/ . Opened and .Applied. . . . .1 175 of Chri{l; and look, as the bowels of God rhe fat hers love ar.:: opened JP i Chrifl, fo the bowels of Chrilts love are opened in thofe whom be fends. i Never didlt thou fee any Minilter pity thy condilion, and offer peace to thee, bllt becaufe Chril1 pur it in his bearc ; and as in reJ~ttin.;? rbe Gofpd , you ; ~1nll n~t fad rheir fpirirs fo much as Chrill:s Spirit in them; fo in accepting, !e co;-ura. I 3· Your !if~ and f:1lvarion, and certainty of mercy from Chrlll:, hangs upon your receiving their Word ; for men wi ,J fay, If CbriCI: were h~re .' l jdur{l: bdieve bts \Vord ; I tell you, the Lord hangs diy hfe upon beltevmg !their \1\iord fpoken according eo him, 'fahn q. 20. 1 pra_r for them that !fhtt /1 belitve in me through their word; Why not throng~ my wor~? A ;ifw. I Thefe may !land well together; my w.:>rd as the foundatnn. che1r word as building upon it; their wo. rd in the external admini{lration and view of man, but my word indeed ; my word i!1 their mourbs, and fo their word as in- .1Hru :nems under tb:tt princip:ll agene; fo rh:tr if an Angel, or one l11onld / rriti: fro!n the dead, I tbould 110t look for more cerrainry of life by believinz /r hefe, than rhem. Chri{t will fpeak no more, rill h~ thakes doovn heaven I . and earth with his voice; bur' their word ltc-.honours, and faith, Beti.tYe i•; their word IS not, Cbrifi bath loved thee; butBelieve,that thou mayfi b: bel loved of CbriH-. 4· TbeLordis forealhere, that bepmithecbmenmorefor this, than if he was prefenr. Chrill. lived among the J ewe;, and preached,they crucified him, and re jetted him in his perfon ; yet this call: them not off, rill Luk.$ I 3· 46. they put away the offers of grace by the Servants o~ Chri(l fr~m them , and now the ApoiHes are to lhake off the dull: of the1r feet agam11 fuch as thofe. Thirdly, It is offered with veherr.entddires to accept of it, z Cor; 6.I. Tfal. Sr. II. We bcfeech you receive not Gods grace in v11ine; for you may fay There is fomeoffer, bur the Lord defire; itnoc in good earneft.; never did man defire to get rhe aff~aion of another mofl beautiful, as rhe Lorddoth thee that bait none; we ufe to judge of the affeetion of another to a thing, by what he is willing to p~rc with for ir; As he that (old all far rhe peark, and bought it ; So rhe L'ord is content w parr with all he bath ro rhee; rhe dearel! rhing be bath, is hiS preci5us bloo:l , and all fruits and bene fits of it ; his Spirit ro comfort, himfelf to d1vell with thee, his Father to love thee, his Kingdo:ne to rec~ive chee, his fweettfi pwmifes to .l lll<re and ~tablil11 th~e; all things, except his glory; ir is nor tit that you lhou ld rece1ve that, but for him to receive it fro:n thee; and giving it t0 him, is better rh,m having of it to thy [elf. To thee I fay; that art like an incarnate Devil , Dead , and Damned , and undone for ever , ,. unlefs thou accept of this Grace, is all this Mercy of the Go.fpel rendered. Fou:rhly, lE is~ffered freely, !(a. H· I, z. For this makes many f\and and IVQnder, Why Jl1ould rh~ Lord make love to me fo vile, 'fo unworthy, good for nothingbuc to fin ! dry bones ! or what need bath the Lord o~ me? what can I do ~or him~ what can I add: to him? why goeth be not 1nro rhe P,1hces of Pnnces to call m them! but that he iliould deale rhus with me that ha\'e finned worfe than Paul t efore converlion! not. ignor.mrly; I have.known th.egrac~ of Chrilt, yet rejelt~d it ; a:nd ba.ve; gone on def,eratcly, have been mad in fol101ving my lovers, forfaking rha Lnrd ; True, I know no caufe, but only his free love, bec;rufe he harhcompaflion on thee, and b~caufe 'ris for his orace fake; h~:nce he defiresit vehement~y; fo~ rh:lt is ~vorthy to b.: hon~ured,, re~ei\Jed, embraced of rbee. Merhwks tt 1s 111 rh1s cafe , as 'tts wtch poor Marines,. whofe Jhip is 1Vrackt, ' many
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