The Life and Death of Joseph Alleine, Letters · Letter 28
LETTER XXVIII. [Of the Love of Christ.]
To his most endeared Friends, the Servants of God in Taunton, Salvation:
Most dearly Beloved,
MEthinks my Brests are not easie, unless I do let them forth unto you. Methings there is somethink still to do, and my Weeks work is not ended, unless I have given my Soul vent, and imparted something to the Beloved flock that I have left behind. And Oh, that my Letters in my absence might be useful to you! Assuredly it is my joy to serve You, and my Love to you is without dissimulation: witness my twice lost Liberties, and my impaired Health, all which I might have preserved, had it not been for my readiness to minister to you.
But what do I speak of my Love? It is the Sense of the infinite Love of God your Father that I would have to dwell upon you. Forget me, so you remember him. Let me be very little, so he be very lovely in your Eyes. Let him be as the Bucket that goes up, though I be as the Bucket that goes down. Bury me, so that you do but set the Lord always before you. Let my name be written in the dust, so his Name be written deep upon all your Souls.
O Lord, I am thy Servant, truly I am thy servant, Glorifie thine own Name by me, and thou shalt have my hand to …, that I will be content to be hid in obscurity, and to disappear through the overcoming lustre and brightness of thy Glory.
Brethren, understand mine Office, I Preach not my self, but the Lord Jesus Christ, and my self your Servant for Jesus sake. Give him your hearts, and I have my Errand. I am but the Friend of the Bridegroom, and my Business is, but to give you to understand his Love, and to gain your hearts unto him. He is an Object worthy of my Commendations, and of your affections. His Love is worth the writing of, and worth the thinking of, and worth the speaking of. O my Brethren, never forget, I beseech you, how he loveth You. He is in heaven, and You are on earth; he is in Glory and you in Rags; he is in the shining Throne, and you in dirty Flesh, and yet he loveth you. His heart is infinitely tender of you, even now while he is at the right hand of the Majesty on High. How feelingly doth he cry out at the hurt of his poor Members on Earth? Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me! Oh, of what quick Sense is the Sense of our dear Lord unto us! when we are touched on Earth he feels it in Heaven.
Brethren, Christ is real in all that he speaks unto you: He is not like a flourishing Lover, who fills up his Letters with Rhetorick, and hath more care of the dress of his Speech, than of the Truth. Who ever gave Demonstration of the reallity of his Love at so dear a rate as Christ hath done? Men do not use to die in jest: Who will impoverish himself to enrich his Friend? and divest himself of his honour to advance him? and debase himself to admiration below his own degree to contract affinity with him? and all this but to make him believe that he loves him.
Brethren, possess your very hearts with this, that Christs love doth go out with infinite dearness towards you. Even now while he is in all his Glory, he earnestly remembers you still. This is the High Priest that now is entred into the Holy of Holies, doth bear your names particularly, remembring every poor believer by name. He bears your names, but where? upon his Brest-plate, upon his Heart, saith the Text, Exod. 28. 29. Ah Christians, I may salute you as the Angel did Mary, Hail you that are highly favoured: Blessed are you among men. Sure your Lot is fallen in an happy place; What in the Bosom of Christ? yea, and verily you may believe, and doubt not. I may apply that of Gabriel, O Daniel, thou art greatly beloved, unto you; you are beloved indeed, to have your Names written upon the very heart of Christ now he is in Glory.
Oh, let his Name be written then on your hearts. Do not write his Name in the Sand, when he hath written yours upon his own Brest! Do not forget him who hath taken such care, that while he is, he may never forget you, having recorded your Names not onelyonly on his Book, but on his Flesh, and set you as a Seal upon his Heart. He hath you upon his heart, but why? For a memorial before the Lord continually, so saith the Text. Beloved, your Lord is so far from forgetting you in all his Greatness and Glory, that he is gone into heaven on purpose, there to present you before the Lord, that you may be alwaies in remembrance before him. O Beloved, Glory, yea, and Triumph in his Love. Doubtless it must go well with us. Who shall condemn? It is Christ that died, and rose again, and is now making Intercession. His Interest is potent. He is alwaies present. Our Advocate is never out of Court. Never did Cause miscarry in his hand. Trust you safely in him. Happy is that man for whom he shall undertake to speak.
Oh, the Riches of Christs Love! He did not think it enough to die for You. His Love and care doth not end with his natural Life on Earth, but he ever liveth to make Intercession for us. His Love is like his Life, ever, ever: Knowing no remission in degree, nor intermission of time, no cessation of working, but is ever, ever, in motion towards us.
But when shall I end, if I suffer my Soul to run out its length, and my running Pen to enlarge according to the demensions of this boundless Field of Divine Love? If the Pens of all the World were imployed to write Volumes of Love, if the Tongues of all the living were exercised in nothing else but talking of this love; If all the Hearts that be were made up of Love; and all the Powers and affections of the mind were turned into one, to wit the power of Love, yet this were no less than infinitely too little, either to conceive, or to express the greatness of Christs Love.
O my dearly Beloved, may your Souls be swallowed up in this Love. Think, and think while you will, you can never think how much You are beloved. See that ye love again by way of Gratitude, though not of Requital: What though your Souls be but narrow, and your powers but little, yet love him with all you have. Love him with all your hearts, and all your strength. To the Meditations, and to the Embraces of Divine Love I leave you, thinking it now not worth while to tell You of my Love, Remaining
Yours in the Bonds of your most dear Lord Jesus, JOS. ALLEINE. August 11. 1665.