N00798:21
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.
3. This love must be again recovered by the man, in order to his being made to enjoy God, and to be happy in him. It is certain that mans true happiness consists in his enjoying of God, who is the only adequate object of felicity; no other can make a suitable and sufficient portion for the reasonable Creature: to be far from God, is to be miserable indeed, Psal. 73.27. For lo, all that are far from thee, shall perish: In his favour there is life; his loving kindness is better than life it self. Now God is a portion for none but those that love him: it is by love that we come to have Communion with him, which is our blessedness, Prov. 8.17. I love them that love me. Hatred keeps the Sinner at a distance from God, and there is a fearful Curse out against all such, Psal. 21.8. &c. Thine hand shall find out all thine Enemies, thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee; thou shalt make them as a fiery Oven, &c. Whereas there is a great Blessing in store for such as love him, Psal. 5.11, 12. Let them that love thy name, be joyful in thee; for thou Lord, wilt bless the righteous, with favour wilt thou compass him as a shield. It therefore infinitely concerns us all to see that the love of God dwells in us; and this is it which the Apostle prays for in ⟨p. 14⟩their behalf, 2 Thes 3.5. The Lord direct your hearts into the Love of God.
4. It utterly exceeds the power of man to recover this Principle, and the activity of it. Of the Natural mans inability to exert any truly Gracious action, the Scripture abundantly informs us, Josh. 24 19. Ye cannot serve God.