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Sts
Perfev..
its
ufefulnefl'eto
promote
CofJell-
Obedience.
C.X.4;
t6,
clotheth
his
Love,
with the moft uncomly and
undefinable
Garment, that
ever
was
put
upon
the
Affections
of the
meaneft worme
of
the
earth; What
can ye
fay
more
contemptible
Of
man
?more
to
his
dithonour among
all wife
and
knowing men,
or
that
(hall
render
his
Refpeds
and
Affee`fions
more
un-
defirable, then
to
fay,
He
is
free
of
his
Love indeed, but
he
abides
not
in it?
What
a
world
of
Examples have we
of
thofe, who have been
in
his
bofome,
and
have againe been caft
out
?
Though among
men fomething may
be
pre-
tended
in
excufe
of
this,with
refpeet
unto their
ignorance, the thortneffè
of
their
forefight
,
difability
to
difeern
between things
fk
appearances;
yet
in
re-
fpeét
ofGod,
before
whom
all things
are
open
&
naked,in whofe
eye
all
inciden-
ces&
Events lye
as
clearely ftated,as
things,that
are already
paffed
and gone,
what
can be
faid
of
filch a
vaine fuppofall
, for the vindication
of
his
Glory
?
It
is
faid,
that
men'change
from
what
they were, when God
loved them,
and
there.
fore his
love
changeth
alfo:But who firtt
made them
fit
to
be
Beloved ?
Did
not the Lord
?
Do
they make themfelves
differ
from
others
?
On
what ac-
count
did
he
do
it?
was
it
not
merely on
the acount
of
his
owne Grace
?
Can
he not
as
well
preferve them
in a
fate
of
being beloved,
as
put them
into
it
?
And
if
he.
determined
that
he would not preferve them
in
that
Condition,
why did
he
fet
his
Love upon them, when himfelfe knew
that
he
would
not
continue
it to
them? was
it
only to give
his
Love
the
difhonour
of
a Change
?I
fay
then,
the Doetrine contended
for,,
gives
the
Love
of
God the Glory
of
its
Im-
mutability,
affects
it
to
be like himfelfe, Unchangeable,
that there
is
not
in-
deed,
in its
felfe,the
leasffhaddow
of
turning;
it may be
eclipfed and
obfcured,
as
to
its beames
and
influences,for
a
feafon:
but changed,turned away,
it
can-
not
be. And
this confederation
of
it renders it
to
the
foules
of
the
Saints
in-
effimably precious:
the
very
thought
of
it,
confedering
that
nothing
elfe
could
poffibly fave,
or preferve them,
is
marrow
to
their
bones, and
health
to their
foules,
and
makes
them
cry
out
to
all
that
is
within
them,
to
love
the Lord, and
to,
live
unto
him.
3.
It
gives
it
the Glory
of
its Lruitfulneffe:
A
barren Love
is
upon
the
matter
no Love. Love
that
bath
no
breath,
no bowels,
that
pitties
not,
that
aßìfts
not,
deferves
not
that
Heavenly name, Will
ye fry
thee
is a
tender;
loving
mother,
who can looke
on
a
languithing, perilhing Child,
yea fee
a
ra-
venous beaft
,
whom yet the could
eatily
drive
away,
take
it
out
of
her
arm
es,
and devoure
it
before her
face,
and
not put forth
her
ftrengeh,
for
its affi-
fiance
or deliverance?
Or
will
ye fay,thee
is
a
Tygre,
and
a
moniker' in
Na-
ture
?
And (ball we faigne fach
a
Love
in
God towards
his
Children
,
which
is
fuch
that
all
the
bowells
of
a
tender Parent
to
an
only
Child,
are
but
as
a
drop
to
the
Ocean,
in
comparifon,
of
it?
As
that
he lookes
on
whilett they
Ian-
guith and
perith, fall,
finke,
and
dye
away
into everlafting
calamity; yea
that
notwithftanding ir,
he will
fuffer
the Roaring Lyon
to
come
and match
them
away
out
of
his Armes,
and devoure them before
his
face.
That
he will
look
upon them
finking
into
eternall feparation
from him
,
and
Inch
deftrutlion,
as
that it
had been infinitely
better
for them never to have
been
borne, with-
outputting forth
his
Power,
and
the
efficacy
of
his
Grace
fortheir preferva-
tion:
Ah
foolifh
people
and
unwife
1
fhaU
we
thus requite the
Lord?
as
to
render
him
fo
hard
a
Matter,
fo
cruefl
a
Father to.
his
tender
ones,
the
Lambs
of
his
Sonne,
waffled in his
Blond, .quickned by
his
Spirit, owned by him
,
fmiled
on, embraced
ten thoufand times;
as
to
fuffer them fo
to
be taken out
of
his
hands?
Is
there nothing
in
his
Love
tocaufe
his
Bowells
to
move,
and
his
re-
pentings
to
be
kindled together
towards
a
poore dying Child,
that
furely
de-
parteth
not,without
fore
fad
lookes
towards
his
Father?
Nemo
repent?
fit tur-
pifTnrns. Is
this
the
kindneffe,which he
exalteth above the
Love
of
a
Woman
to
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