V. Can ye do any thing less than love Christ, or can ye do any thing more? Is it not a small thing that Christ should have your Love, for all those great things ye have, and hope to have by Christ? And yet Christ stands upon your love as greatest of all, and all without love is nothing. If Christ had asked you to lay down your Life for him, had he required more from you than he himself hath done for you? Had he called you to give your Bodies to be burned for him, should ye not have done it? How much more when he faith, Let your Hearts but burn in Love unto me, when that burning will not be painful, but delightful? When Naaman came to the Prophet to be cleansed of his Leprosy, being directed to go and Wash in Jordan, and he should be clean, in Wrath he went away, but his Servant came to him and said, My Father, if the Prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldst thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, wash and be clean? 2 King. 5.13. If Christ had required some great thing, that thou mightest escape great torments, and be partaker of great Salvation, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith, Love me, and be Saved? When you have received great kindness from a Friend, whom you cannot requite, yet you say, I cannot do less than love him; yet this small thing is more in Christs account than all without this. You Pray to him, but to Love him is more; an Heart full of Love, is more to Christ than a thousand Prayers, full of the most eloquent Expressions, without Love. You hear his Word, but to love him is more. You might ⟨p. 167⟩suffer for him, but to have love to him is more. Should […] give all your Goods to the Poor, and your […] to the Fire for him, to give your Heart and […] him is still more. And indeed, except […] the former proceed from Love, and are accompanied with it, they are not pleasing to Christ, nor profitable to your Salvation, 1 Cor. 13.1, 2, 3.
V. Can ye do any thing less than love Christ, or can ye do any thing more? Is it not a small thing that Christ should have your Love, for all those great things ye have, and hope to have by Christ? And yet Christ stands upon your love as greatest of all, and all without love is nothing. If Christ had asked you to lay down your Life for him, had he required more from you than he himself hath done for you? Had he called you to give your Bodies to be burned for him, should ye not have done it? How much more when he faith, Let your Hearts but burn in Love unto me, when that burning will not be painful, but delightful? When Naaman came to the Prophet to be cleansed of his Leprosie, being directed to go and Wash in Jordan, and he should be clean, in Wrath he went away, but his Servant came to him and said, My Father, if the Prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldst thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, wash and be clean? 2 King. 5.13. If Christ had required some great thing, that thou mightest escape great torments, and be partaker of great Salvation, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith, Love me, and be Saved? When you have received great kindness from a Friend, whom you cannot requite, yet you say, I cannot do less than love him; yet this small thing is more in Christs account than all without this. You Pray to him, but to Love him is more; an Heart full of Love, is more to Christ than a thousand Prayers, full of the most eloquent Expressions, without Love. You hear his Word, but to love him is more. You might ⟨p. 167⟩suffer for him, but to have love to him is more. Should 〈…〉 give all your Goods to the Poor, and your 〈…〉 to the Fire for him, to give your Heart and 〈…〉 him is still more. And indeed, except 〈…〉 the former proceed from Love, and are accompanied with it, they are not pleasing to Christ, nor profitable to your Salvation, 1 Cor. 13.1, 2, 3.
