The True Christians Love of the Unseen Christ, Title page – Preface
THE True Christians Love OF THE UNSEEN CHRIST: OR A Discourse chiefly tending to excite and promote the decaying Love of Christ in the hearts of Christians.
With an Appendix concerning Christs Manifestation of himself to them that Love him.
1 Cor. 16. 22.
If any man Love not the Lord Iesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
By Thomas Vincent, Minister sometime of Maudlins Milkstreet, London.
London, Printed by I. R. for Samuel …, at the Blew-Bell in Little-Brittain, 1677.
To the Reader.
OVr Saviour sent an Epistle from heaven to the Church of Ephesus, wherein he reproveeth her because she had left her first love, and threatneth the Removal of her Candlestick, that he would take away her light, if she did not recover her Love. By the same hand at the same time he sent another Epistle to the Church of Laodicea, wherein he reproveth her Lukewarmness, and threatneth, because she was neither hot nor cold, he would spue her out of his mouth, Rev. 2. 4, 5. & 3. 15, 16. And are Christians in England under no such sin, in no such danger? when some scoff at the flames of love to Christ, like dogs that bark at the Moon so far above them; when the most nominal Christians are wholly strangers to this Love, whatever their notional knowledge be; the former looking upon it as but a fancy, the latter having it onelyonly in the Theory: and when amongst those Christians who love Christ in sincerity, there are so few that know what it is to Love Christ with fervour and ardency: when there is so General a decay of Love to Christ in the Land, Lord what is like to become of England? Have we not provoked the Lord to take away our Candlestick, to suffer the worse than Egyptian darkenes to over spread us again, and cover our Light, because it shineth with such cold beams, because the Light of Knowledge in the head is accompanied with so little warmth of Love to Christ in the hearts of most Christians? Every one will fetch water to quench fire in a general confl…gration; & surely there is need in a day of such General decay of Love to Christ, that some should fetch fire, fire from heaven, & use bellows too, Arguments I mean, to enkindle and blow up the spark of Love to Christ, which seems so ready to expire. Reader, The following discourse concerning the True Christians Love of the unseen Christ, is not finely spun, and curiously woven with neatnesses of wit and language; it is not flourished and set off with variety of Metaphors, Hyperbolies, Rhetorical Elegancies, or Poetical Fancies and fragments; it is not adorned and fringed with the specious show of many Marginal Quotations, excerpted out of divers Authors; The discourse is plain, but the Author hath endeavoured that it might be warm, his design being more to advance his Master than Himself in thy esteem; and if he have less of thy praise, so his Lord may have more of thy love, his great end is attained. The chief part of this discourse concerning the love of Christ is Application, and about two thirds of it Exhortation (there being generally in this knowing age more need of excitation than information) where thou hast variety of arguments & motives to stir up and provoke unto the love of Christ, together with divers directions how to attain this love in the truth and strength of it, and wherein the strength of love to Christ should evidence it self. There is also an appendix added for further encouragement unto the love of Christ, concerning Christs manifestation of himself unto such as love him. The whole discourse is practical, nothing in it controversal; not only Protestants, but Papists too will verbally acknowledge the obligation which Christians have to love Christ, and none will oppose this that are true Christians, none but Turks, Infidels and Devils are professedly against it. That this little Book may be blessed by the Lord to be a means to warm and inflame thine heart with love to the unseen Christ, is the earnest prayer of
A hearty well-wisher to thy soul. Thomas Vincent.
The True Christians Love of the Unseen CHRIST:
1 Pet. 1. 8.
Whom having not Seen, ye Love, in whom, though now ye see him not, yet Believing, ye Rejoyce with Ioy unspeakable, and full of Glory.
THE Life of Christianity doth consi…t very much in our love unto Christ. Without Love unto Christ, we are as much without Spiritual Life, as a Carkass when the Soul is fled from it, is without Natural Life. Faith without Love to Christ, is a dead Faith; and a Christian without Love to Christ, is a dead Christian; dead in Sins and Trespasses. Without Love to Christ, we may have the Name of Christians, but we are wholly without the Nature: we may have the Form of Godliness, but are wholly without the Power. Give me thine Heart, is the language of God to all the Chrildren of Men, Prov. 23. 26. And Give me thy Love, is the language of Christ unto all his Disciples.
Christ knoweth the command and influence which Love to him, in the Truth and Strength of it, hath: How it will Engage all the other Affections of his Disciples for Him; that if he have their Love, their Desires will be chiefly after Him; their Delights will be chiefly in Him, their Hopes and Expectations will be chiefly from Him; their Hatred, Fear, Grief, Anger, will be carried forth chiefly unto Sin, as it is Offensive unto Him. He knows that Love will Engage and Employ, for him all the Powers and Faculties of their Souls; their Thoughts will be brought into Captivity and Obedience unto Him; their Understandings will be employed in Seeking and Finding out his Truths; their Memories will be Receptacles to retain them; their Conscience will be ready to Accuse and Excuse as his Faithfull Deputies; their Wills will Choose and Refuse according to his Direction and Revealed Pleasure. All their Senses and the Members of their Bodies, will be his Servants: their Eyes will See for him, their Ears will Hear for him, their Tongues will Speak for him, their Hands will Work for him, their Feet will Walk for him: All their Gifts and T…lents will be at his Devotion and Service. If he have their Love, they will be ready to Do for him what he requireth; they will be ready to Suffer for him, whatever he calleth them unto: If they have much Love to him, they will not think much of Denying themselves; taking up his Cross and following him wherever he leadeth them, love to Christ then being so Essential unto true Christianity, so earnestly look'd for by our Lord and Master, so Powerfully Commanding in the Soul and over the whole Man, so Greatly Influential on Duty; I have made choice of this subject of Love to Christ, to Treat on; and my chief Endeavor herein shall be to Excite and Provoke Christians unto the Lively and Vigorous Exercise of this Grace of Love unto the Lord Jesus Christ; of which Incentives, there is a Great and Universal need.
The Epistle wherein my Text lyeth, was written by Peter the Apostle of the Circumcision, and is directed to the Strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and B…thynia, as in the first v. of this Chapter. By these Strangers we are to understand the scattered Iews, who were Strangers in these several Countries where they did Inhabit. We read in the 2d of the Acts that there came up many of these Iews, from these and other Countries, unto Ierusalem to Worship▪ and in the temple hearing the Apostles speak with divers Tongues, which were of use in the divers places where they did live, and that without Instruction from Man, but as the Spirit gave them utterance; they were Amazed and Confounded: and afterward hearing Peter preach, through the Wonderful Power of the Spirit, three thousand of them were Converted by one Sermon unto the Christian Faith, and added to the Christian Church. When the Feast of Pentecost was over, these Converted Iews returned into their Countries where their several Dwellings, Families and Callings were: which Countries being Heathenish and Idolatrous, no doubt but there they met with Opposition and Suffering upon the account of the Christian Religion which they became Zealous Professors of, besides what they endured from their own Countreymen, or Unconverted I…ws who hated Christianity more than the Heathens did. The Apostle doth seem to have a respect unto these in this Epistle, wherein he doth encourage them under their sufferings for the sake of Christ by many Consolatory Arguments. In the 2d v. he wisheth that Grace and Peace might be multiplyed in them and towards them, and then though their Sufferings did abound, their Consolations would abound much more. In the 3d 4th and 5th ver. He blesseth God for his abundant Mercy towards them in begetting them unto a lively Hope of the glorious and never fading Heavenly Inheritance which was reserved for them through Gods Infinite Grace, and unto which they were reserved and kept through Faith by Gods infinite power. In the 6th and 7th verses, he telleth them, however they were in heaviness through manifold Temptations, that is Afflictions, which are the Worlds left-hand Temptations; yet he giveth them to understand that these afflictions they were but for a season; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning; they were but needful to humble them, to purifie them, to crucifie them to the world, to make them conformable to their head the Lord Jesus Christ, and that they were for the tryal of their faith, that the truth of it might appear both to themselves and others, and that the worth of it might appear how much more precious than Gold when it is tryed in the Fire, which carrying them thorow their sufferings, might be found both to their own praise and their Masters honour, at the appearing of Jesus Christ: and then the Apostle doth take occasion in the text to speak of their Love which they did bear unto this Jesus Christ, and of that unspeakable and glorious joy, which doth result from believing in him although they had no sight of him, which no trouble or affliction could overwhelm or hinder. Whom having not seen ye love, in whom though now ye see him not, yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of Glory. Hence observe,
Doct. 1. That it is the Property and duty of true Christians to Love Iesus Christ whom they have never seen. Whom having not seen ye Love.
Doct. 2. That true Christians do Believe in an unseen Christ. In whom though now ye see Him not, yet believing.
Doct. 3. That true Christians do or may rejoice in Believing with unspeakable and glorious joy. In whom, though now ye see him not, yet Believing ye rejoice with Ioy unspeakable and full of Glory.
Here are three great points to be treated of. 1. Concerning the Love of Christians unto Christ. 2. Concerning the faith of Christians in Christ. 3. Concerning the Joy of Christians in Believing▪ For the present I shall speak only of the Love of Christians unto Christ under the first Doctrine, the other two I may have opportunity to treat of afterwards.