Love to Christ, necessary to escape the curse at his coming

4. We have Memories, wherein the Sayings of Christ to us, the Sufferings of Christ for us, and the Benefits of Christ bestowed upon us, should be lodged and laid up; and when we love him, we shall love to remember all these things that we have by him and from him, and himself that is Purchaser and the Donor of them.

But if our Love is predominantly placed upon any thing below Christ, all the Powers of the Soul are debased; the Reason of man is degraded in contriving the getting of such ignoble and sordid enjoyments as his highest end; the Will is debased in choosing of them, and the Memory in being stuffed with the remembrance of them, forgetting God ⟨p. 74⟩and Christ, and better things; so that a man is more a brute than a man, without sincere Love to Christ.

But if our Love is predominantly placed upon any thing below Christ, all the Powers of the Soul are debased; the Reason of man is degraded in contriving the getting of such ignoble and fordid enjoyments as his highest end; the Will is debased in chusing of them, and the Memory in being stuffed with the remembrance of them, forgetting God ⟨p. 74⟩and Christ, and better things; so that a man is more a brute than a man, without sincere Love to Christ.

7. Love is the end of all other Graces, and in which they terminate their Operations. Our knowledge of Christ endeth in our loving of Christ, our believing on him, hoping in him, trusting to him, like so many streams, at last run into the Love of Christ.