SERM. hereof, of bearing good-will unto him, expreffed by enXXIV. deavours to pleate him, by delighting in the advancement Καθόλα μὲν κακία διὰ Twig ἀγνωσίαν, ἢ Vera. Bafil. 261. of his glory, by grieving when he is differved or dif honoured. The next part I also entered upon, and offered to confideration those means, which ferve chiefly to remove the impediments of our love to God; which were, 1. The fuppreffing all affections oppofite to this; all perverfe and corrupt, all unrighteous and unholy defires. 2. The restraining or keeping within bounds of moderation our affections toward other things, even in their nature innocent or indifferent. 3. The freeing of our hearts from immoderate affection toward ourselves; from all conceit of, and confidence in, any qualities or abilities of our own; the diligent use of which means I did fuppofe would conduce much to the production and increase of divine love within us. To them I fhall now proceed to fubjoin other instruments more immediately and directly fubfervient to the fame purpose: whereof the first is, 1. Attentive confideration upon the divine perfections, with endeavour to obtain a right and clear apprehenfion of them: as counterfeit worth and beauty receive advanἀδόκιμον tage by distance and darkness; so real excellency,-fi proYiyyi- pius fies, te capiet magis-the greater light you view it in, de Jud. Dei, the nearer you approach it, the more strictly you examine tom. ii. p. it, the more you will approve and like it: fo the more we think of God, the better we know him, the fuller and clearer conceptions we have of him, the more we fhall be apt to esteem and defire him; the more excellent in himself, the more beneficial to us he will appear. Hence is the knowledge of God represented in holy writ not only as a main inftrument of religion, but as an essen2 Pet. ii. 20. tial character thereof: as equivalent to the being well 10. ix. 10. affected toward God: O continue, faith the Pfalmift, thy Ifa. v. 13. loving-kindness unto them that know thee; that is, to all Hof. ii. 10. religious people. And, This, faith our Saviour, is life John xvii.3. eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jefus Chrift Pfal. xxxvi. xi. 9. 16. xxiv. 7. 2 x. 5. 6. x. 25. 1 Sam. ii. whom thou haft fent; knowledge of them implying all SERM. good affections toward them: as on the other fide, igno- XXIV. rance of God denotes difaffection or want of affection Jer. xxii. toward God: Now the fons of Eli, it is faid, were fons of xxxi. 34. Belial, they knew not the Lord: and, He that loveth not, 1 Cor. X. faith St. John, doth not know God; the want of love to Jer. xix. 3, God is an evident fign, a natural effect of ignorance con- Theff. iv. cerning him: indeed confidering the nature of our mind, 5. and its ordinary method of operation, it seems impoffible, 12. that such perfection difcerned fhould not beget answerable 1 Johniv. 8. reverence and affection thereto : if beautiful fpectacles, harmonious founds, fragrant odours, delicate favours do neceffarily and certainly please the refpective senses; why fhould not with the like fure efficacy the proper objects of our mind affect it, if duly reprefented and conveyed thereto? If the wit of the moft ingenious artists, the cunning of the deepest politicians, the wisdom of the sagest philofophers are but mere blindness and stupidity in comparison to the wisdom of God; the lowest instance or expreffion of whose wisdom (his rò pwgòv, his folly, as St. 1 Cor. i. 25. Paul speaks) is wifer than men, doth excel the refults of man's highest wifdom; yet them we admire and commend in men, why then do we not much more adore the divine wisdom? If the abilities of them who dexterously manage great business, or achieve profperously great exploits are indeed mere impotency in regard to God's power; whofe weakness (that is, the smallest effects of whofe power) is, as St. Paul again tells us, ftronger than men, furpaffes the utmost results of human endeavours: yet those things in men we extol and celebrate, how can we then forbear to reverence the divine power? If the difpenfers of freeft and largest bounty among men, the nobleft patriots, the moft munificent benefactors, the most tenderly affectionate friends be in refpect of God unworthy to be counted or called good, (as our Saviour tells us; If ye being bad know to give good things; and, There Matt. vii. is none good but God;) yet such persons are much beloved Luke xi.13. and applauded: how then can we abstain from paying the Matt, xix. like measure of affection and respect to the divine good VOL. I. 11. 17. SERM. nefs? If good qualities fo inferior and defective obtain fo XXIV. much from us, whence comes it that the infinitely fupe Ifa. lv. 8. 1 Sam. xvi. rior and most perfect excellencies of God do not beget in their proportion a fuitable regard and veneration in us toward him whence, if not either from our not firmly believing them, or not rightly apprehending them, or not attentively confidering them? Our belief of them in gross and at large we may fuppofe, as connected with the belief of God's existence, and included in the very notion of God; the defect therefore muft proceed from the remaining causes, want of a right apprehenfion, or negle&t of attentive confideration about them: as to the first of these; it is common for men to have confused, imperfect, and wrong conceptions about the divine attributes, especially in the receffes of their mind; which although they spare to utter with their mouths, yet they vent in their practice: if we, for instance, imagine that we can comprehend the extent of God's designs, or fathom the depth of his counfels; if we measure and model his reasons of proceeding according to our fancy, (as if his thoughts were as our thoughts, and his ways as our ways; or, as if he did fee as Deut. xxix. man fees;) if we can blefs ourselves in following our own Pfal. lxxxi. imaginations, counfels, and devices, although repugnant to 12. cvii. 11. the refolutions of divine wifdom; taking thefe not to befit, or not to concern us, as we find many in the ScripJer. xviii. ture reproved for doing; we greatly mistake and underHof. x. 12. value that glorious attribute of God, his wisdom; and no Pfal. lxxiii. wonder then, if we do not upon account thereof duly re11. x. 11. verence and love God: likewife if we concerning the divine power conceit, that, notwithstanding it, we shall be Job ix. 4. able to accomplish our unlawful defigns; that we may, x. 15. liv. as it is in Job, harden our hearts against him and profper; that we can anywife either withstand or evade his power, (as also many are intimated to do, in Scripture; even geDeut. nerally all those who dare presumptuously to offend God,) Dan. v. 23. we alfo misconceive of that excellent attribute; and the Ifa. ii. 19. contempt of God, rather than love of him, will thence Jer. xvi. 16. arife. If, concerning the divine goodness and holiness, we xxviii. 29. imagine that God is difaffected toward his creatures, (an 7. 19. Ifa. lxv. 2. liii. 6. 12. viii. 12. xciv. 7. Ifa. xlv. 9. 17. 1 Cor. x. 22. xxxiii. 8. Amos ix. 2. Deut. 2 Chron. Τόν θεὸν γε ὅ γε τι αὐτὸς tecedently to all demerits, or bad qualifications in them,) SERM. yea indifferent in affection toward them; inclinable to do XXIV. them harm, or not propenfe to do them good; if we Num. xiv. deem him apt to be harsh and rigorous in his proceed-41 ings, to exact performances unfuitable to the ftrength he xiii. 12. hath given us, to impose burthens intolerable upon usi will not fuch thoughts be apt to breed in us toward Gods ra, (as they would toward any other person so disposed) ra- . Plat. ther a fervile dread, (little different from downright de Leg. x. hatred,) or an hoftile aversation, than a genuine reverence, or a kindly affection toward him? If we fancy him, like to pettish man, apt to be difpleafed without caufe, or beyond measure, for our doing somewhat innocent, (neither bad in itself, nor prejudicial to public or private good,) or for our omitting that, which no law, no good reason plainly requires of us; what will fuch thoughts but four our fpirits toward him, make us fearful and fufpicious of him; which fort of difpofitions are inconfiftent with true love? If, on the other fide, we judge him fond and partial in his affections; or flack and eafy, as it were, in his proceedings; apt to favour us although we neglect him; to indulge us in our fins, or connive at our mifcarriages; will not fuch thoughts rather incline us in our hearts to flight him, and in our actions infolently to dally with him, than heartily and humbly to love him? If we conceit his favour procured, or his anger appeased by petty obfervances, perhaps without any good rule or reason affected by ourfelves; when we neglect duties of greater worth and confequence, the more weighty matters of the Law; what is this but instead of God to reverence an idol of our own fancy; to yield unto him (who is only pleased with holy difpofitions of mind, with real effects of goodnefs) not duties of humble love, but acts of prefumption and flattery? But if, contrariwife, we truly conceive of God's wifdom, that his counfels are always throughly good, and that we are concerned both in duty and interest to follow them, although exceeding the reach of our understanding, or contrary to the fuggeftions of our fancy; concerning his power, that it will certainly interpofe itself SERM. to the hindrance of our bad projects, that it will be in XXIV. vain to conteft therewith, that we must fubmit unto, or Ifa. v. 4. Hab. i. 13. fhall be crushed by his hand; concerning his goodness, that as he is infinitely good and benign, so he is also perfectly holy and pure; as he wifheth us all good, and is ready to promote it, fo he detefteth our fins, nor will fuffer us to do himself, ourselves, and our neighbour any wrong; as moft bountiful in difpenfing his favours, so not prodigal of them, or apt to caft them away on fuch as little value them, and do not endeavour to answer them; as a faithful rewarder of all true virtue and piety, so a severe chastiser of all iniquity and profaneness; as full of` mercy and pity toward them, who are fenfible of their unworthiness, and penitent for their faults, fo an implacable avenger of obftinate and incorrigible wickedness : in fine, as a true friend to us, if we be not wilful enemies to him, and defirous of our welfare, if we do not perverfely render ourselves incapable thereof; fo withal jealous of his own honour, refolute to maintain and vindicate his juft authority, careful to uphold the interests of right and truth, and to fhew the diftinction he makes xi. 5, &c. between good and evil; if we have, I fay, fuch conceptions of God, (agreeable to what his word and his doings represent him to us,) how can we otherwife than bear a most high respect, a moft great affection unto him? A prince furely endued with fuch qualities; wife and powerful, good and just together; tendering the good of his people, yet preferving the force of his laws; designing always what is best, and constantly pursuing his good intentions; tempering bounty and clemency with needful juftice and severity; we fhould all commend and extol as worthy of most affectionate veneration; how much more then shall we be fo affected toward him, in whom we apprehend all those excellencies to concur without any im perfection or allay? especially if by attention we impress those conceptions upon our hearts; for how true and proper foever, if they be only flight and transient, they may not suffice to this intent; if they pass away as a flash, they will not be able to kindle in us any strong affection. Pfal. v. 4. |