484 ÇH'ARACTER OF A SOUND, 3. A seeming Christian bathno true love of God and holiness at all, but some ineffectual liking and wishes which are overborne by a greater backwardness, and by a greater love toearthly things ; so that fear alone; without any true effectual love, is the spring and principle of his religion and obedience. God bath, not his heart, when he draweth near him with .his lips; he doth more than he would do, if he were not forced by necessity and fear ; and had rather be excused, and lead anotherkind of life; Matt. xv. 8. Isa. xxix. 13. Though necessity and fear are very helpful to the most sincere, yet fear alone, without love or willingness, is a grace- less "state. VI. I. A Christian indeed doth love Godin these three grada- tions : he loveth him much for his mercy to himself, and for that goodness which consisteth in benignity to himself; but he lov- eth himmore for his mercy to the church, and for that goodness which consisteth in his benignity to the church. But he loveth him most of all for hisinfinite perfections and essential excellencies ; his infinite power and wisdom, and goodness, simply in himself considered. For he knoweth that love to himself obligeth him to returns of love ; especially differencing, saving grace; and he know- eth that the souls of millions are more worth incomparably than his own, and that God may be much more honored by them than by him alone ; and therefore he knoweth that the mercy to many is greater mercy, and agreater demonstration ofthe goodness of God, and therefore doth render him more amiable to man ; Rom. ix. 3. And yet he knoweth that essential perfection and goodness ofGod, as simply in himself and for himself, is muchmore amiable than his benignity to thecreature.; and that he that is the first efficient, must needs be the ultimate, final cause of all things ; and that God is not finally for the creature, but the creature for God, (for all that he needeth it not.) " For of him, and through him, and tohim are all things;" Rom. xi. 36. And as he is infinitely better thanour- selves, so he is tobe better loved than ourselves. AsI love a wise and virtuous, person, though he be one I never expect to receive any thing from, and therefore love 'him for his own sake, and not for his benignity or usefulness to me; so must I love God most for his essential perfections, though his benignity also loth represent him amiable. As he is blindly selfish that would not rather him- selfbe annihilatedor perish, than whole kingdoms should allperish, or the sun be taken out of the world ; (because that which is best must be loved as best, and therefore be best loved ;) so is he more blind, who, in his estimative, complacential love, preferreth not in- finite, eternal goodness, before such an imperfect, silly creature as himself, (or all the world.) We arecommanded to love our neigh- bor as ourselves, when God is to be loved with all the heart, and
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