Goodwin - BX9315 G6 v1

A SERMON on were able ever to requite in fervice and attendance upon him. He mufl allow us much of our time, to fleep and eat, and to be idle, to reffefu our Bodies ; mufl tend us, as you would tend a Chtld ; R.ock us afleep every night Make our 6eds i?J ot<r ftcknrfs, Pfa/.41. 3· and feed us himfelf in due feafon. Whereas the fl.n· g~ls could fland in bisprefence day and night, and not be weary. ·.And belides, The .Nature of Angels had been a fitter Match a great deal for hts Son; they are Spmts, and fo m a nearer allimulation to him. Who ever thought he fuould choofe to Match fo low as with us? Take 11p our '])j 1 ·t? fl.ll this makes for us, flill the more Love, for it was the more free. The more un– likely, the more it is commended; the lefs we could do for him or for our felves the more it. would appear he did for us. He is honoured more in our depen: dance, t~an mour ferv1ce. .He bath regard to ·the_ Lownefs of his Spoufe and Handma1d, and lets the m1ghty go, vtz.. PrmCtpalitits and Powers. He loves !\ill to prefer the Younger, and make the Elder ferve them . Rom. 9 . the A11gels are mi11i(/ring Spirits for their good. Among Men, be calls,out !\ill the Poor, the Foohfu; Not ma11y wife, or Noble; and he makes as unlikely a choice amongfl his Creatures. · Befides, He had Angels enough already, Thoufaud thoufands, mtd Tm thotl– fa11d timts tm thot<fand. ·And he would have fame Men, that fuould fee his glory, blefs him, and be ble!t of him. He loves varieties, to have two Wit– lleffes at leaf\. He creates twoWorlds,Heavm and Earth; in them two feveral forts of reafonable Creatures, as Inhabitants ; upon them he would fuew two feveral waies of Salvation, and all to fhew his marJifotd wtfdom 1 Eph. 3· 10. You have now feen the projed:,Taking away ofSi1u,who,and what in him firfl: moved him to it, The Father, and his Will, and that how flrongly fet to have it done; and the Parties about whom is all this ado, Tlu So11s of Mm. Let us now view theMeans in the next place, which he pitcheth on to effeCl: this great Delign, both to take awqyjilts, and to fuew withal his Lovt to the utmofl. Which is fet out to us, x. Negatively, Shewing what he laid alide; Sacrifices and Btmtt Offerings; with the R.eafon, Not pollible to effeCl: it; or if they had, he not being pleafed with that courfe, Tho11 wouldeft not, 1.. Affirmatively, But a Bot!y haft thor1 prepared me. And this is the Second General Head in the Text. And as you have feen it was his Will, thus flrongly pitched upon it as his highefl and deepefl: ProjeCl:, to manifefl the dearefl AffeCl:ions to him to the ut– moft, viz. his Lovt. So you fuall now fee his Wifdom foar as high, (indeed, infinitely out of our fight, thoughts and im~ginations,) to find out a correfpon– dent Means, not only to effeCl: it; but in effeCl:ing it, to fhew both Love and Wifdom, aod give full fatisfaCl:ion to his 'Jt~flia, which ,,.s infinitely beyond the reach of any created Under!landing to have found it. He works all thi11gs ac– cording to the cotmfel of hi& will; his Will works by Counfel. And look how much flronglier his· Will is on a thing, the deeper are his Counfels about ir. Now to proceed orderly herein , Obferve, That to takt away fins he takes Means into conlideration; why elfe are Bulls and Goats took into conlideration? And that he might have taken Sins away without any Means, or more ado, I dare not fay the contrary,'as fame do. He means, not to ufe his foie Prerogative in it, bur to do it fairly; and though by a bare ad: of his Will he might have done it, yet his Wtll worldng by Counfel, he thought it not yet fit to do it. This R.eafon fways with me, That to pmtifbji11 beins. an af! of hu Will, Mwell Mother works of hi. ad extra, maythertfort /;e fojpended M himfe!f plea(eth. To hate Sin is his nature· and that Sin deferves death, is alfo the natural and IU· feparable property, conf~quent, and demerit of it. But the exprellion of this its defcrt by Actual punitl1ment, is an ad: of his Will, and fo mightbe fufpended. Which Will, working this and all things elfe by Counfel, thought It not fo fit to Elofo. Which

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