YOU have heard several Discourses from this Scripture, and from another in the same Gospel: That we spoke to alternately with this at several times: Thou knowest all things, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee, c. 20.17. and that which after Doctrinal Explication hath hitherto been insisted on, was an enquiry into the state of our own case in reference hereunto. Are we lovers of God in Christ, or are we not? There have been many things signified to you, by which this case might be discerned: And that which remains, and most naturally follows hereupon, is to direct you what you are to do, supposing your case, upon enquiry, to be this or that. Why such an enquiry, if it hath been attended to at all amongst us, it must have signified somewhat: It must, one would think, have some or other result, and what should we suppose it to result into, but either this, I do not love God, or I do? These are most vastly different Cases; it's a Trial upon the most important Point that could have been discussed among us; and supposing there should be two sorts among us, the effect of it is as if a parting Line should be drawn through a Congregation, severing the living from the dead; here are so many living, and so many dead Souls: Indeed it is a very hard Supposition, to suppose that there should be any one in all this Assembly, that doth not love God: A very hard Supposition: I am extremely loth to make such a Supposition […] ⟨p. 2⟩me is, not suppose it. For truly it were a very sad case that we should agree so far as we do in many other things, and not agree in this: That is, that we should agree so many of us to come all and meet together here in one place, agree to Worship God together, agree to sing his Praises together, to seek his Face together, to call upon his Name together, to hear his Word together, and not agree all to love God together: The God whom we worship, whom we invocate, whose Name we bear, and unto whom we all of us pretend: For who is there among us will say, I have no part in God? And it were a most lovely thing, a most comely, desirable thing, that all such Worshipping Assemblies, even this Worshipping Assembly, at this time, and all times, could still meet together under this one common Notion, truly and justly assumed, as so many lovers of God:
YOU have heard several Discourses from this Scripture, and from another in the same Gospel: That we spoke to alternately with this at several times: Thou knowest all things, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee, c. 20.17. and that which after Doctrinal Explication hath hitherto been insisted on, was an enquiry into the state of our own case in reference hereunto. Are we lovers of God in Christ, or are we not? There have been many things signified to you, by which this case might be discerned: And that which remains, and most naturally follows hereupon, is to direct you what you are to do, supposing your case, upon enquiry, to be this or that. Why such an enquiry, if it hath been attended to at all amongst us, it must have signified somewhat: It must, one would think, have some or other result, and what should we suppose it to result into, but either this, I do not love God, or I do? These are most vastly different Cases; it's a Tryal upon the most important Point that could have been discust among us; and supposing there should be two sorts among us, the effect of it is as if a parting Line should be drawn through a Congregation, severing the living from the dead; here are so many living, and so many dead Souls: Indeed it is a very hard Supposition, to suppose that there should be any one in all this Assembly, that doth not love God: A very hard Supposition: I am extreamly loth to make such a Supposition 〈…〉 ⟨p. 2⟩me is, not suppose it. For truly it were a very sad case that we should agree so far as we do in many other things, and not agree in this: That is, that we should agree so many of us to come all and meet together here in one place, agree to Worship God together, agree to sing his Praises together, to seek his Face together, to call upon his Name together, to hear his Word together, and not agree all to love God together: The God whom we worship, whom we invocate, whose Name we bear, and unto whom we all of us pretend: For who is there among us will say, I have no part in God? And it were a most lovely thing, a most comely, desirable thing, that all such Worshipping Assemblies, even this Worshipping Assembly, at this time, and all times, could still meet together under this one common Notion, truly and justly assumed, as so many lovers of God:
