True Christians Love Christ Because of His Love

Last month I quoted an excerpt from Puritan Thomas Vincent's book, The True Christian's Love to the Unseen Christ, where he discusses "loving Christ because of His loveliness." Now I would like to share a short excerpt from the following section, Loving Christ Because of His Love to His own people.

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, with an active or doing love, with a passive or suffering love. His love is infinite, without bounds or limits; it is superlative, without comparison; everlasting, without change; and will have no end or conclusion.

He loved them when they were polluted in their sins, and washed them with His own blood; He loved them when they were naked in their souls, and clothed them with His own righteousness.

He loves them in their sickness and sorrows, and is their Comforter. He loves them in their wants and straits, and is their Benefactor. He loves them at death, and is the stay of their hearts; and He loves them after death, and will be their portion forever.

     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; especially when both are incomparable, both are incomprehensible.

__Thomas Vincent