Of E!edion. ----------------------- ~ hath done to the Devils_, that he will never be merciful unto the m, even any BooK IV; Man that bath had the hght of the Gofpel with any power upon his Heart, he ~ would certaiDI.Y lite ID Gods face, fin w11h an eternal revenge againfl: him, as theDevtls alfodo; andthts ts but the dfect of felf:love '·though the highefl:; whtch tS all Wtckednefs ID the nature, m the prtnctple oftt, and difpenfatorily, (if I may alluftvely ufe this word, in this matter,) is all wickednefs in the exercife of it, in the Body of Mankind. And certainly felt~ love canAot be dr•wn out to more varieties of finfulnefs, and higher Actings of it, than the Divine Nature may be in the Saints, in contrary difpofitions of Ingenuity to God : And therefore , as all Sins, fo all graces have acted in fome Saints or other.towards God, and their Brethren Saints;even fo as to die for one another (as Johfl fpeaks, ) as the opportunity hath been. God will be as fure to giv~ the experiments of the workings of graces of all forts as well as fins· and though not in the parallel perfection for degrees , yet for kinds. ' . Now parallel to thefe things, bring your fim, and temp rations, all ye Saints, before the God of all grace : Will grace in us, and will fin in us firetch to all forts of the atlings of each fuppofable, and lhall not Gods grace: who ~ath the title of tb( God of a/Jgrace? He is_ faidto be the god ofc:ttgrace; and bts grace bemg the pattern of all ours, and tnfinttely exceedmg tt , then how much more lhall he do the like,by the exerting of his grace upon all occafi– cns of it, in all cafes, yea the worfl? Doth God declare himfelf in this man– ncrtobetheGod of a/J Grace, in the high Divine principles thereof, and ihall he not to thofe to whom he bath faid I wi/Jbtgracio,, put it forth upon •11 occafions, which ore his opportunities to glorifie his grace by? Confider, Secondly, How that not only our Graces will thus extend, and tna y be thus acted, as bath been faid, but further, himfelf Commands us poor Creatures,who have yet but little grace in us,(narrow Veffels are we in this re– fpect) yettoabortndi11eV(rygrace, zCor.8. 7· Therefore (.u ye abou11ditt every thing; in faith, and t<tterance, and knowledge, mid in a!J dtltgenu, «nd m your lovt to Uf; fee that ye abound in this grace alfo. Obferve how 'tis fpoken concerning the relieving of the neceffities of others,in their wants ; concerning which he gives this particular Command, Su that ye abotmd, M in ewrr thzng,fo in thi6grace alfo: And however poor Creatures fall lhort in the performance ofthefe€ommands,yet the fcope and intent ofGod's Command is and there is that in our grace which might be wrought up to it,that it lhould be drawn out as any occafion and opportunity is offered to exercife it !Nor is there any way fuppofeable, for fo I fl:atc it, wherein to lhew forth any grace, of any kind,but the intent oftheCommancl reacheth it:And do you think thatGodhim– felf, that commands this of us, and that proleffeth this frile of himfelf, that he is tht God of a/Jgrace, in order to the relieving of our wants, whom he hath taken care of; do you think he will not abundantly fupply you l As in the feventh verfe of this Chapter in Peter, the Apofl:le had aforehand affured us; for in that he faith, he declares himfelf to be the God of a!J gract to hts called ones, it doth not only lhew what he is in himfelf, but it intimates, and infinu• ates a Promife of lhewiog himfelf the God of a!J grace to them: And if in rhef~ his Commands he doth bind, and oblige u• unto Obedience, then furdy he htmfelf obligeth himfelf by his Promifes to perform them: The very fame thing that he commands us towards others, the fame he will himfelf certainly fulfil. Alas ! we are Creatures ungracious, and have no grace but what he puts into us: And {ball God, that is the Fountain and Original of all Grace, that requires this of us, not execute it himfelf? Certainly ) es: God fa ith, as it were himfelf, I am a holy God, true, jufi, faithful, (as" as faid to us before) I abound in all thefe, and in every Perfection elfe; Shall I not abound in this Grace alfo, to relieve the fpirirual needs of my poor Children, that have de– clared my fellito be a God of a/Jgrace? What doth the Apol\le Joh1J fay, 1 John~· •7• Whofo bath thi6 worlds goods, and [nth hu brother tmd, and jhutteth up hi. 6owels of Compaffio" from him; how dwt/Jeth the lovt of God i11 him? If God fpeak thus to us concerning a Brother, to us, I fay, that love ~ut in part, and 0 how little ! yea, and in the vtrfe before, he commands us, 1f the cafe fo calls for it, and require it of u!, to lay dow11 otlr !ivrs for tht 6re·
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