The True Christians Love of the Unseen Christ, Section 1 – Section 6
Section. I.
Doct. THat it is the Property and duty of true Christians to love the Lord Iesus Christ, whom they have never seen.
In handling of this point I shall speak. 1. Concerning true Christians who do love Jesus Christ. 2. Concerning Jesus Christ whom they have never seen, the Object of their Love. 3. Concerning the Love which they bare unto this unseen Christ. 4. Shew that it is the Property of true Christians to Love Jesus Christ whom they have never seen. 5. That it is their Duty to love him. 6. How they ought to love Him. 7. Why they do love Him, where I shall give the reasons of the point. 8. Make some Use and Application.
1. Concerning true Christians whose property it is to love Jesus Christ whom they have never seen, whom having not seen yee love, ye love, that is, ye who are true Christians, who are so in reality as well as profession; and of these true Christians that do love Christ, the Apostle doth give a description in the 2d. ver. where he calls them, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, th…ough Sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ. True Christians are Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, they are such whom God according to the Councel of his own will, according to his own purpose and grace, did choose from all Eternity to be a holy and peculiar people to himself, to glorifie him here on Earth, and that they might be glorifyed by him hereafter in heaven. And this election doth evidence it self in the Sanctification of the Spirit, true Christians are sanctified being separated and set apart from the rest of the world, for Gods use and service: God hath sealed them for himself, and hereby distinguished them from all others, the Motto of which seal is this, Holiness unto the Lord. See a description of them in this respect, 2 Tim. 2. 21. If any man purge… himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto Honour, sanctifyed and meet for the Masters use, and prepared unto every good work: they are purged from the defilement of sin, which doth pollute and dishonor them, they are vessels unto honour, like those of Silver and Gold in a great house, which are adorned with Pearls and precious stones; they are adorned with all sanctifying graces, which are of more worth than the richest Jewels; and hereby they are both beautiful in Gods eye, and they are made meet for Gods use, being hereby prepared and enabled unto every good work. This the Apostle prays for in the behalf of the Thessalonians, 1 Thess. 5. 23. And the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly, and I pray God your whole Spirit, and Soul, and Body be preserved blamelesse unto the coming of our Lord Iesus Christ. True Christians are sanctifyed wholly, in their whole man, though they be not sanctified thorowly: they are sanctified in every part, though they are not sanctified in the highest degree. Their whole Spirit is sanctified that is the higher faculties of the soul, namely the understanding and the will▪ their understandings are enlightned by the Spirit unto a Spiritual discerning both of good and evil, beyond what any natural man doth o… can atta…n unto; their wills are bowed, or rather rectified, and made straight, being enclined unto God and his Law. Their Souls are sanctified in the inferior faculties, in all the affections belonging both to the concupiscible and the irrascible appetite; their liking affections of love, desire, delight and hope are towards God and Christ and things above; their disliking affections of hatred, fear, grief and anger are towards sin. Their bodies also are sanctifyed being made members of Christ, and instruments of Righteousness; their eyes, ears, tongues, hands, feet and every part being devoted to God and made use of for his glory; Thus true Christians are sanctified by the spirit. And they are sanctified unto obedience, the graces which are wrought by the spirit in their hearts, do appear in the obedience of their lives; the course of their lives in a course of obedience unto the laws of Christ: they are sanctified unto obedience and they are sanctified unto sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ; God hath set them apart to be sprinkled with the blood of the immac…late Lamb, who takes away sin that they might be pardoned and saved, such are true Christians who love Christ whom they have not seen.
Section. II.
Secondly COncerning the object of true Christians Love, and that is Jesus Christ whom they have never seen. This Jesus Christ whom they love is the Eternal Son of God, the second Person in the glorious Trinity, who in time assumed our Humane Nature, clothed himself with our mortal Flesh, lived like a servant in a mean condition, died like a malefactor the cursed Death of the Cross, and all for our sakes, for our sins, rose again the third day for our Justification, ascended up into heaven after forty days, and there is set down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high, to make intercession for us, and to make preparation there for our reception, into the glorious Mansions and Eternal Habitations, which are in the Fathers house. He is called Jesus from the Hebrew word foreign which signifieth to save because he saveth his people from their sins, Matth. 1. 21. He is called Christ from the Greek word foreign which signifieth to anoint, he being anointed by the Father with the Spirit and with Power, to be Mediator between God and Man, to be the great Prophet, and Priest, and King, of the Church. This Jesus Christ Christians have not seen with the eye of sense; indeed some Christians in the primitive times, as the Apostles who were of his family and other disciples who conversed with him frequently, did see Christ with the eye of sense, but it was in his state of Humiliation, when he was here upon the Earth, not in his state of Exaltation, now he is in Heaven; yet some have seen Christ after his Ascention namely Paul at his conversion, and Stephen the Proto Martyr before he dyed; but none have had a perfect sight with bodily eyes of the Glory which is upon Christ's body, the lustre of which is so great that none can behold it in this state of weakness and imperfection, and live. But whatever sight some Christians have had formerly, no Christians now have a sight of Christ's Person; they have heard of him with the hearing of the Ear, but they have not seen him with the seeing of the Eye; they have seen Representations of Christ in the Sacrament, but they have never seen his Person that is represented; they have seen his Image upon their Fellow-Christians, but they have not seen the original from whom this Image hath been drawn. Some Christians have been in Iudea, and seen the place where the Lord lived; and at Ierusalem and seen the place where the Lord dyed; and Visited the place of his Sepulchre where the Lord for a time did lye: and they have seen the Mount whence the Lord Ascended; but no Christians now alive have been in Ierusalem, and on Mount Sion, which is above, to see where the Lord now is in his Glory. It is this Jesus Christ whom Christians have not seen, that is the Object of their Love.
Section III.
Thirdly, Concerning the Love which True Christians do bear unto this unseen Christ. Love is the going forth of the Heart unto the Object Beloved; and the Love which True Christians do bear unto Jesus Christ, is a Grace wrought by the Spirit in their hearts, whereby upon discovery and believing Apprehensions of Christs infinite Loveliness and Excellency, his Matchless Love Grace and Mercy; their Hearts do go forth towards him in Earnest desires after Union to him, and Communion with him, wherein they take chief Complacency; and this accompanied with a yeilding and dedication of themselves unto his will and service.
1. The Love of Christians unto Christ, is a Grace wrought in their Hearts by the Spirit. It is a Flower most Sweet and Fragrant, but there is no Seed of it in the Nature of any Man since the Fall, it is planted in the Soul by the Spirit of God. Love to Christ is a Divine Spark, that comes down from above; a fire which is kindled by the breath of the Lord, whose Ess…nce is Love.
2. The Ground of this Love to Christ, is the discovery and believing Apprehensions of Christs Lovelinesse and Love. There must be first a discovery of Christ as a sutable Object for Love, and not a bare Notion of this, but believing apprehensions of it, that Christ is Infinitely lovely, Superlatively Excellent; and that his love is Matchless and Transcendent towards the Children of Men, that there is a Treasury in him, and a Storehouse of all Graces, and the most Needfull and Rich Supplies; otherwise there will be no going forth of the Heart in love unto him.
3. The Actings of Christians love to Christ, is in their desires after Vnion unto, and Communion with Christ. It is the Nature of love to desire Union to the Object beloved; especially of this love to Christ: and this Union being attained, the desires are after Communion with Christ, Converse and Fellowship with him; no Converse is so desirable as with the Persons whom we most dearly love: and this Communion being attained, there is chief Complacency therein, the Soul doth sweetly rest and repose it self in Christ, and rejoyceth in his presence and love.
4. The Concomitant of this Love which True Christians have unto Christ, is a yielding and dedication of themselves unto his will and Service. Lovers do give themselves unto those whom they love; this accompanieth the Marriage Union: and such as love Christ, they are Espoused and joyned unto Christ; and they give themselves unto Christ to be his, and wholly at his dispose, as the Wife giveth her self unto the dispose of her Husband.
Section IV.
Fourthly, THe Fourth thing is to shew, that it is the Property of all true Christians, to Love this unseen Christ. True Christians are differenced and distinguished, not only from all Heathens and Infidels, but also from all bare Nominall Christians, by their Love to Jesus Christ. It is the Property of Covetous Persons to love Worldly Wealth and Riches: It is the Property of Ambitious Persons, to love Worldly Honour and Dignities: It is the Property of Voluptuous Persons, to love Sensual Pleasures and Delights: And it is the Property of True Christians to Love Jesus Christ whom they have never seen. None but such as are True Christians do Love Christ, and all those that are True Christians do love him. The Loveliness of Christ doth appear not to the Eye of Sense, but to the Eye of Faith; they that do not see him with this Eye, they cannot love him; and they that do see him with this Eye, they cannot choose but love him. Such as do not love Christ, it is not because Christ wants Beauty, but because they are blind. Now all true Christians have this Eye of Faith, to discern Christ's Excellencies; and none but True Christians have this Eye; the Essence of Christianity doth consist in Believing▪ Reason makes us Men, but Faith makes us True Christians. It being therefore the property of True Christians to believe, it is their property also to love this Unseen Christ.
Section V.
Fifthly, THe Fifth thing is to shew, that it is the Duty of all True Christians to love this unseen Christ. This will appear if you look into John 21. 15. 16, 17. Peter was one of the boldest and forwardest of all Christs disciples, but he had been withal too self-confident, which was the introduction unto and laid the foundation for his fall and thrice shameful denial of his Master; a look from his Lord put him in remembrance, and brought him to Repentance with bitter weeping for his sin so soon as it was committed. After our Saviour was risen from the dead, he appears unto Peter with other of his disciples and in this place he asketh the same question in the same words three times, Simon Son of Ionas, lovest thou me? Whereby as he doth tacitly upbraid him for his great sin in his three times denyal of him (which had there not been a defect in his love, he would never have done) so he doth also give a signification that love to himself is the great duty, and the great thing which he doth look for in all his disciples.
Section. VI.
THe 6th. thing is to shew how Christians ought to Love this unseen Christ.
1. Christians ought to love Christ with Sincerity of Love, Eph. 6. 24. Grace be with all them that Love our Lord Iesus Christ in Sincerity. It was the great sin of Iudah, Ier. 3. 10. That she turned not to the Lord with her whole heart, but feignedly: so it is a great sin to love Christ with a feigned and hypocritical love; the love of Christians to Christ ought to be sincere in regard of the habit & inward workings of it, they must love him not only in show, word, and outward profession, but their love must be cordial in the heart and so a love indeed and in truth: and the love of Christians to Christ must be sincere in regard of the object of it, they must love Christ for himself and not chiefly for what they get by him; to love Christ only for Temporal gain is hypocritical love, to love Christ cheifly for other gain is not so spiritual, but to love Christ for his own excellencies and perfections is most sincere and generous, this sincerity of love to Christ is every ones duty.
2. Christians ought to love Christ with Supremacy of love, they must place him in the highest seat of their hearts; he is a Great King, and he looks for the Throne, and that all Creatures should be placed beneath him, and stand at his Footstool: Math. 10. 37. He that loveth Father or Mother more than mee, is not worthy of Me; he that loveth Son or Daughter more than Me, is not Worthy of Me. They are the words of our Saviour: Christians may love Father and Mother, the Law of God and Nature doth require it; they may love Husband and Wife, the Word of God enjoyneth the Husband to love his Wife as his own Body, and as Christ loved the Church; they may love Sons, Daughters, Brethren, Sisters, Kindred, Friends, yea Enemies, and they ought to do it; yet all must be with a Subordinate love, but they must love Christ with their chief love; otherwise they are not worthy to stand in the Relation of Disciples.
3. Christians ought to love Christ with Ardency of Love: Luk. 24. 32. And they said one to another, did not our Hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the Way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures? This burning love Christ enkindled in the heart of his Disciples, and this burning love Christ requireth of all Christians; Can…. 8. 6, 7. Love is strong as Death, the coals thereof are coals of Fir… which hath a vehement Flame. Many Waters cannot quench Love, neither can the Floods drown it. Such a strong vehement ardent flaming love Christians should have unto Jesus Christ, which all the waters of Affliction may not be able to quench, which no Flouds of Temptations or Persecution may be able to drown and ove… whelm. Therefore
4. Christians ought to love Christ with Constancy of Love. Having begun to love him, they ought to continue to love him, and to love him unto the end; as they ought to be constant in their Obedience, and to persevere in their other Graces; so they ought to be constant and to persevere in this Grace of love to Christ.