Difference between revisions of "The Fourth Requisite of this Love."
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Latest revision as of 23:39, 4 March 2020
The Fourth Requisite of this Love.
Love includes a sight of the obtainability of that good that is discerned to be so suitable to the person who would love it. Possibility of obtainability is necessary to the begetting or raising of the affections; for while we see a good, though in every way suitable—yet if it is impossible to be obtained —then we can have no hope of it, but sink under despondency and despair.
And though love respects its object simply as good, without reference to it as hard or easy to be obtained; yet that which is good in itself, but impossible to us—is not a good to us, because it is a good not to be possessed by us. Such a good cannot be loved with such a love as we ought to have to Christ, who is to be loved by us as good , and our good, or as obtainable by us. For good as unobtainable to us, so considered, may beget vexation, anguish, and horror—but not that delight, which makes love.
This might be one reason why there is no love in devils to Christ, nor can there ever be. Why? Are not devils under inexpressible horror—and would not deliverance be esteemed by them as a good suitable to them? They know that there is no Savior but Christ—why then do they hate him? Why? The benefits of Christ are not obtainable to them! The sufferings of Christ, though sufficient to have redeemed all the devils in Hell—yet were not ordained by God nor endured by Christ for any such end, or with any such intention. Christ did not die to make salvation and eternal happiness possible for devils, or finally-unbelieving impenitent sinners. Therefore, though they know Christ to be good, and freedom from misery would be suitable to them—yet this good being unobtainable to them, they neither have, nor can have, sincere love unto Jesus. Hence it is they hate Christ with an implacable hatred, and oppose his kingdom and interest with the strongest opposition: "And behold the unclean spirits cried out, saying, What have we to do with you, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come to torment us before the time?" Matthew 8.29. As if they had said, "There is no good which could come by you to us; we expect no salvation, no deliverance from our pain and misery; you are a Savior to men, but not to us. You will have nothing to do with us in a way of mercy—and we have nothing to do with you, by any hopes of redemption through your mediatorial undertakings. Men on earth have to do with you, and therefore have cause to love you. You have come into the world to have to do with them, to seek them, and to save them—they may have you for a Redeemer, and a Savior—but so for us! Men are fallen, and by you might be restored; but we demons are fallen, and must lie where we fell—without hope, without a possibility of recovering. Heaven and salvation are unobtainable to us. There are no dealings between you and us for eternal life and happiness. None of your sufferings are for us; you have not come to offer us any terms of mercy, or to make any propositions of peace between God and us—and therefore our recovery is impossible. Therefore being fallen, we lie down in utter despair of ever obtaining any of the benefits of your death and sufferings. Having no hope of merciful redemption by you—we neither have, nor will, nor can have, any love unto you.
The condition of damned men is the same as that of damned devils . Men on earth might have love to Christ—but in Hell they cannot—for on earth Christ had to do with them, and they with Christ; and mercy had to do with them, and grace and patience had to do with them. But when once in Hell, Christ is done with them, and the Spirit is done with them; the grace, mercy, and patience of God are done with them. There is no more offer of grace, no more tender of peace and reconciliation, no more overtures of mercy—to all eternity!
But now wrath has to do with them, and vindictive punishing justice has to do with them. They have fallen into the hands of the living God, who is a consuming fire! Being past all possibility of benefit and advantage by Christ—they cannot love him, but only have more rooted hatred to him than ever.
Let me note, that you should with fear and trembling diligently labor, fervently pray, speedily repent and turn from sin, and sincerely believe, that you might not at death be doomed down to Hell, because by damned souls Christ cannot be loved!
But the case is otherwise with men on earth —with the worst of you in this congregation this day. The swearer might yet have benefit and pardon by Christ. The vilest, the greatest sinner on earth this day—may yet be saved, if he will hearken to the voice of mercy, to the commands and invitations of the only Savior, to the calls of grace, and answer to those calls. Salvation yet is possible to you, and God reconcilable to you, and Christ and his benefits—upon the conditions of the gospel preached to you.
For who dare say there is no difference between the state of the damned in Hell—and the worst of men upon earth? Or that there is no more hope or possibility of salvation by Christ for the greatest sinners upon earth—than of the devils themselves. Or that God is no more reconcilable, and the benefits of Christ no more obtainable, to them—than to the damned demons? To sinners on earth, commands are given to repent, and believe, and turn to God in hopes of mercy; and conditional promises of life, and a conditional grant of pardon is given to them—which is not the case of devils or damned souls. Therefore we study in hope, and pray in hope, and preach in hope of your conversion and salvation—even when there is no hope of those who are gone down to eternal death, and utter and eternal darkness.
Methinks, this considered, should win your love to Christ, and cause you to break forth into such language as this, and say,
"O my soul, as yet, through the mercy and patience of God to you—there is a wide difference between your state, and the state of damned souls. For though you hitherto have not loved Christ, which is your heinous sin —yet you may, which is God's great mercy to you. For though now you are without Christ, which is your misery—yet you might have Christ, which will be your remedy! When the damned do not love Christ, nor can love him, for they have not Christ, nor can have him. You are yet in the land of hope , and under the means of hope, and your remedy is at hand—if, by your willful refusals of saving grace, you do not dash away this hope—when those poor, wretched souls, who have passed . . .
out of time—into eternity,
from earth—to Hell,
from hearing in this world—to howling in the next—are eternally Christless; and because eternally Christless—they are therefore there, now and forever, hopeless and remediless!
"O then, my soul, look towards this Christ that you may obtain him! Behold this Christ and all his benefits, upon gospel-conditions, are yet obtainable unto you for your everlasting good. Do you not hear the offers of pardon, peace, and glory—made to you in his name? Do you not perceive him yet standing at your door, and knocking, crying, calling, there, "Open to me, and I will save you!"
Do you not see that mercy has not yet delivered you into the hands of justice, and to God's fiery indignation? Here you are on earth—-while others are lying and rolling in the lake of burning brimstone!
Does not his grace still woo you for your love? Does not his goodness still entreat you, and his patience still wait upon you? If you will be holy—yet you may. If you will have mercy—then mercy you may have. If you will have the fruit and benefits of Christ's death—as yet it is not too late.
Is not this enough . . .
to melt a heart of stone?
to break a heart as hard as adamant?
to dissolve you into tears?
to kindle and inflame your love?
and with admiration cause you to cry out, and say, Is this your mercy, Lord, to me!—to me!—to me who has so long . . .
abused your grace,
despised your mercy,
and slighted your love!
To me, who has lived so long, and never loved you!—to me, who might have been damned before this day, and so have been shut up under an impossibility of salvation by your blood and bloody sufferings! Yes, I have had the hatred of my heart fixed upon you, and my love never bent towards you! But forasmuch as you are pleased to this day to follow me with your calls of mercy, with the entreaties of your grace; and still the voice of love is sounding in my ears, and you say to me, "If you will love me—then I will pardon you. If you at last will give me your heart—then I will be your Savior. I have waited so long, but if now you will hearken and consent—then all shall be your own!
My righteousness shall be yours,
my merits shall be yours,
my Spirit shall be yours, and
my Heaven shall be yours!"
"O blessed Lord! I cannot withstand your pleading love. I can no longer dispute your astonishing grace. I have—but now I cannot; I have—but now I will not. You promise that you will yet be mine, and the blessings of the covenant may yet be mine, and Heaven itself may yet be mine. Dearest Lord! you have won my heart, you have gained my love—and, lo, I give it all to you, I place it all upon you!"