Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

SECT. VI. Of loving Jesus in that respect.

6. Let us love Jesus as carrying on the great work of our Salvation for us during his sufferings and death. What! did he suffer and dye?¹ Greater love than this hath no man, that a man should give his life for his friends;—but God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ dyed for us. Why here's an argument of love indeed, how should we but love him, who hath thus loved us? in prosecution of this I have no more to do, but first to show Christ's love to us, and then to exercise our love to him again.

6. LEt us love Jesus as carrying on the great work of our Salvation for us during his sufferings and death. What! did he suffer and dye?¹ Greater love than this hath no man, that a man should give his life for his friends;—but God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ dyed for us. Why here's an argument of love indeed, how should we but love him, who hath thus loved us? in prosecution of this I have no more to do, but first to shew Christ's love to us, and then to exercise our love to him again.

1. 1Rom. 5.8.

1. For his love to us; had not God said it, and the Scriptures recorded it, who would have believed our reports? yet Christ hath done it, and it is worth our while to weigh it, and consider it in an holy meditation.—Indeed with what less than ravishment of Spirit can I behold the Lord Jesus who from everlasting was clothed with Glory and Majesty, now wrapped in rags, cradled in a manger, exposed to hunger, thirst, weariness, danger, contempt, poverty, revilings, scourgings, persecution? but to let them pass: into what ecstasies may I be cast to see the Judg of all the world accused, judged, condemned? to see the Lord of life dying upon the tree of shame and curse? to see the eternal Son of God struggling with his Fathers wrath? to see him who had said, I and my Father are one, sweating drops of blood in his agony, and crying out on his cross, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Oh whither hath his love to mankind carried him? had he only sent his creatures to serve us, had he only sent his Prophets to advise us in the way to Heaven, had he only sent his Angels from his chamber of presence to attend upon us, and to minister to us, it had been a great deal of mercy; or if it must be so, had Christ come down from Heaven himself, but only to visit us, or had he come only and wept over us, saying, Oh that you had known, even you in this your day the things belonging to your peace! Oh that you had more considered of my goodness! Oh that you had never sinned! this would have been such a mercy as that all the world would have wondered at it: but that Christ himself should come, and lay down his blood, and life, and all for his people; and yet I am not at the lowest, that he should not only part with life, but part with the sense, and sweetness of God's love, which is a thousand times better than life,