Christs love is of such speciall efficacy to keep up the heart from fainting under troubles lets us see what great need we have to study the love of Christ Men have much studied the nature of some Plants and Mineralls because they are of special use for cordials you hear of what speciall use for spirituall cordialls the knowledge of the love of Christ is have not you ground then to study it Paracelsus concluding all to lye within the compasse of his Sol Sulphur and Mercury spentall or most of his study in the search and knowledge of them The love of Christ is the most catholicall cordiall not onely including all other cordialls but the life that the soul doth find in all other Look as Gods love is put for all causes Joh. 3.16 when hee gave his Son So Christs love is put for all cordialls when the Saints get comfort Tribulation distresse persecution famin nakednesse perils sword neither any nor all these can bear down when the soul knoweth the love of Christ that loves him And as it is the most Catholicall cordiall so it is the most Homogeneall Those cordialls are of most efficacy which are most naturall and most suiting to the Spirits why love is our life Gal. 2.20 Christs love falls in with the life of a Christian it is most suitable to it and therefore most sovereign Verily if there bee need of studying that which may bee a cordiall to any condition there is necessity of studying of the love of Christ which is such a Catholicall and Homogeneal cordiall as it doth suit with the Spirits and as it fitteth all the troubles that any beleever may meet withall Secondly this Doctrine speaketh lamentation also How sad is it to see that though this love of Christ bee such a cordiall to beleevers in any trouble yet either First they neglect it and make no use of it such is their folly that they have this precious price in their hands and they doe not know it so as to make use of it what a sad thing is it for the fainting man to see a cordiall at the beds head and not to use it Secondly in stead of using this they use other cordials Who laments not to see beleevers in these times of trouble one while eying counsells another while eying Armies and in the mean while not eying the love of Christ which alone is able to comfort when all other things fail It is lamentable to see how beleevers leave this fountain of living comforts and seek after yea and dig for cisternes yea broken cisternes that neither have nor can hold any comfort in them Thirdly which is worst of all when Christ offers this cordial they put it by and will not take it How often doth Christ open his bosome to the beleever and le ts him see love written in the golden letters of Free grace and beseecheth the beleever to look and live to contemplate it and to take comfort from it How often doth Christ say Soul I love thee I love thee with an everlasting love therefore have I drawn thee into this wildernesse of trouble that here I might speak comfort unto thee where none can help thee And yet lamentable it is to hear beleevers saying that they will not beleeve it though their souls might bee comforted by it Thus beleevers this cordiall point may set you all a weeping that notwithstanding the love of Christ bee so comfortable you use it not but instead thereof use other cordialls That when Christ openeth this cordiall you will not open your mouths widely that hee may fill them with it Use Thirdly be reproved you children of faith for this fault Hath Christ provided such a cordiall for you and do you neglect it Is there such refreshing for your souls in his love and will not you use it Doth hee as it were bring it home to your hearts and will not you take it be reproved for your folly O yee of little faith suppose the Mother should provide some cordiall for the weak fainting child and bring it to the child beseeching the little one to take it that it might live were not the child much to bee reproved if forgetting all the Mothers care and cost it should put it by It is your folly and your blame O beleevers who notwithstanding all the care yea and the cost of Christ too in preparing and bringing this cordiall his love unto you yet too too often you put it by and Rachel-like because your children creature comforts are not you will not bee comforted with this cordiall of Christs love Use Fourthly let it bee a use of direction to direct beleevers whither to go for a cordiall in time of trouble What have you to doe with the waters of Sehor Run you to the bosome of your Saviour why doe you spend your selves to goe after the pudled streams of creature sweetnesse goe you to the running river of your Lords love drink thereof and bee refreshed and bee comforted in any case Object I saith some soul I would goe thither as being indeed in a sad case needing comfort but how shall I doe to draw out the water of life that is in Christs love Rep. Why what is thy case poor heart what is thy case in which thou needest comfort and for which thou wouldest goe to Christs love Answ My case is spirituall my soul is troubled within I see much sin but little grace and this goeth to my heart filling it with trouble how shall I improve Christ love in this case for a cordiall Answ For that beleever know Christ loveth thee notwithstanding all this I beeleeve you think that Christ doth not affect you because your sinne is so much and your grace is so little Know soul though the woman was a sinner in the City and so full of sin yet Christs love passed by her sin and pardoned her Christs love took the advantage of her many sins to shew much love to her soul And it is his custome where sins abound there to make love superabound Therefore thou maist comfort thy self O sad soul with the thoughts of Christs love This love made him to suffer for sin and this love maketh him every day to pardon sin yea and hee will shew the transcendency of his love in passing by the transcendency of sin Object O but I have not only much sin but little grace A. Bee it so O beleever yet the love of Christ may comfort thee notwithstanding it Thou thinkest that grace is the cause of love but thou art deceived it is the effect of love Christ loveth not because there is grace but because hee loveth hee giveth grace Grace is given in a time of love Love is not shewn because of grace therefore comfort thy self O beleeving soul at the consideration of the transcendency of Christs love It is the glory thereof that it pardoneth much sin and that is loveth little grace and it will work so that in time sin shall
And the point will bear you out in it for you have such a love as is not to be found in all the world beside Having the love of Christ you have that love which passeth knowledge And surely beleevers if the men of the world think they have good ground to glory in this that they enjoy the Low love though of some seeming great creatures you have much more ground to rejoyce who enjoy this high love of him who is indeed greater than all the creatures Jesus Christ Do men think they have just ground to sit and glory in that they sip the puddle drops of creatures loves Have not you more ground and that juster and truer to sing and glory in this that you drink in the pure love of Jesus Christ which is so sweet so excellent and so transcendent as that it passeth knowledge Thirdly in as much as Christ loveth beleevers with a transcendent love then see here the rise and ground of all that which Christ doth for them You wonder beleevers at least you might and that justly whence it is that Christ doth so much for you One while he is filling you with his unsearchable riches another while he is crowning you with his own glory Now you have him giving you choice gifts and anon you have him bringing of you choyce graces In this duty you have him imbracing of your souls in his arms And in that duty you find him kissing you with the kisses of his lips and you are ready to cry out Whence is it that Christ doth all this for me One while thou art sick and Christ visiteth thee and maketh thy bed and sitteth by thy bed side other whiles thou goest abroad and Christ walketh with thee and thou leanest upon him as upon thy beloved Now thou art in the wildernesse it may be under some banishment and Christ commeth to thee And anon it may be thou art in prison under some restraint and Christ visiteth thee there too And all this maketh thee cry out Whence is it that my Lord should thus come to me Why see the Point and in that see the cause He loveth thee O beleever and he loved thee with a transcendent love And hence it is that he doth all that he doth for thee and giveth all that he bestoweth on thee You wonder why Christ should sanctifie such unsanctified hearts as yours are cleanse by the washing of water and by the word such impure spirits as yours be And you are ready to say Whence is it that the Lord of glory should stoop to wash such a creature as I am Whence is it that he at whose feet Angels fall and bow should come wash the feet of such a creature as you be Hence it is beleevers Christ hath loved you and that with a transcendent love Wonder not therefore henceforth unlesse it be with the wondring why Christ doth any thing or all things for you there is a reason yea great reason though not in you yet in himself It is this we have been speaking of i. e. the transcendent love he beareth to you Fourthly let this inform beleevers that sith Christ loveth them with a transcendent love at all times they have then a just ground to act their faith upon him in any case Why is it O beleever that thou doubtest whether Christ will do this for thee or give that to thee when as thou considerest he loveth thee with such a transcendent love upon all occasions act your faith O ye children of faith in your beloved what ever it is that you want and he hath what ever it be that thou wouldest have and he can give Beleeve that Christ will not let thee goe without it for why he loveth thee with a transcendent love In three cases more particularly this truth will inform you of the sure ground that beleevers have to act their faith on Jesus Christ First in case of hearing of their prayers These things I touched at in the first Ser. mon but not so fully Surely he that so transcendently loveth their persons will without doubt hear their prayers Thou sayest O beleeving soul thou hast great necessities and they force thee to make many prayers Thou sayest that Christ can help thee at all hands and therefore thou art calling upon him at all times But thou sayest will hee hear mee Why shouldest thou not beleeve that he will when thou considerest the transcendent love he beareth to thee The love that is in his bosome towards thee will open his ears to hear the breathings that come from thee Indeed sometimes hee may seem to be deaf and not hear thy prayers and sometimes also he may seem harsh and not accept of thy person But it is to try thy faith For notwithstanding hee will hear thee and accept of thee in what thou desirest according to his will for thy good that he may declare his transcendent love You know Christ called the woman of Canaan Dog and seemed to speak harsh to her and yet even all the while that hee looked as it were sourly upon her and spake as it were sadly against her yet even then did his bowels roule for her and even then was there love in his bosome to her And therefore though for a while he seemed to deny that hee might try the sincerity of her faith yet afterwards he granted her requests that he might declare the reality of his own love In this case therefore you have a sure ground of faith O beleevers Christ will not reject your prayers because he loveth your persons and the more transcendent his love is towards the one the more sure may you be that he will hear the other Secondly In case of obtaining counsell from Christ and knowing the mind of Christ This Point will inform us in a sure ground of faith and love O beleever love will open Christs bosome and let thee see the counsels that are there Surely hee will counsel thee in case of doubts because he loveth thee as he doth Thou sayest here is a Scruple and there is a question and I would fain know the mind of Christ concerning this or that But how can I hope that ever he will open his mind to me either in the one or about the other Why sayest thou so O beleever is not his transcendent love a good ground for the acting of thy faith in this case Verily because his heart is to thee therefore it will be with thee That I may allude to that phrase of Judges 16. v. 15. How ever Dallilah said to Sampson How canst thou say I love thee when thine hart is not with me thou hast no reason to say as she said in such a way as she did Thou mayest beleeve that his heart will be with thee because thou hearest that he loveth thee I would fain perswade my own heart and yours also in these times of doubting and of darknesse in which wee need counsell and would bee glad to
cannot live longer than I have his love A. Neither dye nor doubt poor soul Thy Lord so loves thee that he will not leave thee or if he do for a time he will not alway Christs ☞ bowels burn with love and that fire however smothered for a time will break out in a flame at last Christs love is like himself immutable and unchangeable Love is Christs life as well as thine He will not surely kill himself by deserting thee Thou canst not live except Christ do love neither can Christ You Lord hath sworn and surely if he break his oath he dyes that the Mountains shall be removed but his love shall not leave thee Obj. Oh! But though Christ do love me yet men hate me I cannot be so cheerful in Christs love because I meet with the creatures wrath Rep. I pity thee poor Creature thou hast the love of the Potter and thou fearest the wrath of the Potsherd Why art thou so weak as to sink under the Creatures wrath while thou hast the Creators love Be of good comfort Christ can break in peeces all thy enemies with his Iron rod while in the mean time he will comfort thee with his Shepherds-crook Why dost thou droop at the hatred of him who dwelleth in a Tabernacle of clay and not rather triumph in the love of him who is set down at the right hand of the Majesty on high Look up Beleever Heaven is clear over thy head though the earth be dirty under feet though thou be in a storm among the creatures yet the Sun of love shines on thee from Christ He smiles and loves thee what though men frown and hate thee Fear not him who hates thy body and at worst can but destroy that rejoyce rather in him who loves thy soul and at the last will raise up thy body from the Grave and give thee a glorious body like unto his own and fill thy soul with eternal joy in the enjoyment of his everlasting love The last use of the point is-for counsel Sith Christ loves his Saints I would surely the point might and doth counsel both the world and beleevers First you men of the world If you have an ear to hear hear Christ loves beleevers be yee counselled to do the like Certainly Christ will take it well at your hands if you love them who are beloved by him His friends are sometime strangers in your Land use them well shew them love put it upon Christs score he loves them and he will reward you Jesus Christ doth so love beleevers as that he will not let a cup of cold water given to them in his name that is because hee loves them go unrewarded I say it again sith Christ is gracious and loves beleevers be ye wise and love them also However take heed that yee do not wrong them If you will not do them good beware you do them no hurt Beleeve it if you do Christ loves them and he will not bear it Tremble lest while you lift up your hand against beleevers that Jesus Christ who loves them dash you in peeces Beware of persecuting Christs beloved ones under pretences It will be but a poor excuse to say they were Schismaticks Christ knows them to be Saints Beleeve it the bloud of beleevers is very precious and as he will punish Antichristian wretches under what names or titles soever distinguished So also will he be avenged upon all those who dare touch beleevers under what nick-names soever disgraced Therefore if you will not be so wise as to love yet be not so mad as to hurt those whom Christ loves But secondly let this counsel beleevers sith the Lord Jesus loves them that they would walk worthy thereof Beleevers live as the objects of Christs love Advance his Kingdom imbrace his counsels love all his members be abundant in his work and service In all things shew that Christs love to you hath a constraining power in you at least be yee counselled to love Christ who loves you and that so much the rather because Christ deserves thy love though thou do not deserve his O let not the love of Christ plead against you and say I ranne out to them but they returned not in to me Let not Christ say I gave you counsel and you did reject it In love I gave you Commandements and you did transgresse them No but sith Christ loves you love him and if you love him keep his Commandements Rouse up your selves O beleeving souls and considering that Christ loveth you demean your selves accordingly If he call come If he bid you go go If his Kingdom be advancing joyn in the work it is the Kingdom of him that loves you If his Spirit counsel take it for it comes from love In a word in all things live as those who indeed are beloved of Christ And let your carriage be exactly obedient kinde and loving unto him who doth stoop so low as to love such poor creatures as you be And if any ask why you love and labour for Jesus Christ tell them it is because you love him And adde withall that did they but know how Christ loves you they would rather ask why you love him so little or do for him no more But if they demand how doth Christ love you Tell them that question is unanswerable Indeed say he loves you and that truly but withall transcendently That Christ loves you tell all the world of you know but how he loves tell them that passeth your knowledge yea and the knowledge of every creature for it is a love passing knowledge And this is the next thing and the chief thing which we shall speak of SERMON II. EPHES. 3. ver 19. And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge CHRISTS love is the Saints life Paul tells you he was dead to the Law that he might live to God And the ground thereof was this that hee lived by faith in Christ who loved him Galath 2.20 As the life so likewise the comfort of the Saints is wrapped up in the love of Christ A beleever can neither live nor rejoyce if the Lord Jesus smile not upon his soul But if Jesus Christ wil but smile and shine in the light of love Beleevers know not only how to live but also how to rejoyce in all even the worst of times Hence it was that this Apostle praying to the Father of our Lord Jesus for the Ephesians that they might not faint at his tribulations He intreats that to this purpose they might know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge Having briefly touched at the reality of Christs love to beleevers as it is included in this place I shall now speak more largely to the royalty thereof as it is set out in this phrase that it passeth knowledge Whence our second point was this viz. That love which Christ beareth to beleevers is a transcendent love You see how fully this point lies in these words It must needs bee
doth greatly rejoyce the heart of a beleever more than wine doth the heart of any carnall creature So that this shall suffice as to the first particular viz. the declaration wherein the knowledge of the love of Christ as it is efficacious to keep the heart from fainting in troubles doth consist Now in the next place wee shall shew wherein the efficacie of such a knowledge as this is of the love of Christ doth appear for the supporting of fainting souls and this wee shall shew in two branches First generally The knowledge of the love of Christ will appear in its effecting of five things which are of great vertue to bear up the heart that it faint not in any troubles as now First in that it freeth the soul from those doubts and fears in which it is about its eternall condition There is a great deal of vertue in such a freedome as this is to keep up the soul from fainting in troubles usually even those that are faithfull when they are in any troubles are fearfull of their eternall estate and doe much question it But when that fear is removed and that great question is resolved they are exceedingly inabled to bear up not onely in regard of fainting under but also cheerfully to goe through all their troubles The example of that Martyr Mr. Glover is famous for this hee much doubted his condition a little before hee suffered and there were a great many despondencies in his Spirit and a great many faintings as it were so that hee did not carry himself so cheerfully as hee would but afterwards when God was pleased to shine in with the assurance of his love and to free him from this doubt under which hee did saint then was hee inabled not only to bear out from fainting but to go out and suffer with a great deal of joy and cheerfulnesse Now it is easie to shew how the love of Christ serveth to free the soul from those doubts in which it is about its eternall condition He that knoweth the transcendency of Christs love will bee easily freed from doubting about his condition The knowledge of Christs love in this respect casteth out fear And indeed the chief ground of this doubting is the want of the knowledge of the love of Christ when once the beleever is able to say I know the love of Jesus Christ and I know it not onely for others but my self then hee will bee able to resolve What should I doubt Or who should I fear Sith Jesus Christ loveth mee with such a transcendent love And thus being freed from his fears hee is also freed from his faintings Secondly An assurance of a rewards after all sufferings and tribulations this doth mightily support the soul from fainting under them therefore it was that Moses did not faint though hee were in afflictions with the people of God because hee was assured of the recompence of reward Therefore it was that Paul notwithstanding his great tribulations was kept from fainting because hee was assured of a Crown of life which was laid up for him Therefore it was that Jesus Christ himself was inabled to endure without fainting because of the joy that was set before him Now the knowledge of the love of Christ doth effect and produce this assurance The soul that knoweth how dearly Jesus Christ doth love him and what transcendent affection hee beareth unto him will with a little pains bee brought to beleeve that certainly hee will fully and gloriously reward him for all the tribulations hee endureth for him O! saith the beleever that knoweth the love of Jesus Christ albeit what I feel be sore and what I fear be sadder though my tribulations bee many yea and heavy too yet I know I shall have a reward for all after all because Jesus Christ loveth mee with a love passing knowledge And thus the beleever will bee sweetly supported from fainting Thirdly a full acquiescence for rest in Christ is very efficacious to keep the soul from fainting under troubles That which causeth the heart to despond and to bee apt to faint is because it is apt to bee tossed up and down An unstable soul is like to the vessell in the storm without an anchor tossed up and down with every wave and every wind therefore it is that souls are apt to fret and to faint because they doe not and cannot rest in God Hence is that exhortation Psal 37. v. 7. Rest in the Lord fret not thy selfe Men do fret and faint because they doe not rest in the Lord whereas if they could doe the one they would bee free from the other Now the knowledge of the love of Christ doth bring the soul to such a resting and quiescance on Christ O saith the beleever when I consider how Christ loveth mee how out of that love to mee hee will plead my cause for me and will one day make those by whom I now suffer tribulation to come and worship before mee that they may know that hee loveth mee Apoc 3.9 When I consider this saith the soul then am I enabled quietly to rest my heart in Christ and to solace my soul in him and to bee so far from fainting under or fretting at my tribulations as that I am able in my patience to possesse my self and to rejoyce in Christ Thus the knowledge of the love of Christ worketh a resting upon him and that rest keepeth from fainting Fourthly Strength of love to Jesus Christs person serveth to support the soul from fainting under tribulations Jacobs love to Rachel kept him from fainting under any hardnesse which hee did indure for her And the spouse being sick of love to Christ was made strong by that sicknesse to endure much for Christ without fainting The Watch-men smite her and wound her the keepers of the wall take her and abuse her taking away her veil from her yet shee holds out yet shee faints not at all this trouble and why because shee was sick of love for the Lord Jesus Thus strength of â—ove to Christ keepeth a soul from fainting under sorrow Now the knowledge of Christs love doth very facily and freely work this Hee that knoweth how transcendently Christ doth love him cannot chuse but at least really love Christ again yea and strongly too Beleevers cannot chuse but love him whom they know loved them first Hence it is that Phoenix like gathering together all the spicy actions of Christs love and sweetly meditating upon them they can fetch fire out of all and sweetly dye in the flames of that fire and never faint O how easily can the soul support it self from fainting under tribulations for Christ while it burneth with love to Christ And how easie also is it for a soul not only to fetch fire to kindle but even to inflame How also when it considereth the transcendent love of Christ to him Fifthly Adde to this in the last place this consideration that divine joy is ever efficacious to keep the
in truth there will be a communication of secrets But this I finde not in thee therefore I question whether thou indeed dost love me How ever Dalilah did or might argue thus against her Sampson Beleevers cannot argue so against their Saviours love The Lord Jesus unbosometh himself to Beleevers the secrets of his heart are with them Christ tells his Disciples that hee would manifest himself unto them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. lny himself open Joh. 14. The men of the world are strangers to Christs affections and therefore they are so to his secrets Carnal people do not know the minde of the Lord because hee doth not love them But we saith Paul that is we who are beloved by Christ we have the minde of Christ 1 Corint 2.16 Look as the Father loveth the Son and declares it by this that he sheweth him all things which himself doth Joh. 5.10 In like manner the Son loveth beleevers and actually demonstrates it by this that he declares all things i. e. all these secrets which were needful for them to know that he heard of the Father Joh. 15.15 The secrets of Christs Cabinet-councel are with those whom hee loves 2 Christ often takes Beleevers to his house and feasts them Thus wee deal with our friends and thus we declare to them our loves Christ deals so with his The King hath brought me into his Chamber Cant. 1.4 Nay he hath brought me into his banqueting house Cant. 2.4 When David would declare his love to Barzillai he said Come thou over with me and I will feed thee with me at Jerusalem 2 Sam. 19.23 thus Christ often speaks and declares his love to beleevers Come thou to me poor soul and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem Nay Christ declares his love not only by inviting and bringing beleevers to his house but also by coming to theirs He doth stand at their door and knock and if they will but open he will enter Apoc. 3.6 if they love him so much as to let him in hee will come and declare his love by dwelling with them Joh. 14.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. make out abode or long stay with And he will feast with them in their house i. e. their hearts And because he will declare hee comes to shew love he will make the feast at his own cost He hath gathered his myrrhe with his spice for this purpose as it is Cant. 5.1 3 Christ unites himself to beleevers and in that demonstrates that hee loveth them Affection begets union Austin long ago defined Love to be the juncture of two in one Amor est junctura duo copulans Love it makes one of two It is said of Jonathan and David that their souls were knit together 1 Sam. 18.1 Christ and beleevers are knit together it is Christs love which makes the knot It s a more than moral union which is between Christ and beleevers they are not only his friends and brethren but his Spouses and Members If he bee a Head they shall be the body and if he be a Vine they are the branches Nay the union between Christ and Beleevers is nearer than that of the vine and branches of no branch can it bee said properly that it is in the vine and the vine in it But of Beleevers it is said Christ is in them and they are in him This union demonstrates also the truth of Christs love to beleeving souls I shall now make a word of Application and conclude this point There be but three uses unto which I will speak viz. a use of Information Comfort and Counsel Use I. The point informs us of the sweetness of Christ to all the Saints O how sweet how kind how gracious is Jesus Christ to beleevers thus to minde then thus to set his heart upon them Beleevers the Lord loves you Is he not in this sweet unto you Ruth at the consideration of Roaz his love falleth on her face and faith Why have I found grace in thine eyes that thou shouldest take knowledge of me seeing I am a stranger Fall on your faces Beleevers you were once strangers to Jesus Christ but you have found grace in his eyes your names are written upon his heart in letters of love well may you say that Christ is sweet seeing he loves such strangers as you were The King of Israel is surely sweet in setting his love upon you who were strangers unto Israel O how happy art thou O poor beleever in being the object of thy Lords love The meanest beleever may raise up a very high structure of happinesse upon this corner stone Christs love O how blessed art thou in thy beloved poor soul and how sweet is hee to thee that hath alway a fire of love burning in his bosome towards thee II. This point is very comfortable to beleevers It is a cordial to you is it not O beleever that Christ doth love you doth it not revive your hearts my brethren to hear that hee who is the Lord of Life and glory in himself is a Lord of grace and love to you Jesus Christ who hath written upon his Garments Lord of Lords hath also written upon his bosome love to beleevers Certainly Beleevers could you but see how near you are to Christ how highly he prizeth you how dearly he loves you I should not need to bid you rejoyce or be glad or be of good comfort Object No will the soul say Indeed you need not if I could but see that Christ loved me but I doubt that Res Doubt it not O beleeving soul but be confident and in that confidence bee comforted Christ loves you and that as wee shall shew hereafter with a transcendent love Object But it is good to have a ground of confidence and in vain shall you comfort me if I see no reason in your words Why what reason is there that Christ should love mee Res Christs love is its own reason He therefore loves because he will It may be the vanity of our wanton love that we love meerly because we love But it is the glory of Christs love that he doth so ☜ Mark and mind this The reason why Christ loves thee O poor soul is in his own bosome If thou look in thine thou wilt not finde it because it is not there but look up into Christs bosome and there it is He will have mercy upon whom he will Christ will love thee and doth love thee O Beleever because he will Do not therefore stand questioning why he should but be comforted and rejoyce in this that he doth love thee even thee O poor soul Though it may bee thy faith be little yet Christs love to thee is true Q. But though he love me now will he love me still Will not Christ dislike me hereafter and upon that dislike desert me Sure I am I shall give him cause and I fear he will take it And certainly if Christ desert I dye I