through mixtures of fear, and of carnal affections, is hardly known to be sincere by him that hath it. But afterwards it produceth both stronger acts, and the Holy Ghost still working as the principal cause, infuseth or operateth a radicated habit. So that this holy love becometh like a nature in the soul, even a Divine nature, and it becometh in a sort natural to us to love God and goodness, though not as the brutish nature, which is exercised by necessity, and without reason. And this new nature of holy love, is called the new creature and the Holy Ghost dwelling in us, and the Spirit of adoption; and is our new-name, the white-stone, the witness in ourselves that Christ is the Saviour, and that we are the regenerate children of God, the pledge, the earnest, the firstfruits, and the foretaste of life eternal.

And all the works of a Christian are so far truly holy, as they are the effects of holy love: for 1. Holy love is but a holy will; and the will is the man, in point of morality. 2. And the love of God is our final act upon the final object; and all other gracious acts are some way means subservient to this end: and the end is it that informeth all the means, they being such only as are adapted to the end.

And in this sense it is true which is said in the schools, (though many Protestants misunderstanding it, have contradicted it) that love is the form of all other graces: that is, it is the heart of the new creature; or it is that by which the man is morally to be reputed and denominated: and it is the final which animateth or informeth the rest as means. grace And thus it is true, that when you will prove any grace to be sincere and saving, or any evidence certain, you must prove it to participate of the love of God and goodness, or you have failed and said nothing. Yea, you must prove it to be conjunct with predominant love, which setteth God above all creatures. And if you will prove any good work to be acceptable to God, prayer, praise, alms, justice, &c., you must prove that it cometh from this predominant love. For it is so far and no further acceptable to God.

And their ignorance is but to be pitied, who tell you that this is to make our love of God to be instead of Christ to us, or to set up an acceptable righteousness or merit in ourselves for we dream not that our love of God was a sacrifice for our sins, and the expiatory atonement and satisfaction to justice, nor that merit which procured us love itself, or

purchased us the Holy Ghost. Our meaning is that goodness is the only proper object of love: and God loveth his essential goodness first, and created goodness next: and our moral goodness which is his image is holy love, produced by and joined with holy wisdom and vitality. And so though God love us in Christ, or as related to him, it is as holy members of him; and not that he loveth complacentially the haters of God for their relation to Christ, without respect to any goodness in themselves. And to say that Christ maketh us acceptable and amiable to God, is all one as to say that he procureth us the pardon of sin, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and maketh us holy lovers of God: or that he is indeed our Saviour. He that commendeth health as wrought by his physician, doth not set health instead of the physician; Christ is the physician; the Holy Ghost or holy love in us, is our health: to procure and give us the Holy Ghost, is Christ's office. He pardoneth our sin when he pardoneth the punishment: the privation of the Holy Ghost and his operations is our principal punishment: and therefore not all, but the principal part of our pardon lieth in the giving us the Holy Ghost.

But some will say, 'That if God love nothing but goodness, and love us no further than we are good, how then did he love us first, and while we were his enemies? Are not Election, Creation, Redemption and Conversion, acts of love? And is not our love, the fruit of his love?'

Answ. Thus names not opened by confounding heads, are made the matter of a thousand controversies. As our love is nothing but our will, so the word love is taken strictly and properly, or largely and less properly. A man's will is considered as efficient or as final: as it respecteth a future effect, or a present exigent good. And so God's will as it is final, and respecteth things existent, either 1. ' In esse cognito.' 2. or 'in esse reali,' is called complacence, and only complacence is love in the strict and properest sense. But God's will as efficient of good, may in a laxer sense be called love. God's will is the fountain or efficient cause of all good, natural and moral in the world. And so you may call God's causing or making good, by the name of love, if you please; remembering that it is but the name that is questioned: but his complacency in good foreseen, or existent,

VOL. XV.

is strictly called his love. And so still God loveth nothing in either sense but good. For 1. He causeth nothing but good. 2. And he is pleased in nothing but good as good. Quest. But how then doth God love his enemies?'

Answ. 1. He maketh us men, which may be called one act of efficient love: and he redeemeth them; and he giveth them all the good things which they possess; and he sanctifieth some, and maketh them lovers of him, that is, holy. And thus he willeth their good, while they are nothing or evil; which is called benevolence, and love efficient.

2. And he hath true love of complacency in them, 1. As they have the good of human nature. 2. And thereby are capable of grace, and all the love and service which after they may perform. 3. And as they are related to Christ as his redeemed ones. 4. And as by relation they are those that God foreknoweth will love and serve him here, and in the perfections of eternal glory. There is all this good in some enemies of God, to be the matter of his complacency. And beyond their goodness he hath no complacency in them.

3. And to clear up all this, still remember that though man's will is changed by or upon the various objects, yet so is not the will of God. And therefore all these words signify no variety or change in God; but only how his simple immutable essential will is variously related to and denominated from the connotation of effects and objects.

4. Also it must be noted, as included in the text, that God loveth all that truly love him; for to be known of him, here meaneth to be known with approbation and love as his peculiar people. As Psal. i. 6, it is said, "The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous ;" and so oft: and of the wicked, (Matt. xxv. 12.) " Depart from me, I know you not." God owneth with love all those that love him. What parts, what quality, what degree soever men are of, whatever difference else there be among them, if they are true lovers of God, they are certainly approved and beloved by him. This being the very heart and essence of the new creature, and the Divine nature in us, must needs prove that man to be amiable to God that hath it. Other things are true marks of a child of God, only so far as they participate of love: but love is the primary proper character, which proveth us adopted directly of itself.

And here you may resolve the question that seemeth so difficult to many: whether when the Scripture either by describing the godly, or by promising, doth mention some one grace or duty, as the character of a saint, or the condition of salvation, it be to be understood with a 'cæteris paribus,' if other graces and duties concur, as supposing them separable? or absolutely, as supposing that one mark infallible, because it never separated from the rest?

Answ. The new man hath, 1. Its essential parts; and 2. Its integrals; and 3. Its accidents. The essentials are ever infallible marks, and are inseparable from each other: any one of them will prove us holy, and will prove the presence the rest. These essentials are an united trinity of graces, holy life, light and love, where each one hath the common essence of holiness, which is their objective termination upon God; and each is linked by participation to another. Holy vitality is vital activity towards God in mind, will, and practice, holy light is that knowledge and belief which kindleth love, and causeth a holy life. Holy love is that complacency of will in God and goodness, which is kindled by holy life and light, and operateth in holy practice. Any one of these thus described, where love is the heart of all, is an infallible mark of holiness. But all other graces and duties which are but the integrals of holiness, are in all characters and promises to be understood with a cæteris paribus;' that is, supposing them to be animated with holy love, and caused by holy life and light (knowledge and belief).

And that God doth most certainly love all that love him, besides the forementioned proofs from Scripture is further evident.

1. The love of God and goodness is the Divine nature: and God cannot but love his own nature in us: it is his image, which, as in its several degrees, he loveth for himself, and next to himself.

2. The love of God is the rectitude of man's soul, its soundness, health and beauty: and God loveth the rectitude of his creatures.

3. The love of God is the final, perfect operation of the soul; even that end which it was created and redeemed for, and God loveth to have his works attain their end, and to see them in their perfection.

4. The love of God is the goodness of the soul itself: and goodness is amiableness, and must needs be loved by him that is goodness and perfection himself.

5. The love of God is our unit ing adhesion to him: and God that first draweth up the soul to this union, will not himself reject us, and avoid it.

6. Love is a pregnant, powerful, pleasing grace: it delivereth up ourselves, and all that we have to God: it delighteth in duty: it conquereth difficulties: it contemneth competitors, and trampleth on temptations: it accounteth nothing too much, nor too dear for God. Love is the soul's nature, appetite and 'pondus,' according to which it will ordinarily act. A man's love, is his will, his heart, himself: and if God have our love, he hath ourselves, and our all: so that God cannot but love the soul that truly loveth him as God. But here are some doubts to be resolved.

Quest. 1. What if the same soul have love and sin mixed; or sincere love in a degree that is sinfully defective, and so is consistent with something of its contrary; God must hate that sin; how then can he love that soul?'

Answ. Remember still that diversity is only in us, and not in God: therefore God's will is related and denominated towards us, just as its object is. All that is good in us God loveth all that is evil in us he hateth. Where goodness is predominant, there God's love is predominant, or greatest, from this relation and connotation. Where sin is predominant, God's aversation, displicency or hatred is the chief: and we may well expect that the effects be answerable.

Object. But we are beloved as elect before conversion.' Answ. That was answered before. That is, God from eternity purposed to make us good, and amiable, and happy; if you will call that (as you may) his love.

Object. But we are beloved in Christ, for his righteousness and goodness, and not for our own.'

Answ. The latter is false: the former is thus true: for the merits of Christ's righteousness, and goodness, God will pardon our sins, and make us good, holy and happy; and will love us as the holy members of his Son; that is, both as related to him, and as holy.

Object. But if God must needs love sincere imperfect lovers of him as such, with a predominant love, (which will not damn them;) then sin might have been pardoned with