In Contriving Man'r Redemption. Love, fo powerful , and fublime, that Adam in Inriocence was unacqHainted with. He ~ fenr down his own Bowels to teffifie his Affetl:ion to us. _And that !hould be the great· Chap.. tt. dl: indearment of our Love, which was the greateft evidence of his. ~ And if we confider the Perfon of our Redeemer, what more worthy Objetl: of our AffeCtion than Chrifl? and Chrifl enduring the mofl terrible thiQgs, and at lafl dying with all the Circumf\ances of Difhonour and Pain, for Love to Man ? If he. had no attractive Excellencies, }et his cruel Sufferings for us fhould make him infinitely precious and dear to our Souls. If by folemn regards we contemplate him in the Gar\len, amaz'd at the firf\ Approaches of that Cup mixed with all thelngredientsof Divine Difpleafure, fwea t· ing /i~ drops of Blood, under a weight ofnnfpeakable Sorrow, and without the leaf\ Reli•f from Man, whofe fins he then bore ; what kind of Marble are our Hearts if they dd not tenderl y relent at this doleful Spetl:acle? Can we frand by him projlrate 011 the Earth, a11d offering up Prayers tmd S~tpplications with fl rong Cries and Tears (the eff~Cts of the travel or his Soul) without the malt paflionate fenfibility? Can we fee bun contemned by impure Worms, abus'd in his facred Offices, fpitefully reprefented as a mock King, buffeted and flouted as a mock Prophet, his facred Face defiled with loathfome Spittle, his Back torn wi th fharp Scourges, and all endured with a vitl:orious Pari ence ; can we behold this with an unconcerned Eye, without the Mournings of holy Love< Can we accompany him in the dolorous way, and fee him fainting and fi nking under his heavy Crofs, and not feel his Sufferings? Can we afcend to Mount Calvary and look on him hanging on the infamous Tree in the midll of Thieves fuffe ring the' utmofi Fury of malicious Enemies, and not be crucified with him? Can we he<!r the af\onifhing Complaint of his deferted Soul to the Judge of all the World doing ex• treame Right on him as our Surety, and not be overcome with Grief and Love? Shall not the Warm Streams fadly running from his wounded Head and Hands and Feet melt our congeal'd Atfetl:ions? His pierced Side difcovers his Heart, the vital Fountain open'd to waO~away our Guilt,and fhall our Hearts be untouch'd? His bloody undeferved Death the precious Ranfom ofOur Souls makes him our Life, and fhall it not render him full of Lovelinefs to our inflamed T houghts? HeismoreamiableontheCrofs, than in theThrone: Forthere wefee theclearef\ Teflimony, and the moll glorious Triumph of his Love. There he endured the Anger of Heaven, and the Scorn of the Earth. There we might fee !~la~a~o~~l~'nFr\~~~ ~e:~~ncf~o~l~;~-~~;;~~~~~~' t~0~u~~~:~~~~gd~{)p~;~~~ !~d~~fu%~ !h~w~;~:;;. our cold Hearts toward thee? How can we remember thy bleeding dying Love without Vidts in _cbri- ~~eE~~frfi~eo~0~~~i~~~ l!r~~:drb;~~ more infenGble than the Rocks, 'tis impoffible but~~:;7~:~~j Suppofe an Angel by fpecial Delegation had been enabled to have trod Satan under uurP•ri, •it•m Feet, our Obligations to him had been inexprdiible, and our Love might have been inter- mm. cepted from afcending to our Creator. For Salvation is a greater Benefit, than the meer giving to us our natural Being. As the privation of Felicity with the a/J:ual Mifery that is joyned with it, is infinitely worfe than the negation of being. Our Lord pronounced concerning Jridos, Mat. >6. 24. It had been good for th.t Man that he had never been born. Redeeming goodnefs exceeds creating. Now the Son of God to procure our highefl Love, alone wrought Sal~·ation for us. 1\nd what admirable goodnefs is it, that puts a value upon our Affetl:ion, and accepts fuch a fmall return! Our mort intent and ardent Love bears no more porportion to his than a Spl!k to th~ Element of Fire. Be fides, his Love to us was pure, and without any Benefitto himfelf; but ours to him is profitable to our Souls, for their eternal Advantage. Yet with this he is fully fatis fied; when we love him in the quality of a Saviour, we give him the ~lory of that hedefigns moft to be glorified in, that is, of his Mercy to the miferable. for this rea[on he inflituted the Sacrament of the Supper, the contrivance of his Love, to refre01 the Memory of his Death, and quicken our fainting Love to him. Now the Love that our Sav iour requires muft be, t. Sincere and ~nfei gned ._ This declares it felf by a care to pleafe him in ail things. Jj nMa,tlove me, f~11th our Savwur, he will k.._eep my Commandments. Obedience is the mort natural and neceifary pr?du/J: of Love. For Love is the Spring of 1\IJ:ion, and employs all the Faculnes ou the Servtce of the Per[on loved. The Apof\Ie expreifes the force of it by an emphattcal wo_rd, ur..vl;cc-1, '2 Cor. 5· The Love ofChrifJ conflrains us: tr fignifiesto hav~ one bound, and fo much under power that he cannot move without leave. As the infpired Prophets were carried by the ~pirit, and intirely atl:ed by his Motions. Such an abfolute Emprre had the Love of Chnf\ over hrm, ( Aas 18. 5· ) ruling all the Inclinations of his Heart, and AIJ:ions of his Life. 'Tis this alone makes Obedience cliearful , and conftant. For _Love is feated in the Will, and the Obedience that proCeeds fr'om _ir, is out of chotce1 and purely voluntary. No Commandment ii griev011.t that i.J performed Z from
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=