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

2. Would you have much love to Christ? Be much in Reading and Studying the Scriptures. The Scriptures are a Glass in which Christ may be seen, he cannot be seen Face to Face in this World, this is the happiness of the Triumphant Church in Heaven, not of the Militant Church upon the Earth; what may here be discerned of Christ, it is in the glass of the Scriptures and Gospel-Ordinances: this is that glass spoken of, 2 Cor. 3. 18. We all with open face beholding as •n a glass the Glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from Glory to Glory. Christ is the Glory of the Lord, the brightness of his Fathers Glory? would you have much love to him, be often looking, viewing and beholding of him in the glass of the Scriptures, by much beholding of him, you may be transformed more and more into the likeness of ⟨p. 135⟩his Holiness, and into the likeness of his Love, which is Glory begun. The Scriptures have the Image of Christ engraven upon them; the Image of the Father is upon the Son, and the Image of the Son is upon the Scriptures; there you may see the Picture of Christ, the Beauty of Christ, at least some lineaments are there drawn by the hand of God, although not fully and to the life, I mean such you will see in him when you come to behold him face to face in Heaven; yet his Beauty is drawn in such proportions and with such shadows as you are now capable of beholding. Would you have much love unto Christ whom you have never seen? look much upon his Picture and Image in the Scriptures. The Scriptures are Christs Love letters. In the second and third Chapters of Revelations, Christ doth send Seven Epistles to the Seven Asian Churches; there are many Epistles and Love-letters as it were in the Scriptures, especially in the New Testament, wherein Christ doth give most kind expressions of most endeared Love unto his People. Read much and study Christ's Love letters, especially those parts of the Scriptures wherein Christ doth express most of his kindness and love. See how kindly Christ doth express himself, ⟨p. 136⟩Joh. 14. v. 1, 2, 3, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27. Chap. 1•. v. 9. 13, 14, 15, 16. Chap. 16. v. 7. 22, 24, 26, 27. 33. Chap. 17. v. 9, 10, 11, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24. Chap. 20. v. 17. Read often and consider such places.