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beloved sins, and hating them as sinners, and resolving to damn them if they go on impenitently. This, which is part of the goodness of God, he maketh them believe is evil, by engaging them in a way and interest, which he knoweth that God is engaged against, and enticing them under the strokes of his justice. And he tempteth believers themselves to poor, diminutive, unworthy thoughts of the goodness and mercifulness of God, and to continual apprehensions of his wrath and terrors. And if he can make them believe that God is their enemy, and think of him only as a consuming fire, how little are they like to love him? If Christians knew how much of the devil's malice against God and them, doth exercise itself in this, to make God appear to man, unlovely, they would more studiously watch against such misrepresentations, and fly from them with greater hatred. Not that we must first, by the advice of arrogant reason, and self-love, as some do, draw a false description of goodness and amiableness in our minds, and make that the measure of our judgment of God, his nature, attributes, and decrees; nor take his goodness to be only his suitableness to our opinions, wills, and interest. But we must take out from the Word and works of God; that true description of his goodness which he hath given of himself, and expunge out of our conceits whatsoever is contrary to it. Think of God's goodness in proportion with his other attributes. ['O my soul, how unequally hast thou thought of God! Thou easily believest that his power is omnipotence, and that his knowledge is omniscience; but of his goodness, how narrow and poor are thy conceivings! As if it were nothing to his power and knowledge. How oft hast thou been amazed in the consideration of his greatness, and how seldom affected with the apprehensions of his goodness! Thou gratifiest him that would have thee believe and tremble, as he doth himself, and not him that would have thee believe and love. How oft hast thou suffered the malicious enemy

a O orator, in tua oratione plus dilige Deum quam teipsum et alia: et si hoc facis justus es et prudens, et de charitate et sanctitate habituatus. Qui habitus est amicus tuus in oratione. O Orator! quando orabis pro commissis, justitiam Dei tecum teneas diligendo; non autem odiendo: quia si sic, misericordia Dei non posset esse tua amica, eo quia injustus esset ; et tuus habitus esset crudelis et à spe et charitate prolongatus, et tuum amare in odire esset perversum, de quo odire esset in æternum habituatus. Raim. Lullius, Arte Magna de Applic. c. cxiv. p. 557, 558.

to accuse God to thee, and make thee believe that he is à hater of man, and hateful to man, or a hater of thee, that he might make thee hate him! How oft hast thou suffered him to draw in thy thoughts a false representation of thy dearest Lord, and shew him to thee as in that unlovely shape! How oft have thy conceptions dishonoured and blasphemed his love and goodness, while thou hast seemed to magnify his knowledge and his power! Think of him now as love itself! As more full of goodness, than the sea of water, or the sun of light! Love freely and boldly, without the stops of suspicions and fears, where thou art sure thou canst never love enough and if all the love of men and angels were united in one flame, they could never love too much, or come near the proportion of the glorious goodness which they love! Cast thyself boldly into this ocean of delights. Though the narrowness of thy own capacity confine thee, yet, as there are no bounds in the object of thy love, let not false, unbelieving thoughts confine thee. O that I were all eye, to see the glorious amiableness of my God! O that I were all love, that I might be filled with his goodness! O that all the passions of my soul were turned into this holy passion! O that all my fears, and cares, and sorrows, were turned into love! And that all the thoughts that confusedly crowd in upon me and molest me, were turned into this one incessant thought, of the infinite goodness of my God! O that all my tears, and groanings, yea, and all my other mirth and pleasures, were turned into the melodious songs of love! And that the pulse, and voice, and operations of love, were all the motion of my soul! Surely in heaven it will be so, though it is not to be expected here.']

Direct. 1x. The great means of promoting love to God is duly to behold him in his appearances to man, in the ways of Nature, Grace, and Glory. First, therefore, learn to understand and improve his appearances in Nature, and to see the Creator in all his works, and by the knowledge and love of them to be raised to the knowledge and love of him.'-Though sin hath so disabled us to the due improvement of these appearances of God in nature, that grace must restore us, before we can do it effectually and acceptably; yet objectively nature is still the same in substance, and affordeth us much help to the knowledge and love of

God. He knoweth nothing of the world aright that knoweth not God in it, and by it. Some note, that the greatest students in nature are not usually the best proficients in grace; and that philosophers and physicians are seldom great admirers of piety; but this is to judge of the wise by the foolish, and to impute the ignorance and impiety of some to others that abhor it. Doubtless, he is no philosopher, but a fool, that seeth not, and admireth not the Creator in his works. Indeed, if a man doth wholly give himself to know the shape and form of letters, and to write them curiously, or cut them in brass or stone, or to print them, and not to understand their significations or use, no wonder if he be ignorant of the arts and sciences, which those letters well understood would teach him; such a man may be called an engraver, a scrivener, a printer, but not a scholar : and no better can the atheist be called a philosopher or a learned man, that denieth the most wise Almighty Author, while he beholdeth his works, when the nature and name of God is so plainly engraven upon them all. It is a great part of a Christian's daily business to see and admire God in his works, and to use them as steps to ascend by to himself. "The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honourable and glorious; and his righteousness endureth for ever. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered"."_" } meditate on all thy works; I muse on the works of thy hands."-" I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings."-" For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work. I will triumph in the works of thy hands. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. As the praising of God's works, so the observing of God in his works is much of the work of a holy soul. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy Majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts; and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great

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b Psal. cxi. 2, 3, 4.

Psal. lxxvii. 12.

e Psal. cxliii. 5.

• Psal. xcii, 4-6.

goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works."-" That which might be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewn it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made; even his eternal power and Godhead: so that they are without excuses." If we converse in the world as believers and rational creatures ought, we should as oft as David repeat these words: "O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wondrous works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing. They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep "." But this is a subject fitter for a volume (of physics theologically handled) than for so short a touch. What an excellent book is the visible world for the daily study of a holy soul! Light is not more visible to the eye in the sun, than the goodness of God is in it and all the creatures to the mind. If I love not God, when all the world revealeth his loveliness, and every creature telleth me that he is good, what a blind and wicked heart have I!" O wonderful wisdom, and goodness, and power which appeareth in every thing we see! in every tree, and plant, and flower; in every bird, and beast, and fish; in every worm, and fly, and creeping thing; in every part of the body of man or beast, much more in the admirable composure of the whole; in the sun, and moon, and stars, and meteors; in the lightning and thunder, the air and winds, the rain and waters, the heat and cold, the fire and the earth, especially in the composed frame of all, so far as we can see them set together; in the admirable order and co-operation of all things; in their times and seasons, and the wonderful usefulness of all for man. O how glorious is the power, and wisdom, and goodness of God, in all the frame of nature! Every creature silently speaks his praise, declaring him to man, whose office is, as the world's high-priest, to stand

f Psal. cxlv. 3-7. 10. 17.

8 Rom. i. 19, 20.

h. Psal. cvii. 21-24.

between them and the great Creator, and expressly offer him the praise of all."When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put down all things under his feet. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! O that men would praise the Lord for bis goodness, and declare his wondrous works to the children of men! The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord." Thus love God as appearing in the works of nature.

Direct. x. Study to know God as he appeareth more clearly to sinners in his Goodness in the works of Grace: especially in his Son, his covenant, and his saints, and there to love him, in the admiration of his love.'-Here love hath made itself an advantage of our sin and unworthiness, of our necessities and miseries, of the law and justice, and the flames of hell. The abounding of sin and misery hath glorified abounding grace; that grace which fetcheth sons for God from among the voluntary vassals of the devil, which fetcheth children of light out of darkness, and living souls from among the dead, and heirs for heaven from the gates of hell; and brings us as from the gallows to the throne. 1. A believing view of the nature, undertaking, love, obedience, doctrine, example, sufferings, intercession, and kingdom of Jesus Christ, must needs inflame the believer's heart with an answerable degree of the love of God. look on a Christ and not to love God is to have eyes and not to see, and to overlook him while we seem to look on him. He is the liveliest image of Infinite Goodness, and the messenger of the most unsearchable, astonishing love, and the purchaser of the most invaluable benefits, that ever were revealed to the sons of men. Our greatest love must be kindled by the greatest revelations and communications of the love of God. And greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." That is, men have no dearer and clearer a way to express

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Psal. viii. 3. 6. 9. xxxiii. 5-9. Read Psal. lxv.

* John xv. 13.

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