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

Oh monstrous perverting of the Creation of God! And that in the best of his visible works. If the like were done by other creatures, how ⟨p. 101⟩soon wouldst thou be weary of thy life? If the Sun should withhold its light, what a dungeon would this world be? If the Earth should bring forth nothing but Briars and Thorns, it would yield thee nothing but vexation and sorrow. If the creatures should use their power and strength against thee, as they do in serving of thee, thou wouldst judge it better to want them, than to have them. And shall all that was made for man answer their end, and not man, that was made more immediately for God himself? But a man that wants Love to Christ, is become worse than the beasts that perish, Psal. 49.20. Better thou hadst never had the heart of a man, if Christ hath not thy heart.

II. Not love Christ! What is this, but a thwarting the end of all Christ's undertaking for thee, as thy Redeemer? When man had sinned away the Holy Image of God, and turned his heart and affections from God to the Creature, man might have feared him, but never have loved him, Gen. 3.10. I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid. —Sin had brought such an aversation in the heart of man from God and all good, that without Christ's undertakings for man, man could have loved him no more than Devils.

Why did the Son of God become the Son of Man? Why did he shed his Blood, lay down his Life? Why did he suffer, sweat, bleed, and dye? Why did he bear our Punishment, satisfy Divine Justice, endure the Wrath of God, the Rage of Men and Devils, but to bring man back again to God, from whom he had departed? And that the