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

XVII. Not love Christ, Gods own Son! How then is God thy Father? Joh. 8.42. Jesus said unto them, if God were your father, ye would love me—If ye be his creatures, and not love him, it is an aggravation of your sin, not to have love to him that gave Being to you; but though ye are his Creatures without love, yet ye are not his Children; but better never had been his Creatures if not his Children, for though ye should every day, with great confidence, say Our Father, without love to Christ, God will never own you as Children, nor give you Children's Portions.

XVII. Not love Christ, Gods own Son! How then is God thy Father? Joh. 8.42. Jesus said unto them, if God were your father, ye would love me—If ye be his creatures, and not love him, it is an aggravation of your sin, not to have love to him that gave Being to you; but though ye are his Creatures without love, yet ye are not his Children; but better never had been his Creatures if not his Children, for though ye should every day, with great confidence, say Our Father, without love to Christ, God will never own you as Children, nor give you Childrens Portions.

XVIII. Not love Christ! How canst thou then excuse all the love thou hast to other things from being sinful Love? So that the more thou lovedst, the more thou sinnest, because thy love to others is not subordinate to the love of Christ, but separate from it. To love other things and persons in Subordination to the love of Christ, is not a Sin, but Duty; to love other things and persons, and not Christ, or more than Christ, is not a Duty, but a Sin; and thus the love of your Estates is sinful Love. And the love of Husband, Wife, Children, and of your Selves, is therefore sinful Love, because it is above the love of Christ, for these should be loved in Christ, and for Christ, but you love them without Christ, and more than Christ, therefore all your love, without love to Christ, (though materially good) is sinful love,