Love to Christ, Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Where the fourth Ʋſe is an attempt of gaining Sinners conſent to love Chriſt; a ſerious wiſh for good ſucceſs.
OH then be perſwaded as ye love your Souls, as ye would eſcape the Damnation of Hell, as ye would obtain the Happineſs of Heaven, as ye would avoid the puniſhment of Devils, as ye would dye in a good condition, and after Death give a good account of the Wooings of Grace this day, and not be Anathema when Maranatha; be perſwaded to ſet your hearts and love upon Jeſus Chriſt, for he muſt be loved by you, or ye muſt be curſed by him. Abraham, Gen. 24. ſent his Servant, bound with an Oath, to ſeek a Wife for his Son Iſaac, with this provi…o, If the Wom…n would nor be willing, he ſhould be clear from his Oath, ver. 1. to 10th. The Servant prepares to go on this Meſſage, and Prays, O Lord God of my maſter Abraham, I pray thee ſend me good ſpeed this day, and ſhew kindneſs to my maſter Abraham, ver. 10.11, 12. He meets with Rebekah by the Well of Water, enquireth whoſe Daughter ſhe was, and whether there were room in her Fathers Houſe for him to Lodge in; he is invited by her Brother Laban, ſaying, Come in thou bleſſed of the Lord, wherefore ſtandeſt thou without? for I have prepared the houſe, and room for the camels, to ver. 32. There was Meat ſet before him to eat, but he ſaid, I will not eat till I have told my errand. And he was deſired to ſpeak on, and he ſaid, I am Abrahams ſervant, and the Lord hath bleſſed my maſter greatly, and he is become great—and he hath a Son, and he hath given him all that he hath, and my maſter made me ſwear, ſaying, Thou ſhalt go unto my fathers houſe, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my ſon; and now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my maſter, tell me, and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left. Then Laban and Bethuel anſwered and ſaid, The thing proceedeth from the Lord; we cannot ſpeak unto thee bad or good: behold Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy masters ſons wife, as the Lord hath ſpoken. And the ſervant brought forth Jewels of ſilver, and Jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah, and they ſaid to Rebekah, Wilt thou go with this man? and ſhe ſaid, I will go.
O that I might have ſuch ſucceſs with Souls this Day! for the Lord my Master, hath ſent me bound with the obligation of a Woe, to ſeek the love and conſent of loſt Souls, to become the Spouſe of his Son Jeſus, with this relief, That if Sinners be not willing, nor will accept the motion, I ſhall be releaſed from the Woe. I have made preparation, (though leſs and weaker than ſuch a weighty matter doth require) and have Prayed that the Lord God would ſend me good ſpeed this day. And now I am ſtanding by the Well of the Water of Life, and ſome of the City are come to draw Water out of the Well of Salvation; and upon enquiry made, I find they are the Children of the Kindred of Jeſus, who foraſmuch as the Children were partakers of fleſh and blood, himſelf alſo took part of the ſame, to whom my meſſage is ſo important, that I can willingly forbear to eat till I have told my errand; and therefore in your Audience deſire to ſpeak on, ſaying, I am the Lords Servant, who is not made great, or bleſſed by any other, for he is great and bleſſed above all, and over all for ever: the earth, and all that therein is, is his; the Sea, and all therein is his; the Heavens, and all therein, is alſo his: And he hath a Son, one only Son Jeſus, and he hath given him all that he hath, even all power in Heaven, and in Earth, and hath ſet him at his own right hand, far above all Principalities and Powers, and Might, and Dominion, and every Name that is named, not only in this World, but that which is to come, and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be Head over all things; the Judge of all the World. And this great Lord hath ſent me to ask and beg your Hearts and Love, in order to an indiſſoluble Marriage to his own only Son; and now if ye will deal truly with my Master, tell me, if not, tell me. Oh now who ſaith the thing is of the Lord, and proceedeth from his grace and mercy, we cannot gainſay, we will not refuſe this Meſſage. And when you are asked who will have this Jeſus? Who will love this Jeſus? methinks one ſhould ſay, I will; another ſhould ſay, and I will. One and Another! What! no more? Methinks every one ſhould ſay I will; that there ſhould not be another, that ſhould ſay, but I will not. Let who will, but I will not. No? Why? Becauſe no better a Servant is ſent to gain thy conſent? Or doth manage this great affair with no more zeal and skill? Do thou pray for the pardon of my weakneſs and folly, and I will pray that thou mightſt have more wiſdom to diſcern when a good propoſal is made unto thee; but whether thou regardest me, or not regardeſt me, I regard not, ſo thou wouldſt but have regard to Jeſus Chriſt, and to thine own immortal Soul. If thou doſt deſpiſe me, do not deſpiſe my Master, nor his Son, for though I am not ſo good as Abrahams Servant, yet my Lord and Maſter is better, infinitely better, and greater, than Abraham, to whom he was Servant; and my Maſters Son, Jeſus, is better, incomparably better, than Iſaac, Abrahams Son, and would certainly prove a richer match to thy Soul, than Iſaac was to Rebekah.
Conſider therefore again, before thou doſt again deny him thy love, for haſt thou not denied him thy heart long enough already, but wilt thou do ſo ſtill? Hath not thy love run waſte upon the Creature to this day? And ſhall it do ſo ſtill?
Art thou not weary yet in loving of the World? Art thou not yet tired in ſetting thy heart upon Vanity? Hath it anſwered thine expectation? Haſt thou found that ſweetneſs in the Creature which thou lookedſt for, when thou didſt firſt ſet thy heart and love upon it?
Thou haſt tried what is the love of the Creature, oh now try what is the love of Christ, and if thou doſt not find it better, if thou doſt not find it ſweeter, than all thy former love, (provided thou loveſt him ſincerely) return to it again.
Behold, whoſe cauſe do I plead this day? Chriſts or mine own? For whom do I ask your Love? for my ſelf, or for Chriſt? Slight me as you will, but do not ſlight Chriſt: Vilifie me, but do not undervalue Chriſt: Count me unworthy of your love or look, but do not ſo by the bleſſed Son of the moſt glorious God: Say, I am not fit to be regarded; I bleſs God, I have learnt to bear it; but I beſeech you, ſay not ſo of Chriſt. Revile and hate me if you will, if you will but love that Jeſus, that out of Love did dye for you: If you would but love him, that then would certainly ſave you, and bring you to eternal Glory and Happineſs for ever.
If you love the World never ſo much, can the World do ſo much for you? If you love your Honours, your Pleaſures, your Relations, never ſo much, can they bleſs you as Chriſt will bleſs you? Nay, the more you love them, the more miſerable the love of them will make you. Should I call you to love the World, you would do it; or your Pleaſures, Self, or Sin, you would do it. Nay, when I (or any more skilful than I am) have called to you, to wean your Love from theſe, yet ſtill in love you cleave unto them.
What! Is Chriſt the only unlovely object in your Eyes? Can you find Love for any thing but Chriſt? What is it in Chriſt that doth diſpleaſe you? What do you ſee in him that is offenſive to you? Either love him, or give a reaſon why you will not.
Do you blame me for my Importunity? I thought ſince I began this Uſe, you did refuſe, becauſe I was not urgent enough with you. You will not love, except you be entreated; if that were it, that you love to be entreated to Love, and would love Chriſt, after much intreating, I would ſtudy Night and Day to think how I might entreat you, and what Arguments to uſe, to prevail, and obtain your love for Chriſt.
But why ſhould you look for ſuch long entreaties? Do you know who it is that doth entreat you? Is it I, or God himſelf by me? I pray you view one Text, and then let him that doth entreat you, wait no longer for your anſwer, and for ſhame put him not to entreat you longer. What place is that? It is 2 Cor. 5.20. Now then we are Embaſſadors for Chriſt, as though God did beſeech you by us: we pray you in Christs ſtead, be ye reconciled to God. What ſay you now? I from God, and God by me beſeech you. A Miniſter of God ſtands among you in Chriſts ſtead, to beg, entreat, beſeech that from you, which if Chriſt ſtood in this place this day, he would Preach unto you, and deſire, and command from you, that ye would be reconciled unto God; after the enmity to him, you would love him. God, Chriſt, by his Servant, doth beſeech, entreat, pray you to love him.
Oh the aſtoniſhing condeſcention of the holy God! That he will i…treat! Oh the amazing ſtupidity and folly of the ſinful Sinner, that he will not be entreated! Surely the infinite diſtance that there is betwixt God and Man, might fill us with wonder that God ſhould become a Suiter to man for his love, when there is not ſo much diſtance between Man and Nothing, as there is between God and Man; and yet he is pleaſed to ſtoop ſo low, to urge us to conſent to him, that we might be advanced as high as Heaven, who elſe muſt be plunged into the depths of Hell.
On what is this? that the Creator ſhould ſeek to be loved by the Creature! The Lord to be loved by the Servant! The King of Saints to the Subjects of Sin, that he might have our Heart and Love! Whereas if we did conſider, that our ſtri…teſt Service to him, would be our largeſt Liberty, our having of him our only Happineſs, our miſſing of him our greateſt Miſery, we ſhould know it were our Intereſt to proſtrate our ſelves at his Feet, to lye at his Door, with Prayers and Tears, with Cries and Calls, with Grief and Groans; to make it our daily Suit to him, that he would love us, and give us an Heart to love him.
Man was firſt in departing from God, and in removing of that love that at firſt there was betwixt God and Man; yet God is firſt in ſeeking the renewing of Love, elſe Man would always hate, and never love him. And that God ſhould ſeek to Man for his Love, and be denied, might be aſtoniſhment to the Angels in Heaven, and make matter of joy (if they be capable of any joy) to the Devils in Hell, that Men that may love Chriſt, and will not, might be as miſerable as themſelves, to whom he is not propounded as an object of Faith, Love, or Hope.
But whether you will love, or not love him, God hath commanded me, and others of his Miniſters, to lye hard at you for your Love; he hath given us a Commiſſion to make a motion of love betwixt Chriſt and you, in order to your matching with him, Mat. 22.2, 3, 4, &c. and hath committed to us the Word of Reconciliation, and made it our Work to Wooe you for your love unto his Son, and to try to gain your conſent, 2 Cor. 5.18, 19, 20. And if you will love him, to eſpouſe you to him, 2 Cor. 11.2. This is my Meſſage, and for this end am I come this day, If I do not ask you, I hazard my Soul; if you deny, you loſe yours. God therefore grant, that I might ſo ask, that you may not deny, that both your Souls and mine might Love, and ſo be Saved. For the gaining of your Love for Chriſt, I ſhall uſe theſe Arguments, propounded by way of Queſtion, and when you have given a right Anſwer to them, I hope Chriſt will have a good Anſwer from you.