Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

914 Ortie toyer ofheauen. ore dot 01(7111-brace and vnite veto himfelfe the thing beloued, that fo axtm,ipfetreat inioying it, hee may reli contented, and reioyce in this elcriunipfe fruition. And that to this maine end- that wee might de- Jidrrianaipfa , confummat. fire, imbrace, and bee vnited "with all our-hearts, . ils and Bcrnard.dedi affe&ions, vnto himfelfe our fupreme good, who is infi- lig.deo craft. nice in all beautie and perfe&ion, and fo by this bond of 1,tohn4.ró, loue become one with him. Foras the Apoflle faith, God id- loue, and hee that dwelletb in lone, eilbelleth in -God, and God in him. So the Lord is the eficient caufe of our loue, while[} bee communicateth himfelfe veto vs, sa ho is wor- chie of all loue, and with the infinit flames of his loue to- wards vs, doth inflame our hearts with loue towards him: and the obic& likewife of our affe &ion being moti lonely and full ofallbeautie,exccllencie,and affe &ion. And-finally, he is the fupreme end, and from him alone haue weall the fruit ofour lone,}ahileliimbracing him in our harts and af. fe &ions,who containerhall goodand perfe &ion,we are ful- lie fa tisficd,repleni(hcd with delighr,andmade thereby mote happie and.bleffed. For fceing it is thenature ofloue to unite the perron louing,,N ich thething beloued,yca,to transforme blip as much as may be, into the fame nature, and to adorne him with the fame excellencies which it affe &eth: and fee ing OUT lone ofGod fhall be fo perf,that we (bal louehim with all the powers ofour foules, much more ardently then we doe our fcluec;hereofitwillcome to pafl'e,that wee Ihalh much more reioyce in his glory.and blef£ednes,then in our owne; and the fuller ourhearts be with his lone, the more by (hall we haue in beholding his felicitie. As therefore we loue God becaufe he communicateth veto vs hcauenly hap - pineffe,fofhall we bemoll happie,hecaufe we loue him. For . then are we perfc&ly bleffed, when we haue the full fruition of our /nrnmumbonum,and chiefehappineffe; and the chiefe meanes,whereby we imbrace and inioy it, is, when our wils defire ir,and ourhearts and affe &ions are fetvpon it. And as wee are thuehappie and bleffed,becaufe wee thall "perfedlie lone the Lord, fo much more, becaufe he will loue vs, both becaufe his loue is infinit,and farbeyond all degrees ofcom- parifon futpaflìngours, and alto- becaufe it isadiue, opera tarie,

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=