Philanthrōpia, or, The transcendency of Christs love towards the children of men Laid down by the apostle St. Paul, in Ephes. 3. 19. A treatise formerly preached, but now enlarged and published for common benefit. By Peter Williams, preacher of the Gospel.

CHAP V. I proceed now to Application.

THE first and main Use which I shall make of this point, shall be to turn this Prayer of the Apostle for these Ephesians into an Exhortation unto every one that shall read these lines, that he would make it his great bu∣siness, study, and endeavour to know the Lord Jesus, and that in his love.

Sect. 1.

MY great desire, and design is to bring you nearer to Christ, and to that end I lay before you this grand attractive of his love, to draw you unto more acquaintance and familia∣rity with him and it: therefore I first preach∣ed, and now publish it, and I make it my ear∣nest request to you all, to whom this shall come, that you would not lay aside this advice which I now give you, of studying this love of Christ, and getting a sound, saving knowledge of it, e∣specially seeing it is a matter of so general, so great and necessary concernment; so general, as that none can exempt himself; so great, as that your All depends upon it; and so ne∣cessary,

as that you are undone without it.

This is the great business of a Gospel Mini∣ster, for himself and his People to study, know and preach Jesus Christ. This was Pauls deter∣mination among the learned Corinthians, 1 Cor. 2.2. to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and him crucified: for indeed this was the end of his Apostleship, as he tells the Ephesians, Chap. 3. 8. to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. All our studies and preach∣ing, which are not Christ directly or reductive∣ly, are but 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, things by the by, and will not tend to any comfortable account at last. We may please our selves, and it may be those that hear us too, by preaching other things: but we shall not save our selves, and those that hear us, unless we pre••ch Jesus Christ. We are but Prevaricators in our office, if Jesus Christ be not the Ʋnum Magnum, nay the Ʋnum Maximum in our Ministry.

This is also the great business of every Chri∣stian for himself, to know Jesus Christ: our life depends upon it, according to our Saviours own words, Joh. 17.3. This is life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. For the excellency of this knowledge, the Apostle Paul counted all things but dross and dung, Phil. 3.8. This is the one thing necessary, without which all a mans other knowledge will but hasten and heighten his condemnation.

Si Christum discis, nihil est si caetera nescis; Si Christum nescis, nihil est si caetera discis.

Englished thus,

If Christ thou know, it will suffice, Though else thou knowest naught; If Christ be hid, thou art not wise, Though all else thou be taught.

Now the love of Christ is the main matter to be studied, and known by every one who would study and know Jesus Christ; and indeed we cannot miss of love in the study and knowledge of Christ: for Christ is love. His Name, his Natures, his Offices, his Doctrine, his Life, his Death, his Priviledges, his Ordinances, his All have a deep tincture of love in them; and this love is to be known, and that it may be known, to be studied by us, by all of us, even the best of us.

If you say, We hear this often enough, and know this well enough.

I answer, That is never said enough, which is never learned enough; And though you know the love of Christ, do you know it as you ought to know it? If you do not, you must go over it again, that you may know it better; and you do not know Christ as you ought, nor his love as you ought, until you have him and it by heart. You who know most and best, are yet to seek: you know but in part; there are all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge hid in Christ,

Col. 2.3. unsearchable riches, Ephes. 3.8. which can never be traced and found out. You may be all your time searching and digging into them; and yet, though you should live never so long, not come to the bottome at last, but must breath out your soules with an 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in the conclusion, oh! the depth: for this is a love which passeth knowledge.

If you say, that it is an heartless, hopeless work which I put you upon, when I bid you study to know the love of Christ, seeing it pas∣seth knowledge.

I Answer, That it's true the love of Christ is such as passeth knowledge; the riches of Christ are unsearchable riches: but yet the unsearch∣able riches of Christ should not make us idle, but active, in digging and searching them out as far as we can; the unknowable love of Christ should not deaden and straiten, but quicken and enlarge our appetite, to endeavour after as full a knowledge as we may. What wise man will stand still, or go back, because he cannot finish his journey in a day? Will not men dig for Gold, because they cannot get to the bot∣tome of the Mine? And shall we refuse to know as much as we can of this love of Christ, because we cannot comprehend as much as there is? Far be it from any of us to cherish any such thought: for the checking whereof consi∣der,

(1.) That you may know enough of Christ and his love to serve for your souls salvation, which its your great interest to mind and look after, as the great end of your being.

(2.) You shall not need fear to be cloyed and glutted in the study of this love; Ʋarietas delectat, variety delights; and there is so much variety in this one subject, the love of Christ, as renders the study of it very delectable.

(3.) The deeper you go in this love of Christ, the sweeter; yea, if (as Plutarch notes) Eudoxus was content to be burnt up by the Sun, if he might have liberty first to stand so near, as to learn the figure, magnitude and form of a Star; how much more and better should a Christian be content to enter upon, and proceed in the search, study, knowledge and understanding of this love of Christ, till he be at last swallowed up of that which he is never able fully to comprehend!

Sect. 2.

IN the prosecution of this Exhortation, I shall do these two things,

• 1. I shall direct your knowledge, that you may not mistake about it.
• 2. I shall excite you to it by the encourage∣ments which the Apostle layes down about the Text, that you be not disheartned, so as to decline your duty in this particular;

By way of Direction, which is needful: for all knowledge of the love of Christ is not suffici∣ent and saving; there is a general, notional, speculative, historical knowledge, which will

be prejudicial, and not profitable in the end; though this be good, as far as it goes, yet where there is no more, it is not sufficient. Those who know the love of Christ in the notion on∣ly, for Discourse sake, or for a Professions sake only, will fall as short of Heaven as the most ig∣norant person; yea, those who know the love of Christ no better than thus, will but descend the more learnedly into Hell, and incurre the more severe condemnation. Now that you may not mistake here, nor miscarry hereafter in this business of knowing the love of Christ, I shall direct you to mind the qualifications of your knowledge; and I shall mention three.

(1.) Look that your knowledge of the love of Christ be Cognitio affectiva, an affectio∣nate knowledge; let it not swimme in your heads only by empty Notions, but sink down into your hearts, in sweet, savoury, warming, and lively affections towards him. And

Sect. 2.

(1.) SEE that you have such a knowledge of Christ and his love, as is accompanied with love to him. True love is grounded in knowledge, and true knowledge hath love built upon it. Though your heads be never so full of the know∣ledge of Christ, yet if your hearts be not also full of love to him, it will neither be acceptable to Christ, nor profitable to your selves. The Apostle tells us how little the understanding of all mysteries, and all knowledge will profit a man without love, 1 Cor. 13. for, as thet Father observes, There may be many commendable and admirable things found in a man, which, without the marrow of love, have indeed a shew, but not the truth of godliness. Love is the great affecti∣on of Union; it is gluten animi, the cement of the soul. Thoughu knowledge stand without, and gives us a view of Christ, yet its love that enters in, clasps about him, and cleaves to him: So that notwithstanding all our knowledge, Christ and we shall still abide strangers, and the distance remain, till love bring us together, which is the bond of perfectness, that is,w the most perfect bond, because it doth joyn hearts to∣gether, Col. 3.14.x So that herein Divine

Love hath the same kind of vertue with Divine Faith; that as this is the being and subsisting of things to come, and distant in time: so that is the union and knitting of things absent, and distant in place; as Christ and Christians are, he being in Heaven, and they on Earth, whom yet having not seen they love, 1 Pet. 1.8. and by love are united to him, and become one spirit with him, 1 Cor. 6.17. And therefore

O happy you, whose hearts by love Are rul'd, which rules in Heaven above!

Give me leave here a little to commune with you about your love to Christ, and to shew you why, and how you should love him; the one to move you to it, the other to guide you in it.

Notes

• Applic.
• Ʋse 1. The first Use of Ex∣hortation, to labour to know the love of Christ.
• The Pre∣face to the handling of it.
• Object.
• Nun∣quàm satis dicitur, quod nun∣quàm satis discitur.
• Answ.
• Object.
• Answ.
• Plut. Moral. Tom. 2. Lat. 8. (mihi) p. 117.
• (1.) Directions about our knowing the love of Christ.
• Direction 1. That it be affecti∣onate know∣ledge.
• The first Branch of the first Direction, That it be a know∣ledge ac∣compani∣ed with love.
• t

  Multa scilic••t lau∣dabilia, at{que} admi∣randa pos∣sunt in ho∣mine repe∣riri, quae sine chari∣tatis me∣dullis ha∣bent qui∣dèm pieta∣tis similitu∣dinem, sed non verita∣tē habent. Prosper. ad Ruf. de grat. & lib. arbitr. (mihi) p. 125.
• u

  Scientia foris stat, dilectio intrat. Lyr. in Eph. 3.19.
• w

  Q••od vinculum est perfectissimum, ani∣mos scilicet conjungens. Grot. in loc.
• x

  Dr. Reynolds of the Pas∣o••s. p. 96.
• O foelix hominum genus, Si vestros animos a∣mor, Quo coelū regitur, re∣gat. Boet. de Consol. Phil. lib. 2. (mihi) p. 47.