106 Book 111. J!..mkmg unto jlefu.S'. Chap.2.Sect.6. Gal. J· '9· Mal. r. 213. Hol.14. 4· Dtur. 7· 7• 8. go on th;;;-0 my fo-;;i,-pu~fi~ t~~h~~~-tl~,-blo;· onili),Ji;rle fp~;k, fer bci.;~~- Gods Love, and thou canll: not bur love; and therein confider, 1. The Time. 2 . 11Je Properties. 3. The Effeds of Gods Love. 1. For the Time; He loved thee before the world was made : hafl thou not heard?' and wilt thou ever forger ir? were nor rhofe ancient loves from all eternity admirable, allonin,ing, ravill•ing Loves? 2. He loved thee in the very beginmng ofthe world: Was nor the Promife expreffed to Adam in– tendedk_c;hee?. as rhou finnedll: in his loins, fo didll thou in his loins receive the 'rro– rmfe, ./1 bmife thf head : And nor long after, when God eflabl!ll•ed his Covenant with Abr.ham and h1s Seed, wall: not thou one of that feed of Abraham? If ye are Chrifts, then arc ye. Abrahams feed) .and heirs acc_,otding to the Promifc. 3. He loves tbee oow more efpeCJally, not only with a love ot benevolence, as before; bur with a love of complacency : nor only bath he il:ruck Covenant with Chrifi, wirh Adam wirh -(ibraham in thy behalt; bur particularly and perfonally with thy felf; and 0 wh;r love rs rh1s? If a woman lately concetvmg, love her fmure fruit . how much more dothil 1 e love it when itisbornand embraced in l1er Arms? So if God lovedtheebefore rhou badfl:a being, yea before the world or any creature in it had a being, how much more now? 0 the height, and depth, ond length and breadth of this immeafurable love! 0 my Soul,I cannot exprefs the Loves of God iu Chri!l to thee . I bur do draw the pidure of rl1e Sun wlrh a Coal, when1endeavour to exprefs Gods Love in Chrifl:. 2. For the Properties of this Love: I. Gods Love tothee is an eternal Love. He was thinking in his eternity of thee in this manner, At firch a time there jh.tll be fuch a man andfucha lVomartlivingontheeanh: in the/aft timeJ Jitchaone (1 mermthornhat readeft, if thott belicveft) andto that Sotti I will revealmy fi!f, and commu~icate my loves. to that foul I will offer Chrift, andgive it the handof Faith to lay hold 'on ChriJf; and t; that p•erpofe now I writedown the 1Vame in the Book._ of Life, aiid r.one jha/1 be able to blot it out again. Oh eternal Love! Oh rhe bleifed rranfadions between the Father and rhe Son, from all eternity to manifeft his Love to thy very Soul! 2. Gods Love to thee is a choice Love; it is an eleL'tive, fepararing Love: when he paffed by , and left many rhoufands, then, even then he fets his heart on thee: wa; not Efau Jacobs Brother ? faith God; yet I loved Jacob, and hated Efau. So, wen not thou fuch an ones Brother, or fuch an ones Sifl:er that remained wicked and ungodly< wen not thou of fuch a Family; whereas many, or fome are paffrd by, yer God bath loved thee, and pitched his Love on thee: Surely this is choke Love. 3. Gods Love to thee is a free Love: I will love them freely, faith God. And the Lord did notJet hi< love uponyo11, and chufeyou, becaufe yewere more in nu'"btr thAn any people,--but becanfcthe Lord /oved)'ou; there can be no other reafon why d1eLord loved thee, bur becaufe he loved thee; we ufe to lay, thi sa womans reafo,J·, hvi/1 do it becaufc I willdo it ; but here we find it i• Gods reafon, though it may feem ftrange arguing; yet Mofes can go no higher; he loved tbee, why? becaufe l1e loved thee. f. Gods Love to thee is the Love of all relations: look w!Jat a friends Love is to a friend, or what a Fatl1ers lovers towards aChild, or what an Husbands Love is towards a Wife; fuch is Gods Love to thee; thou art his Friend, his Son, l1is Daughter, l1is Spoufe; and God is thy all in all. 3. Forthe effed s of his Love: t. God fo loves thee, as that he lmh enrred into a Covenant with thee. Owhat a Lovds this? tell me, 0 my Soul, is there not aninfi– nite difpariry betwi~t God and thee? He is God above, and thou an a Worm below; He,, the highana lofty •nerhatinhabitetheternity, whofe Name u Holy: and thou an lefs than the lea/l of all the Mercies of God: 0 wonder at fuch a condefcenrion! that fuch a Potter, and fuch a Former of things fhould come on rermsof bargaining with fuch clay as is guilty before him! had we the rongues of men and Angels, we could never ~~~ . . . . . 2 . God fo loves thee, as that in the Covenant he g1ves thee all Ills prom1fes ; wdeed what is the Covenant but an acwmularion, or heap of promifes ? as a clufter of Stars makes a Confl:ellation, fo a mafs of promifes concurrerh in rhe Covenant of Grace; where-ever Chrill: is clufl:ers of divine promifesgrow out of h1m; as the mores, rayes, and beams are from ',he Sun. I 01all infl:ance in fome few. As,-- , l. God in the Covenant gives the world. All u yoMs, wherher Paul, or Apollo, or Cefha;, or the world, 1 Cor. 3. 22. Firft feek._the Kingdom of God, ,md hi< nghteonff nefs, andall the(e thingsfoal/ be addedunto ya~~. Thefe temporary bleffings are a pa:t 0 the Covenant which God harh made to h1s people; lt u he that gweth theep.wer to - . gtt
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