The True Christians Love of the Unseen Christ, Section 11
SECT. XI.
Vse 4. FOR Exhortation unto the love of Jesus Christ, whom you have never seen, this is the Use chiefly designed in the choice of this subject, and which I shall most largely insist upon. In the Prosecution of it, I shall give some Motives, and then some Directions.
The Motives to Induce and Excite you unto the Love of this unseen Christ, may be drawn 1. From the consideration of what Christ is. 2. From the consideration of Christ's Love. 3. From the consideration of Christ's Benefits. 4. From the consideration of that Love which Christians have, and should have unto Christ.
The first sort of Motives may be drawn from the consideration of what Christ is, and that 1 What he is in Himself. 2 What he is to the Father. 3 What he is unto true Christians.
First, Consider What Christ is in Himself.
In generall, He is the most amiable person and the most sutable Object for your Love. If you ask of the dayes which are past, which were before you, since the day that God created Man upon the Earth; if you seek from one side of Heaven unto the other; if you make enquiry into all the parts of the Earth, you will never find that either there ever was or is to be found any person so lovely, so beautifull and so every way deserving your Love, as the Lord Jesus Christ: there is a Matchless, Transcendent, and Incomparable Beauty and Excellency in him. How passionately are some Foolish Men in Love with the externall beauty which they see in some Women: the exact Symetry of parts, and comely Proportion of the body; the Amiable Features and Lovely Mixtures of colours in the Face, the Beauty of the Eyes, in their Spirit their Quick and Graceful motions, and Amorous Glances; How doth this Ravish the Hearts of some fond Lovers! although the most Beautiful body in the World, is no better than painted clay, dirt and corruption, enclosed in a Fair Skin, which sickness will cause to look pale and Wan, Death will quite Marr and Spoil. But the Amiableness and Beauty of Christ is more Transcendent and Permanent, and therefore a more fit Object for your Love. Christ is Fairer than the Children of Men; he is all Fair without any Spot, altogether Lovely without any Blemish or Deformity. I have already spoken of the Glorious Beauty which is in Christ's Glorified Body, the most Lovely of any Visible creature which God hath made; and also of the Shining Excellencies which are in Christ's Glorified Soul, so nearly joyned to the Divinity; could we suppose all the Loveliness that ever was seen, or found in the most lovely persons that ever lived, to meet in one person; how Lovely would that person be! yet such, though never so resplendent, Beauty, would be but a dark Shaddow, compared with the Brightness of Christ's most Beautifull Person. Can you Love the imperfect Beauty which you see in Creatures, and will you not Love the perfect Beauty which there is in Christ? can you Love a Fading Beauty which soon Withereth like the Flower, and will you not Love Christ, whose Beauty never Decays, but alwayes doth abide more Fresh than Beauty in the Flower of Youth? can you be soon Affected with Beautiful Objects which are before the Eye of your Sense, and will you not be Affected with this far more Beautiful Object, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is so clearly discernable by the Eye of Faith? If the Eye of your Faith were open and clear, to look upon the Transcendent Amiableness which is in Christ, you could not chuse but Love him: could you see the Glances of his Eye, and the Sweet Smiles of his Lovely Face, as some have seen, your Hearts would be Overcome and Ravished with Love, and filled with Extacies of Joy and Ineffable Delight.
More Particularly, There are the most Amiable Qualifications in Christs Person, to attract and draw forth your Love; I shall instance in these six. 1. His Greatness and Authority. 2. His Holiness and Purity. 3. His Wisdom and Omnisciency. 4. His Truth and Fidelity. 5. His Fulness and All-sufficiency. 6. His Kindness and Mercy.
1. Consider Christ's Greatness and Authority, Aquila non capit muscas, The Eagle doth not pursue after Flies: Great Souls are not Affected, except it be with Great Things; there is none so Great as Jesus Christ; He is most Great in Honour and Dignity, He is most Great in Power and Authority. Excellency of Majesty, doth greatly engage the Love, and command the Hearts as well as the Obedience of Subjects: and those Princes that have the greatest Power and Authority, are the Darlings of the people, when they dont abuse their place by Unrighteousness and Cruelty, by Usurpation and Tyranny. If Power be managed with Clemency, and Authority with Kindness towards those that are under command; so highly do Princes advance themselves hereby in the Esteem and Love of their people, that they will be ready to spend their Estates, and venture their Lives in their Service. Christ is the Prince of the Kings of the Earth, he is clothed with the Highest Honour, Arrayed with the most Excellent Majesty, Decked with the largest Power, and invested with the Greatest Authority. He is the King and Lord of Glory, He is Exalted to Higher Dignity than the greatest Potentate that ever lived upon the Earth; yea he is advanced above all Thrones and Dominions, and Principalities and Powers, of the Glorious Angels which are in Heaven; All Power is given to him in Heaven and Earth, Mat. 28. 18. He doth what he will in Heaven the Angels are at his Beck, and Execute his Will, go and come at his Command; and he hath Power on Earth; He is the Head of the Church, and Head over all unto the Church; he can Restrain his Enemies, and conquer them, and bring them under his Feet at his Pleasure; And whatever severity he doth shew sometimes in Executing his Judgments, and taking Vengeance on the Wicked, he doth never abuse his Power by Unrighteousness: He is most Just towards the worst, and punisheth them here lesse than their iniquities do deserve. But what kindness and clemency doth he shew to his own subjects and people? and will not you have a great love to so great a Person? should not the consideration of the high dignity of your Lord, raise your love of him unto a great heighth? when Christ hath such Authority, shall he not command your hearts? when Christ is invested with such power that he can defend you against the rage and cruelty of your most powerful and malicious adversaries, will you not love greatly such a Person, as well as trust confidently under the shadow of his Government?
2. Consider Christs Holiness and Purity, some great Persons who abound in Wealth and Honour, who have some kind of amiable natural qualities, and acquired accomplishments which might render them very useful in their Countries, yet through their wickedness and debauchery, their filthiness and impurity, their impious and vicious lives, they stain all their other excellencies, and render themselves the objects of contempt and scorn, unto those who otherwise would bear great respect and love to them.
But Christ is most amiable for his Holiness and Purity; he was holy in his birth; although born of a sinful woman, yet he was born without sin; when he lived amongst impure sinners he kept his garments from all stains and spots, his heart and life were free from all pollutions, and never was he guilty of the least transgression either in action or the least inclination. O what an excellent Person was Christ when here upon the Earth! how glorious in holiness, what bright beams of perfect purity and exact innocency did Christ scatter in those dark places of the Earth where he lived, and amongst those dark sullied sinners with whom he did converse! how then doth Christ shine in holiness, now he is entred into the Holy of Holies, which is above; and there doth coverse with none but such as are Holy? I know because of Christs Holiness and Purity, he is the object of the hatred and enmity of the wicked and ungodly; because Christ is an enemy unto their darling and beloved lusts, they have an enmity against Christs Person: when he was here below he telleth his brethren, John 7. 7. The World hateth me, because I testifie of it, that the works thereof are evil, and the hatred of the world doth still abide upon the same account; Christ doth reprove the world of sin, and this the world cannot endure and away with; the beams of Christs Holiness doe offend their Sore Eyes, his holy precepts do offend their carnal hearts; yet notwithstanding this, he is a most sutable object for the love of Saints upon the account of his Holiness: such as are truely judicious will love them most who are best, and such are really the best Men and Women in the world, as are most holy; if you are Christ's disciples indeed, you love holiness where ever you see it, and can you love the imperfect holiness which is in Gods people, and will you not love Christ who is perfectly, Infinitely holy himself, and the spring of all that holiness, which is to be found in any of the Children of Men? if there be such a wonderful lustre in the derived holiness of some, that it makes them to shine as lights in a dark World, what a wonderful transcendent lustre is there in the origiginal holiness which is in Christ! which as it is matter of great admiration, so it calls for great affection, Psal. 119. 140. Thy word is very pure, therefore thy Servant loveth it. Christ is the Word, not the written Word, but the Essential Word, and he is very pure, therefore you should love him.
3. Consider Christ's Wisdome and Omnisciency. Wisdom doth make the face to shine; Learning doth advance some very highly in esteem; such as know most, if their morals be sutable to their intellectuals, are most admired by those that understand what true worth is; especially if there be spiritual Wisdome in conjunction with natural and acquired, if there be much Grace in the heart as well as much Knowledge in the head, how worthy are such to be beloved? Daniel was a man of great learning and wisdome, skill'd in all the learning of the Chaldeans which was not sinful and di…bolical; and besides this he was endued with divine wisdome by the teachings of the Holy Spirit; the Angel told this Daniel more than once or twice, that he was a Man greatly beloved; he was greatly beloved by the Lord of Heaven, greatly beloved by his Prince on Earth, and greatly beloved by his people, and by all, except some few that envied his prosperity and favor Daniels Wisdom did render him so universally amiable; How then should Christ be beloved because of his Wisdom and Knowledge! the wisdom of Christ is far beyond the Wisdome of Daniel, or the Wisdom of Solomon who was wiser than Daniel; these men had Wisdome which made them famous and esteemed in their day, but Christ is Wisdome, the Wisdome of the Father; they were children of wisdome, but Christ is the Father and Fountain of wisdome; they had some jewels of wisdome, but the treasures of wisdome are hid and laid up in Christ, Col. 2. 3. they had learning and knowledge, but their knowledge was Ignorance compared with the knowledge of Christ, the greatest part of the things which they knew, being but the least part of the things which they knew not; they knew some things, but Christ is omniscient and knoweth all things; they knew many secrets of nature, but Christ knoweth the secrets of Heaven, the mind of God, and nothing is hid from him. How greatly beloved then should Christ belif you are wise you will, if you would be wise you must love Christ who is so Infinitely wise himself, and who alone can make you truly wise.
4. Consider Christs Truth and Fidelity, Truth and Faithfulness are very rare in our dayes, when Falshood and Deceit do so much abound; what was said of old, Isa. 59. 14. 15. Truth faileth and falleth in the Street, the same may be said now; and therefore such as are True without Guile, Faithful without Deceit, are worthy of great esteem and Love. But what Love should you give unto Christ, who is not only True, but Truth it self; who is most Faithful in all his undertakings and promises, and never deceived any that put their trust in him, who is often better than his word, never worse? you will love a true and faithful Friend, and will you not love a true and faithful Christ, the best Friend of the children of Men? as Christs faithfulness should encourage your confidence in him, so it should endear your love unto him.
5. Consider Christs fulness and All sufficiency. Such as have large and plentiful Estates, are greatly beloved by the poor and indigent, if they find them also to have large Hearts and open Hands ready to distribute unto their wants and necessities; none have such fulness and plenty as the Lord Jesus Christ, and none so willing to communicate of his fulness unto the wants of such as are poor in Spirit, and sensible of their need, Col. 1. 19. It hath pleased the Father that in him all fulness should dwell. There is not only Plenty in him, but fulness: not the fulness of the cistern, but the fulness of the Fountain; not the fulness only of sufficiency for himself, but the fulness of redundancy for his people; not some fulness for some things, but all fulness for all things that are good; not fulness for some time and to continue but for a while, but all fulness doth dwell in him, and abide for all his people throughout all Generations; and this not to depend upon the pleasure of men whose minds may alter, but it hath pleased the Father, it dependeth upon the pleasure of the Father who is always the same, and whose good will to his people is unchangeable. There is a twofold fulness in Christ for his people here; besides his fulness of Glory which hath a reference to Eternity. There is a fulness of Merit, and a fulness of Spirit, 1. A fulness of Merit, in that full and perfect Righteousness which he hath wrought out for them, and which he doth impute unto them for their Justification. 2. There is a fulness of Spirit in Christ, the Spirit being given unto him without measure, which he doth impart and communicate unto them, for their Sanctification and Consolation. Christians you are empty, Christ is full; you are poor, Christ is rich; you are indigent, Christ is All-sufficient; and will not you love Christ, who is able to do for you, beyond what you are able to ask or think, and is as willing as he is able to supply all your Spiritual necessities? will you not love Christ who is an Overflowing & Everflowing …ountain of Good, who hath inexhaustible treasures of Graces and Comforts in him, which are set open before you, and unto you, and every day you may freely come and fetch such jewels out of this Treasury, as are of higher worth and greater use than any Earthly Riches in the greatest Plenty and abundance?
6. Consider Christs kindness and mercy. All the kindness of Men is unkindness compared with the kindness of Christ, all the Mercies of Men are Cruelty, compared with the Mercies of Christ. He is all kindness, all bowels, all compassion, all pity, all grace, all mercy to miserable lost mankind; I shall not enlarge here because this will fall under the second head of Arguments, taken from the consideration of Christs Love. And if you add the kindness and mercy of Christ to all his other excellencies and perfections, surely he will appear to have incomparably the greatest attractives in him for Love, unto any that have not a very thick veil of unbelief before their Eyes to hide him from their view.
Secondly, Consider what Christ is to the Father. 1. He is most nearly related to him. 2. He is most dearly beloved by him.
1. Christ is most nearly Related, and with all most perfectly like unto the Father. All the Creatures are related to God as their Maker, but Gods Children are more nearly related; the Saints are nearly related to God, who are his Children by Adoption and Regeneration; the Angels are more nearly related to God who are his Sons by Creation, and never were separated from him by sin; but the Lord Jesus Christ is most nearly related unto God who is his Son by Eternal Generation: thus Christ is the only Begotten Son of God, and doth bear his Image most perfectly, being the brightness of his Fathers Glory, and the express Image of his Person. This near Relation of Christ, and his likeness to the Father doth call for your strongest love; if you have reason to honour the Father, on the same account you have reason to honour the Son; if you have reason to love the Father, you have the same reason to love the Son. You will love the Sons of Princes, and will you not love the Son of God? you will love your own Children who bear your Own Image, and will not you love Christ who is the express Image of God? we read of Christ, Phil. 2. 6. Who being in the form of God, thought it no Robbery to be equal with God. Christ (without Robbery or Derogation unto God) is equal with God in all Glorious Excellencies and Perfections, and therefore your highest and strongest love is his due, and without robbery you cannot withhold it from him.
2. Christ is most dearly beloved by the Father, 2 Pet. 1. 17. For he received from God the Father, Honour and Glory, when there came such a voice to him, from the Excellent Glory: This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased, he then that is wort…y of the Fathers love, surely is worthy of yours; he that is cheifly beloved by the Father should chiefly be beloved by you.
Thirdly, Consider what Christ is unto all true Christians; if you be such, Christ is your Shepherd, he feedeth you in green Pastures, he hath laid down his life for his Sheep, and will you not love such a Shepherd? he is your Captain who hath conquered all your Enemies for you, and leadeth you on to take the spoils, and will you not love such a leader? He is your Prophet, who teacheth you the most excellent things that ever were taught, the highest mysteries, the most Glorious Truths, which are of the greatest concernment to know and believe; and he teacheth you in the most excellent way by his word and Spirit, opening your understandings as well as his Truths, giving you light and an eye to discern this light; and will you not love such a teacher? He is your High-Priest who hath made satisfaction for you, and withall maketh intercession for you, to reconcile …ou unto God and his intercession is incessant and prevalent, and will you not love such an Advocate? He is your King who ruleth you most powerfully and righteously, most Wisely and Graciously, and will you not love such a Soveraign. He is your Benefactor the most kind and bountiful, and no gifts are comparable unto his gifts, and will you not love such a friend? He is your Brother, and if he be not a shamed to own you for his Bretheren and Sisters, will it not be a shame if you should withhold from him your hearts? He is your Husband, and you are joyned to him by the Spirit and Faith in such Bonds as cannot be broken, and will not you embrace him in the arms of your dearest love? He is your Redeemer who rescued and delivered you from Sin and Sathan, from Death and Wrath: He hath redeemed you by price, the price of his blood, and hath he not then given the greatest price for your Love? he hath redeemed you also by conquest, and shall he not make a conquest of your hearts? Surely you are altogether unworthy of these relations if you do not present Christ with your most endeared and choisest Affections. Thus far the Motives drawn from the Consideration of what Christ is.