Chap.2.Sdb. Book B. 39 know!edae we have attained, we muft ponier, and mufe '·and meditate, and conilder of him: no':. coniiderotion is an expatiating. and enbrging of the mind and heort on this or rhar fubject : conilderarion is .~ fixing of our thoughts , a fledfaft beoding ?four minds ro fome fpmrual matter,"'! tt work on the atfecttons, and converfarton. We may know,andyer be inconfiderarc oftharwedo knO\~; bur when the intention of our mind and heart ts taken up about fome one known ob1et'l:, and other thtngs a1._e not for the prefenr rake\ notice of, this is con(idcrarion . 0 that, if it were poflible, we could fo conftder Jefus in this fir!1 period of eternity, as that for a while at leaf!: we could for– ger all othei· things! Chri!l:ians! I befeech you be dead to the world , be infenlibl~ of all other things, and loo/z. onely on {e[H< ; It Is fatd that men 111 a phrenzy are tnfen!tble ofwhat you do to them, becaufe their minds are taken up about that which they appre– hend fo flrongly; and if ever there was any objet'!: made-knQwn to take up the mind of a fpiritlial man·, it i>this, even this: not bur that other objet'l:s may be deeply and . ferioullyminded of men; iris reported of firchimedes , who was a great Mathematician, that when rhe City was taken wherein he was , and the warlike inflrumenrs of death clat!ering about his ears, and all was in a tumult , yet he was fo bulie about drawing his lines, rhat he heard no noife, nor did he know there was any danger: bur if fuch ob.. jeers as rhofe could take up the intention of his mind·' fo as not to regard other things, howmuch more lhould this confideration of Chrifl:? Ifa carnal heart, a man rhat minds earthly things, be fo taken up abou' them, becmfe they are an objecHuirable to him, howmuch moxe ll10uld a gracious beat t, that can fee into the reality Jf rhefe things of ~God and Chrifl: from everla[iing, be fotaken up with them as to mind nothing elfe? c.ome then, 0 my foul, and fer rhy conilderarion on work, as thus. ---- I. Confider {efus in his relarion to God , how he was the eternal Son ofrhe Father: I know ih fome refpet'l:s we have little reafon thus to loo/z.on'feflss: as we. are !inners , and · fallen from God , there is no looking on an abfolute Deity : alas, that Majefl:y (becaufe perfet'l:Jy and effentially good) is no other then an enemy to ilnners as !inners ; fo as we arefinners, and fallenti·om God, there is no lookingon the Sun of God; I mean on the Son of God, confidered in the notion ofhis own eternal being, as coequal, and coelfemial to God the Father: Alas! our iln bath offended his juqice , which is himfelf: and wlut have we to do with rhat dreadful power, which~ have provoked? But conildering [cfltS as 'fef<s, which founds a Saviour"eo all !inners believiMg on him: and that this Jefus comaines the rwo natures of Chrilt, both the Godhead, and Manhood; now we that have He&. 1• 3, our tnrerd! 111 lum, may draw neer, and (as we are capable) behold the brightne{s of hi& glory. To this purpofe the Scriptures have difcovered ro us God the Son, how he is the fecond perfon in the Trinity , having the foundation of 1'erfonal fubliflence from the Father alone, ofwhom by communication of his elfence he is begotten from all eternity; when there were no depths I w.u bro~<ght forth, ---before the mountains wereJetted, a~d before the hills I w.1s &rollght forth. Ante colles genira eram, before the moilntains I Peo~.8.a4;>f was begotten, as fome; or, anre colles filiata eram, before the mountains I w.u fonned his fon, ~s orh~rsrranllare it. -,.-Why thus 0 my foul, confider ref"', the Son of God, bur m tillS confiderarion be nor roo curious; thou hearefl: of the generation of the Son, and of rhe procefiion of the Boly Ghofl, bur for the manner how rhe Father begets the .son, or how the Father and Son do fpire , and fend forth the Holy Spirit,. be not roo buheto. enquire; thou mayfl: know a little, and conilder a little, bur for the depth and mame of this great my!tery of~·ace, let the generation of the Son of God be honoumtwuh filence-. I remember one being roo curious, and too inquiiitive, what God . WM domg o·, that long Evwn of eternity before he made the world? it was anfwered, he Aug. lih.1; demed to makg hellfor fuch c~>ri~'" inquiftt~rs. Be not therefore roo nice in this cMft- con(,J!.c.u. deratton: keep wtrlun bounds of fobriety and humility; and then as thou art able to comprehend, the Scriptures will difcover rhar before God made rhe world in that longlong Evumof erern.iry, hewas doing thefe things.--- · . I. · Some rhmgs mrelatton to btmfelf. .z. Some things in relation to his creatures. I. Some things in relation to himfelf; and rhofe things were either ~roper, or ~ommon to the time perfons. i. The things proper ro each of the perfons were rhofe mrernal. mcommu~icable actions of God, as I. To beget; and that belongs onely to the Father. who IS netther made , n0r created, nor begotten of any. 2. T-o be be– gotten; and that belongs onely to ihe Son, who is of the Fa\her alone, not made, nor created, bur begotten. 3. To proced from both; and that ·belongs onely to rhe Holy · Ghoft,
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