Book IV. Ch:1p.z.Sech4 Looking unto :fefos. ----------------L~-------------------------- 3. The fonnes of God imitate God in his love and goodndfe ·to all men. Our Saviour. amplifies this excellent property of God, he caufeth his fun to jhine up"ngood and bad; and thence he concludeth, be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfen. Good- Mlt. r.4s. .neffe to bad men is the'highe{l: degree ofgMce,' and as it were the perfeCtion ofall: 0 my foul <:<~nft thou imitate God in this? ·confider how thy Father beares it ; though the wicked provoke him day by day, yet for all that he doth not quickly revenge; ' vengance indeed is only his, and he may in juftice do what he will that way; and •cis the opinion of fome, that if the moft patient man in the world fhould but fvt in Gods throne one day, and fee and obferve the doings and n~ifcarriages of the fonnes of men, he would quickly fet all the W(}rld on fire; yet God .feeth all, and for all that he doth not make the earth prefently to gape, and devour us; he puts nor out the glorious light of the Sun, he doth not diffolve the work of the creation, he doth not for 'mans fin prefentlybJaf!: every thing into duH : what an excellent ..patterne is this f~r thee to write after ? canft thou but forgive thy enemies ? do well to them that do evil to thee ? 0 this. a .fure figne of grace and fonfhi p ! It is .ftoryed of f0me heathens who beating aChriftian aJmofr to death, asked him, what grea: .matter Chrift did ever do for him? even this (faid the Chriitian) that I can fort,iveyau, th~ugh you ufe me tht,u cruelly; here was a childe ofGod indeed: it is a fweet refernblance of our Father and ofour Saviour Jefus Chrifl:, to !oveottr enemin, to b!ef[e rhe~ 1\Lt. 5.H that curfc us, to do good unto thrm that hate us, to prfl] for them thl!t de[pitcfuily ufe us, and perfeetae us. 0 my foul look to this, . <onfult this ground of hope; if this Jaw be writren in thy hearr write it down amongfr thy evidences, that thou art Godsfonne: yea that even unto thee a Son is given. To review the grounds: wh11t? is a child borne tG me? and a fonne given to me ? what < am I indeed new borne ? am I indeed Gods fon , or daughter ? do I upon the fearch finde in my foul new defires, new comtorrs, new conto:ntments ? what?' are· ·my words, and works, ~nd affeCtions, and converfation new ? i~ ·there in. me a new nature, a. new principle?' hath the Spirit by way of111fufing or fhed.dmg g1verrme a new power, a new ability a feed of fpiritual life which I lud not before?. oo I upon th; fearch finde that I feare God, and love God) and imitate God in forue
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