Christ or you are lost and undone for ever See what the Scripture speaks in this particular Psalm 2.12 Kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little h Osculari p o amare obedire obsequi se humilitèr subjicere hoâ—um signum qâ—ippe antiquitùs osculuâ—s erat Glass Rhet. Sacr. p. 1094. Osculum in sacrâ Scripturâ significat unionem charitatem pacem reverentiam Durand Rat. Div. Offic. lib. 4. cap. 53. mihi p. 202. The custome of Kissing of old was a sign of affection or subjection and thus it is used in Scripture to signifie 1. Affection Thus Esau kissed his Brother Jacob in token of love and good will being reconciled to him Gen. 33.4 Thus the Primitive Christians did Salute one another with an holy Kiss Rom. 16.16 1 Cor. 16.20 i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab amore cujus signuÌ„ est Rivet in Psal 2. pag. 29. This was signified in the Word and more from the Apostle Peters Adjunct where he calls it the Kiss of Charity 1 Pet. 5.14 k Precibus finitis mutuo nos invicem osculo salutamus Just Mart. Apol 2. Justin Martyr mentions this as a practice in his time When Prayers are ended we salute one another with a Kiss 2. It signifies likewise Subjection Reverence and Obedience Thus Samuel kissed Saul when he had anointed him King in token of subjection and obedience to him 1 Sam. 10.1 Thus Idolaters kissed their Idols in token of Reverence 1 Kings 19.18 Hos 13.2 Now this place may be understood of both these and all men even the greatest of men Kings and Judges of the Earth are charged to kiss the Son to love and submit themselves to the Lord Jesus and that under a dreadful penalty if they do it not lest he be angry You cannot change the nature of Christ by your not loving of him he will be loving and will love still â—ut you may change the property of it as to â—our selves he will not love you nay you will â—urn it into anger against your selves He can â—e angry and he will be angry with you if â—ou love him not * Habebitis Judicem severum quem benignum dominum recusastis Rivet ubi suprà p. 30. You shall find him a severe â—udge whom you have refused as a mild and â—entle Lord. And a little of this anger is enough â—or your destruction for you shall perish from â—he way if his wrath be kindled but a little â—ou'll perish at the rebuke of his countenance â—sal 80.16 Perishing signifies eternal death â—nd misery in opposition to eternal life and happiness Joh. 3.15 and here it holds forth â—his unto us That those who do not love and obey the Lord Jesus Christ do cast themselves out of the way of Life Salvation and Happiness â—n to a state of Death Destruction and Misery which will certainly be their portion from the just wrath and displeasure of him whom they have provoked by their enmity and disobedience And shall not this awaken you But take another Scripture Prov. 8.36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul all they that hate me love death It is no wrong to the Text to understand these words as spoken by Jesus Christ who having declared his antient love to the Sons Men calls upon them to hearken unto him and receive his counsel and having encouraged them unto it by telling them it would be their wisdome and happiness that they should have life and favour this way v. 32.33.34.35 lest this should not pâ—evail he concludes by laying open the danger of such as refuse in the words forementioned Where you may note 1. That they who refuse the counsel of Christ are sinners against him and that in the highest degree they are Christ-haters 2. That it is of dismal consequence to be in the number of those who love not but hate Christ and not to love him is to hate him there is no medium betwixt them the consequence whereof is 1. That they wrong their souls l Injurius est animae suae Pagn They are injurious to their souls m Expoliat anâ—mam suam Mont. They spoil and rob their souls n Vâ—m addit animae suae Jun. They offer force and violence to their souls o Rapit anâ—maâ— suam Merc. in Lexic Pag. in loc They ravenously devour their souls as the words are variously rendered by Interpreters but to the same purpose p Chamas significat apertam injuriam violentiaÌ„ Merc. The word signifies open injury and violence But besides this 2. They love death q Quia impudentes sibi exitium accersunt dùm me negligunt mortem amare vidâ—ntur quia in exitium suum ruunt Merc. in loc Because as Mercer notes upon the place they foolishly call destruction upon themselves Whiles they neglect me they seem to love death because they violently rush upon their own ruine Now besides that destruction is the portion of those who are enemies to Jesus Christ these two things are observable from this place 1. That 't is self-murder in all those who love not the Lord Jesus it is felo de se their destruction is from themselves they themselves lay violent hands on their own souls 2. That it is wilful self-murder They do wilfully rush upon their destruction and will not be with-held from it as if they were in love with their own death and ambitious of everlasting burnings than which what can tend more to aggravate their sin and condemnaâ—ion And shall not this move you Well I shall shut up this with that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 16.22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha which is a denunciation of the heaviest curse against that man or woman who in the midst his profession doth not sincerely and unfeignedly love the Lord Jesus But this being a place of some difficulty it may not be amiss to spend a little time in the opening of the words and giving you the sense of them r August Epist 178. mihi p. 921. Pinks Sermon upon this place p. 3. The words here used which render the place difficult are Anathema Maranatha the former of which is a Greek word and signifies accursed separated devoted to the Curse It 's questioned whether Å¿ Beza in loc Pet. Martyr Eras Pareus Ravanell in verbo Maranatha Maranatha be one or two or three words but most agree that 't is of the Syriack dialect and signifies the Lord cometh or our Lord cometh Now for the better understanding of the place you must know that it is generally conceived by the learned that the Apostle in these expressions had a special respect to the Jewish way of Excommunication which we are therefore necessarily to take into our consideration for the better clearing of that which lyes before us And here I find some difference about the several kinds and
to the tuition of Angels Love him by whom thou art so much beloved mind him who mindeth thee seek him that seeketh thee love thy Love by whom thou art loved who hath prevented thee with his love and is the cause of thy love But because we cannot so much as love him without his influence let us go to him as he doth b O ignis qui semper ardes nunquam extingueris O amor qui semper ferves nunquaÌ„ tepescis accende me accendor totus a te ut totus diligam te Minus eenim te amat qui tecum aliquid amat quod non propter te amat Diligam te Domine quoniam tu prior dilexisti me Aug. Solil p. 164. O fire which alway burnest and art never extinguished O love which art alway hot and never coolest kindle me let me be wholly enflamed by thee that I may wholly love thee for he loves thee too little who loves any thing with thee which he doth not love for thee Lord let me love yea with thine help I will love thee because thou hast first loved me Let Anselme conclude this matter who thus breaths after a loving Saviour c Certe Domine quia fecisti me debeo amori tuo meipsum totum quia me redâ—misti debeo meipsum totum quia tantum promittis debeo meipsum imo tantum debeo amori tuo plus quam mâ—ipsum quantum tu es major me pro quo dedisti teipsum cui promittis teipsum Fac precor Domine me gustare per amorem quod gusto per cognitionem sentiam per affectum quod sentio per intellectum Plus debeo quam meipsum totum sed nec plus habeo nec hoc ipsum possum per me reddere totum Trahe me Domine in amorem tuum hoc ipsum totum Totum quod sum tuum est conditione fac totum tuum dilectione Ansel Medit. de Gen. Hum. cap. 7. mihi p. 269. 16. Inter opera Tom. 3. mihi p. 199. Fol. Surely O Lord because thou hast made me I owe my whole self to thy love because thou hast redeemed me I owe thee my whole self because thou promisest so much I owe thee my whole self yea I owe to thy love as much more than my self as thou art greater than me for whom thou hast given thy self and to whom thou promisest thy self Cause me O Lord I beseech thee to taste that by love which I taste by knowledge let me feel by affection that which I feel by understanding I owe thee more than my whole self but I neither have more nor can I give thee this wholly of my self Lord draw me and that wholly into thy love All that I am is thine by condition make me all thine by love and affection Thus he And now lay these things together His loveliness in himself his love towards you surely it will strongly conclude that he deserves your love which should be a strong incentive to you to love him Give me leave to add one motive more and I have done Sect. 4. The fourth Reason 4. ALL true believers who have a saving knowledge of Christ and experienced his love towards themselves do and cannot but love him The Church testifies this saying to him in her conference with him Cant. 1.3 4. The Virgins love thee The Vpright love thee The Virgins that is d Ainsworth on the place those chosen called and faithful ones who with chaste and pure minds serve the Lord only and worship him in spirit and truth and stand with Christ on Mount Sion whom you find described Rev. 14.3 4. These love the Lord for the odour of his good ointments which they perceive by his Word and Spirit they love him because he first loved them and hath shed abroad his love in their hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to them It is said of the Israelites Numb 33.29 e Trap on the place That they removed their Tent from Mithcah which signifies Sweetness to Hashmonah which signifies Swiftness to teach us saith one that the Saints have no sooner tasted of Christs sweetness but they are carried after him with incredible swiftness For as f Amor Dei amorem animae parit cam intendere sibi facit Aug. Man p. 236. Austin observes The love of God doth breed and bring forth the love of the soul and makes it to be intent upon himself The Upright that is g Ainsworth those who have upright hearts and righteous conversations These upon the remembrance of the love of Christ manifested by his Sufferings Death Resurrection Ascension and the graces and benefits flowing from them to his Church do love him that is are confirmed and encreased in love to him more and more h Robotham on Cant. p. 80. As fire is encreased by adding of fuel unto it so is our love to Christ upon fresh and new manifestations of his great love towards us That the Church her self did love Christ is clear from the whole Book of Canticles i Watsons Christs loveliness p. 435. which is nothing else but a Divine Epithalamium or Marriage-Song in which are all the strains of holy love set forth in the purest Allegories and Metaphors such as do represent that dear affection and union which is betwixt Christ and his Church She calls him her Beloved Cap. 2.3 nor did she love him from the teeth outward as we say but with a love fetch'd as deep as the bottome of her heart O thou whom my soul loveth sayes she Cap. 1.7 k Jeanes Scholast pract Divin Part 1. on Col. 1.19 p. 221. The remembrance of his love to her had such an impression upon her heart as to make her sick of love Cant. 2.5 l Sibs Bowels open'd p. 305. A sickness not unto death but unto life a sickness that never ends but in comfort and satisfaction It wrought in her a love of a most powerful and unconquerable influence a love as strong as death Cant. 8.6 a love as forcible and irresistible as death trampling upon and breaking through all difficulties that occurre in performance of duties unto or undergoing of sufferings for Christ A love inflamed into jealousie and this jealousie as cruel or hard as the Grave as it there follows that is as inexorable unto all the enemies of Christ unto her most profitable and pleasant sins her darling and most indulged lusts A love of the same nature with fire the coales thereof are coals of fire which hath a most vehement flame ibid. For 1. As Fire is the hottest of Elements so her love of Christ was more solidly intense than her love of any creature whatsoever She was as it were all of a fire with the love of him 2. As the motion of fire is upwards towards Heaven so the Churches love of Christ was as a fiery Chariot whereby she was carried up into Heaven 3. As fire burns all things combustible so
neither things visible nor invisible so that I may but obtain Jesus Christ Let fire cross concourse of wild Beasts the cutting separating and breaking of my bones the dissipation of my members the destruction of my whole body and the torments of the Devil let all come upon me only that I may obtain Jesus Christ * Clarks Lives 4. Vol. 1. p. 7. 8. Polycarpus being urged by the Proconsul to blaspheme Christ with promise of his liberty returned this excellent answer Four score and six years have I served Christ neither hath he ever offended me in any thing and how can I then revile my King that hath thus kept me Being threatned with wild Beasts unless he would repent he answered Bring them forth for I have determined with my self not to repent and turn from the better to the worse When * Idem p. 145. Chrysostome had received a threatning message from Eudoxia the Empress he returned this answer Go tell her Nil nisi peccatum timeo I fear nothing but sin If the Queen will let her banish me The Earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof If she will let her saw me asunder Isaiah suffered the same if she will let her cast me into the Sea I will remember Jonah if she will let her cast me into a burning fiery Furnace or among wild Beasts the three young men and Daniel were so dealt with if she will let her stone me or cut off my head I have Stephen and the Baptist my blessed companions if she will let her take away all my substance Naked came I out of my Mothers Womb and naked shall I return thither again Thus he I shall add but the example of Moses who is an instance of this stedfast love in both parts of it as you find Heb. 11.24 25 26 27. When he was come to years he refused to be called the Son of Pharaohs Daughter the pleasures of sin and the treasures of Aegypt Here was inviolable love He chose affliction with the People of God esteemed the reproach of Christ above the Worlds wealth feared not the wrath of the King Here was invincible love This is to love Christ aright and if you would love him as you ought you must learn thus to love him To love him as that z Disce O Christiane quemadmodum diligas Christum disce amare dulcitèr ne illecti prudentèr ne decepti fortitèr ne oppressi ab amore Domini avertamus Bern. in Cant. Ser. 20 p. 148. Father directs sweetly lest being enticed wisely lest being deceived and strongly lest being oppressed you be turned aside from your love of the Lord. a Sit fortis constans amor tuus nec cedens terroribus nec succumbens laboribus ibid. Let your love therefore as he goes on be strong and stedfast neither giving way to terrors nor sinking under labours b Non abduci blanditiis nec seduci fallaciis nec injuriis frangi 〈◊〉 corde toto animo tota virtuâ—e deligeâ—e est ibid. Not to be drawn away with flatteries nor seduced with fallacies nor broken and overcome with injuries this is to love him with all the heart with all the mind and with all the strength Thus love the Lord Jesus sincerely and stedfastly which is all the direction I shall give you for the quality of your love I now proceed to another Direction CHAP. VIII 2. LOok that your love to Christ be The second generall direction respects the measure of our love †Modus diligendi Deum est sine modo diligere Bâ—rn de dâ—l Dec. mihi p. 295. for the measure of it without measure There can be no excesse in loving Christ as there may be in loving other things the Woman in the Gospell loved much Luke 7.47 but not too much As his love to us was a transcendent love so must ours be to him it must transcend our love to all other things in the World We are to love him sayes a ‖ Reyn. of the Pass pag. 82. learned Man above all things 1. Appretiativè setting an higher price upon his Glory and Command than upon any other thing besides 2. Intensivè with the greatest force and intention of our spirit setting no bounds or measure to our love of him 3. Adaequatè as the compleat perfect and adequate object of all our love in whom it must begiâ— and in whom it must end Christ must be loved saith the * Reyn. on Psal 110. pag. 74. same Authour in another place with a principall and superlative love grounded on the experience of the soul in it selfe that there is ten thousand times more beauty and amiablenesse in him than in all the honours pleasures profits satisfactions which the world can afford that in comparison or competitiâ—n with him the dearest things of this World the Parents of our Body the Children of our Flesh the Wife of our Bosome the Bloud of our Veines the Heart in our Breast must not onely be laid down and lost as sacrifices but hated as snares when they draw us away from him * Preston of Love pag. 162. Indeed we do not love him as God but as a Creature if we do not love him above all to say we love him as God yet not to love him above all is a contradiction Nay we love him not at all if we love him not above all For as †Pinks Triall of Love pag. 33. one observes so much only do we love Christ as we love him more than we love any thing else besides though never so lovely 1. Because we have infinitely more reason to love him than it is possible we should have to love any thing else and therefore it is not to be accounted love unto him if we can afford as much and more to something else 2. Because if we love but one thing better than we do him that one thing may force us to despight forsake and betray him as accursedly as if we preferred an hundrd things before him yea he that resolvedly prefers but one thing before his Communion with Christ will quickly be intreated by his own heart to prefer more Sect. 1. IF you would have these things more particularized our Saviour hath done it in Luke 14.26.33 From whence I have sufficient ground to call upon you to love Jesus Christ as * Wals none but Christ pag. 62. I find Bernard professed himself to do Plusquam tua plusquam tuos plusquam te 1. Love Jesus Christ plusquam tua more than all your enjoyments of estate riches wealth Christ is to be loved above our enjoyments houses lands and whatever you have in this World for so sayes our Savior Luk. 14.33 Whosoever he be that forsaketh not all he hath he cannot be my disciple It was a true acknowledgement of Austin * Minus te amat qui tècum aliquid amat quod propter te non amat Aug. Confes lib. 10. cap. 29. See
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
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
of minds and friendly society Hence it is that all our Companies and Fraternities in Cities have their Guild-halls where they meet and â—â—asts likewise at certain times for the mainâ—aining of love and amicable correspondence Therefore this Sacrament was called by the Ancients Synaxis a collection gathering together or assembling the faithfull namely inâ—o thatVnity which Christ by his Merits â—urchased by his Prayer obtained and by â—is Spirit wrought in them 3. This makes that Sacrament agreeable â—o its Type the Jewish Passover which was not only a Feast of Remembrance but also a Feast of Love It was Commanded to be one whole Lamb and eaten in one Family and not to have one bone of it broken to signifie that there should be allVnity and no Schism or Rupture in the Church which is Christs Body The bread also was to be eaten without Leaven which might signifie how far they should be removed from the swelling of passion and sowreness of malice who did eat of the same unleavened-bread And the Apostle makes this application of it to Christians in reference to this Supper 1 Cor. 5.7 8. 4. The Rites in use among the Primitive Christians which were annexed to this Sacrament do clear this Their Holy Kisse Romans 16.16 which the Apostle St. Peter calls the Kisse of Charity 1 Peter 5.13 Their Love-Feasts Jude 12. which as x Caena nostra de nomine rationem sui ostendit vocatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id quod dilectio penes Graecos est Tert. Apol. cap. 39. p. 58 See Jenkins on Jude pt 2. p. 256 269 Tertullian observes carried their Nature in their Name called so to signifie and strengthen Love among Christians Their collections for the poor 1 Cor. 16.1 2. These were all in Testimony of Love and for the preservation of Charity among Christians 5. Our Saviour himself put this out of doubt for immediately before he ordained this Sacrament he gave his Disciples an Example of love in washing their feet which was for their instruction to teach them to love and condescend to one another John 13.15 You see by this that one end of the Lords Supper was for the advancement of love among Christians nor is there any sin more contrary to this Ordinance as y Non est peccatum Sacramento Eucharistiae aequè adversúm atque discordia Luth. Loci com clas 2. p. 141. Luther notes than dissention z Ushers Ser. before the Parl. on 1 Cor. 10.17 p. 8 9 p. 13. Christians therefore should remember that as oft as they come to the Lord table so oft do they enter into new bonds of peace and tie themselves with firmer knots of Love together this blessed Communion being a sacred Seal not only of the union which we have with our Head by Faith but also of our Conjunction with the other members of the body by Love And therefore it is a lamentable thing Dolendum quidem est quum nos pauci numero idem profiteamur Evangelium sacrae Coenae occasione quam praecipuum inter nos unitatis vinculum esse decebat in varias sententias distrahi Calv. Epist fol. mihi pag. 246. to behold how this Holy Sacrament which was ordained by Christ to be a bond whereby we should be knit together in unity is by Satans malice and the corruption of Mans disposition so strangely perverted the contrary way that it is made the principall occasion of that woefull distraction which we see among Christians at this day and the very fuell of endlesse strifes and contentions Beloved these things ought not so to be though so they have been and still are and Oh! that Christians would at length lay it to heart that Christs end and design in this Ordinance may be accomplished by their mutual love one to another and disappointed by their differences and dissentions Now lay all these together Christs Preaching and Prayer and Passion and appointing this Ordinance for the knitting of Christians hearts together in love and judge you whether they are not a sufficient obligation to all those who profess his Name have tasted of love from him and bear any real love to him again to see that they love one another with a pure heart fervently 1 Pet. 1.22 With the heart sincerely and unfeignedly without complement hypocrisie or dissimulation With a pure heart pure in it self being purified by faith Acts. 15.9 purified in obeying the truth through the Spirit 1 Pet. 1.21 pure in its love loving not for carnal but holy ends and seeking the soul-good of one another in the first place And all this fervently the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Leighs Crit. Sacr. Gerh. in loc p. 136. which notes both the Intention of love that it be with all the might and likewise the Extention of love that it be constant without cessation or interruption Thus should Christians love one another and that for Christs sake who hath deserved and doth expect it at our hands to whom we cannot better express our love at this distance than by loving those who stand in so near a relation to him and are placed in such vicinity to us that they may be called his Proxies to receive the fruits of our love to himself in his absence from us And therefore for a close give me leave to renew my Exhortation to you and to beseech yea conjure you in the words of the Apostle Paul to his Philippians Chapter 2. 1 2. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfill ye my joy that you be like minded having the same love bring of one accord of one minde You see it's love and unity and unanimity the Subject which I have in hand which he exhorts unto and Oh! how eloquent and emphaticall how strong and cogent is he in those arguments which he useth for the pressing of it I am perswaded sayes b Reynolds Serm. on the place page 2. one that thâ—re is scarce in all the Scripture to be found an Exhortation wherein the duties required are set on with more invincible obsecration with more melting and conquering perswasion than in these words For the uniting of the Pilippians hearts sayes c Ut Philippensium animos componeret ôquam sacro fascino usus est Ipsa suada credo si loqui posset non potuisset 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ubi quot verba tot tela quae nimirum animos nostros percellant sodicent lanâ—inent Mortoni sententia de pace procurand inter â—vangel pag. 25. another he useth a kind of holy charm and inchantment I believe Perswasion it self could not speak more perswasively where there are as many weapons as words able to work upon any heart not possest with an iron sinew Let us take a short view of his Arguments If there be any Consolation in Christ d Reynoâ—ds Ubi suâ—â—â— p. 27 c. Where is there Consolation
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
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
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
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
dust of the Earth in a measure and weigh the Mountains in scales and the Hills in a ballance as the Prophet speaks Study it we may and must make it the chief of our studies to know it experimentally and savingly but yet after our most diligent study and the highest knowledge of it which we can attain unto in this life we must sit down content with that learned mans Motto in reference to Science in general z QuantuÌ„ est quod nescimus Quo magis studiis incumbimus eo magis nos vidâ—mus quòd nihil sciamus Bever Epistol Quest de Ter. vitae p. 86. How much is there which we know not and say as Father Paul of Venice was wont to say The more we study it the more we see how little or nothing we understand of it Even Agur himself though a very wise man yet in his own thoughts in respect of the knowledge of God and Christ was but at the first beginning of his Catechism a Prov. 30.4 What is his Name and what is his Sons Name But to shut up this As soon may a man find out God who is unsearchable as find out the love of Christ to perfection for God is love and Christ is God and his love like himself infinite That 's the first Sect. 2. MY next Argument shall be formed out of Christs own words Joh. 15.9 As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you From whence I thus argue If Christ hath loved us as his Father loved him then his love is exceeding great and incomprehensible But Christ hath loved us as his Father loved him Therefore c. The Minor is proved from the place forementioned which will strongly conclude that which I bring it for There is no doubt but as the Father is Fons Deitatis the Fountain of the Deity so he is Fons amoris the Fountain of love and as he is the Fountain of love surely he lets out the largest measures of love upon Jesus Christ b Omnia diligit Deus quae fecit inter ea magis diligit creaturas rationales in illis eas ampliùs quae sunt mâ—mbra â—nigeniti sui multo magis ipsum â—nigenitum Gerh. loc com Exeges p. 295. ex Augustin God loves all he made especially rational creatures more especially believers but above all his only begotten Son Pater diligit filium secundum utramque ejus naturam quia secundum naturam divinam diligit cum tà m perfectè fervidè sicut seipsum viz. amore immenso secundum naturam verò assumptam diligit eum amore praecipuo magis viz. quà m cuncta simùl creata Dion Carth. in loc mihi p. 854. The Father loves the Son according to both his natures according to his divine nature he loves him so perfectly and ardently as himself that is with an unmeasurable love according to his humane nature he loveth him with a principal love above all the creatures besides Now Christ sayes here that he hath loved us as his Father loved him which questionless is in a most transcendent manner I know there are that expound this Scripture to another sense which must not pass without some consideration that it may not prejudice the conclusion which I would draw from it c Unum comparationis membruÌ„ Sicut dilexit me pater ego vos dilexi alterum verò Manâ—te in dilectione meâ Mald. Maldonate would have the words to run thus As the Father hath loved me and I have loved you so continue in my love taking love in the last clause for that love by which we love Christ and the two former branches for a double Argument to urge continuance in that love as if the meaning were d Discipulos ad di igendum se hortatur idque duas ob causas alteram quòd se quoque pater diligat aequum sit ut illi diligant quem pater tantoperè dilexit alteram quòd ipse quoquè eos diligat ità rec procum eos sibi amorem debere Idem Continue in your love to me because my Father loveth me and it is but equal that you should love him whom the Father loves so much and likewise because I have loved you and therefore you ought to love me again But he confesseth e Omnes quos legerim interpretes existimant comparationem Christum non nisi inter se patrem facere Idem that all the Interpreters which he had read do take the comparison to lie betwixt the love of the Father to himself and his love to his Disciples and I shall not follow him in his singularity when the commâ—nly received sense is so clear and plain Nor is love in the last clause to be taken for that love which believers bear to Christ as he would have it but for that love which Christ bears to them 1. The very words sound to this sense for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Beza well translates Manete in illâ meâ charitate Continue in that my love f In charitate quâ ego vos prosequor Bez. in loc Vide plura in Gerh. Harmon in loc p. 1008. which I bear towards you as he expounds it 2. Besides this best agrees with that which goes before and that which comes after Immediately before he mentions his love to them and therefore this cannot well be expounded to any other sense than their taking care for to demean themselves as that they may continue in the experience of his love towards them And immediately after he compares his Fathers love and his own again v. 10. and prescribes them the same means for abiding in his love which himself used for abiding in his Fathers love viz. Obedience Now as the Fathers love signifies his Fathers love to him in one part of the verse so Christs love in the other part signifies his love to them It appearing then by these considerations that Christs love to them is here meant the Argument which he useth for their continuing in his love is drawn from the greatness of it in respect whereof it would be not only their duty but their priviledge to continue in it â—â—d the greatness of this love he sets forth by way of comparison which because he could not find on earth for as to any humane comparison it is altogether matchless as I shall shew you more afterwards he fetcheth one from heaven and sayes he loved them as his Father loved him and that must needs be with an exceeding great and incomprehensible love So Interpreters generally expound it a taste whereof I shall give you in the words of some of them g Sicut impensè infinitè me dilexit pater sic ego vos impensè insinite diligo Cart. Har. Metaphr in loc p. 927. As my Father hath loved me greatly and infinitely so do I love you greatly and infinitely thus doth Mr. Cartwright paraphrase it h Significat non vulgareÌ„ dilectionem
should be conversant in the things of God as the learned r Moralem considerationem qui addunt mihi probantur agitatione pectoris armi exaltatione monitos nos suisse toto pectore opere invigilandum esse divinis excitato semper animo Rivet in Exod. mihi p. 1157. Rivet points us unto who also tells us that Å¿ Iâ—terpretes Christiani eum Ritum ad Christum â—eferent ut indicetur quà m latè pateat ejus benâ—ficium meritum quae sit regni ill us ampliâ—udo Idem ibid. Christian Interpreters refer this Rite to Christ that hereby may be shown how largely the merit and benefits of Christ do extend and what is the amplitude of his Kingdome t Vide Bâ—z Grot. Bod. in loc Beza and Grotius think that the Apostle might have respect hereunto in this place and so doth Bodius 2dly Others take it to be a Metaphor drawn from u Quae addita hic sunt a Mathematicis dâ—sumpta sunt qui solidum corpus ferè sic definiunt quòd habeat latitudinem longitudinem prefunditatem quos terminos ad Christi dilectionem transfert Aret. Thus Baâ—dvin Rolloc c. on the place Mathematicians who make the dimensions of solid bodies to be the bredth and length and depth which dimensions the Apostle transfers to the love of Christ and one more than is usually attributed unto bodies viz height w Infinitae reâ—nquenda sunt ab arte Bed Ax. Philos p. 99. for indeed the love of Christ is beyond all natural dimensions but whether it hath respect to one or the other or both of these the application of these dimensions to the love of Christ according to the sense of Interpreters will serve abundantly to confirm that which I bring it for Thus therefore it is expounded by divers of them First That the length of Christs love notes its eternity and that both a parte ante backward thus he sayes I have loved thee with an everlasting love Jer. 31.3 and his delights were with the Children of Men before they had a being or the World its beginning Prov. 8.31 And also a parte post forward thus it s said Having loved his own which were in the World he loved them to the end John 13.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in perpetuum for ever according to x 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gerh. Har. in loc è Chrysost Chrysostomes gloss he continued alway loving them Thus according to the Hebrew La Netzech and Le Gnolam in finem and in aeternum are all one as Psal 103.9 and as y Dr. Goodwin The heart of Christ in Heaven c. p. 8. one observes the scope of this speech is to shew how Christs heart and love would be towards them even for ever c. You have both put together Psal 103.17 where the mercy of the Lord is said to be from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him Secondly The breadth of Christs love notes its extent unto all the Elect in all Ages of whatever Nation sex or condition without any respect of persons Thus he is said to be the same yesterday to day and for ever Heb. 13.8 and would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth that is all ranks and sorts of men 1 Tim. 2.4 wherefore he bids his Apostles go and teach all Nations and preach the Gospel to every creature Mat. 28.19 Mark 16.15 For there is no difference betwixt the Jew and the Greek but the same Lord over all is rich in mercy to all that call upon him Rom. 10.12 There is neither Jew nor Greek Circumcision nor Vncircumcision Barbarian Scythian Bond nor Free Male nor Female but Christ is all in all and they are all one in Christ Jesus Col. 3.11 Gal. 3.28 Thirdly The depth of it notes its condescension to the lowest depths to draw sinners from thence of which the Psalmist speaks Psal 86.12 13. I will praise thee O Lord my God with all my heart and I will glorifie thy Name for evermore for great is thy mercy towards me and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest Hell Fourthly The height of it notes its reaching up to the joyes of Heaven and happiness and carrying up souls thither I will come again and take you to my self that where I am there may you be also John 14.3 Father I will that those also whom thou hast given me may be with me where I am that they may behold that is enjoy my glory John 17.24 You see the Dimensions of Christs love Now let a poor Christian set himself about the meditation of this love in these its dimensions he may sooner lose himself than find out this love to perfection Alas if a poor finite short and dim-sighted creature begin to look backward into eternity past to find out the rise of this love and then look forward into eternity to come to follow the reach of it how soon must he be fain to sit down and aknowledge himself far short and utterly uncapable of ever reaching the length of it If he again consider how much love every poor sinner needs and how the love of Christ hath filled and furnished so many thousands and millions of elect souls in all ages past hitherto till it hath lodged them safely in glory and then consider again how many more are yet to spend upon it unto the end of the world he will rather cry out in admiration Behold what manner of love is this how great how unmeasurable than be able to say he hath measured the breadth of it And then if he consider from how great a * It is worthy of that ejaculation of the devout Bishop Hall in his Rapture p. 186. Oh love and mercy more deep than those depths froÌ„ which thou hast saved me and more high than that Heaven to which thou hast advanced me depth of misery it redeemeth and to how great a height of happiness it raiseth poor sinners viz. from a close Prison to a choice Palace from a low Dungeon to a high Throne from pressing Chains to a pleasing Crown from the blackest darkness to the brightest light from intolerable torment to unspeakable joy from most grievous bondage to the most glorious liberty from doleful and cursed communion with damned Spirits to delightful and blessed communion with God in every person and glorified Saints and Angels from a state beyond expression or conception for shame and misery to a state unspeakable and unconceivable for glory and happiness in a word from the lowest Hell to the highest Heaven he may well conclude with the Apostle That it is a love which passeth knowledge sooner may the deepest head the clearest eye the largest heart be swallowed up of this love than be able to comprehend it fully in these dimensions for as * Dilectio Christi nobis proponitur in cujus meditatione nos exerceamus dies ac noctes in quaÌ„ nos
qu si demergamus Calv. in Eph. 3.18 Calvin well notes upon these words The love of Christ which is propounded to us is so large a subject that we may exercise our selves in the meditation of it day and night and plunge our selves into this boundless bottomless Ocean till we be swallowed up of it but we can never perfectly understand it That 's the third Argument Sect. 4. MY fourth Argument is this The love of Christ must needs be exceeding great and incomprehensible because it never had nor is capable of a parallel instance among the Sons of Men. If Men were able to express such a love as this of Christs they might be able to know his love as I can understand the love of man to man because I am able to express the same to others but Christs love never was nor ever can be parallel'd his love to mankind is as much above theirs one to another as the Heavens are above the Earth Isa 55.8.9 If all the affection of the whole Creation were resident in one particular person yet it would lie as much short of the love of Christ as finite doth of infinite and therefore our Saviour fetcheth a comparison from Heaven whereby to set it forth and sayes He loved us as his Father loved him John 15.9 which I made my second Argument * Gerhard Harmon p. 1016. The degrees of love are to be measured both by the object and matter of it 1. In respect of the object the lowest degree is when a man loves one that loves him and doth good to him Mat. 5.46 Luke 6.32 33. The next is when one loves him by whom he is not beloved and from whom he receives no benefit The highest is when one loves his enemy who doth not only not love him but hate him nor only doth him no good but heaps injuries upon him Mat. 5.44 Luke 6.35 2. In respect of the matter three degrees likewise may be reckoned the lowest when one doth good to his Neighbour out of the substance which he hath the next when he bestows all the goods which he hath of body mind and estate upon his Neighbour the highest when he layes down his life Now though there may be found who will lay out themselves and their estates for the good of those who love them and are beneficial to them nay of those that love them not and are no way beneficial to them yea that hate them and have done them ill turns yea though there may be some but very rarely found that have laid down their lives for their lovers and friend yet where can we find an instance of those who have laid down their lives for enemies and injurious ones save this of Christs laying down his life for us The height of all humane affection is expressed in two places of Scripture John 15.13 Rom. 5.6 which amounts to no more than this The laying down of life for friends for good men scarcely for a righteous man which circumstances render it unworthy to be laid in the ballance with the love of Christ who laid down his life for the ungodly for sinners and enemies Rom. 5.6 8 10. in consideration whereof Bernard breaks out thus pathetically * Majorem charitatem nemo habet quà m ut animam suâ—m ponat quis pro am cis suis Tu maâ—o 〈◊〉 hâ—buisti Domine ponâ—ns cam pro inimicis cum enim adhuc inimici essemus per mortem tuam tibi reconciliati sumus patri Qâ—aenam aâ—â—a videdebitur esse vel fuisse vel fore huic simâ—lis charitati Vix pro justo quis moritur tu pro impiis passus es moriens propter delicta nostra qui venisti justificare gratis peccatores servos facere fratres captivos cohaeredes Exules Reges Bern. de Pass Dom. mihi pag. 34. Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends but thou O Lord hadst greater love who didst lay down thy life for thine enemies for when we were yet enemies we were reconciled by thy death both to thy self and to thy Father What other love either is or was or shall be seen like to this love Scarcely for a righteous man will one dye but thou sufferedst for the ungodly dying for our sins who camest to justifie sinners freely to make servants brethren captives co-heirs and Exiles Kings Thus he Give me leave here to lay before you some examples of the love of the children of men towards one another as they are recorded in Sacred Writ or in other Histories and we shall still find the love of Christ beyond the highest and noblest of them 1. We read of those who have gone far in love to their Countrey and the people with whom they have lived Moses and Paul for their Countreymen the Jews the one sayes to God If thou wilt not forgive their sin blot me I pray thee out of the Book which thou hast written Exod. 32.32 The other sayes I could wish that my self were accursed from Christ for my Brethren my Kinsmen according to the flesh Rom. 9.3 which words whether we understand them of a temporal death absolutely according to Hierome or of eternal death conditionally if it might be if it were possible as others take them y Vocâ—s illae fuerunt eximiâ— stupendi amoris Rivet in Exod mihi p. 1190. were words of eminent and stupendious love as the learned Rivet observes who though he saw no inconvenience in either sense yet preferreth the former as less liable to exception and attended with fewer difficulties and sufficient to express the affection of these holy men who chose to dye rather than live to see their People destroyed and rejected z Multum charitatis in isto Rege apparet Pet. Martyr in loc It was great love and affection in David towards his People when he desired that the Lords hand might be stretched out against himself and Family rather than against them 2 Sam. 24.17 It was no less love that moved Esther to hazard her own life for saving of the Jews who were her own Countreymen and designed to destruction by the plot of wicked Haman resolutely venturing into the Kings presence uncalled and against Law which if the golden Scepter had not been held forth had cost her her life Esther 4.16 Even among the Heathens there have been found those who out of love to their Countrey and People have parted with the lives of their Children yea their own lives a Fulgoâ— de dictis factisque memorab lib. 5. cap. 6. p. 152. C. Marius waging War against the Cimbrians was warned in a dream that if he sacrificed his Daughter Calphurnia he should obtain the Victory which he did and overcame his enemies The like did Erecteus as the same Author informs me and adds That the greatness of his love to his Countrey overcame his fatherly affection towards his Daughter b Valer. Max. lib. 5. cap. 6.
mihi p. 261 262. Curtius and Decius among the Romans are famous The former for leaping into the Earth when it opened it self and as was said would not be clozed till the best thing in Rome were cast into it The latter for rushing into the midst of the Enemies when his party were like to be overcome in Battel by them both to the loss of their own lives for the preservation of their Countrey c Idem ibidem p. 264. Codrus likewise among the Grecians is renowned who being King of Athens and understanding from the Oracle at Delphos that the War which then greatly wasted that Countrey would not be ended unless he were slain by the hand of the Enemy ventured incognito into the Enemies Quarters and by a wound given to one of the Souldiers provoked and procured his own death 2 We read of those who have ventured far in love to their friends Jonathans love to David was wonderful passing the love of Women 2 Sam. 1.26 He loved him as his own soul 1 Sam. 20.17 insomuch as he incurred his Fathers displeasure and hazarded his own life in his excuse and defence v. 27 to 34. Great was the love of d Valer. Max. lib. 4. cap. 7. p. 213. Damon and Pythias two Pythagorean Philosophers for when one of them was condemned to death by Dionysius the Tyrant the other offered to dye for him But greater the love of those who did indeed dye for their friends e Idem ibidem p. 210. as Volumnius did for Lucullus who hearing that M. Antonius had slain his friend because he took part with Brutus and Cassius made great lamentation for him and continued so to do till he was brought before Antonius to whom he spake after this manner Command me O Emperour to be forthwith carried to the Body of Lucullus and slain there for I ought not to survive him who have been the cause of his unhappy Warfare This was no sooner asked but it was granted and he being brought to the place where his dead friend lay after he had kissed his right hand and taken his head into his bosome he was presently beheaded besides him The like friendship was betwixt Tapeus and Zogius in the Kingdom of China and the like fate happened to them as I find it recorded by a late f Martinius Histor Sinicae Dec. prim p. 116. 117. Author Tapeus being by the Emperour condemned to dye for no just cause Zogius not able to bear it and being moved with the calamity of his friend exposed himself to apparent danger on his behalf often rebuking the Emperour for it with great freedome who at last being enraged said Thou openly discoverest thy self to be a Traytor who to favour a Friend art not afraid to offend a King To which Zogius for vindicating of himself answered boldly You are mistaken O Emperour He that is true to his Friend will be so to you nor is it fidelity towards you to forsake a guiltless Friend You have condemned to death my Friend who is innocent convicted of no crime against all Laws and the custome of good Kings Because I desire to preserve him I came under suspition of treason but what affinity hath Rebellion with faithfulness goodness and love I defend the cause of my Friend that you may not deal unjustly and tyrannically being faithful to both but more to you for both he that preserveth the innocent doth well but he that rectifies the erroneous doth better Then the Emperour in a fury said Either leave off your prating or dye with your Friend To whom Zogius answered It doth not become an honest man for the prolonging of his life to desert that which is lawful and right nor for the avoiding of death to confute by his deeds the things which he hath spoken agreeable to reason The things which I have spoken tend to this That you may see how unjust a death you occasion to Tapeus for where there is no fault there is no room for punishment The Emperour vexed at this constancy commanded them both presently to be slain not knowing sayes the Historian That it is more glorious to dye in the maintaining of friendship than to preserve ones life by unfaithfulness 3. We read of great love among other Relations g Clark's Mirror fol. p. 209 Vrbinius Papinian the Roman had a Servant who hearing that the Souldiers were about to slay him came to him and changed Apparel with him took his Ring and put it on his own finger and letting him out at the back-door went and lay down in his Masters Bed so that when the Souldiers came taking him for the Master they slew him who willingly chose death to save his Masters life This was great love in a Servant h Valer. Max. p. 202. Tiberius Gracchus having found two Snakes in his House was told that upon letting go the Male it would be sudden death to his Wife and to himself upon letting go the Female but he preferring his Wives life before his own commanded the Male to be killed and himself dyed soon after This was great love of a Husband to his Wife i Clark's Mirror fol. p. 293. Cabadis King of Persia being Deposed and shut up in close Prison and his Brother Blazes set up in his room the Wife of Cabadis first procures Horses to be laid in the wayes and then ingratiating her self with the Prison-Keeper got leave often to visit her Husband At last she changed Apparel with him and he getting thereby out of Prison fled upon those Horses and at last recovered his Kingdome again but she being discovered was by the command of Blazes cruelly put to death This was great love of a Wife to her Husband 'T was great love in David as a Father which made him mourn as he did for Absolom though an ungrateful and ungracious Son and to wish that he had dyed for him 2 Sam. 18.33 And it was great love of a Son to a Father which was shewed by one of Toledo as k Fulgos lib. 5. cap. 4. p. 159. Fulgosus relates the story whose Father being condemned to dye he never left entreating by prayers and tears till he obtained that his Father might be released and himself killed in his room I am sensible how far beyond my first intentions I have enlarged my self in the mention of these examples and therefore craving the Readers pardon for this excursion I shall quickly accommodate the whole to my present purpose when I have given one instance more of brotherly love among Christians the rule whereof is set very high That from the consideration of the love of Christ in laying down his life for us we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren 1 Joh. 3.16 and this example which I am now to mention comes up to it In the seventh Persecution under Decius l Clark's general Martyrol p. 52. The same story I find in Ambrose his second Book concerning Virgins only the
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
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
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
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
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
and dearliest loved by us so as that when it comes to this that we cannot enjoy both to leave them and cleave unto Christ to undervalue any advantages which we may have by them in comparison of those which come by Christ and to be hardned against all their tears entreaties and offers which tend to the keeping or drawing us from His service Thus have the Saints loved Him Hierom deserves to lead the way in the instances which shall be produced for that noble resolution recorded of him in these words * Clarks lives part 1. p. 132. If my Father stood weeping on his knees before me and my Mother hanging on my neck behind me and all my Brethren Sisters Children and Kinsfolk howling on every side to retain me in a sinfull life I would fling my Mother to the ground run over my Father despise all my Kindred and tread them under my feet that I might run to Christ When †Clarks â—n â—rtyrol â—g 93 94 Saturus a nobleman in Africk was threatned by Genserick that if he would not turn Arian he should forfeit his house and goods that his Children should be sold and his Wife given to the Camel-driver his Wife hearing of her doom went to him with her garments rent her hair disheveled her Children at her heels and a sucking infant in her hands whom casting at her Husbands feet she said to him Have compassion of me thy poor Wife and of these thy Children look upon them let them not be made slaves let not me be yoked to a base marriage that which thou art required to do thou dost it not willingly but by constraint and therefore it will not be laid to thy charge But he gave her answer in the words of Job Thou speakest like a foolish Woman Thou actest the Devils part If thou lovedst thy Husband thou wouldest never seek to draw him to sin which will prove the second death I am resolved therefore as my Lord commands me to forsake Wife Children Lands House c. that I may be his Disciple Thus * Idem p. 249. George Carpenter a Bavarian Martyr said to one that came to him in prison and bad him recant his errors that he might return to his Wife and Children My Wife and my Children are so dear to me that they cannot be bought from me with all the riches and possessions of the Duke of Bavaria but for the love of my Lord God I willingly forsake them all Thus †Masons Acts of the Church p. 332. Richard Woodman an English Martyr being perswaded by the Bishop of Chichester to look to his Wife and Children answered God knoweth how dearly I love my Wife and Children in him but they are in Gods hands and I have them as if I had them not but regard the pleasing of God more than all other things * Clarks English Martyrol p. 211. A poor woman in Cornwall another Martyr in Q Maries time being bid by the Bishop to remember her Husband and Children answered I have them and I have them not whilest I was at liberty I enjoyed them but now standing here as I do in the cause of Christ and his truth where I must forsake Christ or my Husband I am content to stick to Christ only my heavenly Spouse and to renounce the other Many other such Testimonies might be produced but I shall close with that of one †Wards Life of faith in death among his Sermons p. 162. Kilian a Dutch Schoolmaster who to such as asked whether he loved not his Wife and Children answered Yes If all the world were gold and were mine to dispose of I would give it to live with them but yet my soul and Christ are dearer to me than all And thus must we love Christ if we would love Him aright when we are called to it as they were I shall conclude this branch with that notable saying of the same Author who ended the former * Fligeâ—dis est magis totum muadum habere contrariuÌ„ quà m Jâ—suâ— ossâ—â—sum 〈◊〉 oâ—â—â—bus Câ—â—â—â—â—â—â—is sâ—â— fesâ—s solus dilectus specialis Diligantur omnes propter Jesum Jâ—â—â—s aâ—â—â—em propter seipsum Solus Jesus Christus est singulariter aâ—â—â—lus qui solus bonus fidelis prae omnibus invenitur amicis A. Hemp. de Imit Christi lib. 2. cap. 8. pag. 114. It is more eligible to have the whole world against us than to have Jesus Christ offended and therefore among all that are dear unto you let him alone be your beloved in a special manner Let all others be loved for his sake but he for his own sake Jesus Christ alone is singularly to be loved who alone is found good and faithfull above all other friends Sect. 3. 3 LOve Jesus Christ plusquam te More than thy self than thy own life Above our own lives This is one of the things which our Saviour requires us to hate if we would be his Disciples indeed in the place forementioned Luke 14.26 If any man come to me and hate not besides Father and Mother c. as before even his own life he cannot be my Disciple The meaning whereof is this When we cannot preserve our life without being treacherous to Christ renouncing our profession of him and quitting our affection and service to him we must so far hate our own lives as to part with them freely upon the hardest terms rather than forsake him Every Christian is bound to love his neighbour as himself Mat. 22.39 That is * Mant. on James p. 262. pursue his good with the same heart and in the same way that he would do his own But he must love his Saviour more than himself It s true †Caryll on Job Vol. 1. p. 240. that life is a mans most precious treasure and the most excellent thing in nature which every one loves so dearly and prizeth so highly as that * Nihil quicquam est carius pensiusque nobis quam rosmet ipsi Anl. Gel. Noct. Attic lib. 12. cap. 5. mihi p. 269. nothing is more dear and precious therefore will a man part with any thing with all things for the preservation of it 'T was a great truth though the Father of lyes spake it Job 2.4 Skin for Skin yea all that a man hath will he give fâ—r his life And yet this precious life so it is called Prov. 6.26 must be neglected under valued and parted with as a sacrifice when called for on Christs behalf When a Christian is driven to this straight that life and sin or death and Christ lie before him and one cannot be avoided death with Christ is to be chosen and preferred and life with sin against Christ is to be refused with abhorrency This is Christs demand and expectation from his followers nor is there any unreasonableness in it if we consider 1 That we owe our lives to Christ who laid down his life for us Caryll on Job Vol. 1. p.
of Christ Psalm 110.4 Behold I am alive for evermore Revel 1.18 And he lives for ever not only in his Person but to be for ever the life portion and blessedness of his people because he lives they shall live also John 14.19 9. He is the proper good of his own people He hath not onely given himself unto God for them as their Sacrifice but he hath given himself likewise unto them as their Portion He is theirs and they his Cant. 6.3 They his by a deare Purchase and he theirs by a sweet Communion They are said to have him 1 John 5.12 as a man hath his most peculiar possession his Name is The Lord our Righteousnesse Jeremiah 23.6 he is more ours than we are our own and we have infinitely more in him than in our selves defective in our selves compleat in him weak in our selves strong in him dead in our selves alive in him miserable in our selves blessed in him mutable in our selves established in him Now put all this together Christ being a present precious sufficient pure rare various victorious perpetuall proper Good to his people he is so fit an Object for their Joy and delight that it were a wondrous absurdity for any Soul who knows him and hath tasted of his love and makes profession of his Name to be drowned in sensuall and worldly delights or to set up his Rest in any thing short of Christ Sect. 3. 3. LET Trust and Fear be Attendants upon the Desires and Delights of your Love With trust and fear 1. Trust in him If you believe in God believe also in Christ John 14.1 You must take him in your way to the Father if you would trust in him aright 1 Peter 1.21 John 14.6 and he himself is an Object fit for your trust who is over all God blessed for ever Romans 9.5 1. Trust therefore in him alone whiles some trust in themselves leaning to their own understandings Proverbs 3.5 trusting in their own righteousness Ezek. 33.13 others in their Idols Psalm 115.8 others in their riches Psalm 52.7 others in Chariots and Horses Psalm 20.7 others in Man making flesh their Arm Jeremiah 17.5 let Israel let the house of Aaron let all that fear the Lord trust in him alone Psalm 115.9 10 11. It is better to trust in the Lord Jesus than to put confidence in man than to put confidence in Princes Psalm 118.8 9. in whom there is no help for their breath goeth forth they return to their earth in that very day their thoughts perish Psalm 146.3 4. But happy is he who hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the Lord his God verse 5. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him Psalm 2.12 2. Trust in him at all times Psalm 62.8 in times of prosperity so as not to be puffed up in pride and presumption In times of adversity so as not to sink down in dejection and despondency In times of prosperity so as not to forget God and lift up the heel against him In times of adversity so as not to forsake God and put forth your hands to iniquity 3. Trust in him with all your heart Proverbs 3.5 h Praecipitur ut non verbis sed animo non per hyprocrisin distractionem quandam sed rotundè sincere faciamus quod hîc toto corde faciendum dicitur Cart. in loc With your heart sincerely without dissimulation pretending to trust in him when indeed you trust in something else and with all your heart entirely without division not partly resting on him and partly leaning to your selves or the creature but give him the whole trust of your whole heart 4. Trust in him in reference to all your Concernments your souls bodies lives estates liberties callings duties burdens relations c. You may venture to do it for He is laid in Sion for a Foundation and is a tried Stone a precious Corner-stone a sure Foundation Isaiah 28.16 the Rock of Ages in whom there is everlasting strength Isaiah 26 4. able to bear the weight of that trust which is devolved on him In whom whosoever believeth shall not be confounded 1 Peter 2.6 You need not fear miscarrying when you are in the hands of him who hath thus loved you with so great so dear and costly a love and out of love hath undertaken for you especially considering how great his Truth and Faithfulness is to whatsoever he undertakes being Truth it self John 14.6 the Amen the True and faithful Witness Revelations 3.14 a merciful and faithful High-priest Hebrews 2.17 faithful to him that appointed him Heb. 3.2 and faithful to those for whom he was appointed verse the sixth And likewise how great a sufficiency of power and ability he hath commensurate to his affection being the Mighty God Isaiah 9.6 the Almighty Revelations 1 8. to accomplish all the designs of his love for your good and happiness against all contradiction and opposition whatsoever Who also is and was and is to come Revelations 1.8 everliving to see the full accomplishment of all by his Intercession whereby he is able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him Hebrews 7.25 Stay your selves therefore by firm trust and dependence upon him for he will keep him in perfect peace in i Shalom Shalom Heb. peace peace as it is in the Originall whose mind is stayed upon him because he trusteth in him Isaiah 26.3 And they who know his Name will put their trust in him for he hath not forsaken those that seâ—k him Psalm 9.10 2. Fear least from those Remains of corruption which are within you any thing disingenious or uncomely should break forth to the distasting and displeasing of him by whom you are thus beloved He doth not belong to thee O Lord sayes k Non pertinet ad â—o Domine nâ—â— de tuis est qui te noâ— diligit nec diligit te qui sciâ—â—ter essendit Cypr. de Bapt. Christi p. 494. Cyprian nâ—r is he in the number of thine who doth not love thee nor doth he love thee who knowingly offâ—nds thee Even this Lord of life and love is to be served with fear and his most beloved and loving ones are to râ—jâ—yce with trembling Psalm 2.11 l Sâ—ought Magi. â—â—ares Commission p. 37. We must begin all our service with fear trembling at our own infirmities and must end all again with fear blushing at our own vertues and excellencies That salvation which we hope and expect from him must be wrought out with fear and trembling and that because he is so gracious as to work in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure Phil. 2.12 13. The knowledge of our Redemption by the Blood of Christ is made an argument by the Apostle for passing the time of our sojourning here in fear 1 Peter 1.17 18 19. But here it may be Objected Sect. 4. OBject 1. That it s said in Luke 1.74 That the end of
our Redemption is that being delivered out of the hands of our enemies we might serve without fear Answ In answer hereunto and for the right understanding of this place we must distinguish Fear m Bishop Downhams Covenant of Grace Quarto mihi p. 70 c. See likewise Hierons Abridgment of the Gospel p. 130. Rivet in Psalm 2. p. 27. Scharp Symphon p. 139. 1. In respect of the Object There is the fear of God and the fear of our enemies God hath delivered us out of the hands of our enemies that we should serve him without fear not of himself but of those enemies from whom he hath redeemed us for as God hath redeemed us from the service of our enemies that we might serve him so he hath freed us from the fear of them that we might fear him only Isaiah 43.1 Fear not viz. thine enemies for I have redeemed thee And this serving without fear of our enemies may be taken either Metonymically without cause of fear and then without fear is as much as without danger as n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 absque periculo Theoph in loc Theophylact takes it which belongs to all true believers though but Incipients whose salvation is sure though they are not alwayes sure of it Or else properly without fear it self and then without fear is as much as with confidence and assurance as o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bez. in loc Beza takes it making it parallel with Ephes 3.12 But suppose that fear be meant here in reference to God then 2. Fear is to be distinguished in respect of the Subject the persons fearing and so it is either Servile and Slavish the fear of Bond-slaves which are under the Law or Filial and Son like the fear of Sons who are not under the Law but under Grace The former is properly called Metus whose effect is Metuere ab aliquo to be afraid of the object that is feared The other is Timor whose effect is to fear and reverence the object feared The former is a fearful expectation of some evil from the party feared The other an awfull reverence of the party feared not to offend him by doing evil So that the formal object of the former is Malum poenae in regard whereof they are afraid of God of the other Malum culpae in regard whereof they fear to offend God and displease him The former is rather Metus poena than Timor Dei for if there were no punishment they that have but this fear would not fear to offend God Oderunt peccare mali formidine poenae The other out of love of God and of goodnesse though there were no punishment to be feared feareth to offend Oderunt peccare boni virtutis amore The former ariseth from a Spirit of Bondage Romans 8.15 called a Spirit of Fear 2 Timothy 1.7 and is a fruit and effect of the Law forcing and compelling those who are under it to yield some outward obedience for fear of punishment The other ariseth from a Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8. and is a fruit of the Gospel and of Faith when a man being perswaded of Gods mercy and goodness towardâ— him in Christ feareth to offend so graciâ—us a God and merciful a Father according to that in Psalm 130.4 The former where it is alone is a Sinfull the latter a Godly fear Heb. 12.28 That a Helish this a Holy â—ear p Aliud est timere Deum aliud timere poenam aliud est timere patrem aliud timere judicem filius timet patrâ—m simul tameâ— etiam â—um diligit â—â—r timet jâ—dâ—cem simul autem etâ—am eum odit hic igitur servilis timor dicitur ille autem silialis Ferus in 1 Joan. 4.18 That is a fear of God as a Judge This is a fear of him as a Father That fears him as a Thief doth the Judge Né puniat least he should punish him This as a Son doth his Father Né deserat least he should forsake him That is accompanied with the hatred of Malefactors Qui quem metuunt oderunt This is accompanied with the love of Children who reverence yet love their Parents That hath Torment 1 John 4.18 This is a Treasure Isaiah 33.6 That driveth from God This makes a man cleave faster to him That may restrain the outward acts of sin but This represseth the inward affections to it Now questionlesse it is not to be understood that the Redeemed of the Lord shall serve him without this filial fear for in reference thereunto we are required to serve the Lord with fear Psalm 2.11 nor can we serve him acceptably without it Heb. 12.28 This is one of the chiefest things which God requires of man Eccles 12.13 It is the very chief point of Wisdom Psalm 111.10 So that when it is said in this place that the Redeemed of the Lord must serve him without fear it must needs be meant of that fear only which is slavish and of the reign and predominacy of it as it is in the unregenerate withoâ—t any filial fear not of the remainders of it as it is mingled with filial fear in Gods own Children in this life For such as is our Redemption I speak of it passively as it is in us such is our freedom from servile fear viz. inchoated or begun in this life and increasing by degrees but not compleat or perfect till the life to come which is called the day of our full Redemption Ephes 4.30 and being not compleat heâ—e we are not wholly freed by it from this servile fear The very best whiles they carry about them the body of sin as they do whiles they carry about them this body of flesh whiles they have the reliques of corruption remaining in them are not wholly free from this fear of punishment there is a mixture of it with ther filial fear in their present state of imperfection and it hath an influence to the keeping of them from sin and quickning of them to duty q Hildersh on Psalm 51. p 357 358. Destruction from the Lord was a terror to Job and kept him from opression Job 31.21 23. and Paul was conscionable in his Ministry from the Terrors of the Lord 2 Cor. 5.11 But this fear doth not wholly prevaile with the people of God it hath not the sole influence to keep them from sin and engage them to duty there is faith and love mixt with their fear Paul was constrained by love as well as awed by fear 2 Cor. 5.14 As their love to God is not a fellow-like familiarity as is among equals but is out of apprehension of his greatness holiness and justice tempered with fear and an awful dread of him so neither is that fear of God which is in them a meer servile fear like that of the slave that hath nothing to move him to duty but the fear of the whip but is out of an apprehension and assurance of his
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
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
he shews how himself and others came to be constrained by the love of Christ and that is by way of Argument The love of Châ—ist saiyes he constraineth us because we thus judge that if one died for all then were all dead and that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them and rose again As if he had said when we set our selves seriously to consider the love of Christ in the eminent greatness of it as carrying him to the Crâ—sse the Grave to Death for us we find out and conclude upon theâ—e two things 1. The miserable condition of the objects of it for if one died for all we determine thus That then were all dead y Morte scilicet peccati per quod irae Dei aeternisque poenis facti obnoxii quid enim attinebat pro omnibus mori nisi omnes reas mortis invenisset Calixt in loc dead in sin and thereby liable to the wrath of God and eternal punishment for why should he else die for all if he had not found all in a state of death 2. The Holiness of the end of it And that he died for all that they who live c. This is our holy reasoning and reckoning that the end of his love in dying for us was that they who live who by his favour and benefit are redeemed from warth and damnation should not henceforth live unto themselves not order their lives according to their own will nor serve the lusts and desires of the flesh but unto him that died for them and rose again that is be ruled wholly by his will and dedicate themselvs to his service living for his use and glory and renouncing whatsoever is contrary to him Now this says he constraineth us These are arguments so full and forcible that we are surrounded by them no gap left open for sin and licentiousness but we are wholly bound up and constrained in service obedience to him who hath thus loved us 2. By Power As there is an Argument in the love of Christ engaging Christians to holiness and obedience so there is a vertue and power flowing from thence which doth enable believers thereunto The death and resurrection of Christ wherein his love most eminently appeared is not only the meritorious and exemplary cause of our dying to sin and living to God but also the efficient cause of it by a secret power and vertue issuing from thence to those that believe z Nam ut humanitatem Verbo unitaÌ„ virtute Verbi excitavit à morte sic etià m nos sibi unitos insitos eâdem virtute exuscitat ad novam vitam gratiae Dav. in Colos p. â—07 For as the Humanity being united to the Word was by the power of the Word raised from the dead so those who are united to him and implanted in him are by the same power raised from the death of sin to the life of grace That there is such a power is clear from Phil. 3.10 where the Apostle shews that the height of his ambition was to know Christ yet not by a notional and empty but a powerful and effectual knowledge That I may know him and the power of his resurrection that is a Brinsley Mystical Implant p. 191. a power and vertue flowing from his resurrection working the like effect in himself in raising him to the life of grace here and glory hereafter And the fellowship of his sufferings b Calv. in loc Not only that which is external and stands in the bearing of the Cross but also that which is inward and stands in the mortifying of the flesh and the crucifying â—f the old man And this by being made conformable unto his death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Conformis factus or Configuratus c Brinsley ubi suprà p. 132. Not conforming my self by way of imitation but being made conformable by a power out of my self the power and vertue of Châ—ists death d NaÌ„ quisquis hoc facit non idagit propriis viribus sed cum Christo sepultus est in Christo resurrexit est igitur in Christum insitus Spiritu Christi vivificatus Dav. in Col. p. 207. For whosoever conforms to Christs death and resurrection by dying to sin and rising again to newness of life doth it not by any power or ability of his own but is buried with Christ and raised in Christ and is therefore implanted into him and quickened by his Spirit Now this power and vertue is drawn forth from Christ by Faith as appears from Col. 2.12 Buried with him in Baptism wherein also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from the dead In which words we have the outward Sign which doth represent a Christians communion with Christ in his death and resurrection and that is Baptism As also the inward Grace whereby a Christian comes to be really conformable to Christ in both by the death of sin and life of grace and that is Faith which is set forth both in it self as it is the Instrument whereby we become real partakers of the benefits of Christs death and resurrection which are signified in Baptism And also in its Author and Worker which is God called therefore Faith of the operation of God to distinguish it from a false faith of our own fancying and likewise in its Exercise for it pitcheth upon the power of God put forth in raising of Christ from the dead and thence derives a power for the raising of the soul from the sptritual death in sin to a spiritual life of grace that is the meaning of that clause which is added who hath raised him from the dead as the e Objectum particulare quod fides potissimùm hâc in re intuetur est Dei potentia excitans Christum ex mortuis pro salute nostrâ Dav. in loc p. 208. Reverend Davenant hath observed Now what is all this for Christians but to perswade you to labour after such a knowledge of Christ and his love as may be effectual to your Holiness and Obedience And I beseech you be not satisfied without it for 1. Without this you cross and thwart Jesus Christ in one main end and design of his love in undertaking acting and suffering for us which was not loosness and licentiousness but holiness and obedience that we might serve him as well as be saved by him and that we might be saved from sin as well as from wrath and from the filth and power of sin as well as the guilt and condemnation of it Why was he manifested in our flesh but to take away our sins and that hâ— might destroy the works of the Devil 1 John 3.5.8 Why was he called Jesus but that he mighâ— save his people from their sins as you find it f See Hopkins Treat on that Scripture Mat. 1.21 Why did he sanctifie himself by
also walked 1 John 2.6 and that is not after the Flesh but after the Spirit for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets them free from the law of sin and death Rom. 8.1 2. Again 4. It leaves them short of communion and fellowship with Jesus Christ for those only have fellowship with him who walk in the Light as he is in the Light but if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lie and do not the truth 1 John 1.6 7. Now how vain and unprofitable must that mans profession needs be which leaves him thus without Christ without the true knowledge of him relation to him union and communion with him surely it will never be available to salvation and therefore no wonder if 5. It leaves them short of acceptance with Christ at the last day and admission into glory for as the Scripture testifies Mat. 7.21 22 23. there be many who cry Lord Lord make a fair outward shew and profession who for want of doing his will seconding that profession with power and practice shall be turned off with a Non novi vos I know you not among the workers of iniquity 3 Without this your profession will but tend to agravate your sin and condemnation 1. Your Sin This reflects the greatest dishonour upon Christ and Religion for the Name of Christ is blasphemed among the Gentiles through such as these Rom. 2.24 and the way of truth is evil spoken of 2. Pet. 2.2 The unholy lives of Christians open the mouths of Turks and Infidels to speak against Christ and Christianity Lo these are they that worship Christ their religion is such as the professors are and as the Disciples are such is their Lord and Master as the worshippers are such is he who is worshipped by them as r Ecce quales sunt qui ChristuÌ„ colunt Talis profecto secta est quales sectatores Aestimari de cultoribus suis potest ille qui coliâ—ur Qâ—â—andò â—â—â—m bonus Magister est cujus tam malus videmus esse Discipulos Salv. de Gub. Dei lib. 4. pag. 149. Salvian brings them in blaspheming Thus they increase their own personal guilt by way of participation the guilt of others blasphemies redounding upon them by whom they were occasioned This makes Christians to be worse than Heathens for Thereby as the same s Ex hoc ipso utique deteriores sumus barbaris si non meliores sumus qui meliores esse debemus Criminosior enim culpa est ubi honestior flatus Salv. ibidem p. 133. Salvian excellently we are worse than they if we are not better because we should be better for the more honourable any mans state is the more criminal is his fault And again a little after t Nos qui Christiani esse dicimur si simile aliquid barborum impuritatibus facimus graviùs erramus Atrociùs enim sub sancti nominis professione peccamus Ubi sublimior est praerogativa major est culpa ipsa enim errores nostros religio quam profitemur accusat Salv. ibid. p. 154. If we who are called Christians do any thing that is like to the impurities of Heathens we err worse than they for we sin the more fouly under the profession of a holy Name where there is the higher priviledge there is the greater fault for that Religion which we profess doth accuse the offences which we commit 2. Your condemnation Such as professe to know Christ and yet in works deny him as they contract a greater guilt so they do deserve and incurre a greater and a sorer punishment The higher any are raised towards heaven by profession and priviledges the lower shall they be cast into hell if they walk not up thereunto This is the condemnation the very emphasis of damnation the sting of hell that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light John 3.19 It had been better for such not to have known Christ and the way of righteousness than to walk contrary thereunto 2 Peter 2.21 Tyre and Sidon Sodom and Gomorrah will fare better in the day of Judgment and meet with an easier Hell than such shall Mat. 11.21 c. Their holy name increaseth their guilt and their profession of goodness makes their wickedness the more damnable as u Magis damnabilis est malitia quam titulus bonitatis accusat reatus impii pium nomen Salv. lib. 4 de Gub. Dei p. 154. Salvian observes Now that this may never be your case 1. Dwell upon the Love of Christ in Redeeming of you by Meditation till you be constrained by the Argument that it carryes along with it to hate and avoid all sin and to yield up your selves sincerely to his service Set your selves therefore to meditate how far his love carried him in doing and suffering for you Consider his Incarnation Life Death remember that it was sin which put him to all that paine and trouble that labour and sorrow which he endured that the removing of this evil of sin made him so willingly undergo all that evil of suffering which you read of And then As to Sin reason thus with your selves Was sin the great cause and instrument of Christs death were my sins the cords that bound him the whips that scourged him the thorns that wounded him the nails that fastned him the spear that pierced him and fetcht his heart-blood from him and shall I love the sins that kil'd my Saviour shall I use them kindly who thus abused him God forbid I would not embrace him as a friend who had slain my Father nor hug in my bosome that Serpent which had stung my friend to death and shall I entertain and cherish sin which hath dealt worse than so with my everlasting Father my best Friend far be it from me Again Did Jesus Christ do and suffer all this out of his love to me but extream hatred against sin and shall I so ill requite his love as to love that which he hated Did he come to take away sin and shall I resume and embrace it was he sent to condemn it and shall I justifie it was he manifested to destroy the works of the Devil and shall I save them did he die for sin x Clarks Lives quarto p. 189. The Glory of their times p. 471 and shall I live in it was he cut of to finish transgression and make an end of sins and shall I continue in sin that grace may abound doth he make daily approaches to me to turn me from mine iniquities and shall I as constantly return to them God forbid Methinks the consideration of these things should set a Christian as far from sin as Anselme was who said x That if he should see the shame of sin on the one hand and the pains of hell on the other and must of necessity choose one he would rather be trust into hell without sin than go into heaven
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 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
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
his counsells and at last receive you to glory Psalm 73.23 24. 5. Is it your Afflictions you meet with that trouble you yet in Christs love you may have peace and comfort enough to chear you amidst all your Tribulations John 16.33 There is Favour enough in his love to answer all the frowns and displeasures of men Honour enough to answer all your abasements Riches enough to answer all your poverty Liberty enough to answer all your outward restraints Here is love enough to be your ease in pain your health in sickness your gain in losses your peace in war your joy in sorrow your life in death In a word here is love enough to keep you here and to crown you hereafter love enough for this and another world even for all Eternity Onely look to it by Meditation lay hold of it for your present subsistence by Faith plead it by Prayer and take heed of abusing it by making it an occasion to sin n Cùm gratia Dei sit mellen nè comedas eam totam If the grace of God be as Honey for sweetnesse do not make a prey of it and devour it all together by any ungodly practice take heed of turning it into wantonnesse Jude 4. by continuing in sinne that grace may abound Romans 6.1 for that will be bitterness in The END The Authors cited in this Treatise AVgustin Ambrose Anselm Aretius Ainsworth Is Ambros Melch. Adamus Arrowsmith Anon. The Glory of the times Alciat Aristotle Assembl Annot. Beza Bellarmine Bodius Bernard Bede Beverovicius Baldwin Boetius Bonaventure Brentius Brightman Baxter Brinsley Buxtorph Baine Basil Calvin Isid Clarius Camero Chrysostome Th. Cartwright Ch. Cartwright Clark Crashaw Cyprian Chemnitius Caryl Cotton Culverwel Calixtus Casaubon Dionys Carth. Davenant Durantus Damascen Despaigne Downham Erasmus Estius Eusebius Fagius Fulgosus Forbesius Fergusson Fulgentius Ferus Franzius Grotius Gerhardus Gouge Glanvil Goodwin Glassius Godwin Gilbertus in Cant. Greenham Gregorius A. Gellius Gurnal Heinsius Hammond Hall Hondorsius Herbert Hemingus Hardy Hildersham Hierom Holdsworth Hopkins Harmar Junius Trem. Idiota Jenkins Just Mart. Ignatius Isidor Jackson Jeanes Kempis A Lapide Edw. Leigh Luther Lessius Lyranus W. Leigh Lond. Min. Lorinus Lukin Lactantius Ludolphus Marlorat Maldonat P. Martyr Mart Martinius Mason Marc. Marula Manton Montanus Mercer Macarius Mede Musculus Marton Melancton Mat. Martinius Nieremberg Nicols Owen Pearson Plutarch Prosper Pink Pagnin Piscator Preston Perkins Pierce Patrick Parisiensis Pliny Rivet Rolloc Reynolds Ravanel Robotham Fr. Roberts Alex. Roberts Robinson Ribera Sibs Scapula Sulpitius Severus Spanhemius Salmeron Sixt. Senensis Staughton Scharpius Salvian Schrevelius Tertullian Tirinus Theophylact Trap Tollet Bp. Jer. Taylor D.T. Taylor Fra. Taylor Vorstius Vatablus Valerius Maximus Vsher Watson Ward Wall White Whitaker Zanchy Books Printed and are to be sold by Nathanael Webb at the Royal Oak in St. Paul's Church-yard and William Grantham at the Black Bear near the little North-door 1665. SErmons upon Solemn Occasions collected into one Volume in Quarto by Dr. Nathanael Hardy Dean of Rochester The first Epistle General of St. John unfolded and applied in Quarto by the same Author Mr. Isaac Ambrose's Works Containing The first middle and last things in three Treatises of Regeneration Sanctification with Meditations on Life Death Hell and Judgement Redeeming the time A Sermon Preached in Preston at the Funeral of the Lady Margaret Houghton in Quarto Three Gospel Ordinances viz. 1. War with Devils 2. Ministration of and Communion with Angels 3. Looking unto Jesus A view of the Everlasting Gospel or the Souls eying of Jesus as carrying on the great Work of Mans salvation from first to last in Quarto A Discourse of Ananias and Saphyra laying open their sin and punishment by Mr. Will. Houghton in Quarto Hadadrimmon Sive Threnodia Anglicana ob Regicidium A Sermon on the 30th of January 1660. being the Annual Solemn Fast for the horrid Murder of King Charls the I. on Davids Humiliation for cutting off the Royal Robe and detestation of cutting off the Royal Head of the Lords Anointed Noah's Dove with her Olive Branch or the happy tydings of the abatement of the Flood of Englands Civil Discords A Thansgiving Sermon for the Restauration of his Sacred Majesty Charls the II. by Will. Cole B. D. Knowledge and Practice or a Discourse of the chief things necessary to be known believed and practised in order to Salvation by Samuel Cradock B. D. 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