Love to Christ, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
SECT. I. The Introduction.
HOW! Not love the Lord! Helliſh Sin. How! Not love Jeſus! Stupendous Wickedneſs. What! Not love Chriſt! Monſtrous Impiety. Not love him that is both Lord, and Jeſus, and Chriſt! What name might we call him by? A Man or a Beaſt? A Man or a Devil? That doth not love the Lord Jeſus Chriſt? Do you confeſs him to be Lord, and Jeſus, and Chriſt, and love Sin, and not Him? Love the World, and not Him? Love Relations, and not Him? This may be the Aſtoniſhment of the Heavens, the Amazement of the Earth, the Wonder of Angels, the Joy of Devils, the Burthen of the Creation of God. The Earth doth groan to bear them; the Sun is grieved to give light unto them; the Air laments its putrefaction, to be ſuck'd into ſuch filthy bodies, wherein are more filthy ſouls, becauſe void of the Love of Chriſt: Yea, all this world looks more like Hell than Heaven, becauſe of the ſwarms of men therein, that have no ſincere Love to Jeſus Chriſt. Let all among you this day, that are not Senſual Beaſts, or Incarnate Devils, that have the Underſtanding and Hearts of men, ſtand and wonder, that tho Devils will not love the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, that a Man ſhould deny him his Love. Good Lord! What a thing is this! What curſed Wickedneſs is this! What wonder that thou doſt behold ſuch a fight as this, a Man without love unto thy Son, and ſuffer him to continue to be a man; or doſt not make him a ſick man, a poor man, a tormented, pained man on earth, or a Damned man in Hell! But tho thou beareſt with ſuch a man, is he not a wretched, miſerable man, tho he be a rich and proſpering man? Oh what Puniſhment waiteth for him? How do Devils hope for his Death, that they might drag him down to that Helliſh Crew; where there is not one Lover of Chriſt amongſt them all? But what is he? What ſhall he be that Loves not Chriſt? What? Anathema, Maran-atha. What is that? The Explication will tell you.
SECT. II. The Explication of Anathema, Maran-atha.
Anathema, where found in Scripture, is uſually Tranſlated Accurſed. Acts 23.14. And they came to the chief prieſts and elders, and ſaid, foreign, We have bound our ſelves under a great curſe, that we will eat nothing until we have ſlain Paul: i.e. with a Curſe we have Curſed; that is, grievouſly Curſed, or bound our ſelves with direful Curſes, Verſ. 21. The ſame word uſed. Gal. 1.8. But tho we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other goſpel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, foreign, let him be (Anathema) accurſed. Repeated verſe 9. Mark 14.71. But he began (foreign) to curſe and to ſwear, ſaying, I know not this man of whom ye ſpeak. Rom. 9.3. For I could wiſh my ſelf (Anathema) were accurſed from Chriſt, for my brethren, my kinſmen according to the fleſh, 1 Cor. 12.3. Wherefore I give you to underſtand, that no man ſpeaking by the Spirit of God, calleth Jeſus (Anathema) accurſed. Not to love Jeſus, is to carry our ſelves towards him as tho he were Anathema; but foraſmuch as he is God over all, bleſſed for ever; whoſoever loves not him, ſhall be Anathema for ever. This Greek word is uſed as the Hebrew word foreign, Cherem, which is Tranſlated utterly to deſtroy, viz. 1 Sam. 15.9. But Saul and the people ſpared Agag, and the beſt of the ſheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, foreign, and would not utterly deſtroy them; but every thing that was vile and refuſe, foreign, that they deſtroyed utterly. The Greek Verb ſignifieth ſuch Curſing, as when a man either ſweareth, voweth, or wiſheth himſelf to dye, or to be given to the Devil, except he—: And the Hebrew word that anſwereth to it, ſignifieth, Utterly to deſtroy, to devote to deſtruction: As much as to ſay, If any man love not the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, let him be utterly deſtroyed, devoted to deſtruction, let the Devil take him; and ſo he will by God's own Order and Command. Mat. 25.41. Then ſhall he ſay unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye curſed, into everlaſting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Luk. 12.20. But God ſaid, Thou fool, This night thy ſoul ſhall be required of thee. In the Greek, They ſhall require, demand, fetch away thy ſoul. They: What they? The Devils, that ſeize the ſouls of all that love not Chriſt, whenever they dye.
2. Maran-atha; two Syriack words, as ſome take them. Maran, that is, our Lord. Nun finale eſt affixum primae perſonae ex pronomine foreign. The word it ſelf foreign, Mar, with Aleph, is a Chaldee word foreign Mara, Lord; and Nun only litera paragogica; then Maran both in Chaldee and Syriack, ſignifieth Lord. Atha, written thus, foreign or foreign is an Hebrew word; written thus, foreign is Chaldee; thus foreign is a Syriack word; thus foreign is Arabick; in all ſignifieth, To come. A man that loves not the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, ſhall be Curſed in all Nations, in all Languages, by all People; all the world ſhall account that man to be Anathema.
Anathema, Maran-atha; ſome render it, Let him be accurſed till the Lord come, or when the Lord comes; or he ſhall have due Vengeance from the Lord when he comes. Some thus, Let him be accurſed even till the coming of the Lord, to his death's day, even for ever; and hath reference to that Prophecy of Enoch, recorded Jude ver. 14. Enoch alſo, the ſeventh from Adam, propheſied of theſe, ſaying, Behold, foreign, the Lord comes with ten thouſand of his Saints, 15. to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds which they have angodly committed, and of all their hard ſpeeches which ungodly ſinners have ſpoken againſt him. And all for want of Love unto him.
Learned men conclude, That here is an alluſion to the Jewiſh manner of Excommunication; of which there were three ſorts or degrees;
The Leſſer.
The Middle Sort.
The Greateſt.
1. The Leſſer, called Niddui, Put out; and in the New Teſtament they were called, foreign, Put out of the Synagogue; and they hold that Cain was excommunicated this way.
2. The ſecond was called Cherem, or Anathema; when a ſcandalous ſinner, with Curſes out of the Law of Moſes, was in the publick Audience of the whole Church, without any limitation of time, excluded from the Communion of it. This thought to be the ſame called a delivering up unto Satan. With this ſort of Excommunication was the Inceſtuous perſon cenſured, 1 Cor. 5.4. In the name of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, when ye are gathered together, and my Spirit, with the power of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, 5. To deliver ſuch an one unto Satan for the deſtruction of the fleſh, that the ſpirit might be ſaved in the day of the Lord Jeſus.
3. The greateſt of all they called Samatha; ſo called from Sem, a name which they put for Nomen Tetragrammaton, or Jehova, and Atha, comes: Others derive it from Sham, There, and Mitha, Death; as if they ſhould ſay, There and then ſhall be death to the Non-Lovers of Chriſt. The Syrians call it Maran-atha; by which form added to the two former, the excommunicated perſon as deſperate and forlorn, without all hope of pardon or reſtitution, was left to the hands of the Lord, to receive from him an heavy doom at his coming; implying, that they ſummoned the Excommunicated before the dreadful Tribunal at the laſt coming of the Son of God. They ſay this ſort of Excommunication the people of God uſed againſt the Amal…kites.
And with this higheſt degree of Excommunication, ſhall all the Non-Lovers of Chriſt, at his coming be excluded, and ſtand excommunicated from the favourable Preſence of the Glorious God, and of Chriſt the Gracious only Saviour, from the Company of all the Holy Angels, and Society of the Bleſſed Saints, from the Holy Place above, and from all the Joys and Happineſs thereof.
The manner how the Jews excommunicated the Samaritans, was very ſolemn and dreadful: They brought Three hundred Prieſts, and Three hundred Trumpets, and Three hundred Books of the Law, and Three hundred Boys; and they blew with Trumpets, and the Levites ſinging, accurſed the Cutthaeans, in the Name of Tetragrammaton, or Jehovah, and with the Curſes both of the Superior and Inferior Houſe of Judgment; and they ſaid, Curſed is he that eateth the bread of the Cutthaeans, (hence is that ſaying of theirs, He that eateth the bread of the Cutthaean or Samaritan, is as he who eats ſwines fleſh), and let no Cutthaean be a Proſ…lite in Iſrael, neither have any part in the reſurrection of the juſt. Theſe Curſes they wrote upon Tables, and ſealed them, and ſent them through all Iſrael, who multiplied alſo this great Anathema, or Curſe, upon them.
But the Excommunication of all the Non-Lovers of Chriſt, will be inconceivably more terrible, when the Lord himſelf ſhall come with Millions of his Holy Angels, and with Ten Thouſands, yea Thouſands of thouſands of his Saints, and the Trumpet ſounding, the Saints ſinging, and the Air ringing, Chriſt and all ſhall ſay, Now curſed for ever be every man that did not love the Lord Jeſus: Let them never come into the Kingdom of Heaven, nor have a ſhare in the Happineſs that God hath prepared for them that love him; and all the Saints and Angels ſhall ſay, Amen, Amen.
There is another Text, ſetting forth the contrary good condition of thoſe that love Chriſt, Epheſ. 6.24. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jeſus Chriſt in ſincerity, Amen. Paul ſtanding one while upon Mount Ebal, denounceth a Curſe againſt thoſe that do not love the Lord Jeſus; another while upon Mount Gerizzim, pronouncing a Bleſſing upon them that do.
Deut. 27.11. And Moſes charged the people the ſame day, ſaying, 12. Theſe ſhall ſtand upon Mount Gerizzim to bleſs the people, when ye are come over Jordan, Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Iſſachar, and Joſeph, and Benjamin. 13. And theſe ſhall ſtand upon Mount Ebal to curſe, Reuben, Gad, and Aſher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Napthali. 14. And the Levites ſhall ſpeak, and ſay unto all the men of Iſrael with a loud voice, 15. Curſed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsmen, and putteth it in a ſecret place, and all the people ſhall anſwer and ſay, Amen. 16. Curſed be he that ſetteth light by his father, or his mother, and all the people ſhall ſay, Amen. 17. Curſed be he that removeth his neighbour's land-mark; and all the people ſhall ſay, Amen. 18 Curſed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way; and all the people ſhall ſay, Amen. 19. Curſed be he that perverteth the judgment of the ſtranger, fatherleſs, and widow; and all the people ſhall ſay, Amen. Six Tribes ſtood upon Mount Gerizzim, and ſix upon Mount Ebal, and in a little Valley between theſe two Mountains, the Prieſts ſtood, one while pronouncing a Bleſſing upon the Obſervers of the Law; and then the Tribes upon Mount Gerizzim ſounded out Amen: Another while denouncing Curſes againſt the Tranſgreſſors of the Law; then the Tribes upon Mount Ebal founded out Amen.
But now, though you are not unjuſt towards men; no Drunkards, no Swearers, yet if Non-Lovers of Chriſt, the Curſe lies upon you; and at the coming of the Lord, it will be in vain to plead your praying, hearing, receiving, your moral Converſation, if void of the Love of Chriſt; for Chriſt ſhall declare you accurſed, and all that ſhall attend him at his coming, ſhall ſay Amen.
SECT. III. A Diviſion and Paraphraſe of the Text.
The whole Text conſiſts of theſe ſeven parts.
1. The Grace to be obtained, the Duty to be performed, or Act to be exerted, viz. Love. Sweet, pleaſant and delightful.
2. The Object of this Act, or Perſon to be loved, called the Lord, and Jeſus, and Chriſt.
3. The Subject of this Act, or who ſhould do this Duty; Man: Beaſts cannot, Devils will not, Man ought.
4. A Suppoſition, if a man love not; and it is indeed to be ſuppoſed, that many will not.
5. An heavy Imprecation, or ſolemn denunciation of Vengeance, Anathema; if he will not be a Lover of Chriſt, let him be accurſed.
6. A determination of the time when this at furtheſt ſhall be executed, and poured forth upon him; Maran-atha, when the Lord comes; tho he proſper in the mean time, yet when Maran-atha, then Anathema.
7. The Extent of this Curſe; If any man—let him! be he what he will, a Scholar, a Preacher, a Profeſſor, an Emperor, and yet not a Chriſt-Lover, the Plagues of God at the coming of Chriſt ſhall light and lie upon him; and if this any be never ſo many, Vengeance and Damnation ſhall overtake and ſeize them all.
I cannot yet get off the words of the Text without another view of each term one by one.
1. If,] This if joined to the not loving of Chriſt is one of the ſaddeſt ifs you can ſuppoſe; if you ſhould be poor, if you ſhould be caſt into Priſon, if you ſhould be baniſhed, if you ſhould ſuffer the loſs of liberty and life, it is not ſo bad, as if you ſhould not love the Lord Jeſus Chriſt: For if you be caſt to Hell, if you ſhould be damned for ever, it will be if you love not Chriſt: If you be ever ſaved, if you never love Chriſt, God is not true, and Chriſt is not true, and this Word of God is not true; if you pray till you wear the skin from off your knees, if you cry for mercy till you waſte your Tongue; if you confeſs ſin, and weep your ſelves blind; if you go as far towards Heaven as ever glozing Hypocrite did, and all this while have no ſincere love to Chriſt, you never ſhall eſcape the Damnation of Hell; if you do, ſay I am a Lyer, ſay I preached falſhood and deceitful words unto you. What! will you drive us to deſpair? yes, that I would with all my heart, into this deſpair of ever getting to Heaven without ſincere, unfeigned love to Chriſt; for deſpair you muſt of having Happineſs and eternal Glory any other way than God hath preſcribed in his Word; and Love to Chriſt is one qualification of that man that ſhall be ſaved.
And to this if relating to your not loving of Chriſt, I will ſhew you another if relating to your not entring into Heaven, Heb. 4.3.—I have ſworn in my wrath, If they ſhall enter into my reſt.—5. And in this place again, If they ſhall enter into my reſt. Here God uſeth an Oath, but concealeth the Imprecation; when the Lord pronounceth his Oath negatively, then it is to be underſtood as an affirmation; as Iſa. 14.24. The Lord of hoſts hath ſworn, if not, ſo it ſhall come to paſs, that is, it ſhall certainly come to paſs: But when he ſetteth it down affirmatively, then it is to be underſtood negatively, as Pſal. 95.11. If they ſhall enter into my reſt; that is, they ſhall never enter into my reſt. When God ſweareth thus by himſelf, he mentioneth not the Curſe, becauſe no Execration or Curſe can fall upon him that is God neceſſarily, infinitely and eternally bleſſed, and therefore not to be expreſſed, becauſe it cannot come upon him; neither ſhould ſuch a form of ſpeech be ſupplied, as ſome do prophanely uſe, then let me not be God, or ſuch like: It is ſufficient to alarm Sinners, that God doth ſwear, if they continue to the death without love to, and ſaith in Chriſt, they ſhall not enter into his reſt.
1. A man] loves not Chriſt that hath 1. an underſtanding to know the excellencies of Chriſt, the neceſſity of Chriſt, the danger of being without Chriſt, and the everlaſting good and benefits that are to be had by Chriſt.
2. A man that hath a Will to be guided by the Underſtanding, a Will to chuſe good, and refuſe evil.
3. A man that hath Affections of love, deſire and delight, and ſhall not place them upon their proper, primary, principal Object.
4. A man that hath a Conſcience to walk and act by, to accuſe and condemn him when his Affections are not rightly fixed; and to comfort him, and to teſtify for him, when they tend to, and reſt in their proper Object.
5. A man that is capable of knowing, loving and enjoying the beſt good.
6. A man that hath heard of Chriſt, that profeſſeth Chriſt, and hath frequently and earneſtly been intreated to give Chriſt his love.
7. A man that is a ſinful man, a loſt man, a diſeaſed, polluted man, that ſtands in need of waſhing, cleanſing and recovering healing Grace. Shew me the man that needs not Chriſt, and let him deny him his love.
8. A man that is a dying man, a man leaving this World, going out of Time, and entring into Eternity; that muſt ſhortly be a damned or ſaved man, within a few years, months, weeks, days or houts, be eternally happy, or everlaſtingly miſerable.
3. Any man] eſpecially where the Goſpel is preached, where the joyful ſound is heard, to whom the tydings of a Saviour and Eternal Life are brought: The Heathen cannot love him, becauſe they do not know him, becauſe they hear not of him: but any man, eſpecially that lives under the means of Grace, any mean man, any noble man, any ignorant man, any learned man, any man of any ſort, of any age, of any calling, of any place or Nation, where they have ſo often and ſo long heard of Chriſt, that his bleſſed name is become too common in their prophane polluted mouths. If any ſuch man
4. Love not] tho he often talk of him, tho he pray to God, mentioning his Name; tho he profeſs him, hear daily from him, ſuffer or dye for him, and not love him that is
5. The Lord] the Lord of Lords, the only Potentate; the Lord that hath the power of Life and Death, able to take up to Heaven, and caſt down to Hell, to damn and ſave, that reigns over Men and Devils, that hath all Power committed to him, that is
6. Jeſus] the only, mighty, alſufficient Saviour, that came from Heaven to Earth, to get and purchaſe for men a paſſage from Earth to Heaven; that ſuffered, bled, and died to ſave Sinners from Sin, from Hell, from Everlaſting Burnings; when there is no other Name under Heaven by which Sinners can be ſaved, than the Name of Jeſus, who is alſo
7. Chriſt] anointed of the Father, deſigned from all Eternity, and ſent in the fulneſs of time to bring about and accompliſh the work of man's Redemption; that was furniſhed with all manner of qualifications to bring Souls to Eternal Glory; and yet thoſe that have their Names from him, called Chriſtians from Chriſt, and yet not love him, ſhall be
8. Anathema] curſed Wretches, miſerable Caitiffs, devoted to damnation, ſeparated from God, caſt to Devils, when
9. Maran-atha] the Lord comes; to be Anathema when Maran-atha, is to be accurſed indeed, and for ever; then curſed Men muſt be with curſed Devils to all eternity.