Ch1p.z.Sect.6. Luaking unto 1efim Book lll. thee before thou hadft a being; yea,before the world or any creature in it had a being, how much more now? 0 the height, and depth,and length,& breadth of this immeafurable love!O my foul I cannot expretfe the loves of God in Chrift to thee; I but draw the pi .:lure of the Sun with a coale, when I endeavour to expreife Gods love in Chrift. 2 . F.or the proper ties of this love: r .Gods Jove to thee is an eterna{ love. He was thinking in his eternity ofthee in this manner. At[uL"h a time there /ball be fuch a man, andfuch d woman living OI'J the enrth ; in the !aft times J 11ch a one (I mean thou that reaJeft, if thou be!eevefl) and to that /onllwi/1 revealmy fel{, and communicate my foveJ; to th111t foul I will offer Chrijf, and give it the hand offllith t_o Ia] hold on C~rift; and to that purpo{e now I write dorm the name zn the book of life , and none /ball be able to blot 'it out t~~gain. Oh eternal love! Oh the bleifed tranfacrions betwe~ the Father and the Son,from all eternity to manifeft his , love to thy very foul ! 2JI 2. Gods love to thee i> a choice love ; it is an elective, [eparating love : when he patfed by , and lefc many thoufands,then, , even then he fe~> his heart on thee; wt:ts not EfltH Jacobs lrnther , Mal.r . 3,~, faith God.? Jet 1/ovtd f 'icob , and hated Efau. So,wert not thou fuch a ones brother , or fuch a ones fill:er that remained wicked and ungodly? were not thou offuch a familie, whereas many , or fomr are p;1ffed by, and yet God hath loved thee,and pitched . his !o ve on thce?furely thts is choice love. 3 Gods love to thee is a free love: I will /owe them. freely, faith God. And the D 'rd did mt ftt his l~ve upon you, and chu!f: ·H r 3 4 . . b h 1" Ole ·I ·4 · J<m f,ecau{e ye w.re more zn num er t en ar.y ptople, -but beca~tje Deur . 7 , 7 ,s ; the L ord lovedyou; there can be no other reafon wby the Lord ·· loved chee, but becaule he loved thee; we ufe to fay, .chis a womans reafon; I will do it becaufe I will do it ; but here wdinde · it is Gods reafon, though it may feeme itrange arguing, yet M 9 - fes can go no higher; he loved thee, why? becaufe he loved . thee. 4· Gods love to thee is the love of a 1 relations; look wbat a t friends iove is to a friend ; or w' . at a fathers love is towards a · childe; or what an husbands lo1'e is towardS" a wife fuch is Gods love to thee; thou arc h~s friend,!) is fon,.his daught~r, his fpoufe; and God is thy aU in alL 3< For;
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