The True Christians Love of the Unseen Christ, Section 14
SECT. XIV.
THe fourth and last sort of Motives to … your love to Christ may be drawn from the consideration of that love which Christians have or shou'd have unto him; and here consider, 1. The Duty. 2. The Priviledge. 3. The Honour. 4. The Wisdom. 5. The Excellency. 6. The Necessity. 7. The Usefulness. 8. The Delightfulness. 9. The Attainableness of this love to Jesus Christ.
1. Consider it is your Duty to love Christ; if it be your Duty to have a Natural affection unto Parents & Children, it is much more your Duty to have spiritual affections unto Christ; If it be your duty to have conjugal affection unto your Earthly Husband and Wife; it is a greater duty to have conjugal love unto this your heavenly Husband. If it be your Duty to love Brethren, Sisters and Kindred, that love you, it is a greater Duty to love Jesus Chri…t, who loves you above all Relations; if it be your Duty to love your Enemies, it is much more your Duty to love Christ who is your best Friend. It is the will of your Heavenly Father that you should love Christ; the Devil would have you …ate him, but God would have you love him, and whether it be most reason that you should obey the Will of God or the Will of the Devil, judge ye. It is the Will of Christ that you should love him; the will of the flesh is against this love, but whose will ought you to comply withall? you are not debters to the Flesh that you should obey it's command, neither are you Debters to any Creatures to give them your choicest affections, but you are debtors unto Christ to give him your chief love: Christ hath most right to your love, and will you not give to Christ his due? if you are bound to give men their due, are you not much more bound to give unto Christ his due? Christs due is your best, and have you any thing better than your Hearts to present him withall? will Christ accept of any thing at your hands, should you withhold from him your Hearts? had you Thousands of Rams, and ten Thousand Rivers of Oyle to offer to him, had you all the Treasures of the Earth at your dispose, and should lay it down all at his feet, it would be all slighted and disregarded by him, if you give away yours Hearts from him.
2. Consider it is your Priviledge that you may love Christ, that Christ will give you leave to do it, and kindly accept of your Love. Should Beggars fall in love with Princes in order to the Marriage Union, both their Persons and Love would be rejected with scorn, anger and disdain: There is a far greater distance between you and Jesus Christ, than there is between the highest Prince and the meanest Beggar; and yet the Lord Jesus Christ doth give you leave to love him with a Spiritually conjugal love, in orde… to the nearest Spiritual Union and Conjunction; and notwithstanding his greatness and your meaness, he is not ashamed to give entertainment unto your Love; although you are so mean as Creatures, & have been so vile as Sinners, yet he doht not scorn and disdain you, but both Persons and Love may find ready acceptance with him. It is your duty to love Christ because he commands you, and it is your Priviledge that you may love Christ because he allows you to do it.
3. Consider it is your Honour to Love Christ. The real Honour of any is not the Noble Blood which runs in their veins the high lineage from whence they are descened, the great Titles with which they are Invested, or the most eminent Earthly dignities unto which they are advanced: The Heathen could say, Et Genus et Proavos, et quae non fecimus ipsi vix ea nostra voco; our stock and noble Ancestors, and what we have not done or deserved our selves, we can hardly call our own. And Virtus sola & unica Nobilitas: Vertue is the only true Nobility. And the Scripture telleth us, that the vilest Men are exalted, Psal. 12. 8. and that the most high ruleth in the Kingdom of Men, aud giveth it to whomsoever he will, and sette…h up over it the basest of Men, Dan. 4. 17. Princes and Nobles by their Vices and Wickednesses may render themselves more vile then the Earth under their Feet, more base than the mire in the Streets. The Word of God accounteth only them to be truly Honourable, that are truly Gracious; and this Grace of Love to Jesus Christ doth put a great Honour and lustre upon all those that have it. There is no greater and higher object for your love than the Lord Jesus Christ, a person of so great eminency and excellency: the Love of Chri…t doth enoble the Heart, and none in the world have such truely great and generous Souls, as those who have the graeatest love to him. According to the Spirit, so is the Man, …ither, B…se or honourable; and according to the chief love, so is the Spirit; if your Heart do chiefly love any inferiour things, as all sublunary things are, hereby you are debased and dishonoured; if your Heart chiefly love Christ who is a Superior good and superlatively amiable, hereby you are dignified and become truly honourable. We read of Hope (that is the Grace of Hope) that it maketh not ashamed, Rom. 5. 5. And the same may be said of this Grace of Love to Jesus Christ, it maketh not ashamed. The most in the World do love those things which one time or other will make them a shamed; the covetous will be ashamed of their love of Riches, and the voluptuous will be ashamed of their Love of Pleasures, and the Ambitious will be a shamed of their love of Honours; disappointment of Happiness and true contentment will make all ashamed of their inordinate Creature-love, especially when they come to reap the bitter Fruit of their Sin in their Everlasting punishment. Rom. 16. 21. What …ruit had you then in those things whereof you are now ashamed, for the end of those things is Death. But the love of Christ maketh not ashamed, it is no matter of dishonor and therefore neither is nor will be matter of shame for any to love Jesus Christ with the greatest Strength and Ardency: if the wicked do despise and scorn Gods people, upon the account of this love, their scorns are their reall Glory, as on the contrary their esteem of any upon the account of sin, is a reall shame and dishonour.
4. Consider, It is your Wisdom to love Christ. Deut. 4. 6. Keep therefore and Do them, for this is your Wisdom and Vnderstanding in the sight of the Nations, which shall hear these Statutes, and say surely this great Nation is a Wise and Vnderstanding People. None have such Wisdom and Understanding as those who have and keep this Statute and Com…ndment to love the Lord Jesus Christ, Psal. 111. 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom, a good Vnderstanding have all they that do his Commandments T…e fear of the Lord and the love of Christ are always in conjunction, or rather the former doth include the latter; this is the beginning and cheif part of Wisdom, and those have the greatest Understandings, who have the strongest Affections to the Lord Jesus Christ. The love of Christ is the most reasonable and therefore the most wise love. That love is most reasonable, which is chiefly carryed forth towards that object which is most suitable and really most Amiable; none so suitable and amiable an object as the Lord Jesus Christ, as appears in what hath been already said concerning Christs Person, Christs Love, and Christs Benefits. Such as love other persons or things with a cheif love, they are mistaken in the objects of their love, they apprehend more excellency and desirableness in them, than really is in them, and so their love is a foolish love and unreasonable, there being nothing really worthy of it, nothing really amiable in the cheif place beneath and besides Christ. Such as make choice of Christ for the object of their chief love, they make the wisest choice, there are really those excellencies in him which they apprehend, and beyond what they can possibly apprehend and conceive. They are fools that are slow of Heart to love Christ, and they are most wise that are most forward unto this love. It is your Wisdom to love Christ cheifly, and to love Christ ardently, such Wisdom as will make your faces shine in the Eyes of good men, and which will put a lustre upon your Spirits in the Eyes of God? True Wisdom doth not consist in the invention of curious and quaint Notions, in the framing sound and rational Deductions, in uttering the sense of the mind in neat and florid Expressions; but the cheif Wisdom doth lie in the right placing of the Affections, and none have attained so high a pitch of true Spiritual Wisdom, as those that have attained the highest pitch of love to Jesus Christ. It is matter of great wonder, when there is the greatest reason and the strongest arguments for the love of Christ, that Men of the greatest Parts and Learning, who have heard of Christ, do not readily fall in love with him, and attain higher degrees of this love, than others of a more inferior capacity: But the Scripture must be fulfilled, Math. 11. 25. I thank thee O Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them unto babes. Such of you as are but Babes in worldly Wisdom and humane Learning, as have but mean natural parts, and no improvement by education, yet if you love the Lord Jesus Christ above all persons and things in the World, you are far more Wise than the greatest Schollars that are without this love.
5. Consider the excellency of this Love unto Jesus Christ; as the Knowledge of Christ is the most excellent knowledge, Phillipians 3. 8. Yea doubtless I count all things but loss, for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Iesus my Lord: So the Love of Christ is the most excellent love. It is a love of the most excellent object, the Lord Jesus who is so Excellent; it is a love of the most Excellent original, it cometh down from Heaven, it is wrought by the Spirit of God; it is a love that renders them most excellent that have it. The wicked that are without this love, are like dross; the Righteous that have it are like Gold; the wicked that hate Christ, are like dirt; the Righteous that love him are like Jewels; other loves do darken and defile, the love of Christ doth brighten the Spirit and renders Men truly illustrious, and the excellent of the Earth.
6. Consider the Necessity of this love unto Jesus Christ.
1. The love of Christ is universally necessary: some of you have need to do this thing, and others of you have need to do that; but all of you have the greatest need to love Christ: some of you have need of this Friend, and to love him, that you may keep him, and others of you have need of another Friend, one Friend; cannot serve the necessities of all; but all of you have need of Christ for your Friend: he is the only Friend that can serve all your necessities, and you have need to love him above all Friends; it is necessary that you who are poor should love Christ, who have but few or no Friends; and it is necessary that you who are rich should love Christ who have many Friends; Christ being a Friend instead of all to them that have none, and better than all to them that have the most.
2. The love of Christ is absolutely and indispensably necessary: it is not necessary that you should climb up into a high seat of dignity and honour; but it is absolutely necessary that your Affections should climb up and ascend to Jesus Christ who is above; it is not necessary that you should abound in wealth, that you should have full bags, and full coffers, and much riches in your houses, but it is absolutely necessary that you should have the Riches of this Grace of love to Jesus Christ in your Hearts. Food is not so necessary to satisfie your hunger, clothes are not so necessary to cover you… nakedness, houses are not so necessary to shelte… you from the injury of the Weather; the most needful thing is not so necessary to you… bodies, as this love to Jesus Christ is necessary to your Souls. You may be poor and in the lowest condition here on Earth, and yet be truly happy whilst you live, and Eternally happy in the other world, if you have this love, to Jesus Christ; but without this love whatever your Riches, and Honours, and Friends, your Earthly delights and enjoyments be though never so desirable, never so plentiful, yet you are miserable, and shall be, miserable. You may love other Persons and Things in the world subordinately, but you must love Jesus Christ cheifly, otherwise you are under the curse both of the Law and Gospel, and you cannot escape the vengeance of Hell.
7. Consider the Usefulness of this love unto Jesus Christ.
1. The love of Christ is useful in Prosperity to ballast the Heart, that it be not overset with the full gales of a flourishing condition: it is of use to moderate the Affections to lawful things; and it is of use to keep the Heart from unlawful and sinful loves; if Christ have not your Hearts, some base and foolish lusts will have them, which will wound your Consciences with guilt, and peirce your Hearts thorow with many sorrows.
2. The love of Christ is useful in Adversity, to bear up the Heart from sinking and being overwhelmed with the Winds and Waves of Trouble and Affliction; it is of use to establish the Heart from being extraordinarily moved in the most Stormy times: not only Faith but Love too is of a fixing nature to keep from amazing fears of evil tidings, and the greatest perils; and of a strengthning Nature to stay and support the Spirit and keep off pressing Griefs and despondencies in the darkest and most doleful days.
3. The love of Christ is useful to quicken and excite unto duty, this makes the yoke of Christ easie, and will enable you to draw cheerfully therein; this makes the burden of du…y (so accounted by the most,) to be no burden in esteem; if you have much love unto Christ you will account duty to be your priviledge, and the Service of Christ to be freedome, and none of his commands will be grievous, but all of them joyous unto you; if you have much love unto Chri…t, your Hearts will be ensiamed hereby with zeal for your Masters Glory, and you will never think you can do too much for him.
4. The love of Christ is useful to arm you against Temptations. If Faith be a Shield, Love to Chri…t is a Brea…-pla…e against the sharpest Darts which the Devil can throw at you; …ove to Christ doth Garrison your Hearts against this Enemy, and is a strong defence against any overtures which the Devil may make in his Temptations to draw you to sin: how can I do this evil and offend my dear Lord, will be the answer of love to repel temptations to sin, whatever alluring proffers they be accompanied withal. Temptations will have no force to prevail over you, if this love of Christ be strong within you.
5. The love of Christ is useful to fit you for the cross and the greatest sufferings which you may be called unto for the sake of Christ. If you have great love to Christ, you will be ready to suffer for Christ with patience and with …; the heaviest cross will seem light, disgrace and shame will be accounted honour, losses will be esteemed gains, pains, pleasures, or at least priviledges: prisons will seem Pallaces, and death will be accounted life. O how have some run to the stake and embraced the Flames of Fire kindled to burn them, when they have felt the fire of love to Christ burning strongly within them! thus this love is usefull in Life.
6. The love of Christ is useful at death. This love in its strength will put a beauty upon the Aspect of death, which seems so grim and terrible unto the most. If you have much love to Christ, you will look upon death as Christs messenger sent for you to bring you out of the dark Prison of of the World and the Body, and to convey you into the Mansions of Glory, where your dear Lord is, and you will not be unwilling to leave the World that you may live with Christ.
8. Consider the sweetness of this love unto Christ. If there be sweetness in the love of the Members, there is much more sweetness in the love of the head; if there be delight and comfort in the love of Christs disciples for their Masters sake, there is much more delight and comfort in the love of Christ himself the Master for his own sake; the Apostle telleth us of comfort in love, Phillip. 2. 1. that is in the love one of another, but the consolations in the love of Christ are far exceeding; there are no such sweet motions of Heart, as those of the strong and fervent outgoings of it in its love to Christ, especially when Christ doth draw near and manifest his love unto the Soul. Christ, doth rejoice in his love unto his Disciples, and they may rejoice in their love to him, and this joy in the love of Christ is a full joy: Iohn 15. 11. These things have I spoken unto you that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full: in the former verse Christ speaketh of his love to them, and here of his joy in them they were the objects of his joy as they were the objects of his love, and according to the measure and strength of their love to Christ, so is the fulness of their joy in Christ. Cant. 4. 9. Thou hast ravished my heart, my Sister my Spouse, thou hast ravished my Heart with one of thine Eyes, with one chain of thy neck: they are the words of Christ the Beloved, unto his Spouse the Church, expressing the ravishing delight which he found in her Looks of Faith, or glances of Love, and the chain of Graces which she was adorned withall. How then may your Hearts be ravished with unspeakable delight in looking upon Christs most amiable face, and in the fervent actings of your love unto him? when a glance of his Eye, a smile, a beam from his countenance doth enkindle a fire in the breast, and this fire of love to Christ doth burn and flame; O how sweet is this flame, beyond what tongue is able to express.
9 And lastly, Consider the Attainableness of this love to Chr…t. B…u…ts are not capable of this love to Chri…t, but you are capable: as your minds are capable of knowing him, so your hearts are capable of loving him. Others have attained this love who were as much without it, and as much averse unto it, as any of you may be. Here you are capable, hereafter if you live and dye without it, you will be utterly uncapab…e. You have now the means of Grace, and as of other Graces, so of this Grace of love to Christ, in the diligent use of the means you may attain there unto. Thus I have done with the Motives to excite you unto the love of Christ.