Sunbeams of Gospel Light, Sermon 4
A HEAVENLY TREATISE OF THE DIVINE LOVE OF CHRIST. Sermon IIII.
BY IOHN PRESTON, D D.
Matt. 22. 37, 38.
This is the first, and great Commandement: thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.
Psal. 31. 26.
Love the Lord O all ye his Saints.
LONDON, Printed by Thomas Paine, for Iohn Stafford: 640.
A HEAVENLY TREATISE OF THE DIVINE LOVE OF CHRIST.
Sermon IIII.
1 Cor. 16. 22.
If any man love not the Lord Iesus Christ, let him be had in execration, yea let him be accursed unto the death.
IF it be of so much moment to love the LORD, that they 4. Vse. To exhort us to love the Lord.are accursed that love him not, let mee exhort you then to doe it. The motive in the Text puts a necessity upon the duty, but to draw you on by the cords of love. See what you shall get by it. It might be a strong argument, you shall perish if you doe it not: But let us see the advantages that will come to us by it.
I will make you to keepe Gods commandements The advantages which arise from the love of the Lord Iesus.with ease and delight: and this is no small benefit. This love makes you goe about the worke, as the Ship with wind and saile. The journey must bee gone: now they that have not love, must rowe and take a great deale more paines. This is the love of God, that you keep his commandements. And his commandements are not grievous, 1 Iohn 3. This makes us keepe the commandements, so ye may feare, you will say. Oh, but love makes them easie. It will be very hard to do them without love. How hard a taske had it beene for Paul to have done so much as hee did, without this love… See what love makes mothers doe to children. This love of Christ constrained Paul: it carried him on like wings; it compelled him to doe thus and thus. And is this then nothing? yea, it shall make you abundant in the worke of the Lord. For this commands all the faculties, and it windes them up to their highest pegs: and this it will make you to doe out of an inward principle. There is a great difference betwixt a horse that runs freely, and one that is forced by the Spurre: Shall not this then cause you to set a high price upon this love?
There are scarse any so desperate, but they would say, they would faine keepe GODS commandements, were they not so hard. Now this love will make them thy delight, it will make them easie and pleasant unto thee.
This is the surest testimony to your owne soule of all others, that you are translated from death to life. An hypocrite cannot love the Lord, hee may doe the outward workes, hee may heare the Word, and be diligent in his calling. But here is the difference, he doth not this out of love. This is that distingnishing character which distinguishes a Christian; as reason doth a man. If you can finde this love of Christ, this hungring after him, that tendring of the heart towards him, that your heart is to Christ, as the Iron to the Load-stone, you must rest with him. If you can say, I have no great markes of a childe of God, I have many infirmities, but yet this I can say, I love the Lord; my life for thine, thy case is happie; heaven and earth may passe away, but thou canst not misse of thy happinesse. What ever you have without this, can bee no sound testimony unto you of your blessednesse; and this alone may secure you of it.
This love doth make you lose nothing: whereas in the loving of other things, the more you bestow, the lesse you have. When thou givest thy heart to God, he gives thee thy heart againe, and sets it on worke for thy owne good; Hee teacheth us to profit, and leadeth us by the way which we should goe, Esay 48. 17. As Christ said of the Sabboath, the Sabboath was made for man: so may I say of all the commandements, when you give your hearts to the Lord, he sets them to keepe the commandements, but to this end, that it may be well with thee. Oh that there were such a heart in this people, to feare me, and to keepe all my commandements that it might goe well with them, and their children for ever. Deutrenomy 5. 20. Thou hast thy heart againe, when thou givest it to God. But here is the difference; before, thou wert but an unjust professor of it, now the Lord hath made thee Steward of it: for he hath given you leave to love your wives, children, and your lawfull recreations, onelyonly now you love them at his appointment, as he will, whereas before you did it as you listed. Nay, the Lord doth not onelyonly give you your heart againe, but returnes it better than it was, new pointed. As the earth receives in the puddle water, which it sends forth cleare and pure. All the streames of thy love runne as fresh for thy good as ever they did, and more. That onelyonly which was amiss… in them, is taken away. Let not this feede thy understanding onelyonly, but finde it good in thy practise.
By this you shall have much comfort and joy, and this is that which all men desire. What is that 4which keepes you from loving the Lord? Oh, you have a conceit, that then you must iose your pleasures, and your delights. No, it is the most comfortable action in the world, to love the Lord: delights follows action, as the flame the fire. Now the best action hath the greatest delight. The Philosopher could say, Happinesse was to love the most amiable object; Est amare optimum amabile, to love the best amiable knowne, is the best act. Whom not seeing, yet you love, joying with joy unspeakeable and glorious, 1 Peter 1. It is a pleasant thing to love a creature like thy selfe, thy children, thy friend. But the creature is not perfect, and it may be it loves not thee againe. But Christ is perfect, and loves thee, thou canst not lose any love by loving of him. Oh what a pleasant thing it is to love the Lord, to live with him, to sup and dine with him, to be able to say, I am my welbeloveds, and my welbeloved is mine! When you shall consider the world hates you, what a comfort will it be, to know that the Lord loves you! that when the world uses you ill, you may flye unto Christ his bosome, and lay open all your grievances to him. To love, and to be beloved, are the most pleasant actions. Now to love the Lord Jesus, is so much the more pleasant, than the loving of other things, as he is a more excellent object than other things. Besides, is not every thing best in its owne place, conformed to its owne rule, carried to its owne end? Take it in thy body, when all the parts of it are strait, all the faculties and humours in a right temper, serving to their proper ends, then there is delight and comfort: so, Love, when it is setled upon its owne object, sets all things straight, whence wonderfull joy cannot but follow; Amor rectus omnia recta habet, as the Schoolman well observes.
Consider this, the love of the Lord makes you 5a better man, gives you a greater excellency, which is a thing which all men desire. Looke on the excellencie of the creatures, it proceedes from their formes; as the excellencie of a Pearle above other stones comes from its forme: for we know that the matter of all these things is common. Now the object to the faculty, hath the duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page property of the forme; for it gives name and distinction. Now this love makes God and spirituall things, as it were the forme of the will. And according to this forme is the Excellencie of the man. Every man is better or worse, as his love is pitched on a better object. He that loves a base thing, is base; and hee that loves a thing somewhat better, excels that man; but hee that loves spirituall things, is the most noble. Looke on the lower faculties, when the sensitive appetite enjoyes its proper object, then a man hath his perfection in that kinde. Thus, when the will is fixed on Iesus Christ, its best object, then a man hath his full perfection. If water be united to Wine, its made better; when the body is united to the soule, how glorious a creature is it! how glorious a creature then will thy soule be, when by love it is united to the Lord! This love puts a greater excellencie on the soule, than the soule doth on the body. Love brings the soule to God, and makes him all in all to us; so that what wee cannot desire, we may have in him: have ye not then cause to wish that yee loved the Lord? True, you have said enough to enflame us. But how shall we doe it my brethren? if you are brought unfainedly to desire it, halfe the worke is done; when the Disciples prayed, Lord increase our faith, Meanes to love the Lord.Matth. 18. Christ answers, If you have faith; but as a graine of Mustard seed, you may say unto Mat. 18.this Mountaine, be thou moved, and it shall be moved. But this is not the meanes to get faith. No, but this commends faith. And if out of this commendation they could come to prize and admire it, and so pray earnestly for it, God would give it them. Let this therefore be the first meanes to helpe thee to the getting of this, to the Lord Iesus.
First, pray heartily for it, Lord I desire to love 1thee, I see thee most amiable, and would faine love thee. This Petition is according to thy will, Lord grant it me.
How would this prevaile, how could God put off such a request?
But I have prayed, and I have not obtained it.Ob.
But hast thou prayed importunately, as the woman to the unjust Iudge without giving over? Sol.This is a precious grace, and therefore God will have us bestow some paines in the getting of it. We shall not obtaine it easily, that so we may prise it the more, and keep it the more charily. The grace of Christ, saith Paul, was abundant with mee in faith and love, 1 Tim. 11. 14. This is that which the Apostle magnified so much, that God had given him love. The grace of Christ was abundant towards him in giving him love.
But how doth prayer doe this?Quest.
That little love which moved thee to pray, by exercise, is increased and is become greater.Answ. 1.
Prayer brings thee in acquaintance with God. 2Before acquaintance there may be a wishing well to another, but there cannot be that love to another which is required in friendship.
And it may be Christ will shew himselfe unto 3thee, as wee see when hee himselfe, Matth. 17. prayed, his garments were changed, and hee was transfigured.
But especially prayer doth this by prevailing 4with God, as we see the prayers of the blinde man prevailed with Christ. And doe you thinke that Christ now in Heaven hath put off these kinde affections which he had on the earth? will hee not also heare, if you should pray to him?
But this you will say is a common meanes to obtaine all grace.Ob.
Yes: but of this love in a speciall manner: because love is the most peculiar gift of the Holy Answ.Ghost. Now the Holy Ghost is obtained by Prayer. Our hearts are so carnall, so fleshly, that we cannot love the Lord; and he is so holy, so good, that we can no more love him, unlesse hee himselfe kindle this flame of love in our hearts, than cold water can heat, unlesse it had another principle. Contend therefore and strive with the Lord for his Spirit which workes this love, who hath declared also unto us your love in the Spirit.Coloss. 1. 8.
Secondly, desire the Lord to shew you himselfe, that Iesus Christ would manifest himselfe unto you. And this is the greatest meanes of all, to worke love. He that hath my Commandements, and keepeth them, is he that loveth me, and hee John 14. 21.shall be loved of the Father, and I will love him, and shew my selfe unto him, when Christ shall shew himselfe to you, when he shall open the clouds, and let you see his beauty, his glory, Oh then you cannot but love him.
There is a great difference betwixt the Ministers shewing of you Christ, and his excellencies, and the Holy Ghosts. Though wee could speake with the tongue of Angels, yet it would be but as the dead letter to Christs shewing of himselfe. When he shall shew you your …ilenesse, his excellency, your sinfulnesse, his holinesse, your misesery, his mercies, you must needs love him. Paul when he had revealed Christ, what hee could, to the Ephesians, he prayes for them, that God would give them the Spirit of wisdome and revelation, Ephesians 1. 18. As who should say, the labour is all lost, if you should see no more than I preach. You love not a man till you know him your selfe; the Lord shewed himselfe to Moses, David, Paul, which made them love him so much. Goe therefore to the Lord, and pray as Moses Lord shew mee thy glory; and beg it earnestly at his hands: and that which was done extraordinarily, shall be done to thy soule. That was but a shewing of the Lord by a right light, which is done more or lesse to every one.
But this is an act of the Lord, what shall I Ob.doe to it?
Consider what the Scripture sayes of him, Sol.what the Saints say of him, but most of all what he hath beene to thee. See with what patience, love, and mercy, hee hath carryed himselfe towards thee, as when we converse with a man, out of his severall actions we gather his disposition, and so frame an Idea of him in our minde.
We must humble our selves, labour to see our 3miserable conditions, for that will bring love. So Paul when he considered that hee was the worst of all, it made him love more then them all. So Mary when she conceived how unfit she was to conceive by the Holy Ghost, she sung that song. When we looke on our selves, and see our owne sinnes and miseries, our love to Christ will bee increased. When a man shall have a true apprehension of himself and his misery, and can expect nothing but death and damnation, and then Christ should come and say, no; But hee shall live: this wounds a mans heart with love. Looke on your secret sinnes, your relapses, your misery by sinne, and then on Christs comming with his mercies and favours, and you cannot but love him. I say looke on thy sinnes, weigh them with their circumstances. Thinke that after so many adulteries Jerem. 2.committed against Christ, yet that he should say, If you will come in, yet will I receive you, this might shake thee and melt thy heart. He that loveth not th… Lord, sees not his misery, nor that good hee hath by him.
Strengthen thy faith: for the stronger thy faith is, the greater will thy love be. A strong 4hand rids more worke then a weake. Take a man excellent in all gifts whom thou much admirest, yet if hee loved not thee, thou wouldest not much care for such an one: so though thou feest much excellency in Christ, yet thou canst not love him, unlesse thou hast a perswasion that he loves thee. But how shall I know that he will love me? hee hath made it knowne that he is thine, and that he is willing, to become thy familiar friend; GOD hath given him in marriage to thee. To us a child Esay 9.is borne, to us a sonne is given. And Christ himselfe hath shewne sufficiently his love unto thee. He hath spent his bloud for thee, yea, he continually speakes to his Father in thy behalfe, yea, hee sues to thee for love, he loves thee first, and sues to thee, as the man doth to the woman; thou maist be perswaded therefore that he loves thee.
But I am not fit to be a Spouse to Christ.Ob.
It is true, and he knew that well enough. Hee Answ.will take thee a Blackamoore, and afterwards will put beauty on thee, Ezekiel 36. 16. Stand not thou on thy unfitnesse when he is thy Su…or.
But it may be he stands thus and thus affected Ob.to such and such persons, and how shall I know that the Lord loves mee and is willing to take mee?
I can say nothing to thee but this, and that is Answ.sufficient, thou hast his generall promise made to all, Mark. 16. Goe preach the Gospel to every creature. There is a generall mandate given to Ministers to preach the promise to all, and why wilt thou make exceptions where God hath made none, and enterline his promises? Wee are commanded to offer Christ to all, every one that will come may come and drinke of this water of life freely. The offer is generall, though but some imbrace it.
But I want godly sorrow for my sinnes. And Ob.this is required before we can receive Christ.
Yet deceive not thy selfe, the matter is not Answ.whether thy humiliation be more or lesse, only come. The promise is made to all that come, they shall be refreshed. Indeede thou wilt not come till thou art somewhat humbled, Thou wilt not flye to the City of refuge till thou art pursued by the avenger of blood. But if thou come at all, God will fulfill his promise. Sticke not so much on the degree of thy humiliation. Take a man that hath committed high Treason, for which he is condemned and brought to the place of execution, ready to suffer, but then there is a pardon offered him: And take another guilty of the same fact, but as yet not condemned, and bring him a pardon, he is even as joy full as the other, for he saw his case was even as bad, onelyonly it was not so farre gone, and he hath not lived so long in sorrow. So some mens sinnes are grosser, and their sorrow more violent, other sinnes are lesse, but yet such as they see them like to damne them; they therefore are humbled as truly, though not so violently. Therefore though thou hast not had so much sorrow as others, nor felt those terrours of the Almighty, yet if thou hast so much as will bring thee to Christ, and make thee sticke close unto him, so as thou wouldest not leave him for any thing in the world; it is enough, thou shalt have him. Why then stick you? what hinders your faith? The impediments must be on Gods part, or on your part: But it is not on Gods part, for his promise is full, and large, most free; neither is there any on thy part, for there is nothing required in thee, for which hee shall set his love upon thee. There are no merits desired on thy part, onelyonly accept him, receive him, hee will afterwards put some lines upon thee. Art thou willing to take Christ for thy husband, for better and worse, with a crowne of Thornes, as well as Glory? then the match is concluded, thou maist be sure that Christ will be thine.
But I have renewed my sinnes, and have fallen Ob.into divers relapses. I still provoke him and fall backe, and GOD will not endure such a wretch.
Yet he forgives sinnes of all sorts, he is abundant Answ.in mercy, he is still forgiving, and never gives over. There is a fountaine opened to Iudah and Ierusalem for sinne and for uncleannesse, Zach. 12. vers. 13. There is afountaine, not a cisterne, to wash in, which may be drawne dry. OnelyOnly this caveat must be put in, that we allow not our selves in any knowne sinne, but that wee maintaine warre continually against sinne, and by no meanes admit any peace with Amaleck.
Another meanes is, to remove the impediments of love, which are two especially, strangenesse, 5.and worldly-mindednesse, Strangenesse dissolves all friendship. By this meanes the interest of friendship may be broken off. This strangenesse breeds fearefulnesse when we goe to God, and fearefulnesse weakenesse of love: whereas boldnesse is the nurse of it. Herein is our love made perfect, that we have boldnesse in the day of the Lord Iesus. As by neglecting fellowship with the Saints, we come to lose our acquaintance wee had towards them: so the neglecting of maintaining our acquaintance with God, brings us quite at last to leave him. Draw neere therefore to God continually, and this will increase your love to him. Be therefore oft speaking to him and hearing him speake to you.
Be much in prayer, and often in reading and hearing. And doe not these things customarily, and untowardly, but with life and affection: goe to prayer as you would goe to speake with your most deare friend, whom you most of all delight to talke with. Let it be pleasant to thee to converse with him in all things; when thou hast any injury befallen thee, goe and make thy cause knowne to him; and when any sinne hath escaped thee, whereby he may be offended, give not over till reconciliation be made, and thy friendship rewarded. Looke especially to thy wayes, for sinne alienates and restraines a man from God: therefore see that that bee removed as much as may be.
Worldly mindednesse also hinders the love of God. This is the uncircumcision of the heart. Hence is that, the Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, that thou mayest live. And untill the heart be circumcised, it is filled with the love of the World, so that hee cannot love the Lord, at least, with all his heart, as hee ought.
There is no such quench-coale to the love of God, as the love of the World. Pleasures and the love of carnall things are very apt to steale away our hearts from God before we are aware. If we looke not more narrowly to it, they may doe it. Examine your owne hearts, and see if by how much the more you love the World, by so much the lesse you are affected to the Lord. These things, as Absalom, steale away our hearts from God, as he did the people from his Father. If thou findest not that love to God, which formerly hath beene, see what hath come betweene God and thy heart. Looke if some pleasure or lust have not crept in betweene: for these will separate betweene God and thee. See if there be not in thy understanding conceits of things to be better then indeed they are: for these will turne the heart from the Lord; but above all, looke to thy will and affections.
FINIS.