" Lord, thou knowest all things ; thou knowest tht I lot*
thee." JOHN xxi. 17.
CHRIST rightly known is most surely Christ be
loved. No sooner do we discern his excellencies,
behold his glories, and partake of his bounties, than
our heart is at once moved with love towards him.
Let him but speak pardon to our guilty souls, we
shall not long delay to speak words of love to his
most adorable person. It is utterly impossible for
a man to know himself to be complete in Christ,
and to be destitute of love towards Christ Jesus.
A believer may be in Christ, and yet from a holy
jealousy, he may doubt his own affection to his
Lord ? but love is most assuredly in his bosom, for
that breast which has never heaved with love to
) is yet a stranger to the blood of sprinkling.
11
242 THE SAINT AND HIS SAVIOUR. \
He that loveth not, hath not seen Christ, neither
known him. As the seed expands in the moisture
and the heat, and sends forth its green blade so
when the soul becomes affected with the mercy of
the Saviour, it puts forth its shoots of love to hirt
and desire after him.
This love is no mere heat of excitement, nor does
it end in a flow of rapturous words ; but it causes
the soul to bring forth the fruits of righteousness,
to its own joy and the Lord s glory. It is a prin
ciple, active and strong, which exercises itself
nnto godliness, and produces abundantly things
which are lovely and of good repute. Some of
these we intend to mention, earnestly desiring that
all of us may exhibit them in our lives. Dr. Owen
very concisely sums up the effects of true love in
the two words, adherence and assimilation: the
one knitting the heart to Jesus, and the other con
forming us to his image. This is an excellent sum
mary ; but as our design is to be more explicit, we
shall in detail review the more usual and pleasing
of the displays of the power of grace, afforded by
the soul which is under the influence of love to
Christ.
1. One of the earliest and most important signs
of love to Jesus is the deed of solemn dedication of
ourselves, with all we have and are, most unreserv
edly to the Lord s service.
Dr. Doddridge has recommended a solemn cove-
LOYE TO JESUS. 243
nant between the soul and God, to be signed and
sealed with due deliberation and most fervent
prayer. Many of the most eminent of the saints
have adopted this excellent method of devot
ing themselves in very deed unto the Lord, and
have reaped no little benefit from the re-perusal of
that solemn document when they have afresh re
newed the act of dedication. The writer of the
present volume conceives that burial with Christ
in Baptism is a far more scriptural and expressive
sign of dedication ; but he is not inclined to deny
his brethren the liberty of confirming that act by
the other, if it seem good unto them. The remarks
of John Newton upon this subject are so cautious
and sententious,* that we cannot forbear quoting
them at length : " Many judicious persons have
differed in their sentiments with respect to the pro
priety or utility of such written engagements.
They are usually entered into, if at all, in an early
stage of profession, when, though the heart is warm,
there has been little actual experience of its deceit-
fulness. In the day when the Lord turns our
mourning into joy, and speaks peace, by the blood
of his cross, to the conscience burdened by guilt and
fear, resolutions are formed which, though honest
and sincere, prove, like Peter s promise to our Lord,
too weak to withstand the force of subsequent
* See "Life of Grimshaw," p. 13.
\
244 THE SAINT AND HIS SAVIOUR.
unforeseen temptation. Such vows, made in too
much dependence upon our own strength, not only
occasion a farther discovery of our weakness, but
frequently give the enemy advantage to terrify
and distress the mind. Therefore, some persons,
of more mature experience, discountenance the
practice as legal and improper. But, as a scaffold,
though no part of an edifice, and designed to be
taken down when the building is finished, is yet
useful for a time in carrying on the work so many
young converts have been helped by expedients
which, when their judgments are more ripened,
and their faith more confirmed, are no longer ne
cessary. Every true believer, of course, ought
to devote himself to the service of the Redeemer ;
yea, he must and will, for he is constrained by love.
He will do it not once only, but daily. And many
who have done it in writing can look back upon
the transaction with thankfulness to the end of life,
recollecting it as a season of peculiar solemnity and
impression, accompanied with emotions of heart
neither to be forgotten nor recalled. And the
Lord who does not despise the day of small things,
nor break the bruised reed, nor quench the smok
ing flax, accepts and ratifies the desire ; and merci
fully pardons the mistakes which they discover, as
they attain to more knowledge of him and of them
selves. And they are encouraged, if not warranted
to make their surrender in this manner, bj the
LOVE TO JESUS. 245
words of the prophet Isaiah : One shall say, I am
the Lord s, and another shall call himself by the
name of Jacob, and another shall subscribe with
his hand to the Lord, and surname himself by the
name of Israel. " *
Whatever view we may take of the form of con
secration, we must all agree that the deed itself is
absolutely necessary as a first fruit of the Spirit,
and that where it is absent there is none of the love
of which we are treating. We are also all of us in
union upon the point that the surrender must be
sincere, entire, unconditional, and deliberate ; and
that it must be accompanied by deep humility,
from a sense of our unworthiness, simple faith in
the blood of Jesus as the only medium of accep
tance, and constant reliance upon the Holy Spirit
for the fulfilment of our vows. We must give our
selves to Jesus, to be his, to honour and to obey, if
necessary, even unto death. We must be ready
with Mary to break the alabaster box, with Abra
ham to offer up our Isaac, with the apostles to re
nounce our worldly wealth at the bidding of Christ,
with Moses to despise the riches of Egypt, with
Daniel to enter the lion s den, and with the three
holy children to tread the furnace. We cannot re
tain a portion of the price, like Ananias, nor love
this present world with Demas, if we be the genu-
* Isa. xliv. 5.
24:6 THE SAINT AND HIS SAVIOUK.
ine followers of the Lamb. We consecrate OUT all
when we receive Christ as all.
The professing Church has many in its midst
who, if they have ever given themselves to Christ,
appear to be very oblivious of their solemn obli
gation. They can scarce afford a fragment of their
wealth for the Master s cause ; their time is wasted,
or employed in any service but that of Jesus ; their
talents are absorbed in worldly pursuits ; and the
veriest refuse of their influence is thought to be an
abundant satisfaction of all the claims of heaven.
Can such men be honest in their professions of at
tachment to the Lamb ? Was their dedication a
sincere one ? Do they not afford us grave suspi
cion of hypocrisy ? Could they live in such a
fashion if their hearts were right with God ? Can
they have any just idea of the Saviour s deserv-
ings ? Are their hearts really renewed ? We leave
them to answer for themselves ; but we must en
treat them also to ponder the following questions,
as they shall have one day to render an account to
their Judge. Doth not God abhor the lying lip ?
And is it not lying against God to profess that
which we do not carry out ? Doth not the Saviour
loathe those who are neither cold nor hot ? And are
not those most truly in that case who serve God
with half a heart ? What must be the doom of
those who have insulted Heaven with empty vows ?
Will not a false profession entail a fearful punish-
LOVE TO JESUS. 24:7
ment upon the soul for ever ? And is lie not false
who serves not the Lord with all his might ? Is it
a little thing to be branded as a robber of God ? Is
it a trifle to break our vows with the Almighty?
Shall a man mock his Maker, and go unpunished ?
And how shall he abide the day of the wrath of
God?
May God make us ever careful that, by his Holy
Spirit s aid, we may be able to live unto him as
those that are alive from the dead ; and since in
many things we fall short of his perfect will, let us
humble ourselves, and devoutly seek the moulding
of his hand to renew us day by day. We ought
ever to desire a perfect life as the result of full con
secration, even though we shall often groan that
" it is not yet Attained." Our prayer should be
" Take my soul and body s powers ;
Take my memory, mind, and will ;
All my goods, and all my hours ;
All I know, and all I feel ;
All I think, or speak, or do ;
Take my heart but make it new." *
2. Love to Christ will make us " coy and tender
to offend" We shall be most careful lest the Sa
viour should be grieved by our ill manners. When
some much-loved friend is visiting our house, we are
ever fearful lest he should be ill at ease ; we there-
* C. Wesley.
248 THE SAINT AND HIS SAVIOUR.
fore watch every movement in the family, that no
thing may disturb the quiet we desire him to
enjoy. How frequently do we apologise for the
homeliness of our fare, our own apparent inatten
tion, the forgetfulness of our servants, or the rude
ness of our children. If we suppose him to be
uncomfortable, how readily will we disarrange our
household to give him pleasure, and how disturbed
are we at the least symptom that he is not satisfied
with our hospitality. We are grieved if our words
appear cold towards him, or our acts imkind. Wo
would sooner that he should grieve us than that we
should displease him. Surely we should not treat
our heavenly Friend worse than our earthly ac
quaintance ; but we should sedulously endeavour to
please Him in all things who pleased not himself.
Such is the influence of real devotion to our pre
cious Redeemer, that the more the mind is per
vaded with affection to him, the more watchful
shall we be to give no offence in anything, and the
more sorrow shall we suffer because our nature is
yet so imperfect that in many things we come short
of his glory. A believer, in a healthy state of
mind, will be extremely sensitive ; he will avoid
the appearance of evil, and guard against the be
ginnings of sin. He will often be afraid to put one
foot before another, lest he should tread upon for
bidden ground ; he will tremble to speak, lest his
words should not be ordered aright ; he will be
LOVE TO JESUS. 24:9
timid in the world, lest he should be surprised into
transgression ; and even in his holy deeds he will
be watchful over his heart, lest he should mock his
Lord. This feeling of fear lest we should " slip
with our feet," is a precious feature of true spi
ritual life. It is much to be regretted that it is so
lightly prized by many, in comparison with the
more martial virtues ; for, despite its apparent insig
nificance, it is one of the choicest fruits of the Spi
rit, and its absence is one of the most deplorable
evidences of spiritual decay. A heedless spirit is
a curse to the soul ; a rash, presumptuous conver
sation will eat as doth a canker. " Too-bold " was
never Too-wise nor Too-loving. Careful walking is
one of the best securities of safe and happy stand
ing. It is solemn cause for doubting when we arc
indifferent in our behaviour to our best Friend.
When the new creature is active, it will be indie*
nant at the very name of sin ; it will condemn h
as the murderer of the Redeemer, and wage as
fierce a war against it as the Lord did with Ama-
leck. Christ s foes are our foes when we are
Christ s friends. Love of Christ and love of sin
are elements too hostile to reign in the same heart.
We shall hate iniquity simply because Jesus hates
it. A good divine * writes : " If any pretend
unto an assurance of forgiveness through the me-
* John Brine.
11*
250 THE SAINT AND HIS SAVIOUK.
rits of Jesus, without any experience of shame,
sorrow, and hatred of sin, on account of its vile
nature, I dare boldly pronounce such a pretension
to be no other than a vain presumption, that is
likely to be followed by an eternal loss of their
immortal souls."
He that is not afraid of sinning has good need to
be afraid of damning. Truth hates error, holiness
abhorreth guilt, and grace cannot but detest sin. If
we do not desire to be cautious to avoid offending
our Lord, we may rest confident that we have no
part in him, for true love to Christ will rather die
than wound him. Hence love to Christ is " the
best antidote to idolatry ;"* for it prevents any
object from occupying the rightful throne of the Sa
viour. The believer dares not admit a rival into his
heart, knowing that this would grievously offend
the King. The simplest way of preventing an ex
cessive love of the creature is to set all our affection
upon the Creator. Give thy whole heart to thy
Lord, and thou canst not idolize the things of earth,
for thou wilt have nothing left wherewith to wor
ship them.
3. If we love the Lord Jesus we shall he obedient
to his commands. False, vain, and boasting pre
tenders to friendship with Christ think it enough
to talk fluently of him ; but humble, sincere, and
* James Hamilton.
LOVE TO JESUS. 251
faithful lovers of the Lord are not content with
words they must be doing the will of their Mas
ter. As the affectionate wife obeys because she
loves her husband, so does the redeemed soul de
light in keeping the commands of Jesus, although
compelled by no force but that of love. This di
vine principle will render every duty pleasant ; yea,
when the labour is in itself irksome, this heavenly
grace will quicken us in its performance by remind
ing us that it is honourable to suffer for our Lord.
It will induce an universal obedience to all known
commands, and overcome that captious spirit of
rebellion which takes exception to many precepts,
and obeys only as far as it chooses to do so. It in
fuses not the mere act, but the very spirit of obe
dience, inclining the inmost heart to feel that its
new-born nature cannot but obey. True, old cor
ruption is still there ; but this does but prove the
hearty willingness of the soul to be faithful to the
laws of its King, seeing that it is the cause of a
perpetual and violent contest the flesh lusting
against the spirit, and the spirit striving against
the flesh. We are willing to serve God when we
love his Son : there may be obstacles, but no un
willingness. We would be holy even as God is
holy, and perfect even as our Father which is in
heaven is perfect. And to proceed yet further,
love not only removes all unwillingness, but
inspires the soul with a delight in the service of
252 THE SAINT AND HIS SAVIOUK.
God, by making the lowest act of service to appear
honourable. A heathen * once exclaimed, Deo
servire est regnare " to serve God is to reign :" so
does the renewed heart joyfully acknowledge the
high honour which it receives by obedience to its
Lord. He counts it not only his reasonable, but
his delightful service, to be a humble and submis
sive disciple of his gracious Friend. He would be
unhappy if he had no opportunity of obedience
his love requires channels for its fulness ; he would
pray for work if there were none, for he includes
his duties among his privileges. In the young
dawn of true religion this is very observable
would that it were equally so ever after ! Oh !
how jealous we were lest one divine ordinance
should be neglected, or one rule violated. Nothing
pained us more than our own too frequent wander
ings, and nothing gratified us more than to be
allowed to hew wood or draw water at his bidding.
Why is it not so now with us all? Why
are those wings, once outstretched for speedy flight,
now folded in sloth? Is our Redeemer less de
serving ? or is it not that we are less loving ? Let us
seek by greater meditation upon the work and love
of our Saviour, by the help of the Holy Spirit, to
renew our love to him : otherwise our lamentation
will soon be " How is the much fine gold become
dim 1 How has the glory departed I"
* Seneca.
LOTE TO JESUS. 253
4. Love to Christ will impel us to defend him
against his foes.
" If any touch my friend, or his good name,
It is my honour and my love to free his blasted fame
From the least spot or thought of blame."*
Good men are more tender over the reputation of
Christ than over their own good name ; for they
are willing to lose the world s favourable opinion
rather than that Christ should be dishonoured.
This is no more than Jesus has a right to expect.
Would not he be a sorry brother who should hear
me insulted and slandered, and yet be dumb?
"Would not he be destitute of affection who would
allow the character of his nearest relative to be
trampled in the dust without a struggle on his be
half ? And is not he a poor style of Christian who
would calmly submit to hear his Lord abused?
We could bear to be trampled in the very mire
that He might be exalted ; but to see our glorious
Head dishonoured, is a sight we cannot tamely be
hold. We would not, like Peter, smite his ene
mies with the sword of man ; but we would use the
sword of the Spirit as well as we are enabled.
Oh ! how has our blood boiled when the name of
Jesus has been the theme of scornful jest ! how
have we been ready to invoke the fire of Elias
upon the guilty blasphemers ! or when our more
* Herbert.
254 THE SAINT AND HIS SAVIOUK.
carnal heat has subsided, how have we wept, even
to the sobbing of a child, at the reproach cast upon
his most hallowed name ! Many a time we have
been ready to burst with anguish when we have
been speechless before the scoffer, because the Lord
had shut us up, that we could not come forth ; but
at other seasons, with courage more than we had
considered to be within the range of our capability,
we have boldly reproved the wicked, and sent them
back abashed.
It is a lovely spectacle to behold the timid and
feeble defending the citadel of truth : not with hard
blows of logic, or sounding cannonade of rhetoric
but with that tearful earnestness, and implicit con
fidence, against which the attacks of revilers are
utterly powerless. Overthrown in argument, they
overcome by faith ; covered with contempt, they
think it all joy if they may but avert a solitary
stain from the escutcheon of their Lord. " Call
me what thou wilt," says the believer, " but speak
not ill of my Beloved. Here, plough these shoul
ders with your lashes, but spare yourselves the sin
of cursing him ! Ay, let me die : I am all too
happy to be slain, if my Lord s most glorious cause
shall live !"
Ask every regenerate child of God whether he
does not count it his privilege to maintain the
honour of his Master s name; and though his
answer may be worded with holy caution, you will
LOVE TO JESUS. 255
not fail to discover in it enough of that determined
resolution which, by the blessing of the Holy Spi
rit, will enable him to stand fast in the evil day.
He may be careful to reply to such a question, lot
he should be presumptuous ; but should he stand
like the three holy children before an enraged
tyrant, in the very mouth of a burning fiery fur
nace, his answer, like theirs, would be, " We are
not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be
so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us
out of the burning fiery furnace, and he will deli
ver us out of thy hand, O king ! But if not, be it
known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve
thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou
hast set up."
In some circles it is believed that in the event of
another reign of persecution, there are very few in
our churches who would endure the fiery trial:
nothing, we think, is more unfounded. It is our
firm opinion that the feeblest saint in our midst
would receive grace for the struggle, and come off
more than a conqueror. God s children are the
same now as ever. Real piety will as well endure
the fire in one century as another. There is the
same love to impel the martyrdom, the same grace
to sustain the sufferer, the same promises to cheer
his heart, and the same crown to adorn his head.
We believe that those followers of Jesus who may
perhaps one day be called to the stake, will die as
256 THE SAINT AND HIS 6AVIOUR.
readily as any who have gone before. Love is still
as strong as death, and grace is still made perfect
in weakness.
" Sweet is the cross, above all sweets,
To souls enamoured with His smiles ;
The keenest woe life ever meets,
Love strips of all its terrors, and beguiles."*
This is as true to-day, as it was a thousand years ago.
We may be weak in grace, but grace is not weak :
it is still omnipotent, and able to endure the trying
day.
There is one form of this jealousy for the honour
of the cross which will ever distinguish the
devout Christian : he will tremble lest he himself,
by word or deed, by omission of duty or commis
sion of sin, should dishonour the holy religion
which he has professed. He will hold perpetual
controversy with " sinful self" on this account,
and will loathe himself when he has inadvertently
given occasion to the enemy to blaspheme. The
King s favourite will be sad if, by mistake or care
lessness, he has been the abettor of traitors : he
desires to be beyond reproach, that his Monarch
may suffer no disgrace from his courtier. Nothing
has injured the cause of Christ more than the in
consistencies of his avowed friends. Jealousy for
* Madame Guiou.
LOVE TO JESUS. 257
the honour of Christ is an admirable mark of
grace.
5. A firm attachment to the person of Christ will
create a constant anxiety to promote his cause. "With
some it has produced that burning zeal which ena
bled them to endure banishment, to brave dangers,
and to forsake comforts, in order to evangelize an
ungrateful people, among whom they were not un
willing to suffer persecution, or even death, so that
they might but enlarge the borders of Immanuel s
land. This has inspired the laborious evangelist
with inexhaustible strength to proclaim the word
of his Lord from place to place, amidst the slander
of foes and the coldness of friends ; this has moved
the generous heart to devise liberal things, that the
cause might not flag for lack of temporal supplies ;
and this, in a thousand ways, has stirred up the host
of God, with various weapons and in divers fields,
to fight the battles of their Lord. There is little or
no love to Jesus in that man who is indifferent con
cerning the progress of the truth. The man whose
soul is saturated with grateful affection to his cru
cified Lord will weep when the enemy seems to get
an advantage ; he will water his couch with tears
when he sees a declining church ; he will lift up
his voice like a trumpet to arouse the slumbering,
and with his own hand will labour day and night
to build up the breaches of Zion ; and should his
efforts be successful, with what joyous gratitude
258 THE SAINT AND HIS SAVIOUR.
will he lift up his heart unto the King of Israel,
extolling him as much yea, more for mercies
given to the Church than for bounties conferred
upon himself. How diligently and indefatigably
will he labour for his Lord, humbly conceiving
that he cannot do too much, or even enough, for
one who gave his heart s blood as the price of our
peace.
We lament that too many among us are like Is-
sachar, who was described as " a strong ass crouch
ing down between two burdens," too lazy to per
form the works of piety so imperatively demanded
at our hands : but the reason of this sad condition
is not that fervent love is unable to produce activi
ty, but that such are deplorably destitute of that
intense affection which grace begets in the soul.
Love to Christ smoothes the path of duty, and
wings the feet to travel it : it is the bow which im
pels the arrow of obedience ; it is the mainspring
moving the wheels of d,nty ; it is the strong arm
tugging the oar of diligence. Love is the marrow
of the bones of fidelity, the blood in the veins of
piety, the sinew of spiritual strength yea, the life
of sincere devotion. He that hath love can no more
be motionless than the aspen in the gale, the sere
leaf in the hurricane, or the spray in the tempest.
As well may hearts cease to beat, as love to labour.
Love is instinct with activity, it cannot be idle ; it
is full of energy, it cannot content itself with lit-
LOVE TO JESUS. 259
ties : it is the well-spring of heroism, and great