Edwards - BX7230 .E4 1746

PART III. ' gracious .flffec`t`ions. 1 53 ated, as the 119th Pfalni'; the Pfahiiiff' declares his Defgn in the°firft Verfe6 of the Pfalm, and he keeps his Eye on t,his..Jefign all along, and purfues it to the End : But in this Pfalm the Excellency of Ho - linefs is reprefented as the immediate Objea of a fpiritual Tafle, Re- lifh, Appetite and Delight, God's Law, that grand Expreflîon and Emanation of the Holinefs of God's Nature, and Prefcription of Ho.. linefs to the Creature, is all 'along reprefented as the Food and En- tertainmenr, and as the great Objea of the Love, the Appetite,' the Complaifance and Rejoicing of the gracious Nature, which prizes God's Commandments above Gold, yea, the fineft Gold, and to which they are fweeter than the Honey, and Honey-comb ; and that upon Ac- count of their Holinefs, as I obferved before. The fame Pfalmift de- clares, that this is the Sweetnefs that a fpiritualTaffe relifhes in God's Law, Pfal. 19. 8, 9, r o. The Law of the Lord is perfect : `_rIe Commandment of the Lord is pure The Fear of the Lord is clean The Statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the Heart : The :7m-1g-incurs of the Lora are true, and righteous altogether : More to be defined are they than Gold, yea than much fine Gold ; fweeter' alto than Honey and the Honey comb. A holy Love has a holy Objea: The Holinefs of Love confifis efperially in this that it is the Love of that which is holy, as holy, or for it's Holinefs ; fo that 'tis the Holinefs of the Obier, which is the Onality whereon it fixes and terminates. An holy Nature muff: needs love that in holy Things chiefly, which is moft a reabie to -itfelf; but furely that in divine Things, which above all others is agreable to holyNature, isHolinefs ; beca.ufeHolinefs muff be above. ll otherThings agreable toHolinefs; for nothing can-be more agreable to any Nature than itfif holy Nature muff be above all Things a- greable to holy Nature : And fo the holy Nature of God and Chriff, and the Word of God, and other divine Things, muff be above all other Things, agreable to the holy Nature that is in the Saints. And again, an holy Nature doubtlefs loves holy Things, efpeci- ally on the Account of that, for which finful Nature has Enmity againfl them : But that for which chiefly -finful Nature is at Enmity againff holy Things, is their Holinefs ; it is for this, that the carnal Mind is Enmity againif God, and againff the Law of God, and the People of God. Now 'tis juff arguing from Contraries ; from con- trary Caufes, to contrary EffeSfs ; from oppofite Natures, to oppo- fite Tendencies. We know that Holinefs is ofa directly contrary Nature to Wickednefs : As therefore 'tis the Nature Of Wickednefs chiefly to oppofe and hate Holinefs ; fo it muff be the Nature of Holinefs chiefly to tend to, and delight in Holinefs-. The holy Nature in the Saints and Angels in Heaven ( where the true Tendency of it bell appears ) is principally engaged by the Ho- linefs of divine Things, This is the divine Beauty which chiefly en- gages

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