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Show 2.~. How to ~hoTP if we htfVt reuirml'~tny tol;ptl ted and feerh no n<!ed ofCbrit1; who hath given thee an:Jthcr fpirir,'' and changed thy nature? no man truly dead as fenl1ble of it, and fays, Now I am dead. . ) Doell thou not find fome bre.rhiRgl of love a fur Cbrift. would I! • <.. not thou give all that thou ball in the world that God would whifper to thy Soul, that be i< tbi>u, and thou art bu? Doell thou not delire tht enjoyment of God with an carnell and paifionate delire,as theHart panteth after the Water-brooks? wh? hath kiod-kd his holy fire ilt thy ["HI? who hath gww. th~e to w:L? althou9h thou ball pollibly no llrength to perform, as not tba; a tuken of fpeciallove to thee? did ever any .natur~l, carnal man d.(tre a con - formity to Chrilt, or a Communton wtth Cbrtll above all thangs in the world belides? At this very timd of thy complaint, Doe~ t!JoH not trH0• ad/me to, ll11d dep,end t<pon the Lord Je{Ht ybrijifor life a11d Salvallon ;and for the further manifcllations of hts love to thy Soul? Indeed thas is bard to difcern but every Soul that hath but the lea it of grace doth it although he doth not fee that it doth Co: I ,;vould but _fay to fucb a Soul thus Thou tbinkeli now that thou hall notha ng ofCbrill no' lhare ~6 intereil in him: w'bat would(l thou take 'now for' thy Re~effion o/CbriJr, for all the good thou ball or maifi have by Chritl > I know thou wou\dell not talte all the world for it ; does not this fpeak that thy Soul bath a dependance upoq him, fo~e little hope and confidence in hin\? ( how weak, and bow much a'lf•ulted. with temptations, doubts, fears, &c. fo ever it be.) · - Laflly, Didll thou nev:er find fome fi•pport_ingr of grace , fome upho/dingr, and bearingr up under greJt affltllwu, and great temptationt, which thy Soul i< forced to confefr could be from no ?tber but from an everlafltng arm? though t~ou hall not fou~d , lus, rtglw band embracing thee under A!lltcbons and Temptanons; Y)t hall thou not found his lett-band upholding thee? Hall thou never found caufe to fay, I h•d perifh~d in my ajfli{Jion, if thy Word had not hun my delight l If the Lord bad not been on my fide,my foul bad fank under this or that temptation, &c. ,No>v if thou can fi but fipd any fuch-like certain tokens of fpecial di1flin!'jnifhipg lov~, thou maili conclude them the firll-fruits of~ f';ica ~er HarvHI, the Earnell of a greater Bargain, as the Spoufe in my Text doth; and that doth bring me to the fourth Prop. ., , . b inhe duty of a graciotu Sd11l, thankfully tu ack..nowledg the le.ft rrcntJ cfdiflinguifhing LPVe. 1! ~ · receill of Jijllnguijhing grace, and from them ( by faith ) to ~oneiNJ~ lo the great<r manifrftationt of it, This Propofition mentions two things as the Duty of the child of God, upon the receit of the leali Difpenfations of diltinguiating Grace. 1. The firll is ThanVulne{t. The Spoufe publifhetb it; Hi< left -hand if Hndrr me. 2, ·The fecund is Faith, concluding from the rmit of tiJt lr.f{er at the prrfmt to the receit of the greater in future time, Both tbcfe (I fay ), are the Duty of the cbi,Id of God upon the receit of the kall manifefiations of dillinguilhing Love. 1. The firfi is th•nkfulnefs; A Duty much called for in Scripture, due unto God at all times, and for all things, Ephef. 5· 20. fndced it is a natural Duty; the law of Nature calletb to us for it. The very Heathens could fay, Ingratum fi dhmi< omuia Jixeril; call a man an unthankful man, and cal\ him any thing. Bernard makes this to be a great piece of the fenfe of the Text, Difce in rrfmndo gratia<,non e.f{e tardrN 11111 fegni<; difce adfingula dana gratia< ageu; Learn (faith be) to give thanks prefently, Jearn for all the gifts of God to give thanks; ·Let none of Gods gift~ lofe this tribute of praife, nangrandi•, Han mediocri4,1IOIJ pufiUa; neither his great gifts, nor his leal\ gifts, nor his mid ling gifts. The Difciples, faith be, weae bid to gather up tbefragments that they fhould n\)t perilh. That goodnefs of God perilhcth, which is coDattd or bellowed upon an unthankful perf on. Ingr~titudo (faith be ) inimica efl animL, exinanitio meritorHm') virtxtulfJ di[perfio, btnejicillrum perditi•. You fee there is reafon enough why a Sou I lhould be thankful for the receit of the leall token of dillinguifhing Love and Goodnefs. The law of N$tUrt requireth it, the law of God requireth it, The, contrary arguetlt a dilingcnuous Soul. But I will add yet another. Brca1t[e there can be 110 toktn of diviHe love [o little, bttt if far above Real: Dt<r defortJ, yea <jUite contrary to our deferts ; what holy 7acob Gen. ·p. 10, faid wemlt ltall fay, I am t!Dt worthy oftheleaft of aU thymercien be fpake it there as you m•y fee concerning outward , ttmporal mercies, God bad bleffed him with a great encreafe, it is much more true of fpiritual dillin guilhing Love : L~t the tokens oflt be never fo little comparatively to others, never fomean; yet they are far above the grcateli of our deferts. This is the rea(on of the Point. •- But you will fay, wherein doth this thankfulnefs lie ? Thankful- . #!· nefs /:~: |