Difference between revisions of "The Seventh Requisite"
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Latest revision as of 23:40, 4 March 2020
The Seventh Requisite of Love to Christ—the SINCERITY of it.
This love consists in the prevailing and predominant degrees of affection unto Christ. If Jesus is not loved above all—He is not sincerely loved at all. There might be love of other things subordinate to the love of Christ, but not equal with it, much less superior to it. You might love your friends, and love your enjoyments, and love the comforts of your life—but you must love Christ above all. The love of these must be swallowed up in the love of Christ, and be subordinate unto it.
"Simon, son of Jonah--do you love me more than these?" John 21.15. Degrees of love might be considered in respect of the things loved, or the object of our love. That the word more means that you love Christ more than the world, sin, self—or do you love these more than Christ?
I judge it is of great concernment, and necessary for every man who has a soul that must be damned or saved, to know and understand this. For I do not fear to say, that where a man's love is less to Christ than to the world, and sin, and carnal self—God will surely damn him. Does this grate upon any ears—that a man who does not love Christ more than sin, and more than pleasures and profits—has no sincere love to Christ, nor shall be saved by him? Surely such a man would judge in another case, if he had a wife that loves him—yet loves another man more than himself, she had not sincere marital love to him.
The plainest, fullest, and, I hope, no offensive answer, shall be the words of Christ himself, showing wherein sincerity of love to him consists. "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it!" Matthew 10:37-39
All the love to all inferior things, in comparison of the degrees of love we should have to Christ, more than unto these, is rather hatred than love: "If any man comes to me, and hates not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yes, and his own life also—he cannot be my disciple," Luke 14.26.
What interpretation can these words bear? That no real disciple of Christ may or ought to have true love to father or mother, brother or sister, wife and children, or to his own life? This is an absurd and irreligious sense—being contrary to the law of nature, and Christ's constant doctrine in his word. What then? This—that a true disciple of Christ must and ought to love these things less than Christ—and Christ with prevailing degrees of love. True love in the heart to Christ makes it incline more to Christ, than to all other things!
Section 9. The Eighth Requisite in Love to Christ.
This love chooses Christ for himself, and for the excellency of his own person; though not with the exclusion of our own benefit and salvation by him. Our own benefits by Christ might be looked at by the returning soul at first: the soul might first be allured and drawn to look after Christ, and to love him, by the consideration of the matchless good and benefits it might have by him, which the convinced sinner sees he can find in no other. But in process of time, and in his progress in the way to Heaven—he learns and sees that excellency and beauty in Christ, that he is in himself more amiable than all the objects of his former love.
To ask therefore, whether we are to love Christ for himself —or for the benefits we have by him—is to propound a question which yet I have not observed in the scripture, nor disjunctively answered therein; for one is subordinate to the other, but not opposed .
I am to love Christ for himself, and for the goodness, excellency, and amiableness of his own person; and I am to love Christ for the good I have received by him, and for the benefits I hope further for his sake to he made partaker of. The one is a help unto the other. Though I am to love Christ more for himself , than for my advantage by him—yet in loving him, I am not to cast away the consideration of the benefits by him.
As we should not put the seeking of God's glory, and our own salvation, in opposition, but in subordination—though God's glory and the pleasing of his will is the ultimate end, and our salvation to be sought by us in order thereunto. Wherefore, in seeking after an evidence of grace, and title to Heaven—I think it is a needless and unwarrantable puzzling of ourselves, and that which has sorely afflicted some gracious people, and filled them with unnecessary doubts, and fears, and torments of mind, to demand of ourselves—whether we could be content to be damned, to go to Hell, to suffer everlasting torments, and the burning, fiery, flaming wrath of God poured out upon the damned, so that God may be thereby glorified.
I shall forbear to judge the state of my soul by this as a character of grace, and preaching it unto others, until some shall show me this is propounded in the gospel as a condition of the pardon of my sin, and the salvation of my soul, which hitherto I have not observed. For how can I earnestly desire to be saved, and yet be willing and content to be damned? How can I long to be with him, and yet be content to be forever separated from him? I find that God threatens men with Hell, to awaken them to look after Heaven, and deliverance from Hell—but I do not find God propounding as a condition of salvation, to be content to go to Hell, that we might be received up to Heaven.
That I leave and loathe my sin, repent and turn to God, believe and love him above all, and thankfully receive him for my Lord and Savior—is plainly required from me. And upon the sincere performance of these conditions, and persevering therein unto the end of my life, for Christ's sake, beloved and believed on—I may comfortably and well-groundedly hope, wait for, and expect, through the riches and freeness of his grace, everlasting happiness!
In like manner, I judge it a perplexing question—whether we should love Christ for himself , or for the benefits received by him. Lord, help me to love Christ for himself— and for all the good I have and hope for by him; but the one subordinately, the other ultimately. Such love I read there was in David: "I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications." Psalm 116.1.
Section 10. The Ninth Requisite in Love to Christ.
Sincere love to Jesus Christ respects him, and is placed upon him—as he is Prophet , Priest , and King . In which respect, the love of hypocrites and carnal professors fails and comes short.
Most will profess love to Christ, as he is Jesus —a Savior , to deliver them from the guilt of sin, and punishment of Hell, and the wrath that is to come. Yet they will not love him, nor have him, as a Teacher and a Ruler . As if a woman should love her husband, as he makes provision for her, and protects her from wrongs and injuries. But as he is her head, to guide, to rule and govern her—she cannot thus endure him. Would you not in such a case cry out against such love, and say, this is but partial and pretended love? And do not you see that you deal as deceitfully and hypocritically with Christ, when in one respect you say you like and love him—but indeed in other respects, you dislike and hate him?
Do you think that Christ will save you from Hell—if he does not save you from your sins? Do you think that he will make you eternally happy—if you are never holy? Or do you hope that he will bring you to Heaven, without your being made fit for Heaven? Does not your own reason and conscience, if you consult them, condemn such hopes of happiness, that are built upon such partial love?
Must sin be loved as a lord—and Christ loved as a Savior? Do you think that if sin is your lord—Christ will be your Savior? What is the meaning then, that the object of such love which you must have, if you would not be anathema , in the text is set down as the Lord Jesus Christ? The anathema at the last day applies to those who never would submit to Christ as Lord and Ruler—nor love him in that relation. Christ looks upon them—not as lovers of him, but as enemies to him; and will deal with them, not as lovers, but as enemies! "But those enemies of mine, who do not want me to reign over them—bring them here, and slay them before me!" Luke 19.27.
What is the meaning then, that Lord and Savior, so often in scripture are put together—if, as the objects of your love they are to be parted asunder? In many texts, Lord and Savior, Lord and Jesus, Lord Jesus Christ—are set together. And in all these respects propounded to us, Jesus is to be loved and received by us—if we would have grace, mercy, and peace from God, and salvation by him. And as he is offered in Scripture—so he must be loved and accepted—or you must go without him and his benefits forever.
11. The Tenth Requisite to Love to Christ—or the Worker of it.
This love to Christ is wrought by the powerful operation of the Spirit of God upon the heart. For though there is affection of love naturally in all men—yet there is not the grace of love naturally in any man. There is love to sin, and to the world, and there might be love of man to man and some common love in man to God, by some common workings of the Spirit. But there can be no special saving love to Jesus Christ—but by the special operations of the Holy Spirit. Saving love to Jesus is a flower that does not grow in nature's garden—but is planted by the Spirit of God. Therefore spiritual holy love is said to be a fruit of the Spirit,Galatians 5.22. And, if any, such surely is sincere and saving love to Christ.