A Heavenly Treatise on the Divine Love of Christ – by John Preston (1587–1628)

$6.99

How much do you love Christ? How much does Christ love you? God hating Esau is understandable. God loving Jacob is amazing. John Preston explains.

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A Heavenly Treatise on the Divine Love of Christ, by John Preston (1587–1628)

EBOOK
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eBook download price: $6.99
eISBN: 978-1-62663-018-5

PRINT
109 Pages, Print ($18) (Buy the Print Book HERE)
ISBN: 978-1-62663-019-2

John Preston D.D. (1587–1628) was a Reformed, English puritan minister, and master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. It is clear that his heart was firmly set on the propagation of Calvinistic theology; his posthumous works (edited by Richard Sibbes, John Davenport, Thomas Ball, and partly by Thomas Goodwin) are a storehouse of such sentiments.

In this book, Preston considers the weighty question of one’s love for the Savior, Jesus Christ. The text challenges readers with introspective inquiries: Can one measure their love for Christ? Is it genuine or contrived? Such questions often unsettle Christians, prompting them to examine the authenticity and depth of their devotion.

He not only scrutinizes the nature of this love but also offers guidance on cultivating sincere affection for Christ, while starkly portraying the doomed state of those who lack genuine love for the Lord, or who display it hypocritically. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 16:22 — “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema, maranatha” — the book explores various facets of loving Christ, the reasons behind this love, the identity of Christ as the object of this love, and the repercussions of failing to love Him appropriately, both from a Christian standpoint and the perspective of an unconverted individual.

Elevated by personal encounters with divine love, Preston describes the nature of love itself and our affection for Christ. The book provides insights into the methods, motivations, characteristics, rewards, requirements, and objects of this love, demonstrating how to effectively love King Jesus, thereby avoiding God’s curse and enjoying the blessings of the Spirit.

It encourages the reader to experience the Savior’s love. To do this, one must first embrace Christianity through faith, then live as a Christian, guided by both faith and love. One cannot be a Christian or love the Savior without first receiving Christ’s love. This love is described as the greatest comfort to the righteous, transcending the worldly challenges of sin, Satan’s temptations, life’s hardships, and even the finality of death. In a world where transient joys fade, this love elevates the believer into God’s embrace. The author leaves readers with a contemplative note: where we love, we seek to dwell. The book, thus, invites introspection about one’s deepest desires and their alignment with the divine love of King Jesus.

This is not a scan or facsimile, has been updated in modern English for easy reading and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.

Table of Contents:
MEET JOHN PRESTON
ORIGINAL TITLE PAGE
TO THE READER
A HEAVENLY TREATISE OF DIVINE LOVE
SERMON 1
SERMON 2
SERMON 3
SERMON 4
SERMON 5
A SOLILOQUY