il r; I62 Chap.12 Of the Love of God,eindthe contraries thereto. Corn. I. when with Pilate we have a good mind to fave Chrift , but fearing the disfavour of Cafar for fo doing , he did it not , it is a fign of his want of true love to Chrift. Timor occupat omnes affCftiones, fear runs through all the affections; Pilares fear of offendingCafar, (hewed he loved his favour before Chrifts ; for all the affeclions A&s r9a7. difcover love. Demetrius the Silver-Smith was afraid, that the craft he loved, for the benefit he reaped by it, fhould be put down, he raifed a fedition, and fo preferred his gain before the fafety of the fiate, thereby difcovering what he loved heft. 3. It is much you would think that grief fhould be another fign of joy ; but fo it is in the cafe of Gods love , as fearof lofing his favour ; fo griefwhen we have loft the fenfe of it. If we be grieved when we perceive fenfiblya defect ofour former comfort and vigour offpirit in the love ofGod, it is a fign that we loved him. The Young-man in the Gofpcl, Larks 18. z 3. was grieved to part with his Poffeffïona for Chrift , which filmed that he loved them before Chrift thoughie profeffed to love Chrili. 4. The next fign is a care and anxiety to recover it when we have loft it ; not to Pfal.131.4. give fleep.to our Eyes, nor flamber to our Eyelids, nor the Temples of our Heads to take any refs, until we be inflatuquo: fo did the Spoufe in the Canticles ; the like care is in worldly Men to obtain weat they love, as in Balaam, Numbers z3. who loved the wages of unrigkiteopfnefs, though God bid him ncc go, and himfelf faid,verfe r9. that God is not as Man that he fhould repent , yet he would go and try again, whether God wouldjet hint curfe Ifiact; fo careful washe to get a reward. 5. Again, when a Man reçoives, though all the World forfake God, yet he will Pfal.119.1%6, adhere to him,his liking is confian', goer i, s o+ c: t a other Mens. The Pfalmiff faith, "7* and complaineth that Men forfake Gods Lao. > ,., but what followeth) Therefore l love thy Commandments above Gold and Silver:; whatfoever otherMen efteemed of it, yethis lovewas confiant and firm. 6. Ifwe can love him cum truce. ifour lovebe true, water cannot quench it. True Cant.s:7 love will abide tryal , the fire cannot confume it. It is not like falfe love, of which the Heathen Man laid , Fal feu amorInde fugit, undo probation falle love Oyes from i Çox.r3'4. tryai. But the other will endure the lofs of all. Love fuffereth long , faith the Apoftle, even to death. And as our Saviour faith, greater love than this bath 'John 15.t3. no Man. And now a little forthe fixth Rule , as in the former. As we mull love God out felves, fo muff we also bedefirous to draw others to this love; and in this there is adifference between amor mercenaries and gratùitus : for in the firft a Man is loth that another should love that he loveth , left he be reftrained in his liberty of enjoy. ing; and hence proceeds jealoufie: but in the other, we with not our own good only, but the good ofhim we love. In the one, quo quis volt bonum[sum, whereby a Manleeks his own good, the fewer that partake, the better he thinks it is; but in the other , quo qguis volt bonum alteries, whereby he leeks the good ofanother , the more that partake, thebetter it is : for Deus omnibus commenis , caiquetom, God, Aral 3F.:;, who is common to all, is wholly poffoffedof every one. Therefore the Prophet was a39.2.1. ofthis Mind , and was defirous to draw all to the love of God : and on the other 94.16. fide, his zeal was fo great, that he hated all them that hated God, and that with a perfect hatred : and in another place, who will rife with me againft thewicked, or who will take mÿpart againft the evildoers ? This argued the perfectionof his love to God, as he would rife againft them himfelf, fo he laboured that others would , joyn withhim. C H AP. 'll
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