inContriving g au'vlarvemptíon. , 47 the principal caufe that enclin'd him to fave Man, was C. VIII. meer and perfe&Grace. The Law made no diftin&i- f-vo,) on, but awarded the fame Punifhment : Mercy alone made the difference : and the reafon of that is in Him- felf. Millions of them fell Sacrifices to Juftice, and guilty Man was (pared. 'Tis not for the excellency of our Natures, for Man in his Creation was lower than the Angels; nor upon the account of Se rvice, for they having more eminent Endowments ofwifdom and Power might havebrought greater honour toGo d; nor for our Innocence, for thoughnot equally, yet we had highly offended Him : But it muff be refolved in- Ephec to that Love which paffeth Knowledge. 'Twas the unac- countable Pleafure ofGod that preferr'd babes before EphJG c.6; the wife andprudent: and herein Grace is molt glori- Heb. 2. ous. Hein no wife tookthe nature of Angels, though immortal Spirits; He did not put forth his hand to help them, and break the force of their fall, He did nothing fortheir relief, they areunder unalloyedwrath : but He too(theSeed ofAbraham, and plants a new Co- lony of thofe who fprung from the Earth, in the Hea- venlyCountry, to fill up the vacant places ofthofe A- poftate Spirits. This is juft matter of our higheft ad- miration, why the milder Attribute is exercifed to- wards Man, and the feverer on them ? Why the vef- fels ofclay are chofen, and the veffels of Gold negle&- ed? How can we refle& upon it without the warm- eft Affe&ions to our Redeemer ? We {hall never ful- ly understand the Riches ofdittinguifhing Grace, till our Saviour (hall be their Judg, and receive us into the Kingdom ofJoy and Glory, and condemn them to an Eternal Separation fromhis Prefence. U CHAP.
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