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THERE is no man liuing, which, as a creature, is not loued of GOD the great Crea∣tor; which appeareth in that Hee is said to be the SAVIOVR of All, and to cause the Sunne to shine, and the raine to fall, euen on the wicked. Hee loueth Humanity, but hateth impie∣ty; the Man-head is belo∣ued, but malice in it is detested: Hee likes well of the Nature,
but dislikes the sinne: That, which is His, Hee loues, but that which marres His, Hee hates: His owne Image Hee loues, but the deformities therof, made by man, are altogether displeasing in his sight. Now when all men had transgressed, and by trans∣gression had made themselues the children of death, it pleased Him to passe by fome, being ty∣ed to none, and some others to chuse in loue vnto Eternall Life. But what loued Hee now? The men, and not their manners; their nature, now vnder great corruption, but not corruption it selfe: Their persons, not their preuarications. And why loued Hee them? What moued Him to make that difference? Surely nothing but His owne good Will: Meēre mercy in Him, no merite at all in them; His free
Dignation, and no dignity or deserts of theirs: His free fa∣uour to them, and no fore-seene faith in them. But GOD, that had nothing to loue in a sinner but his Humanity, in a true Saint hath also Christianity: then Nature, but now Nature and Grace too: In Generation the Humane Nature, in Regenera∣tion a certaine Diuine Nature. If the diuell hate all men, but especially all Saints; then wee may be sure that GOD loues all men, but especially all holy men: And if the diuell hate and pine at the graces of GOD in men; then questionlesse GOD loues all His graces, in whomsoeuer Hee findes them. O the riches of the loue of GOD vnto His chosen! O inexplicable kind∣nesse! O irrecompenfable fa∣uour! What is man, that Thou
shouldst regard him, or the son of man, a worme, a wretch, the childe of death, that Thou shouldest cast thine eies vpon Him? When all were fallen, and had deserued nothing but wrath, but woe, but death, eter∣nall wrath, eternall woe, eter∣nall death; Thy mercy, Thy mercy, not at all deserued, pitty∣ed some, but diddest passe by others as amiable and as misera∣ble as the other. O how vn∣speakeable is Thy loue to Thine! How admirable art Thou in all Thy waies! Euen Thine enemies hast Thou receiued vnto mercy; Thou hast punished their sinnes in the Flesh of Thine owne Sonne, and in Whom Thou dost Crowne them with grace and glory. O GOD, Thy Loue brought the Israelites out of Aegypt, ouerwelmed their per∣secutors,
guided them in the wildernesse, trod downe the Nations for them, and brought them into the land of Canaan: Euen so, ô LORD, Thy loue vnto vs, redeemeth vs from our bondage, saueth vs from hell, treadeth downe our enemies, protects and directs vs in the world, and safely brings vs into the Land of Promise, the Land of the Liuing, where wee shall see Thy Face, and enioy the ioyes of blisse for euermore. O LORD Thy loue is life, Thy fauour is felicity: LORD, let the light of Thy countenance shine vpon mee, and grant mee Thy loue, which Thou bearest vnto those, whom Thou louest euer, and leauest neuer.