do now Faithfully serve him of this purpose of God there is no manner of Question and therefore if Men conceive that we dispute against any such Decree they do but beat the Air and Talk of Matters which they do not understand The thing insisted on is this that none are chosen to Eternal Happiness without any consideration of their Faith and Works and perseverance to the end in well doing And as touching a Man's particular Election unto Glory or the Gracious purpose of God towards this or that Person in particular this we say is a Secret a Decree not to be known till the Book of Life comes to be opened that is till the Day of Doom cometh Therefore every one of us must stay our time nor must any dare to go now upon fond presumptions of their own especially so as to condemn or think hardly of others I call such partial Conceits fond Presumptions of Men's own because though many People be strongly perswaded that they are absolutely and particularly Ordained unto Life and cannot miscarry yet as to this they believe without Book and without sufficient Grounds because they want the Authority of Divine Revelation which is the only sure Ground-work of a right Faith 'T is Imagination only and Opinion how strong and violent soever it may be and instead of being bottom'd upon the Word of God it may proceed from two very evil Causes 1. FIRST From a Spirit of Pride which Tempteth some to think their Names ought to be Written in Heaven and therefore are soon perswaded to believe that they really are so though for this they take either their own Word or the Opinion of others whose Persons they have in equal admiration I heartily wish that all such as go upon this imagination would seriously consider whether this be not one prime reason of it because it is a Notion so very pleasing and suitable to their own Hearts 2. SECONDLY It may proceed too from a Principle of Carnality for it is an imagination that is Friendly and Kind to Flesh and Blood Where-ever it prevails such as are possest withit find no necessity for them to mortifie their Lusts and to be careful of Living Godly Righteouss and Sober Lives This they call good Morality but cannot think it of any use to them because they suppose themselves sure of their Salvation by God's Absoute Decree upon this Account they and their Vices may dwell very quietly and lovingly together They may be Lew'd Dishonest Unjust Hypocritical Malicious Revengeful False Troublesome Uncharitable Proud and Lovers of the World and yet these Vices are as they think consistent with their State of Grace because they are perswaded that stands firtm upon the immutable Will of God Considering therefore the Vanity and Origical of such Pharisaical conceits it is very dangerous for People to give any way to them and more dangerous to trust to them after a presumptuous manner and most of all dangerous to value themselves upon them especially so as to Judge uncharitably of others as if they were no better than Reprobates and Cast-aways This is a very ill thing and that which is far from being a Sign of their particular Election rather indeed an Argument of the contrary because all Uncharitableness is a direct Violation of the Law of Christ by which we shall all of us be Judged in the Day of God Since God Loves us all instead of shutting any out of his Kingdom every one should lend his Brother his Hand to help him in 2dly FOR secondly there is as Divines usually speak an Election unto Grace which we have all a Title unto Election unto Grace is when People have this great Blessing and Privilege given them to Live under the means of Grace when they have the Gospel Mysteries Publish'd and Revealed to them and when they have the Assistance of the Holy Spirit offer'd and afforded them so that they Receive the Truth as it is in Jesus Whatever Fancies some are apt to entertain concerning this matter this is the true Scripture Notion of Election Accordingly the Scripture means by the Elect of God not such as are supposed to have been from Eternity particularly and by name designed for Glory for I can confidently say it that the Word is not in that Sence any where used in the whole Scripture but generally such as now profess true Faith in Christ and especially such Eminent Persons among them as by their Vertuous and Holy Lives adorn the Doctrine of God their Saviour in all things and resolve firmly and faithfully to Persevere unto the end in so doing The Reason of this honourable Appellation is taken from the different Effect which the Word of God hath upon the Hearts of them that hear it On some it maketh a slight and superficial Impression like the Seed cast on the Way side Others receive it with Joy and Believe for a while but in time of Temptation immediately fall away In others it taketh deeper and better Root but yet in time is choaked with the Cares and Riches and Pleasures of this Life so that it bringeth no Fruit to Perfection But others there are though the fewest in number that lay up the Word in Honest and Good Hearts and that bring forth Fruit plentifully and with perseverance in well-doing to their Lives end Now of all that Profess Christ's Religion those who adhere close to it are the best the most Eminent and Principal ones and therefore the Scripture calleth them after a more peculiar manner The Elect. Many are called to the knowledge of the Truth but few are chosen saith our Saviour or according to the Greek the Elect are few that is the Faithful and Choice Professors of the Truth are few in comparison So Matt. 24. 22. Our Saviour speaking of the great Tribulation that was to come upon Jerusalem said That for the Elects sake those Days should be shorined meaning that out of Respect and Love to the true Believers among the Jews God would shorten the time so that a remnant even of the Unbelieving Jews should escape too though they did not deserve it So again v. 24. Our Lord foretold that False Christs would arise which would if it were possible deceive the very Elect that is the most Sincere Persevering Christians to use the Words of our incomparable Paraphrast Dr. Hammond And so in divers other places where it is said that God will gather together his Elect that he will Avenge his own Elect that none shall lay any thing to the Charge of God's Elect that we must put on as the Elect of God Holy and Beloved Bowels of Mercy and the like the Word signifies those who are now in a Blessed State of Faith and Holiness those who Serve Obey and Love the Lord Jesus in Sincerity Briefly if you search the New Testament throughout you will find this Observation true that generally speaking People are called the Elect of God not in respect of any Antecedent particular Decree
Pray to him and in the same Breath Asperse him that at once they Fear him and Hate him and that though they go to his Temples to Worship and to offer Sacrifices to him yet this is such a sort of Courtship wherewith Flatterers accost Tyrants they Hate and Curse them in their Hearts the very time they seem to Honour them Plutarch thought all frightful Ideas to be unsuitable to the Nature of a Deity God saith he is the Hope of Vertue not a Formidable Dreadful object Though Artificers are wont to represent him by Images that have a terrible Aspect yet Philosophers will tell you that God's Majesty is attended with Goodness with Benignity with a kind and careful Providence And he was of Pythagoras his Mind how slightly soever some thought of it That wise and Vertuous People are in the best Temper when they approach unto God because their Devotions are mixt with fair Opinions of him and with sincere Affections towards him These you will think were great things for an Heathen to say and so they were But we find by constant Experience that 't is natural for us to Hate those we are Afraid of and Nature will work after the same manner when we have to do with God if we conceive of him under such scaring notions as to believe him to be a Sowre Harsh Angry and Tyrannical Being Such Qualities are very Hateful they create Horror and Aversion but 't is impossible for them to beget any Love and therefore they must be utterly incompatible with the Glories and Excellencies of God whose Mercy is over all his Works and who sheweth his Almighty Power most chiefly by doing works of Pity and Compassion and to entertain such apprehensions of him as are a disparagement to his great Goodness is the ready way to bring us to the condition of those old Pagans who Worship'd Evil Doemons meerly for Fear lest they should Hurt them I deny not but there may be some Kind and Measure of Love in those who look upon God as a stern and rigorous Being if they can but perswade themselves into a Belief that God is so Partial to Their Souls as to make them his particular Favourites by a fixt and unconditional Decree But this degree and sort of Love is meerly a Passion of the Sensitive Soul raised by the power of Fancy because the Belief of this absolute purpose towards Them in particular wanteth the Authority of Divine Revelation Rational Affection or that Love towards God which is necessary to make all our performances a reasonable Service is quite another thing It is a fervour of Heart excited by the rational Faculty the Understanding upon full and clear Conviction of the Mind out of the Word of God which Conviction is wrought by the frequent Account we find in the Holy Scriptures touching the intrinsick Excellence and Goodness of God's Nature and touching his great Love and relative Goodness towards all Mankind This is the proper true Ground of that Divine Love I have spoken of and Ardent and Genuine affection of the Heart which the consideration of God's Universal Goodness is apt to kindle in the Soul of every Man who is not conscious of any willful and gross Wickedness which maketh him afraid of the Justice of God AS far as Nature could help them the wiser and more considerate Heathens attained to the Love of God by those weak discoveries they had of the Divine Goodness There are says Seneca de Ira lib. 2. cap. 27. Some things which cannot Hurt they are so Beneficent and Succouring in their Nature as the immortal Gods which neither will nor can be Mischievous because their Nature is Mild and Gentle He speaks in the Plural Number to gratifie the Humour of those Times but he means that one Supream God whom the more Intelligent Pagans Worshipp'd nay Worshipp'd with Affection as Seneca saith elsewhere de Benef. lib. 4. cap. 19. No Man in his right Senses will be horribly afraid of God because it is madness to Dread that which is Beneficial nor can any Man Love that object which they Fear after that manner Accordingly Maximus Tyrius tells us That the truly Religious Man is the Friend of God or one that loves God and that he is therefore Happy because he is a lover of God Dissert 4. Such considerable Notions those observing Men had of the Goodness of God as naturally produced great Affection to him And if we Christians who have besides the Book of Nature the Divine Writings would but attentively consider by what we read in them what a great lover of Souls that most Perfect Being is and what various Methods he hath used to save all our Souls from Perishing Everlastingly it would be the most Astonishing thing in the World if such considerations did not render him the most indearing Object since the very Publicans loved those who loved them nay since the very Ox knoweth his Owner and the Ass his Master 's Cribb 2dly HAVING thus shewed the proper way of Acquiring the Love of God I proceed now to consider how we are to Express it And that our Practice as to this may be Regular we must note what indeed is clear to all Men from the natural Operations of this Affection that Love excites us powerfully to these three Things 1st To observe the Will 2dly To resemble the Temper And 3dly To desire the Fruition of the Object we have an Ardent Affection for FIRST True Love makes us observe ones Pleasure seeing this Affection is made up of Esteem and Honour in the Judgment and of Complacency in the Heart a ready Compliance of the Will must be the next thing because this is only the Paying of that Deference which we Conceive to be Due and an Act of Respect whereby we are willing and delighted to Oblige In all Cases it makes us to be yielding But when it comes to be a Divine Love and hath the Blessed God for its Object it cannot but engage us to Entire and Universal Obedience because the Soul hath God's Soveraign Authority in its Eye besides those Beauties and Excellencies of his Nature which are so Amiable and so Powerful in their Influence God being the sole Governour of the World that hath a right to give Laws to our Souls and a Power to Dispose of them we are indispenfibly Obliged to make his Will when once it is Revealed the Rule and Measure of our Actions And the Necessity of this adds a mighty force to those Inclinations which Love alone createth evermore in the Mind to clasp with his Holy and Righteous Precepts Hence it is that the Scripture interprets Obedience as the only Sign and Argument of a Divine Love I will shew Mercy unto Thousands of them that Love me and keep my Commandments saith God Exod. 20. 6. If ye Love me keep my Commandments saith Christ Job 14. 15. This is the Love of God that we keep his Commandments saith the Divine Apostle 1 Joh. 5. 3.
he Fed all and Provided for all that were Hungry because he had enough to have done it if he would enough and to spare and yet would not vouchsafe so many Perishing Souls so much as the Crumbs that fell from his Table To instance in these plain Cases is enough to clear the Point under our present Consideration The Scripture tells us positively That Christ Died to give himself a Ransome for all and that he bought even those that deny him and bring upon themselves swift Destruction Therefore he intended on his part that all the very worst of Men should be put into a Capacity of receiving Benefit by his Blood If this was not his design nor his Bloodshed to that purpose he cannot with Truth be said to have Bought and Died for them which yet the Scripture expresly affirmeth A Sufficiency of Merits is not enough to denominate him every Man's Redeemer That Sufficiency must have been given on his part and that too with an intent That it should be a Ransom for every Man otherwise we may say by parity of Reason that he was the Redeemer also of the Devils themselves because there was a Sufficiency as to that too His Merits were so Infinite by reason of the Infinite Dignity of his Person that they would have served them too had God been pleased to accept of the Ransom and had Christ intended to lay it down for them In short unless we will shake the very Principles of Piety and offer direct Violence to Truth and common Reason we cannot deny any People room in our Saviour's Heart or shut them out of his kind purposes and wishes or think them deprived by a fatal antecedent Decree of the means and hope of Peace The Opinion is so repugnant to the Notion of the Divine Goodness and Clemency and so contrary to the Express Word of God and so inconsistent with that great Love of Christ that abundance of Grace that Tenderness of Mercy those Riches of Goodness and Bowels of Compassion which appeared so gloriously throughout the Work of our Redemption 4. FOURTHLY But there is one Text of Scripture more which I have reserved for my last Argument because it carryeth such a clear light with it as is enough to strike any Eyes that are but open to receive it It is the Principle supposed by St. Paul as a Truth acknowledg'd and taken for granted by all Faithful Christians then 2 Cor. 5 4. we thus judge That if one died for all then were all dead Where the Apostle's purpose is to shew the whole World how strictly they were concern'd to make the Lord Jesus a return of the most Ardent and Operative Affections from the consideration of that miserable and lost Condition whereinto the whole World without exception had fallen and wherein the whole World must have continued had not Christ come to offer up his Soul for them All were Dead that is in a deadly forlorn and undone Condition all were concluded under Sin The Medium to prove this Universal Ruine is taken from the Universality of the Redemption of the World All were Dead because One Died for All which shews that Christ Tasted Death for as many as were lost for as many as needed a propitiation to restore them to Life and Happyness otherwise the Argument would have been altogether short and inconclusive if Christ had made an Atonement for God's Elect only If one Died for a few this indeed would have proved that those few were in a lost Condition but how would it have follow'd hence that therefore all were Dead Rather it would have follow'd that all were not Dead nor stood in need of a Redeemer if one had not Died for the Redemption of all Mankind FROM all these premises the Truth of the point I proposed to consider will I hope evidently appear to those whose Minds are not quite Captivated to an Opinion that the coming of the Son of God into the World was a strong Argument and a plain Expression of God's Sincere and boundless Affection to the Children of Men. Those means which are necessary for Reasonable and Voluntary Creatures in order to their Happiness the Father of Lights hath of his own good Pleasure and Grace afforded Mankind in such abundant measure that if any People Perish the fault must be in themselves Christ's descending from Heaven was to declare those Truths which could not be discover'd or made known without Divine Revelation His Cloathing himself with Humane Flesh was that he might the better Converse with us and Transact the Office of a Mediator and be in a suitable Condition to Die at last for us His Holy Life and Heavenly Doctrines were to direct our Feet into the Ways of Peace that he might be not onely the Glory of his People Israel but a Light to Lighten the whole Gentile World His Miracles were to shew the greatness of his Person and his Divine Authority that he might be relyed on as the sure Hope of all the ends of the Earth His Blood that was shed by his most bitter and dolorous Passion was to speak far better things than the Blood of Abel or of all Abel's Sacrifices It was the Blood of Atonement to make Peace between an offended God and a wicked World to procure Remission of all Sins that were past to deliver Mankind from a necessity of Perishing and to open the ways of Mercy to all that would desire to enter into the Kingdom of God It was the Blood of the New Covenant that was confirmed upon the Cross to ascertain People of all God's Promises in it on condition of Faith on their Part and of Obedience to God's Laws for the future It was the Blood of Sprinkling to cleanse us from all Filthiness of Flesh and Spirit to Purifie unto Christ a peculiar People Zealous of good Works Besides these means of Grace and Salvation now mention'd God was pleas'd of his abundant Mercy to add divers more after our Lord's Ascension for the particular Application of his Son's Merits to the Soul of every Believer that the Blood of Christ might not be shed in vain like water spilt upon the Ground Great was the Company of Preachers whose business was to Publish the Gospel to every Creature to proclaim the Terms of the New-covenant to shew the necessity of repentance for the compleat and actual remission of sins and to invite all Nations to turn unto the Lord to perswade them to seek and flie unto him and to gather up those Mercies which he had purchas'd for all And so the descent of the Holy Ghost was not only to strengthen the Apostles and their Fellow-labourers for the Discharge of their great and most Charitable Office but to enable all those to whom they should Preach to receive with meekness the engrafted Word which is able to save their Souls His Gracious and Kindly Operations are to enlighten our understandings to help our Infirmities to subdue our wild and unruly Affections to
God's Everlasting Kingdom The Reason of this and what the things are which we are bound to perform Fifthly CONSIDERING therefore what Qualifications are necessary in Us to make our present Calling and Election firm effectual and eternally Beneficial to us our care must be in the fifth place to make such a due Use of the Divine Love and Goodness towards us all as to perform those things which are indispensibly necessary in order to the actual Possession of God's Everlasting Kingdom As yet the way to it is laid open for us and we have a Liberty and Power given us to enter in but it is upon certain Conditions We are delivered from a necessity of Perishing notwithstanding our many Provocations we are made capable of Eternal Life notwithstanding our former guilt But yet divers things are required on our part that we may be actually admitted into a fixt State of Happiness in Heaven Though God loved us and gave his Son to us to tender satisfaction in our stead and by undergoing a Temporary Death himself to Rescue us from Everlasting Torments in which Services of the Divine Oeconomy the World had not any the least Hand they were acts of pure Grace of Mercy undeserved unthought of by Mankind yet God being the Soveraign Governour and Legislator of the Universe it would have been inconsistent with his Honour and Greatness to have given up the Authority of his Laws which yet he must have done had he permitted us to take our own Courses and to live according to our own Wills without any danger Therefore that he might at once provide for our Indemnity and secure his own Authority also when Christ was pleased so freely to undertake the Office of a Mediator it was Covenanted between the Father and Him that upon such and such Conditions his Obedience Death and Intercession should be perfectly available on our behalf And for the making of those terms good it was Covenanted likewise that the Holy Spirit should be given to inable us for the performance of those Duties which were expected from us and that such a Measure should be accepted at our Hands as we should perform by our sincere endeavours according to our Capacities and Power Hence it was that Christ brought us Laws from Heaven to Regulate and Govern our Actions that we might not frustrate the Counsel and Love of God towards us that we might not at last fail of God's Grace nor come short of his Glory and of that Happiness which the Lord Jesus came into the World to purchase for us all The Price is paid and it was Love unspeakable in Christ to lay it down and in his Father to accept it at his Hands for us But though the general Purchase be made yet for the compleat Possession of it we must be careful to behave our selves so as God requires us in order to the conveyance of the Title to every particular Soul We must believe stedfastly on the Name of the Son of God and to this Faith we must add sincere Repentance from all Dead Works and make it our business to serve God in true Holiness and Righteousness all the days of our Life Without these Performances on our part Christ will in the end profit us nothing because he is the Author of Eternal Salvation unto all them that obey him Heb. 5. 9. They only will have the Final and Everlasting enjoyment of God's Love to the World For the Law by which the Righteous Judge of all the Earth will proceed is very plain Rom. 2. 6 7 8 9 10 11. He will render to every Man according to his Deeds to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for Glory and Honour and Immortality God will render Eternal Life But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the Truth but obey Unrighteousness He will render Indignation and Wrath Tribulation and Anguish upon every Soul that doeth Evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile But Glory and Honour and Peace to every Man that worketh Good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile for there is no respect of Persons with God You see Men's Eternal Doom depends upon the Quality of their Lives and Actions here as they are either Good or Evil so will God reward them with Happiness or Misery hereafter And for this Reason it was that St. Paul calleth God the Saviour of all Men especially of those that believe 1 Tim. 4. 10. He is the Saviour of all Men Intentionally because He intended not to Reject any by an Absolute Decree or to exclude any from the Hopes and Means of Salvation but by the Doctrines and Holy Life of his Son Jesus Christ did intend to open and shew the way of Peace unto all and encouraged all People to follow it to the end and because too he sent Christ to offer him satisfaction for the Sins of all Men to Die for all Men and to Merit Eternal Salvation for all if all would lay hold on his Merits by such a lively operative and purifying Faith as is perfected by Charity In short because he hath done those things which were becoming and proper for a Wise and Merciful God to do for Sinful and Reasonable Creatures in order to their Salvation He is rightly called the Saviour of all Men Sufficiently Meritoriously Intentionally and if he be not to all Actually and Effectually so too it must proceed from the voluntary Neglect and Crimes of some who by their Evil Deeds hinder themselves from being Actually and Effectually Saved To Illustrate this by a plain Similitude such as it is Suppose a great number of us were Captives and Bond Slaves sold as Slaves were formerly wont to be Sold into the Hands of Arbitrary and Merciless Masters And suppose the King of his tender Compassion and Goodness towards us as having been his own Subjects should send a valuable Consideration and Ample Ransom with a gracious purpose to Redeem us all without exception but with a Proviso and upon condition of our true Faith and Allegiance to him though some out of a strange Love of Slavery or through Carelesness or Crosness of Temper or by some other Miscarriages might hinder themselves from being Actually Ransomed and so throw away their Liberty for ever yet this could be no disparagement to the King's Clemency and Goodness He would deserve the Name of our common Redeemer nevertheless the intentional Redeemer of us all and I doubt not but in such a case we should all think it very Reasonable for us to acknowledge the Kindness intended for all To apply this instance and to use the Scripture Expressions which relate unto it We were all once sold under Sin become the Servants of Unrighteousness taken Captives by the Devil who laid his snares for all Mankind But God of his Mercy sent his Son into the World to recover us all out of the snare of the Devil to lead Captivity Captive to give himself a Ransom for all to
to be thrown to the Lyons as he was on his tedious Journey to Rome where he was to Suffer he sent before-hand to the Christians there an Epistle wherein he most Importunately and Passionately desired them not to use any means in the World to prevent his Martyrdom but rather assist the earnest Desires he had to Die for the Lord Jesus He Prayed heartily that it might be his Lot to be torn in pieces by the Wild Beasts which were provided for him and that he might find them Fierce and Ravenous He profess'd that rather than fail he would Court nay Constrain them to Devour him He express'd his Wishes that he might endure any Torments the Flames the Cross the united Force of Savage Creatures Manglings Dilacerations the dispersing of his Bones the chopping of all his Limbs into pieces the Consumption of his whole Body nay all the pains the Devil could bring upon him so that he might but enjoy Jesus Christ He declared that all the Kingdoms of this World would do him no good without Martyrdom and that he had much rather Die for Christ and to be with Christ than be Monarch of the whole Earth and the true cause of this his Flaming Zeal was the great Sense he had of Christ's wonderful Affection in Dying for the World which Commanded from him the return of these Passionate Affections to God and his Redeemer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 said he my Love was Crucified I have briefly observed these things to shew that Love is a most powerful Affection when it is Sincere Hearty and Earnest Of all the Affections of the Soul it is that which will not be concealed or lie idle There is a vehemence in the Nature of it which will break forth and discover the Delights and Desires that are within And therefore to Fit and Temper our Minds duly for those Performances which God looketh for as a Genuine return on our part for his abundant Love to us all and as necessary means in order to the Final and Everlasting Fruition of himself we must raise our Affections to this hihg and noble Pitch to Love the Lord our God With all our Heart and with all our Soul and with all our Mind Mat. 22. 37. Our Saviour there calls it the first and great Commandment not only because it is of prime Obligation but moreover because it is the main Genuine spring whence all Acts of Obedience to God do naturally flow INDEED Solomon tells us That the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom Prov. 9. 10. And doubtless the consideration of God's Power and Justice is a very necessary thing to keep People in Awe nay the only thing that is a Check upon those who would not stick to commit Iniquity with greediness and run out into all manner of Excesses were it not for fear of God's Judgments in this World and of Hell Torments in the next But though this be a good restraint and highly needful in its kind yet it is far from being so excellent a preservative of Virtue and Religion as the Love of God is For this Fear is in some Men the Effect of an Absurd Slavish Disposition Proceeding purely from Self-Love and from a Natural Principle of Self-Preservation which makes them forbear those Sins for their own sakes only which otherwise they would readily Commit were there no Danger And as for those positive Acts of Obedience to the Divine Commands which they perform they proceed too from the same servise Principle so that it is at best a Forc'd and Unwilling Obedience extorted meerly to Pacifie a terrible God that is Arm'd with Power to Revenge the Contempt of of his most Sacred Authority And tho' there is and ought to be in the very Best and most Holy People a Fear of God or a Dread of his Displeasure and of Eternal Punishment A Fear that is well pleasing unto God and very useful to themselves yet in those Pious Hearts it is attended and mixed with a very Ardent Love and so it is an Ingenuous Fear a Filial Reverence like that Awful Regard which Dutiful and Affectionate Children have for their dear Parents at the same time they are afraid of their Displeasure and Obey but Obey with Chearfulness and Delight It is Love that most generous Affection of the Soul it is that which makes Fear such a good and kindly Principle of Action and the warmer our Love is the more Extensive Hearty and Acceptable will our Obedience be Therefore that we may Answer the Love of God to us by a chearful performance of those things which of his great Mercy and Goodness he hath proposed to our Practice that thereby he may fit us for true Happiness in Heaven To Answer I say this his unspeakable Love to us all we should use all possible endeavours to Enflame our Souls with such a Love towards him again as wrought so vigorously in the Saints of Old who counted not their very Lives dear to them So that they might finish their Course with Joy as St. Paul said of himself Act. 20. 24. In the closing of this whole Subject which began with the Contemplation of God's Love and is now to end with the Consideration of ours It will be requisite for me to shew these two things First How we may acquire Secondly How we are to Express that Divine Affection which I now speak of 2dly First then The way to Acquire this Love is to represent God to our Minds as the best of all Beings and that in a two fold Respect 1. As the most Desirable Delightful and Amiable good in his Nature and 2. As a Being that is most Communicative of Goodness and Happiness to us 1st First We should represent God to our Minds as the most Amiable Good in his Nature Some Perfections are very indearing and Attractive of our Affections tho' we be supposed to be never the better for them As that Perfection of Body which consisteth in External Beauty and Loveliness inviteth the Spectators Affection though the Person so Accomplish'd is and is ever like to be an utter Stranger to him The Beauties of the Mind are much more Attractive of a Rational Affection Wisdom Truth Sincerity Faithfulness Gentleness Meekness Patience Righteousness Mercy a Condescending Temper and whatever comes under the notion of true Goodness these are Amiable Vertues and Dispositions which we cannot but Love one another for though they are in us but in a scanty Measure and are mixed too with many Infirmities Such as they be they are Derived also We are beholding for them to that Supream and first Cause who is the Fountain of all Excellencies and therefore they must needs be most Amiable in God because in Him they are Absolute and Infinite nor can we conceive any Perfections Intellectual or Moral in the most Excellent Creatures no not in the Blessed Angels themselves but what are transcendently Glorious in the Father of Spirits whose Excellencies admit of no boundaries or Abatement
Therefore to kindle and maintain in our Hearts a Rational Holy and Divine Love we should represent God to our Minds under such charming Ideas as become a Being so admirably Perfect in himself so Transcendently and Gloriously Excellent We should Conceive of him as a Being that knoweth how to order all things for the best and with a strict regard to the good of his whole Creation and of every part of it that is but capable of participating of his Goodness As a Being that taketh a Particular care of Mankind and more especially of those Men who Study to live in conformity to his Laws as a Being that is always steddy and constant to his Promises nor is capable of Lying a thing so Repugnant to his most Blessed Nature that none but the Devil can be the Father of it As a Being that is Righteous in all his ways that loveth Righteousness and hateth Iniquity that giveth Laws which are Just and Good that rewardeth every one according to his Works and punisheth none but according to Equity and Eternal Reason We should Conceive of him as a Being that is ready to take Compassion upon all that need it and are capable of his Mercies that is unwilling to have any of us Lost that is slow to Anger that is patient towards all that is Merciful Gracious Long-suffering abundant in Goodness and Truth keeping Mercy for Thousands forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin In short we should Conceive of God as a blessed Being that loveth and careth for our poor Souls Infinitely more than we our selves do Under these lovely Ideas God representeth himself in the Holy Scriptures and to behold him under such ravishing Conceptions is an effectual way of raising in us a Rational affection to him because one great Branch of Love consisteth in Esteem in that Honour and Admiration which springs from the Excellencies we Discern or believe to be in the Object of our Affections 2. ANOTHER Branch of it is the placing of our Hearts upon the Object we highly Admire the desiring and Seeking after it and delighting in it as the precious and dear thing wherein we conceive our Happiness to be Lodged And to raise our Affections to this noble pitch we should represent God to our Minds also as a Being that is actually Communicative of Goodness and Happiness to us Love naturally commandeth Love again 'T is an Affection of the Soul that cannot resist any thing which is like it self but presently closeth with the object that by suitable expressions of Kindness invites and meets it Here then we should consider how that most perfect and excellent Being hath been before hand with us what good he hath done us and doth do for us daily The Life we now live and are so very tender of was given us at the first by that Father of Spirits and is every Moment supported by his sole Providence which Feeds and Cloaths us and hath Preserved us all along from innumerable Dangers from many which Time may have worn out of our Memories and from more which we have not minded or were so hidden that we could not discover them Those Blessings which lie in common to Mankind every one hath had his share of And were particular Persons so advertent as to observe God's particular Providence to them there is not one in the World but would find himself obliged to make God particular returns of Thankfulness and Affection God is so Good to the meanest and most Ungrateful People that if every one would but keep by him two private Registers one of God's Mercies and another of his own Actions the very sense of God's Goodness to every Man I mean as to the things of this Life could not but warm all our Hearts towards him especially if we did open both Registers and then fairly compare what we have had with what we have deserv'd BUT above all we should consider what God hath done for our Immortal Souls by his wise and gracious ordering all things that relate to a Life Eternal That State being Everlastingly Unchangeable when once Men enter into it whether it be a State of Blessedness or Torments God of his Infinite Goodness and most tender Compassion was pleased to make such ample Provision for the well-fare of us all that one might think it hardly possible for People of Probity and Thoughtfulness to miss of a Blessed Eternity He sent the Son of his Love to transact the weighty business of a Mediator that God and Men might be no longer at a distance The Lord Jesus did innumerable Miracles to prove and confirm his Divine Authority He declared unto the World the whole Counsel of God that nothing of Light might be wanting He deliver'd us such Precepts as are suitable to our own Reason and such as are Easie and Delightful to those who will but Accustom themselves to the observation of them He hath encouraged us with such Promises as are enough to Animate us in the greatest Difficulties and to carry us undauntedly through all He submitted to a most Painful and Reproachful Death that he might offer up a full perfect and sufficent Oblation Sacrifice and Satisfaction for the sins of the whole World and that in Vertue of his Death he might for ever make Intercession for us He gave his Holy Spirit to inspire his Apostles and to assist us all by such kindly Operations as are suitable to Creatures endued with Rational faculties to Illuminate our Understandings to perswade our Wills to purifie our Affections to strengthen our Hopes and to Comfort and Cherish us in our Trials He wooeth us daily by his Ambassadors who beseech us in Christ's stead that we would be reconciled unto God He hath instituted Ordinances to Seal the Mercies of God to every particular Soul which will use those Ordinances in a due manner In short he hath afforded us all the means which Reasonable and Immortal Souls stand in need of and all this for no other end but to make us Eternally Happy happy in the fruition of Himself who is so infinitely Happy in his own Perfections and Condition that he needeth not the Service or Attendance of Men or of Angels These things therefore could not flow from any other Principle but a Principle of Goodness And this is the true genuine Reason of Love whereas those frightful Ideas under which some have misrepresented the most Blessed God serve to cast a Damp on Men's Spirits and to Alienate their Minds and Affections from that Divine and most Amiable Being Plutarch in his Book of Superstition describes those People as God's Enemies and their own too who think hardly of God and believe him to be Fierce False Mutable Revengeful Cruel Angry upon every light occasion Austere Rigorous and Hurtful He tells us there that of all Men such are in the very worst condition that they are Afraid of him even when they have Recourse to him that they Reproach at the same time and Flatter him that they