~piritual PerfeCiion. CHAP. VIII. Love the !t:ading Alfellion. Men Art dijlinguijb'd bJ their WiUs, rather than b1 their V nderflan1mg s. Holy Love httJ the {upumacy amont, other Gracts. 7'.hr exceHmcies of Love fptet(ied. l:o'lle to God 'I be frjl <.tn, m~:uJ 1~ ordtr a1J~ digmty. 1 he Ca:J/es and Properties of tt confi~erui. The ttb/olrlle a~d relatzve Per(e!lzons of God, the mottves of o:~ r Love. The Benefits rueived from God m the order of Nature, Creation and Pre· {trvati~n. lhe L ove of. God appears in its full force in our Redemptio_n. W e mu~ le&rn of Chrift how t o lov e htm. Love m11jl de{cendfrom G~d to OfiT JVetghhour. 'Tu cammended in Scripture. The extent and quatificattons of t t . It mtt{l be {tncere, pure aml favent. The fo ~giving lnjr1ritJ, an excdlmt ejfoa of Love. T ~:o~~e~~tfaa;!~c~~~r r~;a~::i;;i~:~, ~~~~d tZ;J;~~~;n~~~bo,:~dL~:~~ a:1i~~~: in knowledge, and ali ttvderftandin;; . Love j, the affctt ion of Union: Of this we have an illullrious In f1:ance recorded in :Scripture, That the SouL of Jonathan WM knit 1vith the Sot, ! of Oavid; and Jon~tthan loved him .a hu own Soul. Love is to be direaed to a double ObjeCl, God and our Neighbour. I will confider the excell ency of rhis fanClifi ed 1\ ffeClion, and its cxercife and reference to the fupreme and fu bordinate•ObjeCls of it. 'Tis requifite to premife, that Love is the leading AffeClion that draws the whole train with it; not only Ddire and Joy, that are of near alliance with it, but Anger and Hatred, between which AffeCtions and Love ther~ is a repugnance and enrire oppo• ficion. are infeparablc from it: For averfion and flight from Evil, proceeds from the love of fame Good that the Evil deprives us of. From hence it follows, that 'tis a matter of the higheft Confequence, by Wifdom difcreet and fevere, w direa our Love to wo rthy ObieCls. Love is the principal of all the Paffions, and either fanCl tfi es and refines them from the reliques of carnal infe8:ion, or feduces and corrupts them. The Mind is fo clouded by Carnal Love, and over-rul'd by pleafant Error, thdt it preiers fenfual Happinefs before fpiritual, that is foitable to the nature and dignity of the Soul. If the L ;ght that U i.n thu be Darlmefs, ho1v great U that Darlmeji ? The Angels of Ltght are dillinguilh'd from the Angels of Darknefs, not fo much by Knowledge and Power, as by Love and Holinefs. The Devils are tmmortal Spirits, but under the tyrannous power of Hatred and Revenge, of Envy and Malice, which are their Sins and Torment. - M en are not dillinguilh'd fo much by their Underllandings as their Wills: not merely by Kno,vledge but Love, the firll aCl of the Wt!l~ the Faculty that rules in Man, and obeys God. There may be knowledge of the Dtvme Law, and an approving it, by thofe who do not praCltfe 1t: For the Contemplation of us Goodnefs and Equity conllrains the Mind to alfent to it. From hence we may infallibly infer, that the ra. ~~~f~~:e~~~~;e~~~ ~i!1~(.~~~1;f ~~~:a~rt~e:;;:;:~ ato5ft~n;bj~Efs ~~~ ~~g~;~s.lla~o~[ to God as our Sovereign Happinefs, is the immediate Caufe of our Converfion and Reunion with him. Love to vicious Objects, or when with an intemperate current it defcends to things not deferving its ardent degrees, alienates the Heart from God. Ho. linefs is the order of Love. The excellency of holy Love will appear in the following Confiderations. I . Love has the fupremacy among all the Graces of the Spirit. This in the moll proper fenCe, is the Fire our Saviour came to kindle on the Earth. The A poll le declares, that Charity U grlattr than Fatth and Hopl; which are Evangelical Graces of emi. nent ufe fulnefs: For, I. 'Tis the brightell part of the Divine Image in us. God i& Love: 'Tis the tnoft adoqoate Notionof the Deity, and more fignificant of his bleffed Nature , than any other fingle Attnbure. The moll proper and honourable Conception we can form of the Deity, is Love direCled by infinite Wifdom, and exercifed by infinite Power. Faith and Hope cannot be afcribed to God; they imply imperfeClion in their Nature, and necelfanly reff'eCl an abfent ObjeCl. Now all things ~re prefem to the Knowledge of God! and 10 htS Power and Polfeffion. But Love IS htS Elfenual PerfeClion ; the pro. ~fv~~~fi ~~~~~;·in~~ ~~~e~~~1: 1~0~~. t~a.'f~[n:,~h~~ ~:~ce~i~~i~~~~G~~~ f~f~~;~· .'~~ of Love we imitate him. ' This
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