'The Harmony of the 'Di'Vine Attributes ,....._,._,.... nothin!( is wanting, or profitable. The mofl liberal Monarch cloth not always giw, Chap. 8. for he flands in need of his Subjetls. And where there is an expetlation of Service for ~ the Support of the Giver, 'tis Traffick and no Gift. Human Affeaion is begotten, and nouri!hed by fomething without; but the Love of God is from within: The Mifery of the Creature is the occafion, but the caufe of it is from himfelf. And how free was that Love, that caus'd the infinitely bleffed God to do· fo much for our recovery, as . if his Felicity were imperfeCt: without ours! It cloth not prejudice the Freenefs of Redeeming Mercy, that Chrif\'s Perfonal Glory was the Reward of his Sufferings. I~ 'Ti s true, that our Redeemer for the Joy thnt Wll.f fit before him, endured the Crofl, defpijing thef/!dme, and i1jit down at the right Haffd of the 1hronc of God, Hcb. 12. 2. But he was not fir{\ drawn to the undertaking of that hard Service by the lnteref\ of the Reward. For if we confider him in his Divine Nature, he was the fecond Perfon in the Trinity~ equal to the fir{\; he poffef\ all the Supreme Excellencies of the Deity ; and by affuming our Nature, the only Gain he purchas'd to himfelf was to be capable ' ~t~:s ti~r l~~rga~~i~~P~~~}~~ o~~:1p~:;"%!iob~~a:C0~~or:v~h!~:~h~~~~gth~;J):o:r~ ZJ{h~ be Nu•le rich, 2 Cor. 8. 9· And although his Human Soul \yas encouraged by the ~lorious Recompence the Father promifed, to make him K_ing and Judge of the World; yet his Love roMan was not kindl ed from that Conhderation, nei ther is it lelfened by his obtaining of it. For immediately upon the Union of the human Nature ro the Eternal SOI\ the highefr Honour was due ·m him. When the firf't·begotten was bronght into the World, 'twas faid, Let aU the A11gc/s of God worjbip him, Heb. 1. 6. The Sove r.eign Power in Heaven and Earth was his lnheritance, annext to the Dignity of his Primogeniture : The Name above every Name was a Preferment due to his Perfon : He voluntarily renounc'd his Right for a time, and appeared in the for"' of a Servant upon our account, that by humbling him(elf he might accomplifh our Soth•a. tion. He entred into Glory after a courfe of Sufferings, becaufe the Oeconomy of our Redemption fo requir'd; but his original Title to it was by the perfonal Union. To illufrrate this by a lower Inf\ance: The Mother of Mojit was call' cl to be his Nurfe by Pharaoh's Daughter, with the Promife of a Reward, as if fhe had no Relation to him. Now the pure Love of a Mother, not the Gain of a Nurfe, was the Motive ( )Chdfios that enclin'd her to nouri!h him with her Milk (w). Thus the Love of Chrif\ was ~ni'm per na· the primary afrive Cau(e that made him liberal to us of his Blood ; neirher did the juO: ~~~m rr:~~: Exp€'Ctation o! the_ Reward take off from it. . . Jl(rxmli c_~pi· The Sum 1S tlus: The effence of Love confiO:s m definng the Good of another ditatempd~ without refpeft to our (elves ; and Love is fo much the more free, as the Benefit we k~~;;:~;t~: give w another is lefs profitable. or more damageable to us. Now among Men ·ris umdcle~~it, impoffible that ro a vertuotls Benefaftor there iliould not redound a double Benefit. non G~ tn· I. From the eternal Reward which God bath promifed. And, ~~~~n exmfua 2. From the internal Beauty of an honefl: Action, which the Philofopher affirms, paffionequa:· cloth exceed any lofs that can befal us. For if one dies for his Friend, yet he loves «b><.Amb"f. himfelf mof\, for he would not chufe to be lefs vertuous than his Friend, and by dying for him he excels him in Vertue, which is more valuable than Life it felf: But to the Son of God no fuch Advantage could accrue; for being infinitely holy and happy in his Effence, there can be no Addition to his Felicity or Venues by any External Emanation from him. His Love was for our Profit, not his own. 2. The freeuefs of God's Mercy is evident by confidering there was no tye upon him to difpenfe it. Grace f\rickly taken differs from L•>Ve : For that may be a Debt, and without Injuf\ice not denied. There are inviolable Obligations on Children to love their Parents ; and Duty leffens defert : The performance of it cloth not fo much deferve Pra ife, as the NegleCt merits cenfure and reproof. Bur the Love ofGod to Man is a pure, free, and li bera l AffeCtion, no way due. The Grace of God, and the Gift b.J Grttce h,tth a.bomzded unto 1mmy, Rom. 5· I 5· The Creation was an Eff1:1fion of Goodnefs, much more Redemption. Thou art worthy, 0 Lord, to receive Glory, and Honour, n.11d Power: for th01t haft created aU thingr, and for tbJ pleajitre they a.rt, and were created, Rev. 4· r r. 'Tis Grace that gave Being to the Angels, with all the Prerogatives that adorn their Natures: 'Tis Grace that confirm'cl them in their original Integrity. For God ows them nothing, and they are nothing to him. 'TwasGrace that plac'd Adam in Paradife, and made him as a vifib!eGod in the lower World. And ifGracealonedifpenfed Benefits to innocent Creatures, much more to thofe who are obnoxious to Jufiice: The firf\ was free, but this is merciful. And this leads to the fecond Confideration, which exalts redeeming Love. The
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