An ExpoJ!tion of the Epifile ,.-... ..A.6"l Serm X · fl: h" · H h ~ Let the Love of God be the greate t mg m your carts, t e nearefl: thing to your Souls of all elfe, the greatefl: thing which in your eye you do purfue. It is Obferv. 1 • the firfl: thir.g in God laid the foundation of good, and it is the highc[i thing to be attained to, and to be pnrfued after by us. Of all thmgs m God, value his Love, and reek after that; let, I L1y, the defires of yonr Souls be pointed Unto it. God's love, it is the greatd1: thing of all the rert, it is more than all his bene– fits. The l<;ve of Chrifl: was more than his fufferings, and his ritfferings were more than hts benefits; and the love of God, tt is more than all his gifts, and yet he bath given great things to us, and done great things for us. .Amor eft pri– "'"m don11m ~ his love is the firfl: _gift, (as one well faith) in the gift of which oil thmgs elfe are yours. The gtft of hts Son, 1t was a great gift, but it was founded in his Love: He fo loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son. Tho we, being Sinners, need mercy, that is the next thing we want, and there– fore we look to rt, 0 mercy, mercy ! becaufe we appr~hendour (elves in mifery : But do you look beyond mercy, and look to love, wbtch 1s a greater thing to you than mercy, ratfeth and enlargeth mercy, and when Mercy hath done with you, will do more, 0r as much for you as mercy hath done, and guideth mercv. the reafon why Mercy ran into your hearts, and wafhed you with the blood ' 0 [ Chrifl:, is becaufe that Love guided the channel. To feek after mercy, this (elf-love and the mifery thou art in, will make thee do. 0 but there is fomewhat elfe: faith a good Soul, it is tbe love of God, and the £wour of God, that I would fee ; and it is not iClf-love that ever will carry a man on to feek that: And what is the rcafon, that this chiefly is the purfuit of a Soul fpiritualized? One reafon among others is this : Becaufe Grace is always the Image of God's heart; now this being the chief thing in God's heart, and the firfl: thing, and the highefr thing, hence therefore the Soul feeks that ultimately and chiefly. Obferv. 2. Secondly; If you ask me, What love it is that I would have you prize and value? and what love it is that is here meant? It is everlafl:ing Love: For the g>·eat Love wherewith he [h,tth] loved 111, faith the Apofl:le, not wherewith he dotb 117Ve 111. It is everlafl:ing Love, that is the caufe of all the Mercies we have: Jcr. 31. 3· I have loved thee with an everlajling Love; (there you have the Phrafe too; fo the Apofl:le here, WlJCrewith he [ hath J loved "'' this [ hath J reaches as as high as to eternity,) Therefore, faith he, with loving-k}ndneft have I drawn thee. Will you know the reofon why God calleth you, why he faveth you? It is this, 1have loved yott with an ever/ailing Love. It is not a Love that God cloth begin to let upon you then when you are fidl called ; no, it isa Love taken up from everlafl:ing. He had a love in him to you, before he gave Jefus Chrifl:, that i,, before the confideration of giving Jefus Chrifl:, as to die for us: God fo loved the World, that he gave his only begotten So11. And Jefus Chrifl: had a love in him too; he loved us, before be gave himfelf for us, Gal. 2. ult. Who loved me, and gave himfelffor me: And fo, before he calleth us, and converteth us. Love, you fee, this eternal Love of God, is the foundation of all; and fo the Aportle refolves it here : For tbe great Love wherewith he loved '"· Obferv. 3· Thirdly; Give me leave, but in a word to vent that which I think is a truth, ( it is a Controverfy amongfl: Divines, and Come take one part, and fome ano– ther,) and what is here (aid is to me an evidence of it aroongfl others: That ih the order of God's Decrees, (for he [peaks here of everlalling Love in God) hedoth fet his love upon the Creature; that's firfl, and in that refpect chufeth the Creatures, whom he meant to make, and whom he would fct himfelf to love, not under the confideration of fallen, but in that pure Mafs, as yet not £11Jen : And his {hewing mercy comes in, but to fhew how much love he meant to fhew to fuch Creatures as he had chofen, and fingled out ; and therefore he ,lets them fall into Sin, that (o he might be merciful. He refolved to !hew fo much love to thole he had chofen, and (et himfelf to love, (with fo great a love, he loved them,) that look what way foever would be bell: to fet forth that Love, thofe ways he would take to chufe. Now, thinks he, if I fhould fimply love them, and take them up to Heaven, and there give them fuch and fuch a Glory ; this * indeed
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