graceandLovebeyondgifts. 45 foul ; He bathgivengifts, faith the Apofile, for theedifying of the Body of Chrift, Ephef: 4. If you cannot reacha Book off the fhelf, you take a fool, and (landing upon that fool, you are able to reach down the Book ; the fool are thefe gifts : grace alone many times cannot reach down fuch a Notion in Divinity, as it is able to do by the help of gifts; Dona danttsr in adjutorium gratin, gifts are given for the help of grace, they are the handmaids of grace, and theybring forth fweet- ly upon the knees of grace. .4,1y, Again,That mull needs be excellent, that is able to ad a furtherexcellency, unto that which is the moll excellent : you fay ordinarily, That if a worfe thing be added unto a better, the better is defiled ; as ifwater be added unto wine, the wine is corrupted ; if lead be added unto flyer, the filver is defiled ; if flyer be added unto gold, the gold is debafed ; and fo the better is defiled by the worfer : but now grace is the greateft excellency in the world, yet ad gifts unto grace,. and grace it felf is made the more excellent & beautiful ' for as the Temple did fan&ifie the gold, but the gold did beau- tifie the Temple ; fo though grace do fanaifie gifts, yet gifts do beautifie grace ; now grace being the greatenbeauty un- der heaven,& gifts putting a further beauty upon that which is the molt beautiful, what doth this argue, but that there is abundance of excellency and beauty in Spiritual gifts ? Quell. But then if there befuch an, excellency in gifts , in Spiritual gifts, Wherein U grace and Love more excellent ? wherein lies the excellency ofgrace and Love, beyond the excel- lency ofgifts ? Antra. ConcerningLove aft: Love is not an empty thing; the voice and found ofLove is not an uncertain found, or an empty voyce; but faith the Apoftle here, in the t 3 Chap. of this fir( to the Corinthians, Though heal, with the tongue of men and Angels,andhave not love, I am becom as foundingbrats, or a tinkling Cymbal: A mans heart may be purged from groffer fins and he may be garnifhed with parts and gifts,and yet his foul empty for Satan to return into again, as you read in that 12 of Matthew; but Grace and Love is a filling G 2 thing,
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