Love to Christ, necessary to escape the curse at his coming

1. Christ loveth his Lovers with a free Love; ye had motives to love Christ, his Beauty, his Wisdom, his Fullness: The Necessity ye had of him, the Good ye expected by him, were attractives of your Love to him; but what was in you to move Christ to Love you, when ye were Deformed, Polluted, Guilty, Condemned, Poor, full of running Sores, and wallowing in your Blood? Ezek. 16.6. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, Live: yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. 8. Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold ⟨p. 203⟩thy time (which might have been the time of loathing) was the time of love—As he hath Mercy because he will have Mercy, so he Loves because he will Love. Deut. 7.7. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people— 8. But because the Lord loved you—

1. Christ loveth his Lovers with a free Love; ye had motives to love Christ, his Beauty, his Wisdom, his Fulness: The Necessity ye had of him, the Good ye expected by him, were attractives of your Love to him; but what was in you to move Christ to Love you, when ye were Deformed, Polluted, Guilty, Condemned, Poor, full of running Sores, and wallowing in your Blood? Ezek. 16.6. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, Live: yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. 8. Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold ⟨p. 203⟩thy time (which might have been the time of loathing) was the time of love—As he hath Mercy because he will have Mercy, so he Loves because he will Love. Deut. 7.7. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people— 8. But because the Lord loved you—