Goodwin - BV4500 G66 1650

Real, 2, 4,11: 44 one ftandingby, fpyes a clufter upon it, that hath newwine in it ; which alto argues there is lap Rill in the roote, which may yet bring forth more ; Oh (ayes he, deftroy it not : even fo fayes God of nations and men that feare him : of natis, where he bath many holy ones : So there it followes, So witkdoe (with Ìfrael) far myfervants fake Iwill not deft roy them all ;'To it fol- lows there : and thus he likewife (ayes of particular men , there is a bleffed work in fuch a mans heart, though mingled with much corruption, Oh deftroy it not. Take away the fin if poffible, but cut not off the man : why fhould his grace perifh with his wickednefíè ? every dram of grace is precious, it coli the blood ofChrift, and he will not fuffer it to be deffroyed. Becaufe he hath ordained, that all the fruits of his children fhould remain, 7ohn 15. i6. Now if they fhould be cut off, their fruit would wither, their work muff perifh with them ; no,v no . mans work (hall prove in vaine in the Lord, i Cor. i 5. ult. But though the world, and all works, and luffis of theworld will with their makers come to nothing, Yet he that doth the will of God en- durethfor ever, i 7ohn z. 17. As the works of Chrift in hinmfelfe are eternal!, fohis works in us are eternal! alto, becaufe they are the fruits ofwhat he did : He that foweth liberally, ana gives to the Poore, his righteoufueffe remainesfor ever. Thirdly, becaufe he loves the perfon, and hates only the fin, therefore he preferves the one, deftroyes onely the other. This i all thefruit to take a'i'ay thefnne. Thus Pfal. 99. 8. He forgave the perforas, and tooke vengeance onely on their inventions. The Covenant that is made with us in Chriff, is not a covenant made -with works, but with perlons : And therefore though the works be often hateful!, yet he goes on to love the perlons : And that he may continue to love them, deProyes out of them what he hates, but cutteth not them off. A member that is leprous or ulcerous, a man loves it as it is his orne f elb, Ephef. 5. 29. though he loathes the corruption and putrifa Sion that is in it: and there- fore he doth not prefently cut it off, but purgeth it daily, layes plaifters to it to gate the corruption out : whereas a wart or a wen that growes to a mans body, a man gets it cut off, for he doth not reckon it as his flefh. Fourthly, therein God (hemshis skill, that he is able to deale with

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