Imatges de pàgina
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VOL.

I.

AGAIN, our own reafonings from the manifeft vifible effects and characters of divine wisdom, and power, and goodness, that are to be seen every where, may also beget an apprehenfion or. judgement in us that he should and ought to be loved. Do we live in a world full of the divine glory, that arrayeth and cloatheth every thing we can caft our eyes upon; and do we want ground to perceive, that THIS is the lovely object that ought to captivate all hearts, and draw into a closure with it felf the will of every intelligent creature? Moreover,

THE express testimony of the Gofpel is ano-
ther means more apt ftill to beget this appre-
henfion within us, that GOD is one we fhould
love, and whofe excellencies do every way intitle
him, with a moft indifputable right, to the
highest degree and fupremacy of our love. No.
man bath feen GOD at any time. What then?
Is it therefore impoffible that he should be loved?
Hath not his only begotten Son, who was in the
bofom of the father, declared or revealed him?
Surely he hath made fuch a declaration of him,
given fuch a profpect and view of him to the
world, as that every one who will believe a GOD,
and receive his report, muft confefs him to be
the most amiable and excellent being. Here all
hearts ought to meet and unite; and this ought
to be the universal centre of love.

reconciling the world to himself;
kind a lovely profpect of himself.

He is in Chrift

giving manAnd in him,

who

John 1. 18.

Eph. 1. 17.

V.

who is EMANUEL, GOD with us, he is ready SER M. to communicate himself, and to draw fouls into union with him, and to a participation of his own likeness and felicity. Who then is there but must acknowledge, that upon this representation he lays a just claim to our highest love? Finally,

THERE is also the inward revelation of the Holy Ghoft, by which the want of feeing Go D is abundantly supplied. It is true, this spirit of wisdom and revelation, by which we come to the practical knowledge of GOD fo as to love him, is but the portion of a few. But it is in the mean time the great fault and wickedness of every one 'who seeks it not, values it not, and makes it not his business, with an earnest and reftlefs importunity to fue for it till it is obtained. GOD hath given no man any cause to despair; but if he feeks that Spirit, by which he may be so known as to be certainly loved, he hath given him ground to hope that he shall have that knowledge of him, which fhall be efficacious of that love. GOD has given no ground to any to despair, or fear that they shall seek in vain; but as our Saviour fays in this very cafe, If they feek they fhall find, for he is more ready to give the Holy Spirit, than parents are to give bread rather than a ftone to their children. And now that there are fo many ways for conveying the apprehenfion into the mind, which is to be the immediate parent of love, to wit, that this object is most amiVOL. I. G able;

Matth. vII. 7-II.

I.

VOL. able; it is moft evident, that the not feeing Go D, doth not render it impoffible for him to be loved. And we may further confider to this purpose,

3dly, THAT in fundry cafes befides, other means than fight, do fuffice to convey such apprehenfions into the mind, as to excite and raise proportionable affections in the foul. Then why fhould it not be fo in this cafe? For what can any man say why he ought not to be moved by fuch apprehenfions concerning Go D, as are by other means brought into his mind than by fight? What! do you love nothing? do you never find your hearts taken with any thing but that which your eyes have feen? Is it an impoffible thing, or what your ears never heard of, for a person to love only upon report, as being informed of such and fuch excellencies and perfections in the object? Have not many been taken with the defcription of a country they have not feen? Or do we think it impoffible for a blind man to love his children, his wife, his friend? Do we imagine that fuch perfons, because they can fee nothing, can therefore love nothing? Do you not love your life? You cannot fee that, but only in the effects and in the effects alfo you may fee the blessed GOD himself, who is the life of your life. And who can deny, that they have notions in their own minds of things that are altogether unliable to fight; which, if they will but ask themselves the question, they must acknowledge to be lovely, and which many are actually brought to love. For instance: the notions of truth; the abstract

ideas of this, and that, and the other virtue; SERM. things that are never discoverable by the eye; V. who that confiders, but must acknowledge a lovelinefs in them? And how many in fact are brought into a real and hearty love with fuch fair and orderly contextures of truth, when they fee things do well cohere and hang together? The ideas of justice, fortitude, humility, patience, temperance; how many are there that do really love and admire these virtues, though they only perceive the beauty and usefulness of them by the mind, .and in their effects?

So then it is no impoffible thing that there may be that apprehenfion in the mind concerning GOD, upon which he shall be confeffed to be lovely, and that he ought to be loved though he is never to be feen. The cafe is the fame as to other affections, and there is a parity of reason between them. If it was impoffible to love any thing but what one fees, we are proportionably incapable of fearing, hating, or admiring any thing but what we fee. But let any one ask himself the queftion, whether he is not many times offended at the mention of things he doth not fee and whether his heart is not really afraid of things as yet invifible; or whether he hath not been many times raifed into an admiration of fundry things, of which he has only heard the report. And again, I add in the next place,

4thly, THAT many perfons have lived in this world in bodies of flesh as we do, exercifing a holy love to Go D, notwithstanding they never faw

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I.

VOL. faw him. Therefore it is no impoffible thing; for what has been, may be, according to the old maxim. Do we think that there have been no lovers of GOD in the world, who have lived in bodies and depended on fense as we do? GOD knows there have been but few, in any time or age of the world; yet have there not been fome who have loved him, and have not loved their lives unto the death for his fake? What profeffions of love, what raptures of phrafe and expreffion do we find many times in Scripture from those whofe hearts were full of, and overflowed with love? When the fire burned within, it could not be withheld from flaming out. I will love thee, O LORD, my firength, fays David; and again, I love the LORD, that is from my very bowels, because he hath beard my voice and my fupplications. How full are the Pfalms of thefe expreffions! and we muft fuppofe the Pfalmift to be full of an anfwerable fenfe. As the bart panteth for the water brooks, fo panteth my foul after thee, O GOD! My foul fainteth for GOD, for the living GOD; when shall I come and appear before GOD? How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of Hofts? One thing have I defired of the LORD, that will I feek after; that I may dwell in the boufe of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. For whom have I

*Quod fieri potuit, poteft.

* Pf. XVIII. 1. CXVI. I.

in

f XLII. 1, 2. ? LXXXIV, I.

XXVII. 4.

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