The Glorious Epiphany with the Devout Christians Love, Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. A continuation of the former Argument, concerning the mighty power of the Divine Love; and the Benefit we have by loving our Lords Appearing.
HAve we not great reaſon then to love him, and to love his appearing: ſince that will be the beſt argument of his love to us; and his love, you ſee, will prove ſuch an aſſurance of all his bleſſings? What will move us, if this cannot do it? Need there any thing more be ſaid, to draw our affections towards him? If there do, then let me aſſure you that love will even transform us into him.
There is nothing more diſcernible in this paſſion, than that it aſſimilates us unto the Thing or Perſon which we love. Which ſhould teach us indeed to have a great care what and whom we love; but ſhould excite us to love him, our Deareſt Lord, without any meaſure: Becauſe nothing is ſo deſireable as to be like to him; and nothing can prepare us ſo ſurely for his glorious appearing. In that which every man loves, in that he lives, ſaith St. Auſtin upon thoſe words of the great Apoſtle St. Paul. [not I live, but Chriſt liveth in me.] So great, ſo mighty a thing is true love; that it carries the heart from the place where it is, and tranſlates it thither where it loves. If thou loveſt thy ſelf merely, then thou liveſt altogether in thy ſelf: But if thy heart be ſet on any other perſon or thing, then thou liveſt in that which hath ingaged thy affection: And if it be Jeſus whom thou loveſt in ſincerity, it is certain that in him alſo thou liveſt.
Of ſo great importance it is, that we love aright: For he that loves ill, lives ill; and he that loves well, cannot but live well too. But there is no danger at all in loving our Lord and his appearing: and therefore we need not ſtand to ask our ſelves whether we ſhould love him or no; or how much we ſhall love him; or with what paſſion and concernment we ſhould ſet our hearts upon his coming again, to take us into his glory. There is nothing to hinder us, from loving here as much as ever we are able; no fear our affections ſhould be too far ingaged, as they may be in other caſes; all that caution is uſeleſs here, which, when we are in purſuit of leſſer injoyments, is but neceſſary, to put a check upon our hearts, and cool a little our love towards them. The more we love him, the more we ſhall be like him; the more we love him, the more we ſhall live in him. This love makes us divine and heavenly; it purifies us, and makes us fit to live with him.
I muſt add alſo that, according to this rule, by loving his appearing, we ſhall be formed to ſome likeneſs of it; as much as we are capable here to be wrought and faſhioned to an imitation of a thing ſo bright and full of glory. It will raiſe our minds that is, to a noble pitch; and highly improve our degenerate nature. It will invite him to manifeſt himſelf to us, and graciouſly to ſhine upon us. It will poſſeſs us with a lively ſenſe of him, and of the glory wherein he lives. The light of his countenance will be lifted up on our ſouls; and he will fill us with a ſtronger ſenſe of life and immortality. It will chaſe away the baſe fear of death; and kill all vitious affections in us. We ſhall be purified, and refined from all our droſs, by theſe holy fires. There is no ſin will be able to live in the ſame place with this heavenly love; but will continually languiſh and decay, as this increaſes and grows ſtronger in our ſouls. Our ſpirits thereby will become more cheerful, light and aerial. They will aſcend more eaſily towards thoſe celeſtial places; and be leſs inclined, though they feel its attractions, toward this lower world. O what a Coronet of Glory, will this love place before-hand on our head! It is it ſelf a royal ornament, and a diadem of glory. It's a participation of a Divine Nature, an entrance upon the life of God, an Heaven upon earth, a pleaſure whereby we anticipate the joys of the other world: for if all love have a ſweetneſs in it, this Divine love ſure cannot but entertain us with a tranſcendent ſatisfaction.
By this we have our converſation in Heaven; and it is there only to be ever with the Lord (as much as our condition here will give us leave) for nothing but love will make him familiar to our thoughts, and preſent him frequently to the eye of our minds. Yea, this is the beſt glaſs we have, while we are here below, wherein to ſee God. If there be any way to know the meaning of thoſe words, we muſt learn it of this Teacher; which alone can diſcover to us ſo great a myſterie. Nothing elſe can lead us into that ſecrecy, and reveal to us what lies hid in that retirement, the Viſion of God. Never hope for any key to open a door into the Holy of Holies; unleſs it be this of heavenly love. If it be poſſible to peep a little behind the veil; it is love only that enjoys ſo ſingular a priviledge. For God, you ſee, is love: and the Apoſtle tells us, that when Faith and Hope ſhall be done away, it is charity alone that ſtill remains; as a thing of longer duration than this world, and whoſe proper place is Heaven. This is one of the Cherubims of Glory, that inhabits the moſt holy place, and attends upon the Majeſty on high. This is of an Angelical Nature, and is always there where God is. It waits upon him; it miniſters to him; it knows his mind; it is privy to his thoughts and deſigns; and makes us underſtand more of him, than all the wit in the world can do beſide.
There is nothing can lend wings to the ſoul, but only love: which raiſes us above this world, and ſets us in the preſence of him that made it. And what a ſight doth it give us there, of his boundleſs, bottomleſs Goodneſs? If it can ſhow us nothing elſe, it will not fail to let us ſee how gracious, how wonderfully gracious the Lord is. With what kindneſs doth love behold almighty Providence, ſpreading it ſelf in tender mercy over all its works? It is this alone can make us feel how inclinable the Divine Nature is, to pour out its Benefits. Nothing but love can make us know what an everlaſting ſpring it is of grace and bounty; and with what unwearied kindneſs it delights to communicate its bleſſings to us. And what is there that we would ſee, which is comparable to this? What can we deſire to ſee, but more of this; even when we are made perfect in love? And what thanks do we owe to God that we ſee ſo much? It ought to ſtir up all that is within us, to bleſs his holy name. We ought to ſay; every day will I bleſs thee, and praiſe thy name for ever and ever.
But for this alſo we muſt be beholden to love. For it is that which indites all our Hymns, and meditates the Divine Praiſes. It puts the ſongs of joy into our mouth; and fills our hearts with thankſgiving. Our tongues are tyed without this; or we do but babble, not ſpeak, our Saviours praiſes.
It is love that burſts out into ſuch effuſions as theſe;
O praiſe the Lord of love, who humbled himſelf do dwell among us. Praiſe him in the beauties of his holineſs; praiſe him in his ſuper-excellent wiſdom. Let all his works praiſe him; who came to us with his hands full of Miracles, and every miracle full of mercy. O praiſe him in his almighty and moſt merciful kindneſs; which made the lame to leap like a Kid, and the tongue of the dumb to ſing for joy: which opened the eyes of the blind to ſee his wonders; and the ears of the deaf to hear the wiſdom where by he ſpake: which reſtored the ſick to health, and the dead to life: which publiſhed the Goſpel to the poor, and inſtructed the ignorant in the myſteries of the Kingdom of God.
O praiſe him, before whom the Devils fled, and confeſſed him to be the Lord. Praiſe him in his incomparable love; which thought it not enough to do all this, but alſo gave himſelf to dye for us. Let all Nations praiſe him, who are the purchaſe of his blood. Let them mark every ſtep of his dying love; from the time he was betrayed and ſold like a ſlave, till he finiſhed his ſufferings on the Croſs. O the greatneſs of that love, which endured ſuch ſcorn, ſuch reproach, ſuch a bitter agony and ſhameful death, even for all thoſe who have little ſenſe of this wondrous love!
But let no Chriſtian ſoul be inſenſible, how the hands which wrought ſo many Miracles, and the feet which travelled up and down to do men good, were cruelly nailed by them to an ignominious Gibbet. Let them remember how his head was crowned with thorns, and his body cloathed in a fools coat. How they ſpit in his face, blinded his eyes, and then rudely buffeted him to make them ſport. O what love was that, which made him ſubmit to be mocked and reviled, to be accounted worſe than a ſeditious murderer, and numbred among the greateſt tranſgreſſors! And above all, let it never be forgotten how he ſweat in our ſervice, as it had been drops of blood; and at laſt bled to death, after three hours ſhame and anguiſh on the Croſs.
Praiſed be that incomparable Charity. Praiſed be his inimitable meekneſs and humilitie. Let all the world extol and praiſe his Lamb-like patience and innocence. Let them celebrate his admirable kindneſs in forgiving ſuch implacable enemies; and his intire confidence and faith in God, whereby he offered up himſelf to him, and obtained an eternal redemption for us. O the wonderful vertue of that ſacrifice, which hath taken away the ſins of the world! Praiſed be the tender mercies of our God, which have forgiven us ſo many treſpaſſes. Praiſed be his mercies, which have not only forgiven us; but reſtored us to life and glory again, by the reſurrection of Jeſus from the dead.
Let us rejoyce and be glad in that great ſalvation. Let us bleſs the God and Father of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by that reſurrection of his from the dead. Let us lift up our heads and look to Heaven our ancient Country, for there he is exalted: And let us thank our God, who hath ſet him at his own right hand, and made him moſt glorious for ever.
See how all the Angels welcomed him thither; and falling at his feet, moſt humbly worſhipped his Majeſty. See how they all now wait upon him, and conſtantly attend his pleaſure. And let us worſhip him too, with the devouteſt and moſt lowly reverence. Let us praiſe him in his Sanctuary: where he appears before God for us; from whence he ſends down the gracious influences of his ſpirit on us; and commands his Angels to miniſter unto us. Let us praiſe him, the glorious King of Angels and men. Who hath conquered death; and triumphed over all the powers of darkneſs; and opening the Kingdom of Heaven to all the faithful, hath promiſed that they ſhall reign in glory together with him.
Let all the Angelical Miniſters praiſe him. Let the Apoſtles, Prophets and Martyrs praiſe him. Let all thoſe who are departed in the true faith and fear of him, praiſe him. And let all the living, who partake of the daily fruit of his bounteous love, continually praiſe him. Let them praiſe the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent, his glory is above the Earth and Heaven.
Let them praiſe him in the greatneſs of his Power, in the Wiſdom of his Counſels, in the carefulneſs of his Providence, in the riches, the exceeding riches of his Grace, in the ſtedfaſtneſs of his word, and the faithfulneſs of all his promiſes. And let them all joyn together and beſeech him to come again; that he may both accompliſh our hopes, and perfect his own praiſes.
O let him come that we may give him better praiſes, in one body for ever.