I 6 6 T he Harmony of the 'JJivine Attributes ~~----------------~--------------------- Chap. 11. L/V"'v CHAP. XI. l'ra&lica l 111ferencu. Redeeming Love defervu our higheft Admir~tion, and h"mble Ack,_nowledgments. The iUuftration of it by feve ral Confiderations. God u ~njinztely amiable in Himfelf, yet bis Love is tranjient to the Creature. l u admzrable in Creating and freferving Man, m•re in Redeeming bzm and by tbe Deatb of bis Son. Tbe difcovery o{ God's Love in our Redemption is the ftrongeft Perfuajive to Repentance. 'The Law is inejfeC/u. alto .produce real Repentance. The common Bemjitt of Providence are in- [Hfftczent to caufe Faith and Repentance in the g~tilty Creature. The clear dzfcovery of pardoning Merccy in the Gofpel can only remove our Fears, and induce 111 to re turn to God. The tranfcendent Lov e of God jbould kjndle iu ut a reciprocal Love to Him. Hi-s Excellencies and ordinary Bounty to Mankind cannot prevail upon 111 to love Hhn. His love to us in Chrifi only conquers our Hatred. Our love to Him muft be fincere and fuperlative. Tbe defpijing of faving Mercy is the higbeft Provocation. It makts tbe Condemnation of Men moft juft, certain, afJd heavy. '· TH~~~:fe~~~~~~s~ 0vif ~~er;~~fid';r~~~~ri~~~ir:t~~Y :~1. ~~,f'w~~~~~: t~~; He is pleafed to be/low kindnefs upon any created Being. For in Him is all that is excellent and amiable; and 'tis ejfontial to the Deity to have the perfetl: knowledge of Himfelf,_ a~d ~erfetl: Love t'? himfelf. His Love ?eing proportioned to his Excc;llencies, the AtJ tS mfimte, as the Ob;efi: And the Perfetl:tons o t the Dtvme Natu re, bemg equal to his Love, ' tis a jufl: caufe of admiration that 'tis not confined to Him(elf, but is tranfi· ent and goes forth to the Creature. When D avid looked up to the Heavens, and faw the Majefl:y of God written in Charatl:ers of Li ght, he admires that Love which firfl: made Mmt a litt ler lower than the .Angel.r, and crowned him with GlorJ and Honour, Pfal. 8. and that provident ial care which is mindful of him, and vifits him every moment. Such an inconceivable diflance theFe is between God and Mail, that 'tis wonderful God will fpend a Thought upon us. Lord, what is Man that thou tak_ejl knowledge of him? or the Son of Matt that tho~tma/zefl accoHnt ~him? Man iJ /if<! to vanity, his da71 area.r aft}adow that palfoth away, Pfal. •44· His being in this World bath nothing firm, or folid; ' tis like a Shadow, that .depends upon a Caufe that is in perpema1 motion, the Light of the Sun, and is always changi ng, till it vanifhes in the Darknefs of the Ni gh t. But if we con!ide r Man in the quality of a Sinner, and what God hath wrought for his recovery, we are overcome with amazement. All temporal Favours are but Foils to this miraculous Mercy, and unfpeakably below the leaf\ Infl:ance of it: without it all the Priviledges we enjoy above inferiour Creatures in this Life, will prove Aggravations of onr fmure Mifery. God faw us in our degenerate ft ate, deftroyed by our [elves; and yet, 0 Good nefs, truly Divine! he loved us [o far, as to make the way for our Recovery. High Mountains were to be levelled, and great Depths to be filled tip, before we could arrive at Bletfednefs: All this bath been done by mighty Love. God laid the Curfe of the Guilt y upon the Innocent, and expofed his beloved Son to the Sword of his Jufl:ice, to turn the Blow from us . What aO:oniiliing goodnefs is it, that God who is the Au~ thor anJ End of all things, fhould become the means of our Salvation? and by the lowen: abafcment? \<V hat is fa worthy of admiration as that the Eternal fhoul d become Mortal, that be ing in the form of God, he fhould take on him the form of a Servant? that the Jud ge of the World fhould be condemned by the guil ty? that he fi10uld leave his Throne in Heaven to be nailed to the Crofs? that the Prince of Life fhould tafl:e of Dea th ? Thefe are the great Wonders which the Lord of Love harh performed, and all for fi nful, mifc:rah le and unworthy Man, who deferved not the leafi: drop of that Sweat and Blood he [pent fOr him: And any without advantage to himfelf, for what content can be added to hi s Felicity by a curfed Creature? Infinire Love! thar is as admirable as faving! Love that ptif)etb K110Jv!cdgt:! and is as much above ou r comprehenfion as deferr. In nnrnral rhings, Admiration is rhe effeCt: of Ignorance, bur here 'ris increafed by Knowledge. For the more we underfland the excell ent grel!nefs of God, and the vilenefs of ' Man ,
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