The True Christians Love of the Unseen Christ, Section 12
SECT. XII.
THe 2d. sort of Motives to excite your Love to Christ, may be drawn from the consideration of Christs love unto true Christians. If you are Christians indeed, Christ loveth you, 1. with the Freeest Love. 2. With the Truest Love. 3. With the Strongest Love. 4. With the surest Love.
1. Consider that Christ Loveth you with the Freest Love: There are many motives and attractives for your Love to Christ, but Christs love to you is most free; nothing in your selves to draw and engage his love, except deformity and enmity to him, except filthiness which he loatheth, and wickedness which his soul hateth be motives. There is no man in the world that loveth you but he find…th or fancyeth some loveliness in you, something to be a motive to draw his love to you; witt is a motive to some, wealth to others, beauty to some, strength to others, near Relation to some, dear love to others, liberality to some, service to others; greatness to some, goodness to others; likeness whether it be in good or evil is a motive to the love of the most; But Christs first love to you, is altogether free, that which is a motive to men and induceth their love to you is no motive to incline the Love of Christ: the sin which you brought into the world with you, and the many sins which since you came into the world have been committed by you, are enough to shut out all motives of Love in Christ, unto whom all sin is so odious and abominable. Whatever motive induced Christ to love you, it was not drawn from your selves, but it was drawn from his own bowels. And will not this free love of Christ incline you to love him? Doth he love you most freely, and will not you love him most dearly? Did Christ love you without any motive to draw his love? and will not you love Christ in whom there are so many motives to draw your love? Did Christ begin to love, and will not you make a return? Did Christ love you under your deformity, and will not you love him in whom there is such perfect beauty? If you now have any spiritual beauty, it is through the comeliness which Christ hath put upon you, but Christs first love was free, which is Matter of the greatest admiration, and should be a Motive unto the greatest Affection.
2. Consider that Christ loveth you with the Truest love: There is little true love in the world, you have many that truly hate you, few that truly love you: and there is much dissimulation in the pretended love and affection of some; all that Flatter you do not truly love you; love in shew and outward appearance, in good words and fair speeches is common, but love in deed and in truth, that evidenceth it self in real offices of Love, where there is the greatest need, this is rarely to be found. Iob complaineth, Iob 6. 15, 16, 17. My brethren have dealt deceitfully like a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away; which are blackish by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid; what time they wax warm they vanish, when it is hot they are consumed out of their place. In the prosperity of Iob he had many friends, and their love and friendship did seem to have some strength and consistency, like the ice upon the brook; but when heat of trouble and calamity came upon Iob, then the love of his friends did melt and vanish away like ice and snow before the warm beams of the Sun: the Love of the most is selfish, for their own ends, and therefore when their love is not like to be beneficial, but rather create trouble and prejudice to themselves, it cometh to nothing. True Christianity doth teach another kind of Love, and those that are powerfully Religious have a true love, which is ready to shew it self most in an Adverse estate. But none do or can love you with such a true love as Jesus Christ; there is no flattery or dissimulation in his Love, his love is not in the least counterfeit, it is not in the least selfish and for his own ends; he doth not love you to Receive good from you, but that he might Do good unto you: He loveeth you not onelyonly in Prosperity, but chiefly He doth evidence his love in Affliction and adversity. He is a present help in the time of trouble, and then doth give the most tender demonstrations of his Love; he is touched with the feeling of your infirmities when you are tempted, and sympathizeth with you in your sorrows when you are afflicted; He shewes his Love in visiting you under your troubles, in supporting you, in relieving you, and in delivering you, Oh! what Love should you have unto the Lord Jesus Christ, who Loveth you with such a True love?
3. Consider th…t Christ Loveth you with the Strongest Love. His love is more strong than▪ Death, more ardent than the Fire, which hath a most vehement Flame. The strength of Christs Love to you doth shew it self in the activity of his Love, in his Doing for you; and this will appear in three things, 1. In what he hath done for you, 2. In what he is doing for you. 3. In what he will do for you.
1. The strength and activity of Christs Love to you, doth shew it self in what Christ hath done for you; I shall briefly name some particulars. 1. It was the strong Love of Christ which brought him down from heaven for you, to assume your Nature, what manner of love was this that God should become man! that Spirit should become flesh, that he who made the world should be born of a mean Virgin, and all for your sakes! 2. It was the love of Christ which made him to fullfil all righteousness for you; He yielded perfect obedience to the Law both Moral and Ceremonial, that you might have the benefit of it. It was the Love of Christ which made him submit himself to the temptations of the Devil for you, that he, suffering being tempted, might be able to succour you when you are tempted. 4. It was the Love of Christ which made him endure the contradictions of sinners for you; he bore many affronts, contumelies, envyings and blasphemies of wicked men, that he might give you an example how to carry your selves under the like circumstances. 5. It was the Love of Christ which made him lay down his Life for you, Ioh. 15. 13, 14. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend: ye are my friends. That such a person as Christ, so excellent, so innocent, should undergo death, and such a death as that of the Cross, so disgraceful, so painful; that he should submit to such Ignominy, and endure such Agony, such tearings in his flesh, such pressures in his spirit, and that with such resolution and willingness, with such submission and patience, and that for such as you, although now his friends, yet whilst in a state of Nature strangers and enemies; here was Love stronger than death! Oh the height! Oh the depth of this Love! There are such dimensions in this love of Christ, as the longest line of your most extended thoughts and imaginations can never be able to reach and measure. 6. It was the Love of Christ which raised him again from the dead for you, Rom. 4. 25. Who was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification. 7. It was the Love of Christ which carryed him up from earth to heaven, where he was before for you, Ioh. 16. 7. Nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart I will send him unto you.
2. The strength and activity of Christs Love to you doth shew it self in what he is Doing for you. 1. He is interceding for you at the right hand of God; Rom. 8. 34. Who is he that condemneth? it is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. It is through Love that Christ doth plead for you in Heaven, that your persons may be accepted, your sins pardoned, your prayers answered, and that the Holy Ghost may be sent down to you to teach sanctifie and comfort you. 2. He is preparing a place for you, Ioh. 14. 2. In my fathers house there are many Mansions, if it were not so I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. It is through love that Christ as your forerunner is for you entred into the glorious Palace that is above, to take possession of it for you, and to prepare places there for your reception.
3. The strength and activity of Christ's love to you doth shew it self in what he will do for you. 1. He will keep you in his hand that none shall pluck you thence, Ioh. 10. 28. They shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Because you are received into the arms of his love, therefore you shall be kept by the hand of his power, and therefore you shall never either finally or totally fall away. 2. Christ will make all things work together for your good, Rom. 8. 28. And we know that All things work together for good to them that love God. Christ hath an endeared love to all you that love God, your love being the fruit of his; and when Men and Devils conspire together to do you mischief, Christs love will turn it unto your spiritual advantage. 3. Christ will stand by you in trouble and at death, Iohn 14. 18. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come unto you. When affliction doth arise, especially if it be for his sake & you are bereaved of all outward Comforts, Christ will not leave you comfortless, when friends fail, and flesh fails, and Heart fail, yea and life fails, Christ will not fail, but will stand by and strengthen you, and be a light to you in your darkest hours, a stay to your Spirits when they are ready to sink within you. 4. After death Christ will take care of your Souls, he will not suf…er them to wander they know not whither, he will not suffer the Devil to seize on them as his prey, but he will send his Angels to conduct and convey them into the heavenly paradise, that where he is there they may be also, Luk. 16. 22. And it came to passe that the Beggar died and was carryed by the Angels into Abrahams bosom, 2 Cor. 5. 8. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. 5. Christ will raise up your Bodies at the last day, if your Bodies should be consumed by Fire, or drowned in the Water, or rot in the Earth, whatever becometh of them, the Lord Jesus at his second glorious appearance will find them and raise them, and transform them into the likeness of his most glorious body, Iohn 6. 40. And this is the Fathers will which hath sent me, that every one which seeth the Son and Believeth on him may have Everlasting Life; and I will raise him up at the last day, Phillip. 3. 20. 21. For our Conversation is in Heaven, from whence we look for the Saviour, the Lord Iesus Christ; who shall change our vile Body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious Body. 6. Christ will send forth his Angels to gather you into the society of the Elect that have lived in all Ages and all Parts of the World, and to convey you into his presence, to meet him in the Air when he cometh to Judge the World, Math. 24. 31. And he shall send his Angels with a great sound of a Trumpet, and they shall gather together his Elect from the four Winds, from one end of Heaven unto the other, 1 Thess. 4. 16. 17. For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the Clouds, to meet the Lord in the Air. 7. Christ will own you, and crown you, and admit you into the Kingdom of Heaven, which he hath prepared for you. Math. 25. 34. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come ye Blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the Foundation of the World. Here is strong and active love indeed! and shall not the consideration of this love of Christ raise and highten your love unto him? shall it not provoke and excite you unto activity of love, unto the lively and most vigorous exercise thereof? hath Christ united himself to your nature? and shall not your Hearts be united to his Person? hath he fulfilled all Righteousness for you? and will not you fulfill his command of Love? hath he endured such temptations contradictions and sufferings upon your account and given himself to dye for you? and will not you give your Hearts unto him? hath he risen from the dead, and Ascended into Heaven for you? and will not your Affections arise from the Earth and Ascend into Heaven, where Jesus Christ is? Doth he plead in Heaven with the Father for you? and will not you hearken to his pleadings, by his Word and Spirit with you for your love? is he preparing a glorious Mansion for you in his Fathers house? and will not you prepare a place for him and entertain him in the inner room of your chiefest Affections? doth and will he keep you in his hand? and will not you embrace him in your bosoms? will he make all things work together for your good? and will not your Affections work towards him? will he stand by you in trouble and at Death? and will not this put life into your love? will he send his Angels to convey your souls into his presence, when separated from our Bodies? and shall not your Hearts get to him and lodge with him before? will he raise up your Bodies at the last day? and will not the hopes of this raise up your Affections? shall you be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the Air, & will Christ there own and crown you? and will not the believing fore-thoughts of this ravish your Hearts with love to Christ, and transport you with unspeakable joy? the strength of Christ's love to you methinks should engage your love for him, not only in the the Truth of it, but also in the strength of it.
4. Consider that Christ loveth you with the surest love. Some Friends may love you a while with some kind of strength and ardency, but such differences may arise between you, as shall soon weaken and cool their love, and of Friends they shall prove strangers, yea become Enemies unto you: or if their love doth abide, it is not sure, because they may not abide; if their Love duplicate page duplicate page dye not whilst they live, They may soon dye, and then their love is at an end: but the love of the Lord Jesus Christ unto you is the most Sure love: if he begin to love you he will continue to love you; if he love you once he will love you to the end or rather without end; the love of Christ is not subject to mutations and changes like unto ours; if you … in your love, he will not fail in his love, and though you offend him, he is not irreconcileable; he may indeed upon unkindness on your side withdraw the manifestations of his love for a while, but he will never wholly remove his love from you, the love of Christ admits of no changing, knows no ending. Christians, what motives can you find in any person, or any thing in the world which you have seen, comparable to those which you have in this Lord Jesus Christ, though you have never seen him; He is a Person most amiable in himself, his Greatness, his Holiness, his Wisdome, his Faithfulness, his Fulness, his Kindness do make him shine with an admirable lustre; his Relation to the Father, and the love which the Father doth bear to him, his Relation unto you, being your Shepherd, your Captain, your Teacher, your Advocate, your Soveraign, your Benefactor, your Brother, your Husband, your Redeemer, all these do commend him to your love, but when matchlesse beauty and lovliness do meet in a person that doth bear matchless love to you, when this most amiable Lord Jesus doth love you with such a free love, such a cordial love, such a strong and active love, such a sure and constant love; when his love is incomparable, surpassing all other love, and incomprehensible surpassing all knowledge. O with what activity ardour and constancy, should you love so suitable an object!