Phil. 4.11 That perfection of holiness that acâ—ompanieth the estate of the resurrection Trap. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead And thus he prayes here for these Ephesians That they might know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge and be filled with all the fulness of God Sect. 4. BY this time I hope you perceive the Apostles meaning He prayes The sense of the Apostles Prayer that these Ephesians might know that is know more with more clearness certainty experience and assurance of the love of Christ that singular eminent excellent love which yet in it self is so great that it is without the reach of humane understanding even that which is most sanctified to comprehend it fully in the dimensions of it Having given you this account of the words The Observations raised the Observations which I might draw from them are three That the love of Jesus Christ to mankind is an exceeding great and incomprehensible love 1. It is called love passing knowledge The knowledge of this love and improvement therein ought to be the study of every Christian in this life 2. The Apostle prayes for it as that which they should long and labour after for themselves Acquaintance with Jesus Christ in the greatness of his love is an excellent help to stedfastness in the profession of the Gospel amidst all the difficulties and discouragements of the world 3. That is the ground of his prayer It is the first of these which I mainly intend yet in the handling of this I shall have occasion to speak something of the other two CHAP II. The Point then is this THat the love of Jesus Christ which he hath shewed to the Children men Doct. is an exceeding great and incomprehensible love A love that passeth knowledge Sect. 1. An Introduction to the handling of the Doctrine THE very first letter of his Name is wonderful Isa 9.6 and he is as wonderful in his love as in any thing else This is the Golden Mine in the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2.10 There are unsearchable riches in Christ Eph. 3.8 and this is the vein that runs through all these riches The Apostle calls Godliness a mystery a great mystery 1 Tim. 3.16 and this love of Christ is the golden string that runs through all these mysteries and on which they hang together l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ultimus scopus aedeoque centrum Scripturae ad quod omnia referuntur est Christus Jesus Gech Exeg de Sacr. Scrip. p. 27. As Christ is the Center of the whole Scripture so the love of Christ is the Center of all that vast circumference of good things which poor Christians have or hope for by him A love as far beyond the thoughts and understandings of men to comprehend as it is beyond their merits to deserve so that in handling hereof I may say as a m Chrysost as he is cited by Mr. Trap on the Text. Father doth upon the same subject I am like a man digging in a deep Spring I stand here and the water riseth upon me I stand there and the water still riseth upon me and no hopes of ever fathoming this Abysse of love But if you say Why then do you take such a subject in hand I answer Though we can never know it all yet we may and must grow in the knowledge of this love of Christ and dive into this Sea that hath neither bank nor bottome and where as in the Salt Waters the deeper the sweeter So that the mysterious depth and unsearchableness of this love is no Supersedeas to our studying and preaching nor to your hearing and learning of it We cannot preach Christ but we must preach love for he is Love you must give us leave therefore to speak of it though we do but balbutire stammer it out for we can do no more we can tell you that it is exceeding great though how great it is we cannot tell only because it passeth knowledge you cannot think we speak too highly of it for n Christus non patitur Hyperbolen Christ admits of no Hyperbole and if we speak not all you cannot blame us for who can declare it neither Men nor Angels And yet in speaking and hearing of it we may say It is good to be here that when we cannot comprehend this love of Christ we may be comprehended by it which is worth our labour In the prosecution of this point The Method propounded I shall shew you what love I mean and give you arguments of its incomprehensibleness and so apply it Sect. 2. What love here meant In general TO shew you what love I mean I told you it was the love of Christ before and I mean in general his Redeeming love that love which he hath manifested and magnified in the redemption and salvation of sinners which work lay mainly on the hands of Christ as to the management and accomplishment of it a work appointed and undertaken on purpose to magnifie love and grace as the work of Creation was to magnifie power which it doth in an unspeakable and unconceivable manner More particularly In particular 1. I mean that love of the Lord Jesus whereby when from all eternity he was the darling and delight of his Father o Prov. 8.30 ever by him as one brought up with him and was daily his delight v. 31. rejoycing alway before him yet even then his delights were the Sons of Men. p Hoc tamèn foelicissimo non abstante quem apud patrem fruebar statu sic filiis hominum delector ut cum iis versari lubet benedictiones omni genere communicare Cartwright in loc Notwithstanding his most blessed condition with his Father yet so great was his Philanthropie his love to mankind that he was so delighted in us as to be willing to converse with us and communicate all kind of blessings to us 2. That love whereby he so freely and readily undertook the great and costly work of fallen mans recovery that when man could not help himself and all the Angels in Heaven were not able to administer sufficient help for his restoration but mans redemption had ceased for ever in respect of any possible assistance from the creature to advance and effect it then he willingly submitted to it q Psal 40.6 7. 8. Heb. 10.5 6 7. that when sacrifice and offering burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin would not do then he said Lo I come to do thy will O God Yea it was his delight to do this will of God in saving
Lord Jesus was exceeding abundant towards me with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus and then as if he wanted words to express his gratitude he breaks out into those significant expressions of his affection z vers 17. Prae ardore erumpit in istam exclamationem quia doerant verba quibus suam gratitudinem exprimeret NaÌ„ Epiphonemata praecipuè locum habent ubi abrumpere orationem cogimur quia rei magnitudo superat Quid aut èm Pauli conversione admirabilius Quanquà m nos simul omnes admoneâ— suo exemplo nunquà m de gratiâ divinae vocationis esse cogitandum quin tandèm efferamur admiratione Calv. in loc To the King eternal immortal invisible the only Wise God be Honour and Glory for ever and ever Amen Sect. 6. THat love whereby through his a Joh. 17.11 c. Heb. 7.25 intercession grace b Joh. 10.27 28 29. power spirit and c Heb. 1.14 Psal 91.11 12. 1 Pet. 1.4 5. ministration of Angels he keeps those whom he hath thus called and converted unto that Kingdome Glory Inheritance incorruptible undefiled and that fadeth not away which he hath d Heb. 9.12.15 purchased and is reserved in heaven for them whither he entered as their e Heb. 6.20 fore-runner for them f Joh. 14.2 going before to prepare a place for them from whence g Acts 3.19.21 when the times of refreshing and restitution of all things shall come h 1 Thes 4.16 he will descend with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the Trump of God and i John 14.3 will come again and take them with all his members to himself that where he is they may be also not being satisfied as not being compleat without them who are k Eph. 1.23 his body the fulness of him that fills all in all A matter of strong consolation to believers that all they have by Christ is not confined to this world for l 1 Cor. 15.19 if in this life only we had hope in Christ we were of all men most miserable and that their hopes and reversions by Christ in the world to come are so secured by him that they are as safe and sure as if they were in hand and present possession All which is the fruit of admirable love m Bishop Reynolds on Psal 110. mihi p. 233. 40. for the foundation of all our mercies present or future enjoyed or expected is an overflowing of love in Christ without stint or measure a turning of heart a rowling and sounding of bowels a love which surpasseth knowledge which is as much beyond the thoughts or comprehensions as it is above the merits of men To conclude this As there was an infinite price laid down to purchase Heaven and glory for us and an infinite powerlaid out in calling and keeping the Elect to the possession of the purchase so it was and is no less than infinite love that enclined Jesus Christ to lay down that price and still enclines him to lay out that power on the behalf and for the benefit of dearly bought and as dearly beloved souls This is the love that I mean and if the devout and diligent Reader would be further affected with it I referre him to the holy Rapture of Bishop Hall on this subject first Printed in a small Volume with another Treatise called Christ Mystical and now inserted in the third Volume of his Works in Folio CHAP. III MY next work is to give you the Arguments 2 The incomprehensibleness of Christs love cofirmed by Arguments by which the incomprehensible greatness of this love of Christ may be confirmed and demonstrated And they are such as these Sect. 1. IT must needs be great and incomprehensible Arg. 1 love passing knowledge because it is the love of Christ It was said of Gideon Judges 8.21 As the man is so is his strength and it must be said of Christ As he is so is his love Now he being an infinite person his love must needs be infinite love or else he would not love like himself He was Man indeed that he might be capable of loving us in such a way as we needed but he was God also that he might accomplish the ends and designs of his love which were our Redemption and Salvation now Christ being God and so infinite in his nature which is a piece of every Christians Creed and those who deny it now will * Quos suo tempore compescet aeternus Dei filius Aret. Probl. loc 3. p. 11. feel it to their shame and sorrow another day that love which is in him and inseparable from his Essence for God is Love 1 John 4.16 is undoubtedly infinite and as soon may n InfinituÌ„ secundum quod infinitum est ignotum Bed Ax. Philos p. 97. finite creatures such as we are comprehend that which is infinite as be able to comprehend this love of Christ Alas there are lower and lesser things which puzzle and non-plus the most reaching head among us and how shall we then be able to reach this o Vide Lessiâ— librum de summo bono p. 54. c. Glanvils Vanity of Dogmatizing The natural Works of Creation and Providence have many secrets which we cannot dive into many riddles which we cannot unfold for p Job 5.9 he doth great things and unsearchable marvellous things without number Who can answer the Quaeries put by the mighty God to q Job 38.39 40 41 Chapters Job r Eccles 11.5 Who knoweth the way of the Spirit or how the bones do grow in the Womb of her that is with Child The formation quickning growth of a Child in the Womb is a mystery to us Who is there that is fully acquainted with the introduction nature and workings of his own soul which as now it is is Å¿ Jer. 17.9 deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it Who can see the t Ezek. 1.16 wheel within the wheel the secret spring of Providence that moves and turns the many and seemingly cross revolutions in the world u Psal 77. â—9 Who can trace Gods way in the Sea and his path in the great Waters and his footsteps which are not known and how then w Job 11.7 8 9. can we by searching find out God can we find out his love to perfection It is as high as Heaven what can we do It is deeper than Hell what can we know The measure thereof is longer than the Earth and broader than the Sea to allude to that of Zophar to Job How can we understand the love of Christs heart who are such strangers to the lusts of our own hearts for x Psal 19.12 who can understand hsi errours sayes the Kingly Prophet Let him that thinks to attain unto it first y Isa 40.12 measure the Waters in the hollow of his hand and mete out the Heaven with a span and comprehend the
suam erga ipsos neque plane talem qualis esse solet dilectio a creaturâ promonans sed talem esse qualis est creatoris ipsius Dei amor Nota igitur Christum non tantum nos priorem dilexisse ut est nos diligimus eum quia ipse nos dilexit prior 1 Joh. 4.19 sed etiam talem esse ejus erga nos amorem qualis est ille Dei amor hoc est infinitum incomprehensiblem c. Rolloc in Johan p. 796. It signifieth sayes Rolloc in loc that his love towards them was not common and ordinary nor such as is wont to proceed from the creature but it was such as is the love of God the Creator himself Note therefore that Christ did not only love us first as it is 1 John 4.19 We love him because he loved us first but also that his love towards us is such as is that love of God that is infinite and incomprehensible The love of Christ towards his own as Mr. Hutcheson observes in his Comment on this place Doct. 3. is matchless and can be resembled by no love on earth but is like his Fathers love to him as being eternal sincere and intimate incomprehensible infinite and unchangeable as the other is Let Gerhards note on the place seal up this testimony i Colligitur autem ex hoc ultimo exhortationis argumento quod Christus omnes verè credentes summo ineffabili amore prosequitur si quidem ita diligit eos ut ipse a patre diligitur quo nihil quicquam dulcius nihil jucundius cordi pio contrito nunciari potest quid enim ulterius desiderare possumus si certi sumus nos ita a Christo diligi ut ipse a patre diligitur quà m nemo dubitare potest esse summam ineffabilem dilectionem c. Gerh. Harm p. 1010. We may gather from hence sayes he that Christ loves believers with the highest and ineffable love seeing he loves them so as he is loved of the Father than which nothing can be declared more sweet more pleasant to a godly contrite heart for what can we desire more if we are assured that we are so loved of Christ as he is loved of the Father Who can doubt but that it is the highest and ineffable love There is indeed a difference in this That the Father loveth Christ our Mediator as God per naturam naturally because coëssential and coëqual with himself as Man per gratiam unionis by the grace of Union because the humane nature is assumed into the person of the Word But Christ loves believers by grace and adoption But there is an agreement in this That first as the Father loved Christ from eternity so Christ hath loved us from eternity Secondly As the Father loves Christ truly sincerely and ineffably so Christs love to us is true sincere and ineffable Thirdly As the Father out of love bestowed all blessings upon Christ as Man so Christ out of love bestoweth blessings of all kinds upon us Fourthly As the Father loveth Christ constantly and for ever so Christ also loveth us constantly and for ever so that upon the whole matter we may conclude as Mr. Cartwright doth his Comment on this place k Quamobrem verè dicitur Eph. 3.19 Amorem Christi omnem humanam intelligentiam superare Cart. Har. p 930. That it is truly said as it is in the Text That the love of Christ passeth all knowledge That 's the second Argument Sect. 3. Arg. 3 MY third Argument for the exceeding greatness and incomprehensibleness of the love of Christ shall be drawn from the infinite fulness of it in respect of its dimensions l Col. 1.19 It hath pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell and all fulness of love as well as any thing else The Apostle speaks something of the dimensions of it in the Verse preceding the Text v. 18. where he ascribes length and depth breadth and height to it and thence concludes it to be a love which passeth knowledge I know that some of the Ancients have applied this to several things which I willingly omit as not conducing to my present purpose nor indeed agreeable to the Apostles scope which is to magnifie the love of Christ and engage the Ephesians in the study of it and therefore m Paulus nihil per istas dimensiones intelligit quà m Christi charitatem de quaÌ„ continuò post Calv. in loc Quos termi â—os ad Christi dilectionem transfort Aret. Longe satius videtur ut hae dimensiones ad illam ipsam Dei Christique charitatem referantur cujus praemissa subjectae est mentio Bod. in loc p. 398. Calvin with other Expositors conceive that the Apostle understands nothing by these dimensions but the love of Christ of which he speaks so immediately after Only the Question is From whence the expression is taken First Some think it may be an allusion to the heaving and waving of Offerings among the Jews under the Law which you find mentioned Exod. 29.26 On which words n Vide Fagium in locum Fagius in his Annotations upon the Chaldee Paraphrase hath this note out of the Hebrew Doctors That there was a double Ceremony used in some of the Jewish Sacrifices and particularly in this which was for the consecration of their Priests The one was an heaving upward and downward and this was called Terumah from Rum Elevare to heave The other was a moving forward and backward on the right hand and on the left that is from East to West and then from North to South and this was called Tenuphah from Nuph Agitare to wave Thus the shoulder of the Ram of Consecration was to be heaved and the breast waved before the Lord v. 26. 27. called therefore the Heave-offering and Wave-offering These Ceremonies according to o Vide Lyr. in loc Cartwr Annot. in Exod. p. 382. Rabbi Solomon were thus performed Moses did put his hands under the hands of Aaron and his Sons who held the things that were to be offered and first lifted them upward then drew them downward and afterwards drew them Eastward Westward Northward and Southward The Jews had a good meaning in these Rites p Ad designandum quòd ea â—fferebant Deo qui coelo terrae quatuor orbis partibus dominatur Lyr. Cart. Fag ut suprà for hereby was signified That God was the Lord of Heaven and Earth And we may make a good use of it our selves q Ainsworth on the place If Ministers would learn from hence how with all their heart and with all their strength they should give themselves unto the Service of God in his Church with much labour and manifold afflictions even as the Prince of our salvation was consecrated also through afflictions 2 Cor. 6.4 c. Heb. 2.10 And if both Ministers and People would learn how with raised and enlarged hearts and minds they
names of the persons are not mentioned Operum Tom. 4. mihi p. 100. c. Masons Acts of the Church p. 11. Marc. Marul Spalat de institut benè vivendi lib. 3. cap. 2. p. 226. Andr. Hondors Theatrum Historicum mihi p. 499. at Antioch Theodora a godly Virgin refusing to sacrifice to the Idols was condemned by the Judge to the Stews which Sentence being executed there were many wanton young men ready at the door to press into the House where she was but one of the Brethren called Didymus putting on a Souldiers habit would have the first admittance and coming in he perswaded her to change garments with him and so she in the Souldiers habit escaped away and Didymus was left to the rage and wondring of the people being found a man Hereupon he was presented to the President to whom he presently confessed the whole matter professing himself to be a Christian and so was condemned which Theodora hearing of thinking to excuse him she came and presented her self to the Judge as the guilty party desiring that she might be condemned and the other excused but the cruel Judge neither considering the vertue of the persons nor the innocency of the cause most inhumanely condemned them both first to be beheaded and then burnt which was accordingly executed Here was great love and indeed I have all along singled out the most eminent instances which I have met with of love among the Children of Men. But yet all this lies far short of Christs love towards us For 1. There is so vast a difference betwixt the persons suffering that the best of them are not to be compared with Christ who is worth ten thousand of us and the life which he laid down infinitely more valuable than ten thousand of ours 2. The death which they underwent was a debt which must have been paid by all of them sooner or later whether they would or no but Christ lay under no obligation to dye only he voluntarily undertook it for our sakes 3. The objects for which they suffered were amiable and obliging It was for a Countrey for m Fateor equidem magna charitas est cum quis pro amico ponit animam vix inquit Paulus pro bono quis moriatur At haec charitas longè maior est quuÌ„ quis pro inimico ponit animam suam neque ejusmodi amor inter homines reperitur Christus autem pro inimicis suis mortuus est ergò singulari quodam amore cujus exemplum nullum extat inter homines nos pres cuius est Rolloc in Joan. p. 800. Friends for a Wife for a Husband for a Master for a Child for a Father for a fellow-Christian but it was otherwise here Christ died for ungodly sinners and enemies as I told you before so that if we consider Christ in the greatness and glory of his person and Man in his meanness vileness and opposition to himself and then consider love breaking forth from Christ so far towards such a one as to shed his blood and lay down his life for him and that upon no other account but his own free and undeserved love it may make us cry out with admiration How great is his goodness how great is his love This is that which raiseth the love of Christ so far above out of our sight and reach n Tantus nos dilexit tantùm gratis tantillos tales Ber. de dil Deo p. 296. That so great a person should love so low and vile ones as we were so much and that freely For to use the words of o Quis enim potest colligere mysterii hujus charitatis rationem ut Deus hominis causâ homo naesceretur deindè moreretur pro hominibus pro servis Dominus pro creaturâ Creator pro impiis Pius Propter quid ità nos dilexit Aut ut quid nostrum haberet qui nullius indiget nunquid non charitas haec super scientiam hominum est Aut quis hominum poterit hanc charitatem alicui exhibere quanquà m impar sit ac per hoc supereminet humana commenta Ambros in Text. Ambrose who can gather a reason of the mystery of this love that God for Mans sake should become Man and then dye for Men the Lord for Servants the Creator for his Creature the Holy One for the Vngodly Wherefore did he thus love us What was it to gain of ours who himself stands in need of nothing Is not this love above the knowledge of men or Who among the Sons of Men can shew this love to another though there be no compare and in this surpasseth all humane conception Was ever love like this No it is incomparable for as p Non enim est pater non mater non amicus non alius quisquam qui nos tantùm dilexcrit quantùm tu Domine qui fecisti nos Absoâ—beat igitur quaeso amantissime Domine mentem meam ab omnibus quoe sub coeâ—o sunt ignita melliflua vis tui amoris ut totus tibi inhaercam solâque suavitatis tuae dulcedine pascar delecter inebrier Idiot Contemplat de Amore Divino cap. 5. p. mihi 353. one speaks There is neither Father nor Mother nor Friend nor any other who hath loved us so much as thou O Lord who hast made us Let therefore I beseech thee O most loving Lord the hotly-flaming and sweetly-flowing force of thy love swallow up my mind from all things under Heaven that I may wholly cleave unto thee and be only fed delighted and even overcome with thy sweetness That 's the fourth Argument CHAP. IV. Sect. 1. MY next Argument shall be taken from the way which God takes for the representing and applying of this love to us Arg. 5. that we may have some apprehension of it and acquaintance with it 1. For Representation The love of Christ appears to be incomprehensible because the course which is taken for bringing us to some sight of it is by mediums and reflections The light of the Sun is so strong and piercing and our sight so weak and tender that our eyes are dazled when we look directly upon it and therefore the best sight we have of it is by some medium or reflection Such is the love of Christ the beams of it from the q Mal. 4.2 Sun of Righteousness are so strong that it would soon overcome our weak and dimm sight to look directly upon it and therefore he shadows it out to us and reflects it upon us that we may discern something of it You know how the Church under the Old Testament had Christ and his Love shadowed out under Types and Sacrifices and we have the representation of the same Christ and the same Love for r Heb. 13.8 he is the same yesterday to day and for ever under the Word and Sacraments which are the glasses by which we see darkly and know in part that love of Christ which we
cannot see directly as it is nor know perfectly in this life Indeed ours have advantage of theirs in point of clearness but still the representations which we have are by mediums not immediately which we cannot bear Thus throughout the Scripture we have the love of Christ to his people shadowed out under the resemblance of such relations as are nearest and most obvious to us and best known by us As of a Å¿ Isa 40.11 Joh. 10.11 Shepherd to his Flock of a t Isa 49.15 Heb. 2.13 Mother to her Children of a u Ephes 5.23.30 Head to the Body of one w Joh. 15.14 Friend and x Heb 2.11 Brother to another of a y Eph. 5.25 26 27. Husband to his Wife c. Now God doth hereby condescend to speak to us as it were in our own Idiom and language that we might have some glimpse of that love reflected through these relations which we cannot fully conceive nor understand as it is in it self To which I add this also That the main end of Christs coming in the flesh and taking our nature upon him was to bring himself nearer to us not only that he might be capable of expressing his love to us in such a way as we needed by dying and suffering for us but also that we might be more familiarly acquainted with his own and his Fathers love towards us as he gave an z 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 1.18 Exegesis and declaration of it in our nature which in it self passeth knowledge 2. For Application The love of Christ appears to be great and incomprehensible forasmuch as after it hath been declared and represented in that plain and familiar way which you have heard of yet so far short are we of understanding it to any good purpose by our own reason and abilities of nature that without the help of the Spirit we cannot attain unto any saving knowledge of it This therefore is the great work which the Spirit hath to do in the Church and for which he proceeds from the Father and the Son namely to bring the Elect to a sight taste and experience of this love of Christ and to lead them on unto further measures and higher degrees in this knowledge and experience till they attain perfection To this end our blessed Saviour being to leave the world leaves a promise of the Holy Ghost to supply his absence Joh. 16.7 and he tells us what his office and business should be both in reference to to the World and in reference to Believers In reference to the World that were yet Strangers his business was to bring them to Christ to know and taste of his love and that by convincing them of sin righteousness and judgement v. 8 9 10 11. In reference to Believers that were already called and converted his business was to bring them to further acquaintance with Jesus Christ and fuller experience of his love Thus he tells them v. 14. a Nequè enim nos illuminat Spiritus ut abducat vel tantillum a Chrislo sed ut thesauros illos qui in Christo sunt absconditi reseret In summâ non aliis quà m Christi divitiis nos locupletat Spiritus ut ejus gloriam per omnia illustret Calv. in loc He shall glorifie me for he shall receive of mine and shew it unto you He shall give you further insight into the mysteries of my love which I could tell you of my self but that you cannot bear them now v. 12. The Apostle confirms this who tells us That as no man knows the things of a man but the spirit of man which is in him so no man knows the things of God but the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.11 But how then come any of us to know them Why sayes he God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit v. 10. who is therefore given to believers that they may know the things that are freely given them of God b Apostolus per Dei dona ipsum Christum impâ—imis imò fere unum intelligit quum nihil nobis nisi in Christo sit laâ—gitus Bez. in loc v. 12. and among other things they come to know the love of Christ and to know it more abundantly by the Spirit for sayes the same Apostle The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us Rom. 5.5 The first sight and further tastes of the love of God in Christ is from the Holy Ghost Now as the gift of the Spirit is in it self a great gift of love and indeed next to the gift of Christ the greatest the Evangelist makes it equivalent to all good things Luke 11.13 compared with Mat. 7.11 so it argues the love of Christ to be exceeding great that the glorious Spirit of God is given on purpose to bring us to acquaintance with it If we were able to comprehend it of our selves there would be no need of the Holy Ghosts influence and assistance to bring us to the right understanding of it That 's the fifth Argument Sect. 2. Arg. 6. MY next Argument is this The love of Christ must needs be a love passing knowledge because those who have attained to the highest pitch in the knowledge of this love do yet fall far short of knowing it to perfection in this life and yet the present fruits and effects of what they do attain unto are very great and incomprehensible This Argument hath two Branches and both tend to confirm the truth in hand 1. Those who have attained to the highest pitch in the knowledge of this love of Christ do yet fall far short of knowing it to perfection in this life which is an undoubted evidence of its incomprehensible greatness Alas it is but little very little which the best of Saints do know of it here upon Earth in comparison of what is to be known and shall be known of it by them in Heaven Even Paul himself who went as far as any in the knowledge of Christ and his love yet confesseth that he c 1 Cor. 13.12 saw but through a glass darkly and knew but in part When he speaks of Christ he speaks of him as one in whom are d Eph. 3.8 unsearchable riches and when he mentions the love of Christ in the Text he he calls it a love which passeth knowledge Ask a Saint that hath had the fullest and longest knowledge and experience of Christ and his love and he will tell you he hath gotten no more than what leaves him admiring the fulness which is in Christ which he is never able to comprehend he will tell you of a plus ultrà still which which he can never reach an Abysse of love which he can never fathome It pleaseth him indeed to live and dye in the study and meditation of it yet without hopes of coming to the perfect knowledge of it though he should live Methuselahs age he will confess himself at last
of me Oh how wonderful how wonderful how wonderful is thy love Oh thy love is unspeakable that hast dealt so graciously with me Oh I feel thy mercies and oh that my tongue and heart were able to sound forth thy praises as I ought and as I willingly would do Afterwards she had these expressions Now blessed Lord thy comfortable presence is come yea Lord thou hast had respect to thy Handmaid and art come with fulness of joy and abundance of consolations O blessed be thy Name O Lord my God! Again a Christian Friend coming to see her and marvelling at her exceeding joyes desired the continuance of them whereupon she burst out and said Oh the joyes the joyes the joyes that I feel in my soul oh they be wonderful they be wonderful they be wonderful And again not long after she said to a Minister who came to see her Oh! my soul hath been compassed about with terrours of death fear within and fear without the sorrows of Hell were upon me knots and knorres were upon my soul and a roaring Wilderness of woe was within me but blessed blessed blessed be the Lord my God who hath not left me comfortless but like a good Shepherd hath he brought me into a place of rest even to the sweet running Waters of Life that flow out of the Sanctuary of God and he hath led me into the green Pastures where I am fed and exceedingly comforted c. Oh! blessed be the Lord Oh! blessed be the Lord that hath thus comforted me and hath brought me now to a place more sweet unto me than the Garden of Eden Oh the joy oh the joy the delightsome joy that I feel Oh how wonderful how wonderful how wonderful is this joy Oh! praise the Lord for his mercies and for this joy which my soul feeleth full well Praise his Name for evermore And thus she continued till at last she slept in the Lord. Now from all this put together I conclude That seeing the love of Christ shed abroad in the hearts of his people hath such admirable effects to the filling of them with such unspeakable joy and comfort and seeing it is but little in comparison which the highest best and most priviledged Saints do know and taste of this love here below surely this love must needs have an exceeding great and incomprehensible fulness in it self That 's the sixth Argument Sect. 3. MY next Argument is this Arg. 7. It appears to be a love which passeth knowledge because when the spirits of just men shall be made perfect in Heaven where they shall know and receive most of this love yet even then they shall not be able to comprehend all of it but rather be comprehended by it It s true that in Heaven the capacities of the Saints shall be enlarged to the utmost and they shall be filled according to that enlargement they shall want nothing to make them perfectly blessed they shall have as much of this love in the beatifical fruits of it as they can hold and shall be able to hold incomparably more than now they can but yet even then and there they will not be able to hold it all for that which is infinite can never be comprehended by that which is finite there being no proportion betwixt them So that what is said of the joy of our Lord in Mat. 25.21 is true of the love of our Lord it s too big to enter into us therefore we must enter into it As a large Vessel put into the Ocean takes in of the water till it be full yet cannot contain it all but when it can hold no more is swallowed up so the Saints who here sip and taste of the love of Christ shall in Heaven drink more of it till they be everlastingly swallowed up by it Jesus Christ even at his second coming when he shall take up his Saints to be where he is Joh. 14.3 to behold that is enjoy his glory Joh. 17.24 will even then be admired in all them that believe 2 Thes 1.10 admired for that love which brought them thither and admired for that glory which they shall enjoy there as the fruits of this love n Dr. Sclater on Thes p. 50. The measure of the glory will be so great as shall fill the enjoyers with wonder at the grace beholders with no less than admiration at the power of the bestower When a glorified Saint shall consider himself raised from the dust yea the dunghill to sit with Princes to be made like and equal to the Angels to see God and enjoy an exceeding and eternal weight of glory when he hath deserved no such matter but the contrary and thousand yea millions of men his equals if nos his betters passed by how will it fill such a one with extolling and admiring the rich grace and love of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ We our selves sayes o Nos ipsi sentimus effundi amorem Dei in corda nostra câ—piosâ copiâ per SpirituÌ„ Sanctum qui datus est nobis sed totum semèl comprehendere in hâc vitâ non possumus In alterâ verò vitâ stupebimus ad admirabileÌ„ illam dilectionem neque tamen etiam tùm animus creaturae etiam glorificatae poterit infinitam illam totam comprehendere quae in Deo est saltèm id scimus quòd illâ charitate toti implebimur cùm Deus erit omnia in omnibus Rolloc in Joan. p. 7â—6 Rolloc do now perceive the love of God to be shed abroad in great plenty into our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us but we are not able to comprehend it altogether at once in this life And in the life to come we shall be amazed at that admirable love though even then the mind of a glorified creature shall not be able to comprehend all that infinite love which is in God Yet this at least we now know That we shall be altogether filled with that love when God shall be all in all To conclude this how exceeding great must that love needs be which the Saints in glory shall not be able fully to comprehend That 's the seventh Argument Sect. 4. MY last Argument Arg. 8. wherewith I shall conclude what I have to say as to the Doctrinal part of this Proposition is this The love of Christ must needs pass all humane p Omnem superat cognitionem nempè humanam adeoque Angelicam Zanch. in loc ut suprà for it surpasseth all Angelical knowledge The Angels being purae Intelligentiae of pure Intelligences and of larger capacities than the rest of the creatures do know more than we yet their knowledge is but like that of the creatures finite and limited q Certissimum est Angelos etsi multa sciant mâ—l a lamen etiam nescire Estius in Sentent lib. 2. dist 7. p. 75. though by their natural knowledge they know many things yet not all things There are many things
last We may please our selves and it may be those that hear us too by preaching other things but we shall not save our selves and those that hear us unless we preâ—ch Jesus Christ We are but Prevaricators in our office if Jesus Christ be not the Vnum Magnum nay the Vnum Maximum in our Ministry This is also the great business of every Christian for himself to know Jesus Christ our life depends upon it according to our Saviours own words Joh. 17.3 This is life eternal to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent For the excellency of this knowledge the Apostle Paul counted all things but dross and dung Phil. 3.8 This is the one thing necessary without which all a mans other knowledge will but hasten and heighten his condemnation Si Christum discis nihil est si caetera nescis Si Christum nescis nihil est si caetera discis Englished thus If Christ thou know it will suffice Though else thou knowest naught If Christ be hid thou art not wise Though all else thou be taught Now the love of Christ is the main matter to be studied and known by every one who would study and know Jesus Christ and indeed we cannot miss of love in the study and knowledge of Christ for Christ is love His Name his Natures his Offices his Doctrine his Life his Death his Priviledges his Ordinances his All have a deep tincture of love in them and this love is to be known and that it may be known to be studied by us by all of us even the best of us If you say We hear this often enough Object and know this well enough I answer * Nunquà m satis dicitur quod nunquà m satis discitur That is never said enough Answ which is never learned enough And though you know the love of Christ do you know it as you ought to know it If you do not you must go over it again that you may know it better and you do not know Christ as you ought nor his love as you ought until you have him and it by heart You who know most and best are yet to seek you know but in part there are all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge hid in Christ Col. 2.3 unsearchable riches Ephes 3.8 which can never be traced and found out You may be all your time searching and digging into them and yet though you should live never so long not come to the bottome at last but must breath out your soules with an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the conclusion oh the depth for this is a love which passeth knowledge Object If you say that it is an heartless hopeless work which I put you upon when I bid you study to know the love of Christ seeing it passeth knowledge Answ I Answer That it 's true the love of Christ is such as passeth knowledge the riches of Christ are unsearchable riches but yet the unsearchable riches of Christ should not make us idle but active in digging and searching them out as far as we can the unknowable love of Christ should not deaden and straiten but quicken and enlarge our appetite to endeavour after as full a knowledge as we may What wise man will stand still or go back because he cannot finish his journey in a day Will not men dig for Gold because they cannot get to the bottome of the Mine And shall we refuse to know as much as we can of this love of Christ because we cannot comprehend as much as there is Far be it from any of us to cherish any such thought for the checking whereof consider 1. That you may know enough of Christ and his love to serve for your souls salvation which its your great interest to mind and look after as the great end of your being 2. You shall not need fear to be cloyed and glutted in the study of this love Varietas delectat variety delights and there is so much variety in this one subject the love of Christ as renders the study of it very delectable 3. The deeper you go in this love of Christ the sweeter yea if as * Plut. Moral Tom. 2. Lat. 8. mihi p. 117. Plutarch notes Eudoxus was content to be burnt up by the Sun if he might have liberty first to stand so near as to learn the figure magnitude and form of a Star how much more and better should a Christian be content to enter upon and proceed in the search study knowledge and understanding of this love of Christ till he be at last swallowed up of that which he is never able fully to comprehend Sect. 2. IN the prosecution of this Exhortation I shall do these two things 1. I shall direct your knowledge that you may not mistake about it 2. I shall excite you to it by the encouragements which the Apostle layes down about the Text that you be not disheartned so as to decline your duty in this particular By way of Direction which is needful 1. Directions about our knowing the love of Christ for all knowledge of the love of Christ is not sufficient and saving there is a general notional speculative historical knowledge which will be prejudicial and not profitable in the end though this be good as far as it goes yet where there is no more it is not sufficient Those who know the love of Christ in the notion only for Discourse sake or for a Professions sake only will fall as short of Heaven as the most ignorant person yea those who know the love of Christ no better than thus will but descend the more learnedly into Hell and incurre the more severe condemnation Now that you may not mistake here nor miscarry hereafter in this business of knowing the love of Christ I shall direct you to mind the qualifications of your knowledge and I shall mention three Direction 1. That it be affectionate knowledge 1. Look that your knowledge of the love of Christ be Cognitio affectiva an affectionate knowledge let it not swimme in your heads only by empty Notions but sink down into your hearts in sweet savoury warming and lively affections towards him And Sect. 2. 1. SEE that you have such a knowledge of Christ and his love The first Branch of the first Direction That it be a knowledge accompanied with love as is accompanied with love to him True love is grounded in knowledge and true knowledge hath love built upon it Though your heads be never so full of the knowledge of Christ yet if your hearts be not also full of love to him it will neither be acceptable to Christ nor profitable to your selves The Apostle tells us how little the understanding of all mysteries and all knowledge will profit a man without love 1 Cor. 13. for as the t Multa scilicâ—t laudabilia atque admiranda possunt in homine reperiri quae sine
wherewith the Saints are inflamed is such as cannot be quenched with any calamities or persecutions whatsoever Thus Mercer takes it o Persecutiones possumus â—ccipere adversatorum terrorem minas ne hae quidem amorem Ecclesiae in Christum extiguere possint minùs bland tâ—ae illecebrae Merc. in loc By Waters and Floods sayes he we may understand Persecutions and the terrour and threats of Adversaries even these cannot quench the love of the Church to Christ how much less can flatteries and allurements do it To this purpose is that of the Apostle Rom. 8.35 ad fin What shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or Sword c. I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor thingt to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I know these words are generally taken by p Grot. Vorst Calv. Bez. Eras Pareus Pisc Expositors for that love with which the Lord loveth us yet some of the q Ambros Ansel Theoph. Ancients take them for that love which we have towards him And r Nec inepta nec impia est sententia Pet. Mart. in loc Peter Martyr though he follow it not sayes it is no ill or unfit sense I think Deodat doth well who takes in both senses What grief or calamity can make us doubt that Christ hath withdrawn his love from us and make us cease loving him So he and the Commentators forementioned on that place in the Canticles do make this Scripture parallel with that And it is a great truth that as none of these things can make Christ cease loving those whom he hath once loved so neither can they make a Christian cease loving of Christ whose heart is sincerely pitch'd upon him in a way of love It is every ones duty Å¿ Qui non est paratus omnia pati ad voluntateÌ„ stare dilecti non est dignus amatoâ— appellari Opoâ—tet amantem omnia dura amara propter dilectuÌ„ lib nâ—èr amplecti nec ob contraria accidâ—ntia ab eo deflecti A Kempis de Imit Christi lib. 3. cap. 5. p. 152. He who is not ready to suffer all things and to stand to the will of his beloved is not worthy to bear the name of a lover It becomes him who loves to embrace willingly all hard and bitter things for his sake whom he loves nor for all contrary occurrences to be turned aside from him And it is the property of every upright Christian This hath been verified in the whole noble Army of Martyrs in all Ages who have with the strongest resolution and most invincible stedfastness entertained all the threats and torments of their enemies rather than deny Christ or be separated from his love Upon this account they have been tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection Others had tryal of cruel mockings and scourgings yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment They were stoned they were sawn asunder were tempted were slain with the Sword they wandred about in sheep-skins and goat-skins being destitute afflicted and tormented as you have it Heb. 11.35 36 37. Thus the t Nec retardali estis ab aâ—itormentorum metused ipsis tormentis magis estis ad aciem provocati sortes stabiles ad maximi certaminis praelium prompta devotione prodistis Cypr. Epist 9. Father speaks of the Martyrs and Confessors in his time as good Souldiers of Jesus Christ That they were not retarded from the battel by fear of torments but were more provoked to the battel by those very torments coming forth strong and stedfast with ready devotion to that battel which had the greatest conflict u Ita animati ut incorruptam fidei firmitâ—tem non blanditiae decipiant non minae terreant non cruciatus ac tormenta devincant Nec plus ad dejiciendum potest terrena poena quam ad erigendum tutela diviua Nor did flatteries deceive nor threats terrifie nor pains and torments overcome the incorrupt firmness of their faith which wrought by love as true faith doth Gal. 5.6 Nor was any earthly punishment more able to cast them down than Divine protection was to raise them up w Tolerâstis usque ad consummationem gloriae durissimam quaestionem nec cessistis suppliciis sed vobis potiùs supplicia cesserunt Idem ibid. Steterunt torti torquentibus fortiores pulsantes ac laniantes ungulas pulsata ac laniata membra vicerunt Inexpugnabilem fidem superare non potuit diu saeviens plaga repetita quamvis rupta compage visâ—crum torquerentur in servis Dei jam non membra sed vulnera Idem ibid. They endured the most grievous Inquisition to the consummation of their glory nor did they yield unto punishments but punishments rather yielded unto them And a little after The tormented stood stronger than their tormentors their beaten and torn members overcame those instruments of cruelty wherewith they were beaten and torn Cruel stripes of long continuance and often renewed could not overcome their impregnable faith no not though their very bowels were digged out and not so much the members as the wounds of the servants of God were tormented In another place having written to some Martyrs they return him an answer wherein among other things they tell him x Hostes veritatis non tantum non perhoâ—rescimus sed provocamus inimicos Dei jam hoc ipso quòd non câ—ssimus vicimus Epist 26. inter Cypr. Epist Now we are not only not afraid of the enemies of the Truth but we provoke them and in this very thing that we yield not to the enemies of God we overcame them And a little before they tell him That it was the Trumpet of the Gospel which animated them to this combat And among other places these are two there mentioned which gave them great encouragement He that loveth Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me Mat. 10.37 and that fore-cited Rom. 8.35 c. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ c. It was their love to Christ which made them invincible in all their sufferings for Christ and this was an evidence of the truth and rightness of it that it was stedfast and invincible I might give you innumerable instances of this as many Martyrs so many instances I shall content my self with naming two or three Ignatius whose heart was enflamed with love to Christ as I hinted before kept this fire in amidst the waters and floods of Persecution which he met with Hear what he sayes whiles he was a Prisoner a little before his suffering y 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ignat. Epist ad Roman Edit Usser mihi p. 86. Now I begin to be a Disciple I care for
Iryn page 879. Grynoeus wrote in a Letter to Chytraeus a little â—efore his death where not only the wound of contention is cured but the scarr which is â—ere oft left upon the place is not to be seen â—here to disfigure the beauty of its rest and â—eace the consideration whereof hath made b Spero me brevi ex his rixis migraturuÌ„ esse ad Ecclesiam in quâ sine Sophisticâ Deus celebrabitur Melanct. Epist p. 224. Spero me brevi in Ecclesiam Coelestem migraturum esse procul remotam ab illis furiis quae nunc Ecclesiam horribiliter turbaâ—t Idem pag. 514. Cupio ex hâc vitâ migrare propter duas causas 1 Ut fruar desiderato conspectu Filii Dei Coelestis Ecclesiae 2 Ut liberer ab immanibus implacabilibus odiis Theologorum Melch. Ad. in Vit. Strigel p. 427. some pious precious souls weary of earth and willing to be dissolved wishing and desiring the wings of a Dove with the Prophet David Psalm 55.6 that they might flee away and be at rest in that place where there is a Rest remaining for the people of God as from all other evils so from this of divisions and dissentions among Brethren Heb. 4.9 And thus much shall suffice to have been spoken concerning the first Affection Love to the Lord Jesus on whom I have given the longer Attendance and served with the more solemnity because of her Royalty as Queen Regent in the soul As for the rest which are her Train of Handmaids waiting on her I shall dispatch them with the more ease and brevity yet can I not wholly omit them forasmuch as Love her self is not compleat without them Briefly thus CHAP. IX The second branch of the first Diâ—â—â—tion about 〈…〉 of Christs Love 2. LET your Love to the Lord Jesus run towards him by Desire and rest on him by Delight which a Amor currit per desiderium quiescit per gaudium it is proper for true Love to do Know him so as to love him and love him so as to desire him and delight in him Sect. 1. Thaâ—â—t be accompanied with Desire 1. LET your Love to Christ run towards him in desires earnest hungring and thirsting desires afterVnion and Communion with him The tidings which you have of him in his word as the Desire of all Nations b Whitak Serm. on the place p. 46. Haggai 2. 7. because of his desirableness in himself and in comparison of other things Cant. 5.10.16 Proverbs 3.15 because of the c Desideratus cunctis gentibus dicitur quoniaÌ„ omnes gentes illius adventu redemptione multùm indigebant unaquaeque res quasi pondere naturae appetit id quo maximè indiget Riber in loc absolute need which all have of him without whom they can neither live comfortably nor die happily as being without God and without hope so far as they are without Christ Ephes 2.12 and because of his desire towards them to do them good and communicate of his fulness to them Prov. 8.31 Cant. 7.10 this should render him desirable unto you whatever he is in the thoughts and esteem of the blind unbelieving world Isaiah 53.2 and should make him actually desired by you even by all of you that you may tast and see how good and gracious how loving and lovely he is Psalm 34.8 And every tast which any of you who know and love and believe in him have had of his sweetness and fulness should set you on longing for more not with pain as at first but with pleasure Know Christ therefore so as to love him and love him so as to d Amor est pondus animi quocunque fertur amore fertur animus in Deum tanquà m in centrum aeternae quietis Aug. de civ Dei lib. 11. ca. 28. p. 677. Less de sum bono lib. 2. cap. 11. p. 201 202. long after him long to know him more long to love him more long to enjoy him more on earth till your knowledge love and longing shall be perfectly satisfied in heaven e Sistitur appetitus in viâ satiatur in patriâ Indeed a Christians appetite is stayed with what he hath from Christ for a Viaticum in his present pilgrimage but it is not fully satisfied till he come home to his own Country and Fathers House in which respect our present life is but a life of desires in comparison and the life to come most properly the life of enjoyments Whiles the men of the world make choyce of many things to be the objects of their desires do you pitch upon Christ who alone is sufficient to satisfie your desires which all other things never can When you hear many say Who will shew us any good and place that good in some outward thing do you with David say Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me Psalm 4.6 Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none on earth that I desire besides thee e Arrowsmiths Armil Catech Aph. 1. Exerc. 4 page 59. Psalm 73.25 f Let Diotrephes say It is good for me to have the preheminence Judas It is good for me to bear the Bag Demas It is good for me to embrace this present world But do you conclude with David Psalm 73.38 It is good for me to draw nigh to God And in drawing nigh to him let your souls follow hard after him Psalm 63.8 Panting after him as the Hart panteth after the Water brooks Psalm 42.1 Thirsting and longing for him as the dry and thirsty land for water Psalm 63.1 Thus pant and thirst and long for his manifesting himself to you in mediate communion in grace Let him kisse ne with the kisses of his mouth Cant. 1.2 Stay me with Flagons comfort me with apples for I am sick of Love Cant. 2.5 Let my beloved come into his Garden and eat his pleasant fruits Cant. 4.16 Make hast my beloved and be thou like a Roe or a young Hart upon the mountains of spices Cant. 8.14 And 2. for his coming to take you up into immediate communion with himself in Glory O! when shall I come and appear before God in Glory Psal 42.2 When wilt thou shew me the path of life that I may come into thy presence where is fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore Psalm 16.11 When shall I behold thy face in righteousness so as to be satisfied with thy likeness Psalm 17.15 I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ Phil. 1.23 Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly Revel 22.20 I conclude this in the words of that Devout Soul Come Lord my head doth burn my heart is sick Herberts Poems Home p. 99. While thou dost ever ever stay Thy long deferrings wound me to the quick My Spirit gaspeth night and day O shew thy self to me Or take me up to thee Sect. 2. 2. LET your Love to Christ rest on him by Delight With
his life will be full of trouble and his heart exceedingly tormented and disquieted if he know it not and though he go to heaven it will not be with such full sail he will not have an entrance administred so abundantly as otherwise it might f Wall None but Christ p. 52. Good and evil affect not till it be apprehended Job lamented not all his losses till a messenger related them to him nor did Jacob rejoyce that Joseph was alive till he knew it Who joyes in an inheritance fallen to him till he know it nor can we joy in Christ as a Saviour nor in his love till we know him to be our Saviour and that he hath loved us The best knowledge of the Sun is by seeing its light and feeling its influence the knowledge of Hony is by tast and the best knowledge of Christ and his love is by tasting and seeing that he is gracious Lay both these together and they may be a strong inducement to make you look after a knowledge of the love of Christ by way of Application Experience and Assurance which is the first particular Sect. 2. By way of Admiration 2. BY way of Admiration Know Jesus Christ in his love so as to admire him and it We are wont to supply the defect of our apprehensions about great and extraordinary matters with admiration now what more worthy of our admiration than Jesus Christ whose Name is wonderful Isaiah 9.6 and his Love which as the Text tells us passeth knowledge He is Wonderful in his Person and in his Works and no lesse wonderful in his Love which doth influence all his works of Wonder for our good We admire Mysteries which g MysteriuÌ„ est sacrum secretum secretam habens intelligentiaÌ„ Dav. in Col. p. 132 are holy secrets hardly understood and surely then we have reason to admire Christ to whom the great Mystery of godliness is reducible for what is it according to the Apostles account 1 Tim. 3.16 but God was manifested in the flesh justified in the Spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the world received up into Glory All which are meant whatever some have delivered to the contrary of Christ and as Hierom said of the Revelations Quot verba tot Sacramenta I may say of these words As many words so many mysteries and as many mysteries so many matters of admiration Study and meditate upon the Lord Jesus and his love as much as you can that you may have some understanding of him and it but when you have gone as farr as you can there will be still Plus ultrà The riches that are in Christ are unsearchable riches Ephes 3.8 The love that he hath manifested unto us is unknowable love the dimensions of it for height dâ—pth length aâ—d breadth are unmeasurable verse 18.19 And therefore when you are at a losse in your search stand still in holy silence and fall to admiring what you fall so infinitely short of apprehending Admire him in his Philanthropie his love to mankind in general That the eternall Son of God should set his heart upon the Sons of Men and love them them rather than the Angels them when fallen as well as the Angels when ungodly rebels and enemies that he should love them so as to leave his Glory which he had from all eternity with his Father and be made flesh for them and lead a life full of miseries and necessities and aâ— last die a shameful painful accursed death for â—hem to pay their scores to Divine Justice and to bring in everlasting Righteousness eternal Redemption and Salâ—ation for them This is strange and extraordinary love worthy â—o bâ— admired for no reason c n be given of it hâ— loveâ— us thus because he loved us and upon no â—ther aâ—count Here then is a fit place to cry out with David Psalm 8.4 Lord what is man that thou art mindful of him or the son of man that thou visitests him What is man Enosh forgetful man as h Propriè obliviscenâ—em Enosh denotare videtur Euseb De praepar Evang. l. 11. miâ—i c. 4. p. 148. Eusebius wâ—ll have it deriving it from Nashah which signifies to forget forgetful of thee and of thy benefits towards him Or rather i Homo dicitur Enosh sed demum post aeâ—umnosum conditionem autegrâ—ssae praevâ—â—catâ—â— culpâ iâ— munâ—u i roductâ—â—â— ca vox â—am homiâ—em 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inopâ—ae variae moleâ—â—ori morâ—is necâ—ssituâ— moriendi ut veâ—bo dicem adversis rebus obnoxium connotat Martinius Lexic Philol. in Praef. 〈◊〉 Sickly mortall miserable man as others who better derive it from Anash which signifies to be sick and in misery What is this man that thou shouldst be mindfull of him not so as barely to remember him but so as tâ— shew eminent care and kindnesse to him as words of memory in the hebrew language do import according to the learned k Rivet in loc Rivets observation on the place and what is the Son of Man the Son of Adam the Son of him whose originall was earth and dust as the word Adam signifies who by his Apostacy and rebellion had forfeited thy favour and love What was he that thou shouldst visit him not with a grievous but gracious visitation not to punish and destroy him as he had deserved but to redeem and save him What matchlesse admirable love was this Admire his singular special love to your souls you who are believers That when others after all this are left without the knowledge of Christ and his love he hath made it known to you by his Word and Gospel that when thousands among whom you live who hear of Christ and his love and have offers of both made unto them are left with the reins on their own necks to follow lying vanities and forsake their own mercy to refuse resist and rebel against all the offâ—rs of grace and you have hearts and natures as full of emnity and opposition against Christ as any and have manifested so much and gone on to maintain it for some time more or lesse yet the Lord hath at length turned the stream taken the stone out of your hearts overcame the resistance of your froward Spirits made you willing in the day of his power and drawn you effectually to run after him and close with him so that you are now in Christ partakers of his love having it shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto you and are under his care and keeping till you come to receive the end of your Faith the salvation of your souls to be filled with all the fulnesse of God to see him face to face whom now you see through a glasse darkly and to be for ever satitfied from that Fountain of love immediately whence you have but small snips and tastes through the Conduits of Ordinances here Is not this strange love and can any other
the same Gospell and embrace the same Christ with themselves 1 Pet. 3.1 whereas their evill conversation opens the mouths and heardens the hearts of evill men against Christ and his wayes Rom. 2.24 2 Pet. 2.2 Look then That your conversation be such as becometh the Gospell Phil. 1.27 That you be blamless and harmless the Sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse Nation shining as lights in the world Phil. 2.15 That you deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world Tit. 2.12 That as he which hath called you is holy so you be holy in all manner of conversation 1 Pet. 2.15 Take heed that your lives be not contradictory to your prayers lest you pull down with the one hand more than you build with the other but let all go together fervent prayers solemn instructions and an holy life whereby you may become hopefully instrumental for propagating the knowledge of Christ unto others Thus look that your knowledge of the love of Christ be not only Affectionate and Effectual but also Progressive in those two particulars which have been mentioned And this is all which I have to say by way of Direction in this point of knowing the love of Christ CHAP. XIII General Motives to labour after this knowledg of Christs Love THere is yet one thing more to be done before I shut up this Vse and that is to lay down some Motives for the exciting of you to look after this knowledge of the love of Christ This indeed hath been done already but the former Motives have been suited to the particulars through which we have gone what I have now to add will respect the whole matter the knowledge of Christs love in general And these Motives shall be only those encouraging ones which are laid down by the Apostle within the veiw of the Text that you may not be disheartned from the pursuit and persecution of that to which you have been exhorted Now these are drawn 1. From the Evidence that this knowledge of Christs love gives unto 2. From the Influence that it hath upon those that have attained unto it Sect. 1. 1. FRom the Evidence which this knowledge of Christs love gives unto those who have attained unto it 1. Labour to know this love of Christ as you have been directed for this will be an evidence of your present Saintship I gather it from what the Apostle speaks ver 18. That you may be able to comprehend with all Saints c. All that bear the name of Christ should study to know the love of Christ it is their duty but onely such as are partakers of Christ and are real Saints are able to comprehend it All they are able not all alike but every one according to his measure all in part not any perfectly and only they e Jennes Scholast Pract. Div. Vol. 1. Of Christs fulnesse pag. 223. The knowledge of Christs love is the priviledge of the Saints common to all believers yet so proper and peculiar to them as that it belongs to none but Saints So that if you have an effectionate effectuall growing knowledge of the love of Christ then you are Saints but on the other side if you live in ignorance of the love of Christ or content your selves with a notional ineffectual stinted knowledge of it you can have no evidence of your Saintship Many are called to be Saints which yet cannot be called Saints some are called Saints which yet are not Saints if you would be Saints indeed as well as called to be such or called such be sure you be not found without the knowledge of the love of Christ and such a knowledge as hath been propounded to you 2. It will be an Evidence of your Title unto and interest in that Glory which is to be revealed in the World to come This follows upon the former for those who are gracious Saints on earth may be confident they shall be glorious Saints in heaven whereas those who are not Saints here cannot be saved hereafter Without sanctification no salvation 2 Thes 2.13 Without holiness no seeing the face of God Heb. 12.14 And this is evidenced from a true knowledge of Christ for this the Apostle makes the end of his praying that these Ephesians might know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge viz. That they might be filled with all the fulness of God as it immediately follows the Text. Which though some understand of that which is to be enjoyed here yet I rather take it as relating to the glory and happiness of heaven For though it hath pleased the Father that in Christ should all fulness dwell Col. 1.19 and all believers do from his fulness receive grace for grace John 1.16 and they are compleat in him Col. 2.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 filled in him the same word with that in the Text and that in this life yet you must understand it aright f Bodius in Ephes p. 402. They are compleat in him not in themselvs but in him who is their Head and they by vertue of Vnion with him as Members with their Head may lay claim to his fulness Again they are compleat with such a fulness as is agreeable to their present state that is they have found in him all things requisite to their perfect Redemption Justification Sanctification Adoption and eternal Salvation so that they need not go out to any other to make up what is wanting in him And therefore taking it in reference to eternal glory it is not meant of a simple and absolute compleatness but of such as so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in some sence only that is initiall not perfect by faith and hope not full fruition jure potiùs quà m re by right to it rather than possession of it They are compleat in him as expectants of a glory to come not as spectators of a glory that is present as militant not as triumphant as passing towards not reigning in their heavenly country with a fulness competent to their present condition not with all the fulness of God which is not enjoyed by any till they come among the Spirits of just men made perfect Heb. 12.23 which is only in heaven g Fergus on the place p. 214. So that the Apostle when he speaks of being filled with all the fulness of God seems to aim at the setting forth of that most glorious and blessed estate of believers in heaven where the Saints shall have the most immediate and fullest enjoyment of God that they are capable of h Jeanes ubi suprà p. 224. There will be a full knowledge of God in the beatifical vision the full Image of God a full participation of the Divine Nature a full union with and fruition of God full and immediate influences from God according to that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.28 where he sayes God shall be all in all that is in all
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. What a Cordial is this to a Christian under all the evils and enemies which he meets with to consider that none of them can separate him from the love of Christ His estate his liberty his relations his life may be taken from him but the love of Christ can never be taken from him He may have many and mighty enemies Men and Devils set against him but Jesus Christ is his friend and will abide so for ever having loved him once he will never cease loving of him but will love him to the end John 13.1 and this is his Cordial of strong consolation to chear and refresh his spirits in all that he endures 2 Because a believer shall be conqueror and obtain a glorious Victory after all his conflicts through Christ â—erse 37. Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us mark it They are conquerors already yea more than so if there be any thing more or better than conquest and victory they have it vertually in and through Christ at present and they shall be really so declared and appear to be so at last Nor doth this arise from a doubtful opinion or probable conjecture but from a full perswasion and assured confidence I am perswaded c. verse 39. g Pareus in loc perswaded from the unchangeable purpose of God his infallible promise and sure covenant from the costly satisfaction and constant intercession of Jesus Christ and from the inward testimony of the Spirit in my heart which cannot faile Thus I hope the matter is sufficiently cleared and confirmed Wherefore Christians seeing you are told by our Saviour That in the world you shall have tribulation John 16 33. and by his Apostles That through much tribulation you must enter into the Kingdom of God Acts 14.22 and seeing you know not what evil may be upon the earth Eccles 11.2 nor how soon you may be called to bear your cross in following after Christ and have your share in great and much affliction let me advise and perswade you to prepare for it and because the love of Christ apprehended and applied by faith is so excellent a cordial against fainting at such a time let me again beseech you to labour after the knowledge of the love of Christ and to know it more and more To this end be much and earnest in prayer for the plentiful effusion of this love into your hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto you Vt totus figatur in corde qui totus fuit fixus in Cruce That he who was wholly fastened to the Cross may be wholly fixed in your hearts as the h August Father speaks Then come what will what can come you need not fear you need not faint whatever you be separated from you shall not be separated from Christ and his love and whatever conflicts you have now you shall be conquerors more than conquerors in the end through him that loved you And thus I have at last dispatched this first and main Use There is something to be superadded by way of Caution and Comfort with which I shall briefly conclude the whole matter Sect. 4. Vse 2 THE next Vse is by way of Caution Take heed of despising and rejecting this Love in the Offers of it by the Ministry of the Gospel Of Caution that we despise not this Love in the Offers of it Hath the Lord Jesus thus loved you and is he still at the cost of sending i 2 Cor. 5.20 Embassadors to make tenders of love to you and will you not accept them shall motions of love be made to your souls from the Lord of Life and Glory as there are in his Word and Ordinances and will you not hearken to them Doth he make Proclamation to all that will k Rev. 22.17 to come and drink of the water of Life freely l Isa 55.1 to buy wine and milk without money and without price to tast how gracious and loving he is and will you still m verse 2. lay out your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not Doth he n Rev. 3.20 stand at the door and knock o Isa 30.18 waiting to be gracious to you and bestow his love upon you even p Cant. 5.2 till his head be filled with dew and his locks with the drops of the night and will you not open to him and give him admission will you q Jona 2.8 for the following of lying vanities forsake your owne mercy Wilt thou O covetous Worldling slight and refuse the love of Christ for the dung and dross of this present world Wilt thou O voluptuous Epicure prefer thy Cups and Queans thy base perishing lusts before it Wilt thou O ambitious wretch choose an aery title of honour a preferment to some slippery place in the Kingdoms of this world which are but Fancies and Fallacies before an interest in this love Alas Sirs do you not know that this r Rev. 6.16 Lamb of God can be angry that he hath Wrath as well as Love and Wrath as infinite as his Love for s Ps 90.11 Who knows the Power of it according to his Fear so is his Wrath and for whom can you imagine this Wrath to be reserved but for his t Nah. 1.2 enemies and such are they who slight and refuse his Love Take heed then what you do Take heed of flying from the arms of his Love till you fall headlong into the fire of his Wrath If you have refused and rebelled hitherto yet now come in and u 2 Chro. 30.8 yield your selves to the Lord and be no more stiff-necked Now x Ps 2.12 kiss the Son lest he be angry Take heed of persisting any longer in your enmity and opposition for y Job 36.18 19. Because there is wrath he may take you away with a stroak and then a great ransom cannot deliver thee He will not esteem thy riches no not gold nor all the forces of strength But if he continue to exercise the z Rom. 2.4 5. riches of his goodness in his forbearance and longsuffering towards you and you go on to despise it and are not led to repenâ—ance by it know this from the Lord that you do but treasure up wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God Beware therefore betimes and a Heb. 3.7 8. to day whiles it is called to day harden not your hearts but hear his voice and accept of the offers of grace which are made unto you lest you feel at last by woful experience the truth of that which you will not now believe that b Heb. 10.31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God who in that great and terrible day will deal 1. In pure wrath without any
Royall Oake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 OR The Transcendency of CHRISTS LOVE towards the Children of Men. Laid down by the Apostle St. Paul in Ephes 3.19 A Treatise formerly Preached but now enlarged and published for common benefit By Peter Williams Preacher of the Gospel I determined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified 1 Cor. 2.2 Christ is all in all 〈◊〉 3.11 As the Father hath â—…d me so have I loved you Joh. 15.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isidor Pelus lib. 1. Epist 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Macar Hom. 16. p. 237. Jesus Christus totus suavis est totus salubris est totus delectabilis totus denique secundum Sponsae vocem desiderabilis Bern. Ser. 2. post Epiph. p. 22. LONDON Printed by E. M. for Nathanael Webb and are to be sold at his Shop at the Sign of the Royal Oak in St. Pauls Church-yard near the little North door 1665. IMPRIMATUR Joh. Hall R. P. D. Episc Lond. à Sac. Domest Ex Aedibus Londinens Octob. 15. 1664. THE DEDICATION To his Christian and Dearly Beloved Friends in YORK and elsewhere THE AUTHOR as a publick and permanent Testimonial of his unfeigned affection to them and real Gratitude for their Respect and Favour towards him Humbly dedicates this ensuing Treatise being the First-fruits of his Labours in this kind Earnestly beseeching the God of all Grace that he would grant them such a knowledge of this in it self incomprehensible Love of Christ as may tend unto and end in their being filled with all the fulness of God And that through 〈◊〉 â—urrence of his Spirit and Blessing this 〈◊〉 â—â—â—atise may be made somâ— way useful and serviceable thereunto The Epistle to the Readers IF you would know why I have made this adventure to appear thus publickly it is That I might Evangelizare manu scriptione and speak among the people with whom I have been conversant when I am dead and gone For though Speech hath * Hâ—bet â—n sciâ— quid laten is energiae viva vor in auâ—oâ— discipuli de doctoâ—is ore tranâ—susa sortiu sonâ—â— Jer. a wonderful secret Energy accompanying of it and * Multo magis viva vox assicit Plin. Epist lib. 2. Epist 3. Nep. p. 95. Eras â—â—g p. 218. a living voyce is more affecting and perswasive than a dead letter and therefore God hath appointed Preaching to be a standing Ordinance in his Church as the most ready and likely way of conveying Sacred Truths to the minds and hearts of men yet herein * Ward Verba volant Scâ—ipta manent Writing hath the advantage of Preaching that whereas this is confined only to a few that is extended to many and whereas this requires presence and continues but for a while that hath its use in absence and is more permanent Sermons are like showers of rain which water for the instant Books are like Snow which lies longer on the Earth these may preach when the Author cannot and which is more when he is not As for this present Book it Treats of a Subject altogether unexceptionable it being as noble sweet and of as necessary concernment as any I could pitch upon What Subject more Noble than Jesus Christ * Col. 2.3 in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge * Field of the Church lib. 1. cap. 4. p. 8. out of Naz. Orat. 4. de sil 1. p. 133. In whom all things appear full of mercy and full of marvel God before all Eternity and yet made man in time born of a Woman and yet a Virgin wrapped in swadling bands and yet glorified by the Angels c. What more sweet than Love And what love more sweet than the love of Christ This is that which the Church sayes * Cant. 1.2 3. Delici is omnibus lantitiis potiores amores tuos duco Merc. in loc is better than Wine and makes his Name as Oyntment poured forth to the attracting of hearts to himself This is that * Cant. 3.10 firm pavement on which Believers may stand confidently without fear of falling That victorious * Cant. 2.3 4. Banner under the shelter whereof they may sit down chearfully without fear of being foiled by their Enemies and find his fruit sweet to their taste What is of greater concernment to us than to know this love of Christ as we ought to know it so as in heart and life in affection and conversation to be in some measure assimilated and conformed thereunto Our present Justification and Sanctification depend upon it for by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many * Isa 53.11 sayes the Lord by his Prophet And * Phil. 3.10 by knowing him we become conformable to his death sayes the Apostle And our future salvation no less for * John 17.3 this is life Eternal to know the true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent saith our Saviour These are the matters here Treated of which I confess are fitter for a David to handle * 2 Sam. 23.1 The man raised on high the anointed of the God of Jacob the sweet Psalmist of Israel Or for a Paul * 2 Cor. 12.4 who was caught up into Paradise and heard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unspeakable words than for one every way so inconsiderable as I am Nay it s more fit for one of those Purae intelligentiae the Angels that are about the Throne than for any dark and dim-sighted Mortal to discourse of these things And therefore the sense of my own weakness and insufficiency hath been all along a grand discouragement and still is a ground of fear to me lest this excellent Subject should be too much debased in so low a hand and prove to be but * Salv. Ornamentum in luto by so mean handling of it Yet such as it is I have adventured it to publick View and when I have added a few Lines to give the Readers a just account concerning my self and it I shall discharge them of any further trouble by way of Preface And for my self I have this to say That though I fall short of what should be done upon such a Subject and might be done by others of greater abilities and better accomplishments yet I have done as I was able not serving Christ and his Church * 2 Sam. 24.25 with that which cost me nothing which I trust is accepted with the Lord and shall be with his people Indeed I can challenge little for my own besides the Method and Substratum having gathered most of the enlargements and superstructure elsewhere which I the rather chose to do because I thought it might perhaps render the whole the more acceptable to some Readers nor shall I herein I hope incur from any that are candid and ingenuous the imputation of Plagiarism because I punctually and faithfully quote the Authors themselves and thereby * Pliny's Epistle to Vespas
before his Nat. Hist confess by whom I have profited The reason of the silent Dedication foregoing made to many Friends in general without mention of any one in particular if any be inquisitive about it was this because that * The Lady Mary Lister Relict of Sir William Lister of Thornton in Craven in Yorkshire who exchanged this life for a better Aug. 14. 1664. truly honourable person to whom it was intended * Isa 57.2 was entred into peace and brought to rest in the bed of silence before I could get it published and thereby made uncapable of it but infinitely to her advantage who I verily believe was taken from studying to know the love of Christ on Earth that she might be filled with all the fulness of God in Heaven where I leave her and having given this account of my self I shall add what I have to say concerning the present work and its this It was never intended to please the captious but to profit the conscientious nor to tickle the fancies of the curious but to warm the hearts of the devout and pious and therefore I have studied * Nos qui rerum magis quà m verborum amatores utilia potiùs quà m plausibilia sectamur c. in scriptiunculis nostris non lenocinia esse volumus sed remedia c. Salv. de Gub. Dei Praes p. 2. sound matter rather than fine words and to be profitable rather than plausible So that if you are nice and delicate and seek after strong lines quaint expressions high notions and * 1 Cor. 2.4 the enticing words of mans wisdom here is not for you but if you are serious and sollicitous for savoury and wholsom Truths these I can promise you which meeting with a quick appetite and good digestion may through the blessing of God to be * John 6.63 Spirit and life to your souls And that they may be so I would advise every one of you that when you begin to read this Book you would at least send up some short Ejaculation to that God * Hos 14.8 from whom all our fruit is found that there may be a blessing in it to our selves and all others into whose hands it shall come in the attainment whereof I shall think my labour well bestowed and abundantly recompensed especially if you will gratifie with your remembrance at the Throne of Grace the unworthy Author who is Your Servant for Jesus sake PETER WILLIAMS YORK December 24. 1664. The Contents of the Book CHAP. I. Sect. 1. THe coherence of the Words Page 1 Sect. 2. The several Readings Page 2 Sect 3. The meaning of the Words Page 6 The Objections answered which are made against the sense asserted Page 10 Sect. 4. The sense of the Apostles Prayer Page 13 Three Observations raised ibid. CHAP. II. The first Observation Page 14 Sect. 1. An Introduction to the handling of it ib. The Method propounded Page 15 Sect. 2. What love is here meant in general Page 16 More particularly ibid. Sect. 3. The three first particulars Page 18 Sect. 4. The fourth particular Page 20 Sect. 5. The fift particular Page 23 Sect. 6. The sixth particular Page 25 CHAP. III. The greatness of Christs love confirmed by Arguments Page 27 Sect. 1. The first Argument ibid. Sect. 2. The second Argument Page 30 Sect. 3. The third Argument Page 34 Sect. 4. The fourth Argument Page 40 CHAP. IV. Sect. 1. The fifth Argument Page 51 Sect. 2. The sixth Argument Page 54 Sect. 3. The seventh Argument Page 61 Sect. 4. The eighth Argument Page 63 CHAP. V. The Application of the first Vse for exhortation to labour to know this love of Christ Page 67 Sect. 1. The Preface to the handling of it ibid. Sect. 2. Directions about our knowledge of Christs love 1. That it be an affectionate knowledge Page 71 Sect. 3. The first Branch of the first Direction That it be a knowledge accompanied with love to Christ Page 73 CHAP. VI. Reasons why we should love Christ Page 75 Sect. 1. The first Reason ibid. Sect. 2. The second Reason Page 78 Sect. 3. The third Reason Page 88 Sect. 4. The fourth Reason Page 98 CHAP. VII Rules for our love to Christ Page 103 Sect. 1. The first Rule about the Manner ib. Sect. 2. The first Branch of the first Rule That it be sincere Four Characters of sincere love Page 106 Sect. 3. The second Branch of the first Rule That it be stedfast and constant Wherein this constancy appears Page 112 CHAP. VIII Tbe second Rule The Measure Page 113 Sect. 1. Christ to be loved above enjoyment Page 114 Sect. 2. Christ to be loved above Relations Page 118 An Objection answered ibid. Sect. 3. Christ to be loved above our lives Page 125 Sect. 4. Objections answered Page 134 CHAP. IX The third Rule about expressing our love to Christ Page 145 Sect. 1. By love to all men Page 146 Sect. 2. By love to the Saints especially Page 149 Sect. 3. Mutual love commanded by Christ Page 157 Sect. 4. Christs Prayer for it Page 165 Sect. 5. One main end of instituting the great Ordinance of the Supper Page 172 CHAP. X. The second Branch of the first Direction Let your love run to him by desire and rest on him by delight Page 182 Sect. 1. Desire after Christ ibid. Sect. 2. Rest on him by delight Page 185 Sect. 3. Let trust and fear be attendants Page 191 Sect. 4. Objections answered Page 194 Sect. 5. Objections answered Page 199 CHAP. XI The second Direction about our knowledge of Christs love That it be an effectual knowledge Page 201 Sect. 1. By way of Application with experience and assurance to our selves Page 201 Sect. 2. By way of Admiration Page 208 Sect. 3. By way of Gratulation Page 213 Sect. 4. By way of Obligation Page 216 CHAP. XII The third Direction That it be a progressive knowledge Page 232 Sect. 1. In respect of our selves Page 233 Sect. 2. In respect of others Page 241 CHAP. XIII General motives to know this love of Christ Page 246 Sect. 1. The double evidence that it carries with it Page 247 Sect. 2. The influence it hath Page 251 Sect. 3. A Question answered Page 255 Sect. 4. The second Vse for Caution Page 264 Sect. 5. The last Vse for consolation Page 271 The transcendency Of CHRISTS Love towards the Children of Men. EPHES. 3.19 The former part of the Verse And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge CHAP I. Sect. 1. THese words are a branch of the Apostles Prayer for the Ephesians The coherence of the Text with the Verses foregoing begun at the fourteenth Verse and reaching to the end of the Chapter made indeed upon design but a holy and good one viz. To prevent their fainting at his present tribulations for the Gospel v. 13.14 I desire that you faint not at my tribulations for you which is your glory For this cause I bow my knees unto the
passeth knowledge Now from this Translation which is so generally known and received among us I am not willing to recede without just occasion which not finding as to this place I shall cloze with it and give you that which I conceive to be the true and proper sense and meaning of the words Sect. 3. The meaning of the words THE Apostle prayes That they might know that is k Per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intelligitur non nuda simplex notitia sed affectiva cum desiderio appâ—obatione dilâ—ctione conjuncta Gen. Ha-Harm in Joan. 14.17 mihi p. 933. not by a bare notional but affectionate knowledge such as is accompanyed with desire approbation and love l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hic est in semet experiri Grot. in loc by an experimental knowledge m Ut possitis scire id est animo complecti pro dignitate aestimare charitatem Christi Estius in locum that they might know so as to embrace with the heart and esteem according to its dignity and worth this love of Christ The love of Christ which some extend to Christ and God the Father n Chariâ—otem Christi Dei Patris eandem intelligo Rolloc in locum others to God in Christ o Quam Christus Deus per Christum nobis exhibuit Tirinus in loc Quam exhibuit nobis Deus in Christo vel quâ Christus ipse Filius Dei nos complexus est Bez. in loc others leave it as indifferently applicable to the love which God hath shewed in his Son as John 3.16 Rom. 5.8 Or that love with which Christ himself the Son of God hath embraced us as John 15.13 p Post Dei Patris infinitam incomprehensibilem cognitionem inâ—narrabilem clementiam Christi quoque agnoscere nos vult charitatem Ambros in loc Ambrose restrains it to the love of Christ After the infinite and incomprehensible knowledge of God the Father and his unspeakable mercy he would have us also acknowledge the love of Christ q Charitatem Christi quam exhibuit nobis A Lapide in locum Quâ nos dilexit Est in loc The like doth A Lapide and Estius The love of Christ which he hath shewed to us and wherewith he hath loved us And in this sense I shall take it in the ensuing discourse having spoken of the love of God in Christ from another place 1 John 4.9 10. Which passeth knowledge This admits of a double interpretation 1. To take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knowledge objectively for that habit of knowledge which a man hath attained in other things and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for excelling as it is used 2 Cor. 3.10 and then the meaning is this He prayes that they might know that love of Christ the knowledge whereof excells all other knowledge in the world whatsoever Now this is a great truth for our Apostle elsewhere as a Minister prefers it before all other knowledge 1 Cor. 2.2 and as a Christian before all other things Phil. 3.7 8. for which he had ventured the loss of all and in comparison of which he reckoned no more of any thing which he had parted with or had yet besides him but as loss and dung r Vid. Leigh's Crit. Sacr. in verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dogs meat as the word signifies A very low and diminishing term yet hardly low enough to express any thing by which comes in competition with Christ and the knowledge of him Å¿ Charitatem quae procul dubiò caeterarum rerum excedit cognitionem Theoph. Exaggerat autem Apostolus scientiam charitatis Christi quum asserit eam â—xuperare omnâ—m aliam cognitioneÌ„ Marior è Sarcer Nor are there wanting such as countenance this exposion t Videri autem potest Apostolus respicere ad Gnosticos qui hoc superbo nomine sese nuncupaverunt á scientiâ quam sibi peculiaritèr venditabant utitur enim vocabulo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 undè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Atqui longé majus est scire charitatom Christi utpote quae universam Gnosticorum omniumque Philosophorum scientiam excedit qâ—ià mysterium charitatis Christi quâ semetipsum pro nobis tradidit in cor hominis cujusquam non ascendit sicut in genere de huiusmodi mysteriis sapientiae Christianae testatur Apostolus 1 Cor. 2. Estius in loc See likewise Dr. Hammond on the place And some apply it particularly to that knowledge which the Gnosticks boasted of thinking that the Apostle in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had a particular respect to them 2. The next interpretation is to take knowledge subjectively for the faculty of knowing and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for exceeding that is as we read it passing or surpassing and then the meaning is this He prayes That they might know that love of Christ which for its infinite greatness is without the compass beyond and above the reach of humane understanding nay it surpasseth all knowledge that is finite not only Humane but Angelical as u Omnem superat cognitionem nempè humanum atque adeò Angelicam Zanch. in loc Zanchy notes on the words To this sense the generality of Expositors both antient and modern Protestants and Papists which I have met with do interpret the place For Ambrose and Theophylact among the Ancients I shall have occasion to cite them in the ensuing discourse for others I refer the more intelligent Reader to the Margin w Sic alibi pax Dei quae superat omnem sensum custodiat carda vestra Phil. 4.7 Calv. in loc Paulus volens significare infinitatem rei incomprehensibilis in hunc moduÌ„ consuevit loqui sic Phil. 4.7 Sic hoc loco infinitatem hujus charitatis exprimens ait eam superiorem omni cognitione Rolloc Quae superat humani ingenii captum ut quidem plenè animo concipi possit Bez. Quae scientiam nostram superat seu quam nunquà m satis hâc in vitâ cognoscere vel expendere possumus Baldvin Scire charitatem Christi nostram notitiam suâ magnitudine excedeâ—em Dion Carthus Excedentem notitiam nostram ac majorem quà m ut penitùs a nobis intelligi possit ita paulò inferius dicitur Deum posse omnia facere supra quà m intelligimus Estius Excedentem omnem humanam cognitionem seu quae major sit quà m ut perfectè sciâ—i intelligi vel comprehendi possit Tirinus Quasi diceret charitas Christi tanta est ut superet omnem humanam cognitionem scientiam A Lapide Thus among the Criticks lately set forth together Scire charitatem Christi superantem captum humanum vel excellentiorem quà m ut cognosci possit Vat. Qâ—ae tà m inâ—ens est ut omnem hominum scientiam superet Isid Clar. where he may find their sense in their own words Among these x Est autem haec plana expositio cum superiore Metaphorâ prorsùs
lost man and this Law though a sanguinary Law to him and that which was to cost him his hearts-blood his life was within his heart as the Psalmist expresseth it He was content to be a bored Servant for the good of mankind Mine ears hast thou opened or digged sayes he in his Type v. 6. an allusion r Perfodisti aures id est me tibi jure perpetuo mancipatum tenes Allusio ad morem de quo Deut. 15.17 Grot. in loc as some think to that custome among the Jews mentioned Exod. 21.6 Deut. 15.17 who bored the ears of their Servants who liked and were willing to abide in their service That when he looked and there was none to help and he wondered that there was none to uphold then his own arm brought salvation to allude to that of the Prophet Å¿ Isa 63.5 t Gougâ— on Heb. p. 433. As his divine power made him able to effect what he offered so his love and pity moved him to offer his aid for mans Redemption Sect. 3. 3. THat love whereby be took our nature upon him u Heb. 2.16 not the nature of Angels but the Seed of Abraham w 2 Cor. 8.9 That he who was rich should for our sakes become poor that he x Joh. 1.1 14. who was the Word with God in the beginning and was God should be made flesh and dwell among us that he who was the eternal Son of God should in the fulness of time y Gal. 4.4 5. be made of a Woman whom himself had made that he z Phil. 2.6 7 8. who was in the form of God and thought it no robbery to be equal with God should make himself of no reputation and take upon him the form of a Servant and be made in the likeness of men and be found in fashion as a man This was love and this love was exceeding great a Deus amore venit ad homines venit in homines factus est homo Amore Dâ—us invisibilis servis suis factus est similis Aug. Man cap 21. It was in love only that God came unto men into men was made man in love the invisible God was made like to his own Servants However his other Attributes of Majesty Power and Glory were eclipsed yet this of Kindness and Love had a great and clear Epiphany b Tit. 3 4. The kindness and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared sayes the Apostle c Velatâ—o Dei tâ—tis revelatio charitatis The veiling of his Deity was the revealing of his love d Ubi enim Dei innâ—â—sâ—it humaniâ—as jà m â—â—nâ—gniâ—as â—atere non potâ—st Bern. in Epiph. Ser. 1. mihi p. 19. And when his humanity was made known his kindness could not be concealed nor was it ordinary kindness and love neither for as that devout Father goes on e In quo magis commendare poterat benignitatem suam quà m suscâ—piendo carnem meam meam inquaÌ„ non carnem Adam id est non qualem ille habuit ante casum Quid tanâ—operè declaret mâ—sericordiam ejus quà m quòd ipsam suscepit miseriam Quid ità pietate plenum quà m quòd Dei Verbum propter nos factum est foenum Dâ—mine quid est homo quia reputas cum aut quid apponis erga cum cor tuum Hic attendat homo quanta sit cura ejus Deo hinc scial quid de eo cogitet aut quid sentiat Quanti fecit te ex his quae pro te factas est agnosce ut appareat tibi benignitas ejus ex humanitate Quanto enim minorem se sec â—in humanitate tanto majorem exhibuit se in bonitate quanto pro me vilior tanto mihi charior est Bern. ubi suprà Wherein could he commend his love more than by taking my flesh mine I say not Adams I mean that which he had before the Fall What can so much declare his mercy as his taking upon him misery it self What is so full of goodness as that the Word of God should be made withering grass for our flesh is no better Isa 40.6 7. Lord what is man that thou shouldest magnifie him that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him Job 7.17 Here man may consider how great Gods care is of him hence he may learn what to think what to conceive Acknowledge O man how much he esteemed thee by what he was made for thee that his kindness may appear to thee from his humanity for by how much the less he made himself in his humanity by so much the greater shewed he himself in his goodness and by how much the lower he is made for me by so much the dearer he is to me Thus he and with him I conclude this particular Sect. 4. 4. THat love whereby he took our sins upon him f Gal 4.4 was made under the Law g 2 Cor. 5. ult made Sin for us h Gal. 3.13 made a Curse for us i Rom. 8.3 He was sent in the similitude of sinful flesh and though he had no sin of his own yet k Isa 53 6. the iniquities of us all were laid or made to meet upon him insomuch as l Châ—istus summus peccator non quòd ipse commiserit peccata sed quòd ea à nobis commissa susc perit in corpus suum Luth. Loci Com. Clas prim p. 35. 36. Luther sayes he was the chiefest of sinners not that he committed any himself for he knew no sin but because he took upon himself the sins which we had committed and bore them in his own body on the tree for the satisfaction of divine Justice as our Sponsor and Surety Thus he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief but he bore our griefs and carried our sorrows he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him he was oppressed and afflicted numbred with transgressors his soul was made an offering for sin and poured out unto death but it was for the transgressions of his people that he was thus stricken as the m Isa 3.3 4 5 7 8 10 12. Evangelical Prophet hath it n Phil. 2.8 Thus he humbled himself and became obedient to death even the death of the Cross and redeemed us o 1 Pet. 1.18 19. not with corruptible things as silver and gold but with his own precious blood There are three things saith p Bern. Serm. de Pass mihi p. 33. Bernard to be more especially considered in the Passion of Christ The Suffering it self the Manner and the Cause in the Suffering his Patience in the Manner his Humility in the Cause his Love is commended Here was love then It was not a forced but a free undertaking I lay down my life saith q Joh. 10.15 v. 18. he for the sheep no man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self and the
ground of this undertaking was his pure and meer love it was his kind heart that killed him never was his love so plainly and fairly written as in the characters of that blood which he shed on the Cross which he that runs may read for r Si non diligeret non pateretur Bern. lib. de Pass cap. 41. p. 73. if he had not loved he would never have suffered Å¿ 1 Joh. 3.16 Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us Therefore we find his love and his suffering joyned together in Scripture t Gal. 2.20 Who loved me and gave himself for me u Eph. 5.2 As Christ hath loved us and given himself for us an offering and sacrifice to God of a sweet-smelling savour w v. 25. As Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it And this love was great exceeding great for if he had not loved much he would never have suffered so much as he did x In magnitudine passionis magnitudo consideretur charitatis Bern. ibid. Vulnera Christi sunt dolore livida amore fulgida Gerh. Homil Part 1. p. 805. the greatness of his love may be considered in the greatness of his Passion But here how easily might I lose my self in so large a Field were I not confined let it serve therefore to tell you in general That his pains were intolerable his sorrows unutterable his whole Passion unconceivable by any but himself who by enduring was fully acquainted with them His whole life from first to last was but one continued Passion but the extremity of all was in the cloze of all which doth more eminently bear that name Oh! how doleful a Tragedy was this what dreadful things did he suffer then from all hands Heaven Earth and Hell God Men and Devils all laying load on him y Totum pro corpore vulnus He endured much in his Body by spitting pricking buffeting scourging racking nailing piercing till it was all but one wound but he endured more in his Soul which indeed was the soul of his sufferings insomuch as he was z Mark 14.33 34. The words are all emphatical 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which words see Dr. Pearson on the Creed mihi p. 385. 40. Cartwright on the Creed p. 160. Leigh's Crit. Sacr. sore amazed and very heavy exceeding sorrowful even unto death and being a Luk. 22.44 in an agony his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground this made him cry out b Mat. 27.46 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me till at last c Joh. 19.30 he bowed his head and gave up the Ghost-Blessed Lord whither did thy love carry thee and how great was that love which carried thee thus far for us The Jews said when he shed tears over dead Lazarus Behold how he loved him Joh. 11.36 but with much more reason may we say when he shed his heart-blood over us that were dead in trespasses and sins Behold how he loved us Because of that excessive love saith d Propter nimiam charitateÌ„ quâ nos dilexit Deus nec pater filio nec sibi filâ—us ipse pepercit verè nimiam quia mensuram excedit madum superat planè super-eminâ—ns universis Bern. Serm. in Pass p. 34. Bernard wherewith God loved us neither the Father spared the Son nor the Son himself that he might redeem a Servant truly excessive because it exceedeth all measure all bounds and plainly surpasseth all things As the e was no sorrow like to his sorrow so there was no love like to his love In the Greek Liturgy there is mention made and that justly of his unknown sufferings be sure then they were the fruit of his unknown love nothing but love could make him suffer and nothing but great love could make him suffer such grievous things as he did for our sakes e Per vulnera viscera Watsons Serm. Part 2. p. 495. Part. 1. p. 447. We may discern his bowels of love through his wounds he bled love at every vein his drops of blood were love-drops and the more blood he shed for us the more love he shewed to us and the more love he deserves from us Sect 5. 5. THat love whereby in his own due time he f Isa 55.5 Rom. 8 30. Joh. 17.6 cha 6.37 Eph. 3.17 1 Joh. 3.24 1 Cor. 1.9 Eph. 1.3 Joh. 1.16 1 Cor. 1.30 Eph. 1.5 6 7 13. Tit. 3.5 Eph. 5.25 26 27. Joh. 8.36 Rom. 5.1 Rom. 14.17 Tit. 3.7 Ps 110.3 Ezek. 16.8 2 Cor. 11.2 Rev. 1.5 6. Non lavisset nisi dilexisset quarè non priùs lavit et postea dilexit sed priùs dilexit postea lavit Rich. de S. Victore in lâ—c ut citatur à Gerh. in Homil. parte primâ p. 804. calls and coverts unto himself his Elect who from all eternity were given him by the Father and by vertue of Vnion with his Person through a spirit of faith gives them communion in his blessings and benefits as they are able to receive in this world giving them from his own fulness grace for grace Wisdome Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption Acceptance Adâ—ption Remission Obsignation Regeneration Sanctification Liberty Peace Joy in the Holy Ghost and whatever may make them happy in this world and hopeful as heirs of eternal life in the world to come In a word that whereby he loveth them and washeth them from their sins in his own blood and makes them Kings and Priests unto God and his Father which deserves that Doxology which is there annexed to it to be breathed forth by all who have an interest in it To him be glory and dominion for ever Amen Indeed it is a day of power in which a soul is brought into the participation of these priviledges yet it is power mixt with love called therefore a time of love Christ draws fortitèr suavitèr strongly by his power and yet sweetly by his love And though this love may lye hid and concealed for the present by reason of those convulsions and terrours which accompany some mens conversion yet it lyes at the bottome riseth up breaketh forth at last when the wooed soul is won to Christ and espoused to him as a chaste Virgin and hath tasted the sweetness of his fellowship and knows the richness of those possessions and priviledges in which he hath estated her then I say it appears and leaves the man full of gratitude yea of admiration upon sense of the exceeding greatness of that love which hath brought him to all this Thus it was with Paul x 1 Tim. 1.13 c. who upon consideration that he who was a blasphemer a persecutor and injurious should obtain mercy and that Christ Jesus should come into the world to save him the chiefest of sinners is raised and even ravished with the thoughts of it and cryes out y vers 14. The grace of our
qu si demergamus Calv. in Eph. 3.18 Calvin well notes upon these words The love of Christ which is propounded to us is so large a subject that we may exercise our selves in the meditation of it day and night and plunge our selves into this boundless bottomless Ocean till we be swallowed up of it but we can never perfectly understand it That 's the third Argument Sect. 4. MY fourth Argument is this The love of Christ must needs be exceeding great and incomprehensible because it never had nor is capable of a parallel instance among the Sons of Men. If Men were able to express such a love as this of Christs they might be able to know his love as I can understand the love of man to man because I am able to express the same to others but Christs love never was nor ever can be parallel'd his love to mankind is as much above theirs one to another as the Heavens are above the Earth Isa 55.8.9 If all the affection of the whole Creation were resident in one particular person yet it would lie as much short of the love of Christ as finite doth of infinite and therefore our Saviour fetcheth a comparison from Heaven whereby to set it forth and sayes He loved us as his Father loved him John 15.9 which I made my second Argument * Gerhard Harmon p. 1016. The degrees of love are to be measured both by the object and matter of it 1. In respect of the object the lowest degree is when a man loves one that loves him and doth good to him Mat. 5.46 Luke 6.32 33. The next is when one loves him by whom he is not beloved and from whom he receives no benefit The highest is when one loves his enemy who doth not only not love him but hate him nor only doth him no good but heaps injuries upon him Mat. 5.44 Luke 6.35 2. In respect of the matter three degrees likewise may be reckoned the lowest when one doth good to his Neighbour out of the substance which he hath the next when he bestows all the goods which he hath of body mind and estate upon his Neighbour the highest when he layes down his life Now though there may be found who will lay out themselves and their estates for the good of those who love them and are beneficial to them nay of those that love them not and are no way beneficial to them yea that hate them and have done them ill turns yea though there may be some but very rarely found that have laid down their lives for their lovers and friend yet where can we find an instance of those who have laid down their lives for enemies and injurious ones save this of Christs laying down his life for us The height of all humane affection is expressed in two places of Scripture John 15.13 Rom. 5.6 which amounts to no more than this The laying down of life for friends for good men scarcely for a righteous man which circumstances render it unworthy to be laid in the ballance with the love of Christ who laid down his life for the ungodly for sinners and enemies Rom. 5.6 8 10. in consideration whereof Bernard breaks out thus pathetically * Majorem charitatem nemo habet quà m ut animam suâ—m ponat quis pro am cis suis Tu maâ—o 〈◊〉 hâ—buisti Domine ponâ—ns cam pro inimicis cum enim adhuc inimici essemus per mortem tuam tibi reconciliati sumus patri Qâ—aenam aâ—â—a videdebitur esse vel fuisse vel fore huic simâ—lis charitati Vix pro justo quis moritur tu pro impiis passus es moriens propter delicta nostra qui venisti justificare gratis peccatores servos facere fratres captivos cohaeredes Exules Reges Bern. de Pass Dom. mihi pag. 34. Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends but thou O Lord hadst greater love who didst lay down thy life for thine enemies for when we were yet enemies we were reconciled by thy death both to thy self and to thy Father What other love either is or was or shall be seen like to this love Scarcely for a righteous man will one dye but thou sufferedst for the ungodly dying for our sins who camest to justifie sinners freely to make servants brethren captives co-heirs and Exiles Kings Thus he Give me leave here to lay before you some examples of the love of the children of men towards one another as they are recorded in Sacred Writ or in other Histories and we shall still find the love of Christ beyond the highest and noblest of them 1. We read of those who have gone far in love to their Countrey and the people with whom they have lived Moses and Paul for their Countreymen the Jews the one sayes to God If thou wilt not forgive their sin blot me I pray thee out of the Book which thou hast written Exod. 32.32 The other sayes I could wish that my self were accursed from Christ for my Brethren my Kinsmen according to the flesh Rom. 9.3 which words whether we understand them of a temporal death absolutely according to Hierome or of eternal death conditionally if it might be if it were possible as others take them y Vocâ—s illae fuerunt eximiâ— stupendi amoris Rivet in Exod mihi p. 1190. were words of eminent and stupendious love as the learned Rivet observes who though he saw no inconvenience in either sense yet preferreth the former as less liable to exception and attended with fewer difficulties and sufficient to express the affection of these holy men who chose to dye rather than live to see their People destroyed and rejected z Multum charitatis in isto Rege apparet Pet. Martyr in loc It was great love and affection in David towards his People when he desired that the Lords hand might be stretched out against himself and Family rather than against them 2 Sam. 24.17 It was no less love that moved Esther to hazard her own life for saving of the Jews who were her own Countreymen and designed to destruction by the plot of wicked Haman resolutely venturing into the Kings presence uncalled and against Law which if the golden Scepter had not been held forth had cost her her life Esther 4.16 Even among the Heathens there have been found those who out of love to their Countrey and People have parted with the lives of their Children yea their own lives a Fulgoâ— de dictis factisque memorab lib. 5. cap. 6. p. 152. C. Marius waging War against the Cimbrians was warned in a dream that if he sacrificed his Daughter Calphurnia he should obtain the Victory which he did and overcame his enemies The like did Erecteus as the same Author informs me and adds That the greatness of his love to his Countrey overcame his fatherly affection towards his Daughter b Valer. Max. lib. 5. cap. 6.
mihi p. 261 262. Curtius and Decius among the Romans are famous The former for leaping into the Earth when it opened it self and as was said would not be clozed till the best thing in Rome were cast into it The latter for rushing into the midst of the Enemies when his party were like to be overcome in Battel by them both to the loss of their own lives for the preservation of their Countrey c Idem ibidem p. 264. Codrus likewise among the Grecians is renowned who being King of Athens and understanding from the Oracle at Delphos that the War which then greatly wasted that Countrey would not be ended unless he were slain by the hand of the Enemy ventured incognito into the Enemies Quarters and by a wound given to one of the Souldiers provoked and procured his own death 2 We read of those who have ventured far in love to their friends Jonathans love to David was wonderful passing the love of Women 2 Sam. 1.26 He loved him as his own soul 1 Sam. 20.17 insomuch as he incurred his Fathers displeasure and hazarded his own life in his excuse and defence v. 27 to 34. Great was the love of d Valer. Max. lib. 4. cap. 7. p. 213. Damon and Pythias two Pythagorean Philosophers for when one of them was condemned to death by Dionysius the Tyrant the other offered to dye for him But greater the love of those who did indeed dye for their friends e Idem ibidem p. 210. as Volumnius did for Lucullus who hearing that M. Antonius had slain his friend because he took part with Brutus and Cassius made great lamentation for him and continued so to do till he was brought before Antonius to whom he spake after this manner Command me O Emperour to be forthwith carried to the Body of Lucullus and slain there for I ought not to survive him who have been the cause of his unhappy Warfare This was no sooner asked but it was granted and he being brought to the place where his dead friend lay after he had kissed his right hand and taken his head into his bosome he was presently beheaded besides him The like friendship was betwixt Tapeus and Zogius in the Kingdom of China and the like fate happened to them as I find it recorded by a late f Martinius Histor Sinicae Dec. prim p. 116. 117. Author Tapeus being by the Emperour condemned to dye for no just cause Zogius not able to bear it and being moved with the calamity of his friend exposed himself to apparent danger on his behalf often rebuking the Emperour for it with great freedome who at last being enraged said Thou openly discoverest thy self to be a Traytor who to favour a Friend art not afraid to offend a King To which Zogius for vindicating of himself answered boldly You are mistaken O Emperour He that is true to his Friend will be so to you nor is it fidelity towards you to forsake a guiltless Friend You have condemned to death my Friend who is innocent convicted of no crime against all Laws and the custome of good Kings Because I desire to preserve him I came under suspition of treason but what affinity hath Rebellion with faithfulness goodness and love I defend the cause of my Friend that you may not deal unjustly and tyrannically being faithful to both but more to you for both he that preserveth the innocent doth well but he that rectifies the erroneous doth better Then the Emperour in a fury said Either leave off your prating or dye with your Friend To whom Zogius answered It doth not become an honest man for the prolonging of his life to desert that which is lawful and right nor for the avoiding of death to confute by his deeds the things which he hath spoken agreeable to reason The things which I have spoken tend to this That you may see how unjust a death you occasion to Tapeus for where there is no fault there is no room for punishment The Emperour vexed at this constancy commanded them both presently to be slain not knowing sayes the Historian That it is more glorious to dye in the maintaining of friendship than to preserve ones life by unfaithfulness 3. We read of great love among other Relations g Clark's Mirror fol. p. 209 Vrbinius Papinian the Roman had a Servant who hearing that the Souldiers were about to slay him came to him and changed Apparel with him took his Ring and put it on his own finger and letting him out at the back-door went and lay down in his Masters Bed so that when the Souldiers came taking him for the Master they slew him who willingly chose death to save his Masters life This was great love in a Servant h Valer. Max. p. 202. Tiberius Gracchus having found two Snakes in his House was told that upon letting go the Male it would be sudden death to his Wife and to himself upon letting go the Female but he preferring his Wives life before his own commanded the Male to be killed and himself dyed soon after This was great love of a Husband to his Wife i Clark's Mirror fol. p. 293. Cabadis King of Persia being Deposed and shut up in close Prison and his Brother Blazes set up in his room the Wife of Cabadis first procures Horses to be laid in the wayes and then ingratiating her self with the Prison-Keeper got leave often to visit her Husband At last she changed Apparel with him and he getting thereby out of Prison fled upon those Horses and at last recovered his Kingdome again but she being discovered was by the command of Blazes cruelly put to death This was great love of a Wife to her Husband 'T was great love in David as a Father which made him mourn as he did for Absolom though an ungrateful and ungracious Son and to wish that he had dyed for him 2 Sam. 18.33 And it was great love of a Son to a Father which was shewed by one of Toledo as k Fulgos lib. 5. cap. 4. p. 159. Fulgosus relates the story whose Father being condemned to dye he never left entreating by prayers and tears till he obtained that his Father might be released and himself killed in his room I am sensible how far beyond my first intentions I have enlarged my self in the mention of these examples and therefore craving the Readers pardon for this excursion I shall quickly accommodate the whole to my present purpose when I have given one instance more of brotherly love among Christians the rule whereof is set very high That from the consideration of the love of Christ in laying down his life for us we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren 1 Joh. 3.16 and this example which I am now to mention comes up to it In the seventh Persecution under Decius l Clark's general Martyrol p. 52. The same story I find in Ambrose his second Book concerning Virgins only the
to be a meer Ignoramus in the things of Christ and e Maxima pars eorum quae scimus est minima pars eorum quae nescimus that the greatest part of what he knows is but the least part of that which he knows not The devout Author of the Contemplations of Divine love concealed himself and set them forth under the name of Idiota and Idiot it may be from an humble apprehension of his own ignorance of that love which he wrote of But this is not to be understood as arising from any defect on the Spirits part as if he were not able to teach this love perfectly but on our part because being finite and frail creatures we are not subjects capable of receiving it fully as it is Indeed if Christ should let forth himself in the sulness of his love towards his Saints considered in their present mortal and imperfect estate they were never able to bear it but must use the language of Christ to his Spouse according to our Translation f Cant. 6.5 Turn away thine eyes from me for they have overcome me though as spoken by Christ it is otherwise interpreted by g Ainsworth in loc Expositors And therefore God is wont to reserve the fullest draught of this sweetest Wine till last to strengthen his Children against Satans assaults which are usually fiercest towards their latter end and to sweeten their passage hence which is accompanied with such admirable effects as is a further evidence of the greatness of that love from whence it proceeds which is the second Branch of the Argument 2. The present fruits and effects of what Believers do attain unto in the knowledge of Christs love are many times so great as do undoubtedly argue the love it self to be far greater If the fruits of this love be such as pass understanding this love it self must needs do so much more Quod efficit tale illud est magìs tale And yet so it is The Apostle makes mention of such things as h 1 Cor. 2.9 Malo simpliciter intelligere Dei gratias quae fidelibus quotidiè conferuntur Calv. in loc Trap. eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man prepared by the Lord for them that love him which is primarily to be understood of those Favours and Love-tokens which God bestows upon his people here that Gospel-joy and present comforts which Saints have in this life that praemium ante praemium for he reserves not all for the life to come but gives a few Grapes of Canaan in this Wilderness Thus in another place he makes mention of i Phil. 4.7 the Peace of God which passeth all understanding which Believers experience whiles they are here below to the keeping their hearts and minds as in a Garrison against all assaults And another k 1 Pet. 1.8 Apostle tells us of a joy unspeakable and full of glory which believers have from Jesus Christ and the sense of his love apprehended by faith The present peace comfort and joy of a Christian in this life is many times unspeakable and unconceivable that passeth all understanding how much more then that love which influenceth all this If there be so much in the fruit the effect the stream what is there in the root the cause the fountain Surely the love of Christ must needs be exceeding great when the shedding of it abroad into the hearts of his people by his Spirit in a little more than ordinary measure whiles they are upon earth doth so transport them into an extasie of unexpressible joy and consolation as sometimes it doth especially those discoveries of himself and manifestations of his love which he makes to some of his special Favourites towards their dissolution which I hinted before and shall here give a double instance of it in two famous Christians the one is of l M. Leighs Sermon at the Funeral of Mrs. Brettergh p. 16. 17. Mr. John Holland an eminent Minister of the Gospel in his time He the day before he dyed as often before so then more eagerly called for a Bible saying Come O come death approacheth let us gather some flowers to comfort this hour which being brought he turned with his own hands to the eight Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans and giving the Book to a stander by bid him read At the end of every Verse he made a pause and gave the sense of it Having thus continued his Meditation and Exposition for the space of two houres or more on the sudden he said O stay your reading what brightness is this I see Have you light up any Candles To which he that stood by answered No it is the Sunshine for it was about five a Clock in a clear Summers Evening Sunshine saith he nay it is my Saviours shine Now farewell World welcome Heaven the Day-star from on high hath visited my heart O speak it when I am gone and preach it at my Funeral God dealeth familiarly with Man I feel his Mercy I see his Majesty whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell God knoweth but I see things that are unutterable The other is of m This is in her life which was written by a Friend and joyned with the Sermon fore-mentioned and another Sermon upon the same occasion Mrs. Katharine Brettergh a gracious Gentlewoman of the Family of the Bruens in Cheshire She in the beginning of that Sickness whereof she dyed had a very sore conflict with Satan who prevailed so far as to bring her into great doubt and fear concerning her condition but it pleased God before her death to bruise Satan under her feet and to make her more than a Conquerour filling her with joy and peace in believing so that the joy of her heart broke out at her lips in such expressions as these Whiles her Husband read the 17th Chapter of John when he came to the ninth Verse she cryed out O Lord Jesu dost thou pray for me O blessed and sweet Saviour how wonderful how wonderful how wonderful are thy Mercies Then reading the 22d Verse with marvellous joy she uttered the words of David many times over I confess before the Lord his loving kindness and his wonderful Works before the Sons of Men for he hath satisfied my soul and filled my hungry soul with goodness When he came to the 24th Verse she said Now I perceive and feel the countenance of Christ my Redeemer is turned towards me and the bright-shining beams of his mercy spread over me And then again remembring some passages in that Chapter she said O my sweet Saviour shall I be one with thee as thou art one with thy Father and wilt thou glorifie me with that glory which thou hadst with the Father before the World was And dost thou so love me who am but dust and ashes to make me partaker of glory with Christ What am I poor wretch that thou art so mindful
which they are ignorant of they know not the hearts of men 1 Kings 8.39 nor many things to come Isa 41.23 nor the time when the Day of Judgement shall be Mat. 24.36 This great mystery of Christ and his love in redeeming and saving of Man the very Angels themselves knew not at the first for as the Apostle speaks Eph. 3.9 It was from the beginning of the World hid in God nor could they have known it at all by a natural knowledge If all the Angels in Heaven had sate in counsel from the beginning of the World to this day for contriving a way to save man salvâ Dei justitia they could never have found it out nor could they have known it when it was contrived if he who contrived had concealed it but they came to know it at the first by revelation from God How soon it was revealed to them is not revealed unto us and therefore cannot be determined by us yet this appears that the knowledge which they had of it by revelation was not compleat at first but was improved by observation and experience * Leigh's Body of Divinity p. 271. Hence that distinction of the knowledge of Angels among the Schoolmen into Natural Revealed and Experimental Their natural knowledge was improved quoad speciem by Revelation by it they know that which they knew not before and their knowledge by revelation was improved quoad gradum by Experience by it they knew in fuller measure what they knew before they knew the substance of it by revelation but the circumstances of it more clearly and fully by experience and observation Gods revealing it to them at first in the general hath made them more eager in pursuit of the particulars hence it is said 1 Pet. 1.12 That the Angels desire to look into the mystery of Christ and the Gospel and the words there used are emphatical 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies an earnest strong and unsatisfied desire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a diligent and accurate inspection to look and pry narrowly by stooping down to see the inside of things that are obscure and under cover It 's thought to be an allusion to the posture of the Cherubims which were put upon the Mercy-seat with their faces looking down into it Exod. 25. Now there are two wayes especially by which the knowledge of Angels in the Mystery of Christ and his love seems to be improved 1. By the Church This is clear from Ephes 3.8 9 10. where the Apostle tells us that the manifold Wisdome of God is made known by the Church to the Principalities and Powers in heavenly places that is the Angels so called r Angelâ— sic id ò nuncupantur quòd Deus per ipsorum manum suam potestatem virtutem dominationë exeâ—ceat Calv. in Eph. 1.21 because of their Princely power under God over the Kingdomes of the World and this he sayes was one intent of his preaching the Gospel If it had not been for the Churches sake that God would reveal so glorious a mystery the Angels in Heaven must have been for ever ignorant of it and after they had received notice of it by private revelation from God yet was their knowledge of it encreased by Gods dispensations to and in the Church by reason whereof the Church was Å¿ Pauli autem verba hunc habent sensuÌ„ quòd Ecclâ—sia ex Judaeis pariter ac gentibus collecta qu si speculum sit in quo contemplantur Angeli mirificam Dei sapientiam quam priùs nescierant Calv. in Eph. 3.10 a glass in which they saw and observed the manifold Wisdome of God and got further and fuller experience of the mystery of Christs love and our redemption thereby Thus by the Prophecies and Promises of the Old Testament and by the performances and preaching of the New and by the Providences and Ordinances of both whereof the Church was the seat and center the Angels came to further acquaintance with Christ and the way of mans salvation by him which they desired to look into 2. By Christ himself by beholding and attending upon him in our nature both as humbled on Earth and exalted to glory in Heaven This is that which the Apostle reckons as a part of the great Mystery of Godliness 1 Tim. 3.16 that Christ was seen of Angels They knew Christ was to come into the World by Divine Revelation they knew more of him by those Prophetical Praedictions which were made of him more yet by attending upon him ministring unto him whiles he was in our flesh upon Earth carrying on the Work of our Redemption and yet more by beholding of him now he is glorified in Heaven sitting in our nature at his Fathers right hand And yet even now they know not all of Christ and his love towards us there is that in Christ which dazles the sight and exceeds the comprehension of the glorious Angels Now if the love of Christ passeth their knowledge surely it must needs surpass ours And thus I hope I have sufficiently cleared and confirmed the truth of my Assertion That the love of Jesus Christ is exceeding great and incomprehensible CHAP V. I proceed now to Application Applic. THE first and main Use which I shall make of this point Vse 1. The first Use of Exhortation to labour to know the love of Christ shall be to turn this Prayer of the Apostle for these Ephesians into an Exhortation unto every one that shall read these lines that he would make it his great business study and endeavour to know the Lord Jesus and that in his love Sect. 1. MY great desire The Preface to the handling of it and design is to bring you nearer to Christ and to that end I lay before you this grand attractive of his love to draw you unto more acquaintance and familiarity with him and it therefore I first preached and now publish it and I make it my earnest request to you all to whom this shall come that you would not lay aside this advice which I now give you of studying this love of Christ and getting a sound saving knowledge of it especially seeing it is a matter of so general so great and necessary concernment so general as that none can exempt himself so great as that your All depends upon it and so necessary as that you are undone without it This is the great business of a Gospel Minister for himself and his People to study know and preach Jesus Christ This was Pauls determination among the learned Corinthians 1 Cor. 2.2 to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified for indeed this was the end of his Apostleship as he tells the Ephesians Chap. 3. 8. to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ All our studies and preaching which are not Christ directly or reductively are but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things by the by and will not tend to any comfortable account at
COnsider how strongly this love o◠Christ is urged in Scripture and from thence you may see further reason to love him He is not content barely to propound and prescribe it but useth such arguments a◠may allure or affright draw or drive perswade or force you to observance and obedience 1. As if there were something valuable in your love he doth invite and encourage you to love him by the great and precious Promises which he hath made unto it c Haec precatio vice oraculi habenda est c. Calv. in Ephes 6.24 That Apostolical benediction Ephes 6.24 may be understood in the nature of a Promise the words are Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Now Grace is as large a word for Blessing as Love for Duty of the same extent in the New Testament with Peace in the Old d Hebraeorum usitata salutatio erat Pax tibi At post patefactum redemptionis humanae mysterium in quo fontem gratiae Deus aperuit humano generi gratiam etiam adjungebant Dav. in Coloss p. 11. The form of Blessing among the Jews was Peace be unto you Gen. 43.23 but when the Mystery of Mans Redemption was revealed in which God opened a fountain of Grace to mankind it was changed into Grace be unto you as appears in the Epistles where Grace is wished by the Apostles unto Christians either by it self or in conjunction with Peace by way of Amplification By this Grace is meant the e Morn Exercise Part. 2. 40. pag. 218. Blessing of the Eternal God f Pink's Tryal of a Christians sincere love to Christ on that Text. All those precious Mercies and glorious Benefits which flow from the grace and favour of God It s a short but comprehensive word and contains all good in it yet this grace in its greatest fulness and utmost latitude is wished for and shall be bestowed on all those that love the Lord Jesus in sincerity To this you may add Joh. 14.21.23 He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father c. In these two Verses there are four things promised to those who truly and obedientially love the Lord Jesus 1. There will be no love lost to lay it out upon Christ you shall have it again with advantage for if you love him so as to keep his Commandments Christ hath promised love for love his Fathers love his own love for your love He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him g Gerh. Har. in loc which is not to be understood of a general but special love not of first love but after love not of a love of benevolence but of friendship and complacency he will so shed abroad his love into your hearts by the Holy Ghost that you shall know and feel and taste the love of the Father and Son towards you which appears further from that which is promised afterwards Christs love to such as love him will not be an empty and idle but a full and operative love For 2. He sayes he will manifest himself to you I will love them and will manifest my self to them He will deal with you as with Friends and will make known to you whatsoever shall be necessary for your salvation John 15.15 he will impart a fuller knowledge of himself to you by the spirit of Wisdome and revelation Eph. 1.17 and larger tastes of his love You shall be kissed with the kisses of his mouth Cant. 1.2 brought into his Banqueting-house and his Banner over you love under the shadow whereof you shall sit with great delight and his fruit shall be sweet to your taste Cant. 2.3.4 He will so manifest himself in a way of love to his people as to give them occasion to cry out with that holy man * Aliquando intromittis me in affectum multùm inusitatum introrsùs ad nescio quam dulcedinem quae si perficiatur in me nescio quid erit quod vita ista non erit Aug. Conf. lib. 10. cap. 40. At some times thou inwardly infusest into me a delight that I am not usually acquainted with a sweetness of I know not what kind which could it be once perfected in me it should be I know not what manner of height which this life shall never arive unto Such manifestations will Christ give of himself to those who love him as none know but they who experience them nor can they themselves sufficiently express them But then 3. He sayes further that his Father and he will come unto you We will come to him that is We will make secret and sweet approaches to such a sould by the spirit for the further enlightning quickning comforting supporting and strengthning of him till he be sealed up to the Day of Redemption This is a great matter yet not all for 4. He promiseth that his Father and he will make their abode with you and make our abode with him whereby is signified the continuance and duration of that grace which is shown by the Father Son and Holy Ghost when they come to a beloved and loving soul They will not come as Sojourners but as Dwellers not turn aside to tarry with you for a night but abide with you for ever Now what greater thing can be promised unto or bestowed upon the Sons of men in this life than that which is comprehended in these words and yet these are promised to the love of Christ so that if a man should set his love to sale he cannot do it to more profit and benefit to himself than by laying it out upon Christ who is most rich and liberal in his rewards to his people for their love as appears from what hath been said though there be more yet even that which neither eye hath seen◠nor ear heard nor can enter into the heart of man to conceive which the Apostle sayes is prepared for those that love the Lord 1 Cor. 2.9 And if any evil befall them that also through the skill and care of their wise Physician Venenum pro remedio who can make a soveraign Treacle of the most deadly poyson shall co-operate for the good of those who love God according to the Promise Rom. 8.28 But these I leave to be enlarged in your own Meditations and pass on 2. If this golden Key of the Promises open not the door of your hearts to let Christ into the possession of your love behold the iron Hammer of the Threatnings ready to force it open Mens dead dull and disingenuous spirits need this as well as other wayes and Christ is so resolv'd upon our love that he will leave no means unattempted to procure it Know therefore that it is not an arbitrary matter whether you love Christ or no for necessity lies upon you and woe be to you if you love him not Love
degrees of the Jewish censures and the enumeration of them t Deusius and Buxtorph as I find them cited by Forbes in his Instruct Histor Theol lib. 12. cap. 3. Sect. 14. Godwin Jewish Antiq lib. 5. cap. 2. Leighs Critic Sacr. in the word Maranatha Some make three kinds which they reckon thus Niddui Cherem Shammatha Niddui which was the first and lowest and signifies separation was that whereby the Offender was separated from alâ— commerce and society with man or woman within the distance of four cubits for the space of thirty dayes Cherem which was the next and signifies the same with Anathema devoted tâ— the Curse was that whereby the Offender was iâ— the publick audience of the whole Church excluded from its Communion without any limitation of time and with Curses annexed out of the Law of Moses Shammatha which was the last and highest and signifies as some think then is death or rather as others the Lord cometh was that whereby the excommunicated person having besides all other maledictions ouâ— of the Law this clause superadded Our Lorâ— cometh was left as desperate and quite forlorn without all hope of pardon or restitution into the hands of the Lord to receive from him an heavy doom at his coming This u Goodwin ibid. p. 185. Shammatha is by some conjectured to be of Enoch'â— constitution and that in the inflicting of it w Forbes ibid. Sect. 16. his own Prophecy was used in the words of the Apostle Jude v. 14. 15. Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints to execute judgement upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodlily committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him But Jacobus Capellus as I find him mentioned by a x Forbes ubi suprà Sect 14. learned man condemns this enumeration and though he make three kinds yet he makes two of those forementioned to be but one and adds another reckoning them thus The first was called Nesipha whereby the party was shut out from the Camp seven dayes as Miriam was Numb 12.14.15 The second Niddui as before The third Cherem or Shammatha for he makes them both one was that whereby the Offender was driven from all communion and all humane commerce and society interdicted him as one cut off till he repented y Itaque commodiùs quoque videtur distribui excommunicatio in duas species c. Bez. in loc Grotius in loc in Luc. 6.22 Pinks Sermon pag. 3. 4. Others make but two kinds and reckon the third only the highest degree of the second thus The first Niddui the second Cherem Now to this Cherem the Apostles Anathema here doth correspond and of this there were two degrees The single and lesser Anathema which is the same with Cherem and the greater the extream z Qui in eo damnatus esset Domino quasi in manus citra ullam veniae spem dederetur Bez. in loc Vide etiam Sclaterum in loc the compounded Anathema which had Shammatha according to the Jews or Maranatha according to the Apostles phrase added to it This Grotius calls Gravissimum Cherem and Beza with Calvin take it to be the form by which the most grievous and extream Excommunication was performed the sense and signification whereof was x That he who was condemned by it was given up into the hands of the Lord without hope of pardon and a Eoque significatur DominuÌ„ in adventu suo certò perditurum esse talem peccatoreÌ„ Ravanel in verbo Maranatha That the Lord at his coming would certainly destroy such a sinner Now the Apostle being to denounce judgement against those who love not the Lord Jesus makes choice of this way and form to express himself by as the most grievous and dreadful which he could find out the meaning whereof is this Let such a one as loves not the Lord Jesus not be barely accursed but accursed as the Jews curse the most obstinate Offenders in their greatest Excommunication that is as b Non sit ci Wilâ—s adventus ejus qui jam completus est sic ad damnationem sit ei secundus qui adhuc futuâ—us est Ansel in loc Anselme interprets it Let him have no benefit by his first coming which is past and let his second coming which is to come be to his damnation Or c Pinks Ser. p. 5. as another Let him be accursed and that in the most desperate manner expecting due vengeance from the Lord when he cometh with his holy millions to execute judgement upon all and to convince all that are ungodly as it is Jude 14.15 So that as ever you would escape the Curse and obtain the Blessing as ever you would have the appearing of Christ at the last day to be to your salvation and not to your most fearful and intolerable condemnation it will concern you to look that you be found in the number of those who love him in this day The thrid Reason Sect. 3. 3. COnsider how well he deserves your love and that upon a double account 1. Upon the account of his great loveliness d Of Christs loveliness as described by the Church in Cant. 5. See Owen of Communion with God p. 78. to 87. If you will not credit this without testimony you have it both from Heaven and Earth From Heaven God the Father from the excellent Glory by a voice declared concerning him 2 Pet. 1.17 This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased e Morn Exercise Part 2. pag. 241. He knew of whom he spake for he was his Son and he doth not say he was pleased with him only but well-pleased that is delighted and satisfied And was he worthy of Gods love and can you doubt whether he hath deserved yours From Earth you have his Churches character and commendation of him Cant. 5.16 He is altogether lovely f Color caput comae oculi genae labia manus venter crura pes guttur omnia haec figuratè describuntuâ— in laude sponsi quasi in clausulâ brevi capitulo totum concludens totus inquit desiderabilis Gilbertus in loc inter Bernard opera She had been from the tenth Verse describing him in all his lineaments and setting forth the perfections of every part his head hair eyes cheeks lips hands belly legs countenance and mouth and in the cloze summs up all in this short but full Encomium That he is altogether lovely g Totus desideria Pag. Totus desideratissimus Jun. Ainsworth Sibs Bowels opened p. 373. All every whit of him is desires much to be desired wholly amiable As if she had said Why should I stand upon particulars whatever I have said or can say of him is infinitely short of his worth and therefore I 'le shut up all in this that he is altogether lovely all over from top to toe amiable
lovely and delectable And indeed so he is If there be any thing unlovely in him do not love him but because he hath Omnes rationes amabilitatis he is maximè diligibilis as the Schoolmen speak He is most to be beloved because he hath all grounds of amiablenâ—ss in him What is it which is most taking with you which is not in him 1. Is it Beauty He is white and ruddy the chiefest the Standard-bearer among ten thousand Cant. 5.10 Fairer than the Children of Men Psal 45.2 h Pulchritudinem Christi fuisse eximiam omnimodam dubitare nesas est Rivet in Psal 45. pag. 214. Fol. It s a hainous and detestable thing to doubt of his excellent and perfect beauty He is the brightness of his Fathers glory and the express Image of his person Heb. 1.3 2. Is it Riches He is proprietor and possessor of unsearchable riches according to the Apostle Ephes 3.8 He is appointed Heir of all things Heb. 1.2 3. Is it Honour God hath highly exalted him and given him a name above every name Phil. 2.9 higher than the Kings of the Earth Psal 89.27 King of Kings and Lord of Lords is the Name written on his Thigh and Vesture Rev. 19.16 The Lord of Glory as he is called in 1 Cor. 2.8 The King of Glory as David styles him Psal 24.7 that is a most glorious Lord and King by an usual Hebraisme 4. Is it Power and Authority All power that is * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 belong both to him as those places intimate authority is given to him in Heaven and Earth Mat. 28.18 he hath a power whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself Phil. 3.21 5. Is it great Wisdome and Vnderstanding In him are hid all the treasures of Wisdome and Knowledge Col. 2.3 He hath not a little Wisdome but treasures of Wisdome all the treasures of Wisdome 6. Is it Goodness of disposition He may be better than Titus Vespatian called Deliciae generis humani The delight and darling of mankind How earnestly doth he invite and beseech poor sinners to come in to him that they may be saved Isa 55.1 c. Mat. 11.28 2 Cor. 5.20 Vide Watsons Sermon of Christs loveliness passim How patiently doth he wait for their acceptance of his offers of grace Rev. 3.10 even till his head be filled with dew and his locks with the drops of the night Cant. 5.2 How readily doth he embrace and heartily welcome those who come in to him though they have been Prodigals and stood out long against his entreaties Luke 15.20 c. How sadly doth he resent the delayes and denyals of obstinate sinners with sorrow in his heart Mark 3.5 with tears in his eyes Luke 19.41 and lamentable complaints in his mouth Verse 42. Mat. 23.37 John 5.40 all which shews what a gracious disposition he is of 7. Is it Sweetness of Conversation That which was said of Saul and Jonathan 2 Sam. 1.23 They were lovely in their lives is much more true of Christ His life was purer than the Sun-beams as Chrysostome speaks his life was a fair Copy without any blot his lips never spake a word amisse Psa 45. Luke 4.22 John 7.46 his feet never did tread one step awry he went about doing good Acts 10.38 his whole life was a pattern of good works 8. Is it Vsefulness to others Herein he is most eminent He is our Light The Sun of Righteousness more useful than the Sun in the Firmament Mal. 4.2 He is our Life our life of grace and comfort here springs from him John 1.16 Luke 2.25 and so doth our life of glory hereafter Col. 3.4 John 17.22 24. In a word He is our All. i Omnia ad salutem necessaria in omnibus fidelibus sanctificatis Christo copulatis Dav. in Col. p. 306. All that is necessary to salvation in all the faithful that are sanctified and united to him Col. 3.11 k Watsons Sermon on the Text. p. 420. All good is eminently in him and all good is conveyed derivatively from him He is made unto Believers a Paradise a Tree of Life a Jewel a Crown c. yea l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Macar Hom. 31. mihi p. 410. All in all as Macarius speaks Even Christ crucified though to the blind world the greatest stumbling block and Rock of offence yet to them who have their senses rightly exercised to discern him is most amiable When he is to the Jews a stumbling-block and to the Greeks foolishness even then to them who are called both Jews and Greeks it is Christ the Power of God and the Wisdome of God 1 Cor. 1.23.24 which made the Apostle resolve to know and to glory in nothing but Christ crucified the Cross of Christ 1 Cor. 2.2 and Gal. 6.14 The more bloody he was for us the more lovely should he be to us because therein he shewed most love to us m Sihs Bowels open'd p. 374. By how much the more he was abased for us this makes him the more lovely that out of love he would abase himself so low When greatness and goodness meet together how goodly is it And likewise because from hence ariseth our greatest benefit and advantage Christs Cross is our Crown his Passion the ground of our hope and expectation his shame our glory his pain our ease his curse our blessing his stripes our healing his confinement our liberty his condemnation our justification his suffering our reigning his death our life for his Cross was the atonement of Divine wrath the condemnation of sin n â—â—ux Christi est clavis Paâ—adisi Damasc the opening of Heaven which was shut against us Well then lay these things together and if it appear that Jesus Christ is thus lovely there is no question but he deserves to be loved by you especially if you take in the other consideration upon which he deserves your love and that is 2. Upon the account of his love to your selves It 's true o Tam bonus est pulcher in se Deus ut licet non amasset nos nec benefecisset nec fecisset amandus esset supra omnes ematores benefactores conditores nostros imo etiamsi adisset nos malefecisset Nâ—irem de Adorat in Spir. Verit. p. 369. that Christs goodness and amiableness is such as that it deserves our love though he had never loved us nor done good to us yea after he hath loved us p Quia bonus est in se D us plus debemus amare quam quia nos amat benefacit Idem p. 375. we ought to love him more because he is good and amiable in himself than because he loveth us and is beneficial to us But though the loveliness of Christ be sufficient to deserve our love and we can never love him at so high a rate as his amiableness deserves
her love of Christ consumed all her corruptions and whereas elementary fire may be quenched the love of Christ is a coelestial flame Many Waters cannot quench it neither can the Floods drown it v. 7. It could not be extinguished or abated by the calamities which she underwent for his sake And in the last place It was so sincere and incorrupt as that it could not be bribed by any treasure If a man would give all the substance of his house for love it would be contemned The Apostle Peter could appeal to Christ himself in the case when he demanded of him the third time * Joh. 21.17 Simon Peter lovest thou me Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee The same Apostle witnesseth concerning Believers to whom he wrote that they did love the Lord Jesus 1 Pet. 1.8 yea though they had never seen him m Multum est amare eum quem de facie non noveris Grot. in loc It is much to love one whom we never saw and yet these loved Christ whom they never saw from what they had heard of him by the preaching of the Apostles and from what they knew and tasted of him by faith Faith is not as n Fides non est nuda otiosa frigida notitia sed inflammat cor ad amorem Christi Qui verè in Christum credant eundem etiam diligunt Gerh. in Petr. p. 78. Gerhard notes on that place a naked idle cold knowledge but inflames the heart with the love of Christ they who truly believe in Christ do also love him That Woman who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called a sinner Luke 7.37 whatever her name was for it was not Mary Magdalen though she be so called in the Contents of that Chapter in our Bibles as a learned o Dâ—spaigne Shibboleth p. 11. c. French-man observes She I say having experienced the great love of Christ in forgiving her many sins did love him again yea she loved much v. 47 p 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ignat. Epist ad Rom. p. 89. Ignatius who saw Christ in the flesh being about twelve years old when he was Crucified thus wrote to the Romans Believe me that I love Jesus who gave himself for me and a little before in the same Epistle he writes q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ibid. p. 88. My Love is crucified making Christ the only object of his love They were the dying words of r Melch. Adam Vit. Ger. Theol. p. 154. Luther I bless thee heavenly Father that thou hast revealed Jesus Christ unto me whom I have believed whom I have professed whom I have loved whom I have glorified t Wards Sermons 8. p. 15. Wals. None but Christ p. 64. Mr. Welsh a Suffolk Minister being in a deep muse after some discourse that had passed of Christ and tears trickling abundantly from his eyes before he was aware being urged for the cause thereof confessed ingenuously It was because he could not draw his dull heart to prize Christ aright nor to love him enough And it was a high expression of devout Herbert in his Poems * Herb Poems p. 40. Ah! my dear God! though I am clean forgot Let me not love thee if I love thee not Nor is this to be wondred at for his love constrains them and truly u Amat non immerito qui est amaâ—us sine merito amat sine fine quia sine principio se cognoscit amatum Bern. Epist 107. he loves deservedly who was loved without desert he may well love without end who knows himself to have been beloved without beginning as the Father speaks w Wall None but Christ p. 64. Indeed our cold love of Christ would be almost as great a wonder as his great love to us and might make us justly fear that we never savingly knew him I hope by this time you are sufficiently convinced of the reasonableness of knowing Christ so as to love him which methinks should make every one of you breath after Christ and his love in the language of the Seraphical Doctor x Eiâ— dulcissime Jesu transfige saluberrimo vulnere amoris tui medullas animae meae ut verè ardeat langueat liquefiat solo desiderio tuo deficiat Bonaven Solilo cap. 2. Well sweetest Jesus strike through the inmost parts of my soul with the most wholesome wound of thy love that it may truly burn and be sick of love and melt and faint with desire of thee only Thus much by way of motive to perswade your love CHAP. VII 2. Direction how Jesus Christ is to be loved WOuld you have a Guide for your love I shall in some few particulars direct you how you should love the Lord Jesus Sect. 1. 1. The first general Direction respects the quality of it grounded on Ephes 6.24 LOok that your love be such for quality as the Apostle makes the character of true love to Christ which hath the blessing entailed upon it Ephes 6.24 Grace be with all them that love the Lord Jesus in sincerity so it is in the Text of our Bibles and in the Margin With incorruption In the Greek it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which because it hath been variously interpreted I shall first open the words and then deduce what I intend from them y Optat incorruptibilitatem id est immortalitatem coelesteÌ„ gloriam in vitaÌ„ aeternâ Pisc in loc Piscator takes this as a distinct blessing which the Apostle prayes for on the behalf of these Ephesians He had before prayed for Peace Love with Faith and Grace and here sayes he he wisheth for them incorruptibility that is immortality and heavenly glory in the life eternal z Ad immortalitatem vel cum immortalitaté vitâ videlicet aeternâ metâ ejus gratiae quaÌ„ pro fidelibus precatur Bez. Beza renders it Ad immortalitatem or Cum immortalitate To or with immortality and refers it to Grace in the beginning of the Verse as if the meaning were Grace be with them that love the Lord Jesus unto immortality that is eternal life which is the end of that grace which he begs for Believers To this sense is the Syriack Version by Temellius a Gratia quae non corrumpitur Trem. Grace which is not corrupted And b Sic maneant in gratia quod non decidant ab ea sed perveniant ad gloriam quae est gratia consummata Lyr. in loc Lyra's note agrees hereunto who sayes the Apostle here prayes That they may so abide in grace as not to fall from it but to reach unto glory which is grace consummate and made perfect c Incorruptibilem hanc gratiam oppoâ—o ego Anâ—themati illi aeterno quod Paulus alibi denuncial adversus eos qui non diligunt Dominum nostrum Jâ—sum Christum Rolloc in loc Rolloc understands it in this sense opposing this incorruptible grace to that eternal curse
which the same Apostle denounceth in another place of which I have spoken before against those who love not the Lord Jesus Some understand this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for that which is in our own Translation In sincerity Thus d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod alias verti salet immortalitas hic sonat integritatem ac sinceritatem animi vacantis omni corruptelâ vitiorum Eras in loc Erasmus whose note is That though this word is wont to be elsewhere rightly rendred Immortality yet here it signifies integrity and sincerity of a heart free from all sinful corruption e Subindicare voluit Paulus tunc demùm omni corruptelâ fore vacuum cor hominis si omni hypocrisi caret Calv. Calvin follows this sense and sayes that the Apostle useth this word to signifie that then is the heart of man void of corruption when it is without hypocrisie Several f Videsis Vorstium Bodium Baldvinū Hemingiū in loc others follow this sense but I passe them over Some understand the words according to the sense of the Margin with incorruption that is with constancy and continuance Thus the Greek Scholiast as I find mentioned by Bodius expounds it of a perpetual and incorruptible love which fails not nor is diminished but grows and is encreased day by day till it come to the highest pitch of perfection And thus g Significatur is qui nullâ vi nullis precibus nullis illecebris se corrumpi id est a recto abduci patitur Talis animi status hic dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 potestque hoc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verti constantèr Grot. in loc Grotius who sayes it may well be rendred Constantly and that such a one is signified by it as will not suffer himself to be corrupted nor drawn away from that which is right by any force intreaties or allurements whatsoever h Intelligo de constantiâ sinceritate Aret. in loc Others I find who take in both these latter Interpretations and understand it both of sincerity and constancy too Believers sayes a i Fergusson on the place late Writer are here described from this that they love the Lord Jesus in sincerity or incorruption that is not for a time only but constantly not in hypocrisie or shew only but sincerely and really And truly there is such a near and necessary conjunction betwixt these two that they cannot well be separated for that which is sincere will be constant and that which is constant is sincere especially seeing the word signifies both and therefore hence I would direct you as ever you would obtain that grace favour and all good which in this Apostolical benediction is annexed unto it that you look your love to Christ be for the quality of it sincere and stedfast pure and permanent without reservation and without recidivation Sect. 2. The first Branch of the first Direction That it be sincere 1. LOok that your love to Christ be a sincere love for that may be one sense of the word k So it is in our Translation as I shewed you before Quest But how shall I know that my love to Christ is sincere Answ I shall not handle the case at large yet I shall give you some characters of such a love which may give you some light in this matter and for those who desire further satisfaction I shall refer them to the l Reynolds on Psa 110. p. 59. c. Pinks Tryal of Christians love to Christ the three last Sermons especially Morn Exercise Part 2. Serm. 9. p. 218. Authors quoted in the Margin where they may find the case more fully and largely resolved The Characters which I shall give are these 4 Characters of sincere love to Christ 1. Sincere love of Christ is spiritual in its principle and constitution It is not founded in Nature but Grace and springs not from custome education formal profession external communion or an historical faith but it is begun in a deep sense of our infinite wants and miseries without Christ The first character It is Spiritual together with his suitableness sufficiency and readiness to relieve and rescue us and it is carried on and further strengthned and encreased by evidence of our propriety and interest in him Unfeigned love is the daughter of unfeigned faith Now this faith as it believes what Christ is in himself abundantly able and willing to answer all the necessities of the soul works a love of desire after him and as it applies and brings home all this with some clearnesse and evidence to the soul so it works a love of complacency This is the first Character and of great concernment for if ever you would make good your love to Christ you must make good the ground and principle of it 2. Sincere love is Cordial in the exercise of it 1. It is with the heart The second Character It is Cordial O thou whom my soul loveth sayes the Spouse Cant. 1.7 m Quem ex animo diligo Mercer in loc Whom I love with my very soul n Ainsworth It notes the unfeignedness and fervency of her love Sincere love is not complemental but cordial it stands not in outward expression but intimate affection When Christ wooes for your love he bids you give him your heart Prov. 23.26 and sayes as Jehu did to Jonadab 2 Kings 10.15 Is thine heart right as my heart is with thine heart if this be wanting he values not all your good words but will say as Delilah did to Sampson Judg. 16.15 How canst thou say I love thee when thy heart is not with me 2. It is also with the whole heart Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind sayes our Saviour Mat. 22.37 There is no love befitting God but such a love He loves a broken but cannot endure a divided heart he will have all or none We should love Christ infinitely and because we cannot we must love him unfeignedly which we do not unlesse we love him with our hearts without halting and with our whole hearts without halving o Dr. Preston of Love p. 155. The Lord will have the whole stream of your affection desires intentions and endeavours to run to him there must not a rivulet run out of it it must not be drained away but the whole stream must be all bestowed upon himself there must be no division there but he must have all and there is good reason for it for he hath loved us with his whole heart and his whole soul Jer. 32.41 Christ then must be the Center of all the affections of your whole heart if you would love him sincerely as you ought to do The third Character It is Chaste 3. Sincere love is chaste love The love of a soul to Christ is of the nature of Conjugal love which when it is chaste hath these properties
1. That it is a Personal love a love of the Person more than his portion p Meretricius amor est plus annulum quaÌ„ sponsum amare It is the love of a Harlot to love the Ring more than the Husband Our love of Christ must be a personal love we must love him more than his He indeed sayes q Amat profecto castè qui ipsum quem amat quaerit non aliud quicquam ipsius Bern. Ser. 7. in Cant. p. 138. Bernard loves chastely who seeks him whom he loves not any other thing which he hath It s adulterate love to love the priviledges and blessings of Christ above himself and as r Greenham p. 516. one of our own speaks If we love not Christ more than his benefits we are not worthy of him A Christian doth and may lawfully love the Ordinances Priviledges Graces and Benefits which come by Christ but yet he loves Christs person more than these and above all these so that if there were not any of these in hand or in hope yet would he look upon Christ as altogether lovely and love him without these Å¿ Nobilis amator non quiescit in dono sed in me super omne donum Thom. A â—emp de Imit Christ lib. 3. cap. 6. mihi p. 153. That is the noble lover who rests not in any gift received from Christ but rests in Christ above every gift so the devout A Kempis brings in Christ speaking to the soul 2. That it is a love of the Person considered in the utmost extent of that relation of a Husband that is not only as a Cherisher and Preserver but also as a Head Guide and Lord. Thus a Christians sincere love to Christ respects and is carried out to whole Christ not only as Jesus to Save but also as Lord to Rule It looks at Christ as Mediator and loves him in all the offices of his Mediatorship not only as t Isa 55.4 Eph. 5.23 Col. 2.6 Witnesse but also as Leader and Commander not only as Saviour of his Body but also as Head of his Church not only as Priest to satisfie and intercede but also as Prophet to teach lead and guide and as King to Rule govern and exercise dominion As the Heart must not be divided which is the principle of our love so Christ must not be divided who is the object of our love As we must love with the whole heart so we must love a whole Christ or not at all Take it for a clear truth sayes one That if thou lovest not Christ as thy Soveraign Lord u Morn Exercise Part 2. p. 229. if thy heart be not knit to him as thy High Priest with God if thou hast not affectionately entertained him as thy Master and Teacher in a word if thou art not consecrated unto God by Christ if thou art not a loyal Subject and a willing Disciple love in sincerity doth not dwell in thee 3. That it is an unshared and incommunicable love When a Woman is married to an Husband if she love him sincerely as she ought he hath no Corrivals in her affection but she gives him her whole love and doth not divide it betwixt him and others her heart is set upon him more than all the World besides so it is with a Christian who truly loves Christ He hath none in Heaven but Christ and there is none on Earth that he desires besides him Psal 73.25 His Motto is that of the w Lambert Martyr None but Christ None but Christ As Christ is all in all to him so he is all in all his affections for Christ x Reynolds on Psal 110. p. 74. The fourth character It is Real As the rising of the Sun drowneth all those innumerable Stars which shined in the Firmament before so the beauty of this Sun of Righteousness doth blot out or else gather together unto it self all those scattered affections of the soul which were before cast away upon meaner objects This is chaste love and the third Character of that which is sincere 4. Sincere love is real love not not in word and in tongue only but in deed and in truth If that be required in our love to Christians as it is 1 John 3.18 surely it must not be omitted in our love to Christ Our Saviour himself makes this the proof of our love If you love me keep my Commandments John 14.15 And again He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me v. 21. And again If a man love me he will keep my words v. 23. So John 15.14 You are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you You see then That exhibition of works is the probation of love as the y Probatio dilectionis est exhibitio operis Bern. in Coen Dom. Ser. 8. Father speaks It s in vain for men to talk of loving Christ if they do not walk after him in a free chearful universal and constant obedience to his Commandments z Leighs Crit. Sacr. in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some derive the Greek word for love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because love is alway operative As Fire is the most active Element so Love is the most working Grace Indeed a Amor si non operatur non est Greg. Love if it be not operative is not at all b Qui praecepta Dei contemnit Deum non diligit neque enim regem diligimus si odiâ— ejus leges habemus Isid He doth not love God who contemns his Precepts as we love not a King when we hate his Laws c Vide Hardy on John Part 2. p. 472. 473. We cannot approve the sincerity of our love but by the reality of our obedience He who loveth Christ sayes d Qui diligit Christum probat sectatur ea quae Christo grata esse novit atque odit fugit quae Christo minimè placere novit Contra verò ubi non est Praeceptorum Christi observatio ibi non est vera dilectio quamvis multa sit de dilectione gloriatio c. Gerh. Har. mihi p. 925. Gerhard doth approve and follow those things which he knows to be acceptable unto Christ and doth hate and avoid such things as he knows will by no means please him On the other side where there is not an observance of Christs Precepts there is no true love of Christ though there may be much boasting of it Deeds speak more strongly than words If a Wife should boast that she loves her Husband and in the mean time oppose him in all things she will never be able to perswade her Husband nor any others that she truly loves him So those who boast that they love this heavenly Husband the Lord Jesus and in the mean time trample his Commandments under their feet do but deceive themselves The true and noble love of Jesus as a e Amor Jesu
nobilis ad magna operanda impellit ad desideranda semper perfectiora excitat Amor onus non sentit labores non reputat plus affectat quam valet Amor onus sine onere portat omne amarum dulce ac sapidum efficit A Kemp. de Imit Christi lib. 3. cap. 5. mihi p. 149. 150. devout man speaks doth inforce to the doing of great things and doth excite to the desire of more perfect things Love feels no burden reckons not of labours and affects more than it can do It bears a burden without burden and makes every bitter thing sweet and savoury True love of Christ is real and operative not only full of affection to him but also of action for him expressed in obedience to his Commandments These are the Characters of sincere love and it will concern you to look that your love be thus sincere Sect. 3. The second Branch of the first Direction That it be stedfast constant 2. LOok that your love to Christ be a stedfast and constant love for that may be another sense of the * So it is in the Margin of your Bibles With incorruption word as was shewed before (*) Roberts Evidences p. 21. Two Characters of constant love The first is That it be Inviolable True love of Christ is a long-lasting yea an everlasting affection it will not waste putrifie worm-eat or decay but is incorruptible Now there are two things which go to the making up of this stedfast constant love 1. It must be Inviolable such as will not be corrupted Man hath more Suitors for his love than one Christ sues for it and Satan sues for it and neither will be satisfied without it only with this difference that Christ will have all or none but Satan will be content with a part if he cannot get the whole he is willing to have it divided for thereby he knows he shall have all at last because Christ will not be put off with a piece of the heart nor accept of half our love Now as Christ sues by the Word so Satan sues by the World but when once Christ hath gained the love of a mans heart in good earnest to himself not all the baits which Satan layes for him nor all the fair promises which he makes to him from the Worlds Trinity f 1 Joh. 2.16 Ambitiosus honos opes foeda voluptas Haec tria pro Trino Numine Mundus habet the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride the pleasures profits preferments of this life can bribe or corrupt him in his love to Christ but he remains inviolable against all these Now he can say having loved him and tasted of his sweetnesse unto all other temptations and allurements from the creature Frustrà blanditiae venitis ad me They are no more to him than they are to a dead man for such a one is he to the World and all the flattering enticing blandishments of it as Paul said he was g Quia nihil ad mortuum pertineat Calv. in loc Gal. 6.14 I am crucified to the World This is one Branch of the character of true love to Christ as it is set down Cant. 8.7 If a man would give all the substance of his House for love it would be utterly contemned which though Ainsworth interpret to the sense That neither Love nor any other Grace can be purchased by money yet ordinarily it is interpreted to such a sense as will serve the end I bring it for viz. That the soul which is truly affected to Jesus Christ will not be perswaded out of it by any thing which this World can afford Thus Mercer h Opibus non ducitur aut quaestu Ecclesia ut a Christi amore discedat cum omnia sua propter Christum parata sit relinquere Merc. in loc The Church is not drawn by riches or gain to depart from the love of Christ seeing she is ready to leave all she hath for Christ To the same purpose one of our own i Jacâ—soâ— in loc If a man though the wealthiest man in the World should proffer a Christian all his wealth to hire him to abandon his love and loyalty to Christ he would look upon it with scorn and indignation with contempt and detestation A true Believer will part with all he hath for Christs sake but he will not part with Christ for all the World Such a one was Luther who could not be tempted by all the fair promises which the Romanists made him of Honour and Wealth to abate of his zeal and affection for Christ and his Truth but answered all their temptations with this noble resolution k Contemptus est Romanus furor favoâ— Melch. Adam in vita Lutheri p. 114. The fury and favour of the Romish Party is by me alike contemned So that when one asked Why they did not stop his mouth with Silver or Gold another answered l Hemâ— Germana haec Bestia non curat Aurum ibid. p. 158. Alas this German Beast cares not for Gold Such a one was the noble Marquess of Vico who having left his Countrey Relations and Estate for Christs sake and Religion and having withstood several temptations to return was at last assaulted by a subtile and importunate Jesuit who among other things made him fair offers of money if he would return home but he resolutely repelled this Temptation in these words m Crashaw's gracious life of Gal. Carao p. 211. Let their money perish with them who esteem all the Gold in the World worth one dayes society with Jesus Christ And such a love as this must we have to Christ if we would be constant to him The second is That it is Invincible 2. It must be Invincible such as cannot be conquered As Christ hath threatnings to enforce our love as well as promises to entice it from the Word so hath Satan from the World to keep or call off our hearts from Christ He hath a frowning as well as a smiling World threats as well as promises force as well as flattery and where he prevails not by the one he will make use of the other but now where a soul is fully bent and fixed in love to Christ it will * Gen. 49.24 abide in strength against this as well as the other by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. This love in the heart of a Christian is a fire that hath a most vehement flame which many waters cannot quench nor the floods drown as it is expressed Cant. 8.6 7. Where n Anisworth Jackson Roboâ—ham in loc by Waters and Floods according to a usual Metaphor in Scripture 2 Sam. 22.17 Psal 32.6 Psal 42.7 are meant many and sore afflictions persecutions troubles and temptations and so that which is intended is That no threatnings afflictions and persecutions can beat off the Spouse from the love of Christ The love of Christ
LOve Jesus Christ Plusquam tuos More than all your Relations though never so near and dear to you Hear what our Saviour sayes Luke 14.26 If any man come to me and hate not Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters he cannot be my Disciple Object But perhaps this may sound harsh in the ears of some who may be ready to retort What hate Father and Mother c. This is a hard saying who can bear it I shall therefore speak something for the opening and clearing of this Scripture Answer that no Stumbling blocks may from thence lye in the way to discourage any Man from following Christ Know therefore 1. How this is to be understood It cannot be understood as if Christ would hereby extinguish naturall affections in his Followers towards their Relations forbidding our love to them and requiring our hatred of them No no 1. Love to our Relations is implanted by himself in every one by nature 2. It is not only allowed but required by his commandment in Scripture Exod. 20.12 3. It was in himself and expressed by him to his dying hour for then out of filial affection did he commend his Virgin-Mother to the care of his beloved Disciple John 19.27 By which example as the †Bellarmin de Sept. verb. dom lib. 1. c. 11. p. 89. Alex. Roberts Sacred Septenary p. 73. Smith on the Creed p. 230. Gerh. Harmon de pass p. 187. Learned observe Christ would teach us what affection and care we owe to our Relations according to the flesh Farre be it from us therefore to imagine that our Saviour would have us turn Barbarians when we became Christians or that he would have us cast off all naturall affection when we come unto him This is not his meaning But Secondly Christs end and design is to regulate and keep within due bounds our love to our earthly relations and raise our affection to himself to its due pitch and height He would have us to love Father and Mother c. But yet so as to reserve a singular and sovereigne affection for himself not to suffer our love to them to exceed or drown our love to Him Love them we may but not more than himself so it is expressed Mat. 10.37 †Quiamat supra me Beza in loc and so * Beza expounds it here †Certum est vocâ—m hanc impropriè sumi nam parentes odisse impium est semetipsuÌ„ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Grot. Simplicissima interpretatio est quae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exponit minùs amare quendam It is certain sayes Grotius that this word is to be taken improperly for it is a wicked thing to hate ones Parents and impossible to hate ones self Ephes 5.29 And therefore he expounds this hating by lesse loving Thus Deodate takes it and thus they both observe the word to hate is sometimes taken in Scripture see Gen. 29.31 33. Deut. 21 15.16 Thus Glassius takes it * Odissâ— post ponere minusâ— curare seu prae al o charioâ—i negligere significat Glassius Gram. sacr p. 582. Rhet. sacr p. 10 56. Vide Vorst Philolog sacr cap. 5. pag. 149 150. To hate sayes he Signifies to put behind and lesse to care for one or to neglect in comparison of another who is more dear and more highly esteemed So that this phrase 1. Is not to be understood in a strict but in a moderate sence To hate is not to love and this 2. Not absolutely but comparatively not to love them in comparison of Christ not to love them so much aâ— Him or more than Him To set them behind Him and to care for them lesse than Him and to neglect them in comparison of Him who ought to be more dear to them 3. This to be understood upon occasion of their standing in competition with Him †Si nos à Christo sequendo impediat nostrorum amor fortiter resistendum est Calv. in loc If the love of our relations hinder us from following of Christ it is strongly to be resisted as Calvin observes And so Glassius * Odisse igitur parentes alia religionis pietatis causâ est non ita diligere ut Christum ejus doctrinam sed eos post habere ità ut vocatione divinâ serente deserantur si in Christi servitio remoras insicere veliâ—t Glas ubi supra Qui tamen illos non odit sed facit quod plerunque ex odio fieri solet quia illos relinquit Christumque sequitur Idem ibidem To hate our Parents and other things in the cause of Religion and Godlinesse is not to love them so as we love Christ and his Gospel but to set them behind so as to leave them Gods call allowing of it if they prove Remora 's to us in the service of Christ Yet as he addes such an one doth not properly hate but doth that which is wont to be done out of hatred because he leaves them and follows Christ And then as it is observed †Pinks tryall pag. 6. by one 4. The hatred here required is not be understood so much in reference to their persons as to those favours and contentments which we may receive from them When we are driven to that pinch that we must either lose Christ or the good looks good words and good deeds of those whom we account our best friends we should so hate that is by a Hebraisme neglect or disesteem whatsoever comforts or favours we could expect from them that without any long pause or deliberation we may be content to let them go and be glad we are so rid of them that we may stick close unto Christ So that to shut up this in the words of a learned man * Hic verus seâ—sas inde resultat Christum Jesum à suis Christianis sic diligi deberâ— ut illa dilectio non tantum dilectionem parentum conjugis liberoru quaâ—umvis Christianorum longè superet sed etiam si parentâ—s coâ—â—ux vel liberi vel etià m quivis alii nos in aliquibus à Christi doctrinâ vel sequelâ avocare vellent ut eos non tantum nonaudiamus sed ab iis nos segregemus proptereà odio ipsos prosequamur Chem. Lyser Har. in loc This is the true sence that results from the words That Jesus Christ ought so to be loved by Christians that this love must not only far surpasse the love of Parents Wife Children and other Christians but also if Parents Wife or Childrens or any others would in any things call us off from the Doctine of Christ and following of him that we not only hear them not but separate our selves from them and upon that account and in that sence hate them Thus must we love Christ if we would be his Disciples that is preferre Him before all our relations in our thoughts esteem and affection even those who are nearest to us
for the sutableness of it to our own case and time I shall here transcribe It is utterly a fault among you said he then that the difference in judgment and practice about the Ceremonies of our Church hath caused such strangeness and alienation of mind and affection between such as do truly fear God both Ministers and people We are so far from receiving esteeming loving and maintaing society one with another notwithstanding this difference in judgment about these things that we are apt to despise and judge one another for it and doubt whether there be any truth of grace in them that differ from us in these things Surely saith the one side the indifferency and lawfulness of these things is now so clearly manifested as these men must needs be wilfully blind that do not see it Nay certainly they cannot chuse but see it well enough and were it not for a carnal respect to their credit with the people among whom they have gotten a great name and applause by standing out so long they would doubtless conform themselves And surely saith the other side the utter unlawfulness of these Ceremonies is now so clearly revealed that these men must needs be wilfully blind that see it not nay they do see it well enough and were it not for a carnal respect they have unto their worldly peace and estate they would never use them certainly they sin against their conscience in observing of them And what truth of grace can there be in them that are wilfully blind and for carnal respects do thus sin against their own conscience And thus do both sides grossely and dangerously erre and sin against their brethren And when ye sin so against the brethren saith the Appstle 1 Cor. 8.12 ye sin against Christ For the experience of all times and of this present age proveth evidently that there be of both sides that fear God unfeignedly and in the whole tenour and course of whose conversation the life and power of true godlinesse doth manifestly appear And if thou do not see this whosoever thou art that art most bitter and violent of either side then art thou certainly thy self most wilfully blind And I do assure thee in the Name of the Lord and by good warrant out of his Word that if thou canst not unfeignedly love every one that truly feareth God whether he conform or not conform if thou canst not bewail and strive against these hard conceits thou hast been wont to entertain against such thou canst have no comfort at all in thine own estate before God Thus far he And is the matter any whit amended now Truly no the same occasions of difference in judgement remaining there are the same distances of affection the same heats and contentions of spirit attending thereupon nay I fear greater which is very sad to consider m Reynolds Sermon of the peace of the Church p. 16. 17. Of Brotherly Recoâ—e l. p. 8 19. Indeed it were to be desired though hardly to be hoped that in the Church of God there were no noise of axes and hammers no difference in judgments and conceits but in the best ages of the Church there have been and therefore we can expect no other than that there ever will be varieties and differences of judgment But that in this case of unavoidable differences among good men there should be no more mutuall charity meekness moderation tolerance and humanity expressed and one the contrary so much judging despising rejecting and insulting over one another such bitter invectives and voluminous reproaches such recording of Brethrens infirmities and raking into the sores which Christ died to heal such backbiting slanderous speeches such secret dividing contrivances and deep designs against Brethren that disagreement of judgements should break forth into disunion of hearts that amidst the variety of our severall conceits there should be no more care to preserve still the unity of faith and love by which onely we are known to be Christs Disciples that though there be not Via una one Way there should not yet be Cor. unum one Heart This is a Lamentation and will be for a Lamentation Now when these things are thus among us though they ought not so to be shall we sit still in silence and stupidity and suffer the sweet and soft fire of love to dy out quite and the wild-fire of passion and contention to spread and prevail without moving a tongue or hand or foot towards the repressing of the one and reviving of the other Shall we see Christians taking one another by the throat and stand by as if we were unconcerned in it This were enough to make the dumb to speak For surely should we altogether hold our peace the stones would immediately cry out as our Saviour said in another case Luke 19.40 This may somewhat justifie and vindicate my writing when I may not speak that my Pen may reach those whom my tongue cannot especially when it is upon so harmlesse and innocent a design as the abating of wrath and advancing of love among Christians which the love of Christ the main subject of this discourse doth so naturally and necessarily lead unto Suffer me therefore as I have called upon you to love the Lord Jesus now to call upon you to love one another The Author of that Comment upon the Epistle to the Galations inserted in the sixth Tome of Hieroms works n Sixt. Senens Bibl. lib. 4. p. 309. Gerh. Patrolog p. 317. Rivel crit Sacr. lib. 4 p. 1133. though it be none of his reports of St. John That whiles he abode at Ephesus to a very great age so that he was hardly led to the Church betwixt two when he was not able to make any long discourse to his hearers he used onely to speak these words Little children love one another And truely were I to finish my Testimony or my course so as never to speak or write more unto you I could not do it better than as I now do by bespeaking your love one to another Oh! Christians love one another and I beseech you let this counsell be acceptable unto you do not deny me this request me thinks you should not when I come in Christs name and beg it for his sake who hath laid such obligations upon you hereunto that you must needs be exceeding hard and obdurate if you withstand them Give me leave to propound them to your consideration Sect. 5. 1. COnsider how strictly this is enjoyned and how strongly urged by our Lord Jesus It was his dying charge The first Motive to perswade mutual love among Christians from Christs commands which he frequently inculcated sweetly insinuated and powerfully pressed upon his Disciples and in them upon all Christians o Manton on Jude p. 131. Speeches of dying men are received with most veneration especially the charge of dying friends Therefore the Brethren of Joseph fearing lest he should remember the injuries formerly done to him used this
1. in his Treat of Christs fulness p. 226. And here there are these things in which our love of Christians should be conformable to Christs love towards us 1. The love of Jesus Christ towards us was a free love he loved us when we deserved it not without consulting his own profit or advantage but only minding our salvation and hereby he hath taught us to love one another freely not respecting our own profit but the will and command of God paying it as a debt not to purchase some benefit to our selves thereby not loâ—king at our own things herein but at the things of others the good and benefit of those whom we love more than our own 1 Cor. 10.24 Philippi 2.4 2. The love of Jesus Christ towards us was a true and reall love he did not feign and câ—unterfeit a love to us but did truly love us it was not complementall but cordiall it was not verball but reall He went about doing good and suffering evil for our sakes all his life long Acts 10.38 Heb. 12.3 and then gave himself for us his blood his life out of his great love to us Ephes 5.2 and hereby he hath taught us to love one another sincerely and really without dissimulation Romans 12.9 unfeignedly 1 Peter 1.22 not in word and in tongue only but in deed and in truth also 1 John 3.18 There must be a work and labor in our love 1 Thes 1.3 Heb. 6.10 so as that we must perform all offices of love and kindness to the Saints Our love towards them must be expressed by sympathizing with them in all conditions Rejoycing with them that do rejoyce and weeping with them that weep Rom. 12.15 Distributing to the necessities of them that want as we are able and opportunity is offered to us Rom. 12.13 Gal. 6.10 1 John 3.17 James 2.15.16 Bearing with them in their infirmities Gal. 6.2 Forbearing of them and forgiving of them when they offend us Ephes 4.32 Col. 3.12 13. Yea laying down our lives for the brethren as the case may be and need sometimes requires 1 John 3.16 Rom. 16.3 4 Phil. 2.17 18. We must not count our very lives too dear for the brethren a Cotton upon John p. 262. Roberts Bel. Evid p. 232. when the laying of them down may be serviceable to the glory of God and the good of his Church and the sparing of them would be prejudicial both wayes 3. The love of Jesus Christ towards us was a constant love Having loved his own which were in the world he loved them to the end John 13.1 Whom Jesus Christ once loves he loves for ever nor do the unkindnesses of his Children tire him out and make him cease loving of them They may make him hide his face from them but not set his heart against them b Herberts Poems The Bag. p. 145. Storms are the triumph of his art Well may he close his eyes but not his heart Now hereby he teacheth us to be constant in our love one to another to continue and persevere in our love to the end Heb. 13.1 yea to abound and increase more and more as the Apostle prayes 1 Thes 3.12 Our love of the Brethren should be perpetual and not be altered interrupted and abated by their petty unkindnesses much lesse by the greatest and most miserable change of their outward condition Proverbs 17.17 Thus have we from the love of Christ both a Reason and a Rule for our love to one another and by both a strong obligation thereunto 2. The second Motive it laid down in the 35. verse By this shall all men know that you are my Disciples if you have love one to another This is the grand Character of Christianity without which all our profession will come to nothing There is a great Emphasis in the words which tends to the stronger enforcing of that which he brings it for c Gerh. Harm p. 856. Dr. Pierce Sermon on the place mihi p. 405. He doth not say Hereby you shall be my Disciples but hereby it shall be known for we are made Disciples by faith but manifested to be so by love Nor doth he say hereby I shall know that you are my Disciples for he knew all men and needed not that any should testifie concerning man John 2.24.25 Nor doth he say hereby you shall know that you are my Disciples though that be true 1 John 3.14 but hereby others shall know Nor doth he say hereby they shall ghesse and conjecture but hereby they shall know as by a sure and infallible sign Nor doth he say hereby your Discipleship shall be known as a special secret to very few but as the Sun in his Meridian all men shall know it Nor doth he say that all men shall know that you are my Servants and brethren but my Disciples whiles you observe my precepts and follow my example as Disciples should do Nor doth he say that hereby all men shall know that you seem to be my Disciples in a disguise but that you are so without a fiction Lastly he doth not say your Discipleship shall be known by the assembling your selves in the house of Prayer your crying Lord Lord your shewing signs and wonders working miracles or casting out Devils in my Name your being Orthodox in judgment and jumping together in your opinions but by this it shall be known as a Token which never failes If you have love one to another So that this is the Badge of Christianity and Character of every true Christian to love one another d Charitas est quaed im forma informans alias virtutes adeò ut aliae sine charitate informes sint virtutum quasi simulachra Rolloc in Col. 3.14 without which all our Profession Priviledges and Performances are nothing in the account of Christ. One would think our Saviour had by this time said enough to engage all Christians to love one another but he hath not yet done and therefore if you passe on to the fifteenth Chapter you will find him go over it again and again In the twelfth verse sayes he This is my Commandment that you love one another as I have loved you e Gurnals Christian Arm. Part 2. p. 425. As if he would signifie to them that as he had one Disciple who went by the Name of the Disciple whom Jesus loved So he would have a darling Commandment in which he takes some singular delight and that this should be it viz. Their loving one another And for a Conclusion â—e goes over it again in the seventeenth verse These things I command you that you love one â—nother intimating that this one thing was â—ll things all that ever he had spoken to them â—nd given them in charge were either comâ—rehended in this or to be referred to it Thus â—ur Saviour enjoyned and enforced this duty of â—ove among Christians this was his Doctrine which he preached to and pressed upon his Disciples and in them upon our selves
and â—hall we be so disingenious as not to hearken â—o him and observe him herein Yet this is not all and therefore Sect. 4. 2. The second Motive from Christs Prayer COnsider in the next place his Prayer for it Having preached it up among his Disciples on earth in the Chapters forementioned as if he were resolved not to misse his work he sets upon praying it down from his Father in Heaven in the seventeenth Chapter which contains his excellent Prayer f Gurnall Uhi suprà p. 426. and what he insisted most upon in his Sermon that he enlargeth most upon in this Prayer Love was the charge which he laid upon them and Vnity is the blessing which he begs of his Father for them verse the eleventh Holy Father keep through thy Name those whom thou hast given me and why all this care that they may be one as we are As if he had said Father did we ever fall out was there ever discord betwixt us why then should they who are thine and miâ—â— disagree So verse the 21. and again verse the twenty third he is pleading hard for the same mercy and why so oft is it so hardly wrung from God that Christ himself musâ— tug so often for it no sure but as Christ said of the voice that came from heaven John 12.30 This voice came not because of me but for your sakes So must I say here This ingeminated zeal of Christ for his peoples unity and love was for their sakes that seeing how much his Heart was set upon their loving one another their hearts might also be more set upon it 〈◊〉 seek and pursue it and that seeing how greaâ— an enemy he was to contentions and divisions they might be scared from raising and fomenting them And doth it not concern Christians to make that the matter of their study and endeavour which Christ made the matter of his prayer did he pray for Love and Vnity for us and shall not we strive for it for our selves Oh! how sad and dismall a sight is it to behold Christians by their wrath and bitternesse against one another to make as much as in them lyes the Prayer of Christ of none effect Surely this would have some influence to the uniting of Christian hearts in love if it were more seriously pondered by them Yet this is not all The third from Christs passion for 3 Consider that he not only Preached it and Prayed for it but also Paid for it g Gurnall ibidem p 427. As he went from preaching up love on earth by his Sermon to pulling it down from heaven by Prayer so he went from praying to paying for it and the price which he laid down for it was his Blood It 's true that our Reconciliation with God and Vnion with him was the first and chief thing which he purchased for his people by his death and bloodshed bâ—t yet he had in his eye also their reconciliation and union with one another and next to that this was mainly inâ—ended by him For his Church is his House and Resting-place Psal 132.13.14 and he knew he should take but little rest if that were on fire by divisions and dissentions It is his Kingdom Psal 2.6 and how should his Laws be obeyed if all his Subjects were in an hubbub against one another In a word his Church is a people which he hath taken out of the world for his Name Acts 15.14 that is for his Honour and Glory but he would have little credit to be the Head of a wrangling divided people And therefore where he prays that they may be made perfect in one John 17.23 he insists upon this as his great Argument That the world may know that thou hast sent we Now that the knitting of Christians together in Love was one great end of Christs death is clear from Scripture take a place or two Ephes 1.10 The Apostle here shews That this was the mystery of Gods will purposed in himself from all Eternity and published by the Gospel viz. That he might gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in heaven and which are on earth even in him The meaning of which place is this h Fergus on the place That out of Christ all things are scattered and disordered the whole world is a confused Chaos and horrible confusion but in and by him by his Merit and in his Body all his Elect whether Angels or Men whe her already glorified or yet upon earth who before were separated from God and one another are recapitulated and gathered together into one as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is well rendred that is i Significat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—artes dissectas divulsas in uauÌ„ corpus conjungere ut quum oratores brevem enumerationem argumentorum texunt aut qui calculis subductis singula in unam summam revocaâ— Bez. in loc Qui dispersos in unum agmen cogit rectè dicitur cos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Grot. in loc Are made one with God by the union of Faith and one among themselves by the union of Love as k In ejus corpus coâ—lesâ—eâ—do Deo unimur inter nos mutuò fumus conjunctâ— Calv. in loc Calvin observes on the place Now this was effected by his Crosse as appears from the next Chapter where we have the matter more clâ—arly and fully proved See Ephes 2.14 15 16 For he is our peace who hath made both one c. The main and principal intendment of which words is to set forth the efficacy of Christs Mediation towards the effecting of union peace and reconciliation for the Sons of Men according as they need To this purpose l Goodwins Univers Peace-maker p. 2. 6. In the beginning of the fourteenth verse be in generall proclaims Jesus Christ to be our peace He is our peace that is the Author and Worker of our peace Then in the following words he proceeds unto those particulars in which we needed and Christ was made our peace and they are two 1. Between our selves mutually and here he instanceth in the greatest breach and enmity that ever was that betwixt Jew and Gentile this is in part of the fourteenth and the whole fifteenth verse 2. Between God and us in the sixteenth verse In the handling of these he layes down the Parts and Means of accomplishing both and observes a notable parallel therein The Parts of the Peace made among our selves Jews and Gentiles are two 1. Positive Making both one verse fourteen Making of twain one new man verse fifteen He made peace betwixt them by uniting a distant different and divided people And here you may note 1. The Nearness of the Vnion m Non ait Unum populum sed unum hominem ut arctior conjunctio significetur non tà m civium ejusdem civitatis quà m membroruÌ„ ejusdem corporis habentium unum Caput nempè Christum unam quasi a
of Christ Psalm 110.4 Behold I am alive for evermore Revel 1.18 And he lives for ever not only in his Person but to be for ever the life portion and blessedness of his people because he lives they shall live also John 14.19 9. He is the proper good of his own people He hath not onely given himself unto God for them as their Sacrifice but he hath given himself likewise unto them as their Portion He is theirs and they his Cant. 6.3 They his by a deare Purchase and he theirs by a sweet Communion They are said to have him 1 John 5.12 as a man hath his most peculiar possession his Name is The Lord our Righteousnesse Jeremiah 23.6 he is more ours than we are our own and we have infinitely more in him than in our selves defective in our selves compleat in him weak in our selves strong in him dead in our selves alive in him miserable in our selves blessed in him mutable in our selves established in him Now put all this together Christ being a present precious sufficient pure rare various victorious perpetuall proper Good to his people he is so fit an Object for their Joy and delight that it were a wondrous absurdity for any Soul who knows him and hath tasted of his love and makes profession of his Name to be drowned in sensuall and worldly delights or to set up his Rest in any thing short of Christ Sect. 3. 3. LET Trust and Fear be Attendants upon the Desires and Delights of your Love With trust and fear 1. Trust in him If you believe in God believe also in Christ John 14.1 You must take him in your way to the Father if you would trust in him aright 1 Peter 1.21 John 14.6 and he himself is an Object fit for your trust who is over all God blessed for ever Romans 9.5 1. Trust therefore in him alone whiles some trust in themselves leaning to their own understandings Proverbs 3.5 trusting in their own righteousness Ezek. 33.13 others in their Idols Psalm 115.8 others in their riches Psalm 52.7 others in Chariots and Horses Psalm 20.7 others in Man making flesh their Arm Jeremiah 17.5 let Israel let the house of Aaron let all that fear the Lord trust in him alone Psalm 115.9 10 11. It is better to trust in the Lord Jesus than to put confidence in man than to put confidence in Princes Psalm 118.8 9. in whom there is no help for their breath goeth forth they return to their earth in that very day their thoughts perish Psalm 146.3 4. But happy is he who hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the Lord his God verse 5. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him Psalm 2.12 2. Trust in him at all times Psalm 62.8 in times of prosperity so as not to be puffed up in pride and presumption In times of adversity so as not to sink down in dejection and despondency In times of prosperity so as not to forget God and lift up the heel against him In times of adversity so as not to forsake God and put forth your hands to iniquity 3. Trust in him with all your heart Proverbs 3.5 h Praecipitur ut non verbis sed animo non per hyprocrisin distractionem quandam sed rotundè sincere faciamus quod hîc toto corde faciendum dicitur Cart. in loc With your heart sincerely without dissimulation pretending to trust in him when indeed you trust in something else and with all your heart entirely without division not partly resting on him and partly leaning to your selves or the creature but give him the whole trust of your whole heart 4. Trust in him in reference to all your Concernments your souls bodies lives estates liberties callings duties burdens relations c. You may venture to do it for He is laid in Sion for a Foundation and is a tried Stone a precious Corner-stone a sure Foundation Isaiah 28.16 the Rock of Ages in whom there is everlasting strength Isaiah 26 4. able to bear the weight of that trust which is devolved on him In whom whosoever believeth shall not be confounded 1 Peter 2.6 You need not fear miscarrying when you are in the hands of him who hath thus loved you with so great so dear and costly a love and out of love hath undertaken for you especially considering how great his Truth and Faithfulness is to whatsoever he undertakes being Truth it self John 14.6 the Amen the True and faithful Witness Revelations 3.14 a merciful and faithful High-priest Hebrews 2.17 faithful to him that appointed him Heb. 3.2 and faithful to those for whom he was appointed verse the sixth And likewise how great a sufficiency of power and ability he hath commensurate to his affection being the Mighty God Isaiah 9.6 the Almighty Revelations 1 8. to accomplish all the designs of his love for your good and happiness against all contradiction and opposition whatsoever Who also is and was and is to come Revelations 1.8 everliving to see the full accomplishment of all by his Intercession whereby he is able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him Hebrews 7.25 Stay your selves therefore by firm trust and dependence upon him for he will keep him in perfect peace in i Shalom Shalom Heb. peace peace as it is in the Originall whose mind is stayed upon him because he trusteth in him Isaiah 26.3 And they who know his Name will put their trust in him for he hath not forsaken those that seâ—k him Psalm 9.10 2. Fear least from those Remains of corruption which are within you any thing disingenious or uncomely should break forth to the distasting and displeasing of him by whom you are thus beloved He doth not belong to thee O Lord sayes k Non pertinet ad â—o Domine nâ—â— de tuis est qui te noâ— diligit nec diligit te qui sciâ—â—ter essendit Cypr. de Bapt. Christi p. 494. Cyprian nâ—r is he in the number of thine who doth not love thee nor doth he love thee who knowingly offâ—nds thee Even this Lord of life and love is to be served with fear and his most beloved and loving ones are to râ—jâ—yce with trembling Psalm 2.11 l Sâ—ought Magi. â—â—ares Commission p. 37. We must begin all our service with fear trembling at our own infirmities and must end all again with fear blushing at our own vertues and excellencies That salvation which we hope and expect from him must be wrought out with fear and trembling and that because he is so gracious as to work in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure Phil. 2.12 13. The knowledge of our Redemption by the Blood of Christ is made an argument by the Apostle for passing the time of our sojourning here in fear 1 Peter 1.17 18 19. But here it may be Objected Sect. 4. OBject 1. That it s said in Luke 1.74 That the end of
goodness mixed with love Hosea 3.5 You see then that it is a meer slavish fear from which the people of God are redeemed so as that it shall not have the sole prevalency in their service though there will be some mixture of it with their love and will have some prevalency in their service in their present imperfect estate And this I take to be the true sence of this place Sect. 5. OBject 2. But it may be said where there is love there is none of this fear for there is no fear in love but perfect love casteth out fear as the Apostle hath it 1 John 4.18 Answ 1. It s true r Hildersh on Psalm 51. p. 365. that in love there is no such fear nothing is more contrary to the nature of love than these fears are but in the person that hath true love these fears may be 2. Perfect love will cast out all these fears and the perfecter our love to God is the more it will cast out these fears deliver us from them but the love of the best of Gods servants is imperfect and will be till we come to heaven for there and there only are the Spirits of just men made perfect Heb. 12.23 Having removed these Objections which may be of use for the convincing of some that fear is not so Anti-evangelicall as they are apt to mistake it to be and for the comforting of others who are ready to conclude against themselves because of those remainders of servile feare which they find in their hearts I resume my exhortation and renew my request unto you to fear the Lord. Suppresse all slavish fear as much as may be but cherish Reverential and Filial fear Fear the Lord and his Greatness so as to stand in awe of him and take heed of offending him in any thing and fear the Lord and his Goodness so as to be carefull to please him in all things There is one way of accomplishing both these and that is the way of Love nor can there be a better Gâ—t your hearts inflamed with love towards Christ and that will suppress slavish fear for it casts out the fear that hath torment 1 John 4.18 perfect love casts it quite out and according to a Christians growth in love will this fear decay in him But it will promote Reverential and Filial fear Å¿ In quantum quisque amat in tantuâ— timet As far as a man loves Christ so far will he thus fear him for t Res soliciti pleâ—â— timoris amor Love is full of that fear which makes a man solicitous to avoid what may offend and follow what may please him whom we love And you have as much reason to question the truth of your love from the defect of Reverential and Filial fear as from the excesse of Slavish fear And thus I have at last dispatched this first Direction concerning your Knowledge of the Love of Christ that it be Affectionate so as to love him in the Manner and Measure and to Express that Love in the Way prescribed so as to Desire and Delight in him to Trust in him and Fear before him I proceed to what remains CHAP. XI 2. LOok that your knowledge of the love of Christ be Cognitio â—ffectiva Direction 2. That it be an effectuall knowledg let it not be an empty barren ineffectual knowledge but such as is full fruitful and effectual And that these four wayes Sect. 1. 1. BY way of Application Experience By way of application with assurance to our selves and Assurance Content not your selves with the knowledge of Christ and his love at a distance but reach aster such a knowledge as may bring all home to your selves Be not satisfied to know that Christ is the Saviour of the world and hath born great and wonderful love to the Sons of Men but labor so to know his love and salvation as to apprehend appropriate and apply all to your own comfort and benefit To know within your selves as the Apostle speaks Heb. 10.34 to know in all your hearts and in all your souls as Joshua speaks Josh 23.14 viz. sensibly evidently experimentally assuredly that he is your Saviour stood in your room bore your sins and suffered Gods wrath for you whereby God is as well pleased with you as if you had suffered for them in your own persons in hell eternally that he bare a special love to you in particular and that you have a reall interest in a sure title to the priviledges and blessings which he out of his infinite love hath purchased at so dear a rate for poor sinners Such a knowledg as this would I have you look after and to help you forward herein there are two things which I would propound for your Encouragement 1. Such a knowledge of Christs love is attainable A Christian may know the love of Christ with assurance of his interest in it u Culverwels White Stone p. 134. This indeed is a most excellent truth the flos lactis the very cream of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that sincere milk which is to nourish souls 't is the budding and blossoming of happiness the Antedating of heaven the prepossession of glory and therefore envied us by Satan who by his Romish instruments would wrest it out of our hands But we have more clear light from Scripture to discern the truth of what we hold in this particular than to be easily cheated of so fair a Jewel of our Crown as if it were counterfeit Here we see so many eminent Christians both in the Old and New Testament setting their Seals to this truth by their own experience that we cannot but subscribe to it Ab esse ad posse is a fair Argument and I shall use no other to prove what I assert Other Christians have attained a certainty in their knowledge of Christ and his Love not only Objectivè that there is a Christ and that there is such a love but also Subjectivè that this Christ is theirs and this love theirs And therefore so may you That others have is clear In Job 19.25 you may hear Job appropriating a Redeemer to himself I know that my Redeemer liveth He asserts his interest in Christ as his Redeemer and therefore no wonder if he be so confident of his being acquitted at Gods Tribunal as he is Chapter 13 18. I know that I shall be justified A believer then may arrive at assurance full assurance of interest in Jesus Christ Such an Application did Thomas make to himself when he cried out John 20.28 My Lord and my God See sayes x Vide Dei mirabilia quis credidisset ex tà m pertinaci incredulitate tantam futuram fidem Fer. in loc Ferus on the place the wonderful things of God who would have believed that so great faith should have risen out of such obstinate unbelief which he had discoverd just before And what should this teach us but as the same
Author y Non satis est credere quòd Dominus Deus sit nisi credas quòd Dominus Deus tuus sit Fer. ibidem hath it a little after That it is not enough to believe that Christ is Lord and God unless we believe that Christ is Lord and our God Thus the Apostle Paul Gal. 2.20 I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me See how he applys to himself the love of Christ and the fruits of it This is so clear as the adversaries themselves cannot deny but that many choice ones have had a full and satisfying light springing in upon their souls and clearing their eternal condition to them but then they say it is by way of extraordinary revelation a speciall priviledge vouchsafed to some few of Gods choicest Worthies by a rare indulgence And yet as to the matter in hand the way and manner of the Apostles expressing themselves in this particular shews that this is not a priviledge peculiar only to a few but common to all believers I shall bring two places to prove this the one is 1 John 4.16 the other Rom. 5.5 in both which places besides their asserting the thing it self the great point of assurance in most significat tearms they speak of it in the plurall number and make mention only of common means for obtaining of it Let us consider the places In the one place sayes the Apostle John We have known and believed the love that God hath to us In the other place sayes the Apostle Paul The love of Christ is shed abroad into our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us Now both the one and the other do 1. Assert assurance John speaks of knowing the love of God and the word he useth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth z 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat veâ—e certò solide cognoscere Leighs Crit. sacr to know truly and certainly and it is a knowledge with Application We know the love that God hath to us Paul speaks of the shedding abroad the love of God which is no other than witnessing of this love to our hearts as a Dei dilectio effusa dicitur id est abundamer tâ—sâ—ata hominum animis Grot. in loc Grotius observes The sence of this love wherâ—by we perceive that we are beloved by him and tast that he is gracious as b Charitas Dei dicitur effusa in cordibus nostris quia scâ—sus illius charitatis est effasus â—eaâ—imus eâ—im â—os à Dâ—o diligi gustamus quà m bonâ—â— sâ—â—vis est Dominus Gerh. in loc Gerhard notes It is a Metaphoricall expression and can signifie nothing else than this for as c Quod largâ—tâ—r effunditur in corda noâ—tra id corda replet quod corda replet id non potest anlatere quin certissiâ—â—e sentiatur Pareâ—s in loc Pareus hath it That which is plentifully poured out into our hearts doth fill our hearts and that which doth fill our hearts cannot be hid but must certainly be perceived by us And they do 2 Expresse it in such a way as shews it to be a thing not peculiar to some few but common to many for first It is expressed plurally not I know the love of God to me as of one but we know the love of God to us as of many besides himself and The love of God is shed abroad not into my heart only but into our hearts intimating that it was not peculiar to himself but common to other believers with himself And then Secondly They both mention a common means of obtaining it John mentions faith We have known and believed that is as d Cognovimus credendo talis enimnotitia non nisi fide percipitur Calv. in loc Calvin observes We have known by believing because such a knowledge springs from faith Now though all men have not faith 2 Thes 3.2 yet all true Christians have and such a faith as is capable of improving into assurance And then Paul mentions the Holy Ghost the love of God is shed abroad into our hearts by the Holy Ghost whereby we come to know the things that are freely given us of God 1 Cor. 2.12 Now all who have reall interest in Christ are partakers of this Spirit for If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his All have him as a Sanctifier and many have him as a Sealer So that this assurance of Christs love is not so peculiar unto some nor vouchsafed to them in such an extraordinary way but that others may attain unto it Seeing therefore it hath been attained by others and is attainable by you in an ordinary way let the consideration of it quicken your endeavours after it Indeed it is not a thing which will be done Sedendo votis by sitting still and wishing for it no it will cost you labour and diligence 2 Pet. 1.10 before you come to it but think not much of a little pains to obtain that which will make such abundant recompence for the pains bestowed about it when it is obtained Content not your selves therefore with a low measure of faith but go on from faith to faith till you come from affiance to confidence so as to know the love which God hath unto you And beg beg hard the Spirit of Christ which is promised to those who ask him Luke 11.13 that you may know the things which are freely given you of God and particularly this love having it shed abroad into your hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto you 2. Such a knowledge of Christs love when attained is exceeding sweet and comfortable I confesse your future safety and happiness lyes in this that Christ loves you but your present comfort lyes in your knowing that he loves you e Robinsons Essayes p. 11. He whom God loves though he know it not is an happy man but he that knows it knows himself to be happy and that is most comfortable It 's true that the love of Christ in it self is better than Wine sweeter and more delightfull than all earthly delicates and creature-comforts whatsoever but it is not sweet to us till it be shewed and sealed manifested and assured by the kisses of his mouth which are the tokens and pledges of his love which made the Church so earnest in desiring of them Cant. 1.2 Indeed there is no comfort without it Quid est Deus nisi meus What is God if he be not mine is a true saying and what is the love of Christ to me if I have no share in it And there is but little difference as to present comfort betwixt having no share in it and not knowing whether we have or no. A condemned man that hath his pardon granted though he shall not die yet he hath little comfort in his life till he know it And though a Christian who is beloved of Christ shall not perish yet
ascribe glory to him to whom it of so much right belongs Luke 2.14 His heart hath been enlarged in love towards you and you are not straightned in him Oh! be not straightned in your own bowels but be you also enlarged in love and thankfulness unto him If the love of Christ be implanted in our hearts it will spring out at your lips and your mouths will shew forth his praise q If your Souls have been satisfied with this marrow and fatness o Ps 63.5 your mouths will praise him with joyfull lips Whereas he whose heart and lips are not filled with blessing and praise to Christ for his love gives clear evidence against himself that he hath neither part nor lot in this matter He never tasted of the love of Christ who is not thankfull for it Sect. 4. By way of Obligation to holiness and obedience 4. BY way of Obligation to Holiness and Obedience Know the love of Christ so as thereby to be restrained from sin and constrâ—iâ—ed to duty and service And here I would say two things 1. The love grace and mercy of Christ which he hath manifested in undertaking for us as our Mâ—diator and Redeemer is the strongest motive that can be to Holiness and Obedience This is that which the Scripture useth Rom. 6. The scope of that whâ—le Chapter is to advance Holinesse and Obedience and the prime and principall motive which he useth thereunto is the Grace of God in Christ Ver. 1. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid And ver 15. Shall we sin because we are not under the Law but under Grace God forbid It s the Devils Logick to argue from grace to sin from love to looseness which the Apostle casts off with abhorrency as unworthy to be entertained by an ingenuâ—us gracious heart so much as in thought they are ungodly men who thus turn the grace of God into lasciviousnesse Jude 4. Again Rom. 12.1 2. I beseech you Brethren by the mercies of God that you present your Bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable which is your reasonable service and be not conformed to this world c. You see here that the mercies of God are the strong bonds by which the Apostle would draw these Romans from following the World in the corruptions and lusts of it and engage them to service and obedience and indeed the most naturall and proper inference from mercy is duty and seeing our infinite misery hath met with the infinite mercy of our God to relieve us in it redeem us from it what other can be the result of it with a serious Christian but the yeelding up of himself to the God of his mercies Thus 1 Cor. 6 20. Ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods The love of Christ in going to the price of our Redemption should be a strong obligation to us to glorifie him with those Bodies and Souls which he hath Redeemed at so dear a rate Thus the Apostle Peter exhorting to holinesse 1 Pet. 1.14 15 16. as obedient children not fashioning yoursâ—lvs according to the former lusts in your ignorance but as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of Conversation c. makes the love of Christ in shedding his blood for them the great Motive Ver. 18 19. Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ So Cap. 4.1 He makes the love of Christ in dying for us a strong reason why Christians should conform to his crosse by crucifying their lusts Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh arm your selves with the same mind This love of Christ is so strong a Motive to Holinesse and Obedience r Nisi plusquà m ferrei simus facere non poterimus quin totos nos devoveamus Christo dum reputamus quanto amore nos prosectutus est quum mortem pro nobis subiit Calv. in 2 Cor. 5. that unlesse we are more hard than iron we cannot but devote our selves wholly to Christ when we consider how greatly he loved us when he shed his blood and laid down his life for us 2. The Love of Christ in the wayes whereby he hath expressed it to us especially in dying for us and rising again is the most effectual means to promote our holiness and obedience s Wal none but Christ pag. 68. I have read That five Monks were studying what was the best means to mortify sin One said to meditate on Death the second to meditate on Judgement the third to meditate of the joyes of Heaven the fourth to meditate on the torments of Hell the fifth and last to meditate of the love and sufferings of Christ Which indeed is the best means of all There are bands of love called by the Prophet The cords of a Man Hos 11.4 because the most proper means to prevail with and work upon Man who is a reasonable creature with these bands of love the Lord Jesus draws us from sin to himself and service as in the forementioned place and Jer. 31.3 These held the Apostle Paul fast bound to his duty and kept him from deviating and wandring from Christ see 2 Cor. 5.14 The love of God constraineth us He had before been speaking of the force that fear had to make him solicitous in the service of Christ because of the account which he was to give ver 10 11. And now he mentions the force of love the love of Christ which he shewed in dying for us and this sayes he constrains us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It hems us in on every side as men in a besieged City or as beasts in a pinfold as t Leighs Crit. sacr in verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some deduce the Metaphor that we cannot make an escape u Metaphora est in verbo constringendi quânotatur fieri non posse quin quisquis mirificum illum amorem quem testatus est nobis Christus morte suâ verè expendit reputat quasi ei alligatur arctissimo vinculo constrictus se in illius obsequium addicat Calv. in loc Or it keeps us fast bound as with cords and bands fortiter yet â—uaviter not forcedly but freely that we cannot turn aside to the crooked wayes of sin and disobedience to the displeasing of Christ but must go that we are led by him in the wayes of obedience and holinesse x Totos possidet ac regit amor Christi ut ejus affiatu quasi correpti agamus omnia Bez. in loc It hath the possession and rule of us so as we are acted by its influence and instinct Now the love of Christ is an effectual means of holinesse and obedience two wayes by Argument and by Power 1. By Argument This is clear by the forecited passage of the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.14.15 Where
with sin And for Service reckon thus with your selves If the Lord Jesus hath thus loved me to suffer such indignities and hardships for me and bestow so many so great so wonderful blessings upon me surely I owe the greatest love duty and obedience to him y Sanè etiamsi millies pro ejus gloriâ possem sanguinem fundere mille annis maximos labores subire ne millessimaÌ„ partem vel unius beneficii possem compensare c. Less de Sum. bono lib 4. c. 4. p. 577. Surely were I able a thousand times to shed my blood for his glory and to undergo the hardest labours a thousand years I were never able to make a compensation for the thousand part of one of his benefits because all his benefits are of infinite worth and were we able to give it would require infinite love and service at our hands But because we cannot do that I firmly resolve to do that which I easily may through his assistance and wherewith the Divine goodness is well pleased namely with all care to keep all his Commandments so that I will rather die than wilfully break any of them yea I will devote my whole life to his service that all my thoughts words and actions may be directed to his glory Thus reason your selves into the obedience and service of Jesus Christ by the consideration of his great love towards you in being humbled and becoming obedient to the death of the Cross for you 2. Draw forth by faith the Power of Christs love in dying for you and rising again for the bringing you into conformity thereunto By faith believe that there is such a power and apprehend and apply it to your selves till you find That you are planted toge her with Christ in the likeness of his death and resurrection Rom. 6 5. So that what was done in him naturally and properly be done in you by way of Analogy and Proportion as z Quod in Christo sactum est per naturam id in nobis fieri intelligit per analogiam proportionem Chrys in loc Chrysostome expounds these words That as he died a true naturall death for sin by a real separation of his soul from his body so you may dy a true spiritual death to sin by a real separation of your souls from the body of sin not from this or that member but from the whole body and every member For a Non mundatur nisi qui omnibus peccatis renunciavit Quis enim mundum dixerit hominem qui vel in unâ tantùm cloacâ volatetur Paris de virtut cap. 22. as none will account that man clean who is found wallowing but in one filthy sink so neither is that Christian clean who hath not renounced all his sins As his was though violent and painful yet voluntary death he gave himself for â—our sins Gal. 1.4 and laid down his life freely John 10.17 18. So though in the mortification of your lusts you offer violence to them and suffer pain in your selves many an agony and soul conflict yet your dying to sin must be voluntary and the sacrificing of your lusts a freewill offering to the Lord. That as his Resurrection was to a new life so you may be raised up from the death of sin to walk iâ— newness of life Rom 6.4 having a new principle the Spirit and not the flesh a new rule the word and not the world a new end not your selves but God the praise and glory of God Phil. 1.11 For so Jesus Christ in that he liveth he liveth unto God Rom. 6.10 b In the Greek it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Beza renders in gloriam thinking that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that the Apostle intends by this clause to set forth the final cause of Christs resurrection which is the glory of the Father vide Bez. in loc To the glory of God the Father v. 4. As he being raised from the dead died no more death hath no more dominion over him v. 9. So you being raised from sin may no more be turned to folly sin may have no more dominion over you Thus conform your selves to Christ in his death and resurrection which because you cannot do of your selves by your own power exercise faith on the operation of God in raising of Christ from the dead till you come to know experimentally the power of his resurrection feeling the same power put forth in your selves for the raising you up to newnesse of life and making you conformable to his death So much for that second Direction concerning your knowledge of the love of Christ that it be effectuall There is yet one more which is this CHAP. XI Direct 3. That it be a progressive knowledge 3. LOok that your knowledge of the love of Christ be Cognitio progressiva a progressive knowledge and that in two respects Sect. 1. 1. IN respect of your selves In respect of our selvs Be not content that you have a true knowledge of Jesus Christ and his love nor take up your rest in any measure of that knowledge to which you have already attained but labour to abound and increase more and more Do you know the love of Christ with an affectionate and effectuall knowledge as you have been directed yet stay not here but go on to know him and it more affectionatly so as to love him more abundantly to desire him more ardently to delight in him more contentedly to trust in him more firmly and to fear offending him more solicitously go on to know him more effectually so as to apprehend his love more confidently and apply it to your selves more assuredly to admire it more humbly to be more cordially and fruitfully thankfull for it to be further removed from sin even the least appearance of it and more devoted to his service standing compleat and perfect in all the will of your God To this purpose consider 1. That it is the property of every true Christian thus to grow and encrease more and more The path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more till it be perfect day Prov. 4.18 The righteous shall hold on his way and he that hath clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger Job 17.9 You cannot evidence that you know Christ at all in truth unlesse you grow in the knowledge of him for Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord Hos 6.3 Thus the Apostle Paul sayes of himself Phil. 3 12 13 14. Not as though I had attained either were already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus Brethren I I count not my self to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things that are behinde and reaching forth to those things which are before I presse toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God
the elect he shall be vice omnium instead of all Ordinances to their souls and instead of all means and helps to their bodies And I saw no Temple therein saith Saint John Rev. 21.22 23. for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it And the City had no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof The meaning of the place is that God shall immediately by himself supply the room of all external means unto his glorified Saints in heaven There they shall be filled with all this fulness of God Though the Saints even in heaven shall not take in all of God for that is impossible for finite creatureâ— yet as much as is possible for them they shall and as much as is necâ—ssary to make them perfectly blessed here when they have gotten most there is something yea much wanting but then they shall be filled as full as they can hold The Vessels of glory will then be enlarged to take in more than now is possible for them and according to that capacity they shall be filled with all the fulness of God Now forasmuch as this knowledge of the love of Christ which hath been treated of is a good evidence of right and title to this blessed condition it may be a strong Motive to you to labour to be filled with the knowledge of the love of Christ here that you may be filled with all the fulness of God hereafter Sect. 2. 2. FRom the Influence which it hath upon all those who have attained unto it Now a right knowledge of the love of Christ hath a strong influence upon Christians as a preservative to keep them from fainting at the tribulations which accompany the Gospel their own or others This may be gathered from the whole scope of the Apostle in the latter part of this Chapter In the 13th verse he desires these Ephesians that they would not faint at his tribulations h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not shrink back i Leighs Crit. sacr 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vinci à malo Animum despondere quasi pedem in certamine referre succumbere Gerh. Har. p. 564 as cowards in battel nor give place in afflictions and dangers as the word imports Not be overcome of the evils of sufferings which accompany the Gospel in the preaching and professing of it so as to yield and go back from their duty Now that they might not he prayes for them verse 14 15 c. For this cause I bow my knees c. And there are three things which he prayes for them that they may be kept from fainting 1. Coroboration and Confirmation by the Spirit of God verse 16. That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man 2 A further Vnion with Jesus Christ verse 17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith 3. Intimate acquaintance with Jesus Christ in his love verse 17 18 19. That you being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the bredth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge In which words there are three things observable 1. That as a Tree or House cannot stand fast and firm against boisterous winds and storms unless the one be well rooted and the other have a sure foundation so neither can a Christian hold out in those Trials which he is like to meet with in his course unless he be well rooted and grounded 2. That the root and foundation whereon a Christian is kept firm and stedsast in times of trial and trouble is Love That ye being rooted and grounded in love which some take for our love to God but rather it is meant of Gods love in Christ Christs love to us for as i one well notes Our love is rather a branch than a root it is the love of Christ in which we take firm rooting that nothing can shake us and therefore we are said to be rooted in him Col. 2.7 3. The way whereby Christians come to be rooted and grounded in love is by the knowledge of it such a knowledge whereby they apprehend and apply it to themselves and have the comfortable experience of it in their own hearts Thus the Apostle goes on That you may be able to comprehend with all Saints c. and to know the love of Christ c. So that by vertue of the coherence of this part of the Apostles prayer with his design in making of it this must be a true inference k Baine on Eph. p. 412. l Jeanes ubi suprà p. 224. That a feeling efficacious knowledge of Christs love and the dimensions thereof will embolden and hearten the Saints in their own and others sufferings and as a soveeign cordial keep them from all despondency and sinking of Spirit There are other places to prove this The Church Cant. 2.4 sayes Christs love was a banner over her His banner over me was Love m Engl. Annot. the larger on the place Jackson also on the place l The preaching of the Gospel or Christ in the preaching of the Gospel is a Standard Banner or Ensign displayed Isa 11.10 whose Motto or Device is Love and among others this may be one reason Because as Souldiers are by their Banner and Ensign encouraged heartned to fight manfully against their enemies and not to shrink but keep close to their colours in hope of Victory so by the discovery of Christs love in the Gospel Christians who have faith to apprehend and apply it are emboldened to withstand couragiously all their spiritual enemies and are continually supported and inwardly strengthened and so are enabled to hold out unto the end under all the trials and troubles which they meet with in assured expectation of Victory at the last But I return to our Apostle who in two other places doth confirm this truth not by barely asserting that it is so but by laying down the grounds and reasons why it is so One place is Rom. 5. In the 3d. verse you hear him speak of glorying in tribulations We glory in tribulations So far were they from fainting under them that they gloryed in them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a high word and the same which he useth in reference to hope of the glory of God in the foregoing verse A Christian hath ground of glorying in his Present crosse as well as in his future crown n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 12.10 Non modo aequo moderato animo sumus sed etiam magna laetitiâ perfusi Bez. in loc Gloriari est gestu verbis exultare Par. in loc The word signifies contentment with taking pleasure in and exultation under suffâ—rings We are so far from sinking under tribulations by
despondency that we are able to lift up our heads and hearts with joy and exultation But whence comes it that Christians are so born up under their sufferings that they faint not why it is reducible to their experimentall knowledge of the love of Christ Because the love of Christ sayes he verse 5. is shed abroad into our hearts by the holy Ghost given unto us Which words are not to be referred to that which is next only but to all that went before It is a Christians sense and tast of the love of Christ through the effusion of it into his heart by the Spirit which keeps him from fainting o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quòd gloriantes cervices erigant caput attollant Harmar Lexic Etymol in verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and makes him to glory in tribulation Sect. 3. Quest BUt how comes it that the love of Christ thus known and experienced is such a cordial against fainting under tribulations Answ This may be gathered from that which goes before where we have these grounds of it 1. Because the sting and bitterness of every suffering is taken away from them Guilt and Wrath are the things which make afflictions so painful and distastful as they commonly are it 's the feeling of the guilt of sin and fear of the wrath of God as mingled with their sufferings which so often affright men and make them to faint under them but now he who knows the love of Christ having apprehended it by faith and having the sense of it shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost is justified and at peace with God thus he begins the Chapter Being justified by faith we have peace with God And the fear of Guilt being taken away by Justification and the fear of Wrath by Reconciliation he may well lift up himself in courage and confidence under whatever sufferings he meets with and say with Luther Feri Domine nam à peccatis absolutus sum Strike Lord for thou hast pardoned mine iniquities Nor is there any wonder to be made at their stability and stedfastness in this state of grace and peace from which all their afflictions and sufferings cannot remove them seeing they are brought into it by the hand of Christ By whom we have access or rather p 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Adducti sumus Bez. Beza 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rectè vertit adductionem transitivè potiùs quaÌ„ absolute aditum Par. in loc are inducted in this grace wherein we stand verse 2. 2 Because those who have this sense of the love of Christ in their hearts are able to look through their tribulations to the great recompence of reward which they know will make abundant recompence for all at last Thus in the end of the second verse We rejoyce in hope of the gl ry of God The hope of the glory of God is an excellent means to keep a soul from fainting under tribulations This is a remedy of Christs own prescribing to his Disciples and all believers Fear not little flock it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom Luke 12 32. Let not your hearts be troubled in my Fathers house are many Mansions John 14.1 2. This hope the Saints have and thereby are kept from fainting yea made to rejoyce in all their tribulations 2 Cor. 4.16 17. For this cause we faint not For our light afflictions which are but for a moment work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Whiles we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal Looking by an eye of faith into another world they saw glory for afflictions a weight of glory an exceeding a more exceeding a far more exceeding weight of glory for light afflictions eternal glory for momentany afflictions and through hope of enjoying this glory after they had suffered a while here they were kept from fainting Nay it is said of the believing Hebrews That they took joyfully the spoyling of their goods how why as it follows knowing in themselves that they had in heaven a better and an enduring substance Heb. 10.34 Martyrs look not at their Cross but at their Crown sayes q Periculâ— non respicit Martyr coronas respicit Bas one of the Fathers Nor doth he feel his chains and torments upon his body whose mind is in heaven as r Nihil crus sentit in nervo cuâ— jus animus in coelo Tert. another speaks 3. Because of those excellent effects and fruits which such do find wrought and brought forth by their present sufferings Not only that which they have in hope but also what they have in hand not only their future glory but also their present improvement in grace by their tribulations doth keep them from fainting under them as the Apostle sets it forth by an excellent Climax verse 3 4 5. Knowing that tribulation worketh patience c. As ill as affliction and suffering is in it self and to wicked men it is of great advantage to the souls of the Saints and an happy exchange it is to part with outward comforts for spiritual graces But let us take a survey of the words you shall see what good fruit is brought forth from this bitter root Knowing See how he begins Not ghessing or thinking but knowing that is s Mâ—nt on James pag. 17. Either being assured from the Spirit teaching and the proof that hath been made by others and our selves Or distinctly considering by spiritual discourse acting our thoughts upon the nature quality of our sufferings the promises which are made to them That tribulation worketh patience Here is the first good fruit Tribulation worketh t In choataÌ„ augeat paulatim veluti conficiat Bez. in loc Significat reminchoatam provehere eò usque donec perficiatur Camor Myroth p. 259. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 increaseth perfecteth patience carrieth on to perfection that patience which is already begun as the word imports A strange Paradox that tribulation which is the cause of so much murmuring and impatience should work patience and yet so it is not in all but in the people of God not of it self but from the Spirit working by and with it And it 's an usual form of speaking in Scripture to ascribe that to the instrument which is proper to the efficient cause only u Ut autem medicus ex rebus venenatis noxiis componit saluberrima pharmaca ita Deus opt max. suâ sapientiâ ex afflictionibus quantumvis rebus malis praeclarissimas virtutes producit qualis est patientia P. Mart. in loc Thus as a Physician out of the mâ—st poisonous and hurtful things compounds very wholsom medicines the great and gâ—od God by his infinite wisdom doth produce even from afflictions which are evil in
themselvs the most excellent graces such as patience is Afflictions do minister matter and occasion for patience and they call for patience and through the blessing of God sanctifying these afflictions and helping a Christians infirmities by his Spirit patience is produced whiles a Christian is helped to consider 1. That these afflictions come from the providence of God that God who is his Father who sends them in love and for his good 2. That hereby he is conformed to his Head Jesus Christ 3. That there are great and precious promises made unto them and that there shall be a gracious issue out of them in due time Nor is it barely produced but also increased and perfected for as Habits are perfected by Acts so are graces perfected by exercise And patience experience This is the second good Fruit. Now many and manifold are the experiences which Christians have by bearing afflictions and that 1 In respect of themselves Thus they experience 1. How depraved their nature is whereby if God should leave them they would murmur and complain quarrel and blaspheme instead of suffering patiently when they are afflicted 2 How weak they are in themselves who would sink under the least burden if not supported by divine manutenency 3. In what state and condition they are spiritually that they are the children of God because conformed to Jesus Christ in the Image of his sufferings which all Gods children are predestinated unto Rom. 8.29 and because they are enabled to bear them as children with patience and submission 4. What grace they have though grace be in them and known to be there by the Lord yet it is not so well known to themselves and others as when it is drawn out now afflictions are a notable means to draw it out and give them the experience of it x Nos enim sumus tanquà m quae dam aromata quorum odor nisi ea contuderis non sentitur sumus velutilapides Pyritides qui non exerunt vim eam quam habent ad comburendum nisi cum premuntur digitis Mart. in loc For we are like some kind of spices who yield not their fragrant smell till they are beaten we are like y Dâ— Pyritide viâ—esis Plin. Nat. hist lib. 37 cap. 11. Nicols Aâ—c Gem. p. 236. fire-stones who shew not their burning quality till they are rub'd with ones fingers 2. In respect of God They experience 1. His Wisedome in ordering their afflictions for them in their nature measure and continuance 2. His Power and all sufficiency in upholding and strengthning of them 3 His Mercy and goodnesse in passing by their infirmities and not dealing in strictnesse and severity with them 4 His Faithfullnesse in not leaving them in their distresses not suffering them to be tempted above what they are able and making a way for their escape 1 Cor. 10.13 3. In respect of the sufferings themselves they experience what they are and know how to carry under new troubles without fear and dread and how to advise and comfort those who are in the like condition z Pareus in loc As a souldiewho hath endured the brunt of many a battle hath run through many hazards and endured many hardships gets experience in war and is called an expert souldier because he doth not so much fear dangers and enemies and knows how to manage military affairs which one that is raw and untrained doth not so Christians grow expert by the afflictions which they indure and by being inured to them can tell the better how to deal with them So that they will esteem that a light burden which others that are but young beginners judge almost intollerable and will carry away with ease that which others groan and are ready to sink under And experience hope This is the third good Fruit. Hope that as he hath been with them in troubles past so he will be with them now a Heb. 13.5 and never leave them nor forsake them for the future but will be b Ps 48.14 their God and guide unto the death That there shall be an end at last of all their sufferings and that a glorious end c Tim. 2.12 that having suffered with Christ they shall reign with him d James 1.12 Rev. 2.10 that having endured temptation and been faithfull unto the death they shall receive the Crown of Life e Rev. 7.14 15. that having come out of great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb they shall be before the Throne of God and serve Him day and night in his Temple f that the triall of their faith should be found to praise and honour and glory 1 Pet. 1.7 at the appearing of Christ not according to their merit but according to his gracious promise And hope maketh not ashamed This is the Crown of a Christians hope that it shall not meet with disappointment and end in shame and confusion to him that hath it as other hopes do Worldly hope from men is often frustrated because bottomed upon a slippery foundation the words and promises of a mutable creature that may deceive whence arose that German proverb g Sperare expectare multos reddit stultos Pisc in loc That hope and expectation makes many fools The wicked hypocrites hope from God himself is sure to be disappointed because grounded on their own vain and false opinions therefore compared to the giving up of the ghost Job 11.20 to the spiders web which shall be cut off Job 8.14 These hopes make ashamed but so doth not the hope of a true Christian because being set upon an unmoveable basis the infallible word of the God of truth and proceeding from the full assurance of faith and being cherished and strengthened by the earnest of Gods Spirit in their hearts it shall most â—erta nly be accomplished Now lay all this together and if those who know the love of Christ do enter into tribulation justified from Guilt and at peace with God and being in can look through it to aâ— Eternity of glory with joyful hope and confidence and do reap so many sweet fruits from it for the present it need not be doubted but such have sufficient to keep them from fainting in a day of trouble The other place which I shall but name is Rom. 8.35 37 38 39. where we find the Apostle so far from fainting under tribulations that he triumphs over them upon the knowledge and sense of Christs love and that upon a double account 1. Because a true believer is never the lesse beloved by Jesus Christ notwithstanding all his sufferings What shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famin or nakedness or perill or sword verse 35. that is none of these shall and verse 38 39. Neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature
mixture of mercy or pity with those who now despise and refuse his love c Prov. 1.26 28. He will laugh at their calamity and mock when their fear cometh Then shall they call upon him but he will not answer they shall seek him early but they shall not find him Nor 2. shall they ever be able to escape it d Rev. 6.16 Though they call to the mountains to fall on them and the rocks to cover them that they may be hid from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb it shall not secure them Nor 3. shall they be able to abide it as it is unavoidable so it is intollerable Wicked men e Pâ—â— 2.12 perish from the way if his wrath be kindled but a little how then shall they abide it when it is throughly kindled when that f 〈◊〉 6.17 great day of his wrath is come who shall be able to stand for even of present wrath it is said g Nahum 1.6 Who can stand before his indignation and who can abide the fierceness of his anger his fury is poured out like fire and the rocks are thrown down by him And the sting of all is this 4. That there will never be any end or mitigation of it The Wrath of God is often compared to fire and this wrath to come which I am speaking of is h Mat. 3.12 unquenchable fire and the burnings of it i Isa 33.14 everlasting burnings It is wrath that shall k John 3.36 abide upon unbelievers and never be taken off to eternity Now l Ps 50.22 consider this you that forget God and slight Jesus Christ and neglect the great salvation which is offered to you lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver you One would think that what hath been said should be sufficient to startle and awaken the most secure sinners And the Lord make it effectual to that end and purpose unto all such into whose hands this shall come Sect. 5. THe last Vse is by way of Consolation The Vse 3 consideration of the greatness of Christs love may administer abundance of comfort to the Saints who know it By way of Consolation to those who have a right knowledg of the love of Christ so as to have an interest in it If the love of Christ be so incomprehensible as you have heard then you need not fear to be supplied Your wants and necessities are many and great its true but there are unsearchable riches of love in Christ from whence you may have enough for your relief Notwithstanding all the communications which have been made of Christs love to the Saints in all ages and generations past he is as full as ever and will be as long as there is a Saint on this side heaven to need him he may be imparted but cannot be impaired he is the same yesterday and to day and for ever Hebrews 13.8 What is it that troubles you against which you may not find strong Consolation from the love of Christ 1. Is it Sin that troubles you so that you bewail it and mourn and grieve for it and go bowed down all the day long because of it Truly this is the only thing that can justly create trouble to a Christian but this doth it necessarily because of the evil of it nor can he claim a title to the love of Christ to whom sin is not grievous for though the Gospel tells us That where sin hath abounded there grace much more abounds Rom. 6.20 yet it is only there where the sin that hath abounded in the life in the commission of it doth abound in the heart conscience in contrition for it detestation of it But yet even here there is relief from the love of Christ so far as to keep you from dejection desperation though not from a due sense and deep humiliation for 1. Is it the Guilt of your many and great sins which affrights you Consider there is love enough in Christ to pardon them Christs love can cover a multitude of sins and will cover all the sins of penitent sinners If mans love will do this 1 Pet. 4.8 Prov. 10.12 much more Christs whose wayes are not as our wayes nor his thoughts as our thoughts for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are his wayes higher than our wayes and his thoughts than ours Isaiah 55.8 9. he means his thoughts and wayes of mercy and so sayes the Psalmist expresly Psalm 103.11 As the heaven is high above the earth so great is his mercy toward them that fear him She was a great sinner of whom he said Luke 7.47 Her sins which are many are forgiven her The eye of favour and love as the m Favoris oculus velut nox est ad omnem labem Arab. prov ut citat a Culv. Act of Obliv p. 34. Arabick proverb hath it is as the night to every fault to hide and conceal it that it be not seen 2. Is it the power of your corruptions which you groan under and desire deliverance from There is love enough in Christ to subdue them Mich. 7.19 and by the law of the Spirit of life to make you free from the law of sin and death Romans 8.2 love enough to sanctifie you throughout and thoroughly throughout 1 Thes 5.23 as well as to justifie you 2. Is it Temptations from Satan that trouble you There is love enough in Christ to pity you because of them He was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin and therefore is such an High-priest as is touched with the feeling of our infirmities Heb. 4.15 love enough to help and succour you in them for In that he himself suffered being tempted he is able also to succour them that are tempted Hebrews 2.18 love enough to save yout out of them for the God of Peace will bruise Satan under your feet shortly Romans 16.20 3. Is it the Snares and Dangers of this World that trouble you Know that as he had love enough to give himself for us that he might redeem us from this present evil world Gal. 1.4 so he hath still love enough to make you partakers of his victory which he hath obtained over the world John 16.33 and to make you conquerors over it by faith 1 John 5.4 and in the mean time to keep you from the evil of the world though he doth not take you out of it John 17.15 4 Is it the Duties and Difficulties of your course which trouble you not in themselves but because of your weakness and infirmity by reason whereof you cannot deal with them There is love enough in Christ to help your infirmities by his Spirit Rom. 8.6 to assist you in your duties Phil. 4.13 to support you under and carry you through all the difficulties of your pilgrimage to be continually with you and hold you by the right hand to guide you with