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Love's pedigree. Or A discourse showing the grace of love in a believer to…Love's pedigree. Or A discourse shewing the grace of love in a believer to…
Love's pedigree. Or A discourse showing the grace of love in a believer to be of a divine original delivered in a sermon preached at the lecture in Boston, Febr. 29. 1699[/]1700. / By S. Willard, teacher of a church there. ; [Two lines from James]Love's pedigree. Or A discourse shewing the grace of love in a believer to be of a divine original delivered in a sermon preached at the lecture in Boston, Febr. 29. 1699[/]1700. / By S. Willard, teacher of a church there. ; [Two lines from James]
printed by B. Green, 1700
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.
Quest. In what respect Gods love to us is leading to, and influential of our loving of him?
A. That we may take up the right meaning of the Case, in order to the better resolution of it: There are these two remarks to be made.
1. That by Gods love to us, we are to understand his Eternal purpose of good will, by which he appointed us to Salvation by Christ. Love is improperly attributed to God▪ in whom there are no Passions or Affections, properly so called, inasmuch as ⟨p. 7⟩they argue imperfection, and composition in the subject of them, which is incompatible with the most absolute first Being. But because these are in men the Instruments of the Will, by the Ministry whereof it performs its Imperate Actions, or they are the various postures of it with respect to its Object, according to the resentment that it hath of it; hereupon when we see such things done in Gods Works of Efficiency, as are wont to be managed by such an Affection; we, after our manner of conception, ascribe it to that Affection; because we cannot otherwise express it. Now love is an Affection in us, which beareth good will to the Object of it▪ and expresseth it self in acts of kindness to it. As therefore it is an Humane Affection, it is rooted in the heart or will, and is on all opportunities discovering it self in the carriage; and from this conception of it, when God manifesteth his benignity to the Creature, we conceive him, in his so doing, to act as a cause by Counsel, and so ascribe it to his Benevolence, and call it his love. And from this consideration, there is a divers love that is assigned to him, according to the different effects of his good will, discerned in the fruits of his Beneficence to the Subject of it. There is a common love attributed to him, wherein the good and the bad do promiscuously partake; and it appears in that Goodness of his which he confers upon them, wherein he gives them large tastes of