SPIRITUAL PEACE- AND COMFORT. 249 manifested to our understandings, Well consider, that even under the terrible law, when God proclaims to Moses his own name, and therein his nature, Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7., the first and greatest part is, "The. Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abun- dant in gòodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin." And he bath sworn, "That he bath no pleasure in the death of a sinner, _but ratherthat he return and live." Think not therefore of God's mercifulness, with dimin- ishing, extenuating thoughts, nor limit it by the bounds of our frail understandings for the heavens are not so far above the earth as his thoughts and ways are above. ours. Still remember that you must have no low thoughts of God's goodness; but apprehend it as bearing proportion with his power. As it is blasphemy to limb his power, so it is to limit his goodness. . The advantages that your soul will get by this right knowledge, and estimation of God's good- ness, will be these. 1. This will make God appear more amiable in your eyes, and then youwill love him more readily and abundantly. And love (1.) Ïs effectuallyconsolatory in the very working; so much love, usually so much comfort, (I mean this love of complacency'; for a love of desire there may without comfort.) '(2.) It will breed persuasions of God's love to you again, and so comfort. (3.) It will be an unquestionable evidence of true grace, and so comfort. The affections follow the understanding's conceptions. If you think ofGod as one that is glad of all advantages against you, and delighteth in his creatures' misery, it is impossible you should love him. The love of yourselves is so,deeply rooted in nature, that we cannot lay it by, nor love, any thing that is absolutely and di- rectly against us. We conceive of the devil as an,absolute enemy to God and man, and one that seeks our destruction, and therefore we cannot love,him. And the great cause why troubled souls do love God no more, is because they represent him to themselves in an ugly, odious shape. To think of God as one that seeks and de- lighteth in man's ruin, is to make him as the devil. And thenwhat wonder, if instead ofloving him, and delighting in him, you tremble at the thoughts of him, and fly from him'? As I have observed childrenwhen they have seen the devil painted on the wall, in an ugly shape, they have partly feared and partly hated it. If you do so byGod in your fancy, it is not putting the name of God on him when you have done, that will reconcile your affections to him as long as you strip him of his divine nature. Remember the Holy Ghost's description of God; 1 John iv. 16. " God is love." Write these words deepIn your understanding. 2. Hereby you will have this advantage also, that' your thoughts of God will be more sweet and delightful to you. for as glorious VOL. I. 32
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