breadth and length O the transcendency of Christs love to beleevers 3. But how came Christ here Came he in pomp with glory Came hee with the sound of a Trumpet that all might know that though hee did come into a cottage yet he was a Prince No but rather in a poor mean way Indeed when Christ was born an heavenly Hoast appeared praising of God and singing But that was rather to discover unto the World that the Saints lover was come into their Country than any way to dignifie him who indeed was above all glory Some expound that place Isa 42.12 He shall not cry nor lift up nor cause his voyce to be heard in the streets c. As if it did mean that Christ should not carry the matter about which he came in an outward glorious manner with pomp but that in a silent way he should both come and do all that unto which his Fathers love and his own did design him And if you consider the History of his Nativity you will say that Christ came not with any great show hee was born not the Son of some great Queen but the Infant of a poor Virgin His reputed Father was not a mighty Monarch but a mean Carpenter This was it with which he was twitted in the teeth as disgraceful Is not this the Carpenters Son O how mean did Christ come into the World when he was born in an Inne and that happily none of the best for there were not many Lodgings in it and therefore his travelling Mother was fain to lye in the stable and there was hee brought forth And how did hee lye when being swadled with some homely Cloaths his Mother laid him in the Cratch He that was wont to sit upon the Throne amidst the Cherubims was content to bee found in the Cratch among Brutes Verily while we consider this we must needs conclude that Christs love was surpassing great in that he would vouchsafe to seem at least yea and in a Human way to be so little and to lye so low for your sakes But 4 Joyn to all these the end of Christs coming into the World and this will exceedingly heighten the demonstration and evince that indeed the love of Christ passeth knowledge Why for what did he come upon what design came the King of glory from Heaven to Earth in so mean a way came he to take the Crowns off from the heads of Kings and to put them upon his own Indeed Herod feared this but without ground for Christ came for no such end But the end for which he came was love His design was to declare make known that love which lay hid from eternity in his own and Fathers bosome unto beleevers Therefore it was that he was born in time viz. that beleevers might see and know that love which hee bare to them from before time I will in a word mention omitting others six particular ends for which Christ was born and came into the world and you will see them like so many several lines in a Compass meet all in love as in their alone center 1 The first end for which he was born was to redeem the precious souls of beleevers from that slavery in which they lay yea and their bodies also from that vanity unto which with the rest of the Creatures they were subjected Christ saw his beloved Captives in Sathans Kingdom bound with chains and made slaves unto his will This sight went to his Soul and his love could not contain it self but he must come that his beloved might bee set free That this was the end of his Nativity the Apostle witnesseth Gal. 4.4 When saith he the fulnesse of time was come God sent his Son and he readily came made of a woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law that wee might receive the adoption of sons You were once slaves beleevers and Christ was born that you might be sons And a part of that adoption to which you were redeemed is not only the redemption of your souls though that bee the chief but also the redemption of your bodies as it is clear Romans 8.23 This was the end why Christ was born and I think I need not say it was an end of love for you cannot consider this but you must confess that 2 Another end which Christ aimed at in his Nativity was to be fitted to suffer for Beleevers sakes As Christ was God and shined with the glory and Majesty of the Deity buffetings spittings binding c. could not durst not take hold upon him when he spake but that word I AM HEE the glory of his God-head shining through it as through a crevise it is said they that came to seize him went backward and fell to the ground Joh. 18.6 Christ knew that as hee was God he could not suffer and yet a necessity he saw of suffering for beleevers sakes therefore he was contented to cloud the glory of his Deity with the mantle of the seed of Abraham that so he might be fitted to suffer for them When Codrus saw that his death would profit his Country and that while he had on his Imperial robes none durst slay him the Historian saith Depositis imperii insignibus famularem cultum induit c. i. e. He laid aside the royal robe and put on an homely habit that he might be fit to dye in that disguise My beloved the Lord Jesus saw that the bloud of Bulls and Goats could not take away sins he saw also that yet if ever beleevers lived it must be by bloud And therefore the Father having prepared him a body as it is Heb. 10.5 his heart had this law of love written in it that he took the Body that thereby he might bee fit to bleed Surely you are blind if you see not love in this end viz. That Christ was born to be fit to dye 3 A third end why he was born was that hee might bee like beleevers Love tends to likenesse Christ because he loved would bee born that he might be like to them in all things whom he loved above all things He was made saith the spirit in the likenesse of man Phil. 2.7 He beheld his beloved in the form of servants and he would bee born that he might be in their form Christ saw his dear ones cloathed with the sackcloth of Human Nature for that compared with the Angelical is but as hair to silk and therefore stoopt to a Nativity that he might be in the same fashion and appear in the same suite Though the Human Nature especially cloathed with infirmities were but a very mean array yet his Divine love made him esteem it above the Angelical Therefore passing by the nature of Angels he took upon him the nature of man and was born that he might be like unto beleevers Surely this was love But 4 Christ in his Nativity aimed at another end as like in love the former as might be and that
the transcendency of Christs love to beleevers First stand and wonder O beleeving soules at this love Indeed it 's fitter for wonder than words Think upon this that I have said and let your thoughts dwell upon the meditations hereof and when in the working of your thoughts you haveascended to some height then in the wonderment of your soules cry out O the depth of the love of Christ which passeth knowledge Wonder and say Lord Jesus what is man by sin the worst of creatures and what am I by unbelief the worst of men that thou shouldest thus minde me as to bee born for me to live yea to dye to declare love to me O that you would live and lose your selves in the thoughts of your Saviours love And when you have lost your selves which you may interpret found your soules in the bottomlesse gulf of your Lords love then recover your spirits again and cry out Oh the dazling heights Oh the confounding yet comfortable depths Oh the divine yet immensurable dimensions of the love of Christ which passeth knowledge 2 Lament O lament beleevers when you consider that notwithstanding Christ doth thus love you yet you are too too apt to neglect the consideration thereof and too too poor in it's requitall That holy man Mr. Welch wept because he saw his heart so dull that hee could not consider the love of Christ as he should and would And truly who can with a dry eye consider the neglect of the thought of the transcendent love of Christ what O soul doth Christ love thee much and dost thou think on it but little Canst thou spend daies and weeks in reading the fond fancies of feigned loves And hast not thou an houre to meditate on the real royall love of the Lord Jesus And as thou mindest it but seldome so thou requitest it but sorrily What small returns of love hath Christ had from thee for this vast expence of love upon thee He loves us richly but alas we love him poorly His love passeth knowledge none can understand it and our love in a sad sense passeth knowledge too for none can perceive it How little alas do wee will wee forsake for Christ And yet hee forsook much for us Hee forsook Heaven and came into the world for us and wee will not forsake earth although it be to goe to Heaven for him hee did much for us and counted it but little hee liv'd from first to last for us but wee doe but little for him and yet wee count it much grudging to give him the last and least though Satan hath had the first and most part of our life Hee as you have heard suffered for us even death it self but which of us is willing to taste of suffering for him True some have said If they had a thousand heads they would lose them all for Christ yet these some are but few For who of us would lose one head for him Ignatius in former times said hee was willing to endure fire crosse butcheries and all for Christ but these are the latter dayes and though his love was hot ours is grown cold wee can scarce endure a word a jeer a scoff for Christ Well I beseech you sit and sigh and say Oh! how meanly do we requite the love of Christ He was born lived died out of love to us But we are so far from dying for Christ that we scarce are willing to live to Jesus Christ Thirdly in as much as Christ thus loves you O beleevers with a transcendent love Be you satisfied herewith and be content if it must be so to want the love of men It s a shame that any who are the beloved of Christ should mourn for not being loved of the creature Why should the Kings daughter who hath or at least should forget her kindred and her fathers house Why I say should she i.e. the beleeving soul weep because the scullion scorns her when the King himself embraceth her It s but meet that you should rest satisfied in the love of Christ sith it s so transcendent Wherefore drink waters out of thine own cistern O Christian and as Solomon saith rejoyce with the wife or rather with Christ the husband of thy youth let him be as the loving Hinde and pleasant Roe let his breasts satisfy thee at all times Do not erre in mourning for the want or hunting after the enjoyment of creature-love but erre alwaies or as wee render it be ravished alwaies with his love Bathe thy self Oh beleever alwaies in Christs bosome live upon and be contented with his love Let others sip and drink if they 'l be so weak of the puddle waters of the creatures love while thou as wise neither enviest nor desirest to partake with them Surely did you but remember this that the love of Christ towards you passeth knowledge you would not be discontented at the want of the love of any or all the creatures considering therefore that it is such be you contented with it It s a sign that the love of Christ passeth thy knowledg in the transcendent worth thereof If in the midst of the absence of all other loves thou canst be content and satisfied with this SERMON IV. EPHES. 3. ver 19. And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge WEE are yet upon the consideration of the transcendency of Christs love to Beleevers And oh how sweet is it to lose our selves in this consideration How loath am I to leave a point of such infinite necessity and sweetnesse How gladly could I not only live but die in the declaration of the love of Christ to beleevers I doubt not but the very mention of the point That the love of Christ to beleevers is a transcendent love maketh the hearts of you to leap for joy Tell me O beleever couldest thou not wish to have thine cares ever followed with this sound That Christ loveth thee with a love passing knowledge Something we have already hinted and something more wee shall adde at this time yet because when I have said all that I can about the transcendency of Christs love to beleevers I shall come many thousand steps short of its height I am resolved to say all that I intend to this point at this time Therefore a little more to demonstrate this That the love of Christ passeth knowledge I shall intreat you to view First His command over them Secondly His care for them Thirdly His endeavour not only to declare to but to perswade beleevers of this love Christs Commands speak love First If we do consider the command which Christ exerciseth over beleevers we shall see the transcendency of his affection even in that It is Christs glory that he is the King of the Saints in a peculiar manner and it is his grace that he exerciseth that Kingly power in a sweet way How ever he ruleth the Nation with a rod of iron yet he ruleth the Saints with a golden Scepter Hence it
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
be like unto the Deity God is Light and Knowledge and the more we partake of it the more like wee are to him Now by how much the likelier Note wee are unto God by so much the nearer we come up to perfection Knowledge is exceeding precious It must needs be so sith it tends to perfection Indeed as Aquinas saith of seeing Though the object of sight be mean in it self yet the very act of seeing is sweet So also hee determines of Knowing that however the object be low and poor yet the very act it self of knowledge is high and precious Now of all knowledge there is none so precious nor so perfecting as that which is Divine Other Knowledge viz. Human can make us perfect only as men This knowledge viz. Divine gives us a perfection as Saints But Of all Divine knowledge the knowledge of Jesus Christ in the light of love as most precious as tending most to the perfection of our souls As ther are degrees of lustre in the heavenly lights so there are degrees of glory in Divine truths Every Star in the Firmament hath a glorious light but yet the light of the Sun exceeds them all in glory And every truth which is as a Starre in the heaven of Divinity hath a peculiar excellency in it and the knowledge thereof is precious But Jesus Christ who is as the Sunne in Divinity 's heaven hath a transcendent excellency in him and to know him doth sarre more tend to the perfecting of our souls than the knowledge of any or all Divine truths else besides Therefore it is that Paul accents this knowledge with an excellency Phil. 3.8 Yea doubtlesse saith he I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. And certainly Paul might well say thus for albeit he had attained the knowledge of other things yet without this he had been at a losse in point of Soul-sacred perfection So that however other knowledge as being some way perfecting and precious be desirable yet there is no knowledge which is so to be desired at least by Saints as the knowledge of Jesus Christ But yet as although the Sun be the most glorious of the heavenly Lights yet Mortals receive more comfort by its heat than by its light In like manner though the knowledge of Jesus Christ bee the most transcendent of divine truths yet our souls receive more sweetnesse by the warmth of his love than by the lustre of his light Look as Moses could not see the glory of God and live and yet must dye except he saw his grace Even so our souls cannot see the lustre of the bright beams of Christs glory and live wee must dye ere we can behold that yet notwithstanding we must see the light of the bosome-love of Jesus or else we dye If this light dawn not upon our bosoms if this knowledge shine not into our hearts we shall sink and dye in our souls especially if wee are in fear of any troubles Hence it was that the Apostle Paul among the rest of those precious Petitions which he puts up to the Father of our Lord Jesus in the behalf of the Ephesians lest they should faint at his tribulations hee adds this that they might know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge I shal briefly give you the context that it may give some light to the text The Apostle having hinted in the first verse of this Chapter Context that hee was a prisoner of Jesus Christ for the Ephesians who were Gentiles and having also upon that spoken something of the excellency of the Gospel and the warrant which hee had to preach the same unto them which two things were as two great supporters of him in his sufferings hee comes in the fourteenth verse to pray for the Ephesians that they might not faint at his tribulations Now there might be a double ground of the Apostles fear why the Ephesians might faint at news of his tribulations 1 Sympathy It is usual with Saints to sympathize each with other in their tribulations And Paul upon this ground might rightly think that the tidings of his imprisonment would be sad to these Ephesians and happily he might fear that out of their tender love both to his person and preaching they would be over-sad by sympathy to understand that now their Preacher was in prison 2 Fear lest themselves might meet with the like sufferings For what might they think Is Paul in prison for Preaching the Gospel then sure may we fear the like for receiving the Gospel It is commonly seen that the receivers of Gospel-truths suffer as well as the revealers Note And certainly the Ephesians might say we shall be accounted as faulty for our faith in as Paul is for his Preaching of the Gospel This peradventure they might argue and fear and faint Therefore the Apostle bendeth his knees to him who alone is able to keep from and support in faintings i. e. To the Father of our Lord Jesus And three things he beggeth in the behalf of the Ephesians that they might not upon any ground faint at his tribulations 1 Divine strength That he would grant according to the riches of his glory that they might be strengthned with might by his Spirit in the inner man ver 16. The spirit of man the Apostle knew was weak and so would faint unless God did strengthen it therefore he begs the Spirit of God which is the power from on high for their strengthening in the inner man that they might not faint in their outward man 2 Christs inhabitation That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith saith he v. 17. If any thing will keep up the heart from fainting Note it is the indwelling of Christ with the soul Christs presence creates comfort and there is no such fence against fainting under any fears as Christ in the soul The inhabitation of Christ within will support the soul from its faintings at tribulation for Christ without 3 The knowledge of Christs love That they might know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge as it is in the text Paul well knew the power of Christs love and the efficacy thereof this way So that now you may gather up the Apostles Petitions into one Prayer and you may conceive him pouring out his heart after this manner Thou Father of our Lord Jesus sith thou art the God of all comforts and comfortest thine in all their tribulations so that they faint not vouchsafe to grant according to the riches of thy grace that the Ephesians may not faint at my tribulations And to this end strengthen them by thy Spirit of power in their inner man fill them by the glorious presence of Christ dwelling in them but above all let them know the love of Jesus Christ which passeth knowledge Thus you see by the Context the drift and scope of the Text. But before I speak any further to it I must clear
shoar yet I am loath to desire to be from this Sea for it were delight in the highest manner to be drowned here The love of Christ is so surpassing sweet in it self and so infinitely necessary for our souls as that it is my desire at least to make some further discovery of its transcendency You see what an Hyperbole the Apostle useth to express the greatness of Christs love by viz. That it passeth knowledge The last time wee gave out the meaning of the expression and entred upon the proof of it in the prosecution of this point of Doctrine viz. That the love which Christ beareth to Beleevers is a transcendent love This being the main thing which I eye in the Text and indeed the main thing which every soul ought to eye and live upon I shall proceed further in the prosecution thereof All which I spake the last time for the demonstration of the truth of the Doctrin was but in a general way I shall therefore now go on to demonstrate the love of Christ to be transcendent from a brief survey of the course of his life Indeed Christs Life was as it were but one great act of love begun at his Birth and carried on even to the time of his Death If we follow this Lamb in the whole tract of his Life we shall see that from his Cradle unto his Crosse the whole way was paved as the bottom of Salomons Chariot was with love There be three Heads or demonstrations which I shall now touch upon that the transcendency of Christs love to Beleevers may appear yet more full and glorious They are these 1 His Birth and Incarnation 2 His Life and Conversation 3 His Death and Passion Each of these seriously considered will abundantly demonstrate the love of Christ to beleevers to be transcendent First consider his Birth and Incarnation How doth Christs love transcend in this act The low condescension of Christ in becoming Man doth evidently declare the high transcendency of his love to beleevers Had it not been great love in the Lord Jesus to have taken upon him the Angelical nature Sure it had If Christ would have come into the World with tidings of love and life he might have came as an Angel of glory not as a pe ce of clay and such a condescension as that had been much But he passed by the nature of Angels and took upon him the nature of man that in this act he may declare love to beleevers The Apostle tells us that he took not upon him the nature of Angels Heb. 2.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. in no wise at no hand would he take upon him the Angelical Nature but he took upon him the seed of Abraham to declare his love to the Children of Abraham That we may see a little more clearly how the love of Christ doth transcend in his birth I shall speak to this head in some particulars and by all of them you shall see how Christs love unto beleevers did appear and shine gloriously in this act of his when he became man and was born for their sakes Here I shall consider therefore particularly under this Head these four things 1 Whence Christ came 2 Where Christ came 3 How Christ came 4 Why Christ came when he was incarnate And out of all these you will see the transcendency of Christs love 1 Consider whence he came Christ was in the bosome of the Father where hee lay and lived in his Fathers love hence he came to declare love to beleevers John tells us hee came down from Heaven Joh. 6.38 Jesus Christ from all eternity was in Heaven There he had his Fathers company There he enjoyed his Fathers love There he was blessed in his Fathers bosome for so the Scripture saith he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 1.18 He was living in the light of the Fathers love And being with God he solaced himself in God In that very light and glory in which God himself was in that same light and glory did Christ triumph And yet from this from this he came for beleevers sakes He forg at as it were his Kindred and Fathers house to bee born for beleevers To undertake a long journey and from a rare place for any doth declare much love to them O how long a Journey did Christ undertake and from what a Paradise of pleasure did hee come unto beleevers when he was born Surely great was his affection transcendent is his love who came at least for a time from the house of Love his Fathers bosome to open to Beleevers the fountain of love his own bosome 2 But where did Christ come when he came from Heaven was it into some Goshen some land of light was it into some Paradise some land of life was it into some Elysium some place of pleasure Nothing lesse The place to which he came was Aegypt where beleevers sat in darknesse It was the Wildernesse where beleevers were in the shadow of death It was into this World where nothing is but vanity and vexation Here it was that Christ came for beleevers sakes And on what transcendent love was it that brought Christ here His eyes saw that his beloved ones were in a defiled place which therefore could not be their rest as it is Micha 2.10 his love therefore prevailed with him to come here to fetch his beloved hence It was great love which Ebedmelech the Aethiopian shewed unto Jeremiah when hee came to the brink of that filthy Dungeon in which the Prophet was and put down cords to draw him thence But what great love had it been if Ebedmelech had not only come to the brink of the Dungeon but come down into the Dungeon and not only drew him up with ropes but carried him up in his arms this had been love indeed Why let me tell you beleevers you were in this World in a worser Dungeon than Jeremiah was in which you were ready to dye for hunger and to be drowned in the mire thereof And the Lord Jesus Christ came when hee was born not only to the brink of the Dungeon with cords to draw you up but into the Dungeon it self to take you up in his very bosome and to bring you out from perishing here I came forth from the Father saith Christ that was great love but he addeth I came into the world Joh. 16.28 Here was love indeed For Christ to come from Heaven the Fathers Throne into the world Satans Kingdom For Christ to come from the place in which glory shines Heaven unto a place which lies in evil the world For Christ to come out from the presence of the Father who always smiled upon him and to come into the place of men who ever frowned upon him For him to come from thence where he always heard the Hallelujahs of Angels to come here where his ears were filled with the revilings of sinners 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O the height and the depth O 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