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own love. He had his Son alfo, his eternal wifdom to rejoice and delight himself in from all eternity, Prov. viii. 30. This might take up and fatiate the whole delight of the Father: but he will love his faints alfo. And it is fuch a love, as wherein he feeks not his own fatisfaction only, but our good therein alfo. The love of a God, the love of a Father, whofe proper outgoings are kindness and bounty.

2. What kind of love it is? And it is,

1. Eternal. It was fixed on us before the foundation of the world, before we were, or had done the leaft good; then were his thoughts upon us, then was his delight in us. Then did the Son rejoice in the thoughts of fulfilling his Fathers delight in him, Prov. viii. 30. Yea the delight of the Father in the Son there mentioned, is not fo much his abfolute delight in him, as the exprefs image of his perfon, and the brightnefs of his glory, wherein he might behold all his own excellencies and perfections; but with refpect, unto his love, and his delight in the fons of men. So the order of the words require us to understand it, I was daily his delight, and my delights were with the Sons of men. That is, in

the thoughts of kindness and redemption for them; and in that refpect alfo, was he his Fathers delight. It was from eternity that he laid in his own bofom a defign to make of our happiness. The very thoughts of this, is enough to make all that is within us, like the babe in the womb of Elizabeth, to leap for joy. A fenfe of it cannot but proftrate our fouls to the loweft abafement of an humble holy reverence, and make us rejoice before him with trembling.

2. Free. He loves, us because, he will; there was,

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there is nothing in us, for which we should be be loved. Did we deferve his love, it must go lefs in its valuation. Things of due debt are seldom the matter of thankfulness: but that which is eternally antecedent to our being, muft needs be abfolutely free in its refpects to our well being. This gives it life and being, is the reafon of it, and fets a price upon it, Rom. ix. 12. Eph. i. 3, 4. Tit. iii. 5. James 1. 18.

3. Unchangeable. Though we change every day, yet his love changeth not. Could any kind of provocation turn it away, it had long fince ceafed. Its unchangeableness is that which carrieth out the Father, unto that infinitenefs of patience and forbearance (without which we die, we perish, 2 Pet. iii. 9.) which he exercifeth towards us. And it is,

4. Diftinguishing. He hath not thus loved all the world. Jacob have I loved, but I hated Efau. Why fhould he fix his love on us, and pafs by millions from whom we differ not by nature; that he should make us sharers in that, and all the fruits of it which most of the great, and wife men of the world are excluded from. I name but the heads of things. Let then enlarge whofe hearts are touched.

Let, I fay, the foul frequently eye the love of the Father, and that under these confiderations, they are all foul conquering and endearing.

2. So eye it, as to receive it; unless this be added, all is in vain as to any communion with God, We do not hold communion with him in any thing, until it be received by faith. This then is that which I would provoke the faints of God unto, even to believe this love of God for themselves, and their own part; believe that fuch is the heart of the Father towards them, accept of his witnefs herein. His love is not ours in the sweetness of it, until it

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be fo received. Continually then act thoughts of faith on God, as love to thee, as embracing thee with the eternal free love before described. When the Lord is by his word, prefented as fuch unto thee, let thy mind know it, and affent that it is fo; and they will embrace it, in its being fo; and all thy affections be filled with it. Set thy whole heart to it. Let it be bound with the cords of this love. If the king be bound in the galleries with thy love, fhouldst thou not be bound in heaven with his?

3. Let it have its proper fruit and efficacy upon thy heart, in returns of love to him again. So fhall we walk in the light of Gods countenance, and hold holy communion with our Father all the day long. Let us not deal unkindly with him, and return him fleighting for his good will. Let there not be fuch an heart in us, as to deal fo unthankfully with our God.

Now to further us in this duty and the daily conftant practice of it, I fhall add one or two confiderations that may be of importance thereunto, as,

1. It is exceeding acceptable unto God even our Father, that we thould thus hold communion with him in his love; that he may be received into our fouls, as one full of love, tenderness and kindness towards us. Flesh and blood is apt to have very hard thoughts of him; to think he is always angry, yea implacable: that it is not for poor creatures to draw nigh to him: that nothing in the world is more defireable than never to come into his prefence, (or, as they fay), where he hath any thing to do. Ifa. xxxiii. 16. Who amongst us shall dwell with that devouring fire, who among ft us shall inhabit with thofe everlasting burnings? fay the finners in Sion: and, Luke xix. 12. I knew thou waft an auftere man E 2

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faith the evil fervant in the gofpel. Now there is not any thing more grievous to the Lord, nor more fubfervient to the defign of Satan upon the foul, than fuch thoughts as thefe. Satan claps his hands, if I may fo fay, when he can take up the foul with fuch thoughts of God: he hath enough, all that he doth defire. This hath been his defign, and way from the beginning. The first blood, that murderer fhed, was by this means. He leads our first parents into hard thoughts of God. Hath God faid fo? hath he threatned you with death? he knows well enough, it will be better with you: with this engine did he batter, and overthrow all mankind in one: and being mindful of his ancient conqueft, he readily ufeth the fame weapons wherewith then, he fo fuccesfully contended. Now it is exceeding grievous to the Spirit of God, to be fo flandered in the hearts of thofe whom he dearly loves. How doth he expoftulate this with Sion? What iniquity have you feen in me? faith he, have I been a wilderness unto you, or a land of darkness? Sion hath faid the Lord hath forgotten me, and my God hath forfaken me? But can a mother, &c. The Lord takes nothing worse at the hands of his, than fuch hard thoughts of him, knowing full well what fruit this bitter root is like to bear: what alienation of heart, what drawings back, what unbelief, and tergiverfations in our walking with him? How unwilling is a child to come into the prefence of an angry Father? Confider then this in the first place: receiving of the Father as he holds out love to the foul, gives him the honour he aims at, and is exceeding acceptable unto him. He often fets it out n an eminent manner that it may be fo received. He commendeth his love unto us, Rom. v. 8. Behold what

what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, John iii. 1. Whence then is this folly? Men are afraid to have good thoughts of God. They think it a boldness to eye God, as good, gracious, tender, Kind, loving: Ifpeak of faints; but for the other fide, they can judge him hard, auftere, fevere, almost implacable, and fierce, (the very worst affections, of the very worst of men, and moft hated of him, Rom. i 13. 2 Tim. iii. 3.) and think herein they do well. Is not this foul-deceit from Satan? Was it not his defign from the beginning to inject fuch thoughts of God? Affure thyself then, there is nothing more acceptable unto the Father, than for us to keep up our hearts unto him, as the eternal fountain of all that rich grace, which flows out to finners in the blood of Jefus. and,

2. This will be exceeding effectual to endear thy foul unto God, to caufe thee to delight in him, and to make thy abode with him. Many faints have no greater burden in their lives, than that their hearts do not come clearly and fully up, conftantly to delight and rejoice in God: that there is ftill an indifpofedhefs of Spirit unto close walking with him. What is at the bottom of this diftemper? Is it not their unfkilfulness in, or neglect of this: duty, even of holding communion with the Father in love? So much as we fee of the love of God, fo much fhall we delight in him, and no more. Every other discovery of God without this, will but make the foul fly from him. But if the heart be once much taken up with this, the eminency of the Fa-thers love, it cannot chufe but be overpowered, conquered and endeared unto him. This, if any thing, will work upon us, to make our abode with him. If the love of a Father will not make a child

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