The True Christian's Love to the Unseen Christ

By Thomas Vincent and Terry Kulakowski

Book Overview

This is one of the most poignant books ever to come from a Puritan pen. Vincent wrote this priceless devotional based on 1 Peter 1:8, "Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love..." There is, of course, nothing more basic in Christianity than love to Christ. It is difficult to describe the passionate love for Christ that flows from every page of this treatment of the beauty of Christ. Here is a warm bath and spiritual encouragement for weary souls. "Our Savior sent an epistle from heaven to the church of Ephesus, wherein He reproved her because she had left her first love, and threatened the removal of her candlestick. He would take away her light--if she did not recover her love. By the same hand, at the same time, He sent another epistle to the church of Laodicea, wherein He reproved her lukewarmness, and threatened, because she was neither hot nor cold--that He would spew her out of His mouth, Revelation 2:45 and 3:15-16. And are professors in Britain under no such sin, in no such danger--when some scoff at the flames of love to Christ, like dogs that bark at the moon so far above them; when the most nominal professors are wholly strangers to this love? "The former looking upon it as but a fancy, the latter having it only in the theory and when, among those Christians who love Christ in sincerity, there are so few that know what it is to love Christ with fervor and ardency, when there is so general a decay of love to Christ in the land, Lord, what is likely to become of Britain! Have we not provoked the Lord to take away our candlestick? Have we not provoked the Lord to suffer worse than Egyptian darkness to overspread us again, and cover our light because it shines with such cold beams, because the light of knowledge in the head, is accompanied with so little warmth of love to Christ in the hearts of most Christians? Everyone will fetch water to quench fire in a general conflagration, and surely there is need in a day of such general decay of love to Christ, that some such fetch fire from heaven, and use bellows too; arguments, I mean, to enkindle and blow up the spark of love to Christ which seems so ready to expire. "Reader, the following discourse of the true Christian's love to the unseen Christ, is not finely spun and woven with neatness of wit and language. It is not flourished and set off with a variety of metaphors, hyperboles, rhetorical elegancies, or poetical fancies and fragments. It is not adorned and fringed with the specious show of many marginal quotations, excerpted out of divers authors. The discourse is plain--but the author has endeavored that it might be warm; his design being more to advance his Master, than himself, in your esteem; and if he has less of your praise, so that his Lord may have more of your love--his great end is attained."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1505786959
• ISBN13: 9781505786958
• Release Date: December 2014
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 118 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.3" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Discipline Is the Order of the Day

The True Christian's Love to the Unseen Christ was not written by someone with marketing skills foremost in his mind. This book calls every Christian to task. The author makes it clear that being steadfast in our commitment to Christ requires discipline. While he does not speak about the world's entertainments, it is clear one can not be engaged in this world's entertainment and at the same time be fully committed to the unseen Christ. It is a sober account of how we can "be as the Bereans."

Love To Christ- Immensely Important For Believers

The author states his purpose for writing this treatise in the books subtitle: A Discourse,Chiefly Tending To Excite And Promote The Decaying Love Of Christ In The Heart Of Christians. Love to Christ is as important to spiritual life, as the beating of the heart which pumps blood through the arteries that supplies oxygen to the cells, is to physical life, without it life will not continue. The importance of loving Christ cannot be overstated. Where there is much love for the Lord Jesus Christ there will be great zeal to promote His truth,His Kingdom and His glory. John Macarthur informs us in the forward of the book that the highest duty of the Christian is to love the Lord Jesus. A good portion of the book exhorts the reader as to why Christ ought to be loved. We have an example of this on p.35 the person of Christ should draw forth the believers love due to: "1)His greatness and authority;2)His holiness and purity;3)His wisdom and omniscience;4)His truth and fidelity;5)His fullness and all suffiency;6)His kindness and mercy." The author encourages the believer to make diligent use of the means God has provided to increase their love for their Lord. Some of those means being: hearing the Word preached, reading and studying the Scriptures, praying for increased love for Him, living by faith, cultivating a sense of His love for you, growing in your hatred of and striving against sin, associating closest with those who most love Christ, exercising the love that you do have that it may grow.Reading and meditating upon the truths set forth in this book will help any Christian to gage their spiritual health or lack thereof.

A powerful, transforming book!

On my second time through this book, I tried to take notes on the most important points and gave up because I was copying down practically the entire book! Approaching the issue of loving Christ from a number of different perspectives--who Christ is, what He has done, etc.--Vincent's clear explanation of why and how Christians should love Christ engages your mind and moves your heart with incredible power. Neither exceedingly erudite nor sappy in the least, this book hits the question of loving Christ at its core. It reveals the height and depth and breadth of true Christian love in a way that cuts to the heart and cannot be ignored. If this is an issue with which you have struggled, either theologically or practically, do not pass this book by!