Loving Jesus in His Eternal Work

We must love Jesus as carrying on that great work of our salvation in eternity. And this is the fruit or effect of faith, if once we believe, that all those designs and transactions were for us—even for us! O then how should we but love that God and love that Christ, Who thus first and freely loved us? God loved us before we loved Him, for He loved us in that eternity before all worlds. Surely, then, we are bound to love Him first and above all things. As the diamond formeth and fashioneth the diamond, so love formeth and fashioneth love. Or as fire converteth fuel into fire, so this ancient love of God and Christ may well cause our love again.

O Christ! Didst Thou not love us?...Who doubts it, that but reads the eternal design of God that Christ should go out of Himself and suffer an ecstasy⁷⁶ through the [intensity] of His love? That Christ should so far debase⁷⁷ His majesty as to die for us that we might not die, but live with Him? O then, how should this but kindle in our hearts a most ardent love towards God and Christ? What more effectual motive [works] man’s love than…the love and bounty of another? That this fruit doth spring from the sense of our election, Bernard⁷⁸ observes in Epistle 107, “Who, then, is righteous, except he who returns to God, Who loves him, His meed⁷⁹ of love? And this never happens unless the Spirit by faith reveals to the man the eternal purpose of God concerning his future salvation.” And hence it is that the heart is most in frame,⁸⁰ when it is considering the eternal love of God in Christ…O my soul! That thou couldst so live by faith on these eternal passages as that thou mightest attain to the highest fruits of faith, not only to love God and Christ, but to love them with a burning love, with a mighty love—such a love as lies in the most vigorous prosecution after Jesus Christ and in the most faithful resignation of thyself to God; such a love as works the most delightful aspect of God and Christ, as makes a man to behold God and Christ with all cheerfulness; such a love as works a man to extol the praises of God. O, in these hinges lies the strength of love…Indeed the best affections have their fits of swooning; it may be for the present thy love is cold. O but come up to this fire! Consider how God and Christ loved thee in every one of these:

His project to save thy soul sprang out of His love. Love was the first wheel that set all the eternal works of God going. What was that great design of God, but only an expression of His love? It was His pleasure to communicate Himself, and the rise of that communication was His love.

The counsels of God were all in love. Had not love been as president of the council, where hadst thou been? When all the attributes of God were at a stand, it was the love of God in Christ that resolved the question for thy salvation.

The foreknowledge of God was a foreknowledge of love and [approval]. In His eternal love, He embraced thee as His own. He foreknew thee, i.e., of His free love He set thee apart to life and salvation: “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:4). He chose us in Christ…Nothing at all moved Him to elect thee but His own good pleasure and free love.

The purpose of God was a resolution of love. It speaks of His love to be a constant, settled, abiding love: no unkindness shall alter it. “Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end” (Joh 13:1). Nay, He loves them without end, from everlasting to everlasting.

The decree of God was…an act of love to give in that grace unto His elect. Before all time He decreed [that this love] should be an effectual means to bring them unto glory.

The covenant between God and Christ was an agreement of love. God and Christ struck hands⁸¹ to save our souls. Grace was given in Christ Jesus before the world began (2Ti 1:9). Grace was given us, that is, the gracious love and favor of God in Christ was given us before all secular times.⁸² This was God’s meaning from everlasting, this was the design, yea, the greatest design that ever God had—to set out the infinite glory and the riches of His love in Jesus Christ! No question but He had other great designs in doing such great things as He hath done. But above all the designs that ever God had in all His works, this is the chief: to honor His mercy, to glorify the riches of His love and grace. Had it not been for this, He would never have made the world. And therefore in that world to come, it will be the delight of God to show His saints and angels what He is able to do for a creature. Yea, He will to all eternity declare to them—to what a height of excellence and glory—His love and mercy…so that the very saints and angels shall admire, adore, and magnify the name of God everlastingly for it.

O my soul! Canst thou ponder on this and not love Him dearly, who hath thus loved thee? Come…if thou art a Christian, thou hast some sparks, though now it may be under the ashes. Come rub, [inflame,] and warm thy affections at this fire!...Christ hath fire in His hand: look up and reach out thy hand to take it from Him. O take it with both thy hands and be thankful for it! Prayer…contemplation, judicious observation of the Spirit’s season are the best instruments to kindle this fire of love in thee.

And I think thy heart should begin now to melt! I think it should receive more easy impressions from the object before it; I think these eternal works and acts of God and Christ towards thy poor soul should begin to overcome thee…“Why, Lord, is it thus? Was I elected from all eternity in Christ? Was I ordained to a glorious inheritance before there was a world? Was this business to make me happy one of the chief deep councils of God? Was this one of the works of His wisdom that He was exercised about before the world began? Was this the great design of God in making the world and in making heaven—that place of glory—to glorify Himself and to glorify such a poor wretch as I am? O then how should this but mightily inflame my heart with the love of God and love of Christ?...Ah! what flames of divine affection, what raptures of zeal, what ravishments of delight, what ecstasies of obedience can be enough for my blessed God and dearest Redeemer?”

From Looking unto Jesus, Sprinkle Publications, www.sprinklepublications.net.

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Isaac Ambrose (1604-1664): Anglican, then Presbyterian minister; born in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England, UK.