BOOK 8. THE ASCENSION.
CHAPTER 2.
8.2.6. Of Loving Jesus in that Respect.
Of Loving Jesus in that Respect.
Let us love Jesus, as carrying on the great work of our salvation for us in these particulars; much hath been said already of Christ's conception, birth, life, death, resurrection; such arguments of love, as are enough to swallow up souls in love to Christ again: O the treasures of love, and wisdom, that have been opened in former passages! but as if all these were not enough for God, see here new goldmines, new found out jewels, never known to be in the world before, opened and unfolded in Jesus Christ. Here are the incomes of the beams of light most inaccessible; here are the veins of the unsearchable glories of Jesus Christ; as if we saw every moment a new heaven, a new treasure of love, the bosom of Christ is yet more opened; the new breathings and spirations of love, are yet more manifested. See! Christ for us, and for our salvation is gone up to heaven, is set down at God's right hand, and hath sent down the Holy Ghost into our hearts; in the pouring out of these springs of heaven's love, how should our souls but open the mouth wide, and take in the streams of Christ's nectar, honey and milk, I mean his sweet, and precious, and dear love breathings? We have heard of Christ's invitations, "Come to me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden," Matth. xi. 28. But suppose Christ had never uttered his love in such a love expression, "Come to me," yet Christ himself in these glorious particulars is such a drawing object; the very beauty of Christ, the very smell of the garments of Christ, the very capacious and wide heaven of Christ's exaltation are intrinsically, and of themselves, such drawing, ravishing, winning objects, that upon the apprehension of them we cannot choose but love Christ: as gold that is dumb and cannot speak, yet the beauty and gain of it crieth aloud, "Come hither, poor creature, and be thou made rich;" so if Christ should never open his lips, if he should never gently move, "Open to me my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled, for my head is full of dew, and my locks with the drops of the night," Cant. v. 2. Yet the glory, the power, the sovereignty of Christ, the exaltation of his person, and the magnificence of his gifts, should even change our souls into a globe or mass of divine love and glory, as it were by the Spirit of the Lord, 2 Cor. iii. 18.
Two things I shall instance, which may be as the load stones of our love to Christ: the first is his glory, and the second his bounty.
1. For his glory; no sooner was he ascended, and set down at God's right hand, but John, the divine, had a sight of him, and oh! what a glorious sight! "He was clothed with a garment down to the feet, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle; his head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire, and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters; and he had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword, and his countenance was as the sun that shineth in his strength," Rev. i. 13, 14, 15, l6. When John saw him thus, he swoons at his feet, but Christ for all his glory, holds his head in his swoon, saying, "Fear not, I am the first, and the last; I am he that liveth, and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore. Amen. And have the keys of hell, and of death," verse 17, 18. A glorious Christ, is good for swooning, dying sinners; would sinners but draw near, and come, and see this king in the chariot of love, and come and see his beauty, the uncreated white and red in his sweet countenance, he would certainly draw their souls unto him. Nay, say that all the damned in hell were brought up with their burning fiery chains to the utmost door of heaven; could we strike up a window, and let them look in, and behold the throne, and the Lamb, and the troops of glorified Spirits clothed in white, with crowns of gold on their heads, and palms in their hands, singing the eternal praises of their glorious king: Oh! how would they be sweetened in their pain, and convinced of their foolish choice, and ravished with the fulness of those joys and pleasures that are in Christ's face for evermore? Surely much more may this glory of Christ warm thy heart, O my soul! What an happiness were it to see the king on his throne; to see the Lamb, the fair tree of life, the branches which cannot for the narrowness of the place, have room to grow in, "For the heaven of heavens cannot contain him!" What an happiness were it to see love itself, and to be warmed with the heat of immediate love, that comes out of the precious heart and bowels of this princely and royal standard bearer? As yet thou canst not, must not see these sights, there is no seeing the King thus in his beauty till thou comest to glory; for then, and then only must thou see him face to face; and yet the idea and image of his glory, is seen, and may be seen in every true believing soul; enough may be seen by an eye of faith, to kindle in thine heart a flame of love to the Lord Jesus Christ: Oh! who can think of the glory that is in this dainty delightful one, and not be swallowed up in love? Who can think of Christ's sitting at God's right hand, and sparkling in this glory round about, and casting out beams of glory through east, and west, and north, and south, through heaven, and earth, and hell, and not love him with the whole heart, soul and might? I remember one dying and hearing some discourse of Jesus Christ: "Oh! (said she) speak more of this: let me hear more of this; be not weary of telling his praise, I long to see him, how should I but long to hear of him?" Surely I cannot say too much of Jesus Christ; in this blessed subject, no man can possibly hyperbolize; had I the tongues of men and angels, I could never fully set forth Christ; it involves an eternal contradiction, that the creature can see to the bottom of the Creator. Suppose all the sands on the sea shore, all the flowers, herbs, leaves, twigs of trees in woods and forests, all the stars of heaven, were all rational creatures, and had they that wisdom, and tongues of angels to speak of the loveliness, beauty, glory, and excellency of Christ, "As gone to heaven, and sitting at the right hand of his Father," they would in all their expressions, stay millions of miles on this side of Jesus Christ. O the loveliness, beauty, and glory of his countenance! can I speak, or you hear of such a Christ? And are we not all in a burning love, in a seraphical love, or at least in a conjugal love? O my heart! how is it thou art not love-sick? How is it thou dost not charge the daughters of Jerusalem, as the spouse did, "I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, I am sick of love," Cant. v. 8.
2. For his bounty, no sooner was he ascended, and set down at God's right hand, but he gives gifts unto men; and he sends down the Holy Ghost. This was the gift of gifts; I shall only weigh two circumstances in this gift, either whereof both dignifies, and casts a sparkle of bounty from the giver, into the heart of the receiver, to move him to love. As, --
(a). One circumstance is the greatness of the giver; certainly the pre-eminence or dignity of any principle ennobleth and enhanceth the effect: a gift coming from a great person carries ever a scent with it of a certain greatness and relish either of excellency, or superiority, or nobility, or all. It is storied of Charles the fifth, that in his wars being ever pressed with want of money, and so unable to remunerate the services of diverse Dutch captains, and nobles whom he had entertained; he used after any great exploit performed by them, to call together his nobles, and camp into such a field, and there in the presence of them all, to take a gold chain from about his own neck, and to put it about the neck of such a captain, or such a colonel, and so to embrace him, and to give him thanks for his gallant service: why, this they esteemed a greater favour, (being circumstanced by such a person, in such a way) than if in very deed he had given him a sufficient pay, or remuneration. O! they valued that chain more than many bushels of the like gold; the very person of the emperor hanged at the chain, such a precious jewel, as in warlike conceits, a million of gold could not countervail; O my soul; if an emperor thus gained the affections of men, how shouldst thou but love Christ, the great emperor of heaven and earth? It was he that gave thee his Spirit, it was he that "took of the spirit which is upon him, (so is the expression of God to Moses) and put it upon thee," Numb. xi. 17. And doth not the person of Christ, the dignity of Christ, enhance the value of the gift? As all gifts are signs of love, so the love of a great personage, and the gifts issuing from such a love, ought more to be accounted than any gifts of any meaner person whatsoever.
(b). Another circumstance is, the greatness of the gift: this argueth greatness of good will; and consequently deserveth a correspondence of a semblable affection. Now, what greater gift had Christ in store, than to give his own Spirit? The Spirit proceedeth from him, and is the same essence with himself; the Spirit is the third person of the true and only Godhead, proceeding from the Father, and the Son: and co-eternal, co-equal, and consubstantial with the Father, and the Son, this appears by those divine attributes and properties which are attributed, and communicated to the Holy Spirit: As, --
(i). Eternity, God never was without his Spirit, "In the beginning God created heaven and earth, -- And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters," Gen. i. 1, 2.
(ii). Omnipotency, because he, together with the Father and the Son, createth and preserveth all things, "by his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens; the Spirit of God hath made me." Job xxvi. 13; xxxiii. 4. "And all these things worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will," 1 Cor. xii. 11.
(iii). Omnisciency, or the knowledge of all things, "For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God," 1 Cor. ii. 10.
(iv). Immutability, or unchangeableness, "Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled which the Holy Ghost spake," Acts i. 16.
(v). Infinite mercy, or love, "God is love, -- and the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us," Rom. v. 5.
(vi). Holy indignation, even against hidden sins. "They rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit," Isa. lxiii. 10. "Why, hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God," (a plain text for the divinity of the Holy Ghost,) "How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?" Acts v. 3, 4, 9. "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption," Eph. iv. 30.
I might add miracles, and the institution of sacraments, and prophesies, and gifts, and graces, as the effects of his divinity: "I cast out devils (saith Christ) by the Spirit of God, and baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," Matth. xii. 28; xxviii. 19. And the "Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith," 1 Tim. iv. 1. And "we are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord," 2 Cor. iii. 18.
See now how the Holy Spirit is God, co-eternal, co-equal, and consubstantial with God the Father, and God the Son; is not this a great gift? Yea, as great a gift as possibly can be given? What can he do more than to give himself, and to give his Spirit? O the bonds of love that are upon man towards Christ in this respect?
Come, my soul, and take a view of the glory and bounty of Jesus Christ? If thy heart be not all brass, and iron, and stone; if there be any fleshliness, softness, or pliableness in it; why, then how shouldst thou choose but love; if either beauty or bounty, if either majesty, or magnificence can draw thy affection, Christ will have it, for in him is all; O let him be thy all! Surely if thou hast anything besides himself, he is the donor of all, he is the beauty of all, the sum of all, the perfection of all, yea, he is the author, preserver, and finisher of all.