858 [ontemplatiom. L1a.V. thecove~ant ofGrace, \~hich llands all upon lovedfwe llal rillGod offer violence A to our will,or to us,~amll our wtll, we £hall dte llrangers omhim. TheChurch is the Spoufe ofChri ;he wil enjoy herlove by a willing cootral2,not by araviiliment.The oblltnate have nothmg to doewtth God; The tttle ofall Converts is A willing people. ' ' That Ifrael inclined to God,it was from God;he inquires after his own gifts in us for our capaci(.;ofmore. They had not received the Law, unldl'ethey had firll re: aeiveda difpo uion fit to be commanded. As therewas an inclination to heare, fo ~here mull be apreparation for hearing. Gods jullice had before prepmd his IfraeI lites,by hun~er,thirfr,fear ofenemies;his mercie had prepared them by deliveran. ces,by provtfions ofwater,meat,bread: & yet befides all thefight ofGod in his miracles,they mull berhreedaies prepared to hear him.When our fouls are arrhebell, B our ahproach tO God requires particular addreffes:And ifthree dayes were little enoug torrepare them to receive the Law; how is allour life £horrenough to prepare-for the reckoning ofour obferving it~ And ifthe word ofa command expected ' fuchreadine£fe1what£hall the word ofpromife,thepromifeofChrill and falvation~ I TheMoraine of 1£g7pt was not fo infectious as theirvices; the contagion of thele lluck llill by lfrad: All thewater oftheRed Sea,andof Mar•h,and that which ~ulh- ' ed out of theRock,hadnot wa!bed it off. From thefe,they mull now be fanchfied. I As finisalwaies dangerous; fo moll,when we bring it into Gods fight: It envenometh both our perfons and fervices,and mrnes ourgood into evil!. As therefore we ' mull: bealwaies holy: fomoll, when weprdenrour feh·es to the holy eyes ofour 1 Creator. Wewa(h our hands everydJ'; but when we are ro fit with fame greac c I pe•fqn,we fcowrorbemwith balls.An ifwe mull be fanClified only ro receive the Law,how holy mull we be to receive the grace promifed in the Gofpell ~ Neither mull themfelves only be cleanfed,but their very cloathes:Their ~armenrs I ftne!Q or/£gypt,even they mull be wa!bedoNeither cancloathes be capab e of tin, • nor canwater cleanfe from ftnne: The danger was neither in their garments, nor ' theirs.kin; yet they mull be wailied, tharrheymight learne by their cloathes,with w\la,t f0ules to appeare before their God. Thofegarmenr, mufr be wa!bed, which ili,ould never wax old,that now they might begin their age in purity;as thofc which were in more dangerofbeing foule, then bare. Iris fit that our reverence to Gods prefence £houid appeare in our very garments; that both without and within we maybe cleanly: but little would nearneffe ofvellures availeus with a filrhy foule. D The God o(fpirits looks to the innerman; and challenges the purity of than parr which refembles himfelf: Clt4nftyour hands yu finnm,andpttrg•J••rhcartsyudouhlemintitd. Yet even when they werewa!bed andfanClilied,they may not touch theMounr; not only with their feer, but, not with their eyes : The fmoak keeps it from their eies; themarks from their feet. Not onlymen that had fome i•npuriry at theirbell, are rellrained,bur even beafrs which are not capable ofany unholines.Thofe bealls which mu(t touch his Altars,yet mighrnot touch his hill:And ifa bea!houch it,he mufr die:yet fo as no hands maytouch that,which hathrouohed the hill.Unreafonableneffe mightfeem to be an excufe in thefecrearures:that therefore whichis death to a beafl,mull needs be capital! to them,whofc reafon £hould guide them to avoid E prefumption.Thofe Ifraelites which faw God every day in the pillar offire,and the doud,mufr not come neare himin the Mount. God loves at oncefumiliarity and feare; Familiarity in our converfation,and fear in his commands.He lovos to be acquainted with mellj in thewalks oftheir obedience: yer he takes ll>te upon him in his ordinances; and will betrembled at,in his word and judgements. I fee the difference ofGods cariage to men in the Law,and in the Gofpel: There the veryHillwhere heappeared,may not be touched ofthe pureft Ifradire,here the hemme ofhis garment is touchedby thewoman,thathad the flux_ofbloud;yea,hts very face was touched with thelips oflud.u. There thevery eatth was prohibited them,on which he defcended : Here his very body and bloud is profered to our touch and talle.Oh the marvellous kiodneffeofour.Cod! f'Iowunrhankfullare we, if
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