Houston-Packer Collection BV4253 .B85 1649 .B85 1649

APplieot. graceandLovebeyondglfts. and Love,/hope better things ofyou,&inch its accompanyflilva_ tion, for God isnot unmindful toforget your labor of love, that accompanies falvation. You fee how it is with children that areplaying together in the day,ifthey be playing abroad,and childrenofdivers parents, whennight comes, one child goes to his father and the other unto his father,they are very like, it may be,and their clothes are alike,and when they are play- ing together abroad, you cannot fay whofe child this is, or whofe child that is, but when night comes, the father then comes unto his child, and faith, Come home my child, come in at doors,& ifthe other offers to go in there, No child,you mull go home to your father.So while we are living,grace & gifts are mingled together,fome men have gifts, & fome men have graces,& they look very like; Ah but whennight corns, and when death comes,then God the Father,he faith to thofe that have grace,Come my children,enter in; but ifthofe that have gifts only come, he fends them away, No, you mull go to your father, it is not your gifts mike youmy children, by graceyou are my children,but not by gifts, & therfore home to your father,' amnone ofyour father,home unto your own father; thus will the Lord fpeakwhen night comes : yea,and if man do go to hell and perifli, the more gifts he hath, the deeper will he fink into hell ; as it is with a man that is in the water finking in the water,the more he is laden with gold ,the more he finks, and as lie is finking, if he hath any time to cry out,he faith,Oh take away thefe bags of gold, thefe bags of gold will finkme, they will undo me : So I fay, thefe golden parts,and golden gifts they will undo men; when men come to hell, and fhall perifb, the more golden gifts and parts they have had, the deeper they fhall fink in hell ; parts and gifts will never fave a man from the wrath to come, I, but Grace, and Love,& Holinefs under Chilli will; furely therfore there is an excellency in the wayof Grace and ofLove,beyond the way ofGifts: Though theway of Gifts be an excellent way, and much to be defired, yet the way of Grace and ofLove is a more excellent way, and moll of all to be defired. By way of Application then ; Methinks this Doarine 'ooks wifhly

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