The True Christians Love of the Unseen Christ, Section 15
SECT. XV.
THe second thing propounded in the Prosecution of the use of Exhortation was to give Directions, and the directions will be of two sorts. 1. How to attain this love to Christ. 2. Wherein to show this love to Christ. First, How to attain this love to Christ, and here I shall, 1. Direct you how you may attain this love to Christ in the truth of it, where you are wholly without it. 2. Direct you how to attain much of this love to Christ, where you have it but in a low degree and weak measure. The first directions then shall be, how you that are Graceless, and Christless, and wholly witho…t this love to Christ, may at-this love to Christ.
1. If you would attain this love unto Jesus Christ whom you have never seen, you must get a thorow pe…swasion that there is such a Person a… Jesus Christ, and that he is such a Person indeed, as the Scriptures have revealed him to be. The reason why Heathens and Infidels are without love to Christ is because they have never heard of him, and the reason why many nominal Christians that have heard of Christ are without love to him, is because they are not really perswaded that there is or ever was such a person as Jesus Christ in the World. If you would attain this love you must give firm assent to this Truth (which is the greatest of all, and the very pillar & foundation of the whole Christian Religion) that Christ really is, and that the History of him is no cunningly devised Fable. If you have reason to beleive that there was such a a Person as Alexander the Great, that there was such person as Iulius Caesar, both which lived before Christs time; you have more reason to believe that there was and is such a Person as Jesus Christ: you have only Prophane history for the former, but you have Sacred history for the latter; you have only the writings of men to testifie the one, but you have the word of God in the Holy Scripture to testifie the other. You have as much reason to beleive the history of the Gospel as to beleive any other history, and you have more reason to believe the history of the Gospel than to believe any other history. I shall suggest one reason amongst many that might be mentioned. The History of the Gospel was written by unlearned Fishermen, and it was beleived by as lea…ned men as any in the world, in and near the time of their writing, which belief some of them sealed with their blood, which they would never have done had they found any reason to suspect the truth of this history, which (had there been any reason of suspition) they might easily have found out in those times when such a grand Fable as this (had it been a Fable) could not possibly have gained credit▪ amongst wise and inquisitive men; especially when it would have been their greatest worldly Interest, the preservation of their Estates and Lives, to have disbelieved and disowned it. If, beside the Apostles, all the learned Fathers (whose Works are extant amongst us, who lived near the Apostles times, and some of whom▪ suffered Martyrdom for Christ's sake) did see reason to believe that there was such a Person as Christ, surely you have reason to believe, and no solid reason to discredit the report of him in the History of the Gospel. And when you have attained a firm Assent unto this, get a full perswasion that Jesus Christ is such a person as the Scriptures do record and testifie him to be. Be perswaded of his Amiableness, his Greatness, his Holiness, his Wisdom, his Faithfulness, his Fulness, his Kindness, the Relation he stands in to the Father, his onelyonly begotten and dearly beloved Son; the Relation he standeth in to his People, especially in his Offices of Prophet, Priest, and King, as I have set him forth in the Motives to stirre up Love; acquaint your selves with the History of his Birth so Wonderf…ll, of his Life so Holy, of his Works so Powerfull, of his Doctrine so Heavenly, of his Sufferings so Great, of his Death so Painfull and yet so Voluntary, of his Resurrection, Ascension, Session and Intercession at the right hand of God, so needfull for us, as you have this History upon record in the New Testament: the assent to this in your Minds, will be a preparative for the attaining of true Love to Jesus Christ in your Hearts.
2. If you would attain true Love unto Jesus Christ, you must get Conviction of Sin, and a sense of your Need of Christ. The prevailing love and liking of Sin is inconsistent with true love unto Jesus Christ; such as love Christ do hate Sin, and such as love sin have an Enmity against Christ: Whilest your hearts goe after your Covetousness, or your Voluptuousness, or are set upon any other Wickednesse, your hearts cannot be set upon Christ; Before you can love Christ, your hearts must be taken off from sin. Get therefore a conviction of Sin as the greatest Evil in the world. Be perswaded what an evil thing and a bitter it is, to transgress Gods Law, and thereby to affront the highest Majesty, the great King of Glory. Look into the Word and Law of God, and see what is there required, what is there forbidden, and then look back upon your Lives, or look into the Register of your Consciences, that you may find out what your sins of Omission and Commission have been. Take a view of your transgressions of the Law, and of your disobedience also unto the Gospel; and as you are guilty before God, so labour for a clear sight and deep sense of your Guilt, how you are under the Curse for your Disobedience, how you are liable to ruine and eternal destruction for your sins. Look upon sin as the most mischievous thing in the world; if there be any evil in any temporal calamities which ever did befall any of the children of men, yea if there be any evil in future miseries, in the extremity and eternity of Hells Plagues and Punishments, be perswaded that there is far more evil in sin which is the cause of all. Think how miserable you are whilest under the Guilt and Reigning power of sin, that the Worm is not so vile, that the Toad is not so full of deadly Poyson, that the filth of the Earth is not comparable unto the filth of your sins. Think how base and disingenuous you have been, how monstrously ingrateful to your Maker and Benefactor, what Traytors and Rebels you have been to your Supream King and Soveraign. Think what peril and danger continually you are in of Death and Hell, how weak the thred of Life is which ties Soul and Body together, which may be suddenly cut when you are least aware, when you are most secure; and then if you be found in a Christless state, your Souls will be conveyed immediately unto a place of remediless and eternal misery. Be perswaded that you are undone irrecoverably, unless the Lord Iesus Christ do help you, that you are lost for ever unless the Lord Jesus Christ do save you, that you cannot escape the dreadful Vengeance of God, but must be tormented most horri…ly and everlastingly, amongst the Devils and the damned in Hell, unless the Lord Jesus Christ do deliver you from the Wrath which is to come. The sight and sense of sin, your miserable condition thereby, and of your indispensable need of Christ, will make way for your Love of him. If any of you were in debt many thousand pounds unto a severe Creditor, and had not one penny to discharge it, and you were threatned by him to be thrown into Prison, where you must lie and …ot and starve and die, without hopes of relief or release, except you could make payment of the debt: And if you should hear of such a Rich man that were willing and did proffer to be your Surety, and to pay all for you; surely you would have an …ndeared Love to such a friend and Benefactor: Your sins are Debts beyond the vastest summe of Money that ever was ow'd or pay'd, and you are not able to pay one farthing, to give the least satisfaction unto God, unto whom you are indebted; and God is severe, and strictly just, and without full satisfaction to his Justice, he will throw you into a worse Prison than the most nasty dolesom Prison on Earth, I mean into the Prison of Hell, where you must lie without the least relief, or any hopes of release: The Lord Jesus Christ proffers to be your Surety, to pay off all for you, and to give you a full discharge; were you sensible what a Debt Sin is, and what a Prison Hell is, surely it would work your hearts unto an endeared Love of such a Friend and Surety, who alone can keep you out of this dolesome dreadfull Prison, into which without him you will certainly and may suddenly be thrown. If any of you were sick of a Death-threatning distemper, and you had made use of many Physicians, but none could do you good; and if you should hear of one Physician who could assuredly and would readily and freely cure your Disease, and save your Life; surely you would thankfully make use of this Physician, and his kindness would exceedingly engage your Love: Sin is the Souls sickness, you are sick unto death, Sin when it is finished will bring forth Death, not only Temporal but Eternal; It is the Lord Jesus Christ onelyonly that can cure you of this deadly Sickness, that can remove your Sin, and thereby deliver you from this Death of Deaths; Get a sense of the dangerous sickness of Sin, and you will prize and use and love the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the onelyonly Physician of value in this case. If any of you were guilty of Murder, or Theft, or High Treason, or any other heinous breach of the Law of the Land, for which you were apprehended, arraigned, accused, and condemned to be Hanged or Burned, or to a more tormenting Death than either; and if you should hear of a Prince at Court that had begg'd the Pardon of such Crimes, for such Malefactors, and had obtained, and he should send to you to signifie his willingness to do the like for you; surely you would thankfully accept of such a proffer, and would love this Prince as your life, who should thus preserve you from Death: You are all Guilty of high Treason and Rebellion against the King of Heaven, in your breach of his Law, and you are condemned by this Law, not to be hanged for it, or beheaded, but to be burn'd for it, to be burn'd in the Fire of Hell, which is unquenchable; The Lord Jesus Christ is the Prince of Glory, a Friend in the Court of Heaven, who hath procured a Pardon for many such malefactors, and sendeth to you to signifie his willingness to procure your Pardon, if you will make use of him; Surely, if you have a sense of your Crime and Danger, you will apply your selves unto Christ to save you, and you will not withhold your Love from such a one as should shew you such unparallel'd Favour.
3. If you would attain true Love unto Christ, you must get an Interest in Christ, you must lay hold on Christ by Faith, that you may be united to him, and related to him; It is Faith that works Love, to them that believe Christ is precious, but by Unbelievers he is sleighted, and cannot be beloved; without Union to Christ you will have no affection to Christ; the foundation of Love is layd in the Relation to the Beloved, and this Union to and Interest in Christ, it is only by Faith: If then you would embrace Christ in the arms of your Love, you must first lay hold on Christ, and receive him by the hand of Faith. Whatever Motives and Attractives of Love there be in Jesus Christ, they will be none to you without this Interest and Relation; Christ is a Person most beautifull, most lovely a…d amiable, but he will not be so in your eyes, so long as you are without the eye of Faith; he is great and powerfull, but so much the worse for you, because without Interest in him, his power is engaged against you: he is pure and holy, and whilest in your sins you are therefore the more odious in his sight; he is wise and knoweth all things, therefore is privy to all your sins; he is most true, and therefore will fulfill his threatnings against such as go on still in their trespasses; he is full, but you without interest in his Person have no share in his fulness; he is kind, but it is to those that are related to him, but what is this to you that are Unbelievers? he is a Shepheard to his Sheep, but you are Goats; he is a Captain to his Souldiers, but you are Enemies; he is a Teacher to his Disciples, but you are the Devils Scholars; he is a Gracious Soveragin, but it is to his Subjects, you are rebells; He is a Priest to his People, having made satisfaction and doth make intercession for them; but you trample his blood under his feet. He is a Friend and Benefactor to his People, but you are Strangers; he is a Brother, and a Husband to his People, but you stand in none of these Relations; he is a Redeemer to his People but your are Slaves and Captives.
The light which he gives is most sweet, but you are darkness; the life which he imparts is most excellent, but you are dead in sins and trespasses; he gives pardon of sin, but you are under guilt; he gives Peace of Conscience, but your Consciences are still wounded and …eared; he gives the Joyes of the Holy Ghost, but you are in danger of Eternal woes; the Robes of his Righteousness are most Rich, but you are naked; the Riches of his Grace are inestimable, but you are still poor; the dignity of being made the Sons of God is most admirable, but you are Children of the Devil; he gives accesse unto God in Prayer, but you are still at a distance; he gives a Title to the Kingdom of Heaven, but if you continue in your present state, you will be shut at last out of the Pallace which is above, and be thrust down into the Prison of Hell which is below. What then are all these motives to draw forth love to Christ unto you, that have no interest in Christ? it is Union and Relation unto Christ, and interest in him by Faith, which puts life into these motives▪ that they may indeed attract love; O then be perswaded without further delay to endeavor after this interest in Christ; you must have it, or you are lost irrecoverably, you will be miserable Eternally; and you may attain this interest, others have attain'd it, as mean, and as vile as your selves; and you are called unto Christ, O be perswaded then to come unto Christ, and joyn your selves by Faith unto him, that you may have interest in Christ and in all his Benefits. If you ask me what this Faith is that gives an interest in Christ, what it is to believe; I answer out of Iohn 1. 12. that it is to receive Christ. But to as many as received him to them gave he Power to become the Sons of God, even to them that Believe in his Name. Be perswaded then to receive Christ and accept of him upon the terms of the Gospel. Receive and take hold of Christ by the hand of Faith. And that you may do this, 1. You must let go your hold of sin, if your hugg sin in your bosom, if you harbour base Lusts in your Hearts, you cannot receive and give entertainment to Christ there: you must thrust sin out, if you would let Christ in. 2. You must let go your hold on the World; I don't say you must let it go out of your hands, and throw away the estates which God hath given, except it be to part with some proportion in a way of Mercy and Charity, and except you be called to leave all rather than to forgo Christ or any of his Truths; but you must let the World go out of your Hearts, the World must not sit upon the Throne of your Hearts, that seat must be reserved for Christ, cheif love and inordinate love to the world and things in the world must be taken off. 3. You must let go hold of self; your own Righteousness and all self-confidences must be parted with, you must be humbled and emptied of your selves, if you would be prepared for the receiving of Jesus Christ, and receiving of that fulness which there is in him. And then, 1. Receive Jesus Christ as your High-Priest to reconcile you unto God, trusting alone in his Merits and Mediation, 2. Receive Jesus Christ as your Prophet to instruct and lead you in all Truth by his Word and Spirit. 3. Receive Jesus Christ as your Soveraign Lord and King to Rule. you. 4. Receive Jesus Christ as your Captain to tread down your Spiritual Enemies under your feet. 5. Receive Jesus Christ in all his Relations of Shepherd, Friend, Brother, and especially in the Relation of an Husband, and joyn your selves to him, and make over your selves to him, dedicating and devoting your selves to him, and giving up your selves to be guided, guarded, provided for, and governed by him. This is to receive Christ, and this is to Believe, this gives Union and Relation, and interest in the Lord Jesus, and if you do thus joyn your selves to Christ by Faith; you will quickly feel love to Christ to spring forth, to work and act, and that vigorously; and to bring forth such fruit in the life as shall evidently shew, that love to Christ is rooted in the Heart.
4. If you would attain Truth of love to Jesus Christ, be diligent in the use of all those means which God hath appointed for the working of it, I shall instance only in two means.
1. Be diligent in Hearing the Word Preached; as Faith cometh by Hearing, so love to Christ is wrought by the same means, Hear and your Souls shall live, saith the Prophet, Isa. 55. 3. and I may say, hear that your Hearts may love, that where the Eye cannot, the Ears may affect the Heart with love to the Lord Jesus. Whilst Lydia was hearing Paul Preach, her Heart was opened, Act. 16. 14. and whilst you are hearing Ministers Preach of Christ, your Hearts may be opened to receive him, and to embrace him in the arms of your dearest love, See Act. 11. 15. As I began to speak the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning; whilst Peter was Preaching and the Gentiles were hearing, the Holy Ghost was sent down from Heaven and fell upon upon; and so whilst you are hearing the Word, God may give forth of his Spirit to work this Grace of love to Jesus Christ in your Hearts.
2. Be diligent and earnest in Prayer unto God for this love, confess and bewail before him your want of this love, tell him you deserve a double Anathema, because you do not love Christ▪ and withall tell him you cannot of your selves love him, that you can as easily lift a Mountain to Heaven, as lift up your hearts unto Christ; but desire that he would draw up your love to Christ by his Spirit. Beg of him that he would put out the fire of Lust, and all inordinate creature-love, and that be would enkindle a fire of love in you to this most lovely Jesus, which no corruption in your Hearts may be able extinguish. And in your Prayers present your Hearts to the Lord Jesus, offer them up freely to him, and desire that he would accept of them, that he would take hold of them, and take possession of them and erect his Throne in them, and an Everlasting habitation for himself.