A discourse much of the same nature follows, concerning the love of Chiist, after he hath treated his person and grace at his pleasure. And this he takes occasion for from some passages in my book (as formerly), scraped together from several places, so as he thought fit and convenient unto his purpose. P. 209, " Thus the love of Christ is an eternal love, because his divine nature is eternal; and it is an unchangeable love, because his divine nature is unchangeable; and his love is fruitful, for it being the love of God, it must be effectual and fruitful in producing all the things which he willeth unto his beloved. He loves life, grace, holiness into us, loves us into cove- nant, loves us into heaven. This is an excellent love, indeed, which doth all for us, and leaves nothing for us to do. We owe this dis- covery to an acquaintance with Christ's person, or rather with his divine nature ; for the gospel is very silent in this matter. All that the gospel tells us is, that Christ lovetb sinners, so as to die for them; that he loves good men, who believe and obey his gospel, so as to save them ; that he continues to love them while they continue to be good, but hates them when they return to their old vices : and there- fore, I say, there is great reason for sinners to fetch their comforts not from the gospel, but from the person of Christ, Avhich as far excels the gospel as the gospel excels the law."
I do suppose the expressions mentioned are, for the substance of them, in my book ; and shall, therefore, only inquire what it is in them which he excepteth against, and for which I am reproached, as one
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that hath an acquaintance with Christ's person ; which is now grown so common and trite an expression, that were it not condited unto some men's palates by its profaneness, it would argue a great barren- ness in this author's invention, that can vary no more in the topic of reviling. It had been well if his licenser had accommodated him with some part of his talent herein. But what is it that is excepted against ? Is it that the love of Christ, as he is G od, is eternal ? or is it that it is unchangeable? or is it that it is fruitful or effective of good things unto the persons beloved? The philosopher tells us, that to [have] love for any one, is, BovXsadai nvi a o'iirai ayadd, xal rb xara, Bvvafiiv -TrpaxriKov sJvui toutoov. It is this efficacy of the love of Christ which must bear all the present charge. The meaning of my words, therefore, is, that the love of Christ is unto us the cause of life, grace, holiness, and the reward of heaven. And because it is in the nature of love to be effective, according unto the ability of the person loving, of the good which it wills unto the object beloved, I expressed it as I thought meet, by loving these things to us. And I am so far on this occasion, and [on account of] the severe reflection on me for an acquaintance with Christ, from altering my thoughts, that I say still with confidence, he who is otherwise minded is no ChristiaD. And if this man knows not how the love of Christ is the cause of grace and glory, how it is effective of them, and that in a perfect consistency with all other causes and means of them, and the neces- sity of our obedience, he may do well to abstain a little from writing, untn he is better infoniied. But saith he, " This is an excellent love, indeed, which doth all for us, and leaves us nothing to do." But who told him so? who ever said so? Doth he think that if our life, gi-ace, holiness, glory, be from the love of Christ originally, causally, by virtue of his divine, gracious operations in us and towards us, that there is no duty incumbent on them who would be made partakers of them, or use or improve them unto their proper ends? Shall we, then, to please him, say that we have neither life, nor grace, nor holiness, nor glory, from the love of Christ ; but whereas most of them are our own duties, we have them wholly from ourselves? Let them do so who have a mind to renounce Christ and his gospel; I shall come into no partnership with them. [As] for what he adds, " All that the gospel teaches us," etc., he should have done well to have said, as far as he knows ; which is a limitation with a witness. If this be all the gospel which the man knows and preaches, I pity them whom he hath taken under his instruction. Doth Christ in his love do nothing unto the quickening and conversion of men? nothing to the purification and sanctifi cation of believers? nothing as to their consolation and establishment? nothing as to the ad- ministration of strength against temptations? nothing as to supplies
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of grace, in the increase of faith, love, and obedience, etc.? This ignorance or profaneness is greatly to be bewailed, as his ensuing scoff, repeated now usque ad nauseam, about an opposition between Christ and his gospel, is to be despised. And if the Lord Christ hath no other love but what this man will allow, the state of the church in this world depends on a very slender thread. But attempts of this nature will fall short enough of jjrevailing with sober Christians to forego their faith and persuasion, — that it is from the love of Christ that believers are preserved in that condition wherein he doth and will approve of them. Yea, to suppose that this is all the grace of the gospel, that whilst men are good Christ loves them, and when they are bad he hates them (both which are true) ; and farther, that he doth by his grace neither make them good, nor preserve them that are so made, — is to renounce all that is properly so called.