which they have seen but can you say that you sincerely and chiefly do love Jesus Christ whom you have not seen the love of the most doth arise from the notice which the Eye doth give of the Objects beloved but doth your love arise from the notice which the Ear hath given by the word of the Amiableness which here is in Christ Qu. How may we know whether we have true love to Iesus Christ Ans. You may know the truth of your love to Jesus Christ 1 By your desires after Christs presence 2 By your prizing and frequenting those wayes wherein Christ is to be found and seeking him therein 3 By your love of Christs image 4 By your Obedience to Christs Commandements First By your desires after Christs Presence wherever there is a great love to any person there is a desire after the presence of that person do you sincerely and earnestly desire Christs presence there is a twofold presence of Christ His gracious presence here and his Glorious presence at the last day 1. There is Christs Gracious presence here Joh. 14. 18. I will not leave you comfortless I will come unto you You desire that such Friends and Relations would come unto you but do you desire chiefly that Christ would come unto you Christ cometh to his Disciples in a way of gracious communication in a way of Gracious Manifestation and in a way of sweet Consolation which doth result from both 1 Do you desire that Christ would come unto you in a way of Gracious communication are your desires after communication of Spiritual Light from Christ to teach and guide you of Spiritual Life from Christ to quicken and encourage you of Spiritual Strength from Christ to support you under Burdens and Enable you unto Duties do you earnestly desire communications of all kinds and further degrees of grace out of that fullness of Grace which is in Christ do you Hunger and Thirst after Christs Righteousness not only that it may be imputed to you for your Justification but also that it may be more and more imparted unto you for your further Sanctification that you might be brought and hereby wrought into a more perfect conformity and likeness unto Jesus Christ this is an Evidence of true love 2 Do you desire that Christ would come unto you in a way of Gracious Manifestation Joh. 14. 21. He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self unto him Do you Earnestly desire the fulfilling of this promise that Christ would discover to you more of the loveliness of his person and of the love of his Heart are you grieved when your beloved doth withdraw himself when the curtain is drawn and a cloud doth interpose between you and this Sun of Righteousness when he Hideth and Veileth his Face from you and do you long after Christs returns and the Discoveries of himself unto you Come Lord Iesus Come quickly Be as a Roe or young Hart upon the Mountains of Spices Leap over the Mountains and Skip over the Hills and make haste unto my Soul which is sick of Love for thee in thy Absence from me O that I might see thy Face which is so Fair that I might hear thy Voice which is so Sweet that I might feel thy Presence which is so Refreshing O that I might behold thy Heart-ravishing Smiles Say Lord that I am thine and thou art mine that thou hast loved me and given thy self for me that thy love to me was from Everlasting and that it is Vnchangeable Are these or such like the breathings of your Souls Such are the breathings of love to Christ. 3 Do you desire that Christ would come unto you in a way of sweet consolation which doth result from this communication and Manifestation are you desirous after the Oil of Gladness which Christ is Anointed withal that he would give you of the Unction of the Spirit not only to Sanctifie you but also to comfort you do you desire that your Hearts might be filled with Spiritual joyes the joyes of the Holy Ghost which are unspeakable and full of Glory do you desire the comforts which Christ doth give beyond all the comforts which the World and the Flesh can give the comforts which come in at the door of Faith beyond all the comforts that come in at the door of Sense those joyes which are in Christ beyond all joyes that can be found in the most sweet and desireable creature-enjoyment this evidenceth true love to Christ. Thus do you desire Christs Gracious presence 2. And do you desire also Christs glorious presence at the Last day When he promiseth Surely I come quickly can your hearts make answer as Rev. 22. 20. Amen even so come Lord Iesus are you glad you live so near the End of the World that the Lord is at hand that the coming of the Lord draweth nearer and nearer every day can you lift up your heads with joy when you look towards the place where the Lord Jesus Christ is at the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty on High and think with comfort that yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not now tarry much longer that within a while Christ will descend from Heaven with a shout the Lord with the Sound of the Trumpet and that your Eyes shall see him in the brightness of his Glory and Majesty Do you look and long for the day of Christ's glorious appearance from heaven when you shall be awakened out of your Graves where you may take a short sleep before and be gathered together by the Angels and be caught up in the clouds and there in shining Garments of Immortality on your Bodies and of Christs unspotted Righteousness in your Souls be brought with Shoutings and Acclamations of Joy and Triumph into his Presence who will then acquit you Graciously from all Sin and Punishment own you openly for his Faithful Servants crown you Gloriously before the whole World and receive you to Live and Reign with him to all Eternity Have you such desires as these If some of you say you are afraid of Christs Glorious appearance lest then you should be rejected because you fear you are not ready and prepared yet can you say also from your Hearts that you Desire above all things that you may be ready that you Endeavour to make ready that it is your Grief you are no more ready and that if you were ready and were assured of your Interest in Christ you could desire that Christ would come immediately and that you desire no greater Happiness and Felicity than to live with Christ in Glory and that you account the Presence of Christ in Heaven to be the Happiness of Heaven These are Evidences of true desires after Christ's Glorious presence and of sincere love to Christ. Secondly You may know your love to Christ by your Prizing and Frequenting those wayes wherein Christ is to be found
willing to Dye and this sense of Christ's Love will effectually sweeten your passage through the dark Entry of Death An APPENDIX Concerning Christ's Manifestation of Himself unto them that love him Joh. XIV latter part of vers 21. And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self unto him WE read Luk. 4. 22. And all bare him witness and wondred at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth Never did such gracious and sweet words drop from the lips of any man that ever lived as those from the lips of Christ when he was here upon the Earth and of all Christ's words those which he spake to his Disciples in his last Sermon before his last Suffering in the 14 15 and 16 Chapters of Iohn are superlatively sweet and none more sweet in this Sermon than the words of my Text read unto you And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self unto him In the former part of the verse we have the Character of one that doth truely love Christ He that hath my Commandements and keepeth them he it is that loveth me In the latter part of the verse which is my Text we have the Priviledge of one that doth truely love Christ and that is in three Promises which Christ doth make unto him 1. He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father 2. And I will love him 3. And will manifest my self unto him It is the last of these Promises which I shall speak unto by way of Appendix unto my Treatise of the Love which true Christians have and ought to have unto Christ and that is the Promise of Christs manifesting himself unto such as love him And the Doctrine is this Doct. That Christ will manifest himself unto such as love him In handliâ—g of this point I shall shew 1. What it is for Christ to manifest himself 2. That Christ will manifest himself to them that love him 3. How Christ doth manifest himself unto such 4. When Christ doth manifest himself unto such 5. Where Christ doth manifest himself unto such as love him 6. And lastly make some Application Section I. 1. WHat it is for Christ to manifest Himself 1. Christ doth manifest himself when he maketh a clearer discoverie unto His Disciples of the excellency of His Person when he doth further unveil himself and le ts forth some beams and rays with greater lustre and brightness to discover more of the oriency and transcendency of his soul-ravishing beauty unto them which they had but a dimmeâ— sight and darker apprehensions of before and this is done when Christ doth more fully impart of the spirit of wisdom and revelation unto them Upon this account the Apostle did pray in the behalf of the believing Ephesians that the Lord would give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation to enlighten their understandings in the knowledge of him Eph. 1. 16 17 18. they had the spirit before and some knowledge of Christ before but he prayes that God would give them fuller measures of the spirit to make a clearer discovery of Christ that the eyes of their understandings might be more and more enlightened unto a more spiritual discerning of the surpassing Beauty and Excellency in Christ's person in the knowledge of whom the most enlightned Christians are capable of further growth unto the end of their life hence that Exhortation of the Apostle Peter 2 Pet. 3. 18. But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ. 2. Christ doth manifest himself when he maketh a deep impression and giveth a sweet sense to his Disciples of his presence Christ is never really absent from such as Love him but he may Seem to be so sometimes they may apprehend him to be a far off he may and often doth withdraw the sense of his presence Cant. 5 6. I opened to my beloved but my beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone Christ doth manifest himself when he doth draw near to his people and maketh them feel that he is near giving them a sweet sense of his presence through the powerful breathings of his Spirit upon them whereby their hearts are quickned and enlarged and drawn forth towards himself and their graces excited unto powerful exercise 3. And chiefly Christ doth Manifest Himself when He makes discovery of His Love unto them that love him when He gives them to see not only the beauty of His face but also the smiles of His face when He gives them to behold the amiableness of His countenance and withall lifts up upon them the light of His countenance when he sheddeth abroad the sense of His Love into their hearts giving them a full perswasion of His special Love unto them and also a sweet sense thereof Thus Christ doth sometime look kindly and speak kindly unto his people and this sweet Language is not spoken to the ear of the body but inwardly by His Spirit to to their souls when he saith to the soul I am thy salvation and thy Saviour I have loved thee with an everlasting Love and my Love is vnchangeable The Mountains shall depart and the hills be removed but my loving kindness shall never depart and be removed from thee I have given my self for thee and I have given my self unto thee and I will never repent of this gift I have chosen thee for my self called and joyned thee unto my self and I will never repent of this choice nor suffer thee to be disjoyned from me for ever I have thee upon my heart and keep thee in my hand and no powers of Earth or Hell shall be able to pluck thee thence I have given thee my grace and I will shew thee my glory and ere long I will appear in the world and receive thee to my self that where I am there thou mayest be also Dry up then thy tears clear up thy countenance banish thy fears droop no longer dispond no more but be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee thy name is written in my book which none can blot out Thou hast a true Love for me and my Father himself loveth thee and I love thee with a most endeared Love and therefore do not question or doubt of my Love any more Thus Christ doth manifest himself and his Love sometimes unto drooping disponding souls Section II. 2. THat Christ will manifest himself unto them that love him appears in that His Love doth engage Him and His word doth engage Him hereunto His Love doth â—ngage Him The Love of Christ is like fire that cannot conceal it self long and no fire so strong and hath such a vehement flame as the Love of Christ to His people Ioseph had a great love to his Brethren notwithstanding all their unkindness and although he concealed himself for a while and spake roughly unto them yet after they were sensible of their fault and were
filled with perplexing fears he could conceal himself no longer from them as in Gen. 45. 1. Then Ioseph could not refrain himself before all that stood by him he wept alou◠and said unto his brethren I am Ioseph and ver 4. Ioseph said unto his brethren come near me I am Ioseph your brother whom ye sold into Egypt So Christ may conceal himself for a while from his people whatever love he hath to them and whatever they have to him some unkindnesses they have shewn may be the cause of this hiding but when they are sensible of their fault full of grief and perplexity for their offences his Love will not permit him to hid himself much longer His Love will engage Him to manifest and discover himself and say I am Jesus your Saviour come near me my brethren come near me that you may have a clearer view of me that ye may know me and know that I do love you The Word also of Christ doth engage him manifest Himself unto them that Love Him It is Christs promise here in the Text He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will Love him and will manifest my self unto him Christs word is sure True and faithfull is Christs name the ordinances of the heaven may sooner fail than Christ fail of His Word and Promise Section III. 3. HOw Christ doth manifest Himself unto them that Love him 1. Christ doth here in this world manifest himself but in part and darkly The soul is not now capable of the fullest and clearest Manifestation of Christs This is a happiness reserved for the other world 1. Ioh. 3. 2. Beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Ioh. 17. 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me It is Hereafter that Christs Disciples shall be perfectly like unto Christ and shall have a perfect manifestation of Christ that they shall see him as he is It is Hereafter that they shall behold his glory The lustre and brightness of Christs glory is so great that should he now let forth the beams thereof upon them it would dazle and amaze them it would strike them blinde yea it would strike them dead there is need because of their weakness that Christ should keep a veil on his face when he makes discovery of himself they cannot now bear the full patefaction and manifestation of Christ therefore Christ doth discover himself but in part As the Queen of Sheba saith concerning Solomons wisdom and prosperity 1. King 10. 6 7. It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and thy wisdom howbeit I believed not the words until I came and mine eyes had seen it and behold the one half was not told me thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame thereof It is not the one half which Christs Disciples do now hear or can discern of their masters excellencies It hath not now entred into their hearts to conceive what Beauties and Glories and most admirable perfections there are hid in their Beloved not only Christ's Love but also Christ's Loveliness doth pass their knowledge there are such dimensions of most wonderful Glory in Christ's person as do infinitely transcend the capacity of the most elevated minds fully to comprehend Christ doth manifest himself truly to them that Love him yet it is but partly and that but a little part it is but darkly by the beams of a more obscure light 1 Cor. 13. 9 10 11 12. For we know in part and prophesie in part But when that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away When I was a child I spake as a child I understood as a child I thought as a child but when I became a man I put away childish things For now we see thorow a glass darkly but then Face to Face Now I know in part then I shall know as I am known We Ministers 〈…〉 part we can tell you but a little of what there really is in Christ and both we and you know but in part our conceptions of Christs excellencies and our expressions now are childish hereafter there will be a perfect manifestation of Christ and then all imperfections of knowledge will be removed Now you may see Christ but it is through a glass darkly hereafter face to face Indeed it is said 2 Cor. 3. 18. We all with open face beholding as in a glass the Glory of the Lord are changed c. There is a comparative open discovery of Christ now in Gospel-times over what there was under the Law the veil of Types and Figures which covered and in a great measure hid Christ from the view is now removed our face is now open from that veil but Christs face is not fully open there is glass still between our eye and Christ's face the glass of Ordinances which though it doth help us to see him yet it keeps us from the clearest discovery of him we see but thorow a glass darkly our eyes now need this glass to help our weakness and that we may see what we do see there is a time coming when we shall be above the need and use of the Ordinance-glasses I mean when we shall see Christ face to face and know him in heaven as we are known by him 2. Christ doth now manifest himself gradually unto them that Love him Christ doth not shew at once altogether what he means to discover of himself and of his Love but he doth it by degrees a little at one time and a little at another time a little in this Ordinance and a little in that now he lets down some comfortable beams of the light of his countenance into the soul by and by clouds do arise and obscure this light and darkness is upon the spirit Sometimes Christ opens the curtain and looks upon the soul gives gracious smiles by and by the curtain is drawn and his face is hid now he appears and then he disappears he manifesteth himself at one time withdraws himself at another time and so leads his people on from one discovery of himself unto another until he bringeth them at last unto the full discovery of himself in Glory 3. Christ doth manifest himself most sweetly unto them that Love him especially after long absence When the soul hath been seeking and cannot finde him wandring in the wilderness under amazing fears perplexing doubts doleful despondencies sinking and heart-overwhelming grief after a black night of deep desertion Oh how sweet is the day-spring from on high Oh how comfortable are the bright beams of the morning light when he shineth upon their dark and despised and sorrowful spirits giving them to know assuredly that they are
the dearly beloved of his Soul that he hath not forgotten them that he will not forsake them that he hath a more tender Love unto them than the mother to her sucking child Oh the ravishments of spirit Oh the transports of soul which do arise from hence O the songs which are then in their mouths This is our beloved we have waited for him this is our dear Redeemer we have trusted in him Tongue cannot express the delight the joy and gladness of heart which doth arise from the manifestation of Christ's presence and love the joy of harvest the joy of the Bridegroom on the wedding day the joy of victory and taking great spoils spoils from an Enemy the joy of a poor man in finding great treasures and the greatest delight which ever was found in the sweetest sensual enjoyment is not worthy to be compared with the joys and exaltings of heart in the manifestation of Christ unto the Soul SECT IV. 4. WHen doth Christ manifest himself unto them that love him 1. Sometime Christ doth quickly manifest himself after a little seeking some young Converts have early and soon disscoveries of Christ and his love they are cast down for a little while and Christ soon comes unto them and lifts them up again weeping endures but for a night and that a short summer night and joy cometh early in the morning they have the spirit of bondage who awakeneth them to fear by by the Spirit of Adoption doth graciously visit them and make discovery of their relation to the Father the love of their Saviour and sheddeth abroad the sense of his love into their hearts 2. Sometimes Christ is long before he manifest himself it is long before some do seek Christ and it is long before such do find him Christ waites long to be gracious unto them Christ doth often make them wait long before he manifesteth to them his loving kindnesses yea sometimes early seekers are not early finders Christ makes some wait a long time to try their faith and patience theâ—r love and obedience and that he may prepare them for more than ordinary comforts and sweetness which he intendeth to give in the discovery of himself unto them 3. Sometimes Christ doth suddenly manifest himself unto them that love him Cant. 6. 12. Or ever I was aware my Soul made me like the Charets of Aminadab or ever they are aware they see the Chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof and the Lord Jesus doth come unto them in the Chariots of Salvation with such Glory and Lustre as doth transport and amaze them Some Christians that truely love Christ have sought him in this Ordinance and have not found him and they have sought Christ in that Ordinance and have not found him they have been looking and waiting and hoping that at this time Christ would discover himself or at that time he would discover himself and still he hath hid himself still they have come off with disappointment this hath been their Grief this they have complained of before God and they have been under fears lest they should never see him never meet with him at all hereupon their Spirits have been ready to fail and sink within them and in discouragement they have been ready to say or think that all their labour would be in vain and yet they have resolved to seek him to their death and though he should kill them to put their trust in him And behold on a sudden when they have had the least expectation and their hope hath been ready to give up the Ghost they have met with Christ and found him whom their Soul loveth on a sudden the Veil of the Temple hath been rent and they have seen their Beloved in the Holy of Holies on a sudden the clouds have fled their darkness hath passed away and the light hath shined the North-wind of trouble hath ceased and the sweet Southern Gales have blown upon them I mean they have been under such shinings and breathings of the Spirit that they have seen and felt the presence of Christ and such a sweet sense of his Love as hath filled them with Soul-revishing Joy 4. Christ doth manifest himself Seasonably unto them that Love him Though he doth not alwayes manifest himself when they most desire yet he doth manifest himself when they have most need and then they have most need when they are most low when they are most low in their Spirits most poor and mean in their own esteem as well as most low in their condition through Affliction and Trouble Humility and Patience under Affliction doth make way for the Experience of Christ's manifestation Christ doth many times reserve his Cordials for the Fainting sits and the sweetest Consolations in the discoveries of his Love for the time of the greatest Adversity especially when the trouble is for his sake he is graciously present Iohn had his Visions when he was Banished for the sake of Christ unto the Isle Patmos And when all men forsook Paul at his answer before Nero then the Lord came to him stood by him and strengthned him Sect. V. 5. WHere doth Christ manifest himself unto them that love him This is in the way of his Ordinances there he doth walk there he doth appear unto his People sometimes Christ doth manifest himself in the way of private Ordinances when they seek him in their Families or in their Closets when they speak of him in conference or when they think of him in their Meditation and Contemplation sometimes Christ doth manifest himself unto them that love him in the way of Publick Ordinances in Publick Prayer or Fasting in hearing of the Word or when they are Feasting at his Table especially in this â—ast mentioned Ordinance Christ doth frequently manifest himself unto his Disciples most sweetly At the Lords Table the Lord doth appear in breaking of Bread he discovers himself as to the Disciples that went to Immaus in his Banquetting-house he gives them to feast on his Love There are many who can say by experience that if ever they met with Christ in their Lives and in any Ordinance they have met with him at the Sacrament there he hath unveiled his face there he hath revealed his Love there he hath breathed upon them by his Spirit there they have found and felt the Lord to be near SECT VI. I Come now to the Application And here that I may to give to every one his Portion I shall speak 1. To you that have no Love unto Christ 2. To you that have some Love to Christ but are without these Manifestations 3. To you that both love Christ and have Manifestations of his love unto you Vse 1. The First Use doth concern such as have no love at all unto Christ Christ will manifest himself unto them that love him this is Childrens Bread and doth not belong to you because you do not belong unto Christ this is a choise and most rich Priviledge but
be his and wholly at his dispose as the Wife giveth her self unto the dispose of her Husband Section IV. Fourthly THe Fourth thing is to shew that it is the Property of all true Christians to Love this unseen Christ. True Christians are differenced and distinguished not only from all Heathens and Infidels but also from all bare Nominall Christians by their Love to Jesus Christ. It is the Property of Covetous Persons to love Worldly Wealth and Riches It is the Property of Ambitious Persons to love Worldly Honour and Dignities It is the Property of Voluptuous Persons to love Sensual Pleasures and Delights And it is the Property of True Christians to Love Jesus Christ whom they have never seen None but such as are True Christians do Love Christ and all those that are True Christians do love him The Loveliness of Christ doth appear not to the Eye of Sense but to the Eye of Faith they that do not see him with this Eye they cannot love him and they that do see him with this Eye they cannot choose but love him Such as do not love Christ it is not because Christ wants Beauty but because they are blind Now all true Christians have this Eye of Faith to discern Christ's Excellencies and none but True Christians have this Eye the Essence of Christianity doth consist in Believing Reason makes us Men but Faith makes us True Christians It being therefore the property of True Christians to believe it is their property also to love this Unseen Christ. Section V. Fifthly THe Fifth thing is to shew that it is the Duty of all True Christians to love this unseen Christ. This will appear if you look into John 21. 15. 16 17. Peter was one of the boldest and forwardest of all Christs disciples but he had been withal too self-confident which was the introduction unto and laid the foundation for his fall and thrice shameful denial of his Master a look from his Lord put him in remembrance and brought him to Repentance with bitter weeping for his sin so soon as it was committed After our Saviour was risen from the dead he appears unto Peter with other of his disciples and in this place he asketh the same question in the same words three times Simon Son of Ionas lovest thou me Whereby as he doth tacitly upbraid him for his great sin in his three times denyal of him which had there not been a defect in his love he would never have done so he doth also give a signification that love to himself is the great duty and the great thing which he doth look for in all his disciples Section VI. THe 6th thing is to shew how Christians ought to Love this unseen Christ. 1. Christians ought to love Christ with Sincerity of Love Eph. 6. 24. Grace be with all them that Love our Lord Iesus Christ in Sincerity It was the great sin of Iudah Ier. 3. 10. That she turned not to the Lord with her whole heart but feignedly so it is a great sin to love Christ with a feigned and hypocritical love the love of Christians to Christ ought to be sincere in regard of the habit inward workings of it they must love him not only in show word and outward profession but their love must be cordial in the heart and so a love indeed and in truth and the love of Christians to Christ must be sincere in regard of the object of it they must love Christ for himself and not chiefly for what they get by him to love Christ only for Temporal gain is hypocritical love to love Christ cheifly for other gain is not so spiritual but to love Christ for his own excellencies and perfections is most sincere and generous this sincerity of love to Christ is every ones duty 2. Christians ought to love Christ with Supremacy of love they must place him in the highest seat of their hearts he is a Great King and he looks for the Throne and that all Creatures should be placed beneath him and stand at his Footstool Math. 10. 37. He that loveth Father or Mother more than mee is not worthy of Me he that loveth Son or Daughter more than Me is not Worthy of Me. They are the words of our Saviour Christians may love Father and Mother the Law of God and Nature doth require it they may love Husband and Wife the Word of God enjoyneth the Husband to love his Wife as his own Body and as Christ loved the Church they may love Sons Daughters Brethren Sisters Kindred Friends yea Enemies and they ought to do it yet all must be with a Subordinate love but they must love Christ with their chief love otherwise they are not worthy to stand in the Relation of Disciples 3. Christians ought to love Christ with Ardency of Love Luk. 24. 32. And they said one to another did not our Hearts burn within us while he talked with us by the Way and while he opened to us the Scriptures This burning love Christ enkindled in the heart of his Disciples and this burning love Christ requireth of all Christians Canâ— 8. 6 7. Love is strong as Death the coals thereof are coals of Firâ— which hath a vehement Flame Many Waters cannot quench Love neither can the Floods drown it Such a strong vehement ardent flaming love Christians should have unto Jesus Christ which all the waters of Affliction may not be able to quench which no Flouds of Temptations or Persecution may be able to drown and oveâ—whelm Therefore 4. Christians ought to love Christ with Constancy of Love Having begun to love him they ought to continue to love him and to love him unto the end as they ought to be constant in their Obedience and to persevere in their other Graces so they ought to be constant and to persevere in this Grace of love to Christ. SECT VII Seventhly THE Seventh thing is to shew why true Christians do Love Christ whom they have never seen Rea. 1. True Christians do love Christ because of the Need which they have of him Men do love their Necessary Food without which their Bodies would starve with Hunger Men do love their Necessary Raiment and Habitations without which in Winter Seasons their Bodies would starve with Cold. Men do love their Necessary Friends upon whom under God they have their Dependance and from whom they have all their Subsistence But no Thing in the World or Friend in the World is so Needful to the Body as the Lord Jesus Christ is unto the Soul and as the Excellencies of the Soul are far beyond the Excellencies of the Body so the Necessities of the Soul are far beyond the Necessities of the Body which Necessities can be answered by none but Jesus Christ and therefore True Christians do love him At first Conversion when they were convinced of Sin awakened out of their carnal security O what Need had they and did they see they had of Christ they perceived themselves to be
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
of Glory who hath All power and authority both in Heaven and Earth can you love such as have Wisdom and Learning though it be terrene and not love Jesus Christ who is the wisdom of the Father who knoweth all things and whose wisdom is divine can you love such as are liberal and bountiful and not love Christ whose bounty is superlative and whose gifts are most rich and transcendent can you love friends that are kind and not love Jesus Christ who is the best friend that ever the children of men had can you love a Benefactor that feeds you and cloathes you and giveth money to you and yet not love Christ who offereth to feed your hunger-starv'd souls with the bread of life to cloth your naked souls with the robes of His Righteousness and to give the spiritual Riches of Grace to you the least dram of which is of more worth than all the riches of the Earth can you love Riches and not love Christ in whom there are treasures and by whom you may have not only spiritual riches here but also the heavenly inheritance hereafter can you love honours and not love Christ by whom you may have the highest dignities the honour of children to the King of Heaven now and a Crown of Glory in the other world can you love liberty and not love Christ by whom you may be made free from the Slavery of the Devil and your own lusts can you love safety not love Christ who is the only Saviour of mankind and who alone puts you in safety from the reach of the worst of Enemies the worst of Evils can you love peace and not love Christ by whom you may have peace with God and peace in your own conscience can you love pleasures and delights and not love Christ by whom you may have joys unspeakable and full of glory besides those everlasting pleasures which are to come without love to Christ you are under the guilt of all your sins neither your orginal sin nor any of your actual sins are pardoned they all lye upon your own score and you must answer for all your selves and how fearful is your account like to be without love to Christ you are under the curse not only under the curse of the Law for your breach of the Law but also under the curse of the Gospel for disobedience to this command of the Gospel which requireth you to love the Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 16. 22. If any man love not the Lord Iesus Christ let him be Anathama Maranatha that is let him be cursed till the Lord come and when the Lord cometh will he take off the curse from you no he will come in flaming fire to take vengeance upon you having threatned then to punish all such with everlasting destruction as shall be â—ound to have disobeyed the Gospel and what then is like to become of you Sodom and Gomorrha those wicked Cities will then be punished dreadfully with a worse fire than that which was rained down from heaven and consumed their persons habitations together I mean with the fire of Hell which will be kindled and kept alive unto Eternity by the breath of the Almighty but you who do not love the Lord Jesus Christ notwithstanding all discoveries of him invitations to him and proffers of kindnesses by him you will be punished more dreadfully than the wicked Sodomites it will be more tollerable in the day of Judgment for them than for you the torments of Hell will be intollerable by any but they will be most intollerable by Gospel-sinners the fire of Hell will burn upon you the most fiercely and the scourge of Conscience will lash you the most furiously Consider this all yee that have no love to Christ otherwise when he cometh to judgment he will tear you to pieces and there will be none to deliver you if you have not the sweet fire of love to Christ enkindled in your hearts here you will be thrown into the dreadfull fire of Hell which will burn you Everlastingly 2. This reproves such of you as have some love but it is very little love to Jesus Christ you that love Christ is not your love very small not only in comparison with the love to you but also in comparison with the love which some Christians have attained unto how strong was the love of the Apostles unto Christ when they left all and followed him especially after the resurrection of Christ and his Ascention into Heaven when the Holy Ghost was sent down and sat in the likeness of fiery tongues upon them O! what a fire of love unto Christ was there then enkindled within them Hence that bold profession which they make of Christ before the chief Priests and Elders Act. 4. Hence their rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ when they were beaten for their owning and preaching of him Act. 5. 41. The love of Peter and Iohn was great unto Christ and the love of Paul was not inferiour unto the love of the chiefest Apostles hence it was that he took such pains to preach the Gospel in so many parts of the world even from Ierusalem round about unto Illyricum Rom. 15. 19. See also how he approves himself to be a Minister of Christ and giveth evidences of his strong love to his Master 2 Cor. 11. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. Are they Ministers of Christ I speak as a fool I am more in labours more abundant in stripes above measure in prisons more frequent in Deaths oft of the Iews five times received I forty stripes save one Thrice was I beaten with rods once was I stoned thrice I suffered Shipwrack a Night and a Day I have been in the deep in journeying often in perils of Waters in perils of Robbers in perils by mine own Countreymen in perils by the Heathen in perils in the City in perils in the Wilderness in perils in the Sea in perils among false brethren in weariness and painfulness in watchings often in hunger and thirst in fastings often in cold and nakedness Besides those things which are without that which cometh upon me daily the care of all the Churches who is weak and I am not weak who is offended and I burn not and chap. 12. 10. I take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches in necessities in persecutions in distresses for Christs sake The ground of all which was the love of Christ which did constrain him as 1 Cor. 5. 14. he had such a love to Christ that he professeth Phillip 1. 21. To me to live is Christ and to dye is gain Christ was his life and his life was wholy at Christs devotion But where is such love now to be found I might speak also of the love of some ancient Fathers Ignatius Polycarp Ierome and others take one instance in Ierome who thus expresseth his love unto Christ If my Father were weeping on his Knees before me
you have never seen look much upon his Picture and Image in the Scriptures The Scriptures are Christs Love letters In the second and third Chapters of Revelations Christ doth send Seven Epistles to the Seven Asian Churches there are many Epistles and Love-letters as it were in the Scriptures especially in the New Testament wherein Christ doth give most kind expressions of most endeared Love unto his People Read much and study Christ's Love letters especially those parts of the Scriptures wherein Christ doth express most of his kindness and love See how kindly Christ doth express himself Ioh. 14. v. 1 2 3 13 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 27. Chap. 1â— v. 9. 13 14 15 16. Chap. 16. v. 7. 22 24 26 27. 33. Chap. 17. v. 9 10 11 15 20 21 22 23 24. Chap. 20. v. 17. Read often and consider such places Let the Word of Christ dwell richly in you and his will feed and maintain your love to Christ this is a means to have Christ dwell in your hearts not onely by Faith but also by most endeared Love 3. Would you have much Love to Christ be much in Prayer unto God for this Love Eph. 6. 23. Peace be unto the Brethren and love with Faith from God the Father Not onely Peace is from God who is called the God of Peace and Faith from God who works it by his Almighty power but alos Love is from God who is the God of Love he circumciseth the heart to love himself and to love his Son This love of Christ is a Grace of the Spirit which God doth freely give and powerfully work the Beginnings of it the Increase of it all the Measures and Degrees of it are from him If you would attain high measures of love to Christ you must apply your selves unto God in Prayter and therein diligently seek to him for it If you would have much love to Christ in your hearts you must be often at the Throne of Grace upon your Knees and there humbly acknowledge if not the want yet the weakness of your love to Christ bewail your Sins which do damp your Affections and earnestly request that he would work your hearts unto a strong love be importunate in Prayer for this follow God day by day with the same requests plead with him for it fill your mouths with Arguments and fill your Arguments with Faith and â—ervent Desires Tell him whatever lovelinesse and love there be in Christ whatever attractives to draw forth your love yet of your selves you are utterly unable to put forth the least motion of true affection unto Christ. Tell him that this love to Christ though it be your Duty yet it is his Gift that you ought to act it but this you cannot do unless he works it Tell him how easily he can enkindle this Fire of Love to Christ in your bosoms and blow it up into a flame Tell him he hath bid you to ask and you shall have and whatever you ask according to his will he heareth and that it is his will you should love Christ not onely truely but also strongly Tell him you desire much love to Christ and that these desires do come from himself and therefore earnestly desire the fulfilling of them Tell him if you do not love Christ much you shall be apt to over-love the Creature which will be displeasing to him therefore request that you may have such a love to Christ as may overpower all other love and keep your hearts from all Inordinacy of affections to any thing beneath and besides the Lord Jesus Christ. Plead how much it will be for his Glory that you should have much love unto Christ that hereby you shall be enabled to honour him the more in the world Plead how much it will be for your good tell him if you asked Corn and Wine and Oyl if you asked Wealth and Honours and Creature-delights in abundance they might be a snare to you and for your hurt but a strong love to Christ is needfull and usefull and be sure will be for your good urge his Promise of Circumcising the heart to love him and plead his Faithfulness and if you be thus importunate in Prayer for much love to Christ and will not be denyed you shall not be denyed 4. Would you have much Love to Christ get much Faith Faith worketh Love both to the Father and to the Son According to the measure of your Faith so will the measure of your Love be Such as are without any Faith are without any Love such as have but a â—eeble faith have but a weak love and such as have the strongest faith have the strongest love The strongest faith giveth the clearest discovery of Christs infinite Excellencies and Perfections It is not the eye of Sense which doth discern Christ neither is it the eye of Reason which doth discern him whatever discoveries we have of Christ it is by Revelation and this is discernable onely by Faith Faith is the Evidence of things not seen and the unseen Christ is evident by Faith to be the most excellent Person and the most sutable Object of love and the more evident the Object of love is the stronger will the love be Moreover Faith is not onely the Eye of the Soul to discern Christ but also the Hand of the Soul not onely to take hold on him but also to receive from him of his Fulness Grace for Grace and by consequence more of this Grace of love to him Our Communion with Christ is by Faith the more intimate acquaintance and fellowship we have with those whom we love the more endeared will be our love the strongest Faith brings us unto the greatest intimacy fellowship and familiarity with Christ and therefore it is a means of the strongest Love Endeavour then to get a strong Faith and to live daily in the powerfull exercise thereof the more you live by Faith the more you will dwell in the Love of Christ. 5. Would you have much Love unto Christ labour for much of the Spirit labour for much of the Light of the Spirit There must be not onely the Glass of the Scriptures and the Eye of Faith but also the Light of the Spirit that you may have a clear discerning of this lovely Lord Jesus Labour for much of the Operation of the Spirit the Spirit is like Wind to blow up the Sparks of Love in your hearts into a flame Labour for the inhabitation of the Spirit and that the Promise may be made good to you which Christ giveth to his Disciples Ioh. 14. 16 17. And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the Spirit of Truth whom the World cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you 6. Would you have much Love unto Christ labour for clear Evidences of his Love unto you the
the Eye and Ear when these Enemies would entice and allure you and stoutly make resolute opposition against them when they do most furiously assault you hearken to no suggestions of the Devil temptations of the world or motions of the Flesh which would induce and draw you into ways of sin or which would force and drive you out of the ways of Christ resist and oppose and labour to gain some victories over these adversaries every day especially get conquest over the Flesh and the other two will be soon vanquished Christ shewed his love to you in submitting himself to be Crucifyed for you do you shew your love to Christ in Crucifying your Flesh with its affections and lusts for his sake in your selfdenial and mortifying the deeds of the body when you deny your Carnal Reason your carnal Wisedome your carnal will your carnal Affections your carnal interest all inordinacies of your sensual appetite for the sake of Christ when you crush pride Envy Revenge Malice inordidinate anger inordinate love inordinate desire inordinate grief lustfullness and all evil concupiscence for the sake and because of the command of Christ all these are acts and evidences of love to Christ and herein you should exercise your selves daily 4. Shew your love to Christ in your following of his example discover your affection unto him in your imitation of him in writing after his copy in treading in his steps in walking as Christ himself walked when he was here upon the Earth shew your love to Christ by labouring after likeness unto Christ that you may be like him both in your inward disposition and in your outward conversation Christ was lowly be you humble and mean in your own esteem Christ was meek be you gentle easie to be intreated and not easily provoked Christ loved God let God be the object of your love Christ hated sin let sin also be the object of your hatred Christ contemned the world do you get crucifyed affections unto it Christ was compassionate to those that were in distresse do you labour for the like bowels Christ used to Worship publickly in the Synagogues to pray with his Disciples and to spend time also in secret prayer do you give your attendance in the publick assemblies of Gods people worship God in your Families and be often upon your knees at the Throne of Grace in secret Christ's mind was a heavenly mind let the same mind be in you as was in Christ. Christ's will was submissive to his Fathers will let the same will be in you as was in Christ. Christ's words were Gracious and edifying let your speech be always with Grace sâ—oury and which may be for edification Christ's life was an active life he was always doing good and he was exactly holy in all his actions be you active and diligent in the service of God in doing good to others and be holy as Christ was holy in all manner of conversation thus should you shew your love to Christ in following Christs example and in imitating of him in every thing wherein you are capable of such imitation 5. shew your love to Christ in your readiness to take up and patiently bear Christ's cross I don't say you should desire sufferings for Christ but sure I am that strong love to Christ will not permit you to decline them don't go out of Godâ—s way for them neither go out of God's way from them if you meet with the cross in the way of duty don't either turn back or start aside but chearfully take it up when you have got it up patiently bear it and don 't throw it off till God take it off when it is your duty to suffer for Christ look upon it also to be your priviledge and be glad of the opportunity rejoycing that you have any thing to part withal for the sake of Christ if it be good name or good estate or good Friends if it be liberty or life it self such expressions of love are very honourable and very pleasing to your Lord and Master 6. And lastly Shew your love to Christ in your desires after Christ's presence here and in your longing for his second appearance at the last day 1. Desire Christ's Gracious presence here and the manifestations thereof that according to his promises he would come unto you that he would draw near and that you might feel that he is near desire that you might have clearer discoveries of Christ and more intimate communion and fellowship with Christ above all company and fellowship desire the company fellowship and acquaintance with Christ that you might walk with him and converse with him and that there might be a dayly intercourse between Christ and your souls and that all distances between you and strangeness might be removed let your love express it self in desires after Christ when he is absent and in delights when he is present rejoice in the Lord exceedingly when he doth manifest himself unto you graciously admire his beauty and delight in his smiles admire his love and delight in the perswasions of his favour let the actings of your love and the workings of it be such to your beloved dayly 2. Desire also and long for the second appearance of Christ at the last day when he saith Surely I come quickly do you say Amen Even so come Lord Iesus Look upon time as slow of heel and wing that it runs no faster that it flies no swifter look to the End of 〈◊〉 and long for it because then with these Eyes you shall see him whom your 〈◊〉 loveth because then you shall see Christ come down from the Throne of God with such Brightness of Majesty and Brightness of Beauty as will transport you with Wonder and Joy Say When Lord Iesus wilt thou take to thy self thy great Power and cloath thy self with thy Authority and come down to judge the World when wilt thou open the everlasting gates of Heaven which have been shut so long When wilt thou descend from Heaven with a shout with the sound of the great Trumpet and send thine Angels to gather all thine Elect from the four Winds that all who love thee may meet in one Society when shall we put on our Garments of Immortality and be caught up in the Clouds to meet thee in the day of thy Triumph When shall the day of our Coronation come and of our admission into the Glorious Mansions which thou hast prepared for us in the Glorious Pallace which is above When wilt thou shew us thy self and give us to behold thee face to face When wilt thou shew us the Father and give us to behold him immediately without a Glass When wilt thou shew us thy Glory which thou hadâ—â—â— with the Father before the World was 〈◊〉 and give us not onely to see it but also to share in it When wilt thou open the Treaâ—sures of thy Love and receive us into the nearest closest and sweetest embracements thereof and give us to
separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or disiress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword Nay in all these things we are more than conquerours through him that loved us And you may be perswaded as Paul was and greatly rejoyce therein that as v. 38 39. Neither death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor heighth nor depth nor any other Creature shall be able to separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus your Lord. If you know that Christ doth love you you may know assuredly that your Prayers have audience with God that whatever imperfections and sinfull mixtures they have yet that they are mingled with the sweet Incense of Christ's Merits through which they are persumed and accepted and what comfort is this that whatever you ask of the Father in the Name of your dear Lord Jesus if it be for his Glory and your good he will certainly procure it for you To conclude If you know that Christ doth love you you may know assuredly that you are Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven and that as certainly as you are alive you shall attain eternal Felicity in the Beatifical Vision and Fruition of your Lord as certainly as you have the first Fruits so certainly shall you have the Harvest as certainly as you have the Earnest so certainly shall you have the Inheritance as certainly as you see Christ by Faith here so certainly shall you have the Beatifical Vision of his Person and Glory in Heaven and be made perfectly happy in the eternal and full Enjoyment of him O how should you then rejoyce in the Lord rejoyce in his Person rejoyce in his Love rejoyce in his Benefits rejoyce in what you have and rejoyce in what you hope to have by him rejoyce in what you see now and feel now and taste now and rejoyce in the foresights and foretastes of your Happiness to come Rejoyce in the Lord always and again I say Rejoyce 2. If you have Manifestations of Christs Love unto you Admire his Free Grace in these Manifestations as Ioh. 14. 22. when Christ had promised to manifest himself unto such as love him Iudas not Iscariot he was the Traytor and had no true love to his Master but Iudas the Brother of Iames saith to him Lord how is it that thou wilt manifest thy self unto us and not unto the World This Question is not a Question of Enquiry concerning the Way and Manner how Christ would manifest himself unto them but it is a Question of Admiration concerning the Thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What is done or What is come to pass How is it or Whence is it His Question did not expect an Answer neither do we find any to it but onely expressed his Wonder that Christ should manifest himself unto them And how should you wonder then that the Lord Jesus should manifest himself unto you That the Lord Jesus whose Name is Wonderfull and hath so many Wonders in him a Person of so great Eminency and Excellency who hath such a Crown of Glory upon his Head such Robes of Glory upon his Back and on the Vesture of his Garment and his Thigh a Name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords that this most excellent Person should manifest himself unto You such as You when he conceals himself from the greatest Princes of the Earth who by their Interest Authority and Influence might that highly promote his Glory he should manifest himself unto You who for the most part are low and mean poor and despised in the World that when he hideth himself from most of the Wise and Prudent and great Scholars in the world who by their Parts and Learning might magnifie his Name and spread his Fame he should manifest himself unto you who for the most part are persons of mean parts and Education that when Christ hideth himself from many Moralists who have escaped the grosser Pollutions which are in the World he should reveal and manifest himself unto you some of whom before Conversion were notoriously guilty of most foul sins that when Christ manifesteth himself unto so Few that you should be in the Number of those Few how many wonders are here That this Glorious Person should send down another Glorious Person I mean the Holy Ghost from Heaven which is more than if he had sent down all the Glorious Angels which are in Heaven to make this Discovery of himself unto you That he should make use of the Foolishnesse of Preaching as a Means to effect this great thing that while a man of like passions and infirmities with your selves is opening and applying the Scriptures the Lord by this means should unveil himself and open the treasures of his Love unto you that your humble fervent and believing prayers here on Earth should ascend up to the throne of God that is in Heaven and move the Lord Jesus that is there to come down thence though not in person yet by his Spirit that prayer should open heavens gate and have such a prevalency for this manifestation and discovery of Christ though the best prayers of the best men are not without mixture of sin that whilst you are sitting at the Lords table the Lord himself should give you a visit and whilst you are eating bread and wine at the Sacrament he should give you to see and feel and taste himself and his Love by your spiritual senses It was wonderful humiliation in Christ that when he could have commanded the most stately Horses yea Lions Elephants or Unicorns he should ride to Ierusalem upon an Ass and when Christ hath the Chariots of so many thousand glorious Angels which he could command and ride triumphantly in when he makes discovery of himself unto his people that he should make use of the Chariots of so mean Ordinances in the discovery of himself unto you how many wonders are here how should you admire his wonderful Grace and Love and say what is man that thou art thus mindful of him or any of the sons of men that thou shouldst thus visit them what are we unworthy wretches and why shouldst thou manifest thy self unto us even so dear Jesus because it seemed good in thy sight especially you have reason to wonder and admire at the manifestations which Christ hath given of himself and love to you when you consider the excellency of these manifestations and discoveries beyond all other discoveries If you have seen the most rare works of Art and Human Invention the most curious Pictures the most stately Edifices or any other works of the most ingenious contrivement If you have viewed the works of nature which do far exceed those of Art the beautiful frame of the Heavens over your heads and the glorious Luminaries of Sun Moon and Stars in their wonderful light and motion the Earth under your feet when it hath got on its best attire when the
my Mother Hanging on my Neck behind me my Brethren Sisters and Kinsfolk Howling on every side to retain me in a Sinfull course I would sling my Mother to the Ground run over my Father despise all my Kindred and tread them under my Feet that I might run unto Christ. How little is your love in comparison with the love of those Famous Hero's I mean those eminent Martyrs who have despised the Flames and endured such Racking and Torturing Deaths for the love which they have born unto Jesus Christ the fire of their Love burning stronger within them than the fire without them in which their Bodies were consumed Is not your love also small in comparison with the love of our late Reformers which fired them with such courage and resolution as to withstand a whole world of Antichristian Fury and Opposition Is your love comparable to that of many Eminent Divines and private Christians of our own Nation of the Age immediately going before who are now asleep in their Graves but how few are there come up in their Rooms It is observed and it is greatly to be Lamented that there is of late years a great decay in the Power of Godliness amongst those that are Sincere and is it not evident in the great Decay of love even in true Christians unto Jesus Christ are not you Dwarfs in comparison with others are not you Babes in Christ and Weaklings in your love to Christ Is it not evident that you have but little love to Christ when he is but little in your Thoughts and Meditations the Thoughts are the Handmaids of the Love where the Love is strong and ardent there many thoughts will be attending upon it but will not your Hearts tell you that your Thoughts of Christ are very few you can think often of your Food but how little do your Thoughts seed upon Christ who is the Bread of Life You can often think of your Rayment but how little do you think of the Robes of Christ's Righteousness You can think often of your Earthly Friends but how little do you think of Jesus Christ your Friend in Heaven Objects of Sense are often not only in your Eyes but also in your Thoughts but how little is Christ entertained in your Thoughts who is the Object of Faith Moreover doth it not argue little Love to Christ that you speak so little of him and for him in your converse one with another If you had much Love to Christ would not this Love breath forth more in your Discourses You can readily speak of your selves and do often either Directly or Obliquely commend your selves which discovers your great Self-love how little do you commend your Lord and Master and Extoll his excellencies with your lips and doth not this evidence that you have but little love to him in your hearts You can readily discourse of News and Publick Occurrences which is lawfull and needfull so that due limits be observed but when you leave Christ quite out of your Discourse it shews that you have not abundance of Love to him because out of the abundance of the Heart the Mouth will speak Such as have much love to the World will speak of their Riches such as have much love to Pleasures will be often speaking of that subject such as love their Friends much will be often speaking and commending of them when they are in company and when you speak but little of Christ it is a sign that you love him but little Doth not the little Zeal which you have for Christs Honour in the World argue that you have but little Love to him where is your activity for Christ to promote his Interest amongst those Relations and Friends that you have acquaintance with do you labour all you can to bring others into the wayes of God and into acquaintance with Christ Besides will not your little secret Devotion argue your little Affection unto Christ will not your closets or other retiring places witness how little you are in secret prayer and converse with Christ there Brief and Straitned prayer in secret doth argue a Heart Straitned in love to Jesus Christ. Doth not your Backwardness to the Exercise of this Love to Christ shew the weakness of your love how slow of Heart are you to the Love of Christ how hard to be perswaded you need not be perswaded to Love your Wives if they be Kind and Helpful you need not be perswaded to Love your children if they be Pretty and Hopefull you need not be perswaded to Love your Friends if they be Friendly and Faithful and yet whatever attractives of Love the most strong of any be in Jesus Christ you are backward to this Love Need I say more to convince you that you have but little Love to Christ will not your own Conscience from these clear Evidences sufficiently witness the thing And now Christians think what a Sin what a Shame what a Folly it is that you should have so little Love unto Jesus Christ If it be so great a Sin for such as are Strangers unto Christ to have no Love at all to him that it brings them under the most Dreadful curse surely it cannot be a small Sin that you who are his true Disciples should have but little Love unto him is it not very displeasing to the Father that you should have but little Love to his Son if he do not hate you because of your Relation unto Christ yet is he not angry with you for the Lukewarmness of your Affection unto Christ which Sin is Aggravated by the nearness of your Relation Is it not Dishonourable unto Christ that you should have so little Love to him don 't you in Effect say there is no great worth or Amiableness in him when you have no great Love unto him are you not hereby ingrateful unto Christ beyond what can be perallell'd by any ingratitude unto the most obliging Earthly Friend Is it not your shame that you should have so little Love to Christ when he doth so much deserve your Love Besides the Infinite Excellencies and Perfections which are in his person doth not his Infinite Kindness unto you call for not only the Truth but also the Strength of your Love Think what he hath Done for you think what he hath Suffered for you think what he hath Purchased for you think what he hath Promised to you think what he hath Laid out for you think what he hath Laid up for you and yet to have but little Love to Christ yet to make such poor Returns Moreover is it not your Folly to have but little Love to Christ Don't you hereby bereave your selves or debarre your selves of such peace as passeth all understanding of such sweetness and comfort both in the strength of your love and in the sense of His Love as is inconceivable is not Injury and Mischeif unto your selves the consequent of your little Love unto Christ must you not draw on Heavily in the
wayes of God as Pharoah when his chariot-wheels were taken off Love to Christ is like wheels in your motion for Christ and like Oil to the wheels which makes you ready unto any good work which he doth call you unto but when you have but little Love unto Christ you must needs be more slow in your motions more sluggish in Christ's service you will not you cannot take that pains in the work of the Lord and be so Zealous as you might and should be for your Master's Glory To Conclude if you have but little love to Christ you will be apt to faint in the day of Adversity to shrink when you are called to take up his Cross and suffer for his sake lesser sufferings will discompose you greater sufferings will affrighten and amaze you and you will be in danger of turning fearful Apostates in time of great Tryals there is need of great Love to christ as well as great Faith to carry you thorow sufferings with courage that you may persevere unto the end SECT XI Vse 4. FOR Exhortation unto the love of Jesus Christ whom you have never seen this is the Use chiefly designed in the choice of this subject and which I shall most largely insist upon In the Prosecution of it I shall give some Motives and then some Directions The Motives to Induce and Excite you unto the Love of this unseen Christ may be drawn 1. From the consideration of what Christ is 2. From the consideration of Christ's Love 3. From the consideration of Christ's Benefits 4. From the consideration of that Love which Christians have and should have unto Christ. The first sort of Motives may be drawn from the consideration of what Christ is and that 1 What he is in Himself 2 What he is to the Father 3 What he is unto true Christians First Consider What Christ is in Himself In generall He is the most amiable person and the most sutable Object for your Love If you ask of the dayes which are past which were before you since the day that God created Man upon the Earth if you seek from one side of Heaven unto the other if you make enquiry into all the parts of the Earth you will never find that either there ever was or is to be found any person so lovely so beautifull and so every way deserving your Love as the Lord Jesus Christ there is a Matchless Transcendent and Incomparable Beauty and Excellency in him How passionately are some Foolish Men in Love with the externall beauty which they see in some Women the exact Symetry of parts and comely Proportion of the body the Amiable Features and Lovely Mixtures of colours in the Face the Beauty of the Eyes in their Spirit their Quick and Graceful motions and Amorous Glances How doth this Ravish the Hearts of some fond Lovers although the most Beautiful body in the World is no better than painted clay dirt and corruption enclosed in a Fair Skin which sickness will cause to look pale and Wan Death will quite Marr and Spoil But the Amiableness and Beauty of Christ is more Transcendent and Permanent and therefore a more fit Object for your Love Christ is Fairer than the Children of Men he is all Fair without any Spot altogether Lovely without any Blemish or Deformity I have already spoken of the Glorious Beauty which is in Christ's Glorified Body the most Lovely of any Visible creature which God hath made and also of the Shining Excellencies which are in Christ's Glorified Soul so nearly joyned to the Divinity could we suppose all the Loveliness that ever was seen or found in the most lovely persons that ever lived to meet in one person how Lovely would that person be yet such though never so resplendent Beauty would be but a dark Shaddow compared with the Brightness of Christ's most Beautifull Person Can you Love the imperfect Beauty which you see in Creatures and will you not Love the perfect Beauty which there is in Christ can you Love a Fading Beauty which soon Withereth like the Flower and will you not Love Christ whose Beauty never Decays but alwayes doth abide more Fresh than Beauty in the Flower of Youth can you be soon Affected with Beautiful Objects which are before the Eye of your Sense and will you not be Affected with this far more Beautiful Object the Lord Jesus Christ who is so clearly discernable by the Eye of Faith If the Eye of your Faith were open and clear to look upon the Transcendent Amiableness which is in Christ you could not chuse but Love him could you see the Glances of his Eye and the Sweet Smiles of his Lovely Face as some have seen your Hearts would be Overcome and Ravished with Love and filled with Extacies of Joy and Ineffable Delight More Particularly There are the most Amiable Qualifications in Christs Person to attract and draw forth your Love I shall instance in these six 1. His Greatness and Authority 2. His Holiness and Purity 3. His Wisdom and Omnisciency 4. His Truth and Fidelity 5. His Fulness and All-sufficiency 6. His Kindness and Mercy 1. Consider Christ's Greatness and Authority Aquila non capit muscas The Eagle doth not pursue after Flies Great Souls are not Affected except it be with Great Things there is none so Great as Jesus Christ He is most Great in Honour and Dignity He is most Great in Power and Authority Excellency of Majesty doth greatly engage the Love and command the Hearts as well as the Obedience of Subjects and those Princes that have the greatest Power and Authority are the Darlings of the people when they dont abuse their place by Unrighteousness and Cruelty by Usurpation and Tyranny If Power be managed with Clemency and Authority with Kindness towards those that are under command so highly do Princes advance themselves hereby in the Esteem and Love of their people that they will be ready to spend their Estates and venture their Lives in their Service Christ is the Prince of the Kings of the Earth he is clothed with the Highest Honour Arrayed with the most Excellent Majesty Decked with the largest Power and invested with the Greatest Authority He is the King and Lord of Glory He is Exalted to Higher Dignity than the greatest Potentate that ever lived upon the Earth yea he is advanced above all Thrones and Dominions and Principalities and Powers of the Glorious Angels which are in Heaven All Power is given to him in Heaven and Earth Mat. 28. 18. He doth what he will in Heaven the Angels are at his Beck and Execute his Will go and come at his Command and he hath Power on Earth He is the Head of the Church and Head over all unto the Church he can Restrain his Enemies and conquer them and bring them under his Feet at his Pleasure And whatever severity he doth shew sometimes in Executing his Judgments and taking Vengeance on the Wicked he doth never abuse his Power
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
for such as you although now his friends yet whilst in a state of Nature strangers and enemies here was Love stronger than death Oh the height Oh the depth of this Love There are such dimensions in this love of Christ as the longest line of your most extended thoughts and imaginations can never be able to reach and measure 6. It was the Love of Christ which raised him again from the dead for you Rom. 4. 25. Who was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification 7. It was the Love of Christ which carryed him up from earth to heaven where he was before for you Ioh. 16. 7. Nevertheless I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send him unto you 2. The strength and activity of Christs Love to you doth shew it self in what he is Doing for you 1. He is interceding for you at the right hand of God Rom. 8. 34. Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us It is through Love that Christ doth plead for you in Heaven that your persons may be accepted your sins pardoned your prayers answered and that the Holy Ghost may be sent down to you to teach sanctifie and comfort you 2. He is preparing a place for you Ioh. 14. 2. In my fathers house there are many Mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you It is through love that Christ as your forerunner is for you entred into the glorious Palace that is above to take possession of it for you and to prepare places there for your reception 3. The strength and activity of Christ's love to you doth shew it self in what he will do for you 1. He will keep you in his hand that none shall pluck you thence Ioh. 10. 28. They shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand Because you are received into the arms of his love therefore you shall be kept by the hand of his power and therefore you shall never either finally or totally fall away 2. Christ will make all things work together for your good Rom. 8. 28. And we know that All things work together for good to them that love God Christ hath an endeared love to all you that love God your love being the fruit of his and when Men and Devils conspire together to do you mischief Christs love will turn it unto your spiritual advantage 3. Christ will stand by you in trouble and at death Iohn 14. 18. I will not leave you comfortless I will come unto you When affliction doth arise especially if it be for his sake you are bereaved of all outward Comforts Christ will not leave you comfortless when friends fail and flesh fails and Heart fail yea and life fails Christ will not fail but will stand by and strengthen you and be a light to you in your darkest hours a stay to your Spirits when they are ready to sink within you 4. After death Christ will take care of your Souls he will not sufâ—er them to wander they know not whither he will not suffer the Devil to seize on them as his prey but he will send his Angels to conduct and convey them into the heavenly paradise that where he is there they may be also Luk. 16. 22. And it came to passe that the Beggar died and was carryed by the Angels into Abrahams bosom 2 Cor. 5. 8. We are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. 5. Christ will raise up your Bodies at the last day if your Bodies should be consumed by Fire or drowned in the Water or rot in the Earth whatever becometh of them the Lord Jesus at his second glorious appearance will find them and raise them and transform them into the likeness of his most glorious body Iohn 6. 40. And this is the Fathers will which hath sent me that every one which seeth the Son and Believeth on him may have Everlasting Life and I will raise him up at the last day Phillip 3. 20. 21. For our Conversation is in Heaven from whence we look for the Saviour the Lord Iesus Christ who shall change our vile Body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious Body 6. Christ will send forth his Angels to gather you into the society of the Elect that have lived in all Ages and all Parts of the World and to convey you into his presence to meet him in the Air when he cometh to Judge the World Math. 24. 31. And he shall send his Angels with a great sound of a Trumpet and they shall gather together his Elect from the four Winds from one end of Heaven unto the other 1 Thess. 4. 16. 17. For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Air. 7. Christ will own you and crown you and admit you into the Kingdom of Heaven which he hath prepared for you Math. 25. 34. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand Come ye Blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the Foundation of the World Here is strong and active love indeed and shall not the consideration of this love of Christ raise and highten your love unto him shall it not provoke and excite you unto activity of love unto the lively and most vigorous exercise thereof hath Christ united himself to your nature and shall not your Hearts be united to his Person hath he fulfilled all Righteousness for you and will not you fulfill his command of Love hath he endured such temptations contradictions and sufferings upon your account and given himself to dye for you and will not you give your Hearts unto him hath he risen from the dead and Ascended into Heaven for you and will not your Affections arise from the Earth and Ascend into Heaven where Jesus Christ is Doth he plead in Heaven with the Father for you and will not you hearken to his pleadings by his Word and Spirit with you for your love is he preparing a glorious Mansion for you in his Fathers house and will not you prepare a place for him and entertain him in the inner room of your chiefest Affections doth and will he keep you in his hand and will not you embrace him in your bosoms will he make all things work together for your good and will not your Affections work towards him will he stand by you in trouble and at Death and will not this
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
to lawful things and it is of use to keep the Heart from unlawful and sinful loves if Christ have not your Hearts some base and foolish lusts will have them which will wound your Consciences with guilt and peirce your Hearts thorow with many sorrows 2. The love of Christ is useful in Adversity to bear up the Heart from sinking and being overwhelmed with the Winds and Waves of Trouble and Affliction it is of use to establish the Heart from being extraordinarily moved in the most Stormy times not only Faith but Love too is of a fixing nature to keep from amazing fears of evil tidings and the greatest perils and of a strengthning Nature to stay and support the Spirit and keep off pressing Griefs and despondencies in the darkest and most doleful days 3. The love of Christ is useful to quicken and excite unto duty this makes the yoke of Christ easie and will enable you to draw cheerfully therein this makes the burden of duâ—y so accounted by the most to be no burden in esteem if you have much love unto Christ you will account duty to be your priviledge and the Service of Christ to be freedome and none of his commands will be grievous but all of them joyous unto you if you have much love unto Chriâ—t your Hearts will be ensiamed hereby with zeal for your Masters Glory and you will never think you can do too much for him 4. The love of Christ is useful to arm you against Temptations If Faith be a Shield Love to Chriâ—t is a Breaâ—-plaâ—e against the sharpest Darts which the Devil can throw at you â—ove to Christ doth Garrison your Hearts against this Enemy and is a strong defence against any overtures which the Devil may make in his Temptations to draw you to sin how can I do this evil and offend my dear Lord will be the answer of love to repel temptations to sin whatever alluring proffers they be accompanied withal Temptations will have no force to prevail over you if this love of Christ be strong within you 5. The love of Christ is useful to fit you for the cross and the greatest sufferings which you may be called unto for the sake of Christ. If you have great love to Christ you will be ready to suffer for Christ with patience and with 〈…〉 the heaviest cross will seem light disgrace and shame will be accounted honour losses will be esteemed gains pains pleasures or at least priviledges prisons will seem Pallaces and death will be accounted life O how have some run to the stake and embraced the Flames of Fire kindled to burn them when they have felt the fire of love to Christ burning strongly within them thus this love is usefull in Life 6. The love of Christ is useful at death This love in its strength will put a beauty upon the Aspect of death which seems so grim and terrible unto the most If you have much love to Christ you will look upon death as Christs messenger sent for you to bring you out of the dark Prison of of the World and the Body and to convey you into the Mansions of Glory where your dear Lord is and you will not be unwilling to leave the World that you may live with Christ. 8. Consider the sweetness of this love unto Christ. If there be sweetness in the love of the Members there is much more sweetness in the love of the head if there be delight and comfort in the love of Christs disciples for their Masters sake there is much more delight and comfort in the love of Christ himself the Master for his own sake the Apostle telleth us of comfort in love Phillip 2. 1. that is in the love one of another but the consolations in the love of Christ are far exceeding there are no such sweet motions of Heart as those of the strong and fervent outgoings of it in its love to Christ especially when Christ doth draw near and manifest his love unto the Soul Christ doth rejoice in his love unto his Disciples and they may rejoice in their love to him and this joy in the love of Christ is a full joy Iohn 15. 11. These things have I spoken unto you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full in the former verse Christ speaketh of his love to them and here of his joy in them they were the objects of his joy as they were the objects of his love and according to the measure and strength of their love to Christ so is the fulness of their joy in Christ. Cant. 4. 9. Thou hast ravished my heart my Sister my Spouse thou hast ravished my Heart with one of thine Eyes with one chain of thy neck they are the words of Christ the Beloved unto his Spouse the Church expressing the ravishing delight which he found in her Looks of Faith or glances of Love and the chain of Graces which she was adorned withall How then may your Hearts be ravished with unspeakable delight in looking upon Christs most amiable face and in the fervent actings of your love unto him when a glance of his Eye a smile a beam from his countenance doth enkindle a fire in the breast and this fire of love to Christ doth burn and flame O how sweet is this flame beyond what tongue is able to express 9 And lastly Consider the Attainableness of this love to Chrâ—â—t Bâ—uâ—ts are not capable of this love to Chriâ—t but you are capable as your minds are capable of knowing him so your hearts are capable of loving him Others have attained this love who were as much without it and as much averse unto it as any of you may be Here you are capable hereafter if you live and dye without it you will be utterly uncapabâ—e You have now the means of Grace and as of other Graces so of this Grace of love to Christ in the diligent use of the means you may attain there unto Thus I have done with the Motives to excite you unto the love of Christ. SECT XV. THe second thing propounded in the Prosecution of the use of Exhortation was to give Directions and the directions will be of two sorts 1. How to attain this love to Christ. 2. Wherein to show this love to Christ. First How to attain this love to Christ and here I shall 1. Direct you how you may attain this love to Christ in the truth of it where you are wholly without it 2. Direct you how to attain much of this love to Christ where you have it but in a low degree and weak measure The first directions then shall be how you that are Graceless and Christless and wholly withoâ—t this love to Christ may at-this love to Christ. 1. If you would attain this love unto Jesus Christ whom you have never seen you must get a thorow peâ—swasion that there is such a Person aâ— Jesus Christ and that he is such a Person indeed as the
Scriptures have revealed him to be The reason why Heathens and Infidels are without love to Christ is because they have never heard of him and the reason why many nominal Christians that have heard of Christ are without love to him is because they are not really perswaded that there is or ever was such a person as Jesus Christ in the World If you would attain this love you must give firm assent to this Truth which is the greatest of all and the very pillar foundation of the whole Christian Religion that Christ really is and that the History of him is no cunningly devised Fable If you have reason to beleive that there was such a a Person as Alexander the Great that there was such person as Iulius Caesar both which lived before Christs time you have more reason to believe that there was and is such a Person as Jesus Christ you have only Prophane history for the former but you have Sacred history for the latter you have only the writings of men to testifie the one but you have the word of God in the Holy Scripture to testifie the other You have as much reason to beleive the history of the Gospel as to beleive any other history and you have more reason to believe the history of the Gospel than to believe any other history I shall suggest one reason amongst many that might be mentioned The History of the Gospel was written by unlearned Fishermen and it was beleived by as 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
with infinite Might and Power the beauty of thy face is most wonderfull the smiles of thy countenance are most sweet and delightful and doth this lovely fair One this fairest of ten thousand this most excellent and alltogether lovely Person bear a particular love to me to such a vile worm as me to such a dead Dog as me to such an undeserving ill-deserving hell-deserving sinner as me O what marvellous kindness is this what infiâ—iâ—e Riches of Free Grace doth he know me by name hath he given himself for me and given himself to me and shall not I give him my heart am I written in his bookâ— Redeemed with his blood clothed with his Righteousness beautified with his Image hath he put the dignity of a Child of God upon me and prepared a place in the Fathers house for me O wonderful O admirable what shall I render what returns shall I make had I a thousand tongues should I not employ them all in speaking his praise had I a thousand Hearts should I not present them all as too mean to thank-offering unto him And yet am I slow slow of Heart to love this dear and sweet Iesus awake O my Soul awake from thy dulness and stupidity shake off thy sleep which glues thine eye-lids so close together shake out the dust of the Earth which hath got into thine eyes and keeps thee from the view of thy beloved Arise O my Soul and lift up thy self unfetter thy feet unâ—log thy self take the wing and mount up above the sky and visible Heavens even to the place where the lovely and dear Iesus is Take thy leave of the world and all things therein Bid farewel to the flattering honours the deceitful Riches the glozing Pleasures that are here below bid adieu to them and leave them to those that place their chiefest happiness in them if Earth hath thy body for a while yet let it have thy heart and chiefest affections no more come O my Soul ascend and soar aloâ—t unto the Heaven of Heavens the way unto the Holy of Holies is accessible the vail is rent the fore-runner is entred and thou mayest have entrance too with thy Thoughts and Desires and Loves and Hopes and Ioyes there thou mayst see and veiw and admire and embrace thy dearest Lord there thy Heaâ—t may find a fit object for it's Love even thy dearest Lord Iesus who wil not reject despise thee but give kind entertainment unto thy love and withall give the fullest sweetest returns there thy Heart may find a room to dispose of it self and not only a lodging like that of a wayfaring man for a night but an habitation wherein to dwell and to take up it's Eternal abode let thy Heart be thy fore-runner that when thy body drops off from thee thou mayst know where to betake thy seâ—f and find ready entertainment there where thy Heart hath been long before Why dost thou hang downwards O my Soul why dost thou bend so much to the Earth and Earthly things what is there here below that is not beneath thee and altogether unworthy of thy Love how empty and vain and thorny are these things don 't wast thy time weary thy self for very vanity don't prick and wound thy self with these things any more What aileth thee O my Soul that thou art so backward to the Love of Christ is it because thou canst not see Christ with the Eyes of thy Body thou shalt see him with those Eyes hereafter when he comes in his Glory thy body is raised and repaired and sitted to bear such a sight thou can'st not see the Wind but thou hearest it's noise and feelest it's blasts and dost thou not hear Christ's voice in his Word dost thou not feel the breathings of his Spirit in his Ordinances Thou art invisible thy self O my Soul and art thou so drenched in flesh that visible objects shall have more Power to draw down thy heart than this most glorious object though now invisible shall have power to draw up thy Heart dost thou question and doubt of his love to thee and doth this damp and discourage thy Affection whose Image is this which is engraven upon thee is it not the Image of Christ what writing is that upon thy Heart is it not Gods Law written by Christs Spirit whose deckings and adornings hast thou got about thee what Beauty is this which is put upon thee is it not Christs comeliness where hadst thou those Bracelets that Ring those Iewels that chain of Graces are they not Christ's love-tokens which he hath given thee and yet wilt thou doubt of his love if thou feelest corruption strong yet dost thou not perceive some Grace although it be weak hast thou not some love to Christ although it be low are not thy desires chiefly after him which evidence that thy chief love is to him and is it so with any but such whom Christ doth love doth not Christ love first and yet wilt thou question his love banish then thy fears silence thy doubts O my Soul rouze up thy self and climb â—p by the Iacobs ladder which is let down to thee from Heaven and settle thy love upon Iesus Christ and those things which are above where Christ sits at the Right hand of God Such retired Contemplations of Christ and Soliloquies and pleadings with your own Souls when alone by your selves will tend exceedingly to the promotion of your love unto Christ. 2. Would you have much love to Christ Be much in Reading and Studying the Scriptures The Scriptures are a Glasse in which Christ may be seen he cannot be seen Face to Face in this World this is the happiness of the Triumphant Church in Heaven not of the Militant Church upon the Earth what may here be discerned of Christ it is in the glass of the Scriptures and Gospel-Ordinances this is that glass spoken of 2 Cor. 3. 18. We all with open face beholding as â—n a glass the Glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from Glory to Glory Christ is the Glory of the Lord the brightness of his Fathers Glory would you have much love to him be often looking veiwing and beholding of him in the glass of the Scriptures by much beholding of him you may be transformed more and more into the likeness of his Holiness and into the likeness of his Love which is Glory begun The Scriptures have the Image of Christ engraven upon them the Image of the Father is upon the Son and the Image of the Son is upon the Scriptures there you may see the Picture of Christ the Beauty of Christ at least some lineaments are there drawn by the hand of God although not fully and to the life I mean such you will see in him when you come to behold him face to face in Heaven yet his Beauty is drawn in such proportions and with such shadows as you are now capable of beholding Would you have much love unto Christ whom
you have nothing to do with it Procul ite Profani Avant all ye profane ones all ye unclean ones all ye ungodly ones all Unbelievers whatsoever who being without Faith are also without Love to Christ see that you come not neer to lay your unclean hands upon this most excellent Promise never look for any discovery of Christs love unto you whilest you go on in wayes of Sin whilest you are in your Natural Estate I believe some of you may be ready to say What if Christ doth not manifest himself unto us let us have our Honours and Dignity let us have our Wealth and Plenty let us have our Friends and Delights and let who will look after those aiery and fancifull Satisfactions in Christs Manifestations Sinners is this your language either of tongue or heart Let me tell you one day you will sing another tune you will be of another mind one day you will acknowledge that all the Happiness which you so eagerly pursued in the sweetest creature-enjoyments was but a Fancy that it was thin light and aiery that it was vain and empty when all is fled away and left nothing behind but Stings and bitter Grief but inward wounds gripes and dreads upon the sight of approaching Death and under apprehensions of approaching Wrath and eternal Torments in Hell Then what would you give for an Interest in Jesus Christ and a well-grounded Perswasion of his special Love unto your Souls Then the Manifestations of Christ will appear to be no aiery thing and that nothing besides this can rationally support your Souls when you come to the Borders of the Grave and to the Confines of Eternity And let me further tell you that have no love to Christ that although Christ whilest you are such will never manifest himself unto you in a way of Love yet there is a Day coming when he will Manifest himself unto you but this Manifestation will be with a Vengeance it will be in a way of most Furious anger I mean at the last day of Judgement when Christ will be revealed from Heaven not onely to those that Love him but also to those that Hate him for every eye shall then see him and he will come in flaming Fire to take Vengeance upon you that have not obeyed this Gospel-Precept to Love him The Consideration of this should awaken you to fear and fly from Sin which otherwise will be your ruine and eternal Perdition and O that withall you would be perswaded to apply your selves unto the Lord Jesus Christ by Faith that you may hereby have Interest in him and in that great Salvation which he hath purchased for you and which in the Gospel in freely tendred unto you and this Faith in Christ would work Love to Christ and put you in a capacity of these Manifestations of Christ's Love unto your Souls Sect. VII Vse 2. THe second Use concerneth such of you as have some Love unto Christ but are without these Manifestations and there are two sorts of such 1. Some of you never had these Manifestations 2. Some of you have had these Manifestations but have lost them 1. Some of you never had these Manifestations of Christ's Love It may be you are young and raw Christians a little while ago you were forward Scholars in the School of the Devil and served divers luâ—ts with all your might and strength the Lord hath lately hedg'd up your way with thorns hath opened your eyes to see your sins and made you sensible of your danger but as yet your eyes are not open as to any comfortable sight of your Saviour Indeed Christ hath been revealed unto you as able and willing to save you and you have been drawn by the Word and Spirit to take hold on him and to give up your selves unto him but as yet you are in the daâ—k as to your Spiritual Estate you are under doubts and fears of unsoundness and rottenness at heart that you are Hypocrites and shall fall away as other Professors like your selves have done you fear you shall one day perish by the hand of Saul that the Devil and your own Lusts will be too hard for you and prevail so far with you as to pull you back into wayes of Sâ—n and thereby to pull yoâ— down into the botâ—omless Pit of Hell This causeth a dread upon your spirits and fearfâ—ll apprehensions of Gods wrath and future Vengeance this fâ—tcheth many a sad and heavy sigh from your breasts many a brinish tear from your eyes you are troubled bowed down greatly and go mourning all the day Yet you are resolved to give your attendance still unto Ordinances and there to wait upon the Lord and for the Lord you are resolved notwithstanding all discouragements that you will be the Lords though you know not whether he be yours you are resolved that Christ shall have your hearts and you will venture your Souls upon him though you know not whether you are accepted by him This may be a Use of Encouragement unto you certainly you are such as love Christ and are beloved by Christ and Christ will manifest himself unto such as have such Love let me tell you that Christ is not far from you whatever you may apprehend though he be out of your sight yet you are not out of his his eye is upon you and his heart is towards you he hears all your sighs he sees all your tears he pities you and sympathizeth with you in all your Griefs he loves you and ere long will let you know it he is now preparing you for sweet discoveries of himself and ere long he will give you those discoveries If you follow on to seek him he will certainly and may suddenly be found of you And who knows but this may be the time of Christ's manifesting his Love It may be whilest you are Reading this Discourse you may have a glimpse of his face and hear his Voâ—ce saying unto you Be of good cheer your sins are forgiven you Lift up the Hands that hang down lift up the Heart that is cast down Look up then dejected Soul thy Saviour is before thee open thine Eyes and look look with the Eye of Faith canst thou not see a marvellous Beauty in his countenance dost thou not perceive some smiles in his Face some Smiles upon thy Soul Dost thou not feel his Spirit sweetly breathing upon thine heart perswading thee and giving thee a sweet sense of Christ's peculiar Love unto thee Dost thou not perceive some inward knocking 's at the door of thine heart and hear some inward callings Open to me and I will come in and sup with thee This is the Voice of thy Beloved make haste and open to him open all the Faculties of thy Soul lift up the Everlasting Gates to this King of Glory send forth the Handmaids of thy Desires to invite the Lord in let thy Faith take hold on him and usher him into thy Soul and then embrace him in
fruit as heretofore in your flourishing estate Surely the Lord is at a 〈◊〉 distance from such of you and are there not too many such amongst you And what need have you to remember whence you are to fallen to ransack your hearts to find out your sins to humble your selves deeply to repent and grieve and mourn to turn your laughter into weeping and your joy into heaviness and to return unto the Lord speedily and do your first works otherwise some fearefull judgements are like to befall you and the Lord may be even forced to awaken you with a vengeance and make you a terrour unto your selves and unto all about you Don't provoke the Lord by your thus running away from him to follow you with a storm as he did Ionas and to devour you in the floods and waves of dreadfull afflictions that hereby he may reduce and restore you and keep you from being drowned in utter perdition and eternal destruction It may be the Lord hath scourged some of you for your faults with the rods of some crosses and disappointments some outward losses and troubles it may be he hath put bitternesse upon those breasts which you have been sucking and mingling gall in the cup of your pleasures which you have been drinking and you have begun to think of your evil wayes and seen what an evil thing and bitter it is to backslide from the Lord and you have thought it was best with you when you were nearest unto Christ. It may be God hath dealt with you as he telleth his backsliding people he would do with them Hos. 2. 6 7. Behold I will hedge up thy way with thorns and make a wall that she shall not find her paths Aud she shall follow after her Lovers but she shall not overtake them and she shall seek them but she shall not finde them Then shall she say I will go and return to my first husband for then it was better with me than now And now you are seeking after your Beloved but he hath withdrawn himself from you and seems to take no notice of you you call and cry and sigh and weep and lament and complain and seek and wait and yet he withholds from you all special discoveries of his Love Possibly doubts may hence arise and fears grow upon your spirits and you are ready to sink and sometimes are almost overwhelmed with inward trouble Let this Doctrine be an encouragement to you still to seek diligently and wait patiently for the Lord will manifest himself again unto you in his own time which is the best time He may try you for a while whether you will follow him in the dark he may suffer you to wait some time for him who have made him to wait so long time for you But if you persevere to seek him diligently in his wayes you shall finde that it will not be in vain And what would you say ye backsliding souls if the Lord should manifest himself unto you at this time would you not abuse his kindness if he should discover his Love to you again would you not grow wanton and carnally secure if he should now renew your evidences and give them fair written and easie to be read by you would you not blot them again by your sins if he should now speak peace unto your Consciences would you not again return unto folly If he should now restore unto you the joyes of his salvation and send down the Holy Ghost from Heaven to come unto you to be your comforter and to dwell with you would you not griev and quench the Spirit and provoke him to another retirement and more dreadfull withdrawings than before It may be the Lord will try you it may be the Lord may draw near and make some discovery of himself and discovery of his Love unto you it may be the Lord may look kindly now upon you and secretly by hiâ— Spirit speak kindly unto you you are now looking and longing and hoping and waiting possibly this may be the time of your seeing his face and the smiles that are there of your feeling the sweet sheddings abroad of his Love into your hearts by his Spirit at least he may give you a glimpse a glance a little taste such as shall ravish your hearts However wait for him and with earnest desires and importunate requests plead with him for his returns and these manifestations and that in such kinde of Language as this Come Lord Iesus Come quickly make haste O my beloved make haste to my soul that thirsteth for thee as the parched land after the sweet showers that fall from heaven as the hâ—nted Hart after the cooling and refreshing streams of the water-brooks O when shall I drink of those waters of Life which thou hast to give who art the fountain and spring from whence they flow when shall I taste again how good thou art when shall I see thee again and feed and feast my soul again with thy love when Lord O when wilt thou come unto me wilt thou cast off for ever wilt thou be favourable no more hast thou in anger shut up thy bowels shall this cloud alwayes sit upon thy brow shall this curtain alwayes be drawn before thy face Truth Lord I have grievously sined and greatly offended thee but have I not do I not truly repent is there any thing in the world so grievous unto me as the remembrance of my miscariages I acknowledge my offence my folly and horrid ingratitude but shall my sins be alwayes a wall of separation between me and my beloved are not thy bowels tender are not thy mercies plentifuâ—l is there not forgivenâ—â—s with thee that thou mayest be feared and the more dearly beloved dost thou not forgive freely without upbraiding hast thou not promised to be found of all them that diligently seek thee and didst thou ever fail in thy word unto any and shall I be the first are â—ot the desires of my Soul after thee and that Chiefly and that Earnestly Is there not dearth and drought in all things beneath thy self nothing that can give me satisfaction have I not renounced the World for my Portion Thou mightest send me to the World for help and comfort to the World which I have over-earnestly desired and loved and over-eagerly â—ought for contentment and happiness in But is this thy wont and thy way and the manner of thy dealing with them that are grieved for their Sin and ashamed of their Folly Hast thou not promised to manifest thy self unto them that love thee and do not I love thee dost not thou who knowest all things know that I love thee though my Love be imperfect yet is it not true though it be weak yet is it not sincere else whence are these desires after Thee above all Persons and Things in the World are not these the product of true Love and wilt thou not make good thy Promise then to manifest thy self unto me and if I
had the Manifestations of thy Love would not my love grow and encrease hereby Should I not love the more dearly and strongly if I had clear discoveries and were perswaded assuredly of thy love unto me Truth Lord I am altogether unworthy of such a favour but didst thou ever bestow this favour upon any for their deserts are not all thy Gifts free and am not I as capable as any of Free-grace the more unworthy the more I shall admire thee the more is forgiven I shall love the more And may I not now have a taste of thy Loving kindness Hasten my Beloved O hasten unto me and be as a Roe upon the Mountains of Spices Do not veil thy face from me any longer do not conceal thy love but now O now draw near and make me exceeding glad in the light of thy Countenance and in the beauty of thy Face and smiles thereof Such desires and pleadings as these might prevail with the Lord forthwith to return again unto you and to say Well Soul I have heard thy Prayer thy breathing and thy cry thy pleadings have prevâ—â—ed with me and I am now come unto thee and be it to thee according to thy Desires Come Soul and look up lift up thine eyes and see Here I am Behold me Behold me this day I am come to bring glad tydings of great Ioy unto thee I assure thee that I am thine and all mine is thine and thou art mine and shalt be mine for ever And what words can found so sweet and yield such comfort as these or such like spoken by the Spirit unto the hearts of those from whom Christ is withdrawn SECT VIII Vse 3. THe Third Use doth concern you that do love Christ and have the Manifestations of his Love to your Souls Three things be exhorted unto 1. Rejoyce in the Lord. 2. Admire his Free Grace 3. Labour to retain these Manifestations 1. You that have the Manifestations of the Love of Christ Rejoyce in the Lord of all Persons in the world you have most reason to rejoyce you are the happiest men and women alive It is not Wealth in the greatest abundance which can make men happy the richest Persons have often thorns of the greatest discontent to pierce their hearts and Stings of the greatest guilt to wound their Consciences It is not the highest Honour and worldly Dignity which can make men happy the vilest men are often exalted and those that are in the Highest places are in the most Slippery places from whence they are soon cast down into destruction and whatever security they have in Life yet they are usually consumed utterly with Terrours when grim Death doth appear and summon them to depart It is not the sweetest sensual Delight which can make men happy Vanity is the Attendant and Vexâ—tion of Spirit is the Consequent of all those pleasures that are sensual and sinfull which are the seed also of Pain and Everlasting torment Such onely can be said to be happy in truth as are really united and related unto Jesus Christ and through him reconciled unto God and entituled unto the Kingdom of Heaven but you are the most happy and have reason to take the most comfort who have not onely Relation unto Christ but also the Manifestations of him who know that Christ is yours and you are his that Christ loveth you and that his Love as it had no beginning so it is without changing and will know no ending If you know that Christ loveth you you have reason to rejoyce because hereby you may know assuredly that you are Elected that God by an eternal and unchangeable Decree hath chosen you when he hath chosen so few of fallen Men and none of the fallen Angels and when there was not the least foreseen Motive to induce him hereunto the assurance of this may yield unexpressible sweetness unto you If you know that Christ loveth you you may know assuredly your Effectual Calling Conversion and wonderfull Union unto Christ and O what matter of Joy is it to think how God hath called you out of Darkness into his marvellous Light how he hath delivered you out of the Snare of the Devil and the bonds of your own Lusts and set your Souls at liberty how he hath wrought a Miracle in your first Resurrection from the Grave and spiritual death of Sin put forth the same power in your New Creation change of your Natures as in his first Creation of the World how he hath dissolved and made a divorce between your hearts and your sins and so wonderfully United and espoused you unto the Lord Jesus and by this Conjunction and Relation given you an Interest in all the Priviledges which Christ hath purchased If you know that Christ doth love you you mâ—y know assuredly that you are Justified through his Merits and Mediation and O what matter of Joy is this to think that all your sins Original and Actual are pardoned that none can lay any sin to your charge because God hath justified you that there is none that shall condemn you because Christ hath loved you and out of Love hath dyed for you and is now making Intercession for you at the right hand of God Rom. 8. 33 34. to be acquitted from all Guilt and no more lyable unto future wrath than if you had never offended and when you had no Righteousness of your own to be accepted as perfectly Righteous in the sight of God through the Imputation of Christ's perfect Righteousness Who have reason to rejoyce if you have not reason If you know that Christ loveth you you may assuredly say that you are the Sons and Daughters of the Lord Almighty and will you not rejoyce when of Children of the Devil Children of Disobedience Children of Wrath you are made the Children of God the Glorious Jehovah that is the Supream Sovereign and King of the whole World and when you have not an empty Name onely but are intituled to all the Priviledges of his Children If you know that Christ doth love you you may know assuredly that he will keep alive his Interest in you preserve his Grace in your hearts and enable you to persevere in Faith and Holiness notwithstanding all the alluring Temptations which you may meet withall in the World notwithstanding all the Suggestions and Oppositions of Sathan and notwithstanding all the powerfull workings of your remaining lusts and corruptions all which do combine together and use all their power and policy which is great to extirpate your Grace to draw you unto sin to entice or force you out of the wayes of God and O what matter of comfort is it that the Lord Jesus who loveth you hath undertaken for you to keep you in his hand and by his unseen but mighty power to enable you to resist and overcome to hold on in his wayes and hold out unto the end so that you may triumph with the Apostle and say as Rom. 8. 35 37. Who shall