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

III. Predominant sincere love to Christ, is an evidence of Gods special and peculiar Love to you. How fain wouldst thou know that God doth love thee, and Christ doth love thee? Then thou sayest thou shouldst not care, though all the wicked in the World should hate thee, and, if I knew that God did love me, it would resolve my Doubts, expel my Fears, lighten my Burdens, sweeten my Mercies; make me cheerful under the Cross, be a Cordial to me in Sickness, and be Life to me in the Gates of Death. Canst thou prove thou lovest Christ? Then I can prove that both God and Christ do love thee; for thy love to God and Christ is the fruit and effect of Gods and Christs love to thee. God loveth first, or thou hadst never loved at all. God loveth us with a preventing Love; never any prevented ⟨p. 202⟩God and Christ in Love. We love with a following Love. Prov. 8.17. I love them that love me. Joh. 14.21. He that hath my Commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him. 23. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him— 1 Joh. 4.19. We love him, because he first loved us.

III. Predominant sincere love to Christ, is an evidence of Gods special and peculiar Love to you. How fain wouldst thou know that God doth love thee, and Christ doth love thee? Then thou saist thou shouldst not care, though all the wicked in the World should hate thee, and, if I knew that God did love me, it would resolve my Doubts, expell my Fears, lighten my Burdens, sweeten my Mercies; make me chearful under the Cross, be a Cordial to me in Sickness, and be Life to me in the Gates of Death. Canst thou prove thou lovest Christ? Then I can prove that both God and Christ do love thee; for thy love to God and Christ is the fruit and effect of Gods and Christs love to thee. God loveth first, or thou hadst never loved at all. God loveth us with a preventing Love; never any prevented ⟨p. 202⟩God and Christ in Love. We love with a following Love.