.~p~ritual Perfection. Vengeance, that had funk us into the Centre of Sorrows, and re!lor'd us to the F.H·our and Fruition of God. , Our Mifcry was extreme and without End: if Mifi:ry, t hough intolerable, has a detcrmin'd i[ue, the paffing of ever~' day leJfens it: but if it be above all Patience to endure, and wid10ut Hope of Rem i ffio~ or Releafe, .chi:; d1oughc llrikes deadly inward. A Brute has fame Memory of paft patns, and a feeltng of prefent, but no apprehenfio11 of future p_ains: 'tis the woful f 1~rogativeof the RealOnablc Nature, to cxafpera tethc: fenfe of Mtfcry by the fo refi ght of tts continuance, and to feel the weigh t of Eternity eve ry Moment. Loll Souls are dead to all the vital fweetncfs of Being, to all fcnfe of Hap• pinefs and li ve to the quickelt feeling of Mifery for ever. ou:· Refcue from this Mifery is more affe8ing, if we confider, that without our Sa.. viom·'s interpoflng, our ltate was defperate: to pafs from death to life is a double life.. We are tranliated from the guilty, wretched it ate of R ebe ls, into the blelfed ltate of the Children of God, and are Heirs of Eternal Glory. The duration is as valuable as the Felicity, and doubles the Gift: Immortality and Immutability are iofeparable in Heaven. God has made all his Goodnefs to pafs before 114 in our Salvation. Goodnefs, how amiable, how attrai.t ive and endearing! To dye for another is the malt noble kind of Love, but there are degrees in that kind: to die for an Enemy, for a Rebel, is the highett degree of that Love. Now the S?n of God alfum'd to t he Supreme Excellencies of the Divine Nature, the tender Infirmmes of the Human Nature, that he Imght be a propitiatory Sacrifice _for our Si?s. In thU God ~o"!mtndtd hi4_ love to m, that rvhen_ we Rom. S'· were Sinners he gave hu Son to du for m. A£lon~!htog Love! tf pajJes ~tli tmderPandmg. The 'Jews askt our Saviour with wonder, how u tt that tho" b<ing a Man makefl thy {<If God? We may imagine with equal wonder, how being the Son of God, he defcended • from the Throne of Ma.jeflJ in heaven, and ftoop'd fo low as to become Man?_ S_t. Peter Mdt. 16. 16. illuminated by divine Revelation , Confelt, Thou art the Chrijl th< Son of t he lwmg God. But prefently after, when our Savwur foretold, tha t he m11jl go to 'Jm.falem, and be kill'd thm, P<t<r began to rebuke !urn, faymg, Be tt far from thee , thts fba/1 not come unto thu. He could not conceive how fuch dillant and difcordant extreams as the Son of the Living God, and Death, could meet in Chrilt: but his love to us united them. A Love above all comparifon, but with the love of his Father to us. In the Sacrifice of Jfaac there was a fa int refemblance of this. Abraham carried the Knife and the Fire, and Jfaae carried the Wood, and htmfelf the Saenfice, and with equallteps they afcended the Mount. A Type of the concurrent Love of the DIVIne Perfons to us, in the procefs of Chrilt's Sufferings. , The Fath<r laid upon him the iniq11ity of"' aN: Jurtly he ha If•. ,;. born our gri<fs, and lndur d our {arrows. Adm~rable Excefs of Love! The Father gave up his innocent and only Son, the bright Image of his Glory, to Cruel Sufferings. This ImmACulate Lt!ly was pterced wtth Thorns. The Son gave fuch Life for us as no ~~e::~r:o c~~rg!~::ean~w:r~:dt~ucr~ifeDuesat~ f~heush~:l~e~ c;:~:~;: ~;~l~~f~~fs. H~~~ can refill the force of there Reflecltons? It may feem that only the Reprobates in Hell that have finn'd beyond the intended vertue and application of his Sufferings, can bb unaffei.ted with them. From hence this Corollary regularly follows, That 'tis our Duty to confecrate out highett Etteem and Love to our Redeemer. Supreme Love is due to Supreme Excellencies, and for the greatelt Benefits. In our Saviour all the Treafi•res ofWifdom and /Vow/edge are hid, and all the Treafures of Grace and Mercy are open'd to inrich us. What Indignity, what Ingratitude is it, to be coldly affected to him, who by the ~~;~~,;~i~~t~n~~i{~~~Je~~~t;v~y~~\~o;; ~i~of~ru~::a~~a!l~0a~dtl~~~~~:lls isc~~t:~~~n; behold in a double extafle of Admiration and Joy? 'Tis moll jult that our Love fbould afcend to him in thankfulnefs, as his defcended to us in benefits. But our Poverry mufl: excufc the not enure payment of our Immenfe Debt, and our fervent defires to Jove him better. If we content our felves with lukewarm Affections, 'tis moll di!honourable to him: the coldnefs of Love, as well as the heat of Enmity is very provoking to out ·Sa VlOur. It !bould be our conflant practice, by dircudive and reflexive Meditation, to increafe the holy heat of our Affecltons to Clmlt. He reqmres a love of judgment and.Choice. The love of Natura l Inclination is iodeltberate, without Counfcl, and needs no Excira.. tions: rbe flream_runs downward freely. But love to Chrifl is fupernarural, both wirh refpei.t to the Objetl and the qua lity of the Affei.tion. The Love of God is rhe princtpal obltgatton of the Law, and the princtpal Duty of the rcaronable and renewed Creature : the moll jutt and amiable Duty, yet fo monltrous is the depravation of che human Nature, that Diviae Grace is requifite to recover its Life and Liberty. Th<
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