Ho1v to get Low to the Godly. 177 Tit. 3· Motiws or Meditatiw /Jelps to low the Godly. Mot. 1. confider what Relation all the Rcgenerate.have to God. They are not only his Cre~~ Motive 1 , tures, but his Adopted Children ; And are they not honourable and ami>.ble who GJ!. 4· 6. are fo 11ea'r to God ? · Mot. 2· Think of their near 1\.r:lation to Jefus Chrifl : They are his Members, and his Ere· Motive z. tlmn, and the purchafe of his fuffcrings, and coheirs of cverlafiing life ? Rom. S. 16, 17· Epbtf. 5· 26, 27· Mor. 3· Think of rhe excellency of that fpirit and holy Nature which is in them. Regenerati- Motive 3• on ha!h made them parta.kers of the Divine tJature, and hath indued them with rhe fpirit of Chrifi, and harh by the incorruptible feed made them new Crcatures 1 of a Holy and Heavenly mind and life; and hath renewed them after the Image of God ? And what befides God himfelf can be fo amiable as his Image. , Mar. 4· Think of the precious price which was paid for their Redemption: If you will cfiimate Motive 4· things by their price ( if the purchafer be wife) how highly mufl you value them' Mat. 5• Remember how dearly they arc beloved of God) their Creator and Redeemer: Read and lt1otivt 5• obferve Gods tender language towards them; and his render dealings with them. He calleth them his Children, his beloved, yea dearly-beloved, his jewels, the apple of his eye, Vmt. 33• 12. Pfo/. 60. 5· & 127· 2· Col. 3· 12• ]er. 12· 7· Ma/.3. '7· Zteh· 2· g, Deut. 32· tO• Chrill calleth the leafl" of them hM Brethren, Matth. 2 5· Judge of his love: to them by his incarnation, life and fufferings! Judge of it by that one heart melting meffage after his refurrecl:ion, Joh. 20. 17· Go to "!Y bmlm11 and f(Jy mllo them, I afcmd to ~y Fatber andyour Fa:ber, ,to my God and y9ur God. And Ihould we not love them dearly who are fo dearly beloved of God ? Mot.6. 1'beyare "" Brethrm, btgotten by tbt jjme["ther a~d Spirit, of tbe famt bo(y feed, the word MotiVt G. of God ; and have the fame ·nature and diCpcfition: And this Unity of nature and neernefs of rela~ tion, is fuch a fuitablenefs as mull needs caufe love. Mat. 7· Th.ey are our companions in labour a~d tribulation: in our duty and futfcrings_: They M:otive 7• are our £Cllow Souldiers, and Travellers : with whom only we Ciln have fwcet and holy convcrfe; and a Heavenly converfation ; when the carnal, favour not the things of God. Mot. S. Confider how lerviceable their graces render them, for the pleafing of God and the good of Motivt S, men : They are thc;.work of God, created to good works, Ephtf. 2· 10. They are fitted by , gra~e to Love and praife rh m Maker and Redeemer :and to obey his Laws,and to honour him in their works, as fhining lights in a dark generation They are the bleffings of the place where God hath planted them: They puy for finntr~ ·n~ ·xhort them, and give: them good examples, and call them from their fins, and lovingly draw tlh.. a. on ro converfion and falvation. For their fakes God ufeth others t_he bctt(r wh(re they live. Ten righteous perfons might have faved Sodom. They are lovely the.rc· tore for the fervicc which they do. · Met. 9· All their graces will be lhortlyper[ditd, and all their infirmities done away. They are Motivt ~· already pardoned and juf\ificd by Chrifi; and every remai,ning fpot and wrinlde will be fhorrly $akcn away, Ephtf. 5· z6, 27. and they !hall be prefented perfeel: unto God. .And they that jhaU be [o perjea then, arc amiable now. Mot. 10•. They !hall fe,e !he Glory of Gpd, and live for ever in his prefence: They 01all be em- Motivt 10 , played in hts perfect Love and pratfe, and we £hall be thetr compantons therem: And thofc that mufi fing Halleluj&'s to God in perfeGt amity and concord, in fuch an harmonious blcffed chore, fl10uld live in great endearcdnefs in the way. Tit. ~.. The Hinderancesand Enemies of CIJriftianlow. EnwY' x. THE firfi Enemy of Chrifiia.n Love, is the inward unrege~eracyand cdrnalityof the mi.Jtd: Enemy t. For the 'arnal mind~ enmity to God, and neither~ nor can be fubjeQ to h~ law, Rom. 8. 6, 7· And therefore it is a.t enmity with Holinefs and with thofe that are ferioufly holy.Thc excellency ofa Chriflian is fi:en only by faith, believing what God fpcakcth of them, and by fpiritual difcerniog of their fpiritual worth : But thenatural man difcerneth not the thingr oftheJPirit, but they are as foo/ijhnefs to him , hecaufo tbey mufl beJPiritu~Uy difoerned, 1 Cor. 2· 14. There mufl be a fuitablenefs of na· rure before there can be true love : And he that will love them as holy, muft firfl love holinefs hirrifelf,, . E>temy 2· Another Enemy to Chrjfiian I,ove is, feljijhnrfr, or inordinate felfl•ve : For this will Entmy •• make men love no one heartily, but as they fervc or love or honour tbcw, and according to rhe meafures of their felfifh interell; If a Godly man will not fiHtC! fuch perfons, and ferve their proud Ot
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