of Christ? 1. Of Defire. 2. Of Complacency, Pfal. cxvi. 7. 2. Upon what Grounds ought we to love Him? 1. Negatively. 1. Not meerly upon Hear-fay or Tradition, S. Joh. iv. 20. 2. Nor Cuftom and Education. 2. Positively. 1. From a Senfe of our own Mifery without Him, Rom. vii. 24, 25. 2. 3. of His Love to us in our Misery, Rom. v. 6, 7, 8. of the Happiness we may enjoy by Him, S. Joh. iii. 16. S. Luk. vii. 47. 3. What Degree of Love fhould we have to Chrift? 1. We are not only to love Him above some, or moft Things, 2. But above all Things, Phil. iii. 8. S. Matt. xxii. 37. 1. Above our Sins. 2. 3. 4. 5. Pleasures, 2 Tim. iii. 4. Profits. Honours. Life itfelf, S. Luk. xiv. 26. Now, to engage our Love to Christ, consider 1. The Neceflity of this Grace. i. It is commanded, Deut. vi. 5. Exod. xx. 3. 2. It is abfolutely neceffary as a Means, 1. For the Exercise of all other Graces, Gal. v. 6. 2. To the Performance of all Duties, S. Matt. xxii. 37. 3. To the Well-being and Comfort of a 4. To the very Being of a Christian. 6. For the entitling us to Heaven, 1 Cor. 7. To the evidencing of that Title to us. 2. The Excellency of it.. 1. It hath the chiefeft Good for its Object. 2. All Bleffings to attend it, Rom. viii. 28. 3. It is the highest Accomplishment of the Soul, Rom. xiii. 10. 4. It is the Work of Angels. 5. It is an everlasting Grace, 1 Cor. xiii. 13. 3. The Reasons why we fhould love Him. 1. From what He is in Himself, Cant. v. 9, 16. 1. The Center of all Perfections, Gen. xvii.. 1. 2. The Fountain of all Goodness, Pfal. xxxvi. 9. 3. The chiefest Good, S. Luk. xviii. 19. 1. Univerfal. 2. Infinite. 3. Satisfying, Pfal. xvii. 15. 4. Neceflary. 5. Eternal Good. 2. How Good and Loving He hath been to us. 1. He made us, S. Joh. i. 1, 2, 3. 2. Came 2. Came Himself to visit us in our own Natures, S. Job. i. 14. 3. Underwent the feverest Torments for us, Ifa. liii. 5, 6. 4. Laid down His Own Life to redeem ours, S. Job. xv. 13. Rom. v. 5,6,7. 5. Hath deliver'd us from the greatest Miseries, 1. Sin, Att. iii. 26. Hebr. ix. 26. ' 2. Satan. 3. Hell. 6. Hath purchas'd the greatest Bleffings for us; 1. Pardon, Ephef. i.7. 2. Acceptance, Gal. ii. 16. 3. The Love of GOD, Rom. v. 1. 5. Heaven. 7. He is gone before, to provide a Place for us, S. Joh. xiv, 2. 8. He defires nothing for all this, but only our Love. USE. Examine whether you love Christ or no, S. Joh. V. 42. S. Matt. vii. 22. 1. By your frequent Thoughts of Him, Pfal. cxix. 97. 2. 3. 4. 5. S. Job. XV. 14. Longings after Him, Pfal. lxxiii. 25. II. DOCTRINE. This our Love to Him muft appear by our keeping His Commands. 1. What 1. What Commands? 1. Moral, S. Matt. v. 17. 1. Toward GOD, S. Matt. xxii. 37, 38. 2. Towards Man. 2. Evangelical, 1. Repentance, S. Mar. i. 15. Confisting, 1. In a real Conviction, S. Job. xvi. 7. 1. Of the heinous Nature of Sin, Rom. vii. 13. 2. Of our own Sins, Pfal. li. 4, 5. Rom. 2. Cordial Humiliation, Joel ii. 13. 19. 3. Thorow Conversion, 1. From them, Ezek. xxxiii. 11. 2. To GOD and Holiness, Zach. i. 3. 2. Belief in the Gofpel, S. Mar. i. 15. S.Joh. xiv. I. Especially, believe 1. That there is no Way to be faved, but by Chrift, A&t. iv. 12. 2. That He is able to fave us, Hebr. vii. 25. 3. And fo to rest on Him, and Him alone, for Salvation. 2. How fhould we keep thefe Commands? 1. Obedientially, Hebr. xi. 7, 8, 17. 2. Sincerely, S. Joh. iv. 24. 1 S. Joh. iii. 18. 3. Univerfally, Pfal.cxix. 6, 128. S. Fam. ii, 10, 11. 4. Willingly, Pfal. cx. 3. and xl. 8. 5. To a right End; 1. GOD's Glory, I Cor. x. 31. 2. The Credit of the Gospel, Fhil. i. 12. 3. Our own Salvation, 1 Cor. ix. 27. 2 S. Joh. 8. Phil. iii. 14. Why must our Obedience to Chrift's Commands, always attend our Love to His Perfon? 1. Because there can be no Love to Him, without an Endeavour to please Him, 1 Theff. iv. 1. 2. There is no Way, whereby we can exprefs our Love to Him, but by keeping His Commands, 1 S. Joh. v. 3. I USE. Then keep the Commands; for which end, confider, 1. How much Christ hath done for you, Rom. xii. 1. 2. The End of His Coming was to make us Holy, Act. iii. 26. 3. Who it is you offend by Sin? or whofe Laws they are? Mal. i. 6. 4. That, not GOD, but you have the Benefit of your Obedience, Job xxii. 2. and xxxv. 7. 5. How often you are call'd upon to obey, Tit. ii. 12. 6. The Mifery of fuch as do not obey, Rom. vi. 16. 7. The Torments provided for them, 2 Thess. i. 8. 8. The Promife made to the Obedient, 1 Tim. iv. 8. 9. Without Obedience we have no true Faith, S. Fam. ii. 26. 10. Nor true Love to Chrift, and by confe quence, are no true Christians, S. Job, xv. 14. S. Jo H. |