The True Christian's Love of the Unseen Christ — Section 8

Use 1. For information, learn from this that there are but few true Christians in the world, because there are so few that love this unseen Christ. There are many Christians in name, few Christians in deed and in truth. The time has been when openly to profess the name of a Christian did argue true love to Jesus Christ; I mean in the primitive times, when Christians were persecuted by the heathens, as in the ten first dreadful persecutions under the heathen emperors; when the world was watered with Christian blood, then especially at some times and in some — indeed most — places, whoever openly acknowledged themselves to be Christians they exposed themselves to imprisonments, racks, tortures, burnings and the most cruel deaths; it was the truth and strength of love to Jesus Christ, which carried them through such great sufferings, as many did in those days undergo for the sake of Jesus Christ. But now there are multitudes of bare nominal Christians, they call themselves Christians being baptized in Christ's name, but they are altogether without love to Christ, whose name they bear. Surely there are but few, not only in the Christian world, but even in England (where Christianity is to be found in as great purity as in any place) that love Jesus Christ in sincerity. No grossly ignorant persons do truly love Christ; such as don't know Christ, they can't love him; ignoti nulla cupido, there is no desire after, nor love to an unknown thing: an unknown evil cannot be hated, and an unknown good cannot be loved. No grossly erroneous persons do truly love Christ; such as do not receive Christ's truths, they cannot love Christ's person (John 14:23): If any man love me he will keep my words. The words of Christ do include, not only the words of his precepts, but also the words of his doctrine; such as err grossly, I mean in the fundamental truths of Christianity, they are no friends to Christ, but his enemies, so far are they from true love to him. No grossly wicked persons do truly love Christ; such as profane persons, who blaspheme the name of God in their hideous oaths; the love of Christ does teach a holy awe and reverence of God's name; such are persecutors of God's people for righteousness' sake. How can they love the head, that hate the members? Christ accounts himself to be persecuted, in the persecution of his members (Acts 9:4): Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me, and verse 5: I am Jesus whom you persecute; and surely persecutors of Christ do not love Christ. Such are scoffers at religion, who deride holiness and mock at the name of a saint or godly person, whereby they evidently show their contempt of the holiness of Christ, from whom the saints derive all theirs; and how can they love Christ that do contemn him and his image. No unrighteous persons do truly love Christ, whether they be so in regard of distributive justice, or in regard of commutative justice; whether they be unrighteous in execution of judgment, in distribution of rewards or punishments, and whether they be unrighteous in their traffic and dealing; Christ strictly requires justice and righteousness, and how can they love him, that do not keep this commandment? No covetous persons do truly love Christ; the Apostle says (1 John 2:15): If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. And I may say that if any man love the world, (that is, with his chief love) the love of the Son is not in him; the love cannot be chiefly set upon things below here on earth, and upon Christ who is above in heaven. No licentious persons do truly love Christ: no drunkards, adulterers, or any that indulge themselves in unlawful delights; the love of Christ does teach us to deny such lusts, and to mortify them. No mere civil persons that are unconverted, no hypocrites that have a form of godliness, but are without the power of it, do truly love Christ: the former may be loving and courteous to men, but they have no love to Christ; the latter may profess love to Christ, and seem to love him, but they do not really love him. In a word, none who are under the reigning power of any sin do truly love Christ: the reign of sin is in the heart, and this is inconsistent with the love of Christ in the heart. Now let us separate all these aforementioned persons from the rest: grossly ignorant persons, grossly erroneous persons, grossly wicked persons, the profane, the persecutors of God's people, the scoffers at religion, all unrighteous persons, all covetous persons, drunkards, adulterers, and all licentious persons; mere civil persons, hypocrites, and all that are under the reigning power of sin, and how few will there be left that do truly love Christ! And by consequence there will appear but very few that are true Christians.