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Show Small Love·to/J.!ns frDIJ! Ohr;jl, the Earn. the grneral notion of Calling) [o that now you have the fenfe of the point in rhcfe two Propolitions. . . . . . 1· 'Ibe meit of the leaf! manife{!ations of [pectal diftmgHijhtng Love, art crrtain pledges of our rectiving tbt greattr mani[eJb· ti.ans of it, which are anJ R'JY ·#ecrffary unto eur e~erna~ ~alv~tz~"· 2. 'I he receit of the leajt manijtjlations of [pmat diftmguijhmg Love from Chrift.are crrtaill pledgts.tbat JPr}haU met~e wbM [rem to U< i!'attr, tiJDitgb not abfol,.trly neuUar)' •.o ol4r. S alvaii?H; yet if tt be AN) way advaHtageoNI, if God who IS mfin1tely w1fe feeth, ~hat thofe dilpeofations will be good for us. Thefe ar~ the I:tml· tatioos of the Propofition for the clear~r underfiandtng ?f 11 •. I come now to rhe Reafon and proof of 11 ; now the Realon. of It lies here. 1. Becaufe tht [peciallove of God, JPiUeth unto tbo{t Souls rrboare tbe objdls of it, thegrrattft good, vh. the enjoyment of. God in Glory ; and wiUinl( this, cannot bHt wrU tbofe di[pen[atrons winch are ntceffa· ry to the obtaining ufit. The greatefl good ~hich ~od car wiU_m ••Y Sortl,is rhe enjoyment ofhimfelfro i:tennty ; this he h_ath \\II• led them. Fear 11otlittle floc~, at>< yo"r Fathers wtU to giVe you a Km.~dum. Now God having willed this to them as their highe~ good and uhimate end; he cannot but wtU them, whatfoevcrts tither fwm nature or frcm his own i•ftitHtion nmffitry in order to this end; and the receit of rhe !raft tok(ns of tbi< Love, mull need.! be a p\edg of recdving tbe greater manife£\arions o~ it; b.ecau!C ·the receit ofthefe fpeaks the Soul, the obJeCt o(tlm fpwal and tlij!inguijhing love of God; and thereneedeth no mor_e .to the Soul, than to know that It is an obJeCt of th1s Love: For 1t 1s of the. na• rureofit,w wiU e.ffellr<ally, to will tht Soul the gteatefl good, and [o confequcntly all things necelfny to the obtaining of that ; and there is a necelfaty concatenarbn of all thofe aCts of fpecia\ gtace, which are ( a~ means) necdfuy in order to the great and high< fl end;hencc you read in Scripture, Epb.I. I4· of the earneftofoutlnberiunce; and of the eartujl of the Spirit, 2 Cor.r.a.cbap.). 5· and of thefiri!fwits of the Sprrit, Rom. 8. 23. Look as the fitll·fruits are the natura\ pledg of the harvefl, and the tarnejl is the morJI pledg of rhe fr•lfiUrn( oft be b3Tf:"in; fo the ~ecciving of any tokens of fpecia\ di/lit~guijhing Love, is a mo_ll cer:am pledg of the fmther., and more full difcoveries, and man1fellauons ef It unto our Sou h. The leal\ token o/{ptci"l L•ve, fpeakcth us to be. Chrifts, to have a !hare and intmft in him., a m:ar rtlation unto h1111, 1 Cor, 4· :Z.2·;u How to ftnow if we have rtceived an1 to/J.!ns, &c. 1 H AU 4 rt Y'MTJ, thi.~g.s rrftnt, thing flo aomn aU i< yoHrs, and)'" are ChriJ!s, 4nd Chrtjt u Gods. In him aH the Promi[rs are yea and Ar mm. He that ha •h a r~ghr ro one fptritua) Promife, harh a right (... to all the ~rom1fes: for the Souls 11ghr to any one Promife flowet~ fro.m Hs juflifiedj/ate, from its inrercfl in Chrifl. The Ufe of tim Po tnt fha II be !horr, J • It fpeaketh il•finite Con[o f,tiolt to t!.ofe poor Souli that canbut find tlu 1 1e.jl difp~nfat/011 of [peci•ldi!f/nguifoing L've to their Souli. 1" Vfl. T he fou .s of the SJmts are exceed1ng the of thirlly water·t of lift, very greedy of for~JC Tok_ens of fpecial and diflingui!hing Love, and not fauslied wtth ordtnary Difpenfaticns, and very ready to fufpeCt themfelvcs as ro thei~ fP.irirual and eternal Ell ate, if they have not the fuller confirmation, and j!reatetl alfurances of divioe Love unto their Souls, Now J, fay ro fuch jealous Souls what can be of more comfort rhan this Propofition which r hav~ hand led;1f God hat_h given tliee rhe E'THt{!,h« -,vill doubtlefs make good the ~arg•m; 1f h< batb givm thee the firjl-fruits, thou mail\. be 'onh~ent of the H•rveft, So that all which thou neede£\ to do is to exam1ne rhy heart flritl:ly, whftlier thou canll fi'nd ihat God bJtb done aHy thing for tby.SoHiin a wayaf [pecial'lovr? If thou c~n~ but find that God.harh dropped bu• one drop of lew, fpiritual dew upon thy Soul, that the Sun 6f'RigblfoHhufi( hath call but one beam of tru•. ~igbt upo_n thy_ Soul; that thy, Soul hath but m~de ~ne trul~ [pmtHal. r;notwn, 11 ought to tlay'aod ·comfort, a!: thoufcli nor fat,t<fie thee •. , Chritl o'wnerh the brui[ed Reed and the fmoak!ng Flax, (o far as that he ~ ilh1ot qHrnciJ'it, M•tr'h. 2 5, 'I• · htm (hat hath, fh•U,be given. The leafl drQp, of dew is water :is well as th_e ~hole body ofWller that is in the Ocean, and ihe leaflR~y IS ltg~t; and the leafl true motion argun lift and' the leal\ D1fpe~fatron of fpecial. di/linguijhing grace argues ;he fpecial · lotJe of Cod, ~nd. a /late of grJ<t. But it may be fomc will fay, how !haUl kno)w th1s, I fear whether I pave ~ny thing of fpecial srace v1ea odr no,;. L~t me bur propoun~ three or four que !lions to thee t JUS oubung. · · • ' Doll thou not lind in thy Soul, a deep fe~fe "f thy own 1iile 1 !f<!!eft ~efi ~11d ~nw•rthjnt{i 1 though thou hall nor a ·whole heart re; ' ' J!)yclng In the fenfe, alfurance, and full evidence of divine Love yet doll thou not lind· in thy fdf a broken heart ? who harh take~ away ~hy heart of !lone. and gi vFn to thee an heart of fle(b? Is ,not thts the. Lo.rds work? Man is naturally pro~d,an.d hard, bear· · · ted, |