Love to Christ, Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. Ten Springs of Spiritual Comfort flowing into the Hearts of the Lovers of Chriſt.
LOvest thou the Lord Jeſus! Bleſſed Soul! Loveſt thou Chriſt? Happy Man! Loveſt thou him that is Lord, and Jeſus, and Chriſt? Joy in thy Love. For great is the difference between the Lovers of Pleaſures and the Lovers of Chriſt; betwixt the Lovers of the World, and the Lovers of Chriſt; betwixt the Lovers of Sin, and the Lovers of Christ: For the Lovers of Pleaſures ſhall be filled with pain, when their Pleaſures are gone; but ſo ſhall not the Lovers of Chriſt, for their eternal Love to Chriſt, will be eternal Pleaſure to them.
2. The Lovers of the World ſhall loſe all they love; though they do not love to loſe, yet they ſhall certainly loſe all they love; but ſo ſhall not the Lovers of Chriſt; for they love and long to ſee him; and in ſeeing him for ever, ſhall have and love him for ever.
3. The Lovers of Sin ſhall be condemned for their Love, muſt to their Lodgings in Hell, where Love is a ſtranger; but ſo ſhall not the Lovers of Chriſt, but ſhall be taken up to their Manſions in Heaven, and ſhall dwell in Light, and Life, and Love for ever. Where Light ſhall be the Life of Love; and their Life ſhall be the Love of Light, and Love ſhall ſhine and ſparkle in Light and Life for evermore. Now we believe, but do not ſee Chriſt, nor ever have, for we walk by faith and not by ſight; though we have not ſeen him, yet believing we love him; believing and loving without ſeeing brings rejoycing, unſpeakable and full of Glory. Oh what will that Joy then be, when believing ſhall be turned into ſeeing, when we ſhall not believe and love, but ſee and love! That Joy that now proceeds from Believing and Loving is unſpeakable, but that Joy that ſhall flow from Seeing and Loving is unconceivable. 1 Pet. 1.18. Whom having not ſeen ye love, in whom though now ye ſee him not, yet believing, ye rejoyce with joy unſpeakable and full of glory.
I promiſed to ſhew you the Comfort, the Bleſſings, the Joy that Love to Chriſt will bring unto you; but I confeſs plainly I am poſed. It is above my ſhallow underſtanding; here is a Depth, I cannot ſound it; here is an Height, I cannot reach it; here is a Length and Breadth, I cannot compaſs it. As in the love of Chriſt unto the believing Soul, ſo in the love and joy that proceeds from the love of the believing Soul to Chriſt; The one is without meaſure, the other is above my meaſure. How ſhall I ſpeak that which is unſpeakable? and utter that which is unutterable? Will ye excuſe me then, if I do not what I did purpoſe to do? And will ye looſe me from my Promiſe, when what I did promiſe, I find upon the attempt of performance, it is above my Power? Or will ye tye me to do, becauſe I promiſed, what I am not able? If ſo, will ye pardon my Weakneſs, wherein I ſhall come ſhort, if I tell you a way, whereby ye your ſelves ſhall be able to ſupply my defect? That is, Do ye ſo believe and love, that ye might feel what I cannot ſpeak, and find that by Experience which cannot be uttered by Expreſſions; and taſte that in your ſelves, which I cannot declare with my Tongue. The Tongue is the Inſtrument of Taſte, as well as of Speech; and if ye would know the ſweetneſs of Honey, ye might do it better with the taſting of your own Tongue, than by the telling of mine. But yet that ye may ſee my Will to attempt, where I want Power, I will not be altogether ſilent concerning theſe unſpeakable things: For as we ſhould labour to know the love of Chriſt to us, which paſſeth knowledge, Eph. 3.19. ſo we may endeavour to declare things that be unſpeakable: To ſpeak things that be unſpeakable is impoſſible; but to ſpeak ſomething of, or concerning things unſpeakable, (wherein I muſt acquieſce) is feaſible: Tho' I do not undertake to bring you all things ſpeakable concerning theſe unſpeakable things; but theſe few follow.
I. Love to Chriſt is an evidence of the ſincerity of your Hearts, and of the truth of your Converſion. He that loves the World, is a world…y man; and he that loves his Pleaſure moſt, is a voluptuous man; and he that loves Chriſt with a predominant Love, is a gracious, upright man. Cant. 1.4. The upright love thee. Such love to the ſecond Adam is not ſound in any man that is ſtill growing upon the old ſtock of the firſt Adam. This love to Chriſt was not born with us, but wrought in us when we were born again. This new Love only is in the new Creature: Love to Chriſt is an evidence of your Intereſt in Chriſt. Such predominant Love to the Lord Jeſus, ſo Spiritual, was never found in any Heart, that is only carnal: The Proof therefore of this predominant Affection, will be a demonſtration of your Spiritual Renovation. Chriſt ſifting Peter concerning his ſincerity after his Fall, when ſifted by Satan, enquires after his Love to him, John 21.15, 16, 17. Rom. 8.28.
II. All the Promiſes of the Covenant of Grace ſhall be made good to all thoſe that ſincerely love the Lord Jeſus. Theſe Promiſes are many, great, precious, and all ſu…e to the Lovers of Chriſt. God in the Covenant hath promiſed he will be your God; and all that is contained in that Promiſe is unſpeakable; for it is more, than that he will be your Friend, your Father, or bountiful Benefactor; or however, more is contained in theſe explicatory words than I am able to explain, Heb. 8.10. God hath promiſed the pardon of ſins, Heb. 8.12. That he will juſtifie us, Ezek. 36.25. and take away the old Heart, and give a new one, the hard and ſtony Heart, and give a ſoft and fleſhy (which ſhall not be a fleſhly) Heart, ver. 26. to give his holy Spirit, to help, to quicken, to guide, to comfort you, ver. 27. To give perſevering Grace. Jer. 32.40. And I will make an everlaſting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good, but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they ſhall not depart from me. If God neither turn away from his ſincere People, nor they from God, their Perſeverance is ſure, that neither ſhall be, is ſecured by the Promiſe of God. Now theſe Promiſes concern the Lovers of God and Chriſt, and to them ſhall be performed. Neh. 1.5. O Lord God of Heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth Covenant and Mercy for them that love him, and obſerve his Commandments. The ſame words in Dan. 9.4. there are promiſes to them that love God and Chriſt, and there are promiſes for the performance of thoſe promiſes to ſuch. Deut. 7.9. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him, and keep his commandments. He did, he doth, but how long will he do ſo? To a thouſand Generations. But what will he do to them that do hate him? What? Read and Tremble, ye that are haters of God and Chriſt. Ver. 10. And repayeth them that hate him, to their face, to d…stroy them. He will not be ſlack, to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.
III. Predominant ſincere love to Christ, is an evidence of Gods ſpecial and peculiar Love to you. How fain wouldſt thou know that God doth love thee, and Chriſt doth love thee? Then thou ſaiſt thou ſhouldſt not care, though all the wicked in the World ſhould hate thee, and, if I knew that God did love me, it would reſolve my Doubts, expell my Fears, lighten my Burdens, ſweeten my Mercies; make me chearful under the Croſs, be a Cordial to me in Sickneſs, and be Life to me in the Gates of Death. Canſt thou prove thou loveſt Chriſt? Then I can prove that both God and Chriſt do love thee; for thy love to God and Chriſt is the fruit and effect of Gods and Chriſts love to thee. God loveth firſt, or thou hadſt never loved at all. God loveth us with a preventing Love; never any prevented God and Chriſt in Love. We love with a following Love. Prov. 8.17. I love them that love me. Joh. 14.21. He that hath my Commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me, ſhall be loved of my Father, and I will love him. 23. Jeſus anſwered and ſaid unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him— 1 Joh. 4.19. We love him, becauſe he firſt loved us.
And now what Spiritual Comfort! What Heavenly Joy! What Raviſhing Delights! might a Lover of Chriſt take in this, That God and Chriſt is a Lover of him, becauſe his Love is ſuch that is above all Expreſſion, beyond all Conception, above all Compariſon? Eph. 3.18. May be able to comprehend with all Saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height. 19. And to know the love of Chriſt, which paſſeth knowledge. The properties of this Love, will make your Joy to be abundant.
1. Chriſt loveth his Lovers with a free Love; ye had motives to love Chriſt, his Beauty, his Wiſdom, his Fulneſs: The Neceſſity ye had of him, the Good ye expected by him, were attractives of your Love to him; but what was in you to move Chriſt to Love you, when ye were Deformed, Polluted, Guilty, Condemned, Poor, full of running Sores, and wallowing in your Blood? Ezek. 16.6. And when I paſſed by thee, and ſaw thee polluted in thine own blood, I ſaid unto thee, when thou waſt in thy blood, Live: yea, I ſaid unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. 8. Now when I paſſed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold thy time (which might have been the time of loathing) was the time of love—As he hath Mercy becauſe he will have Mercy, ſo he Loves becauſe he will Love. Deut. 7.7. The Lord did not ſet his love upon you, nor chooſe you, becauſe ye were more in number than any people— 8. But becauſe the Lord loved you—
2. Chriſt loveth his Lovers with a pure Love. The Love of moſt is Selfiſh-love, loving others for their own ends; and indeed, there was ſomething of Self in your loving of Chriſt, that ye might be Pardoned by him, and Juſtified, and Saved by him. But what can Chriſt gain by loving of you? What advantage redounds to him? Or what profit hath he thereby?
3. Chriſt loveth his Lovers with an unparallel'd, matchleſs Love. Great was the Love of Jonathan and David; great is the Love of tender Parents to their Children, but Chriſts is greater than all. Joh. 15.13. Greater love hath no man than this, That a man lay down his life for his friends.
4. Chriſt loveth his Lovers, with a conſtant, abiding Love, for it is eternal and unchangeable. The Love of Creatures is ſickle, and waveringlove, ſometimes ſades and fails, while they live, or dyeth with them when they dye; or when we dye, their Love to us doth alſo dye: At leaſt, they love us not as in that relation, for Death hath null'd that relation. But the Love of Chriſt is without end; he doth Live for ever, and he will Love for ever, and neither our Love to him, nor his to us, doth dye when we do dye, but after Death we love him more than ever, and he doth manifeſt his Love to us more than ever. Jer. 31.3. I have loved thee with an everlaſting love—
IV. Chriſt makes the hearts of his Lovers the ſeat and place of his ſpecial Reſidence. Lovers love to dwell together, and Chriſt hath prepared Manſions for us that we might dwell with him hereafter; but Chriſt, through the greatneſs of his Love, being impatient of ſo long abſence, till we come to be preſent with him in Heaven, makes our Hearts a Manſion for himſelf, that he might dwell with us on Earth, till we are lodged with him in Glory. Joh. 14.23. Jeſus anſwered and ſaid unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. Oh bleſſed Change!
When thou lovedſt not Chriſt, Satan, the World, and reigning Sin, had their abode in thee. Theſe were the Lodgers in thy Heart, that had the beſt Room, and chiefeſt Seat in thine Affections: While thou waſt in the World, and not in Chriſt, the World was in thee, and no… Chriſt. While thou waſt in thy Sin, thy Sin was in thee, as Lord and Ruler; but now thou haſt changed thy Love, thou haſt changed not only the Lodgers, but the Governours and Rulers of thine Heart, for now the Father is come, and the Son is come, and the Holy Ghost is come, and have taken up their abode in thee. Will God dwell in Hearts of Clay? Yes, if Love to him dwell there.
V. Chriſt will manifest himſelf unto his Lovers: He will diſcover his Love, and that in the worſt condition ye can be in. While ye are in Proſperity, many may manifeſt much Love unto you, but when ye are afflicted, diſtreſſed, and ſtand moſt in need of their Help and Love, will with-hold it from you. Job 19.13. He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily eſtranged from me. 14. My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me. 15. They that dwell in my houſe, and my maids, count… me for a ſtranger; I am an alien in their ſight. 16. I called my ſervant, but he gave me no anſwer; I entreated him with my mouth. 17. My breath is strange to my wife, though I entreated for the childrens ſake of mine own body. 19. All my inward friends abhorred me, and they whom I loved are turned against me: But Chriſt that dwells in the Hearts of his Lovers, is to them a Boſom friend, that he makes the time of their greateſt Troubles and Diſtreſſes, to be the time of the diſcoveries and manifeſtations of his love. Iſa. 63.9. In all their afflictions he was afflicted, and the Angel of his preſence ſaved them: in his love, and in his pity, he redeemed them, and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. And if he withdraw, and for a time conceal his love, it is to make them more earneſt in ſeeking after him, and for fuller diſcoveries of his love to them afterwards, Cant. 3.1, 2, 3.
VI. All things ſhall work together, for the good of them that love God and Jeſus Chriſt: Nothing ſhall befall them, but firſt or laſt ſhall further them in their way to Heaven, and tend to their advantage. Many things ſeem to be againſt you, but all ſhall work for you. If you be in Priſon, your Heart ſhall be the more enlarged. If you loſe the things of the World, your Heart ſhall be the more ſet on the things of Heaven. If you be ſick and weakly, it ſhall quicken you, and ſtir you up to make more haſte to get ripe for Heaven. If you be Poor in the World, it ſhall further your Riches in Grace. Whatever be the Croſs, it ſhall increaſe the weight of your Crown. Rom. 8.28. And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpoſe.
VII. Sincere love to Chriſt, is a mighty help againſt Apoſtacy. If a man be a Profeſſor, and a Lover of the World, a Profeſſor, and a Lover of Pleaſure, of his own Eaſe, and Life, more than of Chriſt, when theſe come in danger, to keep them, he parts with Chriſt; but he that loveth Chriſt above all, will part with all, to cleave to Chriſt. Love to Chriſt, hath carried his people through great difficulties and dangers; out of love to Chriſt, they have contemned the Allurements, and laughed at the Affrightments of this World, have gone through Shame and Reproach, endured Stripes and Impriſonments, Bonds and Bondage, and Death it ſelf. Rom. 8.35. Who ſhall ſeparate us from the love of Christ? (Whether it be underſtood Actively or Paſſively, of the love wherewith we love Chriſt, or the love whereby we are beloved by Chriſt, is not material, for concerning both we might ask) Shall Tribulation, or Distreſs, or Perſecution, or Famine, or Nakedneſs, or Peril, or Sword? 37. Nay, in all theſe things (foreign, we over-overcome) we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us. 38. For I am perſwaded, that neither Death, nor Life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, nor things preſent, nor things to come. 39. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, ſhall be able to ſeparate us from the love of God, which is in Chriſt Jeſus our Lord. If any leave Chriſt, it is for want of love; for ſo far as love prevails, we ſhall, in greateſt Troubles and Sufferings for him, cleave unto him.
VIII. The Lovers of Chriſt ſhall be always under his Eye for good: He will be looking upon them, in order to the ſhewing of Mercy unto them. He looks upon the Lovers of the World, and Sin, with an Eye of Obſervation and Indignation; he looks, and takes notice of their ſinful love; he looks, and is angry with them for ſuch love; but he looks upon his Lovers with an Eye of Compaſſion, to pity, and to tender them. Pſal. 119.132. Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou uſest to do unto thoſe that love thy name.
God uſeth to do ſo, it is his way, his manner and cuſtom of dealing ſo, with ſuch as love him; it is not a ſtrange thing to God, nor a thing that he doth but now and then, but it is his daily cuſtom to look upon his Lovers, and ſhew them Mercy. Pſal. 145.20. The Lord preſerveth all them that love him, but the wicked (that do not love him) will he deſtroy.
IX. The Lovers of Chriſt have great preparations made by God himſelf, for their entertainment in the other World: For all the Lovers of the World, and Sin and Vanity, is Wrath and Hell prepared, but for the Lovers of Chriſt, ſuch things as do tranſcend the moſt refined Wit to conceive, the moſt eloquent Tongue to expreſs, or the ablest Pen to deſcribe. 1 Cor. 2.9. Eye hath not ſeen, nor ear heard, neither have entred into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1. The Eye of Man hath ſeen admirable things, Coaſts of Pearl, Golden Mines, ſtately Monuments, Kingly Palaces, coſtly Raiments, but never Eye hath ſeen ſuch things as God hath prepared for them that love him.
2. The Ear hath heard of more than the Eye hath ſeen, and many hear of the joys of Heaven whoſe Eyes ſhall never ſee them.
3. The Heart of Man can conceive more than the Eye hath ſeen, or the Ear hath heard; it can imagine all Pebles to be Pearls, all the Earth to be a ſilver Heap, the Sea to be liquid Gold, the Air tranſparent Chryſtal, every Star to be a Sun: And if all theſe were ſo, they would be but as a Sand to a Mountain, a Beam to the Sun, a Drop to the Ocean, a Grain to a Golden Mine, compared with the things that are prepared for ſuch as love God and Chriſt, for thoſe things are ſo great, they cannot be meaſured, ſo many, they cannot be numbred, ſo precious, they cannot be valued, ſo long and laſting, they will never be ended; they exceed our Faith, they are beyond our Hope, above our Deſires, they might be poſſeſſed hereafter, but they cannot be comprehended here, becauſe,
For Sublimity, they are Incomprehenſible, for Tranſcendency Inexplicable, for Glory Ʋnutterable, for Sweetneſs Ʋnconceiveable, for Sureneſs Ʋnqueſtionable, for Fulneſs Ʋnmeaſurable, for Firmneſs Ʋnmoveable, for Lastingneſs Ʋnchangeable.
1. For God hath prepared and promiſed ſuch as love him, a Kingdom. Jam. 2.5. Hearken my beloved brethren, hath not God choſen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom, which he hath promiſed to them that love him? A Kingdom is the top of Worldly Honour, and when thoſe that love Chriſt ſhall be in Heaven, they ſhall be in their Kingdom, far ſurpaſſing all other Kingdoms, for it is the Kingdom of God, Mat. 6.33. 1 Cor. 6.9, 10. others are but the Kingdoms of Men: Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven, others, the beſt, but the Kingdoms of this World, 2 Tim. 4.18. Theirs is an everlaſting Kingdom, 2 Pet. 1.11. others, in their greateſt flouriſhing, are near to withering, and that which laſteth longeſt will have an end.
2. God hath prepared for his Lovers a Crown of Life. Jam. 1.12. Bleſſed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried, he ſhall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promiſed to them that love him. A crown of glory, 1 Pet. 5.4. A crown of righteouſneſs, 2 Tim. 4.8. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteouſneſs, which the Lord the righteous judge ſhall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them alſo that love his appearing.
3. Such as have ſincere Love, have lively hope of an Inheritance; all Chriſt-lovers are Heirs, and their Inheritance is Incorruptible, no end of it, and they live to enjoy it for ever. It is Ʋndefiled, no ſpot nor ſtain in it; no Sin nor Sorrow, no Grief nor Groans, no Troubles nor Terrors, to moſeſt and diſquiet them. It fadeth not, it is always in the Flower; it doth always bloſſom, there is Summer without Winter, Spring without Autumn. It is ſafe in it ſelf, it is reſerved in a ſure Hand, in Gods own keeping. It is ſure to us, we are kept by the power of God, the Inheritance is reſerved for us; we are preſerved by God, that no ſorce, nor fraud, ſhall make his ſincere Lovers come ſhort of it. It is in Heaven: The place where an Inheritance doth lye, addeth to the valuation of it; no place like Heaven, no Inheritance like that which lyes in Heaven.
4. God hath prepared Glory for the Lovers of his Son; Glory that now is a Myſtery, and is to be revealed, Rom. 8.18. Eternal glory, 1 Pet. 5.10. Eternal weight of glory, 2 Cor. 4.17.
X. The Grace of God ſhall be with the ſincere Lovers of Chriſt. Grace ſignifies ſometimes the favour of God, and ſometimes the good things that do proceed from his Grace and Favour; ſo that both the good will and kindneſs of God, and all manner of good that is the Fruit of Gods ſpecial favour, neceſſary to the life of Grace, and Glory, ſhall be to the Lovers of Chriſt. Eph. 6.24. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jeſus Chriſt in ſincerity. Amen.