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Show 'Chri.fl.r Banmr over a believing Soul,# Love, how. t. 'Ihe Love of Chri{1 i1 that wbicb di{!ingui{heth the [at~l of a Be· lievtr from anotl"r foul, ·and .t/J< Churcb of God from other companies. A> the Banner diflingui!herh one Army from another , and one Company in the fame Army from another: fo it is the Love of • ' • ·Chrilt, which diflinguifheth the Church of God from Heathens, and maketh Chrif\ians in the fame Church to excel one another. I hinted to you the lall day, that the Love ofChrifl may be taken in an Allive or paf!ivefe~fo, fubjellively; for that love wherewith. Chrif\ loveth us; or obje&ively, for that love wherewith the Soul loves him: the firfl is moll likely to be the fen!e, bLtt take it which way you will,the Propofirion is true. wherein is the difference be-twixt a Reliever and an Vnbeliever, a child of Gad and a cbild ofthe Dtvzl , fave only in thefe two things) r. In his Relatil•e ftate: a> the one is in a flare of reconciliation to God in a juflified flare; the other is in a !late ofwrath and condemnation. Or, ~. In his · qualities, or in the frame and temperatureof bil JPirit, he i1 a man of another fpirit, of uotber heart. Now, what is it that makes either ofthefe differences, faveonly thelaveofCbrift? by that we areju· (1ijitd freely thrar~gh hi< grace ( faith the A poflle,) his love in dying for us was the meritorious caufe ; .'his love in applying hi< death to our fouls by hi< Spirit, is the praximm efficiwt Cau[<: What is it that makes one foul a Juflified foul, another to remain yet unjuflified, but Chrif\s free love looking upon one, and not upon a no· ther? For the other difference, which /irs in tbe holy frame and umperatme of the heart, by which again the belining Soul is di· ftmguijhetJ from a110tlm ; what is it that makes this difference but the)ovt ofCbrijl, taken either fi•biellively, or abjtaivrly l Take the Love of Cbrijl as Chrifl is the fiebjell; it is he that tak.fr aJ~>ay the heart of ftone,andgivestbehtartof flefh; that takes away the old brart,and gives a new heart; and it is hi5 fpecial dillinguif\1ing~ovc to their fouls which caufeth him ro do. it. Take the Jove of Chrijl,as ~hrifl is the objell of it,it is the[oulslave to Clm.fl,that dillingui!herh It ~rom ~not her Soul, and no other vtrtuom difpofition or quality ~Ill do 1t. I( I have Hot love, it if nothing, faith Saint Paul. And it IS the lovt ofCbrift that diftinguifheth the Army of the Cbzuch Catbo· ltc~, from the rout of Pagans and Infid'els. The Apoflle mindeth _the Epht{tanJ of this, Eph. 2. That tbtre wlH a time ..,ben they were 1n the fame condition with or hers, Aliens to the Common-wealth of lfrael, &c. and only the loveofChrifl calling them out o[thatflate made the dijfmJtce. If any thing elfe did, if they being called, dif· . fered Chrift.r B.m!ter overtt·believiltg·Sml; it Lwe, how. 87 fered in boliJttji of brarl, and collver[Jtiunfrom thtRI; Still it was the love of Chrilt that made the difference for it was Chrifl that out oflovej"Jtllijied,and all their afrsof holincfs proceeded from a foun~atn ot love in the heart. Doth any Church differ from ano-ther m the pure a.dmi.n~ration of Ordinances, or in the purity of itt Members l All thrs flrllrs from LAve. It is the love of Chrilt to the~ that d_ifpoferh them to this purity , and it is their love of Chnf\ that IS the Fountain of this actual difference the love of Chrif\ in their hearts conf\raineth them.- Thus Ch;ifls BJnncr of El~flinfrion '?wards his people is Love. Give me leave to apply. thts PropofittOn ( as I !hall do the ref\ ) dillinctly for the fame Application will not fuit them all; ' In the firfl place, Let thi< be rooted in your heartJ, that yart may V[< r,. Ho~ glory·~ a11y other diffmncu and di(linfliOitt. There are many thmgs whtch Utake men to differ one from another and to excel one another. The World makes differences in Perfons by reafon ~f fox btrth, brtedmg,mtntal di{po{ttions, accomplifhmmts of Learn·' mg and Moralrty, Honour!, Ricbu, &c. And all thefe do dif\inguHh · toJI>ards tbe J~>orld, but not towards Chrifl, In Chrif\ there is no difference betwixt male and female, 1e"' or Barbarian, noble or baf~, Free or Bond, .R!ch .or ~oor, Gentleman cr Beggar: that' whtch makes all the d1fltn6twn 1s, beloved of Chrift or not beloved; holy, or not holy; one that loves Chrifl,or one that loves him nor •. Oh let not men glory in their Banners or Enfigns of th<ir Fa· tbrrr HoNfe~, that they are nobly born,or Gentlemen born I Let not ~en glory rn the d1ff~ren~es that natural temperature and difpofitlons mal;e, n~r wh1~h rngenuous breeding makes. Mif\ake me not,. God b~ h1sProvtdencemakes differencesamongfl men: it is· by Ius Providence that one m1n is nobly born, _another meanly born.' one man comes to Honours, another to R1ches, others are kept rn mean and low conditions : and where God makes fuch diff~ rence, men ought to give a civil refpect and reverence prop()r· rronably. But! fay, thefe dtfferences are not to be gloried In by· them th•t h•ve thenz, though they are to be obferved by their Neigb• bourt. Alas , t~efe are none of Chrifls di{lillt!•ifhing Banners; he that hath the htghe!l ad vantages from thefe may in the day of: Judgment f\and at Chrijls left b;nd, and be from thence fent to HeU. Oh, l~t n?t the Nobleman then glory in his Nobility; nor the Gmtlemaltro h1s Gen!ry,. nor the learned man itl his learJJing, nor the hoJ':'urab/e man tn h1s honour~1 ,nor the ricb ma11. in .hi< richn! .' · butr |
