The Glorious Epiphany with the Devout Christians Love, Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. Of the means whereby this Love may be ſetled in our hearts; and the Benefit thereof.
AND for the better effecting this which ſo nearly concerns us, we ought, as to think frequently and ſeriouſly of it ſo, to uſe all the means that are in our power, to repreſent our bleſſed Lord and his glorious Appearing, in the moſt lively manner unto our hearts. Among which, I believe, you will find none more effectual, than to frequent his ſociety, in the Communion of his Body and of his Blood. Where we not only meet with a fair occaſion, both to imprint upon our hearts a ſenſe of his love, and to expreſs all the love we have to him: but have a moſt powerful inſtrument alſo put into our hands, to enkindle and ſtir up the moſt hearty, vehement and burning Affection towards him.
For there he is ſet before our eyes in ſuch a poſture of love, as cannot but wound any heart, that hath the grace to conſider what it ſees. There we behold him hanging for our ſake upon a Croſs; from whence his mighty love ſhoots the moſt piercing darts into our breaſts. We ſee him there in ſuch flames as offered him up intirely to do the will of God; and, if we come near them, will touch us ſo ſenſibly, that we ſhall be diſpoſed to make our ſelves alſo a devout oblation to him. His Body broken, his Blood ſhed, his very Life ſacrificed for our ſafety, are there ſo evidently and diſtinctly ſet before our eyes; that as it will be hard for us not to be tenderly affected with his aſtoniſhing love to us, ſo we are hereby aſſured of his continued kindneſs, till he bring us to eternal life.
We do not indeed behold him there as ſitting on the throne of his glory; nor as appearing again the ſecond time to give us ſalvation: But yet it plainly ſhows us what he underwent, to purchaſe for us as well as for himſelf that glory wherein he is; and bids us reſt ſatisfied he will do more for us, even all that he hath promiſed: of which, by theſe tokens and pledges of his love, which he hath left behind him when he departed this world, he doth moſt affectionately aſſure us. And by partaking of them, we become alſo one body with him; and have communion with him in his death and paſſion, and all the benefits he hath thereby obtained for his Church. Among which this is the laſt and the greateſt, that we ſhall be with him where he is, and ſee the glory which the Father hath given him. We ought not to doubt of it, being thus incorporate with him, and ſo united to him; that in him we already live, and reign, and are glorious: and can no more fail of appearing at laſt with him in his glory, than the Members can fail to be advanced, when the Head, to which they are firmly and inſeparably joyned, is highly honoured and dignified.
As a loving Wife therefore, married to an Husband moſt completely qualified, but gone into a remote country, cannot but fix her thoughts very much upon his coming, and often wiſh for the happy day which will bring them nearer, and make them meet and live together; and, in the mean time, if ſhe have his picture exactly taken, cannot refrain from looking often on it, and pleaſing her eyes and her mind with the very ſhadow of that dear Perſon; or if ſhe have any token of his love left or ſent her, whereby to remember him, is ever and anon taking it into her hands, and imprinting her kiſſes on it: ſo it becomes all thoſe to do, who pretend any love to our Lord Jeſus; who hath endeared himſelf to us by ſuch incomparable loving kindneſs, and merited ſo highly of us, that it would be exceeding ſtrange if we ſhould be either inſenſible of his favours, or let them ſlip out of our minds, when (among the reſt of the expreſſions of his wonderful love) he hath taken great care to preſerve the remembrance of them there.
Our gracious Lord, the Bridegroom of our ſouls, is gone a long journey, even as far as Heaven. He hath eſpouſed us to himſelf, it is true, in great love, moſt aſſured love; but hath left us, for a time, here in this world, and removed himſelf ſo far from us, that, though there be nothing ſo deſireable as his company, to thoſe who are acquainted with him and have any affection for him, yet they find the diſtance is ſo exceeding great between them, that they cannot attain their much wiſht for enjoyment of him. And therefore every good ſoul ſhould look towards him and, ſighing within it ſelf, ſhould often ſay, When will he come, when will he come! and let me have the long deſired ſight of him? When will he come, and finiſh what he hath ſo graciouſly begun? O that he would come, and take me to him! O that he would come, and ſatisfie this ſoul; which is ready to diſſolve, and ſweetly melt into that bliſsful union with him! And till he pleaſe to grant this deſire, we ſhould often faſten our expecting eyes on the Picture he hath left us of himſelf; drawn, as I may ſay, by his own hand: which tells us he will certainly come, and requires us to reſt aſſured he will be as good as his word, and give us immortal life in the glory where he is. We ſhould frequent, I mean, the holy Sacrament of his body and blood; we ſhould love there to communicate with him and knit our ſelves to him; it ſhould be our greateſt pleaſure to ſolace our ſelves in that repreſentation of him, till he comes. We ſhould affectionately receive into our hands thoſe tokens and pledges of his love, which he continually ſends us by his Miniſters; we ſhould take them into our mouths, yea let them into our hearts; and, embracing him in thoſe ſigns and ſeals of his grace towards us, ſhould rejoyce in his love; till he himſelf appear, and lay our ſouls to reſt in his boſom for ever.
If there were no other benefit we ſhould receive by this means, than that thereby our love will be mightily excited towards him, who hath loved us ſo dearly, it were ſufficient to commend this duty to us. But we ſhall alſo grow thereby more confident of his appearing again to perfect his love towards us; and in the mean time be ſtill receiving freſh tokens of the affection he now hath for us. For as the thoughts of his love hath the greateſt power over our hearts: ſo we need not fear to ſay, that the love he ſees in us, is of ſuch force and efficacy with him; that it ſtrongly moves his tender compaſſions towards us. If any man love me (ſaith he himſelf xiv. Joh. 21, 23.) he ſhall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifeſt my ſelf to him. O, what a word is this, I will love him? How it pierces into the heart! How it ſtirs, and works; how it revives and refreſhes there! Can there be any thing greater than this, to be beloved of the Lord of Heaven, the Prince of Life, the King of Glory? What will not he do for thoſe whom he loves, when we ſee he did not ſtick to dye for them, even before they loved him?
You know that when Lazarus was ſick (as I think I have ſomewhere obſerved in another Treatiſe) his Siſters ſent this news to our Saviour, ſaying; Lord, behold he whom thou loveſt is ſick, xi. Joh. 3. This was a very ſhort Letter: And their grief perhaps would not permit them to write a longer. But they did not fare the worſe, becauſe they were not more ceremonious in their addreſſes: this alone did the buſineſs. O how great a power was there in theſe few words? They ſay no more to move him, but only this, Lord, thou loveſt him; and what doth not our Saviour do, to ſhow they were not miſtaken? Up he riſes; away he goes to the place of his abode; there needed no more prayers to bring him thither. And though there were many dangers in the way, as the ſtory relates; though to go thither, his Diſciples thought was to caſt himſelf into a ſhowr of ſtones (v. 8.) though the Jews, he knew very well, ſought to take him and kill him (x. 39.) yet love being as ſtrong as death, carried him through all impediments: He could not chuſe but go, when he heard this charming word, he whom thou loveſt is ſick.
By which we may learn that to obtain the favour and grace, the help and aſſiſtance, the comfort and the preſence of our bleſſed Saviour, we need no long Petitions, no great addreſs of words, no courtſhip, nor ſtudied complements. Let us be able only to tell him, that he loves us; and it is enough. If we can but win his good affection, we need no more. We may then remember to him his own dear love, more than ours. We may tell him, how much good he hath done us, and that is argument ſufficient to move him to do more.
We may relate his graciouſneſs and ſweet diſpoſition; when we can perceive in our own hearts, but diſguſts at our ſelves. We may ſay, O my Lord, I have ſeen by many arguments the wonderful great good will thou beareſt to me. For thou haſt inſtructed my ignorance, pitied my weakneſſes, cured many of my diſeaſes, delivered me from the power of temptations; I cannot tell what thou haſt done for me, O moſt merciful Saviour, who art ſtill going on, by innumerable ways, to teſtifie thou loveſt me. And this humble devout acknowledgement, will certainly invite a further effuſion of his favours. For it is a pleaſure to him to do benefits; eſpecially to thoſe he loves. He rejoyces over them to do them good. He loves to accompliſh his own good purpoſes, and delights, as much as they can deſire, to perfect what he hath happily begun in them. And therefore we may intreat him to give himſelf that pleaſure; not to loſe any of that joy, which will ſo much pleaſe and rejoyce us alſo; and make us his debtors, his admirers, his adorers, and lovers to all eternity.
We may deſire him, even that it would pleaſe him to come again, according to his promiſe; becauſe he loves us, and becauſe he loves to finiſh his works of love: and we may be confident he will, and bring his rewards with him. Though he ſtay, we think, a great while (for certain reaſons which he beſt knows) before he come; as he ſtayed two days after he heard of Lazarus his ſickneſs, (notwithſtanding the love he had for him, and his intentions to reſcue him from death:) yet we ought not to be diſcouraged, if we be ſure he loves us; but believe that he will appear at laſt, and that he will raiſe us up, though we lye dead in our graves, and have lain ſo perhaps many years, and that he will bid us come forth, and go along with him, whither his endleſs love will lead us.