Chap. 2. Sc:ct. 5. Book IV. 155 d G d fo fined and qualified (as I may fay) will not allure, mufl: not men die and ~~riill fn unbelief? what, 0 my foul ! (give me leave to chide thee) Is God come down fo low to thee? and dor\ thou now fiand quelhomng whether thou lh?uldft go, .or come ro him? what is this but to fay, all th<t God i<, or does, or fayes,. lS too lmle to per– fwade me inro Faith? I cannot tell, but one would think that unbeltef' flwuld be !hang– led, quite flain upon this confideration; ~ll this, 0 .my foul, thou hearefl: m the Gofpel; .there is Chrilt incarnat~ fet forth to the life; there IS Clmtt fumg thy Loves, and offer– ing himfe'f as thy beloved in thy own nature ; t.her: it is written that God is come.down in flefh with an Olive-branch of eternal peace m lm hand, and bids you all be Witnefs, 1,. is no; come to deltroy, but to fave. Oh that this encouragement might be of fo:ce . to improve Chrifl:s glorious defign to t.he fupplytngof ~I\ th)' wants, and to the makmg up of all thy loifes! bdieve, Oh believe thy part 111 Chnfl: Intarnate! SECT. VI. of loving '/eft~< in that rcfpeEf. LEt us love 7efm, ascarrying on the great work of our falvation at hisfirfl: Coming or Incarna:ion. NJw what is Love but an expanfion or egrefs of the heart and fpirits ro rbe Objefr loved. or to the Objcl'l: whereby it is drawn or attral'teJ? Mark0 my foul, whatfoeve; bath an attral'l:ive power, it is in that refpect an Object, or aeneral caufe of Love; and canlt thou poffibly light on any Objefr more attnt– l'l:iv~ th~n the Incarnation of J efus Chrilt? If Love ~e the Load~il:one of tove, what an 2rtra<'tiveis this before thee ? methmks the very light of Chn!l: mcarnate IS enough ro ravifh thee with the apprehenfion of his infinite goodnefs: fee how he calls out, or (as it were) draws out the foul to Union, Vifion, and Participation of his Glory I 0 come, and yield up thy felf unto him; give him thy felf, and conform all thy Affefri– ons and Actions to his Will: 0 love him, not with a divided, but with all thy hearr. But ro excite this Love, I il1all only propound the Objefr, which will be Argu~ menrenough. Love caufeth Love; now as Gods firfl: Love to man was in making man like himfelf; fo his fecond great Love was in making himfelf like roman; il:ay then :t while upon this Love; for (I take it) this is the greater Love of the two : Nay, if I mull: fpeak freely, I believe this was the full eft vi!ible demonfl:ration of Geds Love th~t ever was : The Evangelifl: exprelfeth it thus, God fo loved the world, that he gave hu only b;- John 3· 16; gorten Son; l:e gave him to be incarnate, to be made flelh, and to fulfer death; but rhe extenfion of his Love lies in that expreffion, he fo loved] So! how? why, fo fully; fo fatherly, fo freely, as no Tongue can tell, no heart can 1hink: In this Love God did not only let out a mercy, give out a bare grace in felf, but he took our mture upon him. It is ufually faid, that it is" great<r love ot God to fave a foul, than to make a world . and I think it was a greater love of God to take our nature, than limply to faye our fouls~ fora King to difpenf< with rhe Law, and by his own prerogative to fave aMurderer fron: rbeGaUows, is not fuch an Act of Love and Mercy as to take the Murderers cloaths, andtowearthem as their richell:Li·;ery? why, God in taking our nature Jmh done rhus, and more than thus; he would not fave us by his meer Prerogative ; but l1e takes our cloaths, our fleflJ, and itr that flelh he perfonates us, and in that flelh he will die for us, tharwe might not die, but live through him for evermore. Surely this was Love; that God will be no more God (a~ it were) fimply, but he will take up another nature, ratherthan the brightnefs of his Glory D~all undo our fouls. It will not be amifs (whilfl: I am endea,·ouring to draw a Li:1e of Gods love in Chrifl:,' fromfirf\ to laf\ in favingfouls) that here we look back a little, and fummarlly contral'l: rhe palfages of Love from that eternity before all worlds, unto this prefent. r. God had a.n eternal de!ign \Odifcover his infinite love to fome befides himfelf; 0 the wonder ?f thiS! was there any need or neceffity of fuch a difcovery? though God was one, and TJem onudi– m.th~t refpcC! alone (as we may imagine) y.et God was not folitary; in that eternity crr folus, non WHbm Ius own proprr elfence or fubftance, there were three divine perfons, and betwixt f•lirorius. them there was ableifed communication of Love; Chrifl: on earth could fay, I a. 1 110 t , , alone, bee;mfc the Father ;, with me: and then before Earth was, might the Father fay, I Mt not aone. for tha Son;, with me; and the Son might fay I amnot alone, John r6; 32· for tbe Father is wi1h me? and the holy Ghofl: might fay, I am not alo~e, for both the X 2 Father
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