A77360:1061
Christ and the covenant the work and way of meditation
Christ and the covenant the work and way of meditation. : Gods return to the soul, or nation; together with his preventing mercy. : Delivered in ten sermons, (viz.) 1. Christs personal excellencies, the object of our love. 2. Christ crucified, the object of our faith. 3. The new covenant of grace opened. 4. Christ the mediator of the new covenant. 5. The way and spirit of the new covenant, or New Testament. 6. The blood of sprinkling. 7. The sweetness and profitableness of divine meditation. 8. The work and way of this meditation. 9. Gods return to the soul and nation. 10. Preventing mercy. / By W.B.
London: printed for N. Ranew, 1667
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.
4. Again Fourthly, The more that any mercy doth correct difficulty and sweeten duty, the sweeter is that mercy. Now preventing love doth correct difficulty, and it doth sweeten duty: See it in Zacheus; what an hard and great work was he upon! Lord (says he) the half of my goods I give to the poor: Stay then, suppose his Estate was a thousand pounds, he would have but five hundred pounds left; and Lord, says he, If I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. Suppose he had wronged men to the value of a hundred pounds, ⟨p. 495⟩there's four hundred pounds more gone, so there's but a hundred pounds left of a thousand: What an hard work is this! yet mark how easily he comes off to this hard work, Behold Lord: why he had drunk deep of preventing love, Zacheus come down, says Christ, for to day I must abide at thine house. Christ doth not come and say, Zacheus, give half thy goods to the poor, and if thou hast wronged any man, restore him fourfold, and then I will come to thy house; no, but Zacheus, Come down, for this day I must abide at thy house, preventing him with his love, and then this hard work comes off easily. There is nothing will correct difficulty and sweeten duty more then preventing love, therefore preventing love must needs be sweet. And thus now you see what there is in preventing love, that is so sweet to a gracious soul. That is the Fifth.
4. Again Fourthly, The more that any mercy doth correct difficulty and sweeten duty, the sweeter is that mercy. Now preventing love doth correct difficulty, and it doth sweeten duty: See it in Zacheus; what an hard and great work was he upon! Lord (sayes he) the half of my goods I give to the poor: Stay then, suppose his Estate was a thousand pounds, he would have but five hundred pounds left; and Lord, sayes he, If I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. Suppose he had wronged men to the value of a hundred pounds, ⟨p. 495⟩there's four hundred pounds more gone, so there's but a hundred pounds left of a thousand: What an hard work is this! yet mark how easily he comes off to this hard work, Behold Lord: why he had drunk deep of preventing love, Zacheus come down, sayes Christ, for to day I must abide at thine house. Christ doth not come and say, Zacheus, give half thy goods to the poor, and if thou hast wronged any man, restore him fourfold, and then I will come to thy house; no, but Zacheus, Come down, for this day I must abide at thy house, preventing him with his love, and then this hard work comes off easily. There is nothing will correct difficulty and sweeten duty more then preventing love, therefore preventing love must needs be sweet. And thus now you see what there is in preventing love, that is so sweet to a gracious soul. That is the Fifth.