The freeness of the love of Christ 1passes knowledge: No man knows, nor can any words express how free the love of Christ to his people is: It is said Isa. 55. 8. My thoughts are not your thoughts. The meaning is, My Grace, Mercy, and Love to you is one thing, as it is in my thoughts, and quite another thing when it comes into your thoughts. In my thoughts it is like it self, free, rich, and unchangeable; but in your thoughts it is limited and narrowed, pinched in within your straight and narrow conceptions, that it is not like it self, but altered according to the model and platform of Creatures, according to which, you draw it in your minds. Alas, we do but alter and spoil his love, when we think there is any thing in us, or done by us, that can be a motive, inducement, or recompense to it. His love is so free, that it pitched it self upon us, before we had any loveliness in us at all. When we were in our blood, he said unto us, live, and that was the time of love. It did not stay till we had our Ornaments upon us, but embraced us in our blood, in our most ⟨p. 213⟩loathsome state; and of all seasons, that is the season of love, the chosen time of love, Ezek. 16. 7, 8. Christ loved us not upon the account of any fore-seen excellency in us, or upon any expectation of recompense from us: Nay, he loved us not only without, but against our deserts. Nothing in nature is found so free as the love of Christ is; our thoughts therefore of this love going beyond all examples and instances that are found among men, quickly lose themselves in an immense Ocean of free grace, where they can find neither bank nor bottom.
The freeness of the love of Christ 1passes knowledge: No man knows, nor can any words express how free the love of Christ to his people is: It is said Isa. 55. 8. My thoughts are not your thoughts. The meaning is, My Grace, Mercy, and Love to you is one thing, as it is in my thoughts, and quite another thing when it comes into your thoughts. In my thoughts it is like it self, free, rich, and unchangeable; but in your thoughts it is limitted and narrowed, pincht in within your straight and narrow conceptions, that it is not like it self, but altered according to the model and platform of Creatures, according to which, you draw it in your minds. Alas, we do but alter and spoil his love, when we think there is any thing in us, or done by us, that can be a motive, inducement, or recompence to it. His love is so free, that it pitched it self upon us, before we had any loveliness in us at all. When we were in our blood, he said unto us, live, and that was the time of love. It did not stay till we had our Ornaments upon us, but embraced us in our blood, in our most ⟨p. 213⟩loathsome state; and of all seasons, that is the season of love, the chosen time of love, Ezek. 16. 7, 8. Christ loved us not upon the account of any fore-seen excellency in us, or upon any expectation of recompence from us: Nay, he loved us not only without, but against our deserts. Nothing in nature is found so free as the love of Christ is; our thoughts therefore of this love going beyond all examples and instances that are found among men, quickly lose themselves in an immense Ocean of free grace, where they can find neither bank nor bottom.
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