94 An Expojition of tbe Epiftle ~ be one and the fame Love, 7olm 17.23· That the Wortdmr!J kuow thflt tbott h<lji Serm. Vlf.Jn:t me, aud /;,Jfl lovedtbtm as tbott hafl loved me, We werefo reprcftnted by ~ Chrift, and cpnlidercd in him, that we made up o11e Cbnf/ mJflzcal; as the Head and the Body make up but o11e m.w. . . Again, T11is fecms to be fame fpecJal favour and peculiar grace unto the Sons of men Elect, and not to the Angels, as here it is fpoken ot: The Angels (we read) are elect, [the EleEt Augels;] but we no where read of them, that they .are el~ct iu Chrifl. Lil<ewife that they are the Sous of God,by creat1on n~mcly; but not .Adopted So11s through Cbnfl, as we here are [aid to be : And fo they are highly j:tvoured of God; but no where, that they are acceptedi11 the Beloved, as here we are [aid to be. It may be faid, they are h1ghly favoured as Menial Servants to God, but not as Sons Adopted. Many Courtiers were in high favour with Saul; but 'David fpeaks of his being Son to him as an higher matter by far. As in Nobility there are higher ranks than other; fo among the Nobles in Heaven. The Angtls, it may be faid, God bath loved them with a fpecial love, and he bath loved Chri!i and both from eternity; but it is no where faid, that he bath loved the Angels as Chri!i faid there, Thou ha(/ loved them as thot< hd{l loved me. And how fpecial a Priviledge this is, I !hall ex– prefs toyou by this Similitude. The Sun (you know)lhmes upon all the world; but if ) ou take a Burning-glafs and hold it in the point ofunion or concentration, between the lhining Sun and fomething that you would have inflamed; hereby the Sun-beams are contracted, and do tall upon that ObjcCl: with a more intenfc heat and fervour, even to an inflammation of it: and this, by reafon that the Beams were firft contracted in the Center of the Glafs, and then diffufed and with more vchcmency darted upon the Object under it.· Thus God lovetl1 all his Creatures; his Love i• over a!J his works(fo the Scripture expreffeth it; (but he loves them not in his Beloved, he accepts them not in him. But now for the Sons of Men elect, that Son of God (who is his Beloved) contracl:s all the beams of God's love into himfclf; they fall all upon him fir!i, and then thoy through him lhine and diffufe themfelves upon us all, with a ray infinitely mme flrong and vigorous than they would have done, if we had been confidered it our felves alone. And this is the advantage of being accepted in the Beloved, God loves us with the fame love wherewith he loved his Son. To come now unto fame Obfervations from hence. Obferv. 1 , I. Obferve here, That Jefus Chri!i is God's Beloved in an eminent manner. Look, as God put all Light into the Sun, and that diffufeth and communicateth light unto all the Stars: fa Jefus Chri!i hath contracted all the Love of God to himfelt~ and through him it is diffufed upon us. He is "''' Tn< .i-y.l,,., the So11 of hu Love, (as he is called Coloff.r.q.) You read it tranilated there [Hi; dear Sou;] but the Greek bath it [the Son of his Love.] Chri!ihath (asitwere) engroffed all God's Love unto him; Thi; is my we!J-be!oved S01,, in whom I am well plet~.{'ed. Yea, indeed and in truth God is not well pleafed with any of the Creatures, but as they h•ve relation to him, and are his Servants. Otherwife he ji11dethjolly i11 his A11gels, Job 4· i8. They would ~at have pleafed him, had they not come under bts Son, and had relatiOn unto htm fome way or other, an( fubferved for his glory. In loving his Son he loved them; but he loveth us a1 being planted into him. The Trmity could not pleafe itfelf out of itfelf. He i the Beloved. Obferv. 2, II. Is Chri!i thus God's Beloved, with, and in whom he is fo fully pleafed and is he not Thy Beloved, (as it is in the C.•ntic!es !) what is the matter? I thy narrow Soul more curious about an object for its Love, than God himfelf is• 0! let him be to each of us our. Beloved! If he be God's Beloved, he may ,. well be thtne. Is he able to fausfie God's vafl thoughts; and is he not able u fatisfie thee, poor Creature? God himfelf is fatisfied and at re!i in him, (Jw,s tjaily his delight, fays Chri!i, Prov.8.) and would!i thou be happier than G<l JS? Is he God's Belovtd Son, iiJ whom he is welt pleafed; and wilt thou Je pleafed in any thing elfe, fave Chrifi?
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