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A53957
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A practical discourse concerning God's love to mankind written for the satisfaction of some scrupulous persons / by Edward Pelling ...
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Pelling, Edward, d. 1718.
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1694
(1694)
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Wing P1083; ESTC R21771
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58,579
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154
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do now Faithfully serve him of this purpose of God there is no manner of Question and therefore if Men conceive that we dispute against any such Decree they do but beat the Air and Talk of Matters which they do not understand The thing insisted on is this that none are chosen to Eternal Happiness without any consideration of their Faith and Works and perseverance to the end in well doing And as touching a Man's particular Election unto Glory or the Gracious purpose of God towards this or that Person in particular this we say is a Secret a Decree not to be known till the Book of Life comes to be opened that is till the Day of Doom cometh Therefore every one of us must stay our time nor must any dare to go now upon fond presumptions of their own especially so as to condemn or think hardly of others I call such partial Conceits fond Presumptions of Men's own because though many People be strongly perswaded that they are absolutely and particularly Ordained unto Life and cannot miscarry yet as to this they believe without Book and without sufficient Grounds because they want the Authority of Divine Revelation which is the only sure Ground-work of a right Faith 'T is Imagination only and Opinion how strong and violent soever it may be and instead of being bottom'd upon the Word of God it may proceed from two very evil Causes 1. FIRST From a Spirit of Pride which Tempteth some to think their Names ought to be Written in Heaven and therefore are soon perswaded to believe that they really are so though for this they take either their own Word or the Opinion of others whose Persons they have in equal admiration I heartily wish that all such as go upon this imagination would seriously consider whether this be not one prime reason of it because it is a Notion so very pleasing and suitable to their own Hearts 2. SECONDLY It may proceed too from a Principle of Carnality for it is an imagination that is Friendly and Kind to Flesh and Blood Where-ever it prevails such as are possest withit find no necessity for them to mortifie their Lusts and to be careful of Living Godly Righteouss and Sober Lives This they call good Morality but cannot think it of any use to them because they suppose themselves sure of their Salvation by God's Absoute Decree upon this Account they and their Vices may dwell very quietly and lovingly together They may be Lew'd Dishonest Unjust Hypocritical Malicious Revengeful False Troublesome Uncharitable Proud and Lovers of the World and yet these Vices are as they think consistent with their State of Grace because they are perswaded that stands firtm upon the immutable Will of God Considering therefore the Vanity and Origical of such Pharisaical conceits it is very dangerous for People to give any way to them and more dangerous to trust to them after a presumptuous manner and most of all dangerous to value themselves upon them especially so as to Judge uncharitably of others as if they were no better than Reprobates and Cast-aways This is a very ill thing and that which is far from being a Sign of their particular Election rather indeed an Argument of the contrary because all Uncharitableness is a direct Violation of the Law of Christ by which we shall all of us be Judged in the Day of God Since God Loves us all instead of shutting any out of his Kingdom every one should lend his Brother his Hand to help him in 2dly FOR secondly there is as Divines usually speak an Election unto Grace which we have all a Title unto Election unto Grace is when People have this great Blessing and Privilege given them to Live under the means of Grace when they have the Gospel Mysteries Publish'd and Revealed to them and when they have the Assistance of the Holy Spirit offer'd and afforded them so that they Receive the Truth as it is in Jesus Whatever Fancies some are apt to entertain concerning this matter this is the true Scripture Notion of Election Accordingly the Scripture means by the Elect of God not such as are supposed to have been from Eternity particularly and by name designed for Glory for I can confidently say it that the Word is not in that Sence any where used in the whole Scripture but generally such as now profess true Faith in Christ and especially such Eminent Persons among them as by their Vertuous and Holy Lives adorn the Doctrine of God their Saviour in all things and resolve firmly and faithfully to Persevere unto the end in so doing The Reason of this honourable Appellation is taken from the different Effect which the Word of God hath upon the Hearts of them that hear it On some it maketh a slight and superficial Impression like the Seed cast on the Way side Others receive it with Joy and Believe for a while but in time of Temptation immediately fall away In others it taketh deeper and better Root but yet in time is choaked with the Cares and Riches and Pleasures of this Life so that it bringeth no Fruit to Perfection But others there are though the fewest in number that lay up the Word in Honest and Good Hearts and that bring forth Fruit plentifully and with perseverance in well-doing to their Lives end Now of all that Profess Christ's Religion those who adhere close to it are the best the most Eminent and Principal ones and therefore the Scripture calleth them after a more peculiar manner The Elect. Many are called to the knowledge of the Truth but few are chosen saith our Saviour or according to the Greek the Elect are few that is the Faithful and Choice Professors of the Truth are few in comparison So Matt. 24. 22. Our Saviour speaking of the great Tribulation that was to come upon Jerusalem said That for the Elects sake those Days should be shorined meaning that out of Respect and Love to the true Believers among the Jews God would shorten the time so that a remnant even of the Unbelieving Jews should escape too though they did not deserve it So again v. 24. Our Lord foretold that False Christs would arise which would if it were possible deceive the very Elect that is the most Sincere Persevering Christians to use the Words of our incomparable Paraphrast Dr. Hammond And so in divers other places where it is said that God will gather together his Elect that he will Avenge his own Elect that none shall lay any thing to the Charge of God's Elect that we must put on as the Elect of God Holy and Beloved Bowels of Mercy and the like the Word signifies those who are now in a Blessed State of Faith and Holiness those who Serve Obey and Love the Lord Jesus in Sincerity Briefly if you search the New Testament throughout you will find this Observation true that generally speaking People are called the Elect of God not in respect of any Antecedent particular Decree
THIS then is the first way of Expressing our Affections towards God in return of his great Love and Goodness to us and to all Mankind by Doing all things he requires of us with a ready and chearful Mind It is not a starch'd Gesture nor a Formal carriage nor an External Profession nor a waterish Look nor a furious Zeal for dry Opinions it is not these or any of these things that is the Sign of that Divine Love which is the Noble Principle of Religion For these outward shews may be consistent with the Hatred of God and Man and then they are only so many Glosses of Hypocrites void of that Rational and Generous Affection which God's Love calls for 'T is the entire subjection of the Heart Operating and Exerting all its Vigour by Religious Sober Honest and Charitable Actions 'T is the subduing our unreasonable Passions the denying all Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts the cleansing of our selves from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit the squaring of our Lives according to the Laws of God To this Pliant and Obediential frame of Soul that is the true Testimony and Fruit of that Love which God looks for and which is in the Sight of God of so great a Price We must call upon him daily with Faithful and Enflamed Spirits we must apply our Hearts to the Study and Practice of Religion we must do Justly Love Mercy and walk humbly with our God we must be sincere and without any Guile and deal truly with all Men as in the presence of God we must Love one another and Forgive one another For he that loveth not his Brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen 1 Joh. 4. 20. In short to express our Love of God after a right manner we must obey him in all things and that with enlarged Hearts with Filial Reverence with Ingenuous Dutifulness with a ready Will and with such Alacrity Chearfulness and Pleasure of Mind as becometh those for whom God hath been pleased to do so many Miracles of Mercy SECONDLY Another proper Act of Love is to Study Imitation This proceeds from a Twofold Cause partly from the great Value we have of and the great Complacency we take in the Object of our Affections which being so Amiable in our Eye doth naturally Excite us to transform our selves into a Similitude of it And partly it proceeds from an innate Desire we all have of being Beloved again which being impracticable without an Harmony of Mind and Temper between both Parties it is necessary for the one that Love may be Reciprocal to suit himself to the disposition of the other especially if that other be a Superior in Dignity Excellence and Perfection Considering therefore that God is infinitely the most Excellent the most Excellent and Perfect of all Beings the Love which springs from a Sense of his Perfections and reacheth after a Plenary Communication of them must needs Stimulate ones Soul to put on a Disposition as far as 't is possible agreeable to the Mind and Spirit of God THEREFORE that we may Rightly and Eminently express our Love to God we must by all means endeavour to resemble him I mean in all those things that are Imitable by us We must be sincere in Heart as that most Blessed Being is According to the capacities and Powers of our Nature we must be Holy and Separate from all Moral Impurities as God is we must be Patient Long-suffering and slow to Anger as He is we must be Treatable and Reconcilable notwithstanding all Affronts and Injuries as he is we must be strict Observers of the Eternal Rules of Righteousness and Justice as He is we must be Steaddy and True to all our Promises as the Faithful God is we must be Merciful and Benign Compassionate and Tender-hearted Bountiful and Impartial Kind and Good to all Men even to our Enemies as that Gracious and Beneficent Being is who maketh his Sun to shine upon the Good and upon the Evil too and sendeth his Rain upon the Just and upon the Unjust also Those Ill-natured People who are Uncharitable Rigid Fierce Implacable Austere Cruel Revengeful and Outragious should look upon God's Glories the Perfections and Beauties of his Nature and should employ their time upon this great Study how to be like God according to those charming Ideas under which He is represented unto us in the Holy Scriptures Thou thoughtest Wickedly that I am even such a one as thy self saith God but I will reprove thee and set before thee the things that thou hast done Psal 50. 21. God will not be served with our Vices nor must we be such Fools as to think we love him by entitling him to the Filth and Refuse of our Corrupt Nature Goodness is so bright a Beam of the Divine Glory and so easie to be seen in every part of the Creation that Men cannot but discover it by the Eye of Common Natural Reason The old Pagans Admired it and believed God to be the Best Being and therefore Ador'd him Prayed to him in all their Straits and Necessities and Celebrated his Praises as well as Nature could teach them For which Universal Custom amongst all Mankind there could not have been any sufficient Reason had they not Universally Believed not only the Existence of a Deity but moreover that the Divine Being is a God of Power and a God of great Clemency Benignity and Goodness This was the true Ground of their Religious Offices and of that Love which Nature wrought in their Hearts towards him And whatever any of us Christians may talk of our Loving God all is but Froth and Vanity Senseless and Ridiculous Profession unless we resemble him in Goodness Be ye Merciful even as your Father is Merciful as our Blessed Saviour said Luk. 6. 36. THIRDLY And Lastly to express our Love towards God we must earnestly desire the Fruition of him This every one seeth to be another natural Act of this Affection and the most Vehement Effort of it to be United to its Object and to have it in actual Possession and the Reason is because Happiness is Apprehended to consist in such Enjoyment Now God being the true Felicity of the Soul the only proper Object which the Faculties of the Soul can be Employed upon with satisfaction and which can fully Answer all our Desires it is impossible to Conceive how we can truly Love him especially under the notion of our Happiness without Ardent and Impatient Longings after the Fruition of him THIS being so clear the next thing we are to Note is that there is a Present and a Future Fruition of God The Present Fruition in respect of Degree is very Imperfect because we are yet in an Imperfect State but in respect of Quality and Kind is the same with that which is yet to come For it consisteth in Contemplating God according to our Capacities in Admiring the Perfections of his infinite Majesty in setting our Hearts on