THE TRYAL TRIUMPH OF FAITH OR An Exposition of the History of CHRISTS dispossessing of the daughter of the woman of Canaan Delivered in SERMONS In which are opened The Victory of Faith The condition of those that are tempted The excellency of Jesus Christ and Free-Grace AND Some speciall Grounds and Principles of Libertinisme and Antinomian Errors discovered BY SAMUEL RUTHERFURD Professor of Divinity in the University of St. Andrews REVEL 21 28. And I will give to him that overcometh the morning star Published by Authority London Printed by John Field and are to be sold by Ralph Smith at the Sign of the Bible in Cornhill neer the ROYALL EXCHANGE TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LADY JANE CAMBEL Vicountesse of Kenmure Sister to the Right Noble and Potent The Marques of ARGILE Grace and Peace MADAM I Should complaine of these much disputing and over-writing times if I were not thought to be as deep in the fault as those whom I accuse but the truth is while we endeavour to gain a grain-weight of Truth it is much if we lose not a Talent weight of goodnesse and Christian love But I am sure though so much knowledge and light as may conduce for our safe walking in discerning the certain borders of divine truths from every false way suppose that searching into questions of the time were a usefull and necessary evil only yet the declining temper of the worlds worst time the old Age of time Eternity now so near approaching calleth for more necessary good things at our hands it is unhappy if in the nick of the first breaking of the morning skie the night-watch fall fast asleep when he hath watched all the night It s now near the morning-dawning of the Resurrection O how blessed are we if we shall care for our one necessary thing It is worthy our thoughts that an Angel never created as I conceive standing in his own land His right foot upon the Sea and his left foot on the earth hath determined by oath a Controversie moved by scoffers 2 Pet. 3.3 Yea and with his hand lifted up to Heaven sware by him that liveth for ever and ever who created heaven and the things that are therein and the earth and things that therein are and the sea and things that are therein that there should be time no longer Rev. 10.5 6. If Eternity be concluded judicially by the Oath of God as a thing near to us at the door now about sixteen hundred years ago it is high time to think of it What we shall do when the Clay-house of this Tabernacle which is but our summer-house that can have us but the fourth part of a year shall be dissolved Time is but a short Trance we are carried quickly through it our Rose withereth ere it come to its vigour Our piece of this short-breathing shadow the inch the half-cubite the poor span length of time fleeth away as swiftly as a Weavers-Shuttle which leapeth over a thousand threads in a moment How many hundred houres in one Summer doth our breathing clay-Post skip over passing away as the Ships of desire and as the Eagle that hasteth to the prey If death were as far from our knowledge as Graves and Coffins which to our eyes preach death are near to our senses even casting the smel of death upon our breath so as we cannot but rub skins with corruption We should not believe either Prophets or Apostles when they say All flesh is grasse and It is appointed for all to die Eternity is a great word but the thing it self is greater death the point of our short line teacheth us what we are and what we shall be Should Christ the condition of affairs we are now in the excellency of Free-grace be seen all in their own lustre and dye we should learn much wisdom from these three Christ speedeth little in conquering of lovers because we have not seen his shape at any time we look not upon Christ but upon the accidents that are beside Christ and therefore few esteeme Christ a rich penny-worth But there is not a Rose out of heaven but there is a blot and thorn growing out of it except that one only rose of Sharon which blossometh out glory every leaf of the Rose is a heaven and serveth for the healing of the Nations every white and red in it is uncomparable glory every act of breathing out its smell from everlasting to everlasting is spotlesse and unmixed happinesse Christ is the out-set the master flower the uncreated Garland of Heaven the Love and Joy of men and Angels but the fountain-love the fountain-delight the fountain-joy of men and Angels is more for out of it floweth all the Seas Springs Rivers and floods of love delight and joy imagine all the rain and dew Seas Fountains and floods since the Creation were in one cloud and these multiplied in measures for number to many millions of millions and then divided in drops of showers to an answerable number of men and Angels this should be a created shower and end in a certain period of time and this huge cloud of so many Rivers and drops should drie up and rain no more but we cannot conceive so of Christ for if we should imagine millions of men and Angels to have a co-Eternall dependent existence with Christ and they eternally in the Act of receiving grace for grace out of his fulnesse the flux and issue of grace should be eternall as Christ is for Christ cannot tire or weary from eternity to be Christ and so he must not he cannot but be an infinite and eternall flowing sea to diffuse and let out streames and floods of boundlesse grace say that the Rose were eternall the sweet smell the lovelinesse of greennesse and colour must be eternal O what a happinesse for a soul to lose its excellency in his transcendent glory What a blessednesse for the creature to cast in his little all in Christ his matchlesse Al-sufficiency Could all the streams retire into the fountain and first Spring they should be kept in a more sweet and firme possession of their being in the bosom of their first cause then in their borrowed channels that they now move in Our neighbourhood and retiring in to dwell for ever and ever in the Fountain-blessednesse Jesus Christ with our borrowed goodness is the firme and solid fruition of our eternall happy being Christ is the spheare the connaturall first Spring and element of borrowed drops and small pieces of created Grace the Rose is surest in being in beauty on its own stalk and root let life and sap be eternally in the stalk and root and the Rose keep its first union with the root and it shall never wither never cast its blossome nor greennesse of beauty its violence for a gracious spirit to be out of his stalk and root union here is life and happinesse therefore the Churches last prayer in Canonick Scripture is for union Revel 22.20
they are unrenewed are strangers to inward conflicts of souls praying and not answered of God the fainting and swooning Church Cant. 5.6 7. is pained O dear watch men saw you my Husband Heavy was her spirit but what then v. 7. The watch-men that went about the City found me they smote me they wounded me the keepers of the walls took away my vail from me in stead of binding up her wounds they returned her buffets and pulled her hair down about her ears And the daughters of Ierusalem say to the sick sighing Church pained for the want of her Lord v. 9. What is thy beloved more then another beloved c. Whereof is thy Christ made of Gold or is thy beloved more precious then all beloveds in the world Troubled Hannah grieved in spirit to Eli is a drunken woman The Angels finde Mary Magdalen weeping they leave her weeping they give her a doctrinall comfort Woman why weepest thou he is not here he is risen again 1. If a string in the conscience be broken the Apostles that were with Magdalen cannot tye a knot on it again If there be a rent in the heart so as the two sides of the soul of the woman rent asunder she poor woman still weepeth O why speake you O Angels to comfort me they have taken away my Lord. Angels what are you to me And indeed they cannot sew up the womans rented heart This is the Lords Prerogative Esa. 57.19 I create the fruit of the lips peace I know no Creator but one and I knowÌ„ no Peace-Creator but one Peace of conscience is Grace Grace is made of pure nothing and not made of nature Pastors may speak of peace but God speaketh peace to his people Ps. 85.8 2. There be some acts of nature in which men have no hand to bring Bread out of the earth and Vines men have a hand but in raising Winds in giving Rain neither Kings Armies of men nor acts of Parliament have any influence The tempering of the wheeles and motions of a distempered conscience is so high and supernaturall a work that Christ behoved to have the Spirit of the Lord on him above his fellowes and must be sent with a special Commission to apply the sweet hands the soft mercifull fingers of the Mediator with the art of Heaven Esa. 61.1 That I saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should as a Chyrurgian bind up with splints and bands the broken in heart and comfort the mourners in Sion There must 3. be some immediate action of Omnipotency especially when he sets a Hoast of terrors in battle array against the soul as is evident in Saul in Iob c. 16.13 His Archers compasse me round about that is no lesse then the soul is like a man beset by enemies round about so as there is no help in the creature but he must die in the midst of them Job 6.4 The terrors of God do set themselves in array against me only the Lord of Hoasts by an immediate action raiseth these souldiers the terrors of God he only can calme them What wonder then that Ministers the Word Comforts Promises Angels Prophets Apostles cannot bind up a broken heart friends cannot while a good word come from God It s easie for us on the shore to cry to those tossed in the sea between death and life Saile thus and thus it s nothing to speak good words to the sick yet Angels have not skill of experience in this the afflicted in minde are like infants that cannot tell their disease they apprehend Hell and its real hel to them Many Ministers are but Horse physitians in this disease wine and musick are vain remedies there is need of a Creator of peace she is frantick say they and it s but a fit of a naturall melancholy and distraction The Disciples are Physitians of no value to a soul crying and not heard of Christ. Oh Moses is a meek man David a sweet singer Job and his experience profitable the Apostles Gods Instruments the Virgin Mary is full of grace the glorified desire the Church to be delivered but they are all nothing to Jesus Christ there is more in a piece of a corner of Christs heart to speak so then in Millions of worlds of Angels and created comforts when the conscience hath gotten a back-throw with the hand of the Almighty 24. But he answered and said I am not sent but for the lost sheep of the house of Israel In this answer two things are to be observed 1. The temptation coming from Christ denying he had any thing to do with this woman I am not sent for her 2. The matter of the temptation containing Christs 1. sending 2. to whom To the house of Israel 3. Under what notion The sheep of the house of Israel 4. what sort of sheep The lost sheep In the temptation consider 1. who tempteth 2. the nature of the temptation for the former It s Christ who tempteth Hence these Positions 1. Pos. God tempeth no man to sin Jam. 1.13 Let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted neither tempteth he any 14. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust God doth try rather then tempt 1. God cannot command sin 2. He cannot actuate the crooked faculties to sin as he that spurreth a Horse putteth the horse to actuall motion But the dislocated legge of the horse putteth in act the halting power of the horse 3. He cannot infuse sinfull habits which are as weights of Iron and Lead to incline the soul to sin 4. He cannot approve sin Satan never tempteth but upon practicall knowledge either that the wheels may run down the mount as he tempted Eve and upon that false perswasion tempted Christ to sin or then he knoweth sin hath oyled the wheels and inclinations and so casteth in Fire-brands knowing that there 's powder and fire-wood within us in our concupisence he should not offer to be a Father to the brood of Hell if he knew not that a seed and mother were within us except Christ by grace cast water on our lâ—sts and coole the furnace wee conceive flames easily 2. Pos. Neither Devils nor men nor our heart may without sin tempt or try the creature by putting it to do that which may prove sin upon any intention to try whether that creature shall obey God or not Had Abraham cooÌ„manded Isaac to kil Iacob his son to try whither Isaac loved God or no it had been a sinful tempting of him A creature cannot put his fellow-creatur upon the margin border of death such as all sin is to try if the creature hath a good head that cannot be giddy God may try duties by events He is the Potter we the Clay but clay is limited to try events upon clay by duties only and not by events duties 3. Pos. Wanton and vain reason would say Why did the
thou O Lord Arise cast us not off for ever Both the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gnurah and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hakitsa signifieth to awake out of sleep So prayer putteth God on noble acts of omnipotencie as to bow the Heavens and come down Isa. 64.1 To shake put on work all creatures in Heaven and Earth for the saving of one poor man Psal. 18. As when the sick childe cryeth for pain all the sons and servants yea the Father of the house and Mother are set on work and put to business for his health Hence when David prayed Psal 18. vers 6 7. The earth shook the foundations of the Hills were moved for the Lord was wrath smoak and fiery coales went out of his mouth he bowed the Heavens and came down he rode upon a Cherub and did flye upon the wings of the wind So it did put the LORD to divide the Red-Sea to break the Prison doors and Iron chaines to deliver Peter Paul and Silas 5. It acteth so upon God that it putteth the Crown upon Christs head and hightneth the footstool of his throne so much doth that Prayer Thy Kingdom come hold forth and that last prayer of the Church Rev. 22. which the Spirit the Bride uttereth Even so come Lord Jesus is a hastning of that glorious Mariage day when the Bride the Lambs wife shall be married on Jesus Christ a ripening of the glory of God of Christ the King and head Mystical of his body the Church The Glory of infinite Justice and saving Grace in the Redemption of men is like a fair Rose but inclosed within its green leaves in this life But when Christ shall appear this Rose shall be opened and cast out in bredth its fair and beautifull leaves to be seen and smelled openly by men and Angels In very deed this prayer Even so come Lord Jesus is summons for the last Judgment for the full manifestation of the highest glory of Christ in the finall consummate illustration of Free-grace and mercy in the compleat Redemption of all the Prisoners of hope onely for the Declaration of the supream Judges Glory who shall then do execution on Satan his Angels Antichrist and all slaves of hell so that though prayer made not the world yet it may unmake it and set up a new Heaven and a new earth 6. Prayer is a binding of God that he cannot depart and layeth chains on his hands and buildeth a wall or an hedge of thornes in his way that he cannot destroy his people Isa. 64.7 And there is none that calleth upon thy Name and stirreth up himself to take hold of thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is none to lay hands on thee Ezec. 22.30 And I sought for a man amongst them that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap or in the rupture made by war before me for the Land that I should not destroy it but I found none If a Moses or a Samuel should intercede by prayer that the Lord would spare the Land his prayer should be an hedge or a wall to stand in the way of Justice to hinder the Lord to destroy his people 7. Prayer is a Heavenly violence to God expressed in divers powerfull expressions as 1. Isa. 62.6 7. The faithfull watchmen pray and cry to God so hard that they give the Lord no rest no silence while he establish Jerusalem 2. Praying is a sort of striving with the Lord Rom. 15.30 I beseech you strive with me in prayers to God for me 3. Jacob by prayer wrestled with the Lord and the Lord as if he had been straightned saith Gen. 32. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Send me away dismisse me And Jacob said I will not dismisse thee till thou blesse me Which is well expounded by Hosea chap. 12.4 Jacob had a Princely power over the Angel and prevailed he wept and made supplication to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Is a Prince or as many render it Rectus fuit cum Deo or Directus fuit vel prosperum successum habuit Which may note either a Princedome in prayer over God which is the true reason of the name Israel or as others think he stood right up and his prayer did not bow nor was broken when a Temptation lay on him as heavy as a Milstone even when the Lord said he would depart from him yet he prevailed under that weight So Exod. 32.10 When Moses was praying for the people The Lord said to Moses Let me alone that I may destroy them The Chalde translate it Leave off thy prayer before me All which tendeth to this That Prayer is a Prince and a mighty wrestling prevailing King that hath strong bones and strong armes to be victorious with God We know the Parable of the Widow Luke 18. Who by importunity obtained of the unjust Judge that he should avenge her of her Adversary The scope of which Parable is that prayers without fainting putteth such a labour and a trouble upon God that he must hear and answer the desires of his Children So doth the Lord resemble himself to a master of a Family gone to bed with his Children who yet being wearied by the knocking of his Neighbour cannot choose but rise in the night and lend him bread to strangers come to his house 8. Some also say that prayer commandeth God as Isa. 45.11 Ask me of things to come concerning my sons and concerning the work of my hand command ye me which place though it may well bear another interpretation yet is this not beside the scope of the Text for sure it is that God hath laid a sort of Law on himself in regard of his binding promise to hear the Prayers of his children And that he cometh down from the Throne of his Soveraignty to submit himself to his own promise of hearing Prayers Psal. 34.15 Psal. 65.2 Psal. 145.18.19 Mat. 7.7.8 Joh. 14.13.14 Vse 1. If Prayer prevail over God and Christ even to the overcoming of the Devil then much more will a praying people prevail over Hell and Malignants it were wisdom then for Malignants to yeeld and strike Sail to these who can by Prayer set Omnipotencie on work and ingage the strength of Israel against them Amalek had omnipotency against them and a harder party then spears and bowes and Armed men in that praying Moses was against them The third Psalm was a strong peece against Absalom and Ahitophel and all that conspired against David Christs Prayers for the perfecting of his own Body and gathering in his first-born include i◠them a Curse upon all those that hinder the gathering in of his flock Wo to the enemies then against whom our Intercessor prayeth curses The Prayers of Christ against his enemies shall blast them and their Counsels and all their War undertakings Vse 2. Some are discouraged they can neither fight for Christ nor do any thing to promote this Cause as wanting strength of body and means
Amen Even so Come Lord Iesus It shall not be well while the Father and Christ the prime Heire and all the weeping children be under one roofe in the Palace-Royall it is a sort of mysticall lameness and that the head wanteth an Arme or a finger and it is a violent and forced conditon for Arme and finger to be separated from the head The Saints are little pieces of mysticall Christ sick of love for union the wife of youth that wants her husband some years and expects he shall return to her from over-sea lands is often on the shoare every ship coming near shoar is her new joy her heart loves the wind that shall bring him home she askes at every passenger news O saw you my husband what is he doing when shall he come Is he shipped for a return Every Ship that carrieth not her husband is the breaking of her heart What desires hath the Spirit and Bride to hear when the Husband Christ shal say to the mighty Angels Make you ready for the journey let us go down and divide the skies and bow the heaven I 'le gather my prisoners of hope into me I can want my Rachael and her weeping children no longer Behold I come quickly to judge the Nations The Bride the Lambs wife blesseth the feet of the Messengers that preacheth such tiding Rejoice O Zion put on thy beautifull garments thy King is coming yea she loveth that quarter of the Skie that being rent asunder and cloven shall yield to her husband when he shall put through his glorious hand and shall come riding on the Raine bow and clouds to receive her to himself The condition of the people of God in the three Kingdoms calleth for this that we now wisely consider what the Lord is doing there is a Language of the Lords fire in Zion and His furnace in Jerusalem If we could understand the voice of the crying Rod The Arrowes of God flee beyond us and beside us but wee see little of God in them We Saile but we see not shoar we fight but we have no Victory the efficacy of second causes is the whole burden of the businesse and this burden we lay upon creatures and it s more then they can bear and not upon the Lord God is crying lamenesse on creatures and multitude that his eminency of working may be more seen 2. Many are friends to the successe of Reformation not to Reformation Mens Faith go along with the promises untill Providence seem to them to belie the promise through light at a key-hole many see God in these confusions in the three Kingdoms but they fall away because their joyning with the Cause was violent kindenesse to Christ it is not a friends visite to be driven to a friends house to be dry in a showre and then occasionally to visite wife and children Christ hath too many occasionall friends but the ground of all is this I love Jesus Christ but I have not the gift of burning-quick for Christ O how securely should Faith land us out of the Gun-shot of the prevailing power of a black hour of darknesse Faith can make us able to be willing for Christ to go thorow a quarter of Hells pain Lord give us not leave to be mad with worldly wisedome 3. When the Temptation sleepeth the mad man is wise the harlot is Chaste But when the vessell is peirced out cometh that which is within either Wine or Water Yet if we should attentively lay our ears to hypocrites wee should hear that their Lute-strings do miserably jar for Hycrisie is intelligible and may bee found out Would Parliaments begin at Christ we should not fear that which certainly we have cause to fear One wo is past and another wo cometh The Prophets in the three Kingdoms have not repented of the Superstition will-worship Idolatry Persecution Prophanity Formality which made them vile before the people and the Judges and Princes who turned judgement into gall and wormwood are not humbled because they were a snare on Mizpah and a net spread upon Tabor No man repenteth and turneth from his evil way no man smitteth on his thigh saying what have I done It s but black Popery the name being changed not the thing to think the by-past sins of the Land are by-past and a sort of Reformation for time to come is satisfactory to GOD Ex opere operato By the deed done Yea the divisions in the Church are a heavier plague then the raging sword These same sins against the first and second Table the reconciling of us and Babylon Pride Bribing Extortion Filthiness and intemperance unpunished blood touching blood and not revenged vanity of apparell the professed way of salvation by all kinde of Religions whatsoever are now acted in another stage by other persons but they are these same sins if that head-ship that flattering Prelates took from Jesus Christ and gave to the King be yet taken from Christ and given to men if Christs Crown be pulled off his head no matter whose head it warme it s taken from Christ both wayes I shall pray that the fatnesse of the flesh of Jacob for this do not wax leane and that the warefare of Britaine be accomplished But if the faithfull watchmen know what hour of the night it is now there be but small appearance that it is near to the dawning of Britains deliverance or that our sky shall clear in hast would God the yeare 1645. were with childe to bring forth the salvation of Britain It was once as incredible that the enemy should have entred within the gates of Jerusalem as it is now that they can enter within the Ports of London Edinburgh Dublin I speak not this to incourage Cavaliers for certainly God watcheth over them for vengeance but that we go not on farther to break with Christ the weaknesse of new heads devising new Religions and multiplying Gods for two sundry and contrary Religions argue interpretatively two sundry Gods According to the number of our Cities must come from rottennesse of our hearts O if we could be instructed before the decree that is with childe of Plagues to the sinners in Zion bring forth a man childe and before the long shadows of the evening be stretched out on us But of this Theame no more Grace is the Proposition of this following Treatise when either Grace is turned into painted but rotten nature as Arminians do or into wantonnesse as others do The error to me is of a far other and higher elevation then opinions touching Church-Government Tenacious adhering to Antinomian errors with an obstinate and finall persistance in them both as touching Faith to and suitable practise of them I shall think cannot be fathered upon any of the regenerated For it is an opinion not in the Margin and borders but in the page and body and too near the Center and vitall parts of the Gospel if any offend that I desire to anger them with good-will to
oppressour and delivered them from pressures of conscience under Episcopacy a Masse-service and burdensome ceremonies and for the sins of the King Queen Court Prelats and Prophets the persecuting and killing the witnesses of Christ in Queen Maries days and in the late Prelats time and the present unjustice carelesse and remisse minding Religion and their labouring to spoile the Kingdome of Christ of that power that Christ hath given to his people of Church-discipline and translating it to their Parliament to make Church-discipline Parliament-discipline confounding so the two kingdoms their tolerating of blasphemous sects some denying the Godhead of Christ some his Kingly Office to sanctifie govern his people some his Priestly some his Propheticall Office and many other sins of Prophets and people not repented of and most of these sins and many others and especially the breach of the Covenant in Scotland these two Kingdomes are to fear heavy judgements and that their calamity is not yet at an end But rather one wo is passed but another cometh Except these lands be humbled and lie in the dust before the Lord Yet in all this the dispensation of God though bloody is but the Lord saying as of old so now to Britain Isa. 1.25 And I will turn my hand upon thee and purely purge away thy drosse and take away all thy tin 26. And I will restore thy Judges as at the first and thy counsellors as at the beginning afterward thou shalt be called the city of righteousnes the faithfull city 27. Zion shall be redeemed with judgement and her converts with righteousnesse 2. A rough dispensation of Christ cannot abide long rough to the Saints he must answer and ease the pain of the womans broken spirit it s a nights pain to Christ to cause the tears run down the cheeks of his Church all the night he cannot but bring a day light of joy before the Suns ordinary time to rise Ps. 30.5 Christ smiteth and weepeth for compassion both at once Tender mercy in Christ moveth as much if not more within then without The mothers bowels are as much on work within when the childe is but upon her breasts and he is not capable to know a mother as a mother and love as love as ever when the deserted is but new and hot come out of the second womb and a babe born over again yet in a spirituall Feaver he is as much as ever in the bowels of Christ though he be not in that case capable of the sense and actuall apprehension of Christ as Christ and of the sense of Christs love as his love Ier. 31.20 Since the time that I sufficiently talked with him in correcting him or since the time of my sufficiency of speaking against him in remembring him I do remember him I spake much in mine anger against him and half against my will I did chide him and scourge him but my moved bowels the stirrings of a compassionating heart did contradict in a manner my rough correcting my heart came out of me with every rough word and stroke The Sun and nature worketh long and many years under earth in the generation of Gold and Silver ere we see gold and silver God and his servant nature did us a pleasure a great favour in that kind in secret down in the bowels of the earth to make unseen and concealed provision for our purses this secret love to us acted down in the dark is no love to us while we find it and see it yet is nature in a mystery under a vail sweating under earth to bring forth for us Mettals Trees Herbs Flowers corn for our service but we see no harvest at that time Christs bowels are sweating and as much labouring in childe-birth paine of compassion and love and tender mercy toward us when we are in an Ague and a fit of desertion as at any time but we are loved of Christ and pittied and we know no such thing All Christs answers and words to this woman till now were but interpretations and Proclamations of wrath and rejecting of her as not one of the lost sheep of the house of Israel a Dog under the Table not a child of the house love came never above ground till now yet did Christs affection and love yern upon her all the time Out of all this we collect Christ may love persons yet his dispensation may be so rough as that to their sense there is no ground of being assured that Christ loveth them til he shall be pleased to manifest it Hence we may gather these Propositions considerable for the Times 1. Propos. Gods free and unhired love is the cause of our Redemption Vocation Sanctification and eternall salvation he loved us in our blood and while we were polluted in our blood Ezech. 16.6.8 When we were the lost world Joh. 3.16 ungodly Rom. 5.6 Enemies ver 10. He quickned us called us when dead in sinnes Eph. 2.1 Without works 2 Tim. 1.9 The bil of Grace is Christs welcome and pay nothing 2. Our Divines say God loveth the persons of the Elect but hateth their sins M. Denne offendeth at this and so doth the Arminians with the same reason if God hate the works of iniquity he cannot but hate the persons and workers of iniquity also It s true the Lord hateth so the persons of the Elect for their sins as he taketh vengeance of their sins on their Surety Christ but this consisteth with the Lords loving of their persons to eternall salvation The truth is Gods affection ad intra of hatred and displeasure never so passeth on the persons of the Elect as on the persons of the Reprobate he had thoughts of love and peace in secret from eternity to his own Elect he did frame a Heaven a Saviour for them before all time 3. Propos. Our Divines do rightly teach that there is a twofold love in God Amor benevolentiae A love of wel willing which he did bear to them before the world was it is called the love of Election Of this love Rom. 9.13 Paul speaketh I have loved Jacob and hated Esau this is fountain love the wel-head of all our salvation There is another love called Amor complacentiae A love of complacency a love of justification so M. Denne termeth it which presupposeth faith Without which its unpossible to please God Heb. 11.6 of this Christ speaketh Joh. 14.21 He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self to him ver 23. If a man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him so Christ the wisdom of God saith I love them that love me Pro. 8.17 And so Christ speaketh of his love to his redeemed and sanctified Spouse Can. 4.9 Thou hast ravished my heart my sister my Spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thy eyes with one