s, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Oh, my friends,
if ye will follow Christ through all the steps of his humiliation, ye
may see that the love of Christ is strong love, which makes him endure
such things for sinners. He gives great things to sinners, whereby He
shows the strength of his love to them; for He gives grace and glory,
and no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly; for He
saith, 'Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast given me, be with
me where I am, that they may behold my glory which Thou hast given me.'
Christ gives the believer union with himself and communion in glory with
the Father, even a share of that glory which the Father giveth Him, He
giveth them. He gives them a crown of righteousness which shall never
fade away; and He gives them to drink of the rivers of his pleasures,
that are at his right hand for evermore. Oh, my friends, Christ doth not
prig with His spouse: He will keep nothing back from them, that He sees
to be for her profit.--Oh, but His love is _strong_. He requires no more
for all that He has done, and all that He hath given, but that He see
the travail of His soul. He will think but little of all that He hath
done, if we will but accept of His love, and lay our love upon Him. Yea,
so may be said of Him, as was said of Jacob,--the seven years that he
served for Rachel seemed but a few days, for the love that He bare unto
her. His love is so strong, that although thou shouldest run away from
Him never so fast, yet His love will overtake thee, and bring thee back
again. Paul ran very fast in opposition to His love, when he was going
to Damascus to persecute the Church. But Christ's love overtook him
suddenly. Manasseh ran very fast from Christ, when he made the streets
of Jerusalem to run with innocent blood, and set up an abomination in
the house of God, and used witchcraft; and yet Christ's love overtook
him, and brought him back again from the pit. If thou art one of those
that the Father hath given to the Son, though thou shouldest run to the
brink of hell, He will bring thee back again from thence.

"Christ's love is _pure_ and _sincere_ love. 'Herein is love, not that
we loved Him, but that He loved us;" not for any advantage that He can
have by us, for He is infinite in all perfections without us; therefore
we can neither enrich Him, nor add any more glory to Him. We may well
magnify His power; that is all we can do, and all the advantage is