Recommended from Phil. 2. I 2, I 3· 'Faith, and he may take from thence whatfoever he nl!eds to fupply the prefcnt Wants and Neccffities of his Soul. (2.) Secondly, Another working Grace is. the fer'Vent .AUi~gs of Love. Love ls the grea t Wheel of the Soul that fets all the reft a movtng, and makes it like the Chariots of Amit1adab, to run fwiftly towards its defired Objeff. There is a mutual dependance between Fa ith and Love in their working; Love depends upon Faith to ftrengthen it, and Faith depends again upon Love to act it. As we love not that whioh we do not know, and our knowledge ot God an(! of the Things of Ete rnity is by Faith, not by Vifion, fo thofe Things which we do know and which we do believe, yet if we love them not we iha\1 never endeavour after them: The Apoftle therefore tells us, tbat Faith worlwb by LO'Ue. Now there is a threefold fpiritual Love required to expedite our great Work. (r.) Firit, A trancendent Low of God. (2.) Secondly, A regular Love. of our {elves. (3·) Thirdly_, A compiaccnrial Love unto and Delight in our Work it Je!f, Now when the AffeCtions go out after thefe ObjeUs of Love, this will much facilitate our t;reat Work. (l.) Firit, The Love<Jf God is .s great help to our Duty. Our Saviour therefore urgeth Obedience upon this very account ; If ye love me, kup my Commandments. John. 14• ..And, fays the .Apoftle, this is the Love of God, that is, this is a certa in Sign, or it 1 o;. is the conftant effc:C\: of our Love to God, that we keep his Commandments , and 1 John his Commandments are not griwous; they are not; grievous bccaufe they are his 5 • 3 • Commandments who is the Love and Joy of our Souls. Divine Love always conforms it felf to divine Precepts, and that for two Reafons : (t.) Firft, Becaufe this Grace, as it defires the beatifical Union to God in Glory hereafter, for Love is the defire of Union; fo now it caufes an unfpeakable U nion of Wil1, and a fupernatural fympathy of AffeC\:ion betwixt God and the Soul; which Union cannot be a Union of Equality or Entity as is in the Perfons of the Bleffed Trin ity, and therefore it is a Union of Subordination of a Chri.. ftians Will to the Will of God. Now what is this Will of God l Why the .Apoftle tells us; This is the Will of God, fays he, evm your s~n&ification. And the TheC. fame .Apoftlt tells us, in another place, We are his Workmanj11ip created in Cl!rift ~. 3 • • 'Jefus unto gooti jl(!'orks~ that God h~tth before ord~tined that we fllould 1P:llk in them. Eph.2o~o. And is this God's Will, and !hall it not be our Work? Hath God ordained that we fhould walk therein, and fhall we be averfe from or fiothful thereunto? How can we pretend we love God, while we negleCt the only Thing he re~ quires· from us, Holinefs and Obedience? God will s our Holinefs, becaufe there is no better a thing that he can Will nex t unto himfelf; the Image of Gpd, next to himfelf, is the moll excellent and chiefeft Good; every thing, the nearer it approacheth unto God, the more defirable it becomes in it felf; Now that which comes moft near unto God, and advanceth the Soul in fame refemblancc and fimilitude to him, his Holinefs and Endeavou rs after Obedience, whereby we become conformable unto God, and att ain fame faint Shadows and Elfays of the divine Perfections: The Soul wills in order unto God's \Vill; God now wills Holinefs becaufe it is moft defirable, and we muft will our own Holinefs, becaufe if we love God as we pretend to do, our Wills muft be conformable to bis holy Will. (2 .) Secondly , Love to God is a Help to Duty, becaufe it is in and by Duty that we enjoy the Prefence of God, and have Communion and Fellowfhip with him. Thefe are the Lattices through which God appears to the longing poul ; and though he many times vouchfafes but half Smiles and little Glances, yet in thefe referved Communications the Soul finds fo much fweetnefs, as engageeth it to a conftant performance+ of Duties all its Days: Here, Jays the Soul, God was wont to walk in his Sanc:tuary, here have I heard his Voice, here have I feen his Face, his Spirit bath here breathetl upon me, his Confolations haVe here refrethed me, and therefore here will I wait upon him as long as I live. I remember well, fay; the Soul, when in Prayer and Meditation my Hear t hath been filled by him, poured out to him, and accepted with him: I remember when he filled me firft with Sighs , and then with Songs, and both alike unutterable; and therefore I will keep to lhe performance of thefc L Ill! • Duties,
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