A Christian Directory

109. The attainment of this would be a taste of Heaven on Earth: Our wills would follow the will of God, and Rest therein, and abhor reluctancy: All our duty would be both quickened and sweetened with Love: Self-interest would be disabled from either seducing us to sin, or vexing us with griefs, cares, fears or discontents. We should so far trust soul and body in the Will and Love of God, as to be more comforted that both, are at his will than if they were absolutely at our own. And GOD being our All, the constant, fixing, satisfying object of our Love, our souls would be constantly fixed and satisfied, and live in such experience of the sanctifying grace of Christ, as would most powerfully conquer our unbelief; and in such foretasts of Heaven, as would make Life sweet, Death welcome, and Heaven unspeakably desirable to us. But it is not the mere Love of personal Goodness as our own perfection that would do all this upon us.

109. The attainment of this would be a tast of Heaven on Earth: Our wills would follow the will of God, and Rest therein, and abhor reluctancy: All our duty would be both quickned and sweetned with Love: Self-interest would be disabled from either seducing us to sin, or vexing us with griefs, cares, fears or discontents. We should so far trust soul and body in the Will and Love of God, as to be more comforted that both, are at his will than if they were absolutely at our own. And GOD being our All, the constant, fixing, satisfying object of our Love, our souls would be constantly fixed and satisfied, and live in such experience of the sanctifying grace of Christ, as would most powerfully conquer our unbelief; and in such foretasts of Heaven, as would make Life sweet, Death wellcome, and Heaven unspeakably desirable to us. But it is not the meer Love of personal Goodness as our own perfection that would do all this upon us.

110. The soul that is troubled with doubts whether he Love God as God, or only as a means of his own felicity in subordination to self-love, must thus resolve his doubts. If you truly believe that God is God, that is, the Efficient, Dirigent and Final cause, the just end of every rational agent, the Infinite Good and chiefly to be loved, in comparison of whom you are vile, contemptible and as nothing; If you feelingly take your self as loathsome by sin; If you would not take up with an everlasting sensual pleasure alone, without Holiness if you could have it; No nor with any perfection of your intellectual nature, merely as such and for your selves, without the Pleasing and Glorifying God in it; If you practically perceive that every thing is therefore and so far Good and Amiable, as God shineth in it as its cause, or as it conduceth to Glorify him, and Please his Will: If accordingly you Love that person best on whom you perceive most of God, and that is most serviceable to him, though not at all beneficial to your self: If you Love the welfare of the Church, the Kingdom, the World, and of the Heavenly society, Saints, Angels and Christ, as the Divine Nature, interest, Image or impress maketh all Lovely in their several degrees; and would rather be annihilated were it put upon your choice, than Saints, Angels, Kingdoms, Church should be annihilated; If your hearts have devoted themselves and all that you have to God as his own to be used to his utmost service: If your chief desire and endeavour in the world be to please his blessed will; and in that will and the contemplation of his infinite perfections you seek your rest; If you desire your own everlasting happiness, in no other kind, but as consisting in the perfect sight of Gods Glory, and in your perfect Loving of him, and being pleasant or beloved to him, and this as resting more in the Infinite Amiableness of God, than the felicity which hence will follow to your selves (though that also must be desired); If now you deny your own glory for his Glory; if your chief desire and endeavour be to Love him more and more; and you Love your selves best when you Love him most; In a word, If nothing more take up your care than how to Love God more, and nothing in the whole world (your self or others) seem more Amiable to your sober practical judgement, and your wills, than the Infinite Goodness of God as such;