A64995:172
The true Christians love of the unseen Christ, or, A discourse chiefly tending to…
The true Christians love of the unseen Christ, or, A discourse chiefly tending to excite and promote the decaying love of Christ in the hearts of Christians with an appendix concerning Christs manifestation of himself to them that love him / by Thomas Vincent.
London: printed by J.R. for Samuel Sprint, 1677
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Plead how much it will be for his Glory, that you should have much love unto Christ, that hereby you shall be enabled to honour him the more in the world. Plead how much it will be for your good; tell him, if you asked Corn and Wine and Oil; if you asked Wealth and Honours, and Creature-delights in abundance, they might be a snare to you, and for your hurt; but a strong love to Christ is needful and useful, and be sure will be for your good; urge his Promise of Circumcising the heart to love him, and plead his Faithfulness; and if you be thus importunate in Prayer for much love to Christ, and will not be denied, you shall not be denied.
Plead how much it will be for his Glory, that you should have much love unto Christ, that hereby you shall be enabled to honour him the more in the world. Plead how much it will be for your good; tell him, if you asked Corn and Wine and Oyl; if you asked Wealth and Honours, and Creature-delights in abundance, they might be a snare to you, and for your hurt; but a strong love to Christ is needfull and usefull, and be sure will be for your good; urge his Promise of Circumcising the heart to love him, and plead his Faithfulness; and if you be thus importunate in Prayer for much love to Christ, and will not be denyed, you shall not be denyed.
4. Would you have much Love to Christ, get much Faith. Faith worketh Love both to the Father and to the Son; ⟨p. 139⟩According to the measure of your Faith, so will the measure of your Love be: Such as are without any Faith, are without any Love; such as have but a feeble faith, have but a weak love; and such as have the strongest faith, have the strongest love. The strongest faith giveth the clearest discovery of Christs infinite Excellencies and Perfections; It is not the eye of Sense which doth discern Christ, neither is it the eye of Reason which doth discern him; whatever discoveries we have of Christ, it is by Revelation, and this is discernible only by Faith. Faith is the Evidence of things not seen, and the unseen Christ is evident by Faith to be the most excellent Person, and the most suitable Object of love, and the more evident the Object of love is, the stronger will the love be. Moreover, Faith is not only the Eye of the Soul to discern Christ, but also the Hand of the Soul, not only to take hold on him, but also to receive from him of his Fullness Grace for Grace, and by consequence more of this Grace of love to him. Our Communion with Christ is by Faith; the more intimate acquaintance and fellowship we have with those whom we love, the more endeared will be our love; the strongest Faith brings us unto