2. You shall find this, if the Lord for his Name-sake loves thee, there is no• any carriage or passage of Providence of him to thee, but he gets himself a Name first or las• by it: for if this be Gods end, every passage of Providence is but a means to this end: hence he will attain this end by every act of his Providence towards thee: hence you shall find that those very sins that dishonour his Name, he will even by them (and if by them, by all things else) get himself a Name: he will be so far from cas•ing thee out of his love, that he will do thee good by them. Those very sins that God damns others for, he will make to humble thee, empty thee. Pharisees persecuted Christ, and lost all for it, Paul was so, and it humbled him all his life, Not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God, and it made him lay up all his wealth in mercy, I was received to mercy, 1 Tim. 1. Mary sins much, and God forgives much, and she loves much; others sinned much, and God hardened much; Judas betrays Christ, and repents, and hangs himself, and flies from him; Peter denies him, and weeps, and hence he is the first that Preacheth him. And this is certain, in the best Hypocrite, sins left in him, either never make him better, but ⟨p. 48⟩blind and harden him, and he hath his distinctions of infirmity, &c. that he sleights them day by day, till all his days are run out, or if any good, 'tis no more than Judas, or Cain, some legal terrors, or other light flashes of comfort, but to be more humble indeed, &c. this he findeth not. Now is it not so with thee? Doth not thy weakness strengthen thee with Paul? Doth not thy blindness make thee cry for light? and those cries have been he•rd, out of darkness, God hath brought light. Thou hast felt venom and risings of heart against Christ, and do they not make thee loath thy self more? that thou thinkest never any so beholding to Grace? do not thy falls into sin make thee more weary of it, watchful against it, long to be rid of it? and so sin abounds, but Grace abounds: Why should this be so? for his Names-sake, because he will love thee; hence 'tis so great and unmatchable, that he will make thy poison thy Food, thy Death thy Life, thy Damnation Salvation, thy very greatest Enemies thy greater Friends. And hence Mr. Fox said, he thanked God for his sins more than for his good works.
2. You shall find this, if the Lord for his Name-sake loves thee, there is no• any carriage or passage of Providence of him to thee, but he gets himself a Name first or las• by it: for if this be Gods end, every passage of Providence is but a means to this end: hence he will attain this end by every act of his Providence towards thee: hence you shall find that those very sins that dishonour his Name, he will even by them (and if by them, by all things else) get himself a Name: he will be so far from cas•ing thee out of his love, that he will do thee good by them. Those very sins that God damns others for, he will make to humble thee, empty thee. Pharisees persecuted Christ, and lost all for it, Paul was so, and it humbled him all his life, Not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God, and it made him lay up all his wealth in mercy, I was received to mercy, 1 Tim. 1. Mary sins much, and God forgives much, and she loves much; others sinned much, and God hardened much; Iudas betraies Christ, and repents, and hangs himself, and flies from him; Peter denies him, and weeps, and hence he is the first that Pre•cheth him. And this is certain, in the best Hypocrite, sins left in him, either never make him better, but ⟨p. 48⟩blind and harden him, and he hath his distinctions of infirmity, &c. that he sleights them day by day, till all his dayes are run out, or if any good, 'tis no more than Iudas, or Cain, some legal terrors, or other light flashes of comfort, but to be more humble indeed, &c. this he findeth not. Now is it not so with thee? Doth not thy weaknesse strengthen thee with Paul? Doth not thy blindnesse make thee cry for light? and those cries have been he•rd, out of darknesse, God hath brought light. Thou hast felt venome and risings of heart against Christ, and do they not make thee loath thy self more? that thou thinkest never any so beholding to Grace? do not thy falls into sin make thee more weary of it, watchful against it, long to be rid of it? and so sin abounds, but Grace abounds: Why should this be so? for his Names-sake, because he will love thee; hence 'tis so great and unmatchable, that he will make thy poyson thy Food, thy Death thy Life, thy Damnation Salvation, thy very greatest Enemies thy greater Friends. And hence Mr. Fox said, he thanked God for his sins more than for his good works.
