Mat. 5. 24.

CHA P. XIV.

Of the Love of God.

Econdly, As for those Perfections belonging to the Divine Will, namely, his Goodness, his Justice, his Truth and Faithfulness: The due apprehenfion of thefe, fhould excite in us the virtue of Love, with all the genuine fruits of it. By Love, I mean an efteeming of him, and a feeking after him as our only happiness.

So that there are two ingredients of this virtue of Love, Eftimation and Choice.

1. An Eftimation of the judgment; a due valuation of thofe excellencies which are in the Divine nature, whereby we look upon God as the fupreme Being in genere boni: From whom all created goodness is derived, and by conformity to whom it is to be measured. And this notion is the pro per importance of the word Charity, whereby we account a thing dear or precious. And in this fenfe doth our Savicur oppofe defpifing to loving. Either be must hate the one, and love the other;

or

or be must hold to the one, and despise the other.

Now these Perfections of the Divine Nature may be confidered, either absolutely or relatively.

1. Abfolutely, as they are in themselves, abstracting from any benefit that we our felves may have by them. And in this fense they can only produce in us an esteem of our judgments, without any defire or zeal in our will or affections. The Devil doth understand thefe abfolute perfections of the Divine Nature, that God is in himself most wife, most just, and powerful And he knows withal that these things are good, deferving esteem and veneration; and yet he doth not love God for thefe perfections, because he himself is evil, and is not like to receive any benefit by them.

2. Relatively, with reference to that advantage which may arrive to us from the Divine Goodness. When men are convinced of their infinite need of him, and their misery without him; and that their utmoft felicity doth confift in the enjoyment of him: This is that which properly provokes affection and defire, namely, his relative goodness as to us. There is fcarce any one under fuch tranfports of

love,

love, as to believe the perfon whom he loves, to be in all refpects the most virtuous, wife, beautiful, wealthy that is in the world. He may know many others, that do in fome, if not in all these respects, exceed. And yet he hath not an equal love for them, because he hath not the fame hopes of attaining an interest in them, and being made happy by them. So that this Virtue doth properly consist in fuch a kind of efteem, as is withal accompanied with a hope and belief of promoting our own happiness by them. And this is properly the true ground and original of our love to God. From whence will follow

2. Our choice of him, as being the only proper object of our happiness, preferring him before any thing else that may come in competition with them. Not Mat. 10. 3. Only (as the Scripture expreffeth it) loLuk.14.26. ving him above father and mother, but hating father and mother, yea and life it Self for his fake: Counting all other things but drofs and dung, in comparison of him.

Philem. 3.

Now it cannot otherwife be, but that a due apprehenfion of the Divine excellencies in general, efpecially of his particular goodness to us, muft excite in the foul fuitable affections towards him. And hence

hence it is, that the misapprehenfion of the Divine nature, as to this Attribute, doth naturally produce in men that kind of fuperftition ftyled d'acidovia, which imports a frightful and over-timorous notion of the Deity, representing God as auftere and rigorous, eafily provoked by every little circumftantial mistake, and as eafily appeafed again by any flattering and flight formalities. Not but that there is fufficient evidence from the principles of Natural reafon, to evince the contrary but the true ground of their mistakes in this matter, is from their own vitious and corrupt affections. 'Tis moft natural for felfish and narrow men, to make themfelves the rule and measure of perfection in other things, And hence it is, that according as a man's own inclinations are, fo will he be apt to think of God; Thou Pfal.so.21. thoughtest that I was altogether fuch an one as thy felf. Those that are of ill natures and of little minds, whofe thoughts are fixed upon fmall and low matters, laying greater weight upon circumstances, falutes, addreffes, than upon the real worth of perfons and fubftantial duties, being themselves apt to be provoked unto wrath and fierceness, upon the omiffion of thefe leffer circumstances, and to be pacified

again

ftition

again by any flattering and formal fervices; such men must consequently think themselves obliged to deal just so towards God, as they expect that others should deal with them. And according to the different natures and tempers of those men who do mistake this notion of the Divine goodness, fo are the effects and confequences of this mistake various (as a Mr. Smith learned man hath well observed) when of Super- it meets with ftout and sturdy natures, who are under a confcioufnefs of guilt, it works them to Atheism, hardens them to an oppofition of him, to an endeavour of undermining and deftroying the notion of that Deity, by whom they are not like to be fafe or happy. If with more Soft and timorous natures, men of base and flavish minds, it puts fuch men on to flatter and collogue with him, and to propitiate his favour by their zeal in leffer matters. And though in this kind of temper and carriage there may be a fhew of Religion, yet the terminating of it in fuch things is most destructive to the nature of it, rendring all converfe with the Deity irkfom and grievous, begetting a kind of forced and præternatural zeal, instead of that inward love and delight, and thofe other. genuine kindly advantages which fhould