Of Eleflion. certainly do it. The note, or flrain which I !hall mention, bein<>' as the note ,.,.,__,-./"' El" in Mufick; the highefl that one Mans voice could reach to, it 0 will readily Chap. 11.. be yielded , that all other degrees lower? may much more ealily be reached~ by fome, or other; and that!bey, ore, It wdl fhew bow farr the Divine Nature in us, that is, Love to God, will llretch and extend : Think with your fdves, how high! Will it be ordinarily thought, and imagined, that to wifl1 a Mans felt' accurfcd from Cbrifl, fl1ould ever have been found in the Heart of 0 ny Saint; which yer upon occation, and afit ground prefemed,hath been found in the Heart of one Saint, who yet profeffed to Love Chrifl, and did Love Chri(l: more than any other Saint we read of, to be accurfed from Chrifl , whofe Injoyment he fo long'd for, and fo impetuoufly defired to be diffolved, and to be with Chrifl, and had been with him in the third Heavens; yet hav ing before his Eyes, a meet occation, and opportunity , as he judg'd it, to put tonh this act upon ; God did draw it out of him, Rom.t, z, ~· The occalion was the Glory of God (as he thought ) in the Salvationofljrarl, which would arife to God more than out of his own particular Solvation alone; in this juncture he wifhed himfe!faccurfed fromChnfi: And we may interpret his !-:lean in it by what was Chriits , who was made a Curfifor Mm that finned , which was his own fldh; and in being made a curfe, was not feparated from ading Grace, and love to God; for his Grace towards God never wrought more than when on the Crofs; but it was afeparation from1ll prefcnt comfort : And thus it was in Paul's Heart, who was content to have all the comfort, he 1hould have had from Chrifi , debarred him for ever; but not the exercife of Grace ; for this was of the highefi: And that fohe might for ever have glori– fied God in the highefi manner; it being with the greatefi felf.denial that c~ ver was. Now what do I inferr from hence, but 1. That there being fo full and pro– per an occaiion, or ground for Paul's Grace to rife up to this Elevation; and that God did draw it out accordingly; that therefore in like manner God will extract fi·om out of the Hearts of the refi of his Saints , ( fome or other,) all, and any other forts of graces , when the like meet Occalions and Opportu– nities 1hall be, to draw them forth, to the end that he may give a full experi– ment of all grace in the exercifes of them, upon All fuch occafions? T he Se– cond thing I inferr is, that on Gods part there can be in us no temptation , or need ; no eale fo defperate in any one that is called , but that there mufi be fuppofed that he hath in him a grace, and a Love to extend and apply it felf thereunto, and overcome it: Shall Part! rife up in the way of the exercife of his grace, unto tae highefi firain that is fuppofable, and exceed God in the exercife of the grace that is in him towards us? There is no cafe , but God catt find in hi• Heart, a fuitable grace for it; yea, he being the God of aO grace too, if there were any cafe more extraordinary than other, he would greedi– ly take the advantage thereof to choofe, and not flip fo great an opportunity of f11ewing his grace to the utmofi, to fuch a Soul ; and then certainly forthe glory of his grace will do it to all , or any other need, in fomc of his Saints, or other. I might illufiratc this by that which is the greatefi oppofite unto grace in us, and that is fe!f.Jove in its raign and height: Do you !mow , or can you Ima– gine into what Shapes this Prott~u , this Monfier, this DeYil Self-love, will be turned into, as occafions, and drcumfiances , one is put into, may and do draw it forth in fome or other; unto what heigths of wickednefs, it may by occafion, be broach'd forth into; what Infinite varieties of its workings there are of all forts? We may fay, that every Mans Heart in this refpect, is the feed of all fin; and yet withal we may fay, that every Mans Corruption is not drawn forth to all , and every fort of evil : And yet likewife, that there isno fort of fin, or wickednefs, or firain of inordinate acting of felf-love, but hath been acted, and fhewn itfelf infomemanner or other :So as take the whole Body of Mankind, and we mav fay, the Body of fin among them hath had • c0mpleatoefs, as a Body in the Community of them; And for this you may read the Scriptures: Look about you throughout the World, Stories of nil Ages , and read your own Hearts; If God fhould feal up to any Man,as he hath
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