a 
 
 0j0 ' ■»" "" '"» m mil mil lllll IVII HI!! !ll! !! 1 1| !|| 
 
 ff/3 
 
EVANGELICAL TRACT SOCIETY, 1 ^ 
 
 Petersburg, Va. j" NO- S09- 
 
 LOVE 
 
 10 
 
 AN UNSEEN SAVIOUR. 
 
 : Whom having not seen ye love; 
 
 BY ARCHIBALD ALEXANDER, D. D. 
 
 RALEIGH: 
 
 RALEIGH REGISTER STEAM TOWER PRESS. 
 
 1863. 
 
>mqp 
 
No. 209. 
 
 LOVE 
 
 TO 
 
 AN UNSEEN SAVIOUR. 
 
 Whom having not seen ye love." — 1 Peter i. 8. 
 
 iij 
 
 The strangers dispersed through Asia Minor, to whom this 
 i >le was addressed, had never seen the Lord Jesus Christ 
 .he flesh. But having been induced to attend on the 
 ministry of the apostles and evangelists, who represented to 
 them the facts relating to the Saviour of the world, and con- 
 flfrmed their testimony by miraculous signs, they, undef the 
 illumination .of the Spirit, believed in him ; and their faith 
 was accDmpanied by love to him whom they had not seen. 
 u Whom having not seen, yc love; and in whom believing, 
 ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." 
 
 It is related of the great Augustine that he was wont to 
 express his regret that he could not see three things which 
 had occurred before his time, namely, " Christ in the flesh, 
 Paul in the pulpit, and Home in its glory." As it regards 
 the first of these, it is probable that most Christians have ex- 
 perienced something of the same pious curiosity. We are 
 very naturally inclined to envy the condition of those who 
 were contemporaneous with our Lord; and-who is there among 
 living Christians, who would not consent to perform a long 
 pilgrimage to enjoy the sight of this divine Personage, even 
 for an hour ? Such a curiosity was felt by many who resided 
 in distant countries, while he was upon earth. Thus, we 
 read, that certain Greeks, no doubt proselytes, as soon as they 
 
4 ' LOVE TO AN UNSEEN SAVIOUR. 
 
 arrived at Jerusalem to attend one of the Jewish festivals, 
 began immediately to inquire for him, saying : u We would 
 see Jesus ;" and others said, " Where is He V Earnest 
 search was therefore made for him ; and when it was under- 
 stood that the Lord Jesus was approaching by the way of the 
 Mount of Olives, multitudes went out to meet him, and, for 
 the moment, were filled with 'enthusiastic affection, and cried 
 out with a loud voice, " Hosannah^to the Son of David !; lib- 
 sannah in the highest !" 
 
 But howe'ver natural the curiosity may be, there is reason 
 to think that its gratification would be attended with very 
 little benefit. When Christ tabernacled in the flesh, he was 
 seen by unbelievers as well as "believers ; by bitter -enemies as-* 
 well as by friends. Judas was not in the least benefitted by 
 familiar intercourse with him for several years. He was 
 seen by the chief priests, scribes, and elders, when arraigned 
 before the Sanhedrim j also by the soldiers who apprehended 
 him and bound him. By Pilate, and by Herod and his men 
 of war. By the executioners who scourged him, and then 
 nailed him to the cross ; and by the multitudes, who were 
 witnesses of his crucifixion 5 bu£ the sight of the Saviour had 
 no beneficial -effect on any of these. And if Christ should 
 again be manifested (as he will be) to the world, not in hu- 
 miliation but in glory, unless the Holy Spirit should renew 
 the minds of the beholders, there would be #0 love to the 
 Saviour generated by the external vision of hisfnajesty. In- 
 deed, when he shall come, " every eye shall see him, and they 
 that pierced him,'" and the only effect will be that all kin- 
 dreds of the earth shall wail because of him. The whole 
 human race shall see Christ on the judgment seat, but only 
 they who believed on him here, will rejoice in his appear- 
 ance. 
 
 A sight of Christ's body is not at all necessary to the exer- 
 cise of a true faitli. This he emphatically taught after his 
 resurrection, in the case of Thomas, who was -not with the 
 other anostles when Christ first appeared to them collectively. 
 But eight days after, when* Thomas was present, "came 
 Jesus, the doors being shut, an J stood in the midst, and said, 
 Peace be unto you." Then saith he to Thomas, " Reach 
 hither thy finger and behold niy bands, and reach hither thy 
 hand and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless but be- 
 
LOVE TO AN UNSEEN SAVIOUR. *5 
 
 lieving. And Thomas answered and 3aid unto him, My Lor d 
 and my God ! Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou 
 hast seen me thou hast believed, Blessed are they that have 
 not seen, and yet have believed.' 7 
 
 'It is not even necessary to a true faith, nor auxiliary to it, 
 that a lively image of the Saviour be formed in the imagina- 
 tion. Faith is no fancy. And if the sight of Christ himself/ 
 whether in his habiliments of humility, or robes of light and 
 glory, would have no tendency to generate a true faith, then 
 certainly, no picture or painting of Christ — which must be 
 fictitious — ever can afford us any real aid in believing, or in 
 spiritual worship. People are indeed affected and excited by- 
 such representations, but these (.'fleets have little or no affini- 
 ty with the true spirit of devotion. They rather hinder than 
 help by turning the attention of the worshipper to an exter- 
 nal object, when it should by faith be contemplating the spir- 
 itual beauties of the Son of God. 
 ; Some, perhaps, may find a .difficulty in conceiving how a 
 person never seen can become the object of affection. But a 
 little reflection will make this matter plain. Eminent bine^ 
 factors are often highly esteemed and loved by those who 
 uever saw them. The blind, who never saw their nearest 
 "relatives, have as strong affection for their parents, brothers, 
 sisters, and friends, as any others. 
 
 If a parent should conceal himself from the view of his 
 children, and yet -should often' speak to them, giving them 
 lessons of wisdom and piety, and bestowng on them daily 
 favours, would not such parent be loved by dutiful children ' 
 Indeed, in all cases where we do see those whom weomost 
 highly esteem, it is not the visible bodily frame which is the 
 object of our affection, but the invisible mind which manifests 
 its sentiments and feelings, through the countenance and ac- 
 tions of the body. Where there is rational affection of es- 
 teem, founded on the perception of moral worth, the body 
 may change, and its beauty and freshness may be turned into 
 deformity and decrepitude, and yet there shall be no diminu- 
 tion of our esteem. All that is most amiable in the most 
 beautiful iace, has relation to the dispositions of the heart, of 
 which the countenance is the expressive index.' A person 
 far off and never seen may be loved — therefore a person who 
 really lives in another world may be sincerely loved. God 
 
6 LOVE TO AN ITNrfEEN SAVIOUR. 
 
 is neoessarily invisible, because he is a pure spirit, but he is 
 supremely loved and adored by all the heavenly hosts. 
 
 Love to an unseen Saviour includes a knowledge of his 
 true character. We cannot truly love a being of whom we 
 know nothing. And it will not answer to substitute our own 
 imaginations for the true knowledge of Christ. The word, 
 being the fountain of all truth, must be our guide in think- 
 ing of the Saviour. Here Christ is set forth in all his per- 
 sonal and official characters. Here his divine virtues, his 
 discourses, and his patient sufferings are recorded. Many 
 are for turning from the written word to some delusive light 
 which they fancy to be within them. They turn away from 
 the true Christ to a false one, which they have formed to 
 themselves. Be exhorted then, to behold the character of 
 your Lord, as portrayed in his word. 
 
 Love to an unseen Saviour is by faith. Faith works by. 
 love. Where an object is not seen it must be believed in, 
 otherwise there can be no affection exerted. 
 
 'Love to an unseen Saviour includes a high veneration and 
 esteem for his character. The sentiment called esteem u 
 known to all. We feel it toward men of excellence ; and it is 
 a feeling which we naturally desire to have exercised toward 
 ourselves. When excellence superior to human, and united 
 with great power and wisdom, is found in any person, this 
 esteem rises to reverence. There is experienced a holy awe, 
 and an humble sense of inferiority. This may especially be 
 called, "the rdigious feeling." It is the emotion of which 
 we are most conscious, when we obtain any clear impressive 
 views of the diameter of God. Whenever God is felt to be 
 near, this feeling predominates. It is, therefore, often put 
 for the whole of internal religion, and becomes the character- 
 istic of sincere worshippers. They that fear God arc, in the 
 language of the Scriptures, the truly pious. 
 
 As love to any one includes a desire to come into the pre- 
 sence of the beloved, so especially love to an unseen person 
 is accompanied with an ardent desire, if .he cannot be seen, 
 yet to be near him. The believing soul, smitten with the 
 love of Jesus, is full of desires. Like the spouse, its language 
 is, "Saw ye him whom my soul loveth ? I sought him but 
 I found him not." These desires are not only after the com- 
 fortable presence of the Saviour, but after conformity to him. 
 
LOVE TO AX UNSEEN SAVIOUR. 7 
 
 and after the possession of those gifts by which the peTson 
 may be enabled to glorify his name. There is no surer char- 
 acteristic of a sincere lover of Christ, than a habitual desire 
 to be like Christ, and an ardent zeal to promote his glory, 
 and this every sincere soul is conscious of, in some degree. 
 "My soul thirsteth after God, the living God." "When 
 shall I come and appear before God ?" 
 
 Delight in God is also included in love. Indeed, this may 
 bo said to be tl;e very essence of love*. Itisaholy compla- 
 cency in Christ. The soul reposes in the contemplation of 
 his character, and enjoys a- sweet pleasure. All the traits of 
 his character are pleasing. "He is the chief among ten thou- 
 sand, and the one altogether lovely." One bright view of 
 his excellence arill beauty ravishes the soul with unspeakable 
 delight. "Whom having not seen, ye love, and in whom, 
 though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy 
 unspeakable and full of glory." Joy and love are twin sis- 
 ters, and they are very much alike, and cannot be separated. 
 "■Delight thyself in God, and he will give thee the desires of 
 thy heart." * 
 
 'How sweet the name of Jesus sounds 
 
 In a believer's ear ! 
 It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, 
 
 And drives away his fear." 
 
 "His name is like ointment poured forth." 
 
 Another exercise of love to Christ is gratitude. The Re- 
 deemer is exhibited as a Chief Benefactor. All that is said 
 of him in the Scriptures relates to his grand work of redeem- 
 ing human sinners. Here we read - of his love*, his eternal 
 love, which put him on this work of salvation. Here we 
 have the history of his deep humiliation, when he became incar- 
 nate in* our nature. Here we behold the man of sorrows, the 
 persecuted, despised Nazarene ; the man whose visage was 
 more marred than that of any man — burdened with our 
 griefs and sorrows, and at last crucified, in circumstances of 
 overwhelming disgrace and agony. Now, all this love, all 
 this suffering, exhibits the benefactor of man. All other 
 Saviours are eclipsed, when compared with the Son of God.. 
 Their services are lost, in insignificance, in comparison with 
 his work. ? 
 
3 LOVE XO AN UNSEEN SAVIOUR. 
 
 Now as Christ is exhibited ah performing the part of a benefac- 
 tor, in all his mediatorial work, of course the feeling, above all oth- 
 ers, which corresponds with his revealed character, is gratitude. 
 Much of the exercise of true religion, therefore, consists in grati- 
 tude; and much, very much, of our sin consists in ingratitude. A 
 thankful, penitent heart is, therefore, the frame which becomes 
 us. For such love as that of Christ's there should be an ever- 
 lasting flow of gratitude from our hearts, and a continual song 
 of praise while we have a being. And this feeling of gratitude, 
 though often sadly deficient now, will hereafter overflow from the 
 redeemed to all eternity, and there* shall be a song of praise com- 
 menced which shall never cease — "To him that loved us and 
 washed us from our sins in his own blood." . * • 
 
 The only inference which I would deduce from the foregoing 
 discourse.,* is, that if we here love a Saviour whom we have never 
 seen, and whom we can only approach by faith, how strong will Uj 
 be our love when we shall see him face to face, and fmd"oursel7e# 
 not only in his real presence, but inclosed in bis affectionate em- 
 brace ! And when we fee him, we shall be like .him, both in 
 houl and body, "for we shall see him as he is." And '^beholding 
 his glory we shall be changed into the same image from -glory to 
 glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord." 
 
 God being a Spirit cannot be seen with corporeal eyes, cither 
 in this world or the next; but his glory shines illustriously In tfcjB 
 face of his Son. And whosever sceth the Son seeth the Father 
 " also, for the Father and Son arg one. Here our views of Christ 
 are only by faith, but in heaven we shall see him face- to face, 
 and know as we are known. Here our love to the Saviour is 
 feeble, on account of the dimness of our vision, and often inter- 
 rupted by-dark clouds, and earthly affections which draw us away 
 from the'conteinplation of the character of our Redeemer ; but in 
 heaven there will be no interposing obstacles to veil his glory, or 
 counteracting affections to enfeeble or interrupt our perfect love. 
 Happy, happy condition of those who loved a Saviour, whom 
 they never saw, when they shall see him as he is. and be like 
 him. They will never be wear\*of ga//iug on his lovely face-- 
 they will never cease to give him. thanks and praise for his un- 
 paralleled, unspeakable love, to which they will forever acknowl- 
 edge their indebtedness for salvation. 
 
Hollinger Corp. 
 pH 8.5