Baxter - BJ1441 B3 1673

Tbe Myfterie of tlie Lrrve of God and our felws, opened. 47 . It is lawful and a needf~l d~ut~, to labo~r by_the means of fitch ~xce~lencics as wenO\V know, vhich Heaven is reli!mbled to m ~cnpture, to 1mpnnt upon our Im:tgmauonr themfelves, fuch an mageof.the GLORY ofthcHeavenly Society, CHRIST, ANGELS, SAINTS, and 1 he H EA V E N L Y P LACE and STATE, as !hall help our IntelkCtual apprchenfions of the Spiritual ExctUcncics which tranfcend imagination. And the ~eglcd' of Loving Go~ as_forefcc:_n in the Demonllration of the Heavenly G L 0 R Y, doth greatly htnder our Love to htm unmedi– accly as in himfelf confidererl. 4 s. The L 0 RD J E SU S CHRIST .in his Glorified Created Nature, is Crowned with the hiehdl excellency of any part1cular Creature; that he m1ght be the M E D I AT0 R 0 F 0 u R L 0 VE to God ; and in him ( feen by faith ) we might fee the G L0 R Y of the D..ity. And as in Heaven we fba\1 have ( fpiritual Gloritied) Bodiu, as well as $ott!J, fo the Glo– ritied Cremd Nature of Chrifl, will be an Objective Glory fit for our Bodies (at leafl ) to be· hold in ordtr to their Glory, as 1he Divine Nature .(as it plcafeth God in Glory ) revealed, will be to the foul. 4 9. The excrcife of" our Love upon God as now appearing to the glorified, in the g1orious .created nature of CH R IS T, (beheld by us by faith) is a great pare of our preftnt exercifc ofDi– vine Love: And we extingui01 our Love to G 0 D, by bcholdjng fo little by faith, our glor)fied Mediator. SO· we owe' greater.Love to A N. G E L S than .toMen) becaufe they are Bttter, nearer God and liker to him, and more demonJlnlc h1s Glory : and mdeed alfo Love us better, and do more for us,. than we can do for one another. And the r.egl(d: of our due Love and Gratitude to Angels, and forgcccing our relation to them, and receivings by them, and communion with them, and living as if we had little ro do wirh them, is a culpable overlooking God, as he appeareth in his moll: noble c,reatures, and is a neglcd: of our Love toGod in them, and a great hinderance to our higher more immediate Love. Therefore by Faith and Love we !hould excrcife a d~ily converfe with Angels, as part of our heavenly converlition, Pbil. 3· :lO, 2 1· Htb. 12· 22. and ufe our fdves to Love God in them: Though not to pray to them, or g\ve them Divine Worlhip. . St· We mufi Love the glorified Saints more than the inhabitants of this lower world, becaufc they are tar better, and liker to God, and nearer to him, and more demonfiute his holindi and glery: And ournegled: of convcrfing with them py faith, and of Loving them above our fdves, and things on earth, is a nrglec:t: of our Love to God in them, and a hindcrance of our more immediate Love : And a Loving Convetfation with them by faith , would greatly help our higher Love to God. 52· Our neglect of Love to the Church on earth, and to the Kingdoms and publick Societies of ma11kind, is a finful ncgle8: of our Love to God in t!1em, and a hinderance of our high~r' Love m him : AOd the true ufe of fuch a Publick Love, would greatly further our higher Love. 53• Ifthofe Heathens who laid down their Lives for theirCountrrys, had nei•her done this for fame, nor meerly as eH:eeming the temporal good of their Countrey, above their own temporal .good and lives, but for th.e true excellency of Many above One, and for Gods greater Interel\: in them, they had done a moll noble holy work. 54· Our adherence to our carnal fclves firfl, and then to our cunal intercfls, and friends, and neglecting the Love of the highefl excellencies in the fervanrs of God, and not Loving men ac– cording to the mcafure of the Image ofGod on them, and their Relation to him, is a great neg· leCl of our Love ofGod in them, and ahinderance of our higher immediate Love. And to .ufe our felves to Love men as God appcareth in them; would much promote our higher Love. ·And !0 we fhould Love the befi of men, above our (elves. 55• The Loving of our {elves [en[uaUy, preferring our prefcnt Life and earthly Pltaji<re, before our higher fpirilua\ felicity in Heaven, and our negle~ing to Love Holincfs, and fed:. it for our felvu, and then (0 Love God in our folt'tJ, is a negled: and hmdnance of theLove of God. 56. Man bath not loll fo much of the knowledge and Love of God, as appearing in his Greatnefs, and Wifdom, and Natural Goodncfs in the fr,ame of Nature, as he is the Author of the creatN.res na.:. tural goodne!s, as he harh of the knowledge and Love ot his Holinefr, as he is the Holy Ruler San&iticr and End of fouls. ' 57· The fcnfitivt faculty and [tHjitivt Inttrtft are llill prtdJminant in a carnal or fenfual man : And hi~ ~eafon is voluntarily enflaved t~his fenfe : fo t.hat even the InteUtaual Apptlitt contrary to its pri– mitive and found nature, Loveth ch1ef\y the fenfiuve Life and Pleafure. '58· Iris therefore exceeding hard in this depraved fhte of nature, to Love God or any thing better tha11 our [elvu: becaufc we Love more by Senfi than by ReafoJt; and Rea(on is weak and ferverh the interefi of Senfe. 59· Yet the fame man who is prevalently fcnfua1, may know that he hath a rational immortal foul? and that Knowledge and Rectitude are the Felicity of this foul ; and that it is the Knowlttlrte and Love of, and Delight in God, the high<fl Good, that can make him perpetually happy : A~d ~herefore as thefe arc apprehended as a means of his own 1-~clicity, he may have [ome kind of Love or Will unto them all. 6o. The thing therefore that every carnal man would have, is an cvcrlafiing perfect fenfual plea– fore ; And he apprehendeth the fiate of his fouls perfeCtion moflly as confil\ing in this kind of feli– city: And even the Knowledge and Love of God which he taketh fot part of his felicity, is prin– Cipally app!Chended but as a fpcculative gratifying of the imagination, as carnal men now defire · B b 2 knowledg,-.

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