A57963:195
Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself
Christ dying and drawing sinners to himself, or, A survey of our Saviour in his soul-suffering, his loveliness in his death, and the efficacy thereof in which some cases of soul-trouble in week believers ... are opened ... delivered in sermons on the Evangel according to S. John Chap. XII, vers. 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 ... / by Samuel Rutherford.Christ dying and drawing sinners to himself, or, A survey of our Saviour in his soule-suffering, his lovelynesse in his death, and the efficacie thereof in which some cases of soule-trouble in weeke beleevers ... are opened ... delivered in sermons on the Evangel according to S. John Chap. XII, vers. 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 ... / by Samuel Rutherford.
London: printed by J.D. for Andrew Crooke, 1647
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
1For the second: It's a dream, that God loveth sinners with the same love every way, wherewith he loveth his own Son Christ. And why? Because God loveth us only for his own Son, and for nothing in us Ergo, Far more it must follow, its a far other, an higher, fountain love, wherewith the Father loveth his own eternal and consubstantial Son, the Mediator between God and man; and that derived love wherewith he loveth us sinners. As the one is 1. Natural; the latter, free? 2. The love of the Father to the Son, as his consubstantial Son, and so far as it's essentially included in his love to Jesus Christ Mediator, is not a love founded on grace and free-mercy, which might never have been in God; because essentially, the Father must love his Son Christ, as his Son; and being Mediator, he cannot for that renounce his natural love to him, which is the fundamental cause, why he loveth us for Christ his Son, as Mediator; but the love wherewith the Father loveth us for his Son Christ, is founded on free Grace and mercy; and might possibly never have been in God. For, 1. as he could not but beget his Son, he could not but love him; nature, not election can have place in either: but it was his Free will to create a man, or not create him. 2. He cannot but love his Son Christ, but God might either have loved neither man nor Angel, so as to choose them to Salvation, and he might have chosen other Men and Angels, then these whom he hath chosen; God hath no such freedom in loving his own Consubstantial Sonne. 2. Its an untruth, that God loveth his chosen ones, as he doth love his Son; that is, with the same degree of love, wherewith he loves his Son; I think that not far from either gross ignorance, or blasphemy. It possibly may be the same love by proportion, with ⟨p. 75⟩which the Father tendereth the Mediator, or Redeemer, and all his saved and ransomed ones; but in regard of willing good to the creature loved, he neither loveth his redeemed with the same love, wherewith he loveth his Son; except blasphemously we say, God hath as highly exalted all the redeemed, and given to them a name above every name, as he hath done to his own Son; nor doth he so love all his chosen ones, as he conferreth equal grace and glory upon all alike; as if one star differed not from another star in glory, in the highest heavens.