922 Chap.42. afin Expofition upon the BookofJ o s. Verf. 9a Hence note; The intimations of mercy, and hopes of pardon, prevail migh- tily upon thefoul of a firmer. TheLord did not only thew them their fin,, and terrifie therm with kindled wrath, but chewed them a facrifice, and this pre- featly won upon them. The love of God is more conflraining than his wrath ; andhopes of pardonand falvation, than the fear of punifhment and damnation : both have their effc&s, and are Prong motives wrath and love,. but the firongefi is love. As when the Apofcic befeeched the Romans (Rom. r 2. i,) CO preferir themCelves a living facrifice, he bcfought them by themercies of. God : So when the Lord commanded there men to offer up {lain beafis in facrifice, hope of mercy was the motive. 'Tis mercy w`h moves molt efts&ually,to offer both our fervices & our felves a facrifice unto God ; that's the fame Apoffles argument again (2 Cor. 7. a.) Wherefore having theft promifes, let us cleanfe our felves (that is, ufe all means of cleanfing our felves, let us go to Chriff for the cleanfing of our felves) from allffltbinefs both offlefh andfpirit,perfeilingh:linefi in thefear of the Lard. The end of the Commandement is charity (a Tim. r. S.) that is, 'cis charity or lovewhich gives the Commandement its end. What is the end e' theCommandement ? it is that we should obey and fulfil it. To ghat end doth the Lord give us Commandements ? it is that we fhould keep them. Love is the end of the Commandement, :sit gives the Commandement a compleatingend. Now,whence comes our lore,either to Godor man ? Surely from the manife- flation of Gods love to us. So that, when the Lord manifefteth his love to us, rai.ng and confirming our hopes by promifes, then our love appeareth isdoing and keeping Commandements; and therefore, love is there joyned with faith unfeignedP, a faith without hypocrifie or deceit. Now, the work of faith in God for pardon and reconciliation,is grounded upon a facrifice. Thus, as Evangelical obedience is better than legal, . fo mercy revealed in the Gofpel, quickens to obedience, more than wrath revealed in the Law. The fight of mercy, and the fence of the love of God, in fending his own Son to be afacrifice for us, works more uponus, thanir the Lord should threaten tomake as a facrifice, or to contunte us in the fired his wrath for ever. It was the fa- cri(1 t
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