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Show chrifl his Spoufes feUow·fouldier, tmd feUowfuffirer. To p'rcve this l need no more than look ~ver all. th~Script~re,a~d {hew you how God [peaks of his people m the t1~1e of thetr. Win· ter. 'fob was in a Winter, Job. 2. 3· yet how fatr was hem the eyes of God.---There is none like him (faith God ) tn aU the E"th,a per feu anrl an upright nun,one thJI fearnh God, and efohewetb evil, a11d ;!ill he holdeth his integrity, altho11gb th•u movedj! me_ agar~ft him to d,flroy him without a caufe, Thou~~ Job had. loll lm Children and loll all his goods, yet fee how fan he was m th~ eyes of Chrifi; yea when the Winter was grown harder upon l11m, botb as to perfonal aiJ!iaions and divine defrtions, and diabolical TtmJTtatiolls, and J ob had more than once !hrank thr_ough the cold of th~ Winter; yet fee how God looked on lum,_ Chap. 42: 7• he tells Eliphaz the T_emanit~ that h_is wrath was kmdled agamft biro, and two other fnends; for, fatth he, yon have not fpoken , 'the thing that is right, as mySertJant Jobh~th, There was~ "':tn· tcr upon the Ifraelites when they were m Egypt, yet at thts tupc God calleth them, Exod. 4• a. his Sons,hisfirjl-bor~t, whe_n Ephraim was chafiifed,Jer. 3:1.18. yet mark what !hewasm _Gods eyes, v. 20. a dtar Son, a plea [am Child. When they were In the Wildernefs they were accounted by God, Deut. 14· :· an Holy, a pecttliar peopl• above aU the Nations oft he Earth, a JPectal people •· hove aU the people of the E4rth; but I ne~d ~ot inlarge up~n the proof of this. I !hall from reafon mak~ 11 evtdent to you It mufi be fo ; if you pleafe to confider thefe thtogs. ' r. That our God is a God that cannot lye nor repmt. The A· poflle •ails the promife "" immutable thing in which it was impoffible that God jhonfd. Lye. This being granted which is elfential to God, all thofe promifes which ~od hath ma?e, under p~rfecutions outward or inward a!RiC:hons, temptattons, defertwns &c. to ~ilifi, comfort, firengthen, be prefent with his pe~ple, or, thofe de~laratlons of the Nature, the lafiing Nature ofhts Love, they are all fo many pregnant proofs of this Prop?!'tion. There are fo many of them, and fo obvious to every dthgent reader of the Scripture, that I fhall not infifi on them. Secondly ,lt appears If you confider, that the ~eafon of Chrifts love is fucb as holds to his people as much,if not m.r~ ·~ Wmter and Rarny weathtr, as at any other time. 'Ibe caufe of dtvme Lov~ unot to;be fo•gbt out of the divine Nature. He loveth becaufe he wtlllove, and thewcth mercy becaufe he will !hew mercy. Becaufe he lovtdtbyFa~ bm, therefore h~ £h•fe ~h~ir feeelafttr ~hem, and brought them ';~fo Egypt by l•is mig~ty power, Deut+37• Criticks note that the Heb. word .JriN amavit,. comes near to ri.JN voluit: God; acts of Love proceed from a root of Love in him, and the root of this Love is only the L01ds good will, Deul. 7. 7, 8. 'Ibe Lord did not So Pfal.' 4B· fit bis Love upon you, nor cbufe ) Oil becauje Y"' were more i11 number ' than any other people, bt<l brcaufe be loved yu,&e. he loved you bc-caufe he loved you: now Affiictions alter not the cafe at all. I • added~ That the reafon why God !hould love his people, i.e, 01ew acts of Love to them, holds more as to a time of TP'mur and Rarny ·w.,tber than as to another time; if you confider that a \I their lulferingsand affiictions are, 1.FromGod. 2. Many of them are for God: they are all from God. Ir there any evil in the City and I have iiot done it, faith God I All Affiictions come either from God as the efficient cauje, immediately bringing them upon them for their correlliolt or trial, or as a permiffi•e eaufe: he fulfers Sathm to. winnow them like wheat; If an Husband hath made his ,.,;(e, mifirable; furely he hath more reafon to love her, not lefs be-caufe !he is in that mifery of which himfelf hath been the occafi· on. It is true, it may be faid here that the cafe is widely differing: , for though all affiictions come from God, yet they come as the puni!hment of our fins and merited by us, and God hath 110 reafim more talove his ,peopk for urging his Jufiice fo to deal with them. Sol; I anfwcr, It is fomething that is faid, yet not fufficient if you confider, r. That Chrift hath to his Sportfe pardontd iniquity,and his Love is with a Non-ob{!a~te to her failings and infirmities. 2. This being granted, the reafon holds, So farM mifery rna· ketb one more the objell of mercy. If the goodnefs of God be fuch, that out of a free principle of his own will he hath refolved to do them good, yea notwithfianding their fins to do them good · and to fave them. Then in reafon, though their mifery and affiitlion comes upon them for their finful failings; there is the fame reafon fiill for his love to them,and in this a greater, as their depth of Mifery cal!eth more loud to divine mercy. 2. Many of their . li1fferlngs are forGod,and for the name and truths ofChrifi,there· fore in reafoo Chrifi !hould more love them. 3· Thirdly, It will appear to you that the Spoufe at thefe times isChrifis[air o11e; if you -confider, That God d,oth not judge of . his ~poufes_ b~auty from her Mtward, but from. her inward Jfate, 1 sam.t6. 7• , wh•ch afBtchons do not make worfe, There s reafon that he who |