The Best Treasure, Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
Several Deductions drawn from the Love of Chriſt.
IF the Lord Jeſus be ſo full of Love and tender Affection: then,
Firſt, What reaſon have Sinners never to be quiet, till the Lord Jeſus become their Friend, till they have an Intereſt in his ſpecial Love. Alas, poor Souls▪ the common Love of Chriſt, though now you fare the better for it, will ſhortly be at an end: His Philanthropy, though procious, yet is but like a Box of Ointment, which may be waſted and conſum'd, Mark, 14. 4. But his ſpecial Love is like the two Olive Trees, Zach. 4. 12. always emptying out it ſelf through the golden Pipes of his Ordinandes to his People: Chriſt's common Love to Sinners, is like a Land-flood, that will be drained: But his ſpecial Love is compar'd to a Fountain, a Wood of Water that ſpringeth up to Life Eternal. O then labour after an Intereſt in this Love of Chriſt, that brings Salvation: Put away the Evil of thy doings, hearken to Chriſt's counſel, receive him into thy Heart by Faith; obey his Voice, take him to be thy Lord and God, and thou ſhalt poſſeſs his love too, Pſal. 45. 10.
Secondly, Then what an abominable thing is it to hate Chriſt? how unexcuſable will Sinners Enmity againſt him be when he comes to Judgment, Jer. 2. 5. Prov. 8. 36. All they that hate me love Death, Pſal. 21. 8, 9. Pſal. 132. 18. Nah. 1. 2.
3dly, Then why ſhould Believers take up ſuch hard thoughts of Chriſt? Iſa. 40. 27. Why ſayeſt thou, O Jacob, my way is hid from the Lord, and my Judgment is paſſed over from my God? that is, my Condition, my trouble, my Soul is out of God's thoughts: He takes no notice of, nor cares what becomes of me: And my Judgment; that is, God's judging my Cauſe, his righting and helping my oppreſſed Soul, is gone from me, or he hath laid it aſide, he will not help me in my Affliction. This was Sion's complaint, and hard thoughts of God, and this diſpleaſed him; Why ſayeſt thou, O Jacob, &c? As if he ſhould ſay, what cauſe haſt thou, O Iſrael, my People, to entertain ſuch harſh conceptions of my Love? what Iniquity haſt thou found in me? what wrong have I done thee? Have I not born thee from the Womb, and carried thee all the dayes of old? Look back to the Red Sea, and to the Wilderneſs, who cared for thee there? Call to mind the Manna, and the Rock, the Bread and Water on the Way; I ſuffered none to do thee harm, I delivered thee out of the hands of all thy Enemies, and plagued them that injured thee: Thus have I been thy help from thy Youth up, and why ſayeſt thou then, my way is hid from the Lord? O Jacob, thou doſt ill to cenſure me ſo ſeverely; Is this the requital of all my love and kindneſs to thee hitherto? Repent of theſe injurious apprehenſions, and put more favourable conſtructions on my wayes; Gracious Souls have no reaſon to prejudge the Heart of Chriſt, and cenſure him of unkindneſs and negligence: for 'tis impoſſible he ſhould forget his People, Iſa. 49. 15. He hath paid too dear for them to do ſo: They have coſt his Blood, Eternal Counſels, many Troubles, many Wonders, and will he reject them after all? O no. He hath engraven them on the Palms of his hands, where he cannot but ſee, and muſt ſecure their names, Iſa. 49. 16. I cannot look upon my hands, but I muſt remember thee: I ſhould forget my ſelf, ſhould I forget thee: thou art ſet as a Seal upon my Heart, and thy Walls are continually before me: that is, though thy Protection be gone for a time, and I have left thee to the Will of thine Enemies, yet I will redeem and ſecure thee, I will raiſe up thy Walls, and re-eſtabliſh thy State, for thy Walls are before me, though thou ſeeſt them not, I can and will preſerve them; thou art Weak, but I am ſtrong, I faint not though thou fainteſt, I am never weary though thou art tyred, and as ſure as I have Strength, I will give it thee; they that wait on the Lord ſhall renew their Strength, Iſa. 40. 28. Again, you cannot ſee the way to get out of your Troubles, your Wiſdom is non-pluſt, but mine is not ſo; There is no ſearching of my Ʋnderſtanding: O then do not give up thy Hopes O Jacob, or conclude I have forgotten thee: He hath promiſed he will not caſt off his People, nor leave them comfortleſs, 1 Sam. 12. 22. Joh. 14. 18. And he is not as a man that he ſhould lye, &c. Numb. 23. 19. He hath given them his Seal to it, 2 Cor. 1. 22. Eph. 4. 30. Nothing can ſeparate his love from them, Rom. 8. 35. 38, 39.
Object. But I am afraid I am none of Chriſts, nor have the Spirit, becauſe of the Filthineſs, Obdurateneſs, and Irregularity of my Heart.
Anſwer, If ever thou hadſt the Spirit, thou haſt it ſtill, John 4. 14. Iſa. 59. 21. Gracious Souls may ſometimes ſeem to themſelves to be carnal, and ſold under Sin, Rom. 7. 14. They may not ſee any good thing dwell in them, ver. 18. but be like to the ſlain that lye in the Grave, Pſal. 88. 5. So Heman thought himſelf one free among the dead, whom the Lord would remember no more: in the Winter there's little viſible difference between the living and the dead Tree; neither is there betwixt a Saint and a Sinner in time of Deſertion and Temptation: God's Children may be led captive by Sin, and brought into Bondage by their Luſts, Rom. 7. 23. and then 'tis hard to ſay, how unlike they are to them that never knew God; and therefore Chriſtian judge not thy ſelf by thy changeable Frames, if thou doſt not repent of thy Change, thy leaving thy old Courſes and chuſing God and Grace, a Corinth. 7. 10. If thou doſt not approve of any Sin, or ſecretly love thy filthy ways, Romans 7. 15. 20. If thy Heart be diſcontented with thy ſtate of back-ſliding, and longeth after a return to thy reſting place, then thou art gracious, Jer. 31. 18. Pſal. 14. 7. If thou doſt find a War betwixt thy Members and thy Mind, the Law of the Spirit of Life warring againſt the Law of Sin and Death, thy ſtate is good, Rom. 7. 21, 22 23. Gal. 5. 17. The Pleſh luſteth againſt the Spirit, and the Spirit againſt the Fleſh, and theſe are contrary one to the other. (foreign) The word notes a vehement and continued Deſire, a Deſire which is ſtill in Action, and working till we have it accompliſht, not a ſudden Motion or momentary Paſſion. Look how Corruption and Luſt works againſt Grace, ſo doth Grace againſt Corruption, for theſe two are contrary, (foreign) the one lays Seige againſt the other, as a Souldier in a Trench againſt a Fort. Now if it be ſo with thy Soul, that thou findeſt in it two parties, as Twins in the Womb oppoſing each other, and doſt experience ſomething in thy Will againſt Sin, as well as for it, and ſomething in thy Affections, an Enemy to thy Corruptions as well as a Friend; if thou longeſt as much for Freedom from Sin as from Hell, and thy Heart cannot be at peace whilſt the Body of Sin remains in thee, then lift up thy head, O Soul, Judgment ſhall be brought forth to Victory, and the top ſtone ſhall in due time be laid with ſhouting, Grace, Grace! to it.
Fourthly, Then you that are Chriſt's, take heed you abuſe not his Love, Rom. 6. 15. What then? Shall we ſin becauſe we are not under the Law but under Grace? God forbid. That is, ſhall we yield our Souls to the Service of Sin, as verſ. 16. or give a willing Conſent to the Commiſſion of it? God forbid; That is, far be it from us, noting it to be a vile and abominable thing, to Sin under Grace, and againſt Grace; this is a moſt diſingenuous thing to abuſe love, and requite Evil for Good: it is moſt unjuſt to injure him that loveth you, 'tis a coſtly Sin, and will have a bitter reckoning at laſt, 'tis a Spot notoriouſly like the Spot of Reprobation, Jude, v. 4. But if it may conſiſt with Grace, yet it will break your Bones, and ſcourge you ſoundly e're God hath done; what did David, Solomon, and Peter, get by abuſing divine Love?
Fifthly, Admire Chriſt's love, his love is admirable paſſing Knowledge, you uſe to admire things that are ſtrange, and beyond your reach, but what more miraculous and unparellel'd than this, That the Lord of Glory who hath Angels at his Service, ſhould ſet his Affections on poor polluted Duſt and Aſhes, on Fleas and Worms, as Abraham and David acknowledged themſelves to be, that ſo illuſtrious a perſon as the Lord Jeſus ſhould fall in love with ſo deformed a piece as man, in whom was neither Beauty nor Riches, Vertue nor Honour, and be enamoured of him ſo greatly, as to take him into his Boſom, and a conjugal Relation with himſelf; 'tis ſo ſtupendious a Miracle, that 'tis ſaid, he ſhall be admired of all that believe when he comes, 2 Theſ. 1. 10. O Chriſtians gather in all your Valuations from Creatures, for your Creator and Redeemer, Iſa. 63. 1.
Sixthly, Adventure on the Love of Chriſt, ſwim on theſe deep Waters, roll your ſelves on theſe divine Depths, and confide in his new Covenant love, for 'tis unchangeable love to the end; many waters cannot quench it, Cant. 8. 7. Truſt his Love (I ſay) in the way of Obedience, Joh. 14. 21. 23. If his love be free, then 'tis not for your ſake, Deut. 7. 17. Not for your Beauty or Holineſs, but for his own good Pleaſure, Of his own Will begat he us, Jam. 1. 18. He loves you Believers, becauſe you are his own, Joh. 13. 1. And becauſe it hath pleaſed him to make you his people, 1 Sam. 12. 22. If he loves thoſe that love him, then ſurely he will kindly reſent the Ardency of thy Affections to him; O adventure on this Love.
Seaventhly, love him who hath ſo loved you, 1 Joh. 4. 19. Pſal. 31. 23. O love the Lord all ye his Saints. The Reaſon is laid down from the 19. verſe to this, O how great is thy Goodneſs which thou haſt laid up for them that fear thee, &c. The greatneſs and Excellency of Chriſt's Love deſerves yours; O love him at all times, and in all things, with a free, ſupream, ſteady, rational, and expreſſed love.
Laſtly, Be full of love to others for Chriſt's ſake, Eph. 5. 2. Walk in Love as Chriſt alſo hath loved you, 1 Joh. 4. 11. Love all men, ſuch a love is in God, he lov'd the World, Joh. 3. 16. and every Creature in it; ſuch a Philanthropy is in Chriſt, he would have all men come to the Knowledge of the Truth, that they might be ſaved, 1 Tim. 2, 4. Love your Enemies, Mat. 5. 44. ſo did Chriſt: he prayed, Father forgive them, Luke 23. 34. love his Friends, 1 Joh. 5. 1. Eph. 6. 24.