Bates - HP BX5200 B3 1700

94 The Harmony of the Divine Attributes ~ offered up to the excellent and Supreme Being, which was the Author of his Life. Ad..m ~· fully obeyed the firfl and great Command, of loving the lord with all his Heart, Soul and Strength. His Love to other things was regulated by his Love to God. There: was-a perfell: A!Ocord between l.'le01 and 'pirit in him. 1 hey both ;oyned in the Semce of God, anLl were naturally moved to their Happinefs. As the two Eyes confent in their motion, fo Reafon and Scnfe agreed for the fame End. In fi1ort, the Image of God in Adam, was a hvmg, powerful Princtple, and had the fame t·elation ro the Soul which the Soul hath to ~~~~~~o~il~~thii~(:~~;~~~- order all its Faculties in their, Offices and Operations, according 2. The Image of God confifled (though in an inferior degree) in the happy State of Man. Herein he rcfembled that infinitely ble!fed Being. This Happinefs had relation to the tll'O Natures, which emer into Man's Compofition: 1. To the Animal and Senjitive, and this confified in tJVo things. t. In the excellent Difpofition of his Organs. 2. In the Enjoyment of convenient Objell:s. 1. In the excellent d1fpofition of the Organs. His Body was formed immediately by God, and fo not liable to thofe Defeas wh1ch proceed from the weaknefs of fecond Caufes. No Blemi01, or Difcafe, whicl~ are the Effeas and Footfteps of Sin, were to be found in him. His Health was not a fra1l inconftant Dif~litio~, cafily ruin'd by the jarring Elements, but firm and ~able The Hun~ours ~vere m a JUfi: 1 cmperament, to prevent any Diflcmper which m1ght tend to the ddfolut1on of that excellent Frame. Briefly, all the Se1~fes were qwck and hvcly, able to perform Wlth Facl11ty, V1gour and Deligbt,theil· Operat!ons. 2. There were convenient Objcas to entertain his fenfitive Faculties. '"~= b;~{f';~l ,~:~~t~~e i~~~1/'igf'h~ ~~~~d ~~~~;d;;~;~o~; a~';f':!~~,0~e~~~i~~f~l~ Goodnefs of the Creator; and not as 'tis fince the fall, diforder'd and deform'd in many parts, the Eftell: of his Juflice. The Earth was liberal to Adam of all its Treafures, the Heavens of their Light, and fweeteft Influences. He was feared in Eden, a PlaCl' of fo great Beauty and Delight, that it reprefented the Celejfiat Paradife which is refrelbedwith fnfi:e;;;e 0~i~ir~;;· wi~h~h~' t;v~1~r~~ ::,o~~~f~a:~rr~ t't'::~ ~rftai:n~i~~~~~ ~~ was the Satisfaaion of the Senfes, from whence the felicity of the Animal Life did proceed. 2. His [uprrme Happinefs confifled in the exercife of his moll noble Faculties on' their proper ObJects. Th1s will appear by confidering , that as the (piritflal Faculties have obj&~{o~~~cil;hi3~j~~~1fs ~~~~~t:::i~~~e:1~~t;t::;~r:~p:?;~rr:~~~~~i~r~o;;';~k~~rfs'~~Jh~ii~ vacity: And thereby ~re the greatefl Inflrumentsof Pleafure tO the rational Being. Now the highef! Faculties in Man arc the Vnderjfanding and WtU, and their Happinefs confifls in Union with God by Knowledg and Love. t. In the Knowledg of God. As the Dcfire of Knowledg is the moft natural to the human Soul, fo the obtaining of it produces the mofl noble and fweetcfl Pleafure. And proportionably to the degrees of E<eellency that are in Objefls, fo much of rational Perfection and Satisfaction accrues to the Mind by the Knowledg of them. The Difcovery of the Works of God greatly affected Man, yet the Excellencies fcatter'd among them are but an imperfect and. mutahle Shadow of God's infininite .and uoc~~angeable Perfections. How n;uch more delightful was _it to his pure Undc~·fiandmf?, trac1ng .rhe F~t~eps and ImprcH,ons of God in natttr~l tht~gs, to afcend to lum who IS the glonous Qrtgmal ?fall Perfections! And though l11s fimte Underflanding could not comprehend the Dwiue Excellencies, yet his Knowledg was anfwerable to the Degrees of Revelanon wherem God was manifellecl. He faw the admirable Beauty of the Creator through the tran(p,.. rent Vail of the Creatures. And from hence there arofc in the Soul a Pleafure pure, folid and farisfying, aPleafure Divine; for God takes infinite comemmem in the contemplation ofHimfdf. >.. The Happincfs of Man conuf!ed in the Love of God. 'Twas not the naked SpecNiatiOn of the Deity that made lum hapry,. ~ut fuch a Know led~ as rav1~ed Ius Atfecri~ ons: For Happincfs refults from the i'rutttons of all the Faculties. 'T1s trne, that by rhe Mediation of the Undedlanding the other Faculties have acccfs to an l)bjec1 ; the \Vi11 and Affections can't be inclined to any thing) but by venue of an Art of the Ylind which propounds it as worthy of tl~em: It follows .rhere~orc that when by the.DiiC?- vc.ry of the tranfcendent Excellencies m God, the Soul ts exctted to love and to dehghr m Hm1 as its fi'P'""' Good, 'tis then really and perfectly happy. Now as /ld.:m had a p;;r/Ccr

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