398 Book IV. 1Loolung unto jltfu.s'. Chap. 3 .sea.e. -----b-od_y_a_n_d-fo_u_l-.~~~ ~I-wiU think the reil:; alas when I h-a-ve_fi_p-ok_e_n-al~an, I Jh~ll fpeak under it, had I the tongues of me~ and Angel ;, I could not exprefsit ; Oh love more deep than hell! Oh love more h1gh than !leaven ! the brightdl Seraphims that burn in love, are but as fparkles to that m1ghty flame of love in the heart of Jefus. 2. If th.is be Chrift's love to us, what is that love we owe to Chrift? Oh now for an !1eart that might be fome wayes anfwerable to thefe mercies ! Oh for a foul, lick of love, ye~ fick unto deat~! how lhould I be otherwife, or any le~s aff<Cl:ed, this only ficknefs 1s our health, this death our ltfe, and not to be thus hck ts to be dead in fins 2nd trefpaffes; why, furely I hav'e heard enough, for which to love Chrifi for ever. The depths of God's grace. are bottomlefs, they.pafs our underll andings, yet they re– create our hearts; they g1ve matter of adm1ratton, yet they are not devoid of confo– lation: 0 Godraifeup ourfoulstothee, and if our fpiritsbetoowealttoknowthee make our affedions ardent and fincere to love thee. ' Surely the death of Chrill: requires this, and callsfor this : many other motives we may draw from Chrill, and many other motives are laid down in the Gofpel, and in– deed the whole Gofpel is no other thing than a motive to draw man to God by the force of God'~ love to ~an ; in this fence the holy Scriptum may be ~all<d the book.. of true love, feemg tberttn God both unfolds h1s love to us, and alfo bmdi our love to him; but of all the motives we may draw from Chrift, and of all the arguments we may find in the Gofpel of Chril!, there is none to this, the death of Chrif!, the blood of Jefus : Is not this fuch a love-letter, as never, never was the like? read the words, For hu great lo1JC wherewith he loved 11<, Ephef. 2. 4 · or if you cannot read, obferve the Hyeroglyphicks, every flripe is a letter, every nail is a capital letter, every bruife is a black letter, his bleeding wounds are as fo many rubricks to tbew upon record : Oh confider it, is not this a great love? are not all mercies wrapt up itt this blood of Chrift? it may be thou haft riches, honours, friends, means, oh bnt thank the biood of Chrifl for all thou haft ; it may be thou hafl grace, and thal; is better th:in cdrn; or wine, or oyl: oh but for tliis thank the blood of Jefus, furely it was the bto·od of Chrill: that did this for thee; thou waft a rebellious foul, . thon hadll: ail hard and filthy bean, but Chrill's blood was the fountain opened, and fttook away alliin, and all undeannefs; Chrifl in all, and Chrift above all , and wilt thou not love him ? Oh that all our words were words of love, and all ourlabour, labour of love, and all our thoughts, thoughts of love; that we might fpeak of love, and mnfe of love·, and love this Chrifl, who hath firft loved us, with all our heart, and foul, and might! what? wilt thou not love Jefus Chrill:? let me ask thee then, whom wilt thou love? or rather whom canft thou love, if thou lovell: not him? if thou fayefl I love mJ. Friends, Parents, Wife, Children; oh but love Chrifl more than thefe; a friend woul(f be an enemy, but that the blood of Chrift doth frame his heart; a wife would be a trouble, but thatthe blood of Chrift dotb frame her heart; all mercies are conveyed to us through this channel; oh who would not love the foumain?---confider of it again and again, our J efus thought nothing too good for us, be parts with his life and blood, he parts with the fenfe and feeling of the love of God, and all this for us, and for our fakes ; ah my foul, how Jhouldi.t thou but love him in all things, and by all means? It is reported of Ignatim, that he fo continually medit~ted on the great things Chrift fuffered for him, that he was brought entirely to love htm : and when he was de– mmded, why he would not forfake Chrift, rather than to fuffer !1imfelf to be to~n and devoured of wild beaffs ? he anfwered, that he could not forget hun becaufe of h1s fuf– ferings; Ohhu [t1{eri11gs ( faid he) flre ~ot tra11jient words, or removable objeils, but they are indelible characters, fo engraven tn my heart, that all the t·orment~ of earth ~an never rau themout, And being commanded by that bloody- Tyrant 7Yl'}ane to be npt and unbowelled, they found Jefm Chrift w~itten upon his. bean in characters of gold. Here was an heart worrh gold; oh that it ·m•gh.t be thus wtth usl If my hands were all of love, that I could work nothing but love ; tf my eyes were all of love, that! could fee nothing but love; if my mind were all .of love, tha~ I could tlunk of nothtng but love . all were too little to love that Chnfr, who hatl1 thus tmmeafurably loved me; if I had a thoufand hearts to bell:ow on Chrifl, and they moft enlarged and fcrued up to the higheft pitch of affection, all thefe were infinitely Jhort of what I owe to my dread Lord, and deareft Saviour. Come let's joyn hands, He loveil 11>, a11d thercfor• - • l<t
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=