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LOVE TO CHRIST

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LOVE TO CHRIST

4 minuten leestijd Arcering uitzetten

True love to Christ is never satisfied with any measure that it has attained, so as to rest satisfied with it. It has these two things in it: a desire to be further in love, and a concern that it cannot arrive at growth in it. The loving soul is inclined to think that its love to Christ is not worthy to be called love, and it breathes after it, even to have itself warmed therewith to Him, and to be brought to a further nearness to Him, as we may see through the Song of Solomon. True love to Him causes the soul to long for an opportunity to discover its love towards Him.

2. Where this love is, the soul will be serious in praying for it, as if he lacked it and it will be as much affected with the want of the lively exercise of it, and for coming short in it, as it will be for any other sin. There is no benefit that it seeks more after than to have the heart circumcised to love Him, and O! it will be counted a great benefit to have love to Christ. And as it is one of the things that it eyes in prayer, so it is one of the things that is seeks in repentance: it is much affected with the want of it, confesses it to Him, aggravates the sin thereof against itself from this ground, that it loves not Christ as it should. I know not if there be much of this among us; many will be sorry if they fall into drunkenness or any other gross sin, but O! how few repent of their want of love to Christ, and that He has not His own room in the heart.

3. Where this love is, it is very suspicious and jealous, lest the heart cleave to some other things and give it room to the prejudice of Christ. It is a sad thing when people let their affections go out at random, and are not afraid lest they overdo themselves in loving the world, their pleasures and their credit, etc., but rather they are like the whore in Proverbs, who says, Come, and let us take our fill of loves. Love to Christ has a weanedness from these things, and a jealousy lest they usurp a room in the heart that is not due to them; because as John says, there is not a consistency between the love of God and the love of the world in the heart; and therefore it is the watchful care of a poor believer to keep out inordinate love of the world, and of those things that the heart is inclined to go whoring after. Hence David prays in Psa. 119, “Incline my heart to Thy law, and not to covetousness,” and “Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity.” There is in too many a short of rooted confidence that they love Christ, and they never suspect themselves of the contrary, when yet some other thing has His room.

4. If Christ be loved, He will be esteemed as the most excellent Person, the most excellent bargain, the most kind Friend, the most loving Husband, and as the most full, complete and absolute Sufficient one, as He is spoken of and esteemed by the spouse, Songs, “He is altogether lovely.” The heart is brought to esteem Him, and to prefer Him beyond all that it can set the eye upon. It were indeed somewhat, if you were brought under conviction, and through persuasion of this, that Jesus Christ is incomparably the best thing that a sinner can have a title to; but alas! He is despised and rejected of men, though He be the chiefest of ten thousands; - and men play the fool in preferring other things to Him, who is infinitely worthy of the preference unto, and of the preeminence above them all.

May God Himself kindle this love in us, and make us know more the great advantages of it.

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Bekijk de hele uitgave van woensdag 1 november 1978

The Banner of Truth | 22 Pagina's

LOVE TO CHRIST

Bekijk de hele uitgave van woensdag 1 november 1978

The Banner of Truth | 22 Pagina's