Baxter - BJ1441 B3 1673

t88 The Myfterie of t!Je Love of God and our Jelves, opened. promote the other, if! do them rightly, preferring God before my felf in my inward E'jlimation, L lfjlt ;md lu:cntifJJt· 8.2 Though it be c§mti.ll to Divi11e Love, and confcquently to true Holine(,, to Love God j'nr 1-limfi:lf, and as Bwcr tban ou fllvu ; ( or clfe we Love him not tU God, as is beforefaid ) yet this is hardly and fcldom pl'rCtivtd in I he beginning ip him that hath it : Bc:caufc the Love qf our [df is more Pa!fionatc, and raiftth in us more fubordinatc paffions, of fear of punifhmcnt, and ddircs of felicity and {Orrow for hort and rnifery, &c. ·whereas God being Immauri.zl and Invifible, is not at all an objdl of our jhJ[r, bur only of our Re.afOn and our I.Pills, and therefore not iliretrly of[enfi– tive Pa.ffion(itt Love; ThOllgh co1t{tquently while thl! foul is uniu.d to tl1e body, its ad:ing evc:n on Im– material QbjdiJ, movech the lowc:r fcnfidve facuhics, and the corporeal fpirirs. Alfo God nudetiJ nothing for us to ddirc for him, nor fujftretb nothir:g for us to grieve for, though we mull grieve for injuring him, and being di{pleafing to his Will. • 83. I cannot f.•y nor believe( though till it b, fearched the opinion hath an tnticing afpect) that 1!1e Gnfpcl failb which hath the .Promife of ]Hjiijiwion and of the Spirit, is oHiy a Believing in Chril! as · the Means of our f'rlicity by Redemption and Salvation,. out of the principle: of ftlf·love alone, and for no higher end thanour ta.id :Felicity : Becaufe he is not believed in as Chrifi, if he be not taken as a Re– conciler to bring us home tqGod. And we take him not to bring us to God as God, if ir be not to bring us to God as the Beginning and End of all things, and as infinitely more Lovdy than our fclve~. ~nd our Repentance fOr not Loving God accordingly ahove our felves, muH go.along wirh ~ur hrfl JuUifying faith. T herefore though we arc Learners before we are Lovers, and our Affem gocth b,fore the Wills Confenr, yet our Alfcnt that God is God, and bt<tcr than our felvcs, mull go togetber with our Alfc:nt that Chrifi is the Mediator to fave us, by bringing us to him: And t() mull our ·Affcnr that thM Mfolv'atiun, even tO Lrrve God above our folvu, and as better than our {elves: And accordingly our Confent to thcfe particulars mull concur in li.ving faith. 84. He ther,:fore that out of feJf.Jove, accepteth Chril\ as the Means of his own ftlicily, doth (if he know practically what ft!icity is) accept him as a means to bring him to Love God pcrfealy as God above himldf, and to be perfectly Pleafing to his Will. . 85· Y<t it is apparent that alrnofl all Gods preparing Grace confifleth in exciting and improving the Natural Principle of fdflove in man ; and manifefiing to him, that if he will do asone that Loveth him(clf, he mu!\ be a ChriHian, and mull: forfake fin, and the inord inatc.Love of his Cc:nfuality, and mull be Holy, and Love God for his own Effentill, as well as Cornmumcated Goodnefs. And if he do otherwifc, he will do as one that hateth himfelf, and feekcth in the event his own darrin:uion. And could we bm get men Rationally to improve.: true fi~f-love, they would be Chriftians, and fO be Holy. 86. But bccaufe this is a great~ though tender poil)t, and it that I have more generally toucht>d in the Cafe, IYbethcr Faitb i1t Cbrift, or Love to God a~ ?t~r E11d go firjl ;. and becaufC it1dced it is j c for which I principally prcmife the refi of thcfe Propol1r1ons, llhall prdume to venture a little fL1 r– thcr, and more dif\inGtly to tell you~ how much of Love to God.,.is in our tirl\ Jufiifying faith and how much not~ and how far the llate of fuch a Believer is a m1ddle flare between mcer Prepa: ration, or common Grace, and proper Sand:itication or poffeffion of the Holy Gholl? And fo how far 'Oocation giving us the firfi faith, and Repentance ditfercth from Sanctification : And the r:lthcr bc– caufe my unriper thoughts and Writings defended Mr. Pemblt, who made them one, in oppofirion to the Hream· of our D i•1ines. And I conceive that all thefe following Acts about the point in quefiion, are found in every true Believer , at his firll faith, though not dillind!y not.td by himfelf. 1· The finner hath an lnte!leQual notice, that there is a God ( for an Atheifi is not ,. believer ) and fo that this God is the Firfi and Lafi, the bell of beings, the Maker, Owner, Ruler aud Benefactor of the world, the jul! end of all created being and actions, and to be Loved and .Pleafed above our fclves: ( For all this is but to believe that there is~ God. ) z. He is convinced thar his own .chief Fclkity lycth, not in temporary or c:unal pleafure, but in the Perfect Knowing, Loving and Pleafing this God above himfclf: ( For if he know not what true falvation and felicity is, he cannot defire or accept it.) 3· He knowcth that hitherto he hath been without this Love, and this felicity. 4· He dcfireth to be H•ppy, and t9 efcape everlafling mifery. • 5· He rcpenteth, that is, is forry tb at he hath not all this while Loved God as God, and fought felicity therein. . 6. He is willing and dcfirous for the time to come, to Love God as God abovl' himfelf, and tv Pleafe him before himfelf; that is, to have a heart di(pofed to do it. ' 7· He findeth that he cannot do it of himfelf, nor with his old earn;! indifpofed hrart. 8. He be!ieveth that Chrill by his DoCtrine and Spirit , is the appointed Slviour to b!ing him to it. 9· He gladly coufenteth that Chrifi"fhall be fuch a Saviour to him, and O•all not only jufiifie him from guilt, and favc him froffi fenfiblc puniOtment, but alfo thus bring him to the Perfect Love of God. · 10· He had rather Chrifl' wou!d bring him to this by fanctification, ~han ro enjoy all the plea– Cures of fin for a feafon, yea, or to have 'l perpetual fenfitivc feHcity, withouc this perfect Love to God, and Pleafing ot him. II· God

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=