'44 :DireUirms to excite the Low of God. -------- ~·. 1 3• If.you think it impoffible that '."'n can Hate God, whom they confers to be infinitely good; Confider for the true undertlandmg of th1s Hatred; r. That it 15 not ~tJ good that tbey hate him •· And it is not God Jimply ill himfelfconfidered. 3. And therefore it is nor all in God. 4- And it i; 110t the name nfGod. 5· But it is r. God as he feemeth tmfoitllble to them,_ and unfitfor their delight and Love : which{to11ing is eaufed by their carnal inclination to things of another nature; and the tinful perverting of their appetites, and the blindnefs and error of thl:ir·minds. 2· And it isGod :l$ he is an enemy to their canral conwpi{ccnce \ whofe Holy nature is againfi their tmhoJineji, and hated! their fin, and his Laws forbid them the things which they mofi love and take delight in : And ro th(y hate God, as a mad man hateth his Keeper and Phyficion, and takes them for his enemies; and as a hnng•y Dog doth hate him that keepeth him from the meat which he loveth, or would take it out of his mouth: 3· And they hate God, as one that by his Holin•{i, Jnjlice and Truth is engaged to condcmg them for their fin, and fo ( confequently to their fin ) is their enemy that will dellroy them ( unkfs they forfake it): when their TYiUs are enflaved to their fins, and they cannot. endure to be forbidden them, and yet Cee that God will damn them in Hell lire, if they cafi them 'not away, this lilleth them with difplicency againfi God, asHoly and Jufi. 4· And then conf,quently they hate him in the refi of his Attributes: As his Omnifcitnce, 'that he alway feeth them. His Omniprefence that he is alwayes with them: His Ornnipotency, that he isunrcfifiible, and able to punilh them. Hi; very mercy as expre!Ted to others, when they mull: have no part in it : yea, his very immutability 1 ettrnity and bring, as he is to continue an avenger of their iniquity: fo that the wicked in defpair do wifh that there were no God ; and in profperity they with he were not their Governour and Judge, or were unholy and tmjuft, allowing them to do what they litl without account or punilhment. Thus God is hated by the wicked according to the meaCure of their wickedneCs and carnal inttrtjl and conmpifcmce which he is again{l. Where you may note, 1. That the Hatred ofGod beginneth at the fenfual Love ofthings temporal which he forbiddeth: 2· That the wicked great on<s of the world, and thofe that have the firongeH concupifcence, are ufually the greateft haters ofGod, as having the greatefl advc.IC imercfl, and being moll in love with the things which he prohibiteth and will condemn. f· 14· v. The Cormtcrfcit of Love to God, is fomething that feemeth like it, and yet is confifient with pl"evalent hatred, or privation of true Love, and maketh [elf-deceiving Hypocrites. I · One is when fo much ofGod is Loved as men think hath no oppofition to their tufts and carnal inrerefi : ( a< his mercy and readinefs to forgive ) ; and then they think that they truly LoveGod, though they hate his Holint[r and other attributes. 2· Another Counterfeit is, to Lwe God upon mifiakc:s l.. ima~ gining that he is of the finners mind, and will bear with him, and not condemn him, though he continue Cenfual and ungodly: This is not indeed to LO"VeGod; but fomething contrary to God: Jf mens fantafies will take God to be like the Devil, a friend to fin, and no friend to holinefs, and falfc in his threatnings, &c. and thus will Love him, this is fo far from being indeed the Love of God, that it is an odious blafpheming of him. 3· Another counterfeit is to Love God only for his tem– poral mercies ; as becaufe he preferveth and maintaineth them ; when yet he is refilled when he would give th(m things fpiritual. 4· Another is, when the opinionative approbation ()f the mind, and ho· nouring God with the lips and knee, is miltaken for true Love. 1 In a wqrd, whatever Love of God, refpe6teth him not as God indeed, and is not fupcrlative, but is fubfervient to creature Love, is but a counterfeit. 9• 15· V I. ·The Directions for the exerciCe of the Love ofGod are th&. Direct. r. Confider weU that the Love rf ~ur Creator, Redttmtr and Regcneratet, is the very end[ot which we are Creattd, Redecmtd and Rtgentrau , and how juft it it that God fhot<ld hav• thi end of J"'b exCiUent worl(f ; andthat by nrglefrinf!, or oppofing the Love ofGod which i< the end, we nrgle{l or oppoji the nNiti(} ofCreatioil, Redemption and Regtneratum themfilves. Let us plead theCe Works of God with our heartS, and ray, " I. 0 fluggilh rouli do£1 thou forget the ufe for which thou wail created? and "for whieh 'thou wall indued with Rational faculties? DoH thou repent that thou art a man? " and refufe the employment of a man? what is the mea111 or inftrument good for, but its proper " End andVfe and action > God made the Sun tojhine, and it lhineth : He made the Earth to fupport " us and bear fruit, and it doth accordingly. And he made thee to Lovehim, and wilt thou refufe "and difobey > How noble and excellent is thy·employment, in comparifon of theirs> Is the fruit of " the earth, or the labour of thy Beafi, or the fcrvice ofany inferiour creature, fofweet and honou– " rable a work as thin•, to K N 0 W and L 0 V E thy Bountiful G!Oiious Creator? How happy is " thy Lot ? How blelfed is thy po11ion in compariCon of theirs? And do£1 thou forCake thy place, " and deCcend to more ignoble objects, as if thou hadll rather have been Come filly fordid antmal > " If thou hadil not rather be aBtaft than a Man, why chookfi thou the love, and plia[ures, of ·aBeaft, <c and refufc-H the loveand plta{ureJ of a man l Is Creation, and the Image of God in aRational frtt "foul, a thing to be thus contemned for nothing? What is the Sun good for, if it !hould yield no . "light or heat? And what art thou good for more than the Beafis that perilh, if thou K N 0 W not "and LOVE not thy Creator? If God flu1uld offer to unman thee and turn thee into a Horfe or " Dog, thou wouldfl think he rhrufi thee into miCery : And ye~ thou canft voluntarily and wilfully " unman thy felf, and take it as thy eare and pleaCure. If death catne rhis night to dilfolve thy na– '' turc:, it would not pleafe thee : And yet thou canfi daily dejlroy thy naturt, as to its life and End, ~· and not lament it I It werF·better 1 had never been a man, nor never had aHeart or Love, within 4 'mc
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