Take heed of abusing this love of Christ, Eph. 3: 18, 19. This
exhortation seems needless; for love is such a thing as one would
think none could find in their hearts to abuse. But for all that, I
am of opinion that there is nothing that is more abused among
professors at this day, than is this love of God. And what can such
a one say for himself in the judgment, that shall be charged with
the abuse of love? Christians, deny yourselves, deny your lusts,
deny the vanities of this present life, devote yourselves to God,
become lovers of God, lovers of his ways, and a people zealous of
good works; then shall you show to one another and to all men that
you have not received the grace of God in vain. And what a thing
will it be to be turned off at last, as one that abused the love of
Christ; as one that presumed upon his lusts, this world, and all
manner of naughtiness, because the love of Christ to pardon sins was
so great! What an unthinking, what a disingenuous one wilt thou be
counted at that day; yea, thou wilt be found to be the man that made
a prey of love, that made a stalk ing-horse of love, that made of
love a slave to sin, the devil, and the world; and will not that be
had?
OBJECTION. If it be so, then men need not care what they do; they
may live in sin, seeing Christ hath made satisfaction.
ANSWER. If I were to point out one under the power of the devil,
going hastily to hell, I would look no further for such a man than
to him that would make such a use as this of the grace of God. What,
because Christ is a Saviour, thou wilt be a sinner; because his
grace abounds, therefore thou wilt abound in sin! O wicked wretch,
let me tell thee before _I_ leave thee, as God's covenant with
Christ for his children stands sure, immutable, and unchangeable, so
also hath God taken such a course with thee, that unless he deny
himself, it is impossible that thou shouldst go to heaven, dying in
that condition. They tempted God, proved him, and turned his grace
into lasciviousness; so he sware in his wrath, They shall not enter
into my rest. No, saith God, if Christ and heaven will not satisfy
them, hell must devour them. God hath more places than one in which
to put sinners: if they do not like heaven, hell must be their
residence; if they do not love Christ, they must dwell for ever with
devils.
PERVERSION OF THE TRUTH. Let those that name the name of Christ
depart from the iniquity that cleaveth to opinions. This is a sad
age for that: let opinions in themselves be never so good, never so
necessary, never so innocent, yet there are spirits in the world
that will entail iniquity to them, and will make the vanity so
inseparable from the opinion, that it is almost impossible with some
to take in the opinion and leave out the iniquity that by craft and
subtlety of Satan is joined thereto. Nor is this a thing new and of
yesterday; it has been thus almost in all ages of the church of God,
and that not only in things small and indifferent, but in things
fundamental and most substantial. I need instance in none other for
proof hereof, but the doctrine of faith and holiness. If faith be
preached as that which is absolutely necessary to justification,
then faith fantastical, and looseness and remissness in life, with
some, are joined therewith. If holiness of life be preached as
necessary to salvation, then faith is undervalued and set below its
place, and works, as to justification with God, set up and made
copartners with Christ's merits in the remission of sins. Thus
iniquity joineth itself with the greatest and most substantial
truths of the gospel; and it is hard to receive any good opinion
whatever, but iniquity will join itself thereto.