A Sermon on the Firft, God'.s Love i.s t:>:alred, in that he jent hU only Son freely. lf Men and Devils had joined their Forces, and made an Affault upon Heaven; yet they could never have plucked the Son of God's Love from his Eternal Embraces . That World which he had given to Chrift, which afterwards had power to Afi2ult, Kill and Crucifie him: Yet before he was given, they had no power to bring him in~o the World. But God thinks it not enough, that this great Gift comes from him free~ ly and without compuHion; but he puts it a ftrain higher, and he gives Chrift freely to us. Firl1, Frcrly in oppojition to all defcrt ; not only without, but againft all merit and defert in us. Certainly Man could no more merit Chrift Out of Heavm, than he could have merited Heavm without Chrift. When God out of his Infinite Wifdom forefaw that we would defp1fe and' reject his Son; firft, fpiU his Blood, and then trample upon it: Did he fo hate his Son, as tO account this Demeanour of ours meritorious of him? Since we cannot merit the leaft good, how then could we merit fo great a Gift as Chrift? Nay, which is more to the Glory of God'J (ree Good·1vill, he beftowed Chrift upon us, not only without any merit of ours; btft without any merit of his alfo. It is Free Grace that endows us with any Spiritual, with any Eternal Bl1ftng. Free Grace doth Sanailie our Hearts; and Save our Souls. Yet all this Cbrift bath purchafed for us by the Price ofhU own Death: He is the Merit of Eternal $a/vation for m; yet it is Free Grace in beftowing it upon us. God will have a Price paid him down for all other things of l efs value, that he may thereby fet forth his own Bounty, in parting with thcgreateft Gift, his own Son, without Price; Chnft merited all other things for us, but the greateft of all he never merited for us, that is, himfelf. God bath put Heaven and Glory, and the eveYl.ilfling enjoyment of himfelf upon Sale, as it were, that fo this great Gift of hiJ Son may appear truly eftimable, and his Bounty abfolute and infinite: But though he gives all things be!ides Chrift, upon the account of Chrift's MeritJ, yet he gives Chriji freely without any intervening Merit. Secondly, God'J Lovt U free in the Gift of Chrift, in that he prevents not only our DefeYts, but our Dcfircs. Begging of Alms takes not off from the Charity and Bounty of the DonoY; yet God is not willing to have his Bounty fo much fore·fta/Jcd, as our requefting of it. As for the good things of Grace and Glory, the moft importunat:e Suiters are ufual1y the befi: Speeders. Ask, and you /haU receive ; feek , and you jlJa/{ find; l<nock, and it j1Jafi be opened: But in the giving of Chrifi: to the World) He w.u found of them that fought him not. And in all th,is was the Defign of Love, laid in the Heart of God from all Eternity, before ever there were either Pta)'eYror 'tongues to utter them. This was a Defign of Infinite Contrivance, that could never edtcr into our Hearts, or the Hearts of Angels to conceive it, that it lhould be poffib ie ; and what we could not conceive in our Thoughts and Hearts, we could not b\!g with our Mouths: But God out of his own Good-will to us, prevems both cur Works and our Words ; both the Merit of our Httnds, and the Requeft DJ our MouthJ, and freely beftows his anm Son to be our SaviouY, without either our deferving, or def!ring of him. Secondly, As Chri..ft w.:ugiven freely , in refpeEt of God; fo Very ignominiouOy in rtfpe£1 of himfelf And this inhanceth the exceeding Greatnefs of the Love of God towards us; He was degraded in his Birrh, perfecuted in his Lift, and accurfed in his Dearh: And that he fhould thus deal with the Son of his Love; that he Ihould abafe and afflict him, only to fhew his Love to us: It feems at the firft bluf?.. to intimate, That God preferred fuch Worms as we are, before the Son of his Bofom. · And here let us fir!t con lider, Chrift in hU Birth ; and here, What was it to be born of the Royal Line ttnd StocA of David ; but that Family was now fallen and grown to decay, when the Hter. Appayent of that Royd Family, was 'Jofeph, who was forced for the fufraining of his Life to turn Mcchan.ick ; yet this Family he choofeth to be a Member of, not when it was Victorious and Triumphant, but when it was funk low, and did expire : He alfo choofeth out a mean poor Virgin to become his Mother; fue is thought bnt a fit Match for a Carpenter: And when The is grown with him big too, that is not without fame fufpicion; and when fhe · was in Travail, none did fo much regard the Entreaties of 'Jofeph, nor the Groans and Pangs of Mary, as to afford her a better Room than a Stable, where Ihe her felf was
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