Remains of Joseph Alleine, Sacramental speech 4
A SACRAMENTAL Speech, grounded on
Eph. V. 2.
But walk in love as Christ also hath loved us, and given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice unto God.
MY beloved, this subject, of the love of Christ to sinners, is indeed an inconceivable Subject. I have been backward to medle with it, for how shall I speak of that which I do not know? For the love of Christ passeth all knowledge. Yet I shall a little open it to you, and shall make it appear that the love of Christ is great to his people: though I cannot comprehend it in the length and breadth, and height and depth of it, yet this we may know, that he hath a very tender love to us, Rev. 1. 5. To him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood. Christ hath loved us: and would you have a proof of his love to us? he hath loved us and washed us. He found us in our sins as swine in the mire; and yet he loved us and washed us, when he was fain to stop his breath as it were and hold his nostrils, yet he would come and wash us: yea he would make a bath of his own blood. Christ commended Mary, that she washed his feet with her tears: but how is the love of Christ commended in that he hath washed us in his blood? Christ hath our names down upon his book, Rev. 21. 27. There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that desileth, &c. But they that are written in the book of life. Mark, Christ keeps his book for you, lest you should be forgotten, or there should be any mistake. It is a metaphor taken from men that keep their books, because they will not let any thing be mistaken or forgotten. Yea, but books may be mislaid: therefore Christ hath your names written on his breast. The High preist was to have the names of the twelve Tribes upon his breast. So doth Christ, he hath you, for remembrance sake, engraven upon his hands, Isaiah 4. 9. 15. Can a woman sorget her sucking child, &c. She may forget: but I have engraven thee upon my hands: yea he hath you upon his heart. He challengeth all the world for his love to you. He tels you that a woman may forget her child, but he will not forget you. A woman cannot chuse, but have a very tender respect for her child: for this child (saith she) have I born many a bitter throw and pain: now, for you did Christ travail, Isaiah 53. 11. And so the Apostle Peter, speaking of the Resurrection of Christ (Acts 2.) he tels us, that he being freed from the pains of death, it being impossible he should be holden of them. The word in the Greek signifies birth-pains. Believers, they did as it were, come forth of the womb of his love. There is the very picture of a believer upon the heart of Christ. So that he cannot look upon his hands or his heart but he must be put in mind of us: so dear was was his love to us. What characters of love be ther that cannot be found in Christ? Love covereth a multitude of faults. And O how may this be seen in Christ? we have may sins; and yet Christ passeth by them all. Thou art all fair, there is no spot in thee, Cant. 4. 7. Again Love is strong as death. And so it was in Christ, his love was stronger than death: he under went death it self for us. He was not afraid to passe under the pangs of death that he might redeem us. Again, love fils the heart with love to the person beloved what a dear respect hath Christ for his spouse! every thing of theirs is sweet to him. Come my Love that art in the clefts of the Rock, in the secrets places of the stairs, let me see thy Countenance, let me hear thy voyce, for sweet is thy voyce, and thy countenance is comely, Cant. 2. 14. The Church says she is black but Christ says she is comely. But more particularly, I shall shew you some evidences of the greatness of Christ's love. His letters, are letters of Love. His lips, they are lips of Love. His Tokens, are the tokens of Love. His Test…ment, is the evidence of Love. His Blood is a stream of Love.
1. His letters are the letters of Love, the Gospel, is the book sent down from heaven, wherein every chapter is a letter of love. Thou art ready to faint sometimes, Christian, and unbelief is ready to prevail: here thou mayst read the promises under Christs own hand, sent down srom heaven to thee. Here thou mayst read how love did care sor thee, when thou wast in thy blood; he said Live. Here thou mayst read what expressions of love there was between Christ and thee, when he was wooing of thee: here are the letters of his love. Here thou mayst read those loving, melting passages of his, whereby he woo…d thee and prevailed with thee. Here he shews, though he be absent for a while, yet he will come again. Here he hath set the time and the day when thou shalt be marryed to him: even when the body of Christ is compleat. O how canst thou hear these letters of love, and not be in love with Christ again?
Secondly, His lips are lips of love, the kisses of his mouth are sweeter than wine; the words of his mouth are better than life. His lips drop as the Honey-comb. Never man spake like this man: all that heard him bare him witnesse, and wondred at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth. Well did Mary chuse to sit at the seet of Christ, rather than at the feast: she found more sweet in the Honeycomb of Christs lips, than at the feast. Let us but look over the last sermon of Christ, and the last prayer of Christ, and how may this set us a loving of Christ.
Look over his last sermon, John 14. 15 and 16. chapters, how lovingly doth he dispute down the unbelieving fears of our hearts? Let not your heart be troubled. And he propounds loving arguments: though he be gone, he will send us the comforter: and he will not be long from us neither, and then we shall be in no worse a case or place than he himself. And in the mean time, his going from us is out of love to us: not because he wanted love for us, but because he went to prepare a place for us.
Look into his last prayer, and how lovingly doth he carry us in his arms to his Father, when he was going out of the world, begging his Fathat he would sancti…ie us, and keep us from the evil of the world, and that he would at length bring us to enjoy his glory.
Thirdly, His tokens are tokens of love. As a woman will be often looking over her tokens, because in these she sees the heart of her beloved; so if you would be in love with Christ be often looking over the love-tokens of Christ. Thou canst not turn thy eye but thou must see his tokens. But there are three or four tokens especially that you should be looking into.
(First,) He hath sent thee a pardon for thy sins. O what a blessed token is this? Psa. 32. 1, 2. Blessed is the man whose sin is for given, &c. He is blessed and blessed again: over and over blessed; he is a thrice happy man that hath got his pardon, why, this is the token that Christ hath sent thee that art a believer. O look after thy pardon, and thou shalt find that thy pardon is written in the blood of Christ: for it was his blood that made satisfaction. He loved thee, and therefore washed thee from thy sins in his blood. O with what joy and sweetness shouldest thou look over thy pardon, Christian! it is that which must carry thee through all thy dissiculties. Doth the Devil assault thee? do but shew thy pardon and this will worst him. Doth the Lord frown upon thee? shew him thy pardon, this will silence him. Doth thy Conscience accuse thee? shew it thy pardon, and that will quiet it.
(Secondly,) He hath sent thee a Patent for heaven, this hath Christ given you that are believers: he hath made over to you in his Gospel a sirm conveyance of heaven. So that I may say a believer hath as true a right to heaven as Christ can make him; yea as Christ hath himself. You are they that have endured in my temptations, and I appoint unto you a Kingdom as my Father hath appointed me, &c. Now believers, can you tell the worth of this token? can you cast up the worth of endlesse glory? can you tell what God and heaven is worth? then you may tell me what this token is worth; never was there such a token sent as this is?
(Thirdly,) He hath sent thee the golden chain of the Jewels and bracelets of thy graces. As when the servant of Abraham, went to take Rebeckah for wife to Isaac he gave her bracelets, &c. So hath Christ to you: he hath given you the chain of all the graces. These are the Jewels he hath adorned you with. Dost thou find any faith, love, &c. in thee? though it be like a grain of Mustard-seed, and like a spark on the hearth? O blesse the Lord Christ upon the bended knees of thy soul, that he hath given thee this. He hath done more for thee in this, than he hath done for all the world beside. O how thankful should you be, that have received such a token from him? Christian, when ever thou dost feel the operation of the spirit of Christ within thee, let this mind thee of the love of him that hath sent thee all this.
(Fourthly,) He hath sent thee the seal and testimony of his spirit. Hast thou received the spirit of adoption teaching thee to cry Abba Father? It was he that sent it. Hast thou so sure a guide, as the sweet compassionate spirit? so loving a Counseller as the spirit of Christ in thee? O take notice of the love of Christs in sending him to thee.
Fourthly, His testament is the evidence of love, beloved, it is impossible for me to utter, or you to conceive the riches of Christs love expressed to you in his testament, his Covenant: herein, Christian, thou mightest read the strange love of Christ to thee, in that he hath given thee his testament, and delivered it to thee as his act and deed, sealed with his own blood. O how much did David make of this? It was the last words of that sweet singer of Israel. Although my house be not so with God, yet be hath made with me an everlasting Covenant, ordered in all things and sure and this is all my sa'vation and all my desire, 2 Sam. 23. He had all that heart could wish sor in this Covenant. O Christian, hath Christ given thee his covenant? O make much of this covenant, 'tis a sweet token indeed. O the great priviledges and sweet immunities that are conveyed to believers here! freedome from sin; from the guilt and power of sin. Freedome from misery; from the wrath of God, the curse of the law, from the sting of death, from the evil of the world, from the danger of hell. And beside all this, what legacies hath he given thee in the covenant? God for thy Father, himself for thy Saviour, his spirit for thy comforter and sanctifier, his Ministers for thy teachers, his ordinances for thy furtherance in grace: there he hath given thee thy adoption and assurance for heaven. Do but look over this, and say if thou canst, that Christ hath not loved thee.
Fifthly, His Blood is a stream of love, dost thou doubt of the love of Christ? do but look upon him on his crosse, how his feet and hands and heart are pierced: thou mayst see the love of Christ flowing out of every part.
Use, Now since Christ hath so loved you, you that are his people do you love him again O where should you bestow your love, place your affections, fix your hearts but here? I shall give you two motives. He desires your love: and he deserves your love.
First, Consider he desires your love. You have seen a little how Christ doth love you; and what doth he expect, but that you should love him again? and can there be any thing less that he could require! O methinks thou shouldest give up thy heart to Christ. This is all that he expects for this love, that you should love him again. This Christ will accept, and nothing short of this will he accept. Love cannot be satisfied, but by love again. It must be paid in its own coyn, Cant. 8. 7. If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would be utterly contemned. As no Treasure in the world can buy love, purchase love; so no sufficiency in the world will be sufficient for love, unlesse, you give love your love again, 1 Cor. 13. 3. Now Christian, be perswaded then to give away thy heart out of hand to Christ. O bestow thy love upon him, wherehast thou such a thing in thee, but that thou shouldst love Christ? doth any man plant a vineyard, and not expect to eat of the fruit of it? hath he put love into thee, and doth not he expect that thou shouldest love him?
Secondly, He deserves your love. I may say of him as they of the Centurion: he is worthy thou shouldst do this thing for him; for he loveth our nation. Worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive honor and strength, &c. He is worthy to receive all, that you can give unto him. If there were any thing else that were worthy of your love, there might be some excuse that you did not bestow it upon Christ. But alass there is nothing here that doth deserve your love. As Paul said, was Paul Crucified for you, &c. so may I say were these things crucified for you? but Christ was crucified for you: he hath deserved your love. This is he that came in to the world to seek and to save. That came and found you naked and dead and wounded: and then let out his blood and cured you. This is he that when he came, you spit upon him, and refused him; yet he would not be put off from you so, but he would do you good. How often hath he come and refreshed you with the refreshings of his love? how often hath he taken you into his galleries and filled you with his secrets? you that are believers may remember the places where he hath given you visits, and made you tast of the powers of the world to come.