250 DIRECTIONS FOR GETTING AND KEEPING and beautiful sights to your eyes, and melodious sounds to your ears, and sweet smells, tastes, &c., are all delightful; when things deformed, stinking, &c., are all loathsome, and we turn away from one with abhorrency, but for the other, we would often see, taste, &c., and enjoy them. So it is with the objects of our mind; God bath given no command for duty, but what most perfectly agreeth with the nature of the object. He bath therefpre bid us love God, and delight in him above all, because he is above all in goodness; even infinitely and inconceivably good ; else we could not love him above all, nor would he ever command us so to do. The object is as ever exactly fitted to its part, as to draw out the love and delight of our hearts, as the precept is, on its part, to oblige us to it. And indeed the nature of things is a precept to duty, and it Which 'we call the law ofnature. 3. Hereupon will follow this further advantage, that your thoughts will be both more easily drawn -toward God, and more frequent and constant on him;. for delightful objects draw the heart to them as the loadstone doth the iron. How gladly, and freely, and frequently do you think of your dearest friends ! , And if you did firmly conceive ofGod, as one that is ten thousand times more gracious, loving and amiable than any friend you have in the world, it would make you not only to ;love him above, all friends, but also more freely, delightfullyand unweariedly to think ofhim. 4. And thenyou would hence have this further advantage, that you would haveless backwardness to any duty, and less weariness in duty ; you would find more delight in prayer, meditation, and speech of God, when once God himself were more lovely and de= lightfut in your eyes. 5. All these advantages would produce a further, that is, the growth of all your graces. -For it is impossible, but this growth of love, and frequent and delightful, thoughts of God, and addresses to him, should cause an increase.of'all the rest. 6: Hereupon your evidences would be more clear and . discerni- ble... For grace in strength and action would be easily found;, and would not this resolveall your doubts at once ? 7. Yea, the very exercise of these several graces would be corn-. Portable. 8. And hereupon you would have more humble familiarity and communion with God; for love; delight, and frequent addresses, would overcome strangeness and disacquaintance, which make us fly from God, as a fish, or bird, or wild beast, will from the face: of a man, and'would give us access with boldness and confidence. And this would banish sadness and terror, as the sun dispelleth, darkness and cold. J. At least you would hence have this advantage, that the fixed
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