SECONDLY; In the View of the Glory of Christ which we have by Faith, it will fill the Mind with Thoughts and Meditations about him, whereon the affections will cleave unto him with delight. This, as was said, is inseparable from a spiritual View of his Glory in its due exercise. Every one that hath it, must and will have many Thoughts concerning, and great affections to him. See the description of these things, Phil. 3. 8, 10. It is not possible, I say, that we should behold the Glory of his Person, Office and Grace, with a due conviction of our concernment and interest therein, but that our Minds will be greatly affected with it, and be filled with contemplations about it. Where it is not so with any, it is to be feared that they have not heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape, whatever they profess. A spiritual sight of Christ will assuredly produce love unto him, and if any Man love him not, he never saw him, he knows him not at all. And that is no love, which doth not beget in us many thoughts of the object beloved. He therefore who is partaker of this Grace, will think much of what Christ is in himself, of what he hath done for us, of his love and condescension, of the manifestation ⟨p. 183⟩of all the glorious excellencies of the Divine Nature in him, exerted in a way of infinite Wisdom and Goodness for the Salvation of the Church. Thoughts and Meditations of these things will abound in us, if we are not wanting unto the due exercise of Faith: and intense inflamed Affections unto him, will ensue thereon, at least they will be active unto our own refreshing experience. And where these things are not in reality (though in some they may be only in a mean and low degree) Men do but deceive their own Souls in hopes of any benefit by Christ or the Gospel.
SECONDLY; In the View of the Glory of Christ which we have by Faith, it will fill the Mind with Thoughts and Meditations about him, whereon the affections will cleave unto him with delight. This, as was said, is inseparable from a spiritual View of his Glory in its due exercise. Every one that hath it, must and will have many Thoughts concerning, and great affections to him. See the description of these things, Phil. 3. 8, 10. It is not possible, I say, that we should behold the Glory of his Person, Office and Grace, with a due conviction of our concernment and interest therein, but that our Minds will be greatly affected with it, and be filled with contemplations about it. Where it is not so with any, it is to be feared that they have not heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape, whatever they profess. A spiritual sight of Christ will assuredly produce love unto him, and if any Man love him not, he never saw him, he knows him not at all. And that is no love, which doth not beget in us many thoughts of the object beloved. He therefore who is partaker of this Grace, will think much of what Christ is in himself, of what he hath done for us, of his love and condescention, of the manifestation ⟨p. 183⟩of all the glorious excellencies of the Divine Nature in him, exerted in a way of infinite Wisdom and Goodness for the Salvation of the Church. Thoughts and Meditations of these things will abound in us, if we are not wanting unto the due exercise of Faith: and intense inflamed Affections unto him, will ensue thereon, at least they will be active unto our own refreshing experience. And where these things are not in reality (though in some they may be only in a mean and low degree) Men do but deceive their own Souls in hopes of any benefit by Christ or the Gospel.
