The true Christians love of the unseen Christ, or, A discourse chiefly tending to excite and promote the decaying love of Christ in the hearts of Christians with an appendix concerning Christs manifestation of himself to them that love him / by Thomas Vincent.

Section. II.

Secondly COncerning the object of true Christians Love, and that is Jesus Christ whom they have never seen. This Jesus Christ whom they love is the Eternal Son of God, the second Person in the glorious Trinity, who in time assumed our Humane Nature, clothed himself with our mortal Flesh, lived like a servant in a mean condition, died like a malefactor the cursed Death of the Cross, and all for our sakes, for our sins, rose again the third day for our Justification, ascended up into heaven after forty days, and there is set down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high, to make intercession for us, and to make preparation there for our reception, into the glorious Mansions and

Eternal Habitations, which are in the Fa∣thers house. He is called Jesus from the Hebrew word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 which signifieth to save because he saveth his people from their sins, Matth. 1. 21. He is called Christ from the Greek word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 which signi∣fieth to anoint, he being anointed by the Father with the Spirit and with Power, to be Mediator between God and Man, to be the great Prophet, and Priest, and King, of the Church. This Jesus Christ Christi∣ans have not seen with the eye of sense; indeed some Christians in the primitive times, as the Apostles who were of his fa∣mily and other disciples who conversed with him frequently, did see Christ with the eye of sense, but it was in his state of Humiliation, when he was here upon the Earth, not in his state of Exaltation, now he is in Heaven; yet some have seen Christ after his Ascention namely Paul at his con∣version, and Stephen the Proto Martyr be∣fore he dyed; but none have had a perfect sight with bodily eyes of the Glory which is upon Christ's body, the lustre of which is so great that none can be∣hold it in this state of weakness and imper∣fection, and live. But whatever sight some Christians have had formerly, no Christi∣ans now have a sight of Christ's Person;

they have heard of him with the hearing of the Ear, but they have not seen him with the seeing of the Eye; they have seen Re∣presentations of Christ in the Sacrament, but they have never seen his Person that is represented; they have seen his Image upon their Fellow-Christians, but they have not seen the original from whom this Image hath been drawn. Some Christians have been in Iudea, and seen the place where the Lord lived; and at Ierusalem and seen the place where the Lord dyed; and Visited the place of his Sepulchre where the Lord for a time did lye: and they have seen the Mount whence the Lord Ascended; but no Christians now alive have been in Ierusalem, and on Mount Sion, which is above, to see where the Lord now is in his Glory. It is this Jesus Christ whom Christians have not seen, that is the Object of their Love.