Christ and the covenant the work and way of meditation

1. If you have tasted of Gods preventing love and mercy, if God hath indeed prevented you with the blessings of his goodness, why then should not your hearts be filled with the sense thereof? why should not your thoughts be much thereupon? How God hath prevented you at such a time, in such a thing. The more sense you have of Gods preventing love and mercy, the more humbly you will walk with God, and the more closely, especially considering that God will not upbraid you. If a man takes a Beggar from the Dunghill, and makes her his Wife, prevents her with his love and kindness, the sense of his preventing love, will make her walk humbly all her days, unless the man upbraid her with it; if he upbraids her with it, it will not make her walk humbly; but unless he upbraids her with it, the sense of it will make her walk humbly all her days. Friends, God doth prevent us with his love, and will not upbraid us with his preventions; and therefore why should we not walk humbly, and why should we not think much thereon, and have our hearts filled with the sense thereof. The more necessary and useful any mercy is, the more we are engaged to think thereon. Some mercies are more necessary, and some less necessary. Those mercies and blessings we put God upon the giving of with our own desires, we may suspect are less necessary; ⟨p. 497⟩but those that God gives us in a way of preventing love, we may think them most necessary. This is the w•y of preventing love, surely therefore we are engaged to think much thereon; thus ye become Gods Darlings by his preventing love. The World hath its Darlings: such a one lies long in bed, takes little pains, yet the World flows in upon him, the World prevents him, he is the Worlds Darling; another man is up early and late, takes a great deal of pains, and yet is Poor; but here's a man, do what he will, yet he grows Rich, for he is the Worlds Darling: So now you have blessing upon blessing, and in a way of prevention, What doth this argue, but that you are Gods Darlings? And will you not think much of this? O think much thereon.

1. If you have tasted of Gods preventing love and mercy, if God hath indeed prevented you with the blessings of his goodness, why then should not your hearts be filled with the sense thereof? why should not your thoughts be much thereupon? How God hath prevented you at such a time, in such a thing. The more sense you have of Gods preventing love and mercy, the more humbly you will walk with God, and the more closely, especially considering that God will not upbraid you. If a man takes a Beggar from the Dunghil, and makes her his Wife, prevents her with his love and kindness, the sense of his preventing love, will make her walk humbly all her dayes, unless the man upbraid her with it; if he upbraids her with it, it will not make her walk humbly; but unless he upbraids her with it, the sense of it will make her walk humbly all her dayes. Friends, God doth prevent us with his love, and will not upbraid us with his preventions; and therefore why should we not walk humbly, and why should we not think much thereon, and have our hearts filled with the sense thereof. The more necessary and useful any mercy is, the more we are engaged to think thereon. Some mercies are more necessary, and some less necessary. Those mercies and blessings we put God upon the giving of with our own desires, we may suspect are less necessary;