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 I.

1. WHat it is for Christ to mani∣fest Himself?

1. Christ doth manifest himself when he maketh a clearer discoverie unto His Disciples of the excellency of His Per∣son, when he doth further unveil himself, and lets forth some beams and rays, with greater lustre and brightness, to discover more of the oriency and transcendency of his soul-ravishing beauty unto them, which they had but a dimme•• sight and darker apprehensions of before; and this is done when Christ doth more fully im∣part of the spirit of wisdom and revelati∣on unto them. Upon this account the Apostle did pray in the behalf of the be∣lieving Ephesians, that the Lord would give them the spirit of wisdom and reve∣lation to enlighten their understandings in the knowledge of him, Eph. 1. 16, 17, 18. they had the spirit before and some know∣ledge of Christ before, but he prayes that God would give them fuller mea∣sures of the spirit, to make a clearer dis∣covery of Christ, that the eyes of their understandings might be more and more

enlightened unto a more spiritual discern∣ing of the surpassing Beauty and Excel∣lency in Christ's person, in the know∣ledge of whom the most enlightned Christians are capable of further growth unto the end of their life, hence that Ex∣hortation of the Apostle Peter, 2 Pet. 3. 18. But grow in grace and in the know∣ledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ.

2. Christ doth manifest himself, when he maketh a deep impression, and giveth a sweet sense to his Disciples of his pre∣sence; Christ is never really absent from such as Love him, but he may Seem to be so sometimes, they may apprehend him to be a far off, he may and often doth with∣draw the sense of his presence; Cant. 5, 6. I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone. Christ doth manifest himself, when he doth draw near to his people, and maketh them feel that he is near, giving them a sweet sense of his presence through the powerful breathings of his Spirit upon them, whereby their hearts are quickned and enlarged, and drawn forth towards himself, and their graces excited unto powerful exercise.

3. And chiefly Christ doth Manifest Himself, when He makes discovery of

His Love unto them that love him; when He gives them to see not only the beauty of His face, but also the smiles of His face, when He gives them to behold the amiableness of His countenance, and withall lifts up upon them the light of His countenance, when he sheddeth a∣broad the sense of His Love into their hearts, giving them a full perswasion of His special Love unto them, and also a sweet sense thereof. Thus Christ doth sometime look kindly, and speak kind∣ly unto his people, and this sweet Language is not spoken to the ear of the body, but inwardly by His Spirit to to their souls, when he saith to the soul, I am thy salvation and thy Saviour, I have loved thee with an everlasting Love, and my Love is vnchangeable; The Mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my loving kindness shall never depart, and be removed from thee; I have given my self for thee, and I have given my self unto thee, and I will never repent of this gift; I have chosen thee for my self, called and joyned thee unto my self, and I will ne∣ver repent of this choice, nor suffer thee to be disjoyned from me for ever; I have thee upon my heart, and keep thee in my hand, and no powers of Earth or Hell shall

be able to pluck thee thence; I have given thee my grace, and I will shew thee my glo∣ry, and ere long I will appear in the world and receive thee to my self, that where I am there thou mayest be also. Dry up then thy tears, clear up thy countenance, banish thy fears, droop no longer, dispond no more, but be of good chear, thy sins are forgiven thee, thy name is written in my book which none can blot out, Thou hast a true Love for me, and my Father himself loveth thee, and I love thee with a most endeared Love, and therefore do not question or doubt of my Love any more. Thus Christ doth manifest himself and his Love sometimes unto drooping disponding souls.