The Doctrine of the Saints' Perseverance

3. It gives it the Glory of its Fruitfulness: A barren Love is upon the matter no Love. Love that hath no breasts, no bowels, that pities not, that assists not, deserves not that Heavenly name: Will ye say she is a tender, loving mother, who can look on a languishing, perishing Child, yea see a ravenous beast, whom yet she could easily drive away, take it out of her arms, and devour it before her face, and not put forth her strength, for its assistance or deliverance? Or will ye say, she is a Tiger, and a monster in Nature? And shall we feign such a Love in God towards his Children, which is such that all the bowels of a tender Parent to an only Child, are but as a drop to the Ocean, in comparison of it? As that he looks on whilst they languish and perish, fall, sink, and dye away into everlasting calamity; yea that notwithstanding it, he will suffer the Roaring Lyon to come and snatch them away out of his Arms, and devour them before his face. That he will look upon them sinking into eternal separation from him, and such destruction, as that it had been infinitely better for them never to have been borne, without putting forth his Power, and the efficacy of his Grace for their preservation: Ah foolish people and unwise! shall we thus requite the Lord? as to render him so hard a Master, so cruel a Father to his tender ones, the Lambs of his Son, washed in his Blood, quickened by his Spirit, owned by him, smiled on, embraced ten thousand times, as to suffer them so to be taken out of his hands? Is there nothing in his Love to cause his Bowels to move, and his repentings to be kindled together towards a poor dying Child, that surely departeth not, without some sad looks towards his Father? Nemo repentè fit turpissimus. Is this the kindness, which he exalteth above the Love of a Woman ⟨p. 240⟩to her sucking Child, of a Mother to the fruit of her Womb? Oh that men should dare thus foolishly to charge the Almighty, to ascribe such a barren fruitless Love to him, who is Love, towards his Children, who are as the Apple of his eye, his dear and tender ones, as would be a perpetual blot and stain to any earthly Parent, to have righteously ascribed to him; I say then, our Doctrine gives the Love of God the Glory of its fruitfulness.

3. It gives it the Glory of its Fruitfulnesse: A barren Love is upon the matter no Love. Love that hath no breasts, no bowels, that pitties not, that assists not, deserves not that Heavenly name: Will ye say shee is a tender, loving mother, who can looke on a languishing, perishing Child, yea see a ravenous beast, whom yet she could easily drive away, take it out of her armes, and devoure it before her face, and not put forth her strength, for its assistance or deliverance? Or will ye say, shee is a Tygre, and a monster in Nature? And shall we faigne such a Love in God towards his Children, which is such that all the bowells of a tender Parent to an only Child, are but as a drop to the Ocean, in comparison of it? As that he lookes on whilest they languish and perish, fall, sinke, and dye away into everlasting calamity; yea that notwithstanding it, he will suffer the Roaring Lyon to come and snatch them away out of his Armes, and devoure them before his face. That he will look upon them sinking into eternall separation from him, and such destruction, as that it had been infinitely better for them never to have been borne, without putting forth his Power, and the efficacy of his Grace for their preservation: Ah foolish people and unwise! shall we thus requite the Lord? as to render him so hard a Master, so cruell a Father to his tender ones, the Lambs of his Sonne, washed in his Bloud, quickned by his Spirit, owned by him, smiled on, embraced ten thousand times, as to suffer them so to be taken out of his hands? Is there nothing in his Love to cause his Bowells to move, and his repentings to be kindled together towards a poore dying Child, that surely departeth not, without some sad lookes towards his Father? Nemo repentè fit turpissimus. Is this the kindnesse, which he exalteth above the Love of a Woman