BOOK 9. THE INTERCESSION.
CHAPTER 2.
9.2.6. Of Loving Jesus in that Respect.
Of Loving Jesus in that Respect.
Let us love Jesus as carrying on this great work of our salvation in his intercession. Now, two things more especially will excite our love. First; Christ's love to us. Secondly; Our propriety in Christ.
For the first, many acts of Christ's love have appeared before, and every one is sufficient to draw our loves to him again. As, --
1. He had an eternal love to man; he feasted himself on the thoughts of love, delight, and free grace to man from all eternity: since God was God (O boundless duration!) the Lord Jesus, in a manner was loving and longing for the dawning of the day of the creation; he was (as it were) with child of infinite love to man, before he made the world. Some observe, That the first words that ever Christ wrote, were "Love to believers and these were written with glory, for as it was before gold was, and they were written upon his bosom, for then other books were not.
2. In the beginning of time he loved man above all creatures, for after he had made them all, he then speaks as he never did before, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let him have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth," Gen. i. 26. And though man at that very instant unmade himself by sin; Christ's love yet was not broken off, but held forth in a promise till the day of performance, "The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed."
3. In the fulness of time his love was manifested, the seed then blossomed, and the birth came out in an high expression of love; the man-child, the love of Christ, was born, and saw the light, "After that (saith the apostle) the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared," Tit. iii. 4. I shall not need sure to instance in succeeding passages; so far as we have gone, we have clearly seen Christ's life was a perfect mirror of his love; as there is no beam in the sun, in which there is no light; so there was no act in the life of Christ, but to a spiritual eye it shines with the light of love. But above all, O the love of Christ in his death! Ask a malefactor, if the prince's son should go to his Father, and say, "Father, I confess this wretch hath deserved to die, but I see a willingness in thee, that he should live; only I perceive it sticks with thy justice; why, for that, father, here I am; and to satisfy thy justice I will die myself, only let this poor wretch live to the glory of thine, and my free grace." Ask, I say, the malefactor what kind of love were this? Surely Christ died for our sins, and Christ rose again for our justification, and he ascended, and sat down at God's right hand, and sent down his holy Spirit, and all for us: there was not one passage in all these transactions, but held forth the breakings and breathings out of a strong fire of love.
4. At this time there is a coal of burning love in the breast of Christ. This fire was indeed from everlasting, but their flames are as hot this day as ever; now it is that Christ loves, and lives; and wherefore lives? But only to love us, and to intercede for us. Christ makes our salvation his constant calling; he is ever at his work, "Yesterday, and to-day, and forever;" there is not one hour in the day, nor one day in a year, nor one year in an age, wherein Christ is not busy with his Father in this heavenly employment of interceding for us. He loved us, before he died for us; his love being the cause why he died for us; and he loves us still, in that now he intercedes for us; it is as much as to say, "Christ hath loved us, and he repents not of his love:" love made him die for us, and if it were to do again, he would die over again; yea, if our sins had so required, that for every elect person Christ must have died a several death, love, love would have put him willingly upon all these deaths. O the love of Christ towards our poor souls! If I might but stay, and take some turns in this large field of love, how many thousands of particulars might I draw out of scripture, expressing Christ's love to us in this respect; though he be in heaven, yet by virtue of his intercession, "he bears us in his hands; yea, he leads us by the hand, and arms too," Isa. xl. 11. "I taught Ephraim to go, taking them by their arms, but they knew not that I healed them," Hos. xi. 3. He dandles us on his knees, he bears us on his wings, "As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttering over her young, spreading abroad her wings, taketh them, and beareth them on her wings; so the Lord alone doth lead us," Deut, xxxii. 11, 12. He carries us on his shoulders, as a man "found his sheep, and laid it on his shoulders rejoicing," Luke xv. 5. Nay, I must yet come nearer; for Christ by his intercession sets us nearer yet: "His left hand is under us, and his right hand doth embrace us," Cant. ii. 6. He wears us in heaven as a bracelet about his arms, which made the spouse cry out, "O set me as a seal upon thine arm," Cant. viii. 6. He stamps and prints us on the palms of his hands, "Behold I have graven thee on the palms of my hands," Isa. xlix. 16, as if our names were written in letters of blood upon Christ's flesh. He sets us as a seal upon his heart; that is the expression of the spouse too, "O set me as a seal upon thine heart," Cant. viii. 6. Nay, so precious are the saints to Jesus Christ, that they lodge in heaven in his bowels, and in his heart, for they dwell in Christ; "Hereby we know that we dwell in him:" 1 John iv. 13. And they dwell in God, and dwell in love, "For God is love, and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God," 1 John iv. 16. I know not what more to say. You know, the manner of the high-priests was to carry the names of the children of Israel into the holy of holies on their shoulders, and on their breasts; but was it ever heard, that any high-priest, besides the great high-priest of our profession, should carry the names of thousands and millions on his shoulders, and on his arms, and on his hands, and on his wings, and on his bosom, and on his heart, and in his bowels, as a memorial before the Lord? O unmatchable love!
Methinks this love of Christ should now change my soul into a globe or mass of divine love towards Christ, "as it were by the Spirit of the Lord." Methinks a sight of Christ in his presenting himself, and his sacrifice to his Father for me, should so enamour my soul, as that I should delight in no other sight but this. Then is a Christian sweetly exercised, when as the golden ball of divine love is tossed to and again betwixt Christ's bosom and his; and in this respect it is a wonder that before this I am not sickened, and overcome with love, and ready to cry out with the spouse, "O stay me with flagons, and comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love!" Cant. ii. 5. "O! I am wounded with the arrows of love, so as,neither grave, nor death, nor hell, neither angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, can ever lick these wounds, or embalm, or bind them up. O my Christ, my Lord, my Jesus! What shall I do but yield over myself as a spouse under the power of her husband? What shall I do, but lose myself in such a deep ocean of loves, stronger than wine, hotter than coals of juniper, which hath a most vehement flame?"
Secondly; Another motive of our love to Christ, is our propriety in Christ, "Ye are not your own," said the apostle of us, 1 Cor. vi. 16, and he is not his own, may we say of Christ. If any ask how may this be? I answer, That the soul in loving Christ is not her own, and in regard of loving, Christ is not his own: every one makes over itself to another; and propriety or interest to itself on both sides ceaseth, "my beloved is mine, and I am his," saith the spouse. Cant. ii. 16, not as if Christ should leave off to be his own, or to be a free God, when he becometh ours; no, no, but he so demeans himself, in respect of his loves, as if he were not his own; he putteth on such relations, and assumes such offices of engagements, as if he were all for us, and nothing for himself; thus he is called a Saviour, a Redeemer, a King, a Priest, a Prophet, a Friend, a Guide, an Head, an Husband, a Leader, Ransomer, and Intercessor and what not of this nature.
O my soul I Come hither and put thy little candle to this mighty flame; if thou hadst ten hearts, or as many hearts in one as there are elected men and angels in heaven and earth, all these would be too little for Jesus Christ: only go as far as thou canst, and love him with that heart thou hast, yea, love him with all thy heart, and all thy soul, and all thy might; and as Christ in loving thee is not his own: so let thy soul in loving Christ be not her own: come, love thy Christ, and not thyself; possess thy Christ, and not thyself, enjoy thy Christ, and not thyself; live in thy Christ, not in thyself; solace thyself in Jesus Christ, and not thyself, say with the apostle, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ that liveth in me" Gal. ii. 20. Certainly, if ever thou comest to love Christ truly, thou canst not but deny thyself, and all created lovers. This love will screw up thyself so high above the world, and above thy flesh, and above thyself, and above all other lovers, that nothing on this side Christ, whether in heaven or on earth, will come in competition with him. Suppose a man in the top of a castle higher than the third region of the air, or near the sphere of the moon, should look down to the fairest and sweetest meadows, or to a garden rich with roses and flowers of all sweet colours and delicious smells; certainly he should not see or feel any sweetness, pleasantness, colour or smell, because he is so far above them: so the soul, filled with the love of Christ, is so high above all created lovers, that their loveliness cannot reach or ascend to the high and large capacity of a spiritual soul. O for a soul filled up with all the fulness of God! O for a soul stretched out to its widest capacity and circumference for the entertainment of God! O my soul! That thou wert but "able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and heighth, and to know the love of Christ that passeth knowledge!" Eph. iii. 18, 19. Surely if Christ be mine, if his death be mine, his resurrection mine, his ascension mine, his session mine, his intercession mine. How should I but love him with a singular love? Farewell world, and worldly glory; if Christ come in your room, it is time for you to vanish; I shall little care for a candle when the sun shines fair and bright upon my head; what, is my name written on the heart of Christ? Doth he wear me as a favour and love-token about his arms and neck? Is he at every turn presenting me and my duties to his heavenly Father! "Thou hast ravished my heart, my King, my Jesus, thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eves, and with one chain of thy neck," Cant, iv. 9.
Suppose, O my soul! Thou hadst been with Christ when he washed his disciples feet, and that he should have come, and have washed thy feet; would not thy heart have glowed with love to Jesus Christ? Why, Christ is now in glory, and now he takes thy filthy soul and dirty duties, and washes (as it were) the feet of all, that he may present them to his Father: thou canst not shed a tear, but he washes it over again in his precious blood, and perfumes it with his glorious intercessions. Oh! What cause hast thou to love Jesus Christ? O! You that never loved Christ, come, love him now; and you that have loved Christ a little, O! Love him more: above all, let me, O my soul! Charge upon thee this duty of love; Oh! Go away warmed with the love of Christ, and with a love to Christ.