Oh, the height! Oh the depth!

(Thomas Vincent, "Love to the Unseen Christ")

"Because of His great love that He had for us!"
    Ephesians 2:4

"We love Him—because He first loved us."
    1 John 4:19

Christian! Christ loves you with the FREEST love.
There are many motives and attractions for your
love to Christ—but Christ's love to you is most free.

There is nothing in yourselves to draw and engage
His love—except your deformity and enmity to Him;
except filthiness which He loathes, and wickedness
which His soul hates; these are the only motives.

There is no man in the world who loves you, but
he finds or fancies something to be a motive to
draw his love to you.
Wit is a motive to some,
wealth is a motive to others,
beauty is a motive to some,
strength is a motive to others,
near relation is a motive to some,
dear love is a motive to others,
liberality is a motive to some,
service is a motive to others,
greatness is a motive to some,
goodness is a motive to others,
likeness, whether it is in good or evil,
is a motive to the love of the most.

But Christ's love to you is altogether free!
That which is a motive to men, and induces
their love to you—is no motive to incline the
love of Christ.

The sin which you brought into the world with
you, and the many sins which, since you came
into the world, have been committed by you,
are enough to shut out all motives of love in
Christ, unto whom all sin is so odious and
abominable!

Whatever motive induces Christ to love you,
it was not drawn from yourselves—but it was
drawn from His own affectionate heart!

Will not this free love of Christ to you—incline
you to love Him? Does He love you most freely,
and will you not love Him most dearly? Did
Christ love you without any motive to draw
His love—and will you not love Christ, in whom
there are so many motives to draw your love?
Did Christ love you with all your sinfulness
and vileness—and will you not love Him in
whom there is such perfect beauty?

Christ's free and sovereign love, is a matter
of the greatest admiration—and should be a
motive for the greatest affection unto Him.

Christ loves you with the TRUEST love.
The love of Christ is not in the least selfish,
and for His own ends. He does not love you
to receive good from you—but that He might
do good unto you. He chiefly He evidences His
love in affliction and adversity. He is a present
help in the time of trouble, and then gives the
most tender demonstrations of His love. He is
touched with the feelings of your infirmities
when you are tempted; and sympathizes with
you in your sorrows when you are afflicted.
He shows His love in visiting you under your
troubles, in supporting you, in relieving you,
and in delivering you. Oh! What love should
you have unto the Lord Jesus Christ—who
loves you with such a true and sincere love!

Christ loves you with the STRONGEST love.
His love is stronger than death. The strength
of Christ's love to you, shows itself in what
He has done for you! It was the strong love of
Christ, which brought Him down from heaven
for you, to assume your nature. What kind of
love was this—that God should become man!
That He who made the world—should be born
of a poor virgin, and all for your sakes!

It was the love of Christ, which made Him lay
down His life for you. John 15:13-14, "Greater
love has no man than this, that a man lay down
his life for his friends. You are My friends!" That
such a person as Christ, so excellent, so innocent
—should undergo death, and such a death as that
of the cross—so disgraceful, so painful; that He
should submit to such ignominy, and endure such
agony—and with such resolution and willingness,
with such submission and patience—and that for
such as you, who were His enemies—here was
love stronger than death! Oh, the height! Oh
the depth of this love! There are such depths
in this love of Christ, as the longest line of your
most extended thoughts and imaginations, can
never be able to reach and measure!

"May you experience the love of Christ, though
 it is so great you will never fully understand it!"
     Ephesians 3:19