A Christian Directory

And evidence of special Love there is none, before Faith and Repentance and the first Love to God. And extraordinary Revelations from Heaven by inspiration or Angel, is not the ordinary begetter of faith: For faith is the Belief of God speaking to us (now) by his written Word. So that where there is no Object of Love, there can be no Love: And where there is no Revelation of it to the understanding, there is no object for the will: And till a man first believe and Love God, he hath no Revelation that God doth specially Love him. Search as long as you will, you will find no other. 3. If the wicked were condemned for not Loving a false or feigned object, it would quiet their consciences in Hell when they had detected the deceit, and seen the natural impossibility and contradiction. 4. The first Love to God is more a Love of Desire, than of Possession: And therefore it may suffice to raise it, that we see a possibility of being for ever happy in God, and enjoying him in special Love, though yet we know not that we possess any such Love. The Nature of the thing proclaimeth it most Rational and due, that we Love the Infinite Good, that hath done so much by the death of his Son to remove the impediments of our salvation, and is so far Reconciled to the world in his death, as by a message of Reconciliation, to entreat them to accept of Christ, and pardon, and salvation freely offered them 2 Cor. 5. 19, 20. and is himself the offered Happiness of the soul. He that dare say that this much hath not an Objective sufficiency to engage the soul in special Love, is a blind under-valuer of wonderful mercy. 5. The first special Grace bringeth no new Object for faith or Love, but causeth a new act upon the formerly revealed object.

And evidence of special Love there is none, before Faith and Repentance and the first Love to God. And extraordinary Revelations from Heaven by inspiration or Angel, is not the ordinary begetter of faith: For faith is the Belief of God speaking to us (now) by his written Word. So that where there is no Object of Love, there can be no Love: And where there is no Revelation of it to the understanding, there is no object for the will: And till a man first believe and Love God, he hath no Revelation that God doth specially Love him. Search as long as you will, you will find no other. 3. If the wicked were condemned for not Loving a false or feigned object, it would quiet their consciences in Hell when they had detected the deceit, and seen the natural impossibility and contradiction. 4. The first Love to God is more a Love of Desire, than of Possession: And therefore it may suffice to raise it, that we see a possibility of being for ever happy in God, and enjoying him in special Love, though yet we know not that we possess any such Love. The Nature of the thing proclaimeth it most Rational and due, that we Love the Infinite Good, that hath done so much by the death of his Son to remove the impediments of our salvation, and is so far Reconciled to the world in his death, as by a message of Reconciliation, to intreat them to accept of Christ, and pardon, and salvation freely offered them