The treasure of true loue or A liuely description of the loue of Christ vnto his spouse, whom in loue he hath clensed in his blood from sinne, and made a royall priesthood vnto his Father. / By Thomas Tuke, preacher of the word..

CHAP. III.

Christes loue 〈◊〉〈◊〉 anatomized, and our du∣•••• to him for it, is described.

FIrst, seeing Christ hath loued vs, we may see how deepe we are in his debt. For if hee had not loued vs, we should haue bene but abu••••s & for∣lorne Cast-awaies: & had he hated vs, we should haue perished in our sinnes. H••s loue is our life, and his mercie is the medicine of our maladies. Christ (as God) with his Father and his Holy Spirit did in loue elect vs vnto life. And in Christ (as G••d-man, and Me∣diatour* 1.1

betwixt God and Man) we were by God elected vnto glorie. His pittie procureth our pardon: and his grace our glorie. For had not he liued like a man (euen a true man) we which are mere men, had all died, and perish∣ed eternally. And had not he died for vs, we should neuer haue liued with him: and but that he did entierly loue vs, he would haue neither liued nor died for vs. Yea finally; his grace is our goodnesse: for his loue, and louing ••••ndnes to vs, made him make vs to be accounted good and glorious in the sight of God. And as we are now iusti¦fied by him, preserued, and in part sa••∣••••ified: so we shalbe hereafter also ho∣noured of him, and adorned with per∣fect Holines, & perpetuall happines. Loe then (Beloued) as in a mirrour, the wonderfull loue of Christ vnto vs: be∣behold the infinite riches of his grace, & the inestimable tokens of his loue. What wilt thou render vnto him for his loue? How canst thou requite his kindnes, and recompence him for his goodnes? All that thou canst doe

(which indeed thou shouldest do) is to beleeue in his name, to commend his loue, to acknowledge his grace, to la••d his benignitie, to repent of thy sinnes, to loue him againe, and to demonstrate thy loue by Angelicall, that is, by sin∣cere, voluntarie, constant, alacrious and diligent obedience performed in all humilitie, and integ••itie of faith and loue, vnto all his precepts. For Christ himselfe saith; If ye loue me, keepe my commandements. He that hath my com∣mandements, * 1.2 and keepeth them, is he that loueth me: and hee that loueth me, shalbe loued of my father: and I will loue him, and will shew my selfe vnto him. If any man * 1.3 loue me, he will keepe my word: he that loueth mee not, keepeth not my wordes. By which it plainly appeareth, that those onely loue Christ, that are care∣full to keepe his commandements. Those therefore do not loue him, but shew themselues disloyal Rebells, that plucke vp the quick-set of his lawes, that breake downe the pales of his precepts, and trample vnder their feete his commandements, following the

swinge of their owne fansies, and go∣ing a whoring after their owne lusts; liuing in Atheisme, and Epicurisme, profanenes••e, sensualitie, ha••ing euen the outward appearance of true pietie, and ouer whelmed in the floods of wic∣kednes. But we (Beloued) must prac∣tise better things. Let vs neuer Lord * 1.4 him, nor say we loue him, vnles we la∣bour seriously to obey him. For his sheepe heare his voice and follow him: * 1.5 and those which are his faithfull and louing friends are obedient to him, and striue to please him. Therefore he saith; Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoe∣uer I commād you. Moreouer, loue doth * 1.6 not onely make a man in heart affect the thing loued, & labour in all things to please it, and to auoid the doing of those things at all times, which do dis∣please and offend it: but it doth also make a man to desire presence and fel∣lowship with it, & to rest and content himselfe with it. That we may there∣fore declare our loue effectu•••••• to him, and gather infallible assuran•••• ••n our soules, that we doe indeed affect

him, we must not onely indeuour to obey him, and feare by sinning to dis∣please him, but we must also coue•• his presence, desire his communion, ••ffect his companie, expect hi•• cōming, con∣tent our selues with his merits, and rest in his loue; not ••elling our soules, not betroathing our selues, not wedding our wills, not applying our hearts, nor lending our affections to any other whatsoeuer besides him. His loue to vs is worthy of our whole loue, to be re∣turned to him, & doth deserue that all creatures in heauen and in earth what∣soeuer, should come so far behind him in our affections, as that they should scarce come to be named with him.

Vndoubtedly, vnlesse we do very singularly loue Christ, who hath and yet doth so singularly loue v••, and hath declared his loue vnto vs, when we were the slaues of Sathan, the seruants of sin, and the enemies of God, hauing nothing in vs, which might moue him to affect vs, we should shew our selues exceeding vnkind and thankles••e.

Seeing therfore he loued, and loueth

vs, let vs loue him also, and remonstrate our loue vnto him through the whole course of our liues, by thinking, spea∣king and dooing all things, which may * 1.7 expresse our loue, and set forth his praise & our thankfulnes. For the tree must shew it selfe by the fruits. I••gra∣titude is a misery, and an vnthankfull person is the worst weed, that the earth doth beare, a very hogge, that swallow∣eth vp the m••st, but lookes not to the tree from whence it falls.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Eph. 1. 4.
• * 1.2

  Iohn. 14. 15 21,
• * 1.3

  23. 24.
• * 1.4

  Luke. 6. 4, 6.
• * 1.5

  Iohn. 10.
• * 1.6

  Iohn. 15. 14.
• * 1.7

  Miserum est ngratū esse hominem. Plaut. Ingrato ho∣mine terra peius nil creat. Auson.