Section 6

The 6th thing is to show how Christians ought to love this unseen Christ.

1. Christians ought to love Christ with sincerity of love (Ephesians 6:24): Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. It was the great sin of Judah (Jeremiah 3:10) that she turned not to the Lord with her whole heart, but feignedly: so it is a great sin to love Christ with a feigned and hypocritical love. The love of Christians to Christ ought to be sincere in regard of the habit and inward workings of it; they must love him not only in show, word, and outward profession, but their love must be cordial in the heart and so a love indeed and in truth. And the love of Christians to Christ must be sincere in regard of the object of it; they must love Christ for himself and not chiefly for what they get by him. To love Christ only for temporal gain is hypocritical love; to love Christ chiefly for other gain is not so spiritual; but to love Christ for his own excellencies and perfections is most sincere and generous. This sincerity of love to Christ is everyone's duty.

2. Christians ought to love Christ with supremacy of love; they must place him in the highest seat of their hearts. He is a great king, and he looks for the throne, and that all creatures should be placed beneath him, and stand at his footstool (Matthew 10:37): He that loves father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; he that loves son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. They are the words of our Savior. Christians may love father and mother; the law of God and nature does require it. They may love husband and wife; the Word of God enjoins the husband to love his wife as his own body, and as Christ loved the church. They may love sons, daughters, brethren, sisters, kindred, friends, indeed enemies, and they ought to do it. Yet all must be with a subordinate love, but they must love Christ with their chief love; otherwise they are not worthy to stand in the relation of disciples.

3. Christians ought to love Christ with ardency of love (Luke 24:32): And they said one to another, did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures? This burning love Christ enkindled in the heart of his disciples, and this burning love Christ requires of all Christians (Song of Solomon 8:6-7): Love is strong as death; the coals thereof are coals of fire which has a vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it. Such a strong, vehement, ardent, flaming love Christians should have to Jesus Christ, which all the waters of affliction may not be able to quench, which no floods of temptations or persecution may be able to drown and overwhelm. Therefore,

4. Christians ought to love Christ with constancy of love. Having begun to love him, they ought to continue to love him, and to love him to the end. As they ought to be constant in their obedience, and to persevere in their other graces, so they ought to be constant and to persevere in this grace of love to Christ.