The Revival of Grace, Part 2 · Chapter 5 · Section 4
CAP. V. Sect. 4. Love and eſteem of Chriſt, Improved by his Dying a Teſtator.
A Fourth Grace improveable by the meditation of Chriſt's Death as ſuch a loving and bountiful Legator, Love and Eſteem of Chriſt 4th. Sacramental Grace improved.is love and high eſteem of his perſon and concernment. There are ſome graces which may be better ſpared in part, or in whole, others that are more needful for a communicant at the Lord's table; joy in believing may be little, perhaps none, yet the ſoul not unfit for the Sacrament. But the grace of love to Chriſt, with an high eſteem of the perſon and concernments of Chriſt, is ſo needful, that whoſoever either loves him not, or loves him not for his own ſake, is unworthy of this great ordinance. It is diſputed whether Judas did partake of this Sacrament, but it is not diſputable whether a heart like his, whether a man or woman who loves Chriſt no more than Judas did love him, be fit for the Sacrament. It is a feaſt for Chriſts Friends, it is an entertainment for his beloved ones, if that invitation, Eat O Friends drink yea drink abundantly O Behold, Cant. 5.1. Be not intended principally for a ſolemn bidding to this feaſt, yet the general equity, or congruity of it warranteth the Friends and lovers of Chriſt, and none elſe to come. The enemies of Chriſt muſt expect other kind of entertainment; it is bring thoſe mine enemies and ſlay them before me. In one word, that heart which is not full of love to God, is full unfit for any approach to God in any ordinary and common duty; much more unfit for this extraordinary and ſolemn acceſs to the Lord. Now in the Teſtament or laſt Will of Chriſt we may diſcern moſt evidently
1. A love which deſerveth to be very highly prized, a love toward us wich none but Chriſt ever did or could bear and expreſs toward us: A love which entitled us to a participation of a Kingdom, for as the Father hath given a Kingdom to him, ſo hath he given a Kingdom unto us; herein appeareth the largeneſs of his love to us; what he hath given declareth how much he loved, and the time when he gave ſheweth the conſtancy of his love to us; he loved us to the laſt. Now ingenuity ſets a value upon men according to the love men bear to their Friends, and I am aſſured who ever readeth the laſt Will of Chriſt readeth the greateſt, the conſtanteſt love; and why then ſhould it not be eſteemed their duty to ſet the higheſt price on Chriſt?
2. The incomparable excellencies which he was maſter of. The Legacies which he giveth manifeſt what ſurpaſſing treaſures he was poſſeſſour of; theſe for kind are ſpiritual, for duration eternal, for ſuitableneſs full and ſatisfactory, for uſe ſweet, ſafe and pure, for certainty unchangeable; of all which ſomewhat hath already been ſpoken, therefore no more ſhall now be ſaid. The vaſt riches of ſome men have been kept cloſe until their laſt will hath diſcovered them, and how then have ſome men admired them? indeed we cannot underſtand the full treaſures of our bleſſed Lord until we come to read his laſt Will and Teſtament in the light of glory with eyes of immortality, and then he ſhall be admired in all them that believe, 2 Theſ. 1.10. The believing ſoul when he views the treaſures of grace, comfort and glory made over to him by Chriſt's will, cannot but admire the incomparableneſs of his perſon; and although the believers eſtimate of Chriſt be ſo ingenuous as to prize Chriſt for his own worth, yet it cannot be unthankful, or not prize him for his gifts beſtowed on us. Whenever thou art going to a Sacrament (if other more quickening motives do not offer themſelves) think on that which Chriſt hath given thee by will; and conſider how glorious and excellent a perſon he is! who bequeathed theſe great and good things; and who can, and will beſtow every one of them upon thee.
3. Read over the will of Chriſt, and ponder well what he hath given and bequeathed, then reflect upon thy ſelf and ſee what thou art now, what thou waſt when he gave, and what thou art like to be ſo long as thou liveſt upon earth. And when this is well conſidered, thou wilt have cauſe to ſay, that among all benefactours none can compare with Chriſt, in the noble generous and free diſpoſition of his mind. And indeed the excelling beneficence of Chriſt toward believers doth win an excelling eſteem and price in believers toward Chriſt; who
1. Gave theſe great things of pardon and life; of grace and holineſs; of peace and comfort; of victory and glory; (contained in his Legacies) to ſtrangers, diſeſteemers, rejecters; and in a word, enemies of the giver and the gifts. Now 'tis a generous mind which will do good to miſerable, forlorn men and women who knew not their miſery, who undervalued their recovery, who rejected the motion, who declared their enmity againſt their deliverer. He is a Phyſician of excellent temper, who can and will, paſs by all theſe, and cure a Dying body becauſe he delight's to heal.
Our Lord noteth in the parable, Luk. 10.30. That a man went down from Jeruſalem, (a Jew) whom thieves robbed, and left wounded and half dead, inſenſible of his danger, and unable to ask for help, The enmity of the Jews againſt the Samaritanes aroſe on occaſion of that Schiſm which the Samaritanes were guilty of, and maintained againſt the Jews concerning the Worſhip of God, Joh. 4.20. Our Fathers worſhipped in this Mountain, and ye ſay that in Jeruſalem is the place, &c. This quarrel began ſoon after the Captivity of the Ten Tribes by Salmaneſar 700 years before Chriſt was born, and it had been countenanced by a High Prieſt and a Temple in a continued Succeſſion of 300 years, and ſomewhat more, before the birth of Chriſt: So old was this enmity.whom a Samaritan pittied, ver. 33. Now obſerve, there was a very rankerous enmity in the Jewes againſt the Samaritanes, as appeareth from Joh. 4 9. & 8. v. 48.
But this generous compaſſion of the Samaritan checks the old quarrel, and lendeth a helping hand; ſuch noble compaſſion is the compaſſion of our Lord to us, to whom God commendeth his love, that when we were enemies Chriſt dyed for us, Rom. 5.8. However diſingenious ſinners ſlight and undervalue the perſon of Chriſt, and his love toward them, whileſt they were very enemies, yet whenſoever grace appeath, it changeth their minds, and maketh ſinners ceaſe from ſin, and become Saints; they ſhall at once both admire the excellency of Chriſt's perſon and love towards them, and comdemn all their former low, & unbeſeeming apprehenſions of Chriſt & his love. As the compaſſion of Chriſt was thus generous in pittying of an undone enemy.
2. So ſecondly it appeareth a noble and excellent compaſſion if it appear to thee what thou now art; either thou doſt not know why ſelf and ſtate, or muſt confeſs, Chriſt incomparably excellent in mind and diſpoſition. There is not now any worth in thee but what thou haſt by vertue of Chriſt's Legacy; where had others? where haſt thou thy grace? but from the ſpirit of grace? and note how the Apoſtle argueth this, Gal. 3.14, 15. by an argument drawn (foreign) from the Teſtament, and Will of Chriſt. Men do choſe perſons for ſome excellency or other, and therefore do many times make them their heires. But here's a compaſſion and love that maketh us excel others, by giving us what we could never have expected, (ex condigno), by worthineſs of our own. The leaſt Saint is more excellent than the eminenteſt carnal man: this the Saint hath from Chriſt by whoſe Teſtament he is heir to a Crown, yet the excellenteſt Saint is leſs than the leaſt of the Legacies of his Lord. In our preſent ſtate there is nothing to commend us which doth not more commend our Lord who beſtowed it; By the grace of God we are what we are, whether children, heirs or Legatees. And if we know as St. Paul did know we ſhall account all things as he did, loſs and dung, Phil. 3.8. foreign, which the Syriack foreign, Penuria defectus, who hath all without Chriſt is foreign, Poor.'Tis loſs when he computeth the product of all his hopes that are ſhort of Chriſt, and the things which Chriſt freely gives, and inſtead of ought gained, he muſt writ much loſt. Such then is the excellency of Chriſt that without him nothing can be gain, with him nothing ſhall be loſs: And
3. When thou haſt viewed the great Legacies of thy Lord, look on thy ſelf what thou wilt moſt certainly be ſo long as thou art on earth; and this will commend the noble, excellent temper of thy Lord. He knew that thou wouldeſt repine, be unthankful, live much below his Royal gifts, and in many things diſhonour the free giver: Yet all this never could diſcourage, or change the reſolutions, and purpoſe of thy moſt bountiful, loving, and tender Friend and Lord. Behold here is love as the Apoſtle hath it 1 Joh. 4.10. Not that we loved God, but he loved us, &c. here love is Triumphant indeed! In a word or two, either we muſt conclude the Chriſtian a moſt diſingenuous perſon, or elſe conclude that the ſurvey of the great Legacies his Lord hath given him will raiſe the Chriſtians eſteem of Chriſt, it will enlarge his affections toward Chriſt. Thus the love of Chriſt diſcovered in his laſt Will and Teſtament will draw out love to him again, and love will find whereever the excellency of what is loved doth lye; rather than want an excellency to juſtify the paſſion, we ſee men will phancy, and make an excellency, and then value it. Spiritual love needs no ſuch help to eſteem Chriſt, it may find an infinite worth in him, and indeed doth judge him the chief of ten thouſand. None but he would dye; none but he dying would make ſuch proviſion for us.
4. This great Teſtator was brought to his end (as we ſay) by the faults, and through the folly of us whom he did ſo highly befriend. We ſinned and he died; our wickedneſs brought him to the Croſs. Iſa. 53.Now whilſt we like ſheep went aſtray, and the Lord laid on him the iniquity of as all: the precious life of the ſhepheard ranſomed the life of his wandring ſheep; what would have been the manner of men in this caſe? would it not have been? I'le croſs them out of my will; I intended a bounteous Legacy, but be it now as far from my mind as I was from theirs; this would have been the reſolution of man. But this was not the mind of, Chriſt, (more excellent than man) No no, but this his Noble diſpoſition; I will do the moſt my Friends need from me, though they have done the moſt they could againſt me; I'le conquer their unkindneſs, and they (captives to my love) ſhall ſet an eternal Crown of triumphant glory and praiſe on my head; I know whither to bring them, and where they ſhall be of another temper and diſpoſition towards me for my love. I will bequeath them a Crown of glory, though they have pierced me with a Crown of thorns; I know when they ſhall look on me and mourn; when they ſhall heartily reſent their unkindneſſes, and in requital of my love, ſhall prize me higher than their own life.
So let my ſoul ever ſay, thy love, oh Lord! ſurviving death, and conquering my ingratitude deſerveth a higher eſteem, and larger affections than a narrow heart and low apprehenſions can offer thee.