Sibbes - Houston-Packer Collection BX9318.S45 L5 1638

&brins Poverty for us. in the children of God, that others may fee them tobe rich if they did not clofe their eyes : but we mutt becontent to pa(fe to heaven as Chrift our head did, as concealed men. Againe, here is matter, not onely for us men, but for the Angelis ofheaven toadmire and won- derat this depthofgoodneffe,and mercy inchrifl, that he would become poore to make us rich by his poverty: fee the exaltationof his love in this , faith Saint Bernardwell, ôh love thAt art fo [irate,' why beeameJI thoufobitter to thy felfe! whence flow- ed Ghrifts love, and' mercy that was fo fweeteini felfe, that it fhould be onely fowre, and bitter to him fromwhence it had his rife, and fpring .e his love that is fo fwcet to us, it became bitter to him, he indured,and did that that we fhouldhave done, and fuffered There be force men that will doekindne(fes, fo that themfelues may not be the worfe, fo that they may not be the poorer, that theymay not be. difgraced, or adventure the dif- pleafure ofothers : but Chri(t bath done all this great kindneffe for us, by being poore for us, by taking our nature,our poverty,our mifery:he Both us good in fuch a way as that bee parted with heaven it felfe for a time, and with that fweète communion that hee had with his Father, the deareft thing to him in the world : he parted with it forour fakes,that made him cryout, my God, my God, why hefi thouforfaken me ? hereupon he made us rich in a way that coft him fomethitg. And let us be thankefull to him in a way that maycolt us fomething,lerusbee content tob:ea- bated GreatnetTe of Chri(ts lore, Bcrnnrd, How thinkefuU CO Chrift.

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