Mhe Myfterie of tiJe Love of God and ourJelves, opme<l. hand the experience of mofi Chrifiians in the world faith, that at their firfi believing ( ifnot long after) they Loved God more for themfelves, than for H·rnfelf, and Loved themfelves more than God, though they knew that God was better and more amiable; and that the fear of mifery, and the defire of their own falvation, was more eife6tual and prevalent with thfln, than that Love of God for himfclf. And I doubt, that not very many have this at all in fa high a degree as ro be dear and certain of ir. And if we fhaU make that neceifary to falvation, which few of the beet Chriftians find in themfdves, we either condemn allmofl: all profdTc::d Chrifiians, or at Jeailleave them und'r uncertainty and ttrro~s. Therefore Godf Intcrtji fpeaking fo lowd on one hand, and mans experience on the other, I thtnk we have need to cut by a thred, and walk by line, with greatdl accurarenefs. 94· By this time we may fee that as Chri!l is the way to the Father, a11d the SJviour and recove~ rer of lapfCd man from HimCdf to God, fo faith in Chrill as fuch is a !11cdiatc and Medit"iJtQ/ Grace and wo1k; And that faith is but the bdlows of Love; And that our tirH Belicvjng in Chrill) rhm 1 gh it be the regenerating work, which gencrateth Love, yet is but a middle flare, berwcen an unregene.. rate and a regent rate: Not as a third ftate {p~cific<~lly dijfinl1 from both, but the initium of the latter; or as the embriuor tlatc of Conception in the womb, is as to a man and no man : .Faith cont.ainerh Love i11 fieri. 95· As the Love of our felvts doth mol\ po"Cerfully, (though not only) mow us to clofe wirh ChriH: as our Saviour, fo while hereby we arc united unro Him, we have a double:: atfillance or influx from him for the production of the purer Love of God. The one is Objdlivt in all rhe Divine de~ tno.nfirations of Gods Love, in his Incarnation, Life, Death, Rc:funedion, in his Doctrine, ExHn· ple, Intercelfion, and in all his benetits given us; in our pJJdon, adpption, and the promift:s of fu~ ture Glory. The other is in the kcrer opcr!Jtions of the Holy Spirit which he givc:th us to concur wich thtfe means, and make them all dfectual. 96. The true fiate of [.mGlificQtiolz as diffirent from meer vocatipn and fJitb confifleth in this. pure Love of God, and Holinefs, and that more for himfelf and his lntinite GoodndS, than for1 0111 • filvts and as our[tlicifJ·· 97· Therefore when we are Pro~ifed the fpirit to be given to us, if we Believe in CJ1riO, a.nd f.mCtitication is promifcd us with )~llification on-this condition of faith, this is part of the meaning of that promHe. that if we truly t~ke ChriH for our Saviour to bring us to the Love of God, though at prcfent we are moll moved with t~e Love of our [elves to accept him, he will by his word, works and fpirit bring us to it, initiall,y htre, and perftCl:ly in Heaven, even to be perfectly Plea... fed in God for his.ow~1 perfect Go9dnefs, and fo to be fully Pleafanr ro him. And rhus•( befid<s the extraordinary gifts to a fe~ ) the fpirit of bolimfs w Love, which•is the fpirir of Adoption, is promifed by Covenant to all B~hevcrs. " .98. Accordingly this promife is fo fulfilkd that in the fir/1 ip!\ant of time we have a Relative Right to Chri/1 as our Head.and the fender of the lfi'it , and to the Holy Spirit himfelf as ou, flmili– fier byunderraking, accordmg ~o th·e terms of the _Covenant: Buc this -~mh not produce allwaJes a fen– fible or dfetlnal Love of God above: our fcl:.res m us, ar the very hrfi, bot by degrees, as we fol-. low the work of faith in our practice. 99 • For ir is fpecially to be noted (hat the DoCtrinal or Objellive mean1 of Love, which Chrifi doth ufe, and his internal fp_iritttQI influx do concur;_ And ~is way is n~r _ro work on us by hi~ fpi~ rit alone, without thofe ObJects, nor.yet by the obJed:s Without the fplflt, nor by both difiind!y and dividedly as producing feveral <·tfdts : Bur by botb conjun{lly for rhe fame effect; The !pi,·i" influx caufing us et:fectu1lly to hpprovc: the objdll a.nd ru[on1 of our Love, As the hand that ufedl rhe feal, and the feal it fdf make one imprenion•. 1 co. As Chrill began to win our Love tn God by the excitation of our fo!f·hvr, multiplying and revealing Gods mercies to our {e~vcs, fo dorh he much cnry ic on to increafc: the fJme way. For while every day addeth frefl1 experience of the greatnefs of Gods Love to 11! 1 by rh is we luvc a certain 1aji that God i1 Love, and Good in E-limfi/f; and fo by d('grees we learn to Love him more for himfelf, and to improve our notional cjtccm of his Effential GotJdntfi into PraCbcll. ror. Though Faith it felf is not wrought in us without the Holy Gholl, nor is ir (if fincere) a common gift, yet this operation of the fpirit drawing us to Chrill, by filCh argumcnrs and means as are fitted to the work of believing, is different from the Conflquent CovtnJllt·right to Chri!t and the fpirit which is given to Bdievers, and from the fpirit of Adoption as recovering us as afore– faid 10 rhe Love of God. 102. In rhis !all fenfe it is that the Holy Chof\ is faid to dwell in Believers, and to be rhe new name, the pledge, the earndS, the firfi fruits of lift eternal,- the witncfs of our right to Chritl: and life, and Chrifis agent and witnefs in us to maintain his ca.ufc and interelt. 103· Even as a man that by ficknefs harh !oH his Appetite to meat, is told that fuch a phyficion will cure him, if he will rake a certain medi~inal food that he will give him; And at tirlt he taketh it without appetite to the food or medicine in it felf, but meerly for the Love of health : but afrcr he is doubly brought to Love it for it fdf; firll, becaufe he harh t.-'}lcd <he fweernefs of that which he did but fee before, and next becaufc his health and appetiie is recovered : fo is it with the foul as to the Love of God procmcd by btlitving: 'When we have taHed through the pedW.dion of fllfhve) our tafi: and recovery caufc us w Love God for hirnfelf. 1 o4. when the foul is rifen to this H.-bitual predominant Love of G 0 D and HolinefS as fi1cb, [or their own GQodnefs, above irs own ft:Ih;ity as fuch, (though ever in conjunction with ir, and as
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