The true Christians love of the unseen Christ, or, A discourse chiefly tending to…

1. If you would attain this love unto Jesus Christ whom you have never seen, you must get a thorough persuasion that there is such a Person a• Jesus Christ, and that he is such a Person indeed, as the Scriptures have revealed him to be. The reason why Heathens and Infidels are without love to Christ is because they have never heard of him, and the reason why many nominal Christians that have heard of Christ are without love to him, is because they are not really persuaded that there is or ever was such a person as Jesus Christ in the World. If you would attain this love you must give firm assent to this Truth (which is the greatest of all, and the very pillar & foundation of ⟨p. 114⟩the whole Christian Religion) that Christ really is, and that the History of him is no cunningly devised Fable. If you have reason to believe that there was such a a Person as Alexander the Great, that there was such person as Julius Caesar, both which lived before Christs time; you have more reason to believe that there was and is such a Person as Jesus Christ: you have only Profane history for the former, but you have Sacred history for the latter; you have only the writings of men to testify the one, but you have the word of God in the Holy Scripture to testify the other. You have as much reason to believe the history of the Gospel as to believe any other history, and you have more reason to believe the history of the Gospel than to believe any other history. I shall suggest one reason amongst many that might be mentioned. The History of the Gospel was written by unlearned Fishermen, and it was believed by as lea•ned men as any in the world, in and near the time of their writing, which belief some of them sealed with their blood, which they would never have done had they found any reason to suspect the truth of this history, which (had there been any reason of suspicion) they might easily have ⟨p. 115⟩found out in those times when such a grand Fable as this (had it been a Fable) could not possibly have gained credit▪ amongst wise and inquisitive men; especially when it would have been their greatest worldly Interest, the preservation of their Estates and Lives, to have disbelieved and disowned it.