soda Ezek47 Charmers of Leve to Chrifi, Serm.9. tiantly preferred before him : And what a vat} number of perfons go no further than thefe ? 2. Many perfons ar;. truly gracious, who yet know not,whether the; have any grace or not : It requires moresky/ toParch our the nature of a grace,and to find it in our felves,than barely to excrcife it;The former are works of much judgement, and require a deep acquaintancewith our own hearts ; whereas to the latter, it is enough, if a herfonbe but of an ordinary under(ianding, and an honefl heart. Befides, Graces have their 3,4,5 degrees,like the watersof the San-auary,and wheregrace is very fhallow and little, it is exceeding difficult to know that there is any at all : And fuch perfons fhoul d do well, whoare fo weak, rather to Mend time in the exercife of grace, than in trying whether they have grace or no;for com- monly it is bit laborer invain. 3. There are no fouls in whom this grace is really planted, but they have all theft Chara6ters drawn upon their hearts to know it by, more or lefs; I do not fay, they canfind them in themfelves, and k!fow they have them, but only that they have them. And of this I need give no further evidence, than what you will eafïly find your felves, if youwill but fludy thenatureof love to Chrifi,by the Ruleof it laid clown in the fifth Propofition prernifed, and by the third and fourth Charaers; for I amwell allured that Chrifi cannot be loved, as therein defcribed, unlefs all thefe particulars mentioned, be either antecedent thereto, or connexed with it. 2. Cafe. And fo I come to the fecond Cafe, viz,. Hawwe may get our love to himkindled and inflamed? And' (hall proceed in the Refolutionofthis by thefe four (ceps. I. I will difcover thedanger of being witho'ic this grace. 2. I will addTome moving Confiderations to provoke all that love their fouls, to look after ir. 3. I gill give Diredions to them that have it not, how to get it. 4. I will add a fewmore Dirediions for them that have it, how it may be increafed and inflamed ? I begin with the firli, which I will difparch by thefe two fieps. i. By difcovering the Hainoufnefs of Sin. 2.ThcTerrour cf the Punifhment due thereto. Now that youmay underfiand the firfi, betides what hath been Paid in the fore mentioned Troia, proving it to be a tin againf the Fathers love andwifdm ; the whole work_ of the Son, and the fpecial°economy of the Holy GFofl; I add firfi ies a fin utterly frokertias the whole defign of the Colpel,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=