Tbe Nawre of our Lo11e to God opened. DIRECT XI. Let it be moft deeply engrawn on tlry IJeart, tl?at Gad io infinitely good, and amiable: Gr. Vir.''· tiry urand !f3enefaElor and Father in Cbrift ; tbe End of all tbat tbou art and For Loving hafl7 and tiJe Ewrlafting !Ji..sft and Happinif.s of tlry Jottl : See t7Jerefore tbat tlry g:~,',' ~~; enflamed Htart be entirely and abfolt~tely offered 11f tmto Him by tbe Medzatton of~:d'~~:,~ .. d. hu Son, to Low him, to Trtift lmn; to DeltgM m lmn, to be Tbankful to lmn, to Glorifie him, ar<d tiJrortgh fait/J to long forth~ Hea11enly Glory, Jvhere all thu will be perfeElly done for ewr. And firfllet JU J peak of L 0 V E. y. 1, I did in the firfi Direction perfivade you' to lay a good Foundation in Faith and Knowledge: In the frcond I directedyou how to hve upon Chnfi: In the th~rd how to Believe pracbcally in the Holy Ghofi:_In the fourth I directed you to the orderly and practical Knowledge ofall the At· fributes of God: In the fifth, how ro know God PraCtically in his firfi grand Relation, as he is your Owner: In the fixrh, how to know him pradically in his fecond grand Relation, as he is your King or Governour : And in fubordination to his Governing Relation : in the ftventh I directed you, in your Rebrion ot Difciplcs to Chrill_yout Teacher. And in rhe eighth I di~ected you in Y?ur Relati– on of Patients to Chrifl your Phyficton, and the Holy Ghofl as your Sancbfier. In the mnth I drre– Cted you in your Relation ofSouldiers to Chrifi the Captain of your S1lvacion: In the tenth I di– r<(ted you in the Relation ofScruantJ' to Chril\ your Maller : And now being p1fl thofe fubordinate Rtl:tinns ( to the fecond ) 1proceed to direct you in your tbird Gra;zd Relation to God as your Be· nejat1or, Father and Ftlicityr: And becaufe there arc divers great Dutil!s in this General, I !hall firl} begin with this of L 0 VE : and afterwards fpeak dillinClly of the re_fl. Direl1io1t1 for Loving Gad aJ our Father and Fe!icit,y. §. 2· Here I Chall fir(\: give you thefeGeneral Prcparatives, ( and then give you Diretlionr for the cxercife of holy Love. ) I · You.muft underfiand the NatHre ofLove to God: 2• You mull: underfiand the difftrmcuof this Love : 3. You mufi underftand the ReaflnJof it : 4· And the Contrarirr of it: 5· And the Counterfeit! of it. §. 3• I. For the underfianding of ics Nature, obferve thcfe things : r. It i111ot the Love of a par. God is not ticular good, but of the infinite Univerfal Good. The creature is a particular good, and our Love ro lm•cd as a it is a particular limited L'lve, confined as to a point. God Js the Vniverfal Good, and our Love to Pamcul:ar him is not limited by the object, but by the narrowncfs and imperfection of our faculties rhemfdvcs. ~ood, ~ur:t.i As fuppofe you had variety ef Candles in your Room, and you had Diamonds and other refulgent ~~o~l.mvcr.a things; You love each of thefe with apal·ticular love, for their fplendor and ufefulnefs; and you more eafily obferve and feel the motion of this confined Love: But Ligbt it fdfas Light, you love wich a more Vniverfal Love) which js gteatcr, but not£o ftnlibly obfervcd. (Not as wefpeak ofnotional Vniverfols in Logick, which have no exifience but in, particulars ; bur of the Natural, tranfccndcnt, infinite good: eternally cxifient, and arbitrarily appearing in fome created particles) As rhe love of an infinite Light would differ from the Love of aCandle, and the lbve of an infini!e H~at, from che love of a Fire, and the love of intinire TYifdom it (elf, from the love of a wife man; and the love of infinite Goodnefs it felf from the love of a Good M•n: So doth the love of God from the Love "fa particular created good. 9· 4· 2. Our Love to God Mnot ordinarily fo paffi)nate, as our Love to Creatures: BecJufc the nearmfs and fenfiblenefs of the creature, promoteth fuch fenfible operations : Eut God is not fcm, or felt, or heard, but believed in by faith, and known byReafon: And the narrowneli of the cn::t~ tu re making refifiances, flops and difficulties, occafioneth a turbulent paffionatencs of love : when tht infinitenefl ofGod hath no fuch occafion: Our love to creatures i; like the running of a llream in a chlnell that is too narrow for it, where fiops and bmcks do m1ke ic go on with a roaring violence: But our love to God, is like the Brook that Hidcth into the Oce;zn Where it i-; infcnfibly devoured. Therefore our Love to God mull principally be perceived, not in violent pc~.ffions, buc in z. A bi1b taimation of him: 2.ln the IYiUt adh.ering to him: 3· And in the cff,Cls (to be mentioned anon'\ Yet when a Paf!ionate Love is added to chefe, it may be the moH excellent fgni)c.Jtivt•ly and ejfe{Ji1.1e~ Whe:::cr G d ry. Some Philofophcrs think that God cannot at all be loved with a Paffionate Love, becaufe he is a nuv b.: rhe pure immaterial being, and therefore cannot be thcobjed of a m.Jteri:zl atl or motion, fuch as Ollr obj ft ofPal– pJffions are; and tl}erefore that it is forne Idol of the imagination that is fo loved: Bur 1 • If they Gon:Jt~ bve? mean that his pure Effena in it fclf is not the immediate objeU of a p..tffim) they may fly the fame of the !Pill it fdf: For man (at }Pafi in flefh ) can have no other VolititJn of God, but as he is .apprehended by the lnteUe{l: And if by an Idol they rne.n the Image ofGod in the mind, gathered from the appearances
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