yet an adulteress, according to the word of the Lord toward the
children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of
wine." (Hosea 3:1) But then, these things must not be understood
with respect to the nature, but the dispensations and manifestations
of love; no, nor with reference to these neither, any further than
by making use of such suitable similitudes, thereby to commend his
love to us, and thereby to beget in us affections to him for the
love bestowed upon us. Wherefore Christ's love must be considered
both with respect to the essence, and also as to the divers
workings of it. For the essence thereof, it is as I said, natural
with himself, and as such, it is the root and ground of all those
actions of his, whereby he hath shewed that himself is loving to
sinful man. But now, though the love that is in him is essential
to his nature, and can vary no more than God himself: yet we see
not this love but by the fruits of it, nor can it otherwise be
discerned. "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid
down his life for us" (1 John 3:16). We must then betake ourselves
to the discoveries of this love, of which there are two sorts;
[namely,] such as are the foundations, and such as are the
consequences of those fundamental acts. Those which I call the
foundations, are they upon which all other discoveries of his
goodness depend, and they are two. 1. His dying for us. 2. His
improving of his death for us at the right hand of God.

Third, And this leads me to the third particular, to wit, to shew
you what the love of Christ is; namely, in the discovery of it.
And to know the love of Christ.

The love of Christ is made known unto us, as I said, First, By his
dying for us. Second, By his improving of his dying for us.