If some of these Sermons came once to your Honours ears, and now to your eyes (it may be) with more English Language, I having stayed possibly till the last grapes were some riper, I hope it shall be pardoned that I am bold ⟨image 7⟩to borrow your Name, which truly I should not have done, if I had not known of your practical knowledge of this noble, and Excellent Theme, the Free-grace of God: I could add more of this, but I had rather commend Grace, then gracious persons: I know that Jesus Christ, who perfumeth and flowereth Heaven, with his Royal presence, and streweth the Heaven of Heavens to its utmost borders with glory, is commended that he was full of grace, a vessel filled to the lip, Ps. 45.2. Joh. 1.16. Yea, Grace hath bought both our person and our service, 1 Pet. 2.24.25. Even as he that buyeth a captive, gives money not only for his person, but for all the motion, toil, and labour of his body, legs and arms; and Redeeming Grace is so perfect, that Satan hath power possibly, to bid, but not to buy any of the Redeemed; no more then a merchant can buy another mans bought goods, without his consent: All our happiness that groweth here on the banks of time, is but thin sown, as very Straw-berries on the Sea-sands, what good parts of nature we have without Grace, are like a fair Lilly, but there is a worm at the root of it, it withereth from the Root to the Top: Gifts wither apace without grace; Gifts neither break nor humble; Grace can do both. Grace is so much the more precious and sweet, that though it be the result of sin in the Act of pardoning ⟨image 8⟩and curing sinful Lameness; yet it hath no spring but the bowels of God stirred and rolled within him by only spotless and holy goodness; Grace is of the Kings house from Heaven only, the matter, subject or person it dwelleth in, contributed nothing for the creation of so noble a branch. Christ for this cause especially, left the bosom of GOD, and was clothed with flesh and our nature, that he might be a Mass, a Sea, and boundless River of visible, living, and breathing Grace, swelling up to the highest banks of not only the habitable world; but the sides also of the Heaven of Heavens, to over-water Men and Angels. So as Christ was as it were Grace speaking. Psal. 45.2. Luk. 4.22. Grace sighing, weeping, crying out of horror, dying, withering for sinners, living again, Heb. 2.9. Joh. 3.16. Rom.
If some of these Sermons came once to your Honors ears, and now to your eyes (it may be) with more English Language, I having stayed possibly till the last grapes were some riper, I hope it shall be pardoned that I am bold ⟨image 7⟩to borrow your Name, which truly I should not have done, if I had not known of your practicall knowledge of this noble, and Excellent Theame, the Free-grace of God: I could adde more of this, but I had rather commend Grace, then gracious persons: I know that Jesus Christ, who perfumeth and flowreth Heaven, with his Royall presence, and streweth the Heaven of Heavens to its utmost borders with glory, is commended that hee was full of grace, a vessell filled to the lip, Ps. 45.2. Ioh. 1.16. Yea, Grace hath bought both our person and our service, 1 Pet. 2.24.25. Even as he that buyeth a captive, gives money not only for his person, but for all the motion, toile, and labour of his body, legs and arms; and Redeeming Grace is so perfect, that Satan hath power possibly, to bid, but not to buy any of the Redeemed; no more then a merchant can buy another mans bought goods, without his consent: All our happinesse that groweth here on the banks of time, is but thin sowen, as very Straw-berries on the Sea-sands, what good parts of nature we have without Grace, are like a fair Lilly, but there is a worm at the root of it, it withereth from the Root to the Top: Gifts wither apace without grace; Gifts neither break nor humble; Grace can do both. Grace is so much the more pretious and sweet, that though it be the result of sin in the Act of pardoning ⟨image 8⟩and curing sinfull Lamenesse; yet it hath no spring but the bowels of God stirred and rowled within him by onely spotlesse and holy goodnesse; Grace is of the Kings house from Heaven only, the matter, subject or person it dwelleth in, contributed nothing for the creation of so noble a branch. Christ for this cause especially, left the bosome of GOD, and was clothed with flesh and our nature, that he might be a Masse, a Sea, and boundlesse River of visible, living, and breathing Grace, swelling up to the highest banks of not only the habitable world; but the sides also of the Heaven of Heavens, to over-water Men and Angels. So as Christ was as it were Grace speaking. Psal. 45.2. Luk. 4.22. Grace sighing, weeping, crying out of horrour, dying, withering for sinners, living again,
