to the EPHESIANS. Gorl, which is jhcd abroad in o11r Heartr: So as he ~oth not fpeak of a Love, '"'-AJ""l which a Man's Under(\anding, by coll~tl:mg one thmg out of ~not.her, or by Sernt. XI. laying one thing to another, ( as Reafon, yea, fpmtual Reafon, m other things ~ ufeth to proceed, ) and fo may argue tO be great : but the way to apprehend it is, by its being !he(! *;oad, and the report and tarce of tt the Holy-yho(( makes. As the feat of God's love is his own !"leart, his Will; fo the receptacle thereof is not fo much the Undqibnding, ~s ;lieHeart of a Chrifiian. Tqe Confcience of a Man is the proper ,r~~eptacle of Chrifl's Blood, when it fprinkletq it from evil Works; but the Hear~ of a Man js the feat of God's Love, to be !lied abroad there. And to this purpofe he ad<)eth, By the Holy-G~of1, a; being folely, and immediatly his work; for he in ont' p10ment can fpeak more tO the poorefl Man of the lowefl aqd meaneft underflandihg, of the greatnefs of God's Love, than all that th~ Scripture fay_s of it, or tha.~ all that .all the Divines in the World out of Scripture can fay of It. The truth IS, all D1fcourfes of Gods Love are in themfdvesdull and flat,cpmpared with what reprefentations and impreffionsthereofthe Holy-Gho(\ makes. As take an dcellent Song, when it is fet in Prick-Song, what a dull thing is it, to what the Mufick it felf is ? My Brethren, fo is it here. Therefore fti!l you !ha)! meet with fuch expreffions as thefe in the Scripture : Covte, fee, and taf1e, how good the Lord'.is: An~,. If ye have taflc~ howgood the Lord is, &c. For the greatnefs of Gods Love, It IS only known that way. Now to fhape out a li,ttle the Subjetl:,I am to fpeak unto; for it isa great Point, and would fwell il)to many Sermons, if I fhould fpeak all that, which in a dir– q:mr!iye way may be faid of it : Neither do I purpofe now to fay all that may af– fetl: yo~r Hearts, and take you with this love. No, the thing th•t I mufl: keep to IS th1s, to fpeak of that Love born to us before Callmg, before Quickning, as it is the Caufe of our Salvation, I f.1y, lof the Greatnefs of it in that refpect which is proper ~o wh~t the Text here faith ; and confine my fdf meerly to fuch things as are held forth within the compafs of thefe three Vcri\:s. The firfl: wher,eof .is this : It is great in refpell: of the li1bjetl: and rife of it • it is God that loveth us, and it is called, His Love: For if you mark it, there i~ that little particle in the Text, [But God] faith he, he puts an emphajisupon that . and likewife, His Love, faith he, wherewith he.loved"'· ' Secondly ; The Greatnefs of it may be fet forth, by what may be taken from the Perfoll!; mentioned here, upon whom this love is pitch'd, [ v, J: And that either fimply conGdered in our Perfons, nakedly; or elfe fecondly, in the con- · clition that we were in, that we were dead in Sins and Trcfpalfes : Even ( faith he) when we were dead in Sins and Trejj>ajfes: That tho he did not make choice lirfl of us, when we were dead in Sins and Trefpalfes, yet he ordered ·in his De– crees, that that fhould be our condition, to !hew forth the niore love. The Apofl:le puts an emphaji; upon it, both upon [w,J not others, and upon [ 111 ] in that condition, dead in Sin; And TreJPaffe;. ' ' Thirdly; From what thofe words will afford, [TheLove wherewith he loved 111 J which to me holds forth thefe three things : Here is firfl: an atl: of love, [ lov;d 1H: J. Here is the. T~me,_ and that is.the.Time pafl:, [ hath loved 11s: J And here IS, th1rdly, an mumauon of a fp~ctal kmd of love, [His Love wherewith l•e lovedw.] He contents not himfelf to fay, For his Love, or, for that he loved 11s • but you fee he doubles it, For hn Lovewherewith he loved us. ' Fo11rthly, and the greate!l: of all !hewn before Calling, is in giving Chriii, The Scripture runs moll upon that, and indeed infl:anceth in almoft nothing elfe, for that is enough. But you will fay, this is not in the Text: Yes, it runs all along, through every verfe mentioned : For he faith, We are q11icf<."'d with Chrift, and m Chrift, who therefore out of that Love was given 11nto death for us, as chap. r. 19. · And we are raifed up together with hi1JJ 1 and we {it together in heavmly Places in him. · • Laftly; Here are the fruits of this Love, which, you fee, arc quickning, rai– ling up with Chrifl:, fitting together in heavenly places in him. And tbefe, I f.1y, are the Particulars, which I fhall confine my felf unto, as thole which the Text fugge!l:eth. Let
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