to be thrown to the Lyons as he was on his tedious Journey to Rome where he was to Suffer he sent before-hand to the Christians there an Epistle wherein he most Importunately and Passionately desired them not to use any means in the World to prevent his Martyrdom but rather assist the earnest Desires he had to Die for the Lord Jesus He Prayed heartily that it might be his Lot to be torn in pieces by the Wild Beasts which were provided for him and that he might find them Fierce and Ravenous He profess'd that rather than fail he would Court nay Constrain them to Devour him He express'd his Wishes that he might endure any Torments the Flames the Cross the united Force of Savage Creatures Manglings Dilacerations the dispersing of his Bones the chopping of all his Limbs into pieces the Consumption of his whole Body nay all the pains the Devil could bring upon him so that he might but enjoy Jesus Christ He declared that all the Kingdoms of this World would do him no good without Martyrdom and that he had much rather Die for Christ and to be with Christ than be Monarch of the whole Earth and the true cause of this his Flaming Zeal was the great Sense he had of Christ's wonderful Affection in Dying for the World which Commanded from him the return of these Passionate Affections to God and his Redeemer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 said he my Love was Crucified I have briefly observed these things to shew that Love is a most powerful Affection when it is Sincere Hearty and Earnest Of all the Affections of the Soul it is that which will not be concealed or lie idle There is a vehemence in the Nature of it which will break forth and discover the Delights and Desires that are within And therefore to Fit and Temper our Minds duly for those Performances which God looketh for as a Genuine return on our part for his abundant Love to us all and as necessary means in order to the Final and Everlasting Fruition of himself we must raise our Affections to this hihg and noble Pitch to Love the Lord our God With all our Heart and with all our Soul and with all our Mind Mat. 22. 37. Our Saviour there calls it the first and great Commandment not only because it is of prime Obligation but moreover because it is the main Genuine spring whence all Acts of Obedience to God do naturally flow INDEED Solomon tells us That the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom Prov. 9. 10. And doubtless the consideration of God's Power and Justice is a very necessary thing to keep People in Awe nay the only thing that is a Check upon those who would not stick to commit Iniquity with greediness and run out into all manner of Excesses were it not for fear of God's Judgments in this World and of Hell Torments in the next But though this be a good restraint and highly needful in its kind yet it is far from being so excellent a preservative of Virtue and Religion as the Love of God is For this Fear is in some Men the Effect of an Absurd Slavish Disposition Proceeding purely from Self-Love and from a Natural Principle of Self-Preservation which makes them forbear those Sins for their own sakes only which otherwise they would readily Commit were there no Danger And as for those positive Acts of Obedience to the Divine Commands which they perform they proceed too from the same servise Principle so that it is at best a Forc'd and Unwilling Obedience extorted meerly to Pacifie a terrible God that is Arm'd with Power to Revenge the Contempt of of his most Sacred Authority And tho' there is and ought to be in the very Best and most Holy People a Fear of God or a Dread of his Displeasure and of Eternal Punishment A Fear that is well pleasing unto God and very useful to themselves yet in those Pious Hearts it is attended and mixed with a very Ardent Love and so it is an Ingenuous Fear a Filial Reverence like that Awful Regard which Dutiful and Affectionate Children have for their dear Parents at the same time they are afraid of their Displeasure and Obey but Obey with Chearfulness and Delight It is Love that most generous Affection of the Soul it is that which makes Fear such a good and kindly Principle of Action and the warmer our Love is the more Extensive Hearty and Acceptable will our Obedience be Therefore that we may Answer the Love of God to us by a chearful performance of those things which of his great Mercy and Goodness he hath proposed to our Practice that thereby he may fit us for true Happiness in Heaven To Answer I say this his unspeakable Love to us all we should use all possible endeavours to Enflame our Souls with such a Love towards him again as wrought so vigorously in the Saints of Old who counted not their very Lives dear to them So that they might finish their Course with Joy as St. Paul said of himself Act. 20. 24. In the closing of this whole Subject which began with the Contemplation of God's Love and is now to end with the Consideration of ours It will be requisite for me to shew these two things First How we may acquire Secondly How we are to Express that Divine Affection which I now speak of 2dly First then The way to Acquire this Love is to represent God to our Minds as the best of all Beings and that in a two fold Respect 1. As the most Desirable Delightful and Amiable good in his Nature and 2. As a Being that is most Communicative of Goodness and Happiness to us 1st First We should represent God to our Minds as the most Amiable Good in his Nature Some Perfections are very indearing and Attractive of our Affections tho' we be supposed to be never the better for them As that Perfection of Body which consisteth in External Beauty and Loveliness inviteth the Spectators Affection though the Person so Accomplish'd is and is ever like to be an utter Stranger to him The Beauties of the Mind are much more Attractive of a Rational Affection Wisdom Truth Sincerity Faithfulness Gentleness Meekness Patience Righteousness Mercy a Condescending Temper and whatever comes under the notion of true Goodness these are Amiable Vertues and Dispositions which we cannot but Love one another for though they are in us but in a scanty Measure and are mixed too with many Infirmities Such as they be they are Derived also We are beholding for them to that Supream and first Cause who is the Fountain of all Excellencies and therefore they must needs be most Amiable in God because in Him they are Absolute and Infinite nor can we conceive any Perfections Intellectual or Moral in the most Excellent Creatures no not in the Blessed Angels themselves but what are transcendently Glorious in the Father of Spirits whose Excellencies admit of no boundaries or Abatement
of Mind in the Author accompanied with a Serious Admiration and Affection towards the Divine Majesty And when I came to understand who it was and what his Circumstances were I had great reasons to believe that the earnest request to me proceeded from no other principle but a Religious and well governed Zeal for God's Glory I could not but be exceeding glad to find one of his Age and Condition to entertain such worthy Notions of his Creator and to be so concern'd for his Honour because the like Instances are not common especially in some Places and after all this to have slighted a request which I believed could come from nothing but a Thoughtful Mind and a True Principle of Piety would have been an Omission Inexcusable Upon these Motives I resolved to Compose a little Discourse concerning this Matter though one of another Nature was just then under my Hand and for my Subject I pitch'd upon those Words in St. Joh. 3. 16. a place of Scripture which I thought was the more proper to be considered because the pressing of that single Text and the Reasoning out of it at the Famous Synod of Dort had such a wonderful Effect upon our Learned Mr. Hales that it quite changed his Judgment as to some Opinions which he carried with him when he went thither as that Excellent Person Mr. Farindon assures us in his Letter prefix'd to Mr. Hales his Golden Remains One of my mean Abilities and ordinary Station cannot hope to make such Happy and Useful Impressions as were so Providentially made upon the Mind of that great Man My business lieth in a Country Parish where Nice and Scholastical disputations would be lost even among those who are more Intelligent and more Inquisitive into matters of Speculation than others have Time to be And therefore my purpose was to digest what I had to say into such a plain Method and Form as I conceived might be most for the Edification of People whose Education cannot furnish them with Extraordinary and Eminent capacities especially as to this sort of Knowledge In order to it I thought it best to omit a great many things which are Collaterally incident to this Copious Subject and of an Abstruse Nature and to say no more than what was just Necessary that I might contract all within as Narrow a Compass as 't was possible for me And that People might not run away with Notions only as many are very apt to do quite Forgetting or over-looking the Principal business I endeavoured to render the whole Discourse the more Useful by making it as Practical as the subject Matter would allow And first I did not intend this thing should have gone any further than my own Pulpit where I was desired to Satisfie some Scrupulous Persons and that being done I was Satisfied my Self in having answered my Duty But divers of my Parishioners having requested that the Discourse might be made Publick in hopes that it may have the same good Effect upon others which They say it had on Them I am the more willing to comply because some Heady People in these Parts who are very fond of Rigid Principles and seem to value themselves upon them have as I am credibly told scattered abroad many false Representations of the whole thing In short if what is here done may be of good Use to any one Person in the World I shall count my Labour very well bestowed Edw. Pelling Petworth Feb. the 1st 1693 4. John III. 16. For God so Loved the World that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting Life CHAP. I. The Interpretation of our Saviour's words John 3. 16. What is meant by the World and what by God's Love to the World THESE are our Blessed Saviour's own words delivered in as Express and Positive a manner as is possible for any Tongue to speak and therefore Men should take all imaginable care that they do not either Wrest or Mistake the true sence of them THEY contain Two things which are most observable in them 1. The great Principle or Inward Cause that moved God to send his Son in the Flesh it was out of pure Love to the World 2. The great End which he proposed and designed thereby it was That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting Life FOR our more profitable Instruction out of this portion of Scripture Three things are necessary to be consider'd in their order First What is the true meaning of our Saviour's words in this place Secondly The Article which they yield us Thirdly And Lastly What Practical Inferences may be gather'd from the whole 1. FIRST That we may rightly understand our Saviour's meaning these two things are to be explained 1. FIRST Who are here meant by the World 2. SECONDLY In what sence God is said to have loved the World antecedently to the coming of Christ and while the World yet lay in a state of sin and wickedness 1. SOME understand by the World onely a small part of the World a few People whom they suppose to have been ordained to Salvation by God's absolute will and peremptory pleasure without any consideration had of their Faith and Repentance the little World of the Elect as those Men are wont to express it But this is a very False and Groundless notion for the word is no where used in this sence in all the New Testament It never signifies the Vessels of Election onely but is always taken in a Bad sence for the Children of wrath for the Evil World as the expression is Gal. 1. 4. for the World of the ungodly as it is 1 Pet. 2. 5. Usually the word denotes all sinful Men together in a Lump and sometimes it means the very worst part of them So said Christ to his Disciples John 15. 18. If the World hate you ye know that it hated me before it hated you there it signifies the malicious Adversaries of the Lord Jesus and his Religion And so John 17. 9. I pray not for the World there it signifies Impenitent and Obstinate Infidels So 1 Coâ— 2. 12. We have received not the Spirit of the World but the Spirit which is of God there it signifies Men of a wicked and Ungodly Temper Again 2 Cor. 5. 19. God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself there it signifies the Enemies of the ever blessed Being Again 1 John 5. 19. The whole World lieth in wickedness there it signifies abominable People whose minds are set upon that which is evil and that continually Again John 14. 17. Christ saith The World cannot receive the Spirit of Truth there it signifies the Oppugners of Christianity And again St. Paul saith 1 Cor. 11. 32. When we are judged we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the World there it signifies the Sons of Perdition This fearful account cannot possibly be given of God's Elect it is utterly inconsistent
confirm our Hopes to rectifie our Wills in such a Moral Way as is suitable to voluntary Agents and to induce our corrupt Natures with a super natural Principle of Grace for the performance of those Duties which God now requires in such a measure as God will accept of Thus from the beginning to the end of God's Oeconomy there is nothing on his part but Love Love Unspeakable Love Unfeigned and after all these various and astonishing expressions of it to us all for any of us to Revile that most Holy and Beneficent Being as the cause of Men's Sins as the Author of Men's Damnation as the hater and destroyer of Men's Souls by pretended absolute and irresistible Decrees this is such a complication of Blasphemy Ingratitude and other horrible Wickedness as would need another Sacrifice if that already offer'd upon the Cross were not of Infinite Value WERE Men possest with a true Sense of God's Love and his Works for us methinks nothing more would be needful to endear Religion to us and to engage us to Piety Charity and Holiness of Life Such a mighty influence would that Sense have over every one of our Souls to stir us up to every thing that is pure lovely and good And in order to it that I may now proceed to the more practical part of this Discourse give me leave to lay before you these six following Directions First That you be careful to entertain in your Minds Genuine Apprehensions of God Secondly That you do not Judge of God's Love by the Event of things Thirdly That you do not measure his purpose as to things Eternal by his present Acts of Providence in dispensing some special Favours here Fourthly That you do not think Uncharitably of others upon a presumption that you your selves are of the number of God's Elect. Fifthly That you diligently perform those things which are necessary in order to the final participation of God's Love Sixthly and Lastly That you endeavour to make God all possible returns of Affection CHAP. IV. Six Practical Inferences from this Point First That we should have Genuine Notions of God and what Notions are such First THAT you be careful to entertain in your Minds Genuine Apprehensions of God That Wise and Vertuous Heathen Plutarch in his Book of Superstition shews That though the Fancy of an Atheist be a very false and foul imagination and an Argument of extream blindness of Mind yet such a one is in a better case than he who believing the Existence of God takes him nevertheless for a Frightful Hurtful Tyrannical Cruel and Savage Being And he draws a Parallel from himself I had said he much rather People should Report that there never was such a Man living as Plutarch than that Plutarch was an inconstant and fickle Man addicted to Anger Revengeful upon every slight occasion moved out of himself by little Provocations or apt for ordinary disrespects to behave himself like an outrageous and unmerciful Creature To imagine there is no God is to Disbelieve to conceive hard and unworthy Notions of God is to Slander and Reproach him I call those hard and unworthy Notions of God which are unsuitable to the Perfections of so excellent a Being so Glorious for the infinite Goodness Rectitude and Beauties of his Nature He is absolutely perfect in himself the Supream Chiefest and purest Good without the least mixture of any thing that is a stain to perfection or a Debasement and Diminution of it This is Essential to the Deity and necessarily included in the Notion of God And as he is the most perfect Being in his own Nature so is he too the cause and spring whence all those Perfections are derived which are in any degree remarkable in his Creatures especially of those Perfections whereby all Rational Beings Angels and Men excell the rest whatever Excellencies are in these according to the measure of their Capacities we must suppose to be in God in the highest degree because it is unconceivable how he can communicate that to others which he himself hath not Therefore in framing our Idea's of God we must abstract and lay aside all Conceptions which include Defect or any thing that is a Disparagement to Excellency Though it be impossible for us poor Finite Creatures to have Adequate Notions of that Infinite Being or to Understand and Know him fully as he is especially while we our selves are in this Mortal State Yet this is the best way of raising our Minds to the clearest and truest Apprehensions of him by ascribing to him all that Argues true Excellency and Perfection and by separating from our Conceptions of him whatever serves or seems to Degrade Lower and Vilifie a most perfect Being And to hit this matter rightly we should observe what is Vile in our selves Defective and Reproachful in our own Nature and be sure to remove and throw away all that from our Conceptions of God For though God hath given us divers excellent Faculties yet in each of these there is something that doth Deprave Vitiate and is a Blemish to it In our Understanding there is much Darkness In our Wills there is an Averseness to follow Reason many times though it be clear a crookedness that makes us stand awry and hold off from that which is Good And in the lowest Faculty of the Soul there are many Passions and Affections which most of all Argue Defect in us and are the greatest Disparagement and Stain to Humane Nature Therefore they are called Vices because they are a Blemish and Pollution to that Spiritual Being the Soul and so great a Blemish that the foulness of them is discoverable by the ordinary Light of Nature Frowardness Rage Malice Spitefulness Lying Insincerity Cruelty Crossness of Temper Love of Mischief and the Pleasure some take in Oppressing Hurting Ruining Poor People and many times too when there is no other Reason for such Barbarous Actions but onely the Fierceness and Violence of a Blind Passion These are very ugly things and such as appear very ugly in the Eyes of Heathens themselves They Argue great Defect and Corruption in Humane Nature and are a Disgrace to it They are the Efforts of Base Minds and Signs of a very Scurvy Temper Actions that Proceed from very Degenerate Spirits and evil Hearts and such as are hateful to all Men whose Natures are at all Refin'd and Improv'd These Qualities therefore being so inconsistent with all Excellency and so diametrically opposite to Perfection we may be sure they cannot be in God nor can any thing like them have room in his Divine and Super-excellent Nature To represent that most Glorious Being as one that from Eternity disposed of Men's Lots without any Consideration or Foresight of their Actions as one that made Mankind with a stedfast Resolution to Damn the Generality of them or at least took Advantage by one Man's Sin to consign the greatest part of his Posterity to Everlasting Torments To represent him as one that