in us. The love of Chrift therefore paiies all know-
ledge, for the verv fruits of it in ourfelves are beyond
what we can comprehend ; there is a greatnefs in them,
we cannot reacli unto. Why then, my brethren, let us
Ifibour to have cur hearts affected vnth this love. If
God would be pleafeJ to oive unto every one of us fome
fenfe and imprelTion of the greatntis of this love of
Chrilt, glance it into our hearts, beam it upon u< in this
ordinance, we ihould have caufe to blefs him all the days
of our lives. The faith and light of it iffue in admira-
tion J the light of glory will bring us to comprehcnfion;
Let us have fuch a fenfe as may caufe us to admire what
we cannot now comprehend.
(i.) I could fpeak lomtthing, but I will not now, to
the adings of faith in admiration j it being the proper
[ 124 ]
nature of faith to Iffue itfelf in the admiration of that
•which is infinite. If we can get our fouls up to an ho-
ly admiration of this love, we have fome gracious fenfe
of it upon our hearts, if we can go no farther.
(2.) Let as learn to run up all the mercies we are
partakers of, whatfoever it be we value, to the proper
fpring, " Who loved me, and gave himfelf for me."
If we have any relief, or fupply, or refreftiment of foul,
in a fenfe of pardon of fin, in fpiritual light or confola-
tion, pray let us exercife ourfelves to run up all thefe
things to the fountain : it is all from the love of Chrilf,
that unfpeakable love which paffes knowledge.
(3.) In this let us be afhamed, feeing the love of
Chrift to us is fuch as paffes our knowledge, our love to
him is fo weak, that lometimes we know not whether
we have any or not. For this let us be greatly hum-
bled. This is not the way to anfwer that love which
paffes knowledge, to knov/ not whether we love Chrift
again or not. Let us be alhamed for our want of love.
And lajlly. Let us abound in praife and thankfgiving
for his love, and all the fruits of it.
For my part I do not know, whether that vifion in
Rev. v. 9. does exprcfs the rejoicing of the church a-
bove, or the duty of the church below ; but both, I am
fure, are of fo near affinity, that apply it to which you
will, you do not mifs it. And what do they th^re ?
why, it is faid, " They fung a rcw fong, faying, Thou
art worthy to take the book, and to open the feals of it :
for thou wall ilain, and has redeemed us to God by thy
blood, out of every kindred and tongue, and people, and
nation ; and hall made us unto our God kings and
priells," iS'c. And it is faid again, " Worthy is the
Lamb that was Ilain, to receive power, and riches, and
wifdom, and ftrength, and honour, and glory, and blef-
fino- •," and again he repeats it in ver. 13. I {^^^ I
know not whether this be a repvefcntation of the rejoi-
cing of the church above, or a reprefentation of the du-
ty of the church belo^v j but I can conclude from it,
that the enjoyment of the one and the duty of the other,
confills greatly in continual giving praife and thankfgi-
ving to Chriil, for his unfpeakable love in our redemp-
tion.
[ 125 3
DISCOURSE xxir.
February 18. 1676.
WE are met here to remember the death of Chrill
in the way and by the means that he himfelf hath
appointed j and in remembering the death of Chrifl, we
are principally to remember the love of Chrift, " who
loved us, and waflied us from our lins in his own blood j"
and that which on our part is required herein, is faith in
Chrill who died for us, and love to Chrift, who loved us
fo, as to give himfelf an offering and a facrifice to God
for us.
I. That which I would now obferve is this, (to make
way for the ftirring up of our love) that the perfon of
Chrift is the adequate complete objedl of the love of
God, and of the whole creation that bears the image of
God, 1 mean, the church of God above, the angels and
faints •, and the church of God below in believers, which
are the creation that has the image of God upon it.
The perfon of Chrift is the firft complete objeft of
the love of God the Father. A great part (if I nniy fo
Ipeak, and I muft fo fpeak) of the effential bleffednefs of
the holy Trinity, confifts in the mutual love of the Fa-
ther and the Son, by the Holy Ghoft, which is the love
X)f them both.
That which I would now take notice of, I fay, as the
foundation of all. is this, thnt the divine nature in the
perfon of the Son, is the only full, refting complete ob-
jefl of the love of God the Father. 1 will give you
a place or two of fcripture for it, and fo go onto another
inftancc. Prov. viii. 30. " Then (faith he, that is, from
everlafting,) I was by him, as one brought up with him j
and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him,"
that is, as the fpecial objeft of his love j as among you
men one that is brought up with you, as your child is.
The delight of the Father from all eternity was in the Son.
The ineffable love and mutual delight of the Father and
m
[ 126 J
the Son by the Spirit, is that which is the leaft notion
we have of the bleirednefs ot the eternal God. Jolm i. i8.
*' The only begotten Son, who is in the bofom of the
Father." Pray obferve it, that I yet fpeak. only of the di-
vine perfon of Chrill antecedent unto hjs incarnation,
and the ineffable mutual love of the bleffed perfons in
the holy Trinity, which Jefus Chrift wonderfully lets out
in John xvii. There is his relation unto God, he is the
only begotten Son, by eternal generation ; what follows ?
he is in the bofom of the Father, is in the Father's eter-
nal infinite love. Herein is God's love •, and every thing
clfe of love is but a free act of the will of God. a free
emanation from this eternal love between tlie Fa-
ther and the Son. God never did any thing with-
out himfelf, but the end of it was to manifetl what is in
bimfelf. The old and new creation that God hath wrought,
was to manifell; what was in himfelf. God made this
world to manifell his power and wifdom ; God made
the new world by Jefus Chriil, to manifell his grace,
his love, gocdnefs, &c.
The fole reafon why there is fuch a thing as love in
the world, among the creatures, angels or men, that Gcd
ever implanted it in the nature of rational creatures, was,
that it might (hadow and reprefent the ineffable eternal
love that the Father had unto the Son, and the Son un-
to the Father by the Spirit.
Contemplative men of old did always admire love,
wherein they would have the lite, luftre, and glory of
all things to confift ; but they could never ";e the nfe of
it : and they traced fome things to this, that Gcd necef-
farily loved himfelf; and it is true, it cannot otherwife
be ; but God's loving of himfelf, abfolutely as God, is
nothing but his eternal bleffed acquiefcence in the holy,
felf-fuflicing properties of his nature. This they had
fome reach after ; but of this eternal ineffable love of
the Father to the Son, and of the Son to the Fa-
ther by the Spirit, that they had no conjecluie of.
But this is the fountain and fpring head ; and all fuch
things as love in the old and new creation, as 1 faid, is
but to refemble and fliadow out this great prototype of
divine love. I acknowledge there is little dil'cerned of
thefe things, by reafon of the weaknefs of our under-
[ 127 J
ftandlngs ) but the fcripture having fo direftly declared
to us the mutual love of the Father and the Son, (which,
truly is of luch fmgular ui'e, that I would fix perfons up-
on it in conceiving of the doclrine of the Trinity), that
it is matter of admiration and thankfulnefs to us. Here
lies the foundation of all love, whereunto we hope to
reduce our love unto Chrilt, viz. in the unchangeable
love of the Father to the Son.
2, The perlon of Chrilt as vefled with our nature,
and undertaking the work of mediation, is the firft ob-
je61 of the Father's love, wherein there is any mixture
of any thing without hirafelf.
The full love of God the Father to the Son is that
we call ad intra, where the divine perfons are objefts of
one another's actings ; the Father knows the Son, and
the Son knows the Father ; the Father loves the Son,
and the Son loves the Father j and fo conlequently of
the Holy Ghoft, the medium cf all thefe actings.
But now, 1 fay, the firft a6t of the love of God the
Father, wherein there is any thing ai/ extra, or without
the divine eflence, is the perfon of Chrift, confidered
as inverted with our nature. And had not the love of
God been fixed in the firft place in all things upon the
perfon of Chrift, there would have been no redundancy,
to us, nor communication of love unto us. From the
firft eternal love of God proceeds all love that was in
the firft creation ; and from this fecond love of God to
the perfon of Chrift, as incarnate, proceeds all the love
in the fecond creation. See how God expreffes it in a
profpeft of what he ftiould be, Ifa. xlii. i. " Behold my
fervant whom I uphold, mine eleft in whom my foul de-
lighteth." And this is fingular in the whole fcripture,
that God fpake the fame words twice from heaven im-
mediately, and they were thefe, " This is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleafed j" at his baptifm. Mat.
iii. 17. and at his entrance on his fulferings. Mat. xvii.
5. which was the voice which came from the excellent
glory. I would obferve this unto you, becaufe I think
it is what God would have us take notice of, the cmpha-
fis in the words, " Behold my fervant, mine eleft, my
Son, my beloved Son ! (what of him) ? in whom I reft,
ill whom I am well pleafed and delighted." All of them
C 128 ]
emphatical words. Saith God, Let the fons of men (I
fpeak it from heaven again and again) take notice of this
that the infinite love of my whole foul is fixed on the per-
fon of Jefus Chrift, as incarnate. And you wiU find the
Lord Jefus Chrill pleading this as the ground of that
trull committed unto him, and all that he received, John
iii. :^5. " The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all
things into his hand." John v. 20. " The Father loveth
the Son, and fheweth him all things that himfelf doth j
and will lliew him greater works than thefe." He lays
the foundation of all the truft that God the Father com-
mitted unto him, in the peculiar love of the Father to
him as the Son incarnate.
Truly I fliall not go beyond this foundation, to ma-
nifeil to you, that the peifon of Chrift is the complete
adequate objeft of the love of the Father. The great
fatisfa6tion of the loul of God, wherein he refts and de-
lights, confitts in love to Chrift as incarnate.
I will make but this one inference from it •, propor*.
tionable to the renovation of the image and likenefs of
God upon any of our fouls, is our love to Jefus Chrift..
He that knows Jefus Chrift moft, is moft like unto God,
for there the foul of God refts, there is the complacen-
cy of God J and if we would be like to God, have pled-
ges in ourfclves of the renovation of this image upon us,
it muft be in the gracious exercife of our love to the
perfon of Jefus Chrift. And pray let me obferve it to
you, the world, that is full of enmity to God, doth not
exercife its enmity againft God immediately under the
firft notion of God, but exercifeth its enmity againft God
in Chrift : and if we return to God by the renovation of
his image, we do not exercife our love to God immedi-
ately as God, but our love to God by and in Chrift ; that
ye through him might believe in God. Here is a trial,
brethren, of our return to God, and of the renovation
of his image in us, viz. in our love to Jefus Chrift. There
God and man do meet, there God and his church above
and below centre. The Lord grant that this ordinance
may be the means to ftir up our hearts more to the ex-
ercife of this "race !
[' 129 ]
DISCOURSE XXIil.
-July 8. 1677.
I Shall fpeak to them who have a mind to be founff
performing their duty ;, but it may be, it doth not
occur to them what is particularly required of them.
They are {iich as are leall acquainted with this myftery
that I wo aid have moll refpcd unto, that nothing of
God's provilion in his houfe may be loft to his children,
for want of underftandinq aright to come to his table,
where he makes this provilion.
I pray you, brethren, exercife your Uioughts unto the
inftitution of this ordinance, wherein you exercile your
obedience j unto the propofilion of Chrift in this ordi-
nance, wherein confifts the peculiar ading of your faith ;
and unto the exhibition of Chiift in this ordinance, which
is the ground of your tlunkfulnefs.
What fliall I do that I may pleafe God now, pleafe
Jefus Chrilt, and benefit my own Ibul in the adminiftra-
tion of this ©rdinance ?
Why, I. Confider the infiitution of it, wherein we
have the authority of Jefus Chrift put forth, and afting
towards our ibuls. " Do this in remembrance of me."
Labour therefore to bring yoar hearts into an aftual o-
bedience to the authority of Jefus Chrift in what we are
about. This the Lord Jefus doth require at our hands.
We do not come here in a cuftomary manner to fatisfy
our conviftions, becaufe we ought to come ; we do not
come here merely to make ufe of our privilege, but our
hearts are to bow to the authority of Jefus Chrift. Con-
fider, I pray you, (.he iiiflitution of ililc ordinance and
labour to bring your fouls into adual obedience to Jelus
Chrift. We do it becaufe Chrift hue required it of '^s.
If our hearts are in that frame, that we arc nere upon
the command of Chrift, to do what he has appointed,
and we can recommend our confciences uato him, that it
« 5
E 13Q 1
U In obedience to his command that we are here, then
our obedience is in exerclfe.
2. Coufider the propofition' that is made of Jefus Chrill
in this ordinance to us, that our faith may be in its pro-
per exercile.
The Lord take off our hearts from the confideration
of the outward figns merely. Chrill in leiis love, Chrift.
in his bloodPaed, agony ar.d prayer, Chrift in his death-
is here propofed before us. " Ye Ihew forth the Lord's
death." Who propofes it ? He that hath appointed
ihefe things propoles it. And there is the en-
gagement of the faithfulnefs of God and Chrift in
this propofition and tender that is made of Jefus
Chrill ; and ii: is a peculiar way, and as I could prove,
full of love, that God hath found out a way to propoand-
Chrift as dying, and crucified, to all our fouls.
Therefore llir up ycur hearts to this. To every one of
you there is, by the grace and faith fuLefs of God,
a propofal of Jefus Chiift in his death, and all the be-
nefits of it, unto your fouls. The whole qaeftion is,
Whether you will ftir up your hearts to a nev/ and frefh
receiving of Jefus Chriit, who is thus propofed aiid ten-
dered unto you, evidently crucified before your eyes, of-
fzizd to you by the love and faithfulnefs of God ?
But if we do not endeavour every one pf us, in the par-
ticipation of this ordinance, a frcfli acceptance of Jefus
Chrift, we do what we canto make God a liar, as though
lie was not tendered unto us. The efpecial exercife of
your f-^ith in this ordinance, is upon the love, grace and
f iithfulnefs of God, propofing and tenderingof Chrill unto
vou, the death of Chiift, and the benefits of Chrift in
this way which he has chofen ; fabmit unto it, and em-
brace it.
c^. As your obedience Is required with refpeft to the
infliiution ; (we give this account before God, angels
Hnd men, tliat we are here in obedience to the command
of our Lord Jefus Cb'fi) ? «"« »« faith is required with
■•"I'^a CO the propofition of Chrift, whereby he is evi-
to the fouls of men, v^ho exercife faith upon him in this
C 131 :
ordinance *, really exhibited with all the benefits of hi*
death. And want of receiving by faith in particular
Chrift as exhibited and communicated in this ordinance,
is the great ground of our want of profiting by it, and
thriving under it ; of our want of receiving itrength,
joy, and life by it ; becaufe we do not exercife ourfeives
to the receiving of Chrift as he is exhibited, as God.
doth roily give him out, and communicate him to them
that do believe.
That there is fuch an exhibition of Chrirt, appears,
(1.) By the facramental relation there is between the
outward elements and the thing fignified. " This is my
body, (fays Chrift ; this bread is fo j and) this is my
blood." It is the body of Chrift and the blood of Chrift,
that we are invited to the participation of. If there
was no more in this ordinance exhibited, but only the
outward elements, and not by virtue of facramental re-
lation upon God's inftitution, the body and blood of
Chrift, his life, and death, and merits exhibited unto us,
we fliould come to the Lord's table like men in a dream
eating and drinking, and be quite empty when we have
done, for this bread and wine will not fatisfy our fouls.
(2.) As it is plain from the fign and the thing figni-
fied, that there is a grant, or a real communication of
Jefus Chrift unto the fouls of thtm that do believe j fo
it is evident from the nature of the exercife of faith in
this ordinance ; it is by eating and drinking. C>B-you
eat and drink unlefs fomething be really communicated ?
You are called to eat the flefh, and drink the blood of
the Son of man j unlefs really communicated, we can-
not eat it nor drink it. We mry have other apprehen-
lions of thefe things, but our faith caimot I.- exercifed
in eating and drinking, which is a receivin. »,: what is
really exhibited and communicated. As truiy, my bre-
thren, as we do eat of this bread, and drink of this cup,
which is really communicated to us, fo every true belie-
ver doth receive Chrift, his body and blood, in all the
benefits of it, that are really exhibited by God unto the
foul in this ordinance : and it is a means of communica-
ting to faith.
We come to receive a crucified Chrift, come to be
made partakers of the body and blood of the Lord, to
C 13^ ]
have the Lord Jefus really united to our hearts more and
more. The Lord open our hearts to embrace the ten-
der, receive the exhibition, take in Jefus Chrift as food,
that he may be incorporated in our hearts by faith, that
he may dwell in us plentifully, more and more j that we
may go away refrefhed by this heavenly food, this glo-
rious feaft of fat things which the Lord has made in his
mount for his people. The whole of our comfort de-
pends on our particular receiving of Chrift by faith, and
carrying him away by believing.
DISCOURSE XXIV.
September 30. 1677.
' E are met together again, by the patience and
kindnels of God, for the celebration of this
great ordinance, and therein to Ihew forth the death of
the Lord.
I have often fpoken to you on this occafion concern-
ing the nature of this ordinance, the expreffion of the
love of God and Chrift that is in it, and the efpecial adts
of faith and love that are required of us in this ordi-
nance.
I have one word now fomev,rhsit of another nature^
but yet fuch as I judge not unfeafonable ^ and it is to this
purpofe, that we, who fo frequently enjoy the privilege
of the reprefentation of the death or Chrift unto us,
ought to be very diligent in enquiring after an experi-
ence of the power of the death of Chrift in us.
Without this, our privilege will not be to our advan-
tage.
1 he power and efficacy of the death of Chrift, which
we now remember in a peculiar manner, is two-fold,
1. Towaids God, as the confummation of the facri-
fice of atonement. This v.e have often fpoke to.
2. Towards our own fouls, towards the church ; and
that is to be an example, a precept, a pattern of what
is to be wrought in us. In this fenfc the power of the
[ 133 ]
death of Chrift is its efficacy to conformity with Chrift
in liis death. It is to be " crucified with Chrift," as the
apoftle Ipeaks, Gal. ii. 20. Power comes forth from the
death of Chrift, if received by faith in a due manner, to
render us conformable to him in the death of fin in us.
The apoftle has a great and glorious word concerning
himfelf, 2 Cor. iv. 10. " Alwiiys bearing about in the
body, the dying of the Lord Jefus." I acknowledge,
the words are ufually applied to the reprefentation of
the fufferings of Chrift, in the fufferings of the minifters
of the gofpel, concerning which the apoftle there dif-
courfes ; but the antithefis in the following words,
*' that the life of Jefus might be manifeft in our body,"
does certainly lead to a larger fenfe. Then, brethren,
we may have an experience of the power of Chrift ia
us, when we can fay, we always carry about with us the
dying of the Lord Jefus, to carry it in our meditation,
to carry it in our converfation, to carry it in our con-
ftant univerfal endeavours for conformity to it 5 and
without this we have not experience of the power of
his death in us, and it will not avail us to have the na-
ture of his death reprefented to us.
1. We are always to " carry about the dying of Je-
fus Chrift," in our thoughts and meditations. O that
our thoughts were much fixed upon it ! T verily believe
that the life of faith doth anfwer in proportion to our
thoughts about the dying of Jefus. The dying of Jefus
comprifeth the love from whence he died, the death It-
felf he died, and the end for which he died. Let us
carry about us always thoughts hereof, for his fake who
loved us, and who died for us. Meditate more on thefe
things.
2. In our converfation. It is not a time to refleft up-
on any, unlcfs I did it upon myfelf. But truly, bre-
thren, I am afraid we do not carry about and manifeft
to all the dying of the Lord Jefus in our converfation ;
to perform all things, fo as it may appear and be made
manifeft to ourfelves and others, that our hearts are fet
upon his dying love, that we have not fuch quick, fuch
aftive, and vigorous affeftions to the world, and tJie
things of the world, nor that fury of diligence after
them and in them, as other men have, and we have had ;
wje cannot do it j the dying of the Lord Jefus crucifie^^
[ 134 ]
our hearts. Thefe are hard words I know ; how far
from our pra6lice ! But if we live not in an endeavour
after it, in all things to manifelt that our hearts are full
of the dying of the Lord Jefus, we have not experience
of the power of it in our fouls. Thefe things depend
on one another. If we dwelt more upon this fubjedl in
our meditations, we (hould manifeft it, and carry it a-
bout, and reprefent it more in our converfation.
3. Carry it about in a conltant endeavour for confor-
mity to Jefus Chrift in all things in his death. Did
Chrifl die, and fliall fin live ? Was he crucified in the
world, and {hall we have quick and lively affeftlons to
the world ? O where is the temper and fpirit of that a-
poftle, who by " the crofs of Chrifl was crucified to the
world, and the world crucified to him ?" If there be a-
ny among us that fhould be indulgent to the life of any
one lull: or corruption, that foul can have no experience
of the power of the death of Chrifl in himfelf, cannot
carry about him the dying of Chrift. Endeavour to de-
flroy fin, that we may be like unt« Chrift.
1 will not make particular application of thefe things
to all the concerns of our walk, but leave it with you,
with this word, begging of you, and my own heart, and
of God for us all, that having thefe bleffed reprefenta-
tions of the death of Chrift to us, we may have no reft
in ©ur fpirits, but when we have experience of the power
of the death of Chrift in as.
DISCOURSE XXV.
September 20. 1 68 2.
IT is a common received notion among Chriftians, and
it is true, thst there is a peculiar communion with
Chrift in this ordinance, which we have in no other or-
dinance : that there is a peculiar afting of faith in this
ordinance, which is in no other ordinance. This is the
C ^35 1
faith of the whole church of Chrift, and has been fo in
all ages. This is the greateft myftery of all the praifti-
cals of our Chrirtian religion, a way of receiving Chrill
by eating and drinking, fomething peculiar that is not
in prayer, that is not in the hearing of the word, nor in
any other pait of divine worfliip whatfoever ; a peculiar
participation of Chrift, a peculiar aftingof faith towards
Chrift. This participation of Chrift is not carnal, but
fpiritual. In the beginning of the miniftry of our Lord
Jefus Chrift, when he began to inftrudl them in the com-
munication of himfelf, and the benefit of his mediation
to believers, becaufe it was a new thing, he e.xpreifes it
by " eating his fleih, and drinking his blood," John vi.
53. " Unlefs ye eat the flefti, and drink the blood of the
Son of man, ye have no life in you." This oft'ended
and amazed them. They thought he taught them to