Tbc Mjfterie of the Low of God and ot;r fel..,es, opmcJ. -~----- . 9 • SE L f·L 0 'I E is Smfitivt or Rational: Senliti~e as fuch is nectf!Jry and not fret; A'nd it is purpofely by the Moll Wife and Bldfrd Creator planted Jn Man and Brutts,as a Prmetple ufefuLto pre– ferve the world, and ~o :ngage (he Creature _in c~e ufe o£ rh_e .means of its o~n prefervation, .and {Q to bring it to perffd10n, and eo endue It w1th thofe fears and hopu wh1ch make us fubJeCl:s capable of Moral Governmcm; . . . . 1• 10. The Rational or Higher llppttz:e alfo hath a Natztrallnclz.n<Jtzon to fllf-prtfirvati3n, Perfecti– on and felicity ; Bur as ordimblc and ordinlte to higher ends. 1 1o The Rational Powers cannot nullitic the fcnfitive, nor directly or totally hinder the Adi~ 011 of them ; But they may and mull indircaty hinder the Act ( by_avoiding the objects and tempta; tions, by diverting the thoughts to higher things, &c. ) And may hmder the effects by Govern– ing the Locomo1ive power. 12. Senficivc {elf-love concaineth in ir, r. ALove of Lift, and that is, of Individual fe/fexifttnc't; 2, And a Love of all jitt}itive Pleafures of Life, and, 3· Confequently a Love of the Means of Life und Pltt~{itrc. · '3· In fe•fitive {rlflo>e therefore SELf, that is, Lift, is both ~he_ MaJerial and Formal ob– jeCt..: We love our {elvu even bccaufe we are o~trfelvcJ: We love thrs md!vtdual pcrfon, and loath annihihtion or diifolurion. '4· Though the will (or higher faculries) are Naturally inclined alfo to Love our felves; and our own felicity; yer they cxercife this inclination wich a certam Liberty : And though the Act of fimplt Complaccncic or VrJiition rewards our own Being and Felicity be fa Frte as yet to be Neceffary; yec the Comparatt AU (by which comparing fcveral Goods, we choofe one and refufe another ) may be fo Free as not w be necdfary; dut is, A man may will his own Annihi/atiu11 rather than fome greater evil (of which anon ); Not as good in it [rlf, and therefore not willed for it fclf, but as a Means to a grearer good ; and fo he may Lefs Nil! ic than a greater evil. 15· Alfo a 1oltrable Pailt may on the fime account be willed, or lefs nilled, and fo con(ented to for the avoiding of a greater t.vil; But lntoUcrab/e pain cannot poffibly be willed, or confented to, or not nilled, brcaufe it taketh away the exercife of Reafon and Free·will : But what is tO be cal– lc:d lntflierable, I determine not, it being varioufly meafurable according to the patients flrength. r6. The foul as lntelldl:ual by its Rational appetite hath alfo a Natural Inclination 'to IntclleCl:.ual OptratioHJ (toKnow and Love) and to IntelleCtual ObjtfiJ as fuch, aod to IntcUellzeal Per(efrions in it [elf. Yet fo that though it necdfari{y ( tho,gh freely) Loveth the faid Aflt and PtrfeflioHt while it hath a being; yet doth it not necdfarily Love all the faid ObjeliJ, nor necelfarily Chnnfe the con– tinuance of its own Being, but in fo\ne cafes, as aforefaid, can yield or confent to an Annihilatiori as a'idfer evil. '7· The Rational foul being not of it ftlf, nor for it fiif alone, or chiefly, is naturallY. incline<i not only to Love: it felf, and that which is f or it fllf, but alfo to £r;ve extrin(ick_ good (as was aforffaid); And accordingly it lhquld Love that Befi which is Bell: For a quatemw& adomnc e~ ad gr.tdJem, valet argumentum. If we rnuH Love any thing or perfon becaufc it is good ( as rhe formal reafon ) thm we fhould Love all that is 9ood, and Love that bell wich is bell, if fo dif. qrned. ' , 8. Though I muft Love greater limple extrinlick Good above my felf with that Love which is purtly Rational, yet it cannot ordinarily be done with a more fenfitive and paffionate Love. 19. I am nor allwaies bound to do muft good to him that I love better than others, and ought fO to love, nor to him that I mufi wijh mofi good to. Becaufe there are other particular Laws ro re... gulare my Actions, divers from that which commomdcth my affed:·ions: As thofe that put children, n lati01is, tamilie!, neighbours, under our efpeciall charge and care; though often others mufi be more loved. 20. Thdt Good which is the object: of Love, is ilot a mecr Vniverfol or General notion, but is allwaies fame parricular or fingular being in t.JJe reali, vel i;t tffi cognito. As there is no fuch thing in rcrmp natur" as C61Jod in a mecr General, which is neither the Good of natural exiftence, or of mont perfection, or of Pleafurc, Profic , Honour , &c. Yea, which is not in tbiJ or in that fingu .. Jar fubjtd, or fo conceived ; fo there is no fuch thing as Love, which hath not fomc fuch fingular object. ( As RJd-' and other Scotills have made plain ). ' 21. All Good is either G0 D or a CREATURE, or a Creatures Act or Work. I 22. G0 D is G0 0 D Infinitely, Eternally, Primitivtly, lndepen"dently, Immutably, Commu- I nicatively, of whom, and by whom, and to whom are all rhings: The Beginning or firfi efficient, the Dirigcnt and ultimately ultimate caufe of all created Good : As Making and Directing All things for Himldf. . 23. Therefore it is the duty of the lntelkctual Creature, to Love God Totally, without any -exceptions or reflriClions, with all the Power, Mind and Will, not only in degree above our [elveS and all the world; But alfo M G 0 D; with a Love in iljnd tranfcending the Love of every Crea– rure. '4· All the Goodncfs of the Creature doth formaUy conlill in its threefold Relation to G 0 D t.iz, J, In the Jmprdfes of God as its t-irfi Effic'ttm or Creator; as ic is his Image or the effect and de: rnonltrat1on of his perffC!ions, viz.. his lntinite Power, Wifdom and Goodnds, 2, In its Conformity to his DirtGbons, or Governing Laws; and fo in its O.tder and Obedience: 3• And in its Aptitude a,,d Tendency to God as its final ca.ifi even to the dcmonfiration of his Glory, and the Complacency ot his Will. ' Eh 25. All
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=