OCR Text |
Show I ..... ~ ~ -"'··- ' , ' & • It> • • '. Small Love Chri.ft, the Earn. two Propolirions yet rema.m .m g, w b·" h 11 meTnthioen feidrf l bise fthoirse , and lhall now handle. fometbing_ m~re_large y. Grace are certai~ '[he 1.-a manifeftatmti of JPeczal dt(flngHijhlltg ;r..a . .1" pledgn of~'· "~ rrc~. w.m g tht fuu,e r an d more g1 o r ioiH mant; e1.attoHJ u; It, T~~~~c~ng~:~i~:ss oul wiU be thalt/ifHl, for the Ieifer :t"J!'ft~tfhio=~ .r d' . Love &c from the recdt of them wtU conclH e, t at It . 0r.Je ce~tvvetn te he gre' ater ' an d hi,d her mani~"·e ftatioiiJ ofi t. Of thelif e t·w 1o1 In their order; the firfl is indeed the ground of the latter,e pecta y as to the latter claufe ofir. . . . :II.. G 3• Prop.'Ih•leaft manife/tati•niorJpectaldt/tlllgmJ"'"g race,are ctrtain pledges oftbe fuUer manifeftmonJDf tt. Frcmbhencfce lhh_e clofid h that his ri ht-hand lhould imbrace her' ecau e ts. e_ t~: nJtw,as under h~r. J put in thofe terms [pecial dt]lrnguijhmg Grace for thefe two reafons. . • r. 'Eecaufe otherwife the Propofition is not true; It ts. not true concern in common and fpecial Grace; a man "!'ay ~ec.etve.m~ch common Gg rae e, and ~, et be far from any fpedc tal dtfhnbg utfbhl tng Grace:He may receive fame common-grace,an ye! not e a e to occlude that he lhall receive the fuller degrees ofCommon-grace. c Secondly Becaufe 1 think the phrafe in the Text leadtth _me to thi! Nor'ioH of Gract ; hii left kand llndtr me. The holdmg u of the aking head with our hand , is. not a common t~k~ n of Love, efpecially from perfons of ~ahty; the husband ~Ill do it for his wife, and the Parent for the C~tld, and the famthar friend for his intimate; but we will not do ~~ f?r e~ery one. SO} that I fay it feerns to lignify fpecial and dtfimgmfhmg Grace. Look as it is arnongf! men ; a civil good-mgn ..,,u have a re[pdl for aD mtteaHd do ordinary kindnef[eJfor an-!, but J.'' he ~ay_ have fome fpecial afTetlion for feme perfons, hts relanons or mtur.a.te. So God as he hath a general love fir aU mm, whic~ fheweth n fclf ld forne atls of gracious Providmce ;_ he maketh hts Sun to (ht~e, a:rh his rain If faU 11po11 tbe juft JHd un;uft; yea, and fo he dtfinb~t fomc things that are """P.dTI¥~, Jpiritual giftr, even to ":tcked men 1 fo he hath a more particulor fpecialLove for fome, whtc\~~ mani[fjleth in diflmguijhing a {is. Thus, 'Itt HI r. J. you rea~ of failb ofGod1 eld1; of fome that he hath predrf!iJtated,caU,d. Juftified, and whom he t~~tUGlorifie. Now thefe dijpen[a_tionJ of fpeml~~flin 11ifhing Grace, as they are various, Juftific~tton, Effe8 . - caU~ng, J{egenerati#n, fiirill<al f/ringth, quzck(nmg, canjola';,~: Small Love·tok,e1u from Chrifl, the B4rll. I 3 I &c. So they have degrees of txceUmcy and goodmfi ; whe-ther you meafure the notion of good by profit or ple~fure: We call that goGd which is profitable for ns, and brings us fame eminelttadvantJge.Thus the grace of'Juflific.<timt, is the roof! excellent grace,becaufe it p11ts us into the flare of reconcili•ti.n to God, and by it we are actually at peace with God and reconciled to him; fo the Grace of R.egmeration, by which our beart if rmewtd, ud we are difpofrd to ktep tbe law ~fGod: and now in c;omparifon of thefe, fenjible ma11ijej1ationr are Ieifer difpcnfations; for though they are fweet and comfortable, yet the Salvation oft he Soul doth not depend upon them. 2. If wemeafure good~tcfi by plea{ure and fweet~efi,<here are alfo degrees of divine manifi)latio»J, even fuch as are dijli~gttijhinf.' <oo; fome are more,fome leis f weet: The left-hand under our head is fwect,but the right-handimbraci1tg fpeaks more fweetnt fs,more Comforr,&c.By <his now you underHand the true Notion offpecial and diflinguitl•ing Love; and how it differs from thofe common favours which God lheweth unto all p'eople, or to any of his creatures; as likewife in what fence, any degrees of it may b.: f1id to b: greater or Ieifer. · Now( fay, the le•fl manifrft•tioft of fpeci•l diftinguijhing Lavr;, a certain pledg, &c. that which really is the leafr, for there are Cmm1 that fall from our Maf!ers table; fuch as really are crums, compared with the greater Loaves : Such as we j"dg tlu lea(/, you may take it in cither'fenfe, it il true only obferving one dif!incHon. That is betwixt fuchdifpenfations of diftmguifhing Love, as are Dill. Heceffary to the Salvation of the Soul, and fuch as though they fpeak diflinguijhing Lovt,and are exceeding advantage0114, and fweet and comfortable to tbe Soul; but are not abfolutely necelfuy to the Salvation of the Soul, fuch as are now fmjible manifeftationJ of Gods Love comforti11g and refrefhmg the5ouls of them that fear God. Thefe now God difpenfrth or withholdeth,according to his own infinite wifdom directing him to do what is bell for the good of his people; and accordingly we muf! conclude to the receit of them, upon fuppofal that God feeth them good for us: I obfcrve In that golden Chain,Rom.8.29. he doth not fay thus, Whom he did.f're ·deflinate tl,em be a)[o c•Ued, and whom be hath called, them be a/fl }u/tified, and whom he ju/iified rhern he alfo comforted, but whom he alfoju[lified, them he alfo glorified. The Apof!le only inflanceth, in thofe acts of Grace which are necelfary unto the happincfs of the Soul ( comprehending Regeneration and Santlification under S 2 the |