To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
Doct. THat it is the Property and duty of true Christians to love the Lord Iesus Christ, whom they have never seen.
In handling of this point I shall speak. 1. Concerning true Christians who do love Jesus Christ. 2. Concerning Jesus Christ whom they have never seen, the Object of
their Love. 3. Concerning the Love which they bare unto this unseen Christ. 4. Shew that it is the Property of true Christians to Love Jesus Christ whom they have never seen. 5. That it is their Duty to love him. 6. How they ought to love Him. 7. Why they do love Him, where I shall give the reasons of the point. 8. Make some Use and Application.
1. Concerning true Christians whose property it is to love Jesus Christ whom they have never seen, whom having not seen yee love, ye love, that is, ye who are true Christians, who are so in reality as well as profession; and of these true Chri∣stians that do love Christ, the Apostle doth give a description in the 2d. ver. where he calls them, Elect according to the fore∣knowledge of God the Father, th••ough Sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ. True Christians are Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, they are such whom God according to the Councel of his own will, according to his own pur∣pose and grace, did choose from all Eternity to be a holy and peculiar people to himself, to glorifie him here on Earth, and that they might be glorifyed by him hereafter in hea∣ven. And this election doth evidence it
self in the Sanctification of the Spirit, true Christians are sanctified being separated and set apart from the rest of the world, for Gods use and service: God hath sealed them for himself, and hereby distinguished them from all others, the Motto of which seal is this, Holiness unto the Lord. See a descrip∣tion of them in this respect, 2 Tim. 2. 21. If any man purge•• himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto Honour, sanctifyed and meet for the Masters use, and prepa∣red unto every good work: they are purg∣ed from the defilement of sin, which doth pollute and dishonor them, they are ves∣sels unto honour, like those of Silver and Gold in a great house, which are adorned with Pearls and precious stones; they are adorned with all sanctifying graces, which are of more worth than the richest Jewels; and hereby they are both beautiful in Gods eye, and they are made meet for Gods use, being hereby prepared and ena∣bled unto every good work. This the A∣postle prays for in the behalf of the Thessa∣lonians, 1 Thess. 5. 23. And the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly, and I pray God your whole Spirit, and Soul, and Body be preserved blamelesse unto the coming of our Lord Iesus Christ. True Christians are sanctifyed wholly, in their whole man,
though they be not sanctified thorowly: they are sanctified in every part, though they are not sanctified in the highest de∣gree. Their whole Spirit is sanctified that is the higher faculties of the soul, namely the understanding and the will▪ their un∣derstandings are enlightned by the Spirit unto a Spiritual discerning both of good and evil, beyond what any natural man doth o•• can atta••n unto; their wills are bowed, or rather rectified, and made straight, being enclined unto God and his Law. Their Souls are sanctified in the inferior faculties, in all the affections be∣longing both to the concupiscible and the irrascible appetite; their liking affections of love, desire, delight and hope are to∣wards God and Christ and things above; their disliking affections of hatred, fear, grief and anger are towards sin. Their bodies also are sanctifyed being made members of Christ, and instruments of Righteousness; their eyes, ears, tongues, hands, feet and every part being devoted to God and made use of for his glory; Thus true Christians are sanctified by the spirit. And they are sanctified unto obedi∣ence, the graces which are wrought by the spirit in their hearts, do appear in the obe∣dience of their lives; the course of their
lives in a course of obedience unto the laws of Christ: they are sanctified unto obedi∣ence and they are sanctified unto sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ; God hath set them apart to be sprinkled with the blood of the immac••late Lamb, who takes away sin that they might be pardoned and saved, such are true Christians who love Christ whom they have not seen.