352 The Life of Faith. _ Contr. No man can grounded!), believe the ,j'ecial Love of God to bier, nor his own Eled'on or Jutlification, before he barb (yea before he find in himfelf) apecial loveto God. Becaufe he that hatb xo (pecial love to God, mutt believe a lye if he be- lieve that he is ¡unified, or that ever God revealed to him that he is cleft, or fpeeiallybeloved of God : and no man hath any evidenceor proofat all ofhìs tedion, and Gods ffrecial love, till he have this evidence of hisfrecial love to God. Till he know this, he cannot know that any other is fincere. 2. They that deny or bl fpheme Gods common love to fallen man, and his univcrfal pardoning Covenant, do their worn to keep men from being moved to the fpeciul Love of God by hisccmmon Love : But when they have done their wort}, it (hall land as a fore obligation. Is there not rcafon enough to bind men to love God above all, even as one that yet may be their happinefs in his own infinite Goodnefs, and all the revelations of it by Chrili, and in his fo loving the world, ar to give his only Son, that wbcfoever believetb in him fheuld net pi TO, but have evcrlaffiag life. And in his giving a freepardon of all tin to mankind, and offering life eternal to them, fo that none but the final refufcrs (hall Iofe it, and intrcatirg them to accept it, &c ? Is not all this fufficient in reafon to move men to the love of God, ifthe Spirit help them to make ufeof Rea- fon (as he matt do what'Reafons foe ver are prefented to them) unicfs men think that God doth not oblige them by any kind- nefs which they can'pctfibly reject ? or by any thing which many others do partake of Yet here note, that by Gods common love to man,I do not mean, any whichhehath to Reprobates, under the confidera- tion of final defpifers ofhis Antecedent Love : But of that An- tecedent Love it filf, which he hath flamed to loft mankind in thrift. And note anfo, that I do not deny but that Love of God in ác me men may be true, where their own prefumption that God hath elected them, and loved them above others, before they had anyproofof it, was anadditional motive : But this is mans way, and not Gods. Errour 43. That trufixg to any thing, jaw God did PP: Cbrif, forour falvation, is ¡in arrddamnable. Contr.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=