An Expojition of the Epijlle ~ Scrm. X. A fourth Ob!i:rvation, which I would make upon thefe words, which alfo isof ~ great ufe to us, is this: Obferv. 4· That there is a Love in God to us, even when we are Sinners, when we are· our natural dbte, out of which Love he calls us, and pulls_ us out of that eo::: clition. It is a llrange thmg, that Men !hould llumble at this : Say they, How can any be Children of Wrath, Ch1ldren of the Curfe, and yet be at the fame time loved by God ? Is there any. fuch tlung ~n all the Scnpture? Why, it is here in my very Text, clearly and plamly, fa1th the Apollle, When we were dead ill Situ and TreJPaffes, Children of Wrath, God who is rich in Mercy, for the grea, Love wherewith he loved 111, namely, when we were thui. The want of recon– ciling tbefe two, hath been the caufe of I know not how many Errors in the World, and is to this day. What fay the Arminiam? This is their great Ar– gument, (you !hall find it in that Anti-Sy!lod of Dort,) If that God loved Men from evcrlafhnk, and if God be reconc1led to them,. what need Chrill have died? J\ nd the Socinians, they argue jull the !ame. To g1ve them an Anfwer, if you will, in a word; and then fecondly, to !hew how both thefe may fiand together, that we may be Ch1ldren of Wrarh, a~d that yet God love us. I anfwer to them, firll:, thus: Chnll: d1ed to mamfell: h1S Love, Tit. 3 . 4 . We were thus and thus, hatef111, and hatmg one a11other : 'But after that the /;jnd~tefs and love of God o11r Savzo11r towardJ Man appeared, then he foved w, according to his Mercy, by the wafbing of Regenera/1011. So that now for the appearing and manifellation of that L<?ve it was, that he gave Jefus Ch_rill: to die; fo~ the ap· pearance and mamfeflatton of that Love to the Soul, It IS that he calleth him. And therefore you have that m Rom. 5. God hereby commended his Love towards m, that whilft we were Si"nm Chrijl died. It is an exprefs Scripture f<;>r this. It was not that he did then begin to love us, or doth begin to love us when we are called; but that Love which he had taken :UP in hi~ Heart to us was fo great, that giving Chrili,and all elfe,1s but to commend1t,tofet 1t out. So that ifyouask,Why did Chrill: die ? and why d1d God all th1s, Ifhe loved us already? I anfwer: He cloth it that his Love may appear, he doth it to commend his Love. I have often faid it, that Chrifl died but to remove obll:acles ; but-the radical Love, out of which God did give Chrill:, was pitch'd before. Now is it not an ordinary thing for a Father, that his Child !hall ?ea Chi~dofWrath to him, whilfr he g<le;' on in fuch a courfe, that is, confider h1m as he IS m that courfe, according to his f.rherly Wifdom, he can proceed no otherwife with him but in Wvath; yet all that while fo to love him, as to fer all ways on work to bring him in? Did not David deal fo with .Abfolom? in 2 Satn. 13. When Abfolbm was run from him, and entred into a rebellion againll him, he, as be was a wife King, could do no orherwife in that condition, but proceed againll him as a Rebel, unlefs he came in, and fi1bmitted himfelf: but what cloth David do ( He fuborneth a Woman, at lea(\ Joab cloth, and David was well-pleafed with it, foi']oab faw the King's heart was toward him; but fuppofe David himfelf fuborned ']oab to do what he did, that he might have afair come-off, and manifell: !lis love to his Son, ifDaVid had done fo: Why God himfelf did fo. We were fallen into that condition, that we were Children of Wrath; but yet there was a Love to us, that lay bid in his Heart all the while ; and he goes and fuborneth Jefus Chrili, if [ may 10 fpeak ; and Chrill:, he comes but to remove all the Obftacles that lay in the way of Jull:ice, that he might be jull, and the jull:ifier of them that believe in Jefus. If we will have another Anfwer, how can we be Children of Wrath,.and yet God love us? I ask again, How was Jefus Chrift a Curfe, when he bu.ng upo~ the Crofs, and yet at the !ame time to be loved with the great>ll: Love? Ac– cording to fuch Rules as God Will proceed by at the latter day, if Men remain in . their natural condition, they are Ch1ldren of Wrath ; but according to what his everlalling purpofes are, e~en the~e Ch1ldren of Wrath.h~ loves, ani:l bath loved. hvill give you a dtll:mchon wh1ch w!l[ Calve all, and tt IS a good one. There is Amor benevolq~tti£, and .Amor amiciti£: While Men remain in their mitural cflate, and are Children ofWrath, he may bear towards them Amor henevo/enti£, a Love of good-will ; but whilll: they remain in their natural condition, he l;latll 7 ~ ~ not
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