Section 2

Secondly, concerning the object of true Christians' love, and that is Jesus Christ whom they have never seen. This Jesus Christ whom they love is the Eternal Son of God, the second person in the glorious Trinity, who in time assumed our human nature, clothed himself with our mortal flesh, lived like a servant in a mean condition, died like a malefactor the cursed death of the cross, and all for our sakes, for our sins, rose again the third day for our justification, ascended up into heaven after forty days, and there is set down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high, to make intercession for us, and to make preparation there for our reception, into the glorious mansions and eternal habitations, which are in the Father's house. He is called Jesus from the Hebrew word [non-Latin alphabet] which signifies to save because he saves his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). He is called Christ from the Greek word [non-Latin alphabet] which signifies to anoint, he being anointed by the Father with the Spirit and with power, to be mediator between God and Man, to be the great prophet, and priest, and king, of the church. This Jesus Christ Christians have not seen with the eye of sense; indeed some Christians in the primitive times, as the apostles who were of his family and other disciples who conversed with him frequently, did see Christ with the eye of sense, but it was in his state of humiliation, when he was here upon the earth, not in his state of exaltation, now he is in heaven; yet some have seen Christ after his Ascension namely Paul at his conversion, and Stephen the Protomartyr before he died; but none have had a perfect sight with bodily eyes of the glory which is upon Christ's body, the luster of which is so great that none can behold it in this state of weakness and imperfection, and live. But whatever sight some Christians have had formerly, no Christians now have a sight of Christ's person; they have heard of him with the hearing of the ear, but they have not seen him with the seeing of the eye; they have seen representations of Christ in the sacrament, but they have never seen his person that is represented; they have seen his image upon their fellow Christians, but they have not seen the original from whom this image has been drawn. Some Christians have been in Judea, and seen the place where the Lord lived; and at Jerusalem and seen the place where the Lord died; and visited the place of his sepulcher where the Lord for a time did lie: and they have seen the mount from where the Lord ascended; but no Christians now alive have been in Jerusalem, and on Mount Zion, which is above, to see where the Lord now is in his glory. It is this Jesus Christ whom Christians have not seen, that is the object of their love.