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 leaâ—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 onely 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 Wonderfâ—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 horriâ—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 â—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
Body the Church who is the beginning the First-born from the Dead that in all things he might have the Preeminence For it pleased the Father that in him all fulness should dwell If we read believe and consider this great Description of Christ we must needs see and say that Christ is most Excellent and Amiable and that no beloved is like to the Beloved of true Christians therefore it is that true Christians do love Christ because of his loveliness Rea. 3. True Christians do love Christ because of His love His love which he doth bear to them He loves them with a First love and with a Free love He loves them with a tender and compassionate love with an active or doing love with a passive or suffering love His love is Infinite without Bounds or Limits it is Superlative without comparison Transcendent beyond comprehension Everlasting without change and which will have no end or conclusion He lov'd them when they were polluted in their sins and washt them with his own blood he loved them when they were Naked in their Souls and clothed them with the Robes of his Righteousness He loves them in their sickness and sorrows and is their Comforter He loves them in their wants and Straits and is their Benefactor He loves them in Life and is the Life of their Souls He loves them at Death and is the Stay of their Hearts And he loves them after Death and will be their Portion for ever There is great Reason that true Christians should love Christ because of his loveliness and there is further reason that they should love him because of his love especially when both are incomparable both are incomprehensible I shall further speak God willing unto both these with other reasons under the motives in the Exhortation to excite Christians to the love of Christ. SECT VIII Vse 1. FOR Information hence learn that there are but few true Christians in the world because there are so few that love this unseen Christ. There are many Christians in Name few Christians in deed and in truth The time hath been when openly to profess the Name of a Christian did argue true love unto Jesus Christ I mean in the Primitive times when Christians were Persecuted by the Heathens as in the Ten first dreadful Persecutions under the Heathen Emperours when the world was watered with Christian blood then especially at some times and in some yea most places whoever openly acknowledged themselves to be Christians they exposed themselves unto Imprisonments Racks Tortures Burnings and the most cruel deaths It was the Truth and Strength of Love unto Jesus Christ which carried them thorow such great sufferings as many did in those dayes undergo for the sake of Jesus Christ But now there are Multitudes of bare nominal Christians they call themselves Christians being baptized in Christ's name but they are altogether without love to Christ whose Name they bare Surely there are but few not only in the Christian World but even in England where Christianity is to be found in as great purity as in any place that love Jesus Christ in sincerity No grossely ignorant persons do truly love Christ such as don't know Christ they can't love him ignoti nulla cupido there is no desire after nor love unto an unknown thing An unknown evil cannot be hated and an unknown good cannot be loved No grossely Erroneous persons do truely love Christ such as do not receive Christ's Truths they cannot love Christ's Person Joh. 14. 23. If any man love me he will keep my words The words of Christ do include not only the words of his Precepts but also the words of his Doctrine Such as erre grossely I mean in the Fundamental Truths of Christianity they are no friends to Christ but his Enemies so far are they from true love unto him No grossely wicked persons do truly love Christ such as profane persons who Blaspheme the name of God in their hideous Oaths the love of Christ doth teach an Holy Awe and Reverence of Gods Name such are Persecuters of Gods people for Righteousness sake How can they love the Head that hate the Members Christ accounteth himself to be persecuted in the perseution of his Members Act. 9. 4. Saul Saul why persecut est thou me and v. 5. I am Jesus whom thou persecutest and surely persecutors of Christ do not love Christ. Such are Scoffers at Religion who deride Holiness and mock at the name of a Saint or Godly person whereby they evidently shew their contempt of the Holiness of Christ from whom the Saints derive all theirs and how can they love Christ that do contemne him and his Image No unrighteous persons do truly love Christ whether they be so in regard of distributative justice or in regard of commutative justice whether they be unrighteous in Execution of judgement in distribution of Rewards or Punishments whether they be unrighteous in their Traffick and Dealingâ— Christ strictly requireth justice and Righteousness and how can they love him that do not keep this Commandement No Covetous persons do truly love Christ the Apostle saith 1 Joh. 2. 15. If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him And I may say that if any man love the world that is with his chief love the love of the Son is not in him the love cannot be chiefly set upon things below here on Earth and upon Christ who is above in Heaven No Licentious persons do truly love Christ no Drunkards Adulterers or any that indulge themselves in unlawful delights the love of Christ doth teach us to deny such Lusts and to Mortifie them No meer civil persons that are unconverted no Hypocrites that have a forme of Godliness but are without the power of it do truly love Christ the former may be loving and courteous unto men but they have no love to Christ the latter may Profess love to Christ and Seem to love him but they do not really love him In a word none who are under the reigning power of any sin do truly love Christ The Reign of sin is in the heart and this is inconsistent with the love of Christ in the Heart Now let us separate all these forementioned persons from the rest Grossely Ignorant persons grossely erroneous persons grossely wicked persons the Profane the Persecutors of Gods people the Scoffers at Religion all Unrighteous persons all Covetous Persons Drunkards Adulterers and all Licentious Persons meer Civil persons Hypocrites and all that are under the reigning power of sin and how few will there be left that do truly love Christ and by Consequence there will appear but very few that are true Christians SECT IX Vse 2. FOR Examination Here you may know whether you are true Christians by the Tryall of your love unto Jesus Christ. Examine your selves therefore whether you love Jesus Christ whom you have never seen the most in the world do love truly those persons and things only
have such fulness and plenty as the Lord Jesus Christ and none so willing to communicate of his fulness unto the wants of such as are poor in Spirit and sensible of their need Col. 1. 19. It hath pleased the Father that in him all fulness should dwell There is not only Plenty in him but fulness not the fulness of the cistern but the fulness of the Fountain not the fulness only of sufficiency for himself but the fulness of redundancy for his people not some fulness for some things but all fulness for all things that are good not fulness for some time and to continue but for a while but all fulness doth dwell in him and abide for all his people throughout all Generations and this not to depend upon the pleasure of men whose minds may alter but it hath pleased the Father it dependeth upon the pleasure of the Father who is always the same and whose good will to his people is unchangeable There is a twofold fulness in Christ for his people here besides his fulness of Glory which hath a reference to Eternity There is a fulness of Merit and a fulness of Spirit 1. A fulness of Merit in that full and perfect Righteousness which he hath wrought out for them and which he doth impute unto them for their Justification 2. There is a fulness of Spirit in Christ the Spirit being given unto him without measure which he doth impart and communicate unto them for their Sanctification and Consolation Christians you are empty Christ is full you are poor Christ is rich you are indigent Christ is All-sufficient and will not you love Christ who is able to do for you beyond what you are able to ask or think and is as willing as he is able to supply all your Spiritual necessities will you not love Christ who is an Overflowing Everflowing â—ountain of Good who hath inexhaustible treasures of Graces and Comforts in him which are set open before you and unto you and every day you may freely come and fetch such jewels out of this Treasury as are of higher worth and greater use than any Earthly Riches in the greatest Plenty and abundance 6. Consider Christs kindness and mercy All the kindness of Men is unkindness compared with the kindness of Christ all the Mercies of Men are Cruelty compared with the Mercies of Christ. He is all kindness all bowels all compassion all pity all grace all mercy to miserable lost mankind I shall not enlarge here because this will fall under the second head of Arguments taken from the consideration of Christs Love And if you add the kindness and mercy of Christ to all his other excellencies and perfections surely he will appear to have incomparably the greatest attractives in him for Love unto any that have not a very thick veil of unbelief before their Eyes to hide him from their view Secondly Consider what Christ is to the Father 1. He is most nearly related to him 2. He is most dearly beloved by him 1. Christ is most nearly Related and with all most perfectly like unto the Father All the Creatures are related to God as their Maker but Gods Children are more nearly related the Saints are nearly related to God who are his Children by Adoption and Regeneration the Angels are more nearly related to God who are his Sons by Creation and never were separated from him by sin but the Lord Jesus Christ is most nearly related unto God who is his Son by Eternal Generation thus Christ is the only Begotten Son of God and doth bear his Image most perfectly being the brightness of his Fathers Glory and the express Image of his Person This near Relation of Christ and his likeness to the Father doth call for your strongest love if you have reason to honour the Father on the same account you have reason to honour the Son if you have reason to love the Father you have the same reason to love the Son You will love the Sons of Princes and will you not love the Son of God you will love your own Children who bear your Own Image and will not you love Christ who is the express Image of God we read of Christ Phil. 2. 6. Who being in the form of God thought it no Robbery to be equal with God Christ without Robbery or Derogation unto God is equal with God in all Glorious Excellencies and Perfections and therefore your highest and strongest love is his due and without robbery you cannot withhold it from him 2. Christ is most dearly beloved by the Father 2 Pet. 1. 17. For he received from God the Father Honour and Glory when there came such a voice to him from the Excellent Glory This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased he then that is wortâ—y of the Fathers love surely is worthy of yours he that is cheifly beloved by the Father should chiefly be beloved by you Thirdly Consider what Christ is unto all true Christians if you be such Christ is your Shepherd he feedeth you in green Pastures he hath laid down his life for his Sheep and will you not love such a Shepherd he is your Captain who hath conquered all your Enemies for you and leadeth you on to take the spoils and will you not love such a leader He is your Prophet who teacheth you the most excellent things that ever were taught the highest mysteries the most Glorious Truths which are of the greatest concernment to know and believe and he teacheth you in the most excellent way by his word and Spirit opening your understandings as well as his Truths giving you light and an eye to discern this light and will you not love such a teacher He is your High-Priest who hath made satisfaction for you and withall maketh intercession for you to reconcile â—ou unto God and his intercession is incessant and prevalent and will you not love such an Advocate He is your King who ruleth you most powerfully and righteously most Wisely and Graciously and will you not love such a Soveraign He is your Benefactor the most kind and bountiful and no gifts are comparable unto his gifts and will you not love such a friend He is your Brother and if he be not a shamed to own you for his Bretheren and Sisters will it not be a shame if you should withhold from him your hearts He is your Husband and you are joyned to him by the Spirit and Faith in such Bonds as cannot be broken and will not you embrace him in the arms of your dearest love He is your Redeemer who rescued and delivered you from Sin and Sathan from Death and Wrath He hath redeemed you by price the price of his blood and hath he not then given the greatest price for your Love he hath redeemed you also by conquest and shall he not make a conquest of your hearts Surely you are altogether unworthy of these relations if you do not present Christ with your
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 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 SECT XIII THe third sort of motives to excite your love unto Christ may be drawn from the consideration of Christs Benefits If you are true Christians you have 1. Spiritual Light from Christ. 2. Spiritual Life from him 3. The Pardon of sin from him 4. The Robes of Righteousness from him 5. The Peace of Conscience from him 6. The Joyes of the Holy Ghost from him 7. The Riches of Grace from him 8. The Dignity of Children from him 9. The Spirit of Prayer from him 10. Title to the Kingdom of Heaven with the first Fruits and fore-tastes of it from him here and shall be put into the possession of it by him hereafter 1. You have Spiritual light from Christ Christ is the Sun from whom all the beams of this light do come time was when you were not only in the dark but darkness but Jesus Christ did enlighten you Eph. 5. 8. For ye were sometimes darkness but now are yee light in the Lord walk as Children of the light it is Christ that hath turned you from darkness to light that hath translated you out of darkness into his marvellous light he hath caused a marvellous light to shine into your minds whereby he hath discovered to you the wonderful things of the Law that thereby you might discern the odious nature of Sin and whereby he hath discovered to you the wonderful mysteries of the Gospel that thereby you might discern the excellency of Gospel-priviledges and the exceeding Riches of Gods Grace and Kindness through Jesus Christ. Christ hath opened your Eyes to see the chiefest evil that you might be delivered from it and the chiefest good and happiness that you might attain unto it And doth not this light which you have from Christ call for your love If the man that was born blind and was cured of his natural darkness by Christ did love Christ for this favour so as boldly to plead for him before the Pharisees though he were for it cast out of the Synagogues as you may read in Iohn 9. How much more reason have you to love Christ who hath cured you of your Spiritual darkness which had it continued you would have gone blindfold to Hell where there it blackness of darkness for ever 2. You have Spiritual life from Christ you were Spiritually dead and Christ hath quickned you Eph. 2. 1. You hath he quickned who were dead in sins and trespasses We read that Christ raised Lazarus from the dead after he had been buried four dayes Iohn 11. Lazarus did love Christ before but no doubt this Resurrection of him so wonderfully did endear his love to Christ exceedingly and shall not Christs raising you up from your Spiritual death raise your Hearts unto a great height of love to Christ you will greatly love one that is instrumental to save your natural life when in great hazard and danger especially if he should do it by venturing his own and will you not greatly love Christ who hath given you Spiritual life which is far more excellent than the life of Nature and when he dyed that you might live and when if you had not received this Spiritual life from him you could not have escaped eternal Death 3. You have the pardon of sin from Christ this Christ hath purchased for you and the purchase hath cost him dear even his blood which was of more worth than the treasures were there so many of ten thousand worlds this Christ hath sued out for you by his intercession at the right hand of God Whilst you were under the guilt of sin you were bound over by the Justice of God to suffer the vengeance of Eternal Fire but being pardoned your obligation to future punishment is taken off and you are no more lyable to wrath to come and the vengeance of Hell than if you had never siâ—n'd And will you not love the Lord Jesus Christ who hath procured for you so great a priviledge we read of one that had much forgiven her and she loved much Luk. 7. 47. and have not you had
4. 7. 3 4 5. which at enâ—â—ance were but to â—he Ankles a little further were up to the Loyns a little further a deep River over the head where a man might swim methinks you should perceive an encreasing of your love under these various motives if your love were more shallow at first methinks by this time it should have got some depth when such Winds do blow the waters should flow and overflow methinks your love to Christ should be raised unto a high tide and run with a strong Stream Thus for the motives drawn from the consideration of Christs Benefits all which are so many Orators for your love 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 Chriâ—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 â—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 ordeâ— 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 setteâ—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 Chriâ—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 â—ither Bâ—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 â—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
your pleadings with him at the Throne of Grace for further supplyes of his Grace and that you may be brought into more intimacy of acquaintance with him Every day you should express your love to Christ especially on the Lords day when almost the whole day is to be spent in publick and private Exercises of Religious Worship in all your love to Christ should be in exercise in your attendances upon him in Ordinances you most bring not only your Bodies before him but present your Hearts unto him this you should be carefull to do in publick Prayer and Hearing of the Word Preaching and Singing Psalms often should you endeavour in every Ordinance to lift up your hearts unto the Lord but above all when you approach the Lords Table all your Graces should there and then be in exercise especially this Grace of love to Jesus Christ your Eye there should affect your Heart when you see the representations of your crucified Lord and think what manner of Love he did bear to you that he should submit himself unto such a Death for you how should this affect your hearts And if ever then your Love to Christ should shew it self and act with the greatest vigour and strength SECT XVII HAving given Directions how to attain love to Christ in the truth and in the strength of it I come now to the last sort of Directions wherein you should shew your love to Jesus Christ. More generally shew your Love to Christ in your Obedience unto Christ Ioh. 14. 15. If ye love me keep my Commandements Be faithfull in the performance of all known Duâ—ies which Christ doth command and be carefull in the forbearance of all known sins which Christ doth forbid let your great care be to please Christ whoever is displeased and your great fear be of offending Christ whoever be offended with your strictness Shew your love 1. In the Sincerity of your Obedience 2. In the Willingness of your Obedience 3. In the Vniversality of your Obedience 4. In the Constancy of your Obedience 1. Shew your love to Christ in the Sincerity of your Obedience Hypocrites will do some things which Christ commandeth but it is from carnal Motives and with carnal Designs But let love to Christ be the Motive and the Honour of Christ the End of your Obedience obey Christ because you love him and with a design to please him what you do do heartily unto the Lord and above all things desire and endeavour that what you doe may find acceptation with him 2 Cor. 5. 9. Wherefore we labour that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him 2. Shew your love to Christ in the Willingness of your Obedience some will obey Christ but it is with great Backwardness they will perform Duties but they are burdensome a weariness and toilsome and the Commandements of Christ are grievous unto them they are scarce ready unto any Duty but when they are scourg'd unto it by the Rods of Affliction or spurr'd and prickt forward by the goads of Conscience O the listlesness and indisposition in the most unto the most spiritual part of the Service of Christ which is an evident proof of the defect of love either in the truth of it or at least in the measure and degree of it Let your love shew it self in the willingness of your Obedience serve the Lord with a willing and ready mind with alacrity and chearfulness of spirit looking upon the Service of Christ as your Honour and esteeming every Duty to be your Priviledge If you have any constraints unto Obedience let them be the constraints of love as 2 Cor. 5. 14. If you be forced to obey Christ let there be no violence but the violence If love if you be drag'd to Duty let it oe with no other cords than the cords of bove let love be the Spur and Goad to prick you forward that you may not onely walk but run in the wayes of Christs commandements with an enlarged heart 3. Shew your love to Christ in the Vniversality of your Obedience Hypocrites wiâ—l perform some Duties which are for their turn and will serve their carnal designs other duties they omit and totally neglect let your love to Christ discover it self in your respect to all his Commandments though you cannot here attain Perfection of Obedience yet lâ—t your Obedience be universal obey Christ not only in open Duties which men are witnesses of but also in secret Duties and spiritual Duties which depend upon the exercise of the Mind such as Meditation Contemplation Self-search and Ejaculation as also in the spiritual part of all Duties which no Eye can be witness unto but the Eye of God and hereby you may be distinguished from all Hypocrites in the world 4. Shew your love to Christ in the Constancy of your Obedience Gal. 5. 7. Ye did run well who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth Some Hypocrites are zealous Professors for a while and at first setting out seem to outstrip many that are sincere but they soon tire and are weary not onely in well-doing but of it they quickly sâ—umble and fall and not onely fall down but fall off not only fall back but fall away and turn fearfull Apostates Shew your love to Christ not onely in setting out well but in continuing your Christian course well unto the end of the course of your Lives begin well and patiently continue in well-doing Persevere in your Obedience Be not weary in well-doing knowing that in due time ye shall reap if ye faint not Gal. 6. 9. And if you be faithfull unto death Christ hath promised to give you the Crown of Life Rev. 2. 10. More particularly shew your love to Christ 1. In your learning keeping asserting and maintaining of Christ's truths 2. In your publick spiritedness and zeal for Christs honour and interest 3. In your vigorous resistance and opposition of Christs Enemies 4. In your Following of Christ's example 5. In your readiness to take up and patiently to bear Christs cross 6. In your desires after Christs presence here a longing for Christ's second appearance at the last day 1. Shew your love to Christ in your learning keeping asserting and maintaining Christ's Truths 1. Learn Christ's Truths acquaint your selves by diligent reading of the Scriptures and other books that may be a help hereunto with all fundamental truths of the Christian Religion in the first place and so go on and proceed further to learn those truths which are superstructory and whatever truths you find a Foundation for in the Scriptures which are the word of Truth receive them not only in the light of them but also in the love of them if the branches of truths be in your heads and the leaves of them in your profession and the fruit of them in your actions let the root of them be in your Hearts 2. Having learned the truths of Christ as they are in Jesus let them not hang loose