The Mjfterie of t!Je Low of God and our felves, ope1led. Loved as God, if he be not loved as Infinitely Great, and Wife, and Good, which contairieth his Holi· ne] I, and alfo as the Owner, and Holy ?overnour. and End of ~an :_ If any therefore lho":ld love God upon conceit that God loveth htm, and willmduJge h1m m hts fins, or 1f he love hun only for his Greatnefs, and as thefountain of all natural fenfible Good, and love him not as Holy, nor as a Holy and Juft Governour and End, it is not God indeed that this man loveth; or he loveth him bl\t ftcund 11 m quid, and not as God. , Obje6t. 4· But fuppofe I jhould ·lovtGod above aU, a1 he i1 onlyGrz~t, and Wife, and Good in tbt pro– du{fion of aU ftnfible natttrat Good, witboutthr NolionofHulimfs and hatred offin, wo1dd not tbir Luvt it ]Cif be holy and faving l Anfiv. Your Love would be no holier or better, than the o~jeet of it is conceived to be: If you conceive not ofGod as Holy, and Pure, you cannot love h1m ,wtth a pure artd holy Love. If you concdve of him but as the Caufe of Sun and Moon, light and heat, and life and health, and meat and drink, you will love him, but with fuch a Love as you have to thefe: which will not feparare you, from any fin as fuch, but will confill with all fenfuality of heart and life. And it is not aU in God, that Nawre in its corrupted fiate doth hate, or is fallen out with: But if you love him not [o well as your lufis and pleafure, nor 'love him not as your Mofi Holy Gove.rnour and' End, you love him not as God, or but jicundum quid ; But if you love him Holily, you loVe him as Holy. • ·Object. 5· Gdd bimfelf lvv<th the fubj!ance or perfon mort than the Holin<fi ; for he continueth the perfimJ ofmw and Devi/1 ; when ht pcrmitttth the holimfi to perijh, or g~v~th ' ~~not. . Anfw. As the exitlence and Event, and the Moral Gvodmfi mull be dJilmgunhed ; fo mull God! rnecr Volition ofEvent, and his Complacency in Good asGooa. God doth not WiU the Exifience of a rcafonable foul in a Stone or Straw: And yet it followeth not, that he loveth a Stone or Straw for its fubjfancr, better than R.ea[tm jn a man : l''or though God willeth tomake his Creatures various iil degrees of Goodnefs, and takerh it to be good fo to do, and that every Creature be not of the Bell, yet Hilt this Goodmji of t.hem is various: as one hath more excellency in it than another. The Goodnefs of the whole, may require that each put be not Befl in it felf, and yet bell refpectively in order to the beauty of the whole. As a Peg is not better than a Standard, and yet is better to 1hc Building in its place: And a Finger is not better than aHetzd, and yet is better to the body i~ its place, than another Head would be in that "place. • The HeidLtherefore mull be loved compara– tively better than the Finger, and the Finger may be cut off to fave life, when the Head mufi not: So God can fee meet to permit men and Devils to fall into .rnifery, and Thieves to be hanged, and ufe this to the beauty of the whole, and yet love a nue man better than a Thief, and a good mari better than a bad. And either you fpeak of Goodnefs or Holinefs txi/lent or non-exijlent : In a Devil there is fub– ftanu, which is Good in its natural kind, and therefore fo far loved of God : But there U no Holi– ·lincft in him : And that which if not, is not Amiable: But if you mean exiftent Holinefl, in a Saint, then it is falfe, that God loyeth the perfon of a Devil, better' than the Holinefs of a Saint. Nor is it a proof that he loveth them equally, becaufe he; equally willeth their exillence: for he willeth not they !hall be equal in GoodneiS, though equally exifient : And it is compl3ctncy, and not meer Vo– lition of exifie11ce, which we mean by Love. Otherwiie your arguing is as llrong if it run thus; That which God bririgeth to pafs, and not an<?ther thing ; he willeth and loveth more than that other : But God bringeth to pafs mens ficknefs, pain, death and damnation, and not the Holinefs, Ea{C or Salvation of thofc perfons : Therefore he loveth their pain, death and damnation better than their Holinefs : Therefore we fuould love them better, and the Devils or miferable men !hould love their mifery better than Holinefs. God Chewctfi what he loveth, oft by commanding it, when he doth not effect it : He loveth Holiners In tf{e ·cognito, and ht (Jfe exijtcme refpect:ively as his Image. Obj<ct. But at leaf! it wiU foVow, thot in thi< or that perfon aJ tl>e DtvilJ, God lovtlh the}Uk)lance bett<r than Holimji: For wlm be WiUe1h he Loveth: But ht WiUeth the [ubj!ance without lhe Holineji : 1hmfore be Loveth the fobftanct·without the holinrfs. Anfw. It is anfwercd already. Moreover •· God willed that Ho/inefi 01ould be the Duty of ~1! men and Devils,_ though he Willed not infuperably and abfolutely to eftcC! it. 2· The word [ witb· out J meaneth euher an Exclujion or a mecr 11on~inclufion. God willerh not the Per{o1i eXClUding the Holinefs. t 'or he cxcludeth it not by will or work; but only he wiUetb the Perfou, not fnclftding rhe"Holinefs, as tO any abfolute will. · And foGod loverh the perfon without the Holinefs l biit-not fo much as he would love him if he were holy. ObjeCt. But )'OU intiritatt, that it iJ beft Mto the beaUty of theVniver[t, tliat tbtrebe fin, ti.}td uH– boli.Jttj!, and damnation: AndGod loveth that whicb iJ' Good aJ totht Vnivlrf~; jea; that. ii.a Higher Good than perfonal Good, M the fubjef1 ii mort n•ble; •nd therefore more to •• loved •f 111 M it ;; oj God. . . :Anfw. I· I know AugUj!ine is oft allcdgea as faying, Bomim tjl ut ma/~m fiat• . Bu~ ji11and pu– nifbment .mull be dtfimglll!hed : It ts true of Pumfiunent prefuppofing fin, that It is GOOd and. Lovely, in refpeCl: to publick Ends, though hurtful to the .perfon fulfcring: And thei-dore aS Gael willcth it as Good, fo (hould we not only De patient, but De j>lcafed in it as it is the derrlonfir.atiOn of the Jut\ice and Holinefs of God, and as it is Good, though not as it is ollr him; But fin (or un– holinets privatiVe ) is not Good in 'it felf, ilor tO the Univerfe: No.r is it a trUe faying, that It i1 &ood that there bt fin : Nor is it willed cif God. ( Though not nilled wit!. an alifohue effective Cc 2 Nolition)
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