Direction IV. In a word ; pour out thy soul to God, in hearty de~ sires, for a sealed and clear interest in his love this day : Tell him, it is mercy thou valuest above life ; thy favour is better than life^ Ps. Ixiii. 3. Tell him, thou art not able to live with the jealousies and sus- picions of his love ; thou art but a torment to thyself, whilst thy in- terest in his love al^ides under a cloud. Beseech him to pity thy poor afflicted soul, which hath lain down and risen so long with these fears and tremblings, and been a stranger to comfort for so many days. Tell him, how weak thy hands have been, and still are, in duties of obedience, for want of this strength and encouragement. Engage thy soul to him this day, to be more active, cheerful, and fruitful in his service ; if it will please him now, to free thee from those fears and doubts, that have clogged thee in all thy former duties. O, cry unto him in the words, and with the deep sense of the spouse in this text ; " Set me as a seal upon thy heart, (which hath a most vehe- ment heat,) as a seal upon thine arm : for love is strong as death ; jealousy is cruel as the grave ; the coals thereof are coals of fire,'* &c.
456 SACRAMENTAL MEDITATIONS,
]M E D I T A T I O N,
And to hnoxv the love of Christy which passeth knotvledge.
JL HE knowledge of Christ, and of his love, is deservedly, in this place, set down among the desiderata Cliristianorum^ the most de- sirable enjoyments of believers in this world. This love of Christ had entered the apostle's heart ; he was swallowed up in the medita- tion and admiration of it, and would have all hearts inflamed and affected with it, as his was.
Some think the apostle speaks extatically in this place, and knows not how to make the parts of his discourse consistent with each other, when he puts them upon endeavours to know that love of Christ, which himself confesses to pass knowledge.
But though his heart was ravished with the love of Christ, yet there is no contradiction or inconsistency in his discourse. He doth earnestly desire for the Ephesians, that they may know the love of Christ ; i. e. that they may experimentally know his love, which passeth knowledge: That is, as some expound it, all other kinds of knowledge ; yea, and all knowledge of Christ, which is not practical and experimental. Or thus: Labour to get the clearest and fullest apprehensive knowledge of Christ and his love, that is attainable in this world, though you cannot arrive to a perfect comprehensive knowledge of either. Men» hiimana hoc et capita et none capit ; atque in eo capita quod rapitur in admiratlonem : as others reconcile it. The note from it is, Doct. That the love of Christ surpasses, and transcends, the
Icnoxvledge of the most illuminated believers. The love of Christ is too deep for any created understanding to fathom ; it is unsearchable love, and it is so in divers respects.
1. It is unsearchable, in respect of its antiquity ; No understanding- of man can trace it back to its first spring ; it flows from one eternity to another. We receive the fruits and effects of it now ; but, O how ancient is that root that bears them ! He loved us before this world was made, and will continue so to do, when it sliall be reduced into ashes. It is said, Prov. viii. 29, 30, 31. ' When he gave the sea his decree, when he appointed the foundations of the earth ; then was I by him, as one brought up with him ; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him : rejoicing in the habitable parts of his earth, and my delights v»^cre with the sons of men.'
SACRAMENTAL MEDITATIONS. 457
2. The frceness of the love of Christ passes knowledge. No man knows, nor can any words express, how free the love of Christ to his people is: It is said, Isa. Iv. 8. My thoughts are not your thoughts. The meaning is, My grace, mercy, and love to you, is one thing, as it is in my thoughts, and quite another thing when it comes into your thoughts. In my thoughts, it is like itself, free, rich, and unchange- able ; but in your thoughts it is limited and narrowed, pinched in within your strait and narrrow conceptions; that it is not like itself, but altered according to the model and platform of creatures, accord- ing to which you draw it in your minds. Alas ! we do but alter and spoil his love, when we think there is any thing in us, or done by us, that can be a motive, inducement, or recompence to it. His love is so free, that it pitched itself upon us, before we had any loveliness in us at all : * when we were in our blood, he said unto us, live ;' and that was the time of love. It did not stay till we had our ornaments upon us ; but embraced us in our blood, in our most loathsome state ; and of all seasons, that is the season of love, the chosen time of love, Ezek. xvi. 7, 8. Christ loved us, not upon the account of any fore- seen excellency in us, or upon any expectation of recompence from us : Nay, he loved us not only without, but against our deserts. Nothing in nature is found so free, as the love of Christ is ; our thoughts therefore of this love going beyond all examples and in- stances that are found amongst men, quickly lose themselves in an immense ocean of free grace, where they can find neither bank nor bottom.
The bounty and liberality of the love of Christ to his people, pas- seth knowledge. Who can number, or value the fruits of his love ? They are more than the sands upon the sea shore. It would weary the arm of an angel, to write down the thousandth part of the effects of his love, which come to the share of any particular Christian in this world. Who can tell how many sins it pardons ? ' The free gill is of many offences unto justification ;' Rom. v. 16. How many dan- gers it prevents; or how many wants it supplies.'' This, we know, that ' of his fulness we all receive grace for grace ;' John i. 16. But how full of grace Christ is, and how many mercies have flowed, and shall flow to us out of that fountain of love; this is unknown to men, to the best, wisest, and most observant men. O if the records of the mercies of our lives were, or could be gathered and kept, what vast volumes would they swell to ! It is true, indeed, you have the total sum given you in 1 Cor. iii. 22. All are yours ; but it is such a number, as no man can number.
The constancy of Christ's love to his people passeth knowledge : No length of time, no distance of place, no change of condition, either with him or us, can possibly make any alteration of his affec- tions towards us : ' He is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever,' Heb. xiii. 8. It is noted also by the evangelist,* John xiii. 1. ' Thatf
SACRAMENTAL MEDITATIONS.