In my previous post I introduced English Puritan author Thomas Vincent, and his glorious little book, The True Christian’s Love to the Unseen Christ. Written in the 17th Century, it expounds upon 1 Peter 1:8-9 …. ‘’Whom (speaking of Jesus), having not seen ye love; though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”
Vincent concludes his Introduction to the book with his purpose for writing it, That this little book may be blessed by the Lord to be a means to warm and enflame the heart with love to the unseen Christ is the earnest prayer of, A hearty well-wisher to your soul, Thomas Vincent.
Written in the English of his time, Vincent begins his book as follows:
The life of Christianity doth consist very much in our love to Christ, we are as much without spiritual life as a carcass when the soul is fled from it is without natural life. Faith without love to Christ is a dead faith, and a Christian without love to Christ is a dead Christian. Without love to Christ, we may have the name of Christians, but we are wholly without the nature. We may have a form of godliness, but wholly without the power. “Give me thine heart” is the language of God to all the children of men (Proverbs 23:26); and “Give me thy love” is the language of Christ to all His disciples (Matthew 22:37).
In identifying the one we are to love with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength, Vincent writes: Concerning the object of the true Christian’s love, and that is Jesus Christ, whom they have never seen. This Jesus Christ whom they love is the eternal Son of God, the second person in the glorious Trinity, who in time assumed our human nature, clothed Himself with our mortal flesh, lived like a servant in a mean condition, died like a malefactor in the cursed death of the cross, and all for our sakes, for our sins. He rose again the third day for our justification, ascended into Heaven after forty days, and there is set down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high to make intercession for us and to make preparation there for our reception into the glorious mansions and eternal habitations which are in the Father’s house.
In identifying the grounds or motivation for our love of Christ, he writes: The ground of this love to Christ is the discovery and believing apprehensions of Christ’s loveliness and love. There must first be a discovery of Christ as a suitable object of love; and not merely a bare notion of this, but believing apprehensions of it, that Christ is infinitely lovely, superlatively excellent, and that His love is matchless and transcended towards the children of men; that there is a treasure in Him, and a storehouse of all graces, and the most needful and rich supplies. Otherwise, there will be no going forth of the heart in love unto Him.
In identifying what he means by a true Christian, Vincent writes: True Christians are differenced and distinguished not only from all heathens and infidels, but from all bare nominal Christians, by their love to Jesus Christ…. The loveliness of Christ appears not to the eye of sense, but to the eye of faith. They who do not see Him with this eye cannot love Him; and they who see Him with this eye cannot choose but to love Him. He writes further regarding the one who loves Christ as one who sweetly rests and reposes itself in Christ and rejoices in His presence and love.
Vincent proceeds to note how this love to Christ is displayed, in a yielding and dedication of themselves unto His will and service. He writes: Lovers give themselves unto those whom they love. This accompanies the marriage union, and as such as those who love Christ are espoused and joined unto Christ, they give themselves unto Christ to be His and wholly at His disposal, as the wife (trusting in his love) gives herself unto the disposal of her husband (Ephesians 5:22-28).
In this same vein, Vincent notes that the true Christians will love Christ supremely, with an ardency and consistency that surpasses all else in this world. He notes the burning love kindled in the hearts of Christ’s disciples in Luke 24:32 and quotes the Old Testament Song of Solomon 8:6-7 which was written as an allegory both of marital love and love for God in Christ.
Vincent reminds us regarding the grace that we enjoy as sincere lovers of God in Christ, quoting Ephesians 6:24, and then points to Jeremiah 3:10, as to how God sees feigned, lukewarm love as great sin.
As lovely as Christ is in the infinite perfections of His being, Vincent emphasizes throughout the book how true love for Christ is equally warranted in response to His infinitely glorious love for us, displayed on the cross and in all of His redemptive works (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). He writes, There is great reason that true Christians should love Christ because of His loveliness; and there is further reason that they should love Him because of His love (toward them); especially when they are both incomparable, are both incomprehensible.
Vincent writes the following regarding the infinite value and immeasurable quality of Christ’s love for the redeemed: True Christians love Christ, because of His love, His love which He bears to them. He loves them with a first love and with a free love. He loves them with a tender and compassionate love. His love is infinite, without bounds or limits; it is superlative, without comparison; transcendent beyond comprehension; everlasting, without change; and will have no conclusion. He loved them when they were polluted in their sins (Romans 5:8) and washed them in His own blood when they were naked in their souls (Revelation 1:5) (Revelation 3:17) and clothed them in the robes of His righteousness (Isaiah 61:10) (2 Corinthians 5:21). He loves them in their sickness and sorrows and as their Comforter (Isaiah 51:12); He loves them in their wants and straits and is their Benefactor (James 1:17). He loves them in life and is the life of their souls; He loves them at death and is the stay of their hearts; He loves them after death and will be their portion (their inheretence) forever (1 Peter 1:3-5) (Psalm 73:26).
More on our love for the unseen Christ in my next post.
Grace and Peace ×
1st Corinthians 2:9
“But as it is written; eye have not seen nor ear have heard, nor has entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who LOVE HIM.”