A Discovery of GLORIOUS LOVE OR The Love of Christ to Beleevers Opened In the Truth thereof In the Transcendency and thereof In the Sweetnesse thereof Together with the necessity that lyes upon every Beleever to strive after the Spirituall and Experimentall knowledge of it Being the sum of VI Sermons Preached upon Ephesians 3.19 By JOHN DURANT Preacher of the Gospel in the City of Canterbury 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. Wee will make thy love to be remembred more than wine Cant. 1.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. He brought me into the house of wine his banner over me was love Cant 2.4 London Printed for R. I. to be sold by W. Gilbert son at the Bible in Guilt-spur-street without New-gate 1655. To the Right Honourable Robert Earl of Warwick c. My Noble Lord I Presume your Lordship well knows that Christs love is our soul and therefore sole life Then and indeed not till then do wee live when wee injoy divine love Our bosomes cannot breath forth the breath of life before Christ breaths in the breath of love Indeed it s the misery of most that they are strangers to this truth To speak to many of the Lord Jesus and to tell them of a life in love above what sence feels and of a comfort a glory a happinesse flowing from thence far surmounting what sight fees is a mystery which they cannot perceive nor indeed beleeve for t is foolishnesse unto them Not onely the News-mongers at Athens counted this News which they never heard of But even the Philosophers there themselves accounted Pauls preaching of these things a strange doctrine But I hope I may without either falsenesse or flattery say your Honour is well acquainted with these things As experimentally knowing that all your honour joy felicity lyes in this that you know the love of Christ passing knowledge And this is one ground of this dedication of these ensuing Sermons But it s not the onely ground For I desire by this also to declare to the world and your self how sensible and mindfull I am of those obligations which your Honour hath laid upon mee not onely by your owning of and respect unto my person but which I prize most my Ministry His person is above my praise whose pen hath blotted the common way of dedications Quia laudatur â—laudatoviro est la is vera But his ground was because for the most part they only flatter And yet hee allows of dedications when the argument of the Book agrees with the person whom its dedicated to Sir Francis Bacon de augment sâ—en lib. 1. page 19. The considâ—ration of which I hope as hath been hinted will secure mee from his or others censure Besides I know there is a difference between flattery and gratitude though the one bee odious as a vice yet the other is amiable as a vertue And t is at this which I have aimed in this dedication I know that the bare remembrance how gratefull soever of favours received is no requital But yet though it serves not to remunerate the favour yet 't will to vindicate the benefactor that hee hath not ill bestowed his benefits My Lord If I say that I cannot requite all your favours it s no more than all know And if I say that Christ can it s no more than I know you beleeve and I desire T will bee no over-exalting of Christs love nor any diminution unto your favours If I say that the least grain of love from Christ to you will abundantly compensate all the weight of your love to mee And this My Lord is not onely my prayer but my beliefi in your behalf I shall not trouble your Lordship with many words Onely let mee have leave â—o sound in your ears two words of the Lord Jesus the one was a word of Prophecie the other of Advice 1. His word of Prophecie was The love of many shall wax cold It s your duty to search Mat. 24.12 and t will bee your honour to find that there is no fulfilling of that in your soul But alas who can say that hee sees not too great a fulfilling of this in himself Oh! the decay of love zeal activity appearance c. in the things of Christ that is every where It s a thing that calls for bloody tears that besides the abounding of iniquity in enemies there is such waxing cold of love in friends I have sometimes thought Christ spake this Prophecie as Paul did his rehearsall Phil. 3.18 viz weeping II. Christs word of advice was this Strengthen the things that remain that are ready to dye Apoc. 3.2 It s well that under spirituall decayes wee have any thing that remains happy they who have not lost all It s wisdome to strengthen that which languisheth holy they that strive to do thus and the following Sermons may bee helpfull herein If the Spirit lay this truth upon our hearts That Christ loves us with a transcendent love 't will at once make us bleed for coolings and burn yea blaze a fresh with the fire internally and flames externally of love to Christ his people his truths his designes c. But I have gone beyond my intentions though I hope not beyond your acceptation If you will permit mee to adde that I am in the number of those who both praise and pray for you and professe to bee much obliged to you I shall trouble you no further save with the sincere subscription that I am My Lord. Your Honours singularly obliged Soules servant JOHN DURANT To his beloved friends the godly Inhabitants of the Town and Port of Sandwich Particularly The Congregation over which the Holy Ghost hath made my reverend Brother Mr. Francis Prentice Overseer Beloved in Christ HOwever those who are in the world may account the insuing Sermons riddles and paradoxes yet to you whom I hope Christ hath taken out of the world they are experienced truths It s true yee know them already for I have preached them to you But that you might have them in remembrance I have been willing to Print them for you And yet not for you only but for as many as beleive in the Lord Jesus It was Peters care to perpetuate those things by writing which hee had preached by word That so albeit his hearers knew yet they might bee established * in the truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. rooted or setled as upon a firm foundation Certainly next to the knowing of truths is the establishment in them which some wanting are gone aside after airy vanities T is true your establishment primarily and causally depends on the Spirit But yet secondarily and instrumentally it is attained unto by the word For therefore it was that Peter writ as hee sayes 2 Pet. 1.12 and surely his writings were words And yet the words of Christ were not bare letter No they were Spirit and Life And the truths of Christ held forth by any according to the
know the Mind of Christ more I would I say perswade mine own heart and yours also to this Point to act faith upon Christ in this case whatever the truth of such a Scripture be as you would know or of such a question as you would fain be resolved in Sith Christ loveth you with a transcendent love act faith in this case That in due time hee will reveal even the one and the other to thee Thirdly Christs transcendent love giveth a sure ground of faith in the case of raising up of the saints out of suffering Verily O you children of faith and love beleeve it Jesus Christ who loveth you in such a transcendent manner as you have heard will not let you alwaies be under those great sufferings which you doe His great love for the present maketh him sympathize with you in all your afflictions he is afflicted Men that persecute you they persecute him that loveth you He looketh upon your sufferings as his own And because heeloveth you so transcendently hee will ere long tell those that persecute you the same terribly beleeve it Christ that hath appeared to you in this saying I have loved you with an everlasting love and therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you out of the state of sin will also say unto you I do love you with a transcendent love therefore with the same loving kindness will I draw you out of the state of sufferings I say Act faith O beleevers upon this ground of Christs transcendent love even a sweet and a singular faith in the case of delivering you out of sufferings As he will not alwayes strive himself with you so neither alwayes wil he suffer wicked men to trample on you because hee knoweth and his love maketh him afraid lest your spirits should fail as under the one so under the other Use Secondly It may be a word of Reproof This point that Christ loveth his with a transcendent love may justly reprove the world yea and the Saints themselves also First It may reprove the world who are ready not only to think but to say as hee in the Parable that Christ is an austere man Luke 19.21 No my brethren Christ you see is not austere but sweet As his name is so is his nature love and that in a transcendent manner Be reproved wretches in entertaining unkind or reviling thoughts of Christ You wrong him in his love and your selves in the truth while you think or say that hee is not a loving Lord you shall ere long not onely see that hee loveth but that hee loveth all his with a love passing knowledge But secondly It reproveth the Saints also who are ready very often to question if not the reality yet the transcendency of Christs love Be reproved for saying Christ loveth you not at all or if hee doth but very little for you hear that he loveth even all his with a transcendent love I professe it is sadde to see upon what petty poor occasions even beleevers themselves are ready to question at least the greatnesse of Christs love If hee denieth them though but a vanity yet because their hearts are set upon it so much they think that his heart is not set upon them at all such is their weaknesse they are ready to think that Christ loveth them but a little because hee doth not give them happily a knife which hee seeth they would use to cut their own throat with Your bosomes O beleevers will hint you the particulars in this case and therefore I passe them by Onely let the word of reproof fall upon you who for any occasion whether great or small dare to question the transcendency of Christs love when as you see it to be a clear truth written as with a Sun-beam upon your souls and bosomes that the love he loveth you with is passing knowledge Use Thirdly This point is a word of Exhortation to exhort beleevers upon the consideration of this transcendent love which Christ beareth to them to doe at least these four things First Tremble to think that ever you should sin against him who loveth you so much View thy sins O beleever in the light of thy Saviours love and when thou seest the transcendency of that love which is in his bosome towards thee then sit down and bleed to behold thy great sinnings against him Then indeed hath transcendent love a sweet working upon thy spirit when as the thoughts of it can make thee mourn for thy sinnes How sweetly did love work upon that woman who was a sinner when she tasted the transcendent love of her Saviour The sight of the great love which was in his bosome towards her makes her sit at his feet and weep bitterly at the thoughts of her sins For the present I will not dispute the point whether mourning for sin before closing with Christ can bee sincere Sure I am of this that after closing with Christ and tasting of his love then mourning for sin is most sweet And though nothing in the world melt the heart for sinne yet the thoughts of the love of Christ will Well beleevers let in then have such a work in your bosomes O let his transcendent love which you may read written with the blood of his heart dissolve thine adamantine heart And let it make thee mourn for thy sinnes greatly They shall see him whom they have peirced and mourn saith the Scripture Zach. 12.10 Why beleevers doe you see him whom you have peirced with your sinnes Do not you mourn especially when you see him in the light of love I say no more but this either you have not tasted this transcendent love of Christ or else your spirits are very much hardened if the sense and thoughts thereof do not cause you to mourn for sinne Therefore let this word of Exhortation sinke deeply into your hearts O beleevers weep and weep teares of blood to think that ever you should sinne against Jesus Christ who hath writen in his own blood this truth that he loveth you with a love passing knowledge Secondly Be exhorted to be ambitious to answer this transcendent love of your Saviour with the like Let this love of thy Lord be the loadstone of thy love Let it constrain thee to love him transcendently who loveth thee so I know it is impossible that thou shouldest parallel it which is the glory of Christs love yet strive at least to imitate it which will be the glory of thine Do not content thy self to love him little that loved thee much Sith Christ hath loved thee richly bee ashamed to love him but poorly Ambition in this respect will be a grace if so be that the sire of Christs love to thee set thee in flames of great love to him O! be ambitious to declare as much as in thee lyeth the exceeding greatnesse of thy love to thy Lord. Mirandula notes it as a badg of love that it maketh the person willing yea desirous to suffer
measure of the gift received are as truly Christs words now John 6.63 as when hee was here on earth else how could Paul say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. according to the eies sight that Christ came and preached to the Ephesians and was evidently crucified before the Galatians as t is Eph. 2.17 and Gal. 3.1 neither of whom heard of Christ till after his ascension I hope it will bee no pride but a gratefull and necessary witnesse to the grace of Christ if I say I have both spoke and writ the truth as it is in Jesus and as the Spirit hath given utterance Yea and that in a measure also I can say that those things which I have heard and seen I have declared unto you that your joy might bee full I know nothing so directly tending to both the truth and fulnesse of a Saints joy of which I account my self obliged to bee a helper as the knowledge of the love of Christ 2 Cor. 1. ult Now this is the subject I treat of And this I desire to put you in remembrance of as knowing nothing more strong and constraining unto duty 2 Cor. 5.14 than joy springing forth of this well of salvation I shall not trouble you with a large Epistle Four words only in this publick view for so is printing I shall leave with you as my witnesse unto Christ in some present truths now denied which I desire may never bee a witnesse against you 1. That Jesus whom wee preach and whose love wee declare is the same Christ still i.e. the same God in mans nature which is the choyce thing in him capable of being anoynted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. the self same not another and so of making him Christ hee that ascended is the same that descended and hee that descended is the same also that ascended as t is Eph. 4.9 10. Hee still retains the human nature which once hee took and so is still not only the same God but man It s true the manhood or flesh of Christ is now glorified but t is not annihilated his body is made glorious but still t is in body The man is set down on the right hand of God Heb. 10.12 2. This Jesus shall come again in the same mannâ—r in which hee did ascend as hee was visible even to the eyes of the flesh when hee went away so shall hee bee seen in like manner comming again Act. 1.10.11 Hee is not so swallowed up in Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as that hee is gone out of the flesh But albeit his all and onely presence bee now in Spirit yet hee shall come again and all eyes shall see him and they also who pierced him and all kindreds of the earth as it is Apoc. 1.7 Whoever shall say these Scriptures are not to bee taken in the letter I know I have the mind of Christ if I say in this hee hath not the Spirit 3. That till this comming again wee are to wait for him and upon him in the spiritual and yet external observation of the Ordinances of the Gospel And in them wee are to expect and shall find the sweet and spiritual incomes of himself in discoveries of that love of which I treat 4 That in the day of Christs comming again those Ministers will bee found blessed Lu. 12.42 who as faithfull and wise Stewards shal be found giving the houshold their portion of meat in due season And these Saints will be blamelesse who in that day shall bee sound exercised in and yet living above the observation of preaching fellowship prayers and breaking of bread which Christ hath commanded to bee kept up til hee come And now beloved what is the panting of my Spirit both for my own soul for yours and for all the Saints Is it not this that the morning of that day would dawn Is it not Christ is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. the day dawning and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. the light bringer and he is also the morning star that the shaddows would fly away and that the day spring from on high might again in the glory of Christ God and man visit us Surely these are the daily groanings of the Spirit in mee But with these there is also a mixture of sighs oh that the Spirit would make us diligent that wee may bee found of him in peace 2 Pet. 3.14 without spot and blamelesse and oh that we may bee counted worthy to escape all these things which in part are already come to passe and to stand before the son of man yea and oh that when the Lord shall call us to an account concerning the oracles Rom. 3.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. to commit as a choice treasure the ordinances which he hath committed to us wee may be found First neither as having defiled them with our own inventions Nor Secondly as dis-esteeming them upon pretence of our attainments No nor thirdly to have made them our rest and confidence But I shal sigh the rest in secret I beseech you beleeve that my heart underwrites this that I am Yours intirely affectionate in the love and labour of the Gospell JOHN DURANT A word to the Reader IN these Sermons I presume thou wilt perceive the plainnesse of man and my prayer is that thou mayest likewise perceive the power of the Spirit The time of their preaching was some eleven years since even the noon of the day of Englands trouble At that time they were accounted seasonable The matter of them is some Gospell light of the glorious love of Christ and this makes mee think they can never bee unseasonable The manner of their delivery was as it ought to bee not with enticeing words of mans wisdome But in the simplicity plainness of the Gospel The end was and is next to Christs glory thy good O beleever who ever thou art and if this bee not attained I must cry out I have laboured in vain And Two requests I have unto thee The first is that thou charitably cover the failings of the Preacher Remember the heavenly treasure of the Gospel is in earthen vessels The second is that thou carefully correct the Errata's of the Printer which by reason of my absence from the Presse could not bee avoided If to these two thou wilt over and above adde thy prayers for mee that I may still bee inabled from an experimental knowledge of Gospel truths so publish the same unto poor souls Thou wilt doe more than requite mee for my pains in this even oblige mee to a publication of some other Papers In hope whereof I subscribe my self Thine in the sincerity and strength of Gospel-love John Durant SERMON I. EPHES. 3 ver 19. And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge KNowledge is the perfection of the Rational Creature It is that whereby we come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Philosopher speaks i. e. to partake of Divinity to
Joh. 13.23 19.26 and of him it is often said he was the Disciple whom Jesus loved yea and John will witness for more than himself He saith Jesus loved him and all Beleevers besides him For speaking to them he saith He i. e. Christ hath loved us Apoc. 1.5 Call in Paul and he will prove that Christ loveth Beleevers for Christ loved him and such was the love that Christ bare to Paul that he professeth that he could nay did live upon it I live saith he by the Son of God who loveth me Gal. 2.20 Nay Paul further bears record to this truth and witnesseth that Christs love stretcheth forth it self to every beleeving Soul We are saith he more than conquerers through him that loveth us Rom. 8.37 I shal adde no more testimonies to prove this truth Even the least Beleever though but a babe is able to lisp in the language of this love and tell you that there is a divine fire of love in Christs bosome burning brightly towards Beleevers I shall hint three Demonstrations of the Doctrin taken from the behaviour of Christ towards Beleevers which will evidently clear cordial love unto them Châ—ists love demonst ated Oculus amoris index 1 Christs eye is always on Beleevers and he takes delight to look there where they are The eye is the Index of love It is a sweet starre alway shining over the hearts and houses of those whom we love The Proverb tells us where we love there we look Ubi amor ibi oculus Now it is easie to observe the rowlings of Christs eyes how that still they are towards Beleevers Wil you listen to Christs love in its language this way Let me sethy countenance saith he to the Beleever for it is lovely Cant. 2.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i e. Thy appearance Such is the pleasure that Christ takes in beholding of beleevers that he seems to live upon their looks and speaks as if hee were ravished with their sight Thou hast ravished my heart my Sister my Spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e Thou hast heartened me Cant. 4.9 He speaks once and again as if he did suck sweetness from the speech thou hast ravished my heart with thy sight How can we question Christs love to beleevers when his eyes are thus fixed on them that their sight doth ravish his soul Build upon it O beleeving soul Christs delight in looking on thee doth demonstrate his love to thee He peeps through the Lattesses to declare his love Cant. 2.9 Nay as if he were over-powred as indeed such an effect doth a look of love produce while he beholds beleevers he saith Turn away thine eyes from me for they have overcome me Cant. 6.5 The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it signifies have made me proud or as our Margent hath it have puft me up Christ seems to pride himself in the looks of beleevers his eye is on them and his heart is taken up if their eye be on him 2 Christs tongue speaks his love to beleevers Lingua amori tuba The tongue is loves trumpet the breathings of the Heart fill the Lips with sounds of love Love that is secret in the bosome sounds sweetly in the breath Speech as a Silver trumpet loudly sounds love It is said of Shechem the Son of Hamor that his Soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob and the Text saith he loved her and his tongue spake it for it is added that he spake kindly to the Damosell Gen. 34.31 Beleevers Christs tongue bewrays him his lips speak his love to you Oh how oft hath Christ spoke sweetly to thy Soul O beleever Canst not thou gather by his speaking to thy heart for that is the Hebrew phrase for speaking kindly the love of his heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How near thy heart O foul do those words of thy Saviour go If any thirst let him come and drink freely Doth not his heart open as a fountain of love in this speech And speaks hee not to thy heart i. e. very kindly when he saith If thou do but thirst come and drink Ask the poor Woman that had the bloudy issue Mark 5. whether or no Christ did not speak to her in the language of love when he said Daughter thy faith hath made thee whole Poor heart she had touched him as she thought at unawares and when she heard him speak of it she trembles as if she expected words of wrath But while she touched his garment secretly love touched his heart sweetly and his tongue bespeaks it when he called her Daughter And as Christs tongue trumpets out love when he speaketh to so when he speaketh of beleevers O the high Epithites 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apâ—a Hermog i. e. that which he addes to beleevers names when he speaketh of their persons how rhetorical how encomiastical is the language of his love when he speaks of his Spouse Thou art faire saith he thou art fair thou hast Doves eyes thy hair is as a flock of Goats thy teeth are like a flock of Sheep thy lips are like a thread of scarlet thy neck like the tower of David c. Cant. 4.1 2 3 4. As beleevers declare their love to Christ by speaking highly of him so Christ declares his love to beleevers by speaking highly of them If beleevers call him the Lilly of the vallies he calls them the Lilly among the thorns Christs love will not permit him to speak of them in low language Thus the lips of your Lord O beleevers are a demonstration of his love to you 3 Christs actions seal to the truth and strengthen the demonstration of the Doctrin If there were nothing but the eye or the tongue it might bee feared lest the love expressed by them were but either feigned or fond But actions following these seal it up that the love is not complemental but cordial If love be only in the lip it is without life and it may be suspected as counterfeit But when men not only speak Act iâ— amoris ancillâ— but act love then love lives and is love indeed Indeed where love is in truth it will bee seen in act every action being only Loves Lackey to go of its errands and Loves servant to do its work Now should we take a view of the actions of Jesus Christ we shall see that they strive to excel and exceed his words in the declaration of his love to beleevers I shall only hint at some as intending the larger Discourse of them in the next Doctrin 1 Consider Jesus Christ manifesting himself and his secrets to beleeving souls and this will demonstrate the truth of his love Dalilah questions the truth of Sampsons love from the concealment of his secrets from her How canst thou say I love thee when thy heart is not with me saith she Judg. 16.15 Thus she seems to argue Where there is love
law but to declare the infinitnes of his love for by it beleevers may see he requires of them at no time more than he did himself The yoak of Christ by this is made smooth and easie Now his commandements will appear not to be grievous because hee did obey them first himself There is no duty O beleeving soul unto which thou canst be called in the whole course of thy life but thy Saviour in his life did the same The child may well say he hath a loving father when as he can see him first doing that himself in his own person which hee commands it to do Your everlasting Father Jesus Christ O ye children of faith in his life went through in his own person all those performances which you are to do in Religion And is not this transcendent love 3. Our Lord â—n the whole course of his life was ever carefull to provide and use all possible means for the strengthning of beleevers graces Knowledge Faith are the two great graces for the sweetning of the life of beleevers and Christ was very carefull to strengthen them Therefore it was that hee spake chiefly to those things which might strengthen these graces For knowledge how lovingly did hee speak that which his Disciples were able to bear And if he thought they did not well understand what he said how lovingly did he expound all things to them when they were alone as t is Mark 4. 33 34. Yea when they asked him of any Parable what its meaning might be How lovingly did hee satisfie their desires telling them that it was their privilege and to them it was given to know the mysterys of the kingdome of God Luke 8.9 10. nay when Jesus had spoke any thing which they understood not and did but perceive their reasoning among themselves about it he did voluntarily not being asked inform them as in that Mat. 16.7 8 9. And for faith its easie to observe how ready Christ was to strengthen it Did he not rejoyce when he had an oportunity so to do Mark that in Job 11. when Lazarus was dead and hee knew how his raising of him would conduce to the confirming of their faith hee professeth speaking of it that he was glad for their sakes that hee was not there when he dyed to the intent they might beleeve vers 15. Now my beloved what doth this care of Christ to strengthen your graces declare but the transcendency of his love to your souls 4 Jesus Christ in his life aimed more at and rejoyced more in Beleevers comforts than his own When he heard that great voyce from heaven saying I have glorified it i.e. his name and I will glorifie it He said This voice came not for his sake but for his Disciples It seems his end in that request for that voyce was an answer to his prayer was not his glory but their good And therefore not rejoycing himself in the excellent glory of that voice from heaven hee speaks to them and applies it to them professing it was for their sakes Joh. 12.30 Hence it is also that hee when hee was to die and knew that his houre was come and so one would think should have retired and spent his time for himself hee set himself to comfort his Disciples that in so doing he might declare that having loved them he loved them to the end with a transcendent love Joh. 13.1 Tell me my beloved should you see one going to the Stake or Scaffold to dye and should you observe him spend all his time breath and eloquence in comforting some one dear beloved would not you say his love did transcend in making him forget himself to comfort her why so it was with your Saviour There were but few houres ere he was to be taken and to suffer And yet as if he minded as indeed he did the comfort of his Disciples more than his own he improves all that time and spent as it were all his eloquence upon them labouring to silence their dispairings and sorrows not minding his owne death and sufferings Oh transcendent love Lastly it must be also minded that Jesus Christ being to pray to his Father the last action as it were of his life he in that prayer declared the transcendency of his love by putting up more requests in the behalf of beleevers than of himself You know the prayer in Joh. 17. And if you observe it you shall finde that albeit in the beginning he prayes for himself in that Father the houre is come glorifie thy Son yet having but as it were mentioned this in the 1 vers and reiterated it in vers 5. he doth in a manner shut himself out of all the rest of the prayer and spendeth it wholly for beleevers And oh what glorious things did he beg in their behalf That the Father would keep and preserve them ver 15. That he would own and sanctifie them ver 10 17. That they might be one with the Father as he was one ver 21 22. And in the close of all how doth he intreat the Father to admit them to be ther where he was and to behold his glory and how strongly doth he argue for this doth he not use the cogent motive of love for thou lovest me ver 24. As if he should say Father I know thou lovest me thou didst so before ever the world was now I beseech thee by that love as if ever thou wouldest declare that thou dost love me own preserve sanctifie make one with thyself mine as I am for this is the argument to the whole prayer and let them whom I loved in the world bee with me when they leave the world O Father as thou lovest me hear grant this as my last request for my beloved ones Tell me now how transcendent is Christs love and how near do beleevers lye to his bosome who being now as it were to pray and dye forgets himself and breaths out his last requests in so many so transcendent particulars in their behalfs Thus you see how easie it is to runne through the life of Christ and yet running to read all along transcendent love to beleevers But I must now speak a word to the death of Christ and you shall see this also as lively demonstrating as either or both the other branches the truth of the point viz. That the love of Christ to beleevers passeth knowledge The third head of demonstrations being the death of Christ I shall speak to it a little distinctly though briefly But where shall we begin his passton and at what part of it shall we enter upon this demonstration shall we goe with him into the Garden indeed there it began or shall wee ascend Mount Calvary how upon it it ended or shall we speak of what he suffered in the high Priests hall I think it not amisse to mention each To begin therefore at the Garden in which Christ was taken O how transcendently sweet is the smell of his love