lOF, WORE OF THE HOLY the spouse in the Canticles, rendering a reason ofher intense affections towards him, says, That he is white and ruddy, the ehiefest of ten thousand; that is, perfect in the beauty of the graces of the Holy Spirit, which rendered him exceeding amiable. So also Psal. xlv. 2. Would you therefore propose Christ unto your affec- tions, so as that your love unto him may be sincere and without corruption, as it is required to be, Ephes. vi. 24. that you may not lavish away the actings of your souls upon a false object, and think you love Christ whenyou love only theimaginations ofyour own breasts; consider his human nature, as it was rendered beautiful and lovely by the work of the Spirit of God upon it be- foredescribed. Do you love him because he was, and is so full of grace, so full of holiness, because in him there was an all-fulness of the graces of the Spirit of God? Consider aright what hath been delivered con- cerning him, and ifyou can and do on the accountthere- ofdelight in him, and love him, your love is genuine and spiritual. But if your love be merely out of an apprehension of his beingnow glorious in heaven, and thereable to do you good or evil, it differs not much from that of the papists, whose love is much regulated in its actings, by thegood or bad painting of the images whereby they represent him. You are often pressed to direct your love unto the personof Christ, and it is that which is your principal duty in this world. But this you cannot do without a distinct notion and knowledge of him. There are therefore three things in generel that you are to consider to this, purpose, SPIRIT IN AND ON sS'C. (1.) The blessed union of his two natures la thesame person. Herein he is singular, God having taken that especial state on him, which in no other thing or way had any consideration; this therefore .is to have a spe- ciality in our love divine to theperson of Christ. (2. ) The .untreated glories of the divine nature, whence our love bath the'sameobject with that which we owe unto God absolutely. (s.) That perfection and fulness of grace which dwelt in his human nature, as communicated unto him by. the Holy Spirit whereof we have treated. If you love the person of Christ, it must be on these considerations, which, whilst some have neglected, they have doted on their own imaginations; and whilst they have thought themselves even sick of love for Christ, they have only languished in their own fancies. Secondly; We are to know Christ so, as to labour after conformity unto him. And this conformity con- sists only ina participation of those graces whose fulness dwells in him. We can therefore no other way regu- larly press after it, but by an acquaintance with, and due consideration of the work of the Spirit of God upon his human nature, which is therefore worthy of our most diligent inquiry into. And so have we given a brief delineation of the dis- pensationand work of the Holy Spirit, in and towards the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church; his preparation of a mystical body for him, in his powerful gracious work on the elect of God, doth nextly ensue.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=