,-. The dignity of Lo"Ve: ~nd its Co11traries. ;:im.t, 'the poif~ of the foul~ or fronl be.1ling Gr.t~cc which npaireth. th~ breach th~~ is ~ade in ~at,me; Yet Love in rcgud of theftate of tin L1wer, an~ th~ way ~fIts 1mpcrare ac5bng ~~ r~ms dJf– fcrencu.l. 1 • Either the Lover is in the Hqpcful purfuu_of the thmg beloved : and then 1t ts_D E– S 1RING SEEK ING L0 VE: 2 Or he is or !mncth to be M>D'ed, dcjli:tfte, an~ depnvcd of his bdmd ( in whole or in part): and ,thcn it is a MOURNING LA M EN TIN G L 0 V E. 'l· Or he Clljoyrth his bdo~cd : and then it 'is E N J 0 Y I N G DE L I G HT I N G L 0 V E : l· The ordinar_y Love: Which Grace caurc~h _on Ea:th ~s a pr<.domm~ncy of {ctkj1tg dtfirtng Love, ~n- Nohi1ius &. ' couraged b)• Come little (ore-taflcs of W]oymg deltgbung Love, an_d _m_ a grc:J.t meafure atrc:nded wuh pr::~:lhn:iusdt Mourning Lamenting Love. z. The fiate of deferted, d.uk, dechmng, r~hpfing, and rnelanch,ply (.harirarcm reJnptld Chrifiians, is, A predominance of Mnttrning Lamenting Love, ail1fied with fome help ot txercere m ftckJng_dcfi:in$ Love_; b.nt dcl\irute of cnjoJ•ing delighting Lovr. _3· The flatc o! the Glorified is Perfi· ~;t~•'re?t~:~~~'- llioll ot mrJ•mg deltglmng Lovealone. And all the reil arc ro brmg us unto tlus. rer o~um. Chariu~ corn.. pendiolillim.1 ad Dct:m via efl per quam celerrime in [:cum perv_cni·ur ; . nee li:1e Ch:~r iwe aliqua \".ictus_ fu~~rn:t•uraht~·r homini fapit: Chuita~ enim fo1 ma omnium vmurum ell. Per hoc- Ch~r H'-IIS exc~Citllllll, hor_no ad_ r:uo m lur a.;omuJ?nonem ven,r, ur non folum ft'ipfum contcmnat, ve11m1 etiam fe ab aliis conternm rqu\) an:mo fer.H; urto et!lm ab 01lus contempms gaudca:-– T&tJulmu Jlor. '·1· p. 114. I I I. The B.eafons why Love toGod is fo great, anclbigb, and ntct./JarJ' a thing, and fo muc~ dleemed above other Graces, are : J. h is the motion of the foul that tendech to the End: And the End is more cxcdlenr than all the Means as fuch. 2· The Love, or TPilJ, or Heart is the frlan : where the Heart or Love is, there the M.m is : It is the {u\ldl rcfignation of the whole man to God, to Love him as God, or offer hlrn the Heart. God mver hath his Own fully, till we Love him. Love is the grand figt1iticant vital motion of the foul, (uch as the Heart, or Will, or Love is, {i.tch you may boldly call the man. 3· The Love of God is the perfection and highdl improvem<nt of all the fa– culties of the foul, and the End of all other GracC'J, to whith th(y ttndl and to which they grow up and in which they terminate their operations. 4· The Love of God is thar Spirit nr life of moral excellency in all other Graces in which (though not their form, yet ) their acceptablrncji doth con– {jft: without which thty are to God as a lifelds Carrion is to us. And to prove any ;:_Cfionjinccre a.nd 6Ctrptable to God, is to prove that it comes from a 1-PifingLoving mind; without which you can never prove it. S· Love is the commander of the foul: and therefore God kncwcth that if he have Dttr Htaru, he hath all: For.all the nil are at its command: For it is as it were, the nature of the Will, which is the commanding faculty; and its Objdl is the V/timate EnJ.. which is ' theCommanding •Objrtl. Lovt f(tlcth the mind on 7/JinkJng, the tongue on fpeaking, the hands on working, the feet on going, and every faculty obeyeth its ccmmand. 6. The obedience which Love commandeth par– ticipateth of its nature, and is a ready, chearful, fweetobedience, acceptable to God, and plca!ilnt eo our fclves. 7· Love is a pure, chafic and cleanftng grace; and mofi powe1fulty cafieth out all crca- A~J~iil. (Tutff. rure pollution from the foul: The Love of God doth quench all carnal finful love; and moll cf- ~· ':' J~n Jd feCtually carryeth up the foul, to fuch high delights, as caufeth it to contemn and forger the toye_s t:;~n~rr.o~:e which it before a?mired•. 8. The Lovroj God is__the true ackno~lcdging and honouring him as good. men it marc– That bldfed Attnbutc, Ius G 0 0 D NE SS, IS denyed or defp,{cd by thofe that Love him not. The eth no oae, Light of the Sun would not be valued, honoured or u!cd by the world, if there were 110 fJ•r.r in the t'autiful t~ world to fee it. And the Goodntf.r of God is to them that Love him not, as the Light to them that i~o~a~~j~~ at have no eyes. If God would have had his Goodxefs to be thus nnk.__nown or nrJ!JcCied, he would never faith [ Anis;1a have made the lntellcC!ual creatures. Thofe only give him the glory of his GoodHt[J, that truly Love nufl•o fred• .• . hi~·. 9· Love (in its attai~rnent ) is the Enjoying and_,delighting Gra~t : It is the ve~y ~ontent and ~!~;:1~~;~~~ fcltcJIJ of tht foul : Both as 1t makcth us capable to reccJve the mofi dtlJgl,tfuJ cemmumcatJonsof God.r eoD!um Love to us; and as it is the fouls dcligbtful clofure with its mofi amiable felicitating object. 10. Love pulchra cffi– is the Everlafiing Grace, and the work which we mufi be doing in Heaven for c.:ver. Thefe are the citur: Qua: the Reafons of Lovu prehcminence. . ;edd:~n;~1_qut t(m ~- Deus femptr P.atcr efi:: ::tmavit_ nos f.rd_os, u: elt f~d.i~ faccret ~ulchro_s: Pulchri _erimus .amJndo enim qui pu]chcrc;n~mQ':~~ tum m te crefC!tAmor, tantum crefca pulcbrnudo; Q u•a tpfa Chamas ammz pu!cbrnudo efl. · 9· I 2· I V. The Love of Crtaturei hath its Contrarits on both extrcams ; in the cxcef.r and in the Defcll : But the Love of God hath no contrary in excefi : for infinitt Goodncfi cannot poi!ibly be L~JV_cd too mu:h ( unlcfs as the paf!ion may pofiibly be raifed to a degree dillratting or difturbing the bram.) The odious VictJ contrary to the Love of God, are I· Privativt: Not loviHg him: -2. Pofi- · ti~e : HatiHg IJim : 3. Oppojitr: L?ving his creature! in hi1 jlead. All thefe concurr in every unfan– Cbfied foul. That they are all VOid ot the true Love ofGod, and taken up with creature Lovt, is paff: all doubt: But whether they are a11.HateTJ of God, may feem more quefiionable. But it is ascertain as the other: Only the hatredof God m mofi, doth not break out into that open oppofition, perfecuti– on or blafphemy, as it doth with fome that'" giv_en up todefper_are wickednefs: Nor do thcytbink,. that th~y hate h1m. llut the Aw[atlon of the WiU, IS the Hatred ot God: And if men had not a great aver{atJon to htm, they would not forfake htm, and refufe to be converted to him, notwithfhnding all the arguments of Love that can be ufed to allure them. DiJPiictncy, Nolitim and Averfation are Hotml. u ~; IJ· If
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