Page:Two godly letters of the pious martyr Mr. James Renwick.pdf/5

( 5 ) account: What will love not undergo? what will love not forego for the beloved's honour? We need no more to commend this common cause unto us, than this, it is Christ's cause; and seeing his glory is concerned in it, that is our honour to be concerned with it: So love to the lovely one, or an uptaking of his lovliness which cannot but beget love to him, making his yoke easy. Love is as oil to our wheels, to make them run swiftly and lightly, the way of his commandments. O love makes obedience an easy and pleasant work: For the command binds the conscience, and love gains the affections: So, where conscience and inclination go together, it must needs be an easy work. Christ's yoke was easy and pleasant unto David, Psal. cxix. 127, I love thy Commandments above gold, yea, above fine gold! And that which is greatly to be marked there, is, as the world was casting of Christ's yoke, so David was taking it on more heartsomly: They have made void thy law, therefore I love thy commandments, &c. faith he, a mark of a true love indeed; the more that Christ is rejected and despised by others, the more is he to be beloved by his own. O what shall be said of love to Christ! Love is a resolute soldier for him, love is a valiant champion in his lists; love despiseth, yea, (I may say) wisheth for difficulties, to get it self shown Love sees not a spot upon all the cross; love gets never a bitter cup put into his hand, but the beloved's frowns; it thinks not his cross bitter, but reads delightsomeness engraven upon it; love will rejoice to cross the natural parts of the will to please Christ, love will not stand to venture upon the swellings of Jordan with him and for him; the heaps of great waters are nothing in love's eye; the deeper that love wades, it thinks it the sweeter, losses, wandrings, tossings, death and dangers are nothing to love, for, Cant. viii. 6, 7. Love is strong as death, jealousie is cruel as the grave, the coals thereof are coals of fire which hath a most vehement flame; many waters cannot quence love, neither can the floods drown it: If a man would give all substance