Section 770
II. This love of Christ to his church is also exceeding valuable and inestimable
"If a man would give all the substance of his house for it, it would utterly be contemned." For; 1. This is not to be procured by money, if any should offer to purchase the favor of Christ at any such rate, he would be treated with the utmost contempt, as Simon Magus was by the apostles, of whom he would have bought the gift of the Holy Ghost with money; to whom Peter said (20), "Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money:" Christ and his love are of greater value, than to be obtained in such a manner; for not only the substance of a single person's house, but even the riches of the whole world, and the most precious things in nature, are not equal to them (see Job 28:12, 13, 19; Proverbs 8:11, 19). 2. Riches will not entitle men to the love and favor of Christ; he does not regard them on the account of these; though perhaps too many, like Haman, are apt to say (Esther 6:6), "to whom would the king delight to do honor, more than to myself?" and so "trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches," to a neglect of divine Providence, and concern about their immortal souls; such would do well to consider, that "not many noble are called, but God hath chosen the poor of this world," whom it hath pleased him that the gospel should be preached unto. 3. Riches will not procure Christ's love, favor and regard, neither at the hour of death, nor in the day of judgment: when "he takes thee away with his stroke," that is, of death, then "a great ransom cannot deliver thee;" all thy bags of money will not buy off thy life one hour, much less secure his favor to eternity; for, "Will he esteem thy riches? no, nor gold, nor all the forces of strength," (Job 36:19, 20), which will be much the same case at the day of judgment; for the righteous judge, who will then sit upon the bench, will not be bribed, nor can his favor be procured by any such methods: "riches profit not in the day of wrath;" for if a man "gain the whole world, and lose his own soul," there will be no recovering it; for nothing will be given, nor will be taken "in exchange for it." 4. Therefore the love and favor of Christ should be preferred by us to all temporal enjoyments; for if his "loving-kindness is better than life," then it is better than all the temporal comforts and enjoyments of it: we should not covet to have our portion here, nor boast ourselves of our wisdom, strength, or riches; but "glory in this," that we know the Lord, who "exerciseth loving-kindness in the earth." Thus much may suffice for the first sense of the words. I shall now proceed to consider them as they may be expressive of the church's love to Christ; which also is,
First, Inextinguishable and insuperable; it cannot be quenched nor drowned by many waters, nor all the floods, 1. Of wicked and ungodly men; the people and nations of the world, who are frequently compared to many waters (see Isaiah 17:12, 13; Revelation 17:1, 15), and so most of the Jewish[4288] writers understand them here: for the nations of the world, and the great men thereof, have not been able, either by force or flattery, by cruel edicts or fair promises, to alienate the church's love from Christ, nor tempt her to desert his cause and interest. 2. It cannot be quenched nor drowned by all the waters and floods of persecutions,[4289] which wicked men, by the instigation of Satan, have brought upon the people of God thus we read, in Revelation 12:15, that the serpent, which is the devil, "cast out of his month water as a flood, after the woman," which is the church, "that he might cause her to be carried away of it:" by which flood cast out of the serpent's mouth, must be meant, either a flood of heresies brought into the church to disturb her, and draw her off from Christ, her head, through the cunning craft of Satan; or else, a flood of persecutions, introduced by wicked and ungodly men, through his instigation, in order to affright, scare, and turn her aside from the pure ways of Christ, but all in vain; for (Romans 8:33, 37). "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us:" nay, death itself attended with the most exquisite torments and barbarous cruelties that hell can devise, cannot do it; for saints count not their lives dear to themselves, so that they may but "finish their course with joy," and bear a noble testimony to "the gospel of the grace of God." 3. The love of believers to Christ is not quenched nor drowned by all the waters and floods of affliction, which God is pleased to bring upon them: they generally have a large share of them; "waters of a full cup are wrung out unto them:" yet these, though they are not "joyous, but grievous," do not alienate their affections from Christ, but rather fix them more strongly on him; whilst they view all their afflictions as covenant-mercies, the effects of wisdom, love and faithfulness, and designed for their good, profit and advantage. 4. Neither can their love be quenched nor drowned by the many waters and floods of their own sins and corruptions: it is true, these are most likely to extinguish this fire and flame above all things else, and often do strike a damp upon it; for through the "aboundings of iniquity," love oftentimes waxeth cold; but yet it is not drenched and drowned there may be a leaving the first love; some degrees of heat in it may be remitted, but there is no such thing as losing the grace of love entirely; for it is an immortal seed, of a lasting, yea, of an everlasting nature. 5. Nor can it be quenched nor drowned by all the waters and floods of Satan's temptations this enemy of believers oftentimes "comes in like a flood" upon them, by filling their souls with blasphemous thoughts, vile suggestions, and wicked insinuations; in all endeavoring to draw off their love, and alienate their affections from Christ; which he sometimes attempts by fair words, shewing them "all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them," as he did Christ, and promising to give them to them, which is more than he can perform, if they will but turn their backs on Christ, and his ways; at other times he sets before them all the hardships, difficulties, reproaches and persecutions, which they will be exposed unto, if they persist therein; and yet all these floods cannot quench nor drown their love to Christ. Nor, 6. Can this be effected by divine desertions, which are compared to "waves, billows and water-spouts," (7), for though these much weaken the faith, and disturb the peace of God's children, yet they do not destroy their love: Christ's absence gives much uneasiness to believers, brings much darkness upon them, and raises many doubts, fears and misgivings of heart in them; they cannot, it may be, say at such times with the church, "My beloved is mine, and I am his;" yet they can say with her, when in the same condition with them, "Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?" 7. The terrors of the law, and the apprehensions of Goal's wrath which believers are sometimes filled with, are set forth by waves and floods of water, in Psalm 88:6, 7, 17, under which, though there may be but little faith, and less joy; yet there may be much love to Christ, great longings and earnest desires after the enjoyment of his presence; as appears from the case of the Psalmist, now referred to. 8. and lastly, All the hardships, difficulties, pressures and reproaches, which may attend believers in their Christian race, are so far from destroying their love to, and alienating their affections from Christ, that they do but rather endear him the more unto them; and make heaven, and the enjoyment of Christ there, the more desirable to them now, and the more welcome to them hereafter.
Secondly, This love of believers to Christ is exceeding valuable; for "if a man would give all the substance of his house for it, it would utterly be contemned:" for, 1. This is not to be bought with money, no more than the love of Christ is; no gift nor grace of the Spirit can be procured any such way: it is true, race is compared to "gold tried in the fire," which we are advised to buy of Christ; but then it is to be "bought without money, and without price." 2. As this grace cannot be bought with money, so neither will it be parted with for it: a Judas indeed, for thirty pieces of silver, forsook his master, and betrayed him into his enemies hands; as Demas also deserted the apostles, and cause of Christ, "having loved this present world;" but these things cannot prevail upon true believers to do the like. For, 3. The offers of a man's whole estate, nay of the riches of the Indies, or vast treasures of the whole globe, if made on terms and conditions of parting with Christ, or deserting his cause and interest, would be treated with the utmost disdain and contempt; they would "utterly be contemned;" or, "in despising they would despise" it, as the words may be read from the Hebrew text. For, 4. The things of this world appear but mean in the believer's eye; who "counts all things but loss and dung, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus:" nay, he is willing to part with all for Christ, and does, when called to it, "take joyfully the spoiling of his goods, knowing that he has in heaven a better and a more enduring substance." 5. The sense of this clause is thus given by some:[4290] that those who spend their substance, their time, their strength, nay, their very lives, for the love they bear to God, Christ, his ways, cause and interest, are but laughed at, despised, and set at nought by those who are destitute of it; which sense is favored by the Septuagint version, which renders the words thus; "If a man would give all his living away in love, or charity, in despising they would despise him." Now the constancy and insuperableness of this precious and valuable grace of love in her soul to Christ, is improved by the church to obtain the former request; "set me as a seal upon thine heart," etc. for my soul is all in flames of love for thee, which cannot be extinguished by all I suffer on thy account, nor will be parted with for all that the world can give me; which love of hers discovers itself, not only in a regard to Christ, but also in a concern for others, as appears from the following words.