The True Christians Love To The Unseen Christ

Book: 
The True Christians Love To The Unseen Christ
Reviewer: 
Joseph J. Adrian

I love the writings of The Puritans and have greatly benefited from them. I've been reading their books (and re-reading some of them) for over thirty years. Thomas Vincent's "The True Christians Love . . ." has long been one of my favorites, if not my favorite for many years.

If you were asked——"What is the essence of Christianity?"——what would you say? My response would be——"Love to Christ." I think Elizabeth Prentiss' great hymn expresses what every Christian desires——"More Love O Christ To Thee," "More Love To Thee." What is Christianity without love to Christ? "A Christian without love to Christ is a dead Christian, dead in sins and trespasses." If a Christian does not love Christ, they are only a Christian in name, or by profession to be, but not in reality.

Christ desires that "His Sheep" love Him. One of the reasons He desires this, according to Vincent is——"He knows that love will engage and employ for him all the powers and faculties of their souls. . . ." Is not love the most powerful motive there is?

The nature of love is that it stirs the desire to be with, to commune with the one that is loved——"no, converse is so desirable as with the persons whom we most dearly love. . . ."

Why do believers love Jesus Christ? In His person——"He is altogether lovely"——"Christ excelled the most excellent men that ever lived." Whatever excellent qualities draw you to someone, Christ is more excellent than them, in that particular way. He excels any person that has ever lived in humility, wisdom, kindness, sincerity, truthfulness, patience, holiness, righteousness. . . , and has greater love for man, than anyone else possibly can.

How should Christians love Christ? Vincent gives four characteristics of His people's love for Him——1. Sincerity——It must not just be a professed love, but it should be a love . . . in deed and truth." 2. It should be a supreme love. It should transcend the love that any have for their closest relations (Father, Mother, Sister, Brother, Son, Daughter . . .). 3. Christians ought to have an ardent love for their Savior, it should be——"A strong, vehement . . . flaming love . . . ." 4. The believer's love for Christ should be constant——"having begun to love him, they ought to continue to love him. . . ."

A good test of one's spiritual health is to gage one's love for "The Lord Jesus Christ." Has your love for the Lord Jesus waxed cold? Do you desire to love Christ more? Here is help for you. It was said of Thomas Vincent that he memorized the New Testament and the Psalms. This servant of "The Most High" was, by God's grace, mighty in "The Scriptures." This book supports that assertion.