of the PERSON Of CHRIST. 99 pelt originally unto any good in our felves, but is a gracious free ad of his own. He dothgood for no other reafon but becaufe he is good. Nor can his infinite perfeftions take any caufe for their original things with- out himfelf. He wants nothing that he would fupply by the enjoyment of us. But we have indigency in our felves to caufe our love to feek an ob- jeft without our felves. And fo his goodnefs, with the mercy, grace and bounty included therein is the caufe, reafon and objeft of our love, We love them for themfelves ; and becaufe we are wanting and indigent, we love thetawith a defire of union and enjoyment, wherein we find that our fatisfaftion and bleffednefs tloth confift. Love in general unites the mind untó the objeft, the perfon loving unto the thing or perfon beloved. So is it expreffed in an inliance of humane, temporary, changeablelove, name- ly, that of Jonathan to David, his foul was knit to the foul of David, and be lovedhim as bis own foul, n Sam. xviii. I. Love had fo effeftual- ly united them, as that the foul of Davidwas as his own. Hence arethofe expreffions of this divine love, by cleaving untoGod, following bardafter him, thirfiing, panting after him, with the like intimations of the molt earneft endeavours of our nature after union and enjoyment. When the foul bath a view by faith (which nothing elfe can give it) of the goodnefs of God as manifefted in Chrift, that is, of the effential excel- lencies of his nature as exerting themfelves in him, it reacheth after him with its molt earneft embraces, and is rands until it comes unto perfeft fruition. It fees in God,the fountain oflife, and woulddrink of the river of his pleafures, Pfal. xvi. 8, '9. that in his prefence is fulnefs of joy, and at his right hand are pleafures for evermore, Pfal. xvi. II. It longs and pants to drink of thatfountain, to bathe it felf in that river of pleafures ; and wherein it comes Ilion of prefent enjoyment, it lives in hopes that when we awake, it fhall befatisfied with bis likenefs, PfaLxvii. is. There is nothing grievous unto a foul filled with this love, but what keeps it from the full enjoyment of thefe excellencies of God. What doth fo, naturally and neceffarily it groans under. Such isour prefent ftate in the body where- in in force fenfe we are abfent from the Lord, a Cor. v. 4,---8, 9. Arid what doth fo morally in the deviations of its will and afFeftions, as fin, it hares and abhors, and loathes it felf for. Under the conduft of this love, the whole tendencyof the foul is unto the enjoyment of God; it would be loft in it felf,and found in him ; nothing in it felf, and all in him. Abfolute complacency herein, that God is what he is, that he fhould be what he is, and nothing elfe, and that as fuch we may be united unto him, and enjoy him according to the capacity of our natures, is the life of divine love. a.) It is a love ofaffrmulation. It contains in it a defire and intenfe en- deavour to be like unto God, according unto our capacity and meafure. The foul fees all goodnefs, and confequently all that is amiable and lovely in God, the want of all which it finds in it felf. The fruition of this goodnefs is that which it longs for as its utmoft end, and conformity unto it as the means thereof. There is no man who loves not God fincerely, but indeedhe would have him tobe fotnewhat that he is not, that hemight he the more like unto him. This fuch perfons are pleafed withall whilft they can fancy it in any thing, Pfal.1. 21. They that love him, would have him be all that be is, whe is, andnothingelfe, and would be themfelves like unto him. And as lovehatis this tendency, and is that whichgives dif- quietment unto the foul when and wherein we are unlike unto God, fo It flitsup confiant endeavours after afhmulation unto him, and hatli a princi- pal efficacy unto that end. Love is the principle that aétually aflimulsres and
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