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Show chrift able, 1111d willing to fumur Souls jick of Love. · and he is able to make all Grace abound in them. Doth it want flrength to fupport and affill it? he hath an omnipotmt arm, a fulnefs of all Grace; he hath you fee both a right hand and a left hand : But I added that as he is able fo he is alfo mUm~. That•sthe fecond thing I have to p;~ve, The wiUingnefrofChri(f to comfort the Soul that ir ficlvfLove; to comfort a~d to ~~~engthc_n it. This is now that which Chrillians under thetr Sptrttllal dtftempers feem n\oH to doubt of, but I !hall evince it to you upon three confiderations. The fir!i is that certailt wiUingndr wbicb u in Chri(l, lo anfi•er • Utbo{t de{ira of hu peoplrr So~<lr tl?bich are for bu fatherr Glory, a11tl. 11cr.ordmg to hi< wiU. God loves himfelf necdfarily, 3nd cannot but will thole things that are for his Glory;fuch now are the Souls increafe of Grace,llrength to refill its Temptations,Corruptions,&c, thefe things being of immediate tendency tot he Glory of God, the Lord cannot but will them to his people, and be ready to anf wer the fincere defires of thofe Souls that truly thirllafter them: And as thefe things are for Gods Glory, fo they are ddircs according to Gods will; you know the latitude of the Promife for granting wharfoever we !hall ask according to the will of God, now the refillance of Temptations, the growth, and increafe of Grace, &·c •. are things moll certainly confonant to the will of God, who hath bid us put on the whole Armour of God, refill, !land fa(\, &c. and. commanded us to grow in grace and in the knowledg ofChri!l: hence it is not reafonable for any Soul to conclude other wife, but that there mull be a willingnefs in Chrill to relieve his people in thefe dillempers. 2. But it may yet appear further to you,ifyou confider the tender care that ChrHt taketh, not only for the SalvatioH but for the ognfol.tionr of his people, not only for the bare necefraries but for the accommodations of thfir fpiriruallife:he tells us, J ohlt 1 o. to. l:lnt he came not only that his people might /ive,but that their life might abound; in the accomplilhment of our Redemption he had not only refpect to the Salvation and· life of his people, but alfo to the ab01mding1 of their !ife,So Job. 1 9· 1. when he faw chat his Difcipks )Ytre troubled, mark how tenderl,y he fpeaketh to them, Let lfol yoHr hurt! be 1ro11blrd, yon believe in God, believe alfo in me: obferve how h~ declares himfelf, MJt. tt. 29. Come unto me aU you·. ,hal are weary, and btavy./adm, and I wiU ea[e you. I might here heap up a multitude of promifes both in.lhl: Old, and New Tella-ll) tnt chrift.r readinefl to fopporl a11d comfort hi~ people. . ment by which God hath fecured unto his people, his wiUingnefs and readmefs to !upport, to !lre•gthen, ''!'hold, ond corr.fort his people; his dec loring his Commilhon, Luk! 4.18. to hral thr brok! n-hrorted, t• preach ddivtr•nce to the captive~, to Jet at liberty thofe thai are br><1{ed, &c. _his &iving us his Scriptures, R..m. 1 5,6, that we. through them mtght nave hope and comfort; his appointing his Prophets of old, his Apollles and Minillers under theNew'Irjtament, and his Ordinance5 to be difpenfed by them, for the llrength and comfort of his people. But this is enough. 2. Let me argue (!aOiy) from that IIJhtral goodnrfs aHd ttxder • >rrfs th•t i1 i11 Chrijf, fer out in Scripture by feveral fimilitudes and feveral exprdlions, Lam. ~- p, 33· Though be catt{t grief,yrl ..,;Q he b<Jve compaffirm, accordmg to the tmeltitude of bif merCirs: For he dotb not a_lfli{l wiUingly, nor griev• the childrm of men, to crujh omder hu fret aU the Pr~(onerr of the Earth. His Love is fet out like th~ love of ~athers which commands compaffion for children in mtfe.ry ; ~~k~,yea abov~ the lo~e of Mothrrr, who may forget their fuckm_g chtldren. In Wtfdom mdeed and in JuOice roo he aftlicts 4 Ephra~m, but no fooncr d<;>th Ephraim bemoan her felf, but faith be, J er.3 t. 12. I have jimly htard ~pbraim btmoaning ber felf,&.c. ver. 20. b Epbratm my dear S•n? IS he a pleafanl child? fur fince I JP•k! again/l him, I remrmbtr him ftiO, thrrefiore my bowels art mubltd for lnm, I WtU jHrely have mercy upon him ([.;it/, tbe Lord.) Thefe and many other Te-:ts evince in the Lord J~fus Chrifr, a gr:atTendernefs towards hts people that he is not patient of their gmfs and .troubles,&.;. but finds an inclination . in his will to rtlieve the'?, pro~ortionable to thofe bowels, and yernings of bowels whtch are In Fathers and Mothers and nearell Relations toward thofe that are their nearell Relatio~s. Now whofo cou· lidereth this love-flck..n~fs .of t.he paeioUI fml, to be a g reat grie~ ance, trouble and a~t~ton to It, cannot but upon this confidera, tt~u c~nclud~ the pot~t tn _hand, viz. a great willingnefs and readm: fs tn Chrtfl to relteve tt, I have faid enough I think from Scnpture and Reafon, to evince the truth of the Pwpofili• on: But 4· I hear fame mo~rning fouls fay, 1hm il no difp11ting agai;1ft · exptrunce;fore~tbtr thH "tPtUmgnefsu m Cbri{l towardraU bu Saint; or only towardr fome more (pecial favottriter of Heaven : . if oNly lo~ "Wardr j omt, bow {haQ I k._now tbat I am one of them ? if toward! aU, ll!by am I th1u? JPby do I rv~lk,. iuaoily aU tbt day-l011g , and carry . my 12~ |