of the PERSON of CHRIST. Iot ner. For the natural man receiveth not the things that are of God. Hence all their obedience is fervile. They know neither the principal mo- tives unto it, nor the ends of it. But theywho are fo fervants as to be friends alfo, know what their Lord cloth; the fecret of theLord is with them, and he Thews them of his covenant. They are admitted into an intimateacquaintance with the mind of Chrift, (we have themind ofChrift, x Cor. ii. 16.) and are thereon encouraged to perform the obedience of fer- vants with the love and delight of friends. The faine love of friendfhip is exprelfed by that intimate converfe with; and efpecial refidence that is be- tween God and believers; God dwelleth in them, and they dwell in God, for God is love, x John iv. ad. Ifa man, faith the Lord Chrift, love me, he will keep my words; and any father will love him, andwe will come unto him, and make our abode with him, John xiv. 23. And if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come unto him, and fu with him, andhe with me, Rev. iii. oo. Thefe are not an empty found ofwords, there is fubflance under them, there istruth in them. Thofe whofe hearts are duly exercis'd in and unto the love of God, have experience of the re- frefhing approaches both of the Father and of the Son unto their fouls, in the communications ofa fenfe oftheir love, and pledges of their abode with them. Thefe things have I briefly premifedconcerning the nature of divine love, that we may the better apprehend what we underftand by it, in the appli: cation of it unto the perfora of Chrift. For, ' (i. The formal objeft of this love, is theeffential properties of the di- vine nature, its infinitegoodnefs in particular. Wherever thefe are, there is the objeft and reafon of this love. But they are all of them in theper- fon of the Son, no lefs than in the perfon of the Father. As therefore we love the Father on this account, fo are we to love the Son alfo. But, (a: The perfora of Chrift is to be confideredas he was incarnateor cloath- ed with our nature. And this takes nothing off from the formal reafon of this love, but only makes an addition unto the motives of it. This in- deed for a feafon vailed the lovelinefs of his divine excellencies, and fo turned afide the eyes of many from him. For when he took on him the form of a fervant, and made himfelf of no reputation, he had unto them who looked on him with carnal eyes, neither form nor comlinefs that he Thould be defiled or beloved. Howbeit the entire perfon of Chrift God and Man, is the objeft of this divine love, inall the adsofthe whole exer- cife of it. That fingle effeft of infinite wifdom and grace in the union of the divine and humane natures, in the one perfora of the Son of God, renders him the objeft .of this love in a peculiar manner. The way where- by we may attain this peculiar love and the motives unto it, fhall clofe thefe confiderations. A due confederation of; and meditation on the pro- pofal of the perfora ofChrift unto us in the fcripture, are the proper foun- dation of this love. This is the formal reafon of our faith in him, and love unto him. He is fo propofed untous in the fcripture that wemay believe in him, and love him and for that very end. And in particular with ref - pelt unto our love, to ingenerate it in us, and to excite it unto its due ex- ercife, arethofe excellencies of his perfon as the principal effeft of divine wifdom and goodnefs, which we have before infifted on, frequently. pro- pofed unto us. To this end is he reprefented as altogether lovely, and the efpecial glories of his perfora are delineated, yea drawn to the life in the holy records of the Old and New Teftaments. It is no work of fancy or imagination; it is not the feigning images in our minds of fuch things as are meet to fátisfy our carnal affeftions, to excite and ad C c them
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