Others there are who abhor these idols, and when they have so done, commit sacrilege. As they reject images, so they seem to do all love unto the person of Christ, distinct from other acts of obedi- ence, as a fond imagination. But the most superstitious love unto Christ — that is, love acted in ways tainted with superstition — is bet- ter than none at all. But with what eyes do such persons read the Scriptures ? With what hearts do they consider them ? What do they conceive is the intention of the Holy Ghost in all those descrip- tions which he gives us of the person of Christ as amiable and desir- able above all things, making therewithal a proposal of him unto our affections — inciting us to receive him by faith, and to cleave unto him in love ? yea, to what end is our nature endued with this affection — unto what end is the power of it renewed in us by the sanctification of the Holy Spirit — if it may not be fixed on this most proper and excellent object of it ?
This is the foundation of our love unto Christ — namely, the reve- lation and proposal of him unto us in the Scripture as altogether lovely. The discovery that is made therein of the glorious excellen- cies and endowments of his person — of his love, his goodness, and grace — of his worth and work — is that which engageth the affections of believers unto him. It may be said, that if there be such a pro- posal of him made unto all promiscuously, then all would equally
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discern his amiableness and be affected with it, who assent equally unto the truth of that revelation. But it hath always fallen out otherwise. In the days of his flesh, some that looked on hina could see neither " form nor comeliness" in him wherefore he should be desired ; others saw his glory — " glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." To some he is precious ; unto others he is disallowed and rejected — a stone which the builders refused, when others brought it forth, crying, " Grace, grace unto it ! " as the head of the comer. Some can see nothing but weakness in him; unto others the wisdom and power of God do evidently shine forth in him. Wherefore it must be said, that notwithstanding that open, plain representation that is made of him in the Scripture, unless the Holy Spirit gives us eyes to discern it, and circumcise our hearts by the cutting off corrupt prejudices and all effects of unbe- lief, implanting in them, by the efficacy of his grace, this blessed affection of love unto him, all these things will make no impression on our minds.
As it was with the people on the giving of the law, notwithstand- ing all the great and mighty works which God had wrought among them, yet having not given them " a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear" — which he affirms that he had not done, Deut. xxix. 4, — ^they were not moved unto faith or obedience by them ; so is it in the preaching of the gospel. Notwithstanding all the blessed revelation that is made of the excellencies of the person of Christ therein, yet those into whose hearts God doth not shine to give the knowledge of his glory in his face, can discern nothing of it, nor are their hearts affected with it.
We do not, therefore, in these things, follow " cunningly-devised fables." We do not indulge unto our own fancies and imaginations ; — they are not unaccountable raptures or ecstasies which are pretended unto, nor such an artificial concatenation of thoughts as some igno- rant of these things do boast that they can give an account of Our love to Christ ariseth alone from the revelation that is made of him in the Scripture — is ingenerated, regulated, measured, and is to be judged thereby.
CHAPTER XIV.
Motives unto the Love of Christ.
The motives unto this love of Christ is the last thing, on this head of our religious respect unto him, that I shall speak unto. When God required of the church the first and highest act of reli- VOL. I. 11
162 THE PERSON OF CHRIST.
gion, the sole foundation of all others — namely, to take him as their God, to own, believe, and trust in him alone as such, (which is wholly due unto him for what he is, without any other consideration what- ever,) yet he thought meet to add a motive unto the performance
of that duty from what he had done for them, Exod. xx. 2, 3. The sense of the first command is, that we should take him alone for our God ; for he is so, and there is no other. But in the prescription of this duty unto the church, he minds them of the benefits which they had received from him in bringing them out of the house of bondage.
God, in his wisdom and grace, ordereth all the causes and reasons of our duty, so as that all the rational powers and faculties of our souls may be exercised therein. Wherefore he doth not only pro- pose himself unto us, nor is Christ merely proposed unto us as the proper object of our affections, but he calls us also unto the conside- ration of all those things that may satisfy our souls that it is the most just, necessaiy, reasonable and advantageous course for us so to fix our affections on him.