The divine life in three treatises

The Mercies of God must imprint upon our minds the fullest and deepest conceptions of him, as the most perfect, suitable, Lovely Objects to the soul of man; when all our Good is Originally in him, and all flows from him, that hath the Goodness of a Means, and finally himself is all; not to Love God then, is not to Love Goodness it self; and there is nothing but Good that's suited to our Love. Night and day therefore should the Believer be drawing and deriving from God, by the views and tastes of his precious Mercies, a sweetness of nature, and increase of holy Love to God, as the Bee sucks Honey from the flowers. We should not now and then for a recreation light upon a flower, and meditate on some Mercy of the Lord, but ⟨p. 128⟩make this our work from day to day, and keep continually upon our souls, the lively tastes, and deep impressions of the Infinite Goodness and Amiableness of God. When we Love God most, we are at the best, most pleasing to God; and our lives are sweetest to our selves: And when we steep our minds in the believing thoughts of the abundant Fatherly Mercies of the Lord, we shall most abundantly Love him. Every Mercy is a Suitor to us from God! The contents of them all is this [My Son, Give me thy Heart] [Love him that thus loveth thee] Love him, or you reject him. O wonderful Love! that God will regard the Love of man! that he will enter into a Covenant of Love! that he will be Related to us in a Relation of Love! and that he will deal with us on terms of Love! that he will give us leave to Love him, that are so base, and have so Loved Earth and Sin! yea and that he will be so earnest a suitor for our Love, as if he needed it, when it is only we that need! But the paths of Love are mysterious and incomprehensible.

The Mercies of God must imprint upon our minds the fullest and deepest conceptions of him, as the most perfect, suitable, Lovely Objects to the soul of man; when all our Good is Originally in him, and all flows from him, that hath the Goodness of a Means, and finally himself is all; not to Love God then, is not to Love Goodness it self; and there is nothing but Good that's suited to our Love. Night and day therefore should the Believer be drawing and deriving from God, by the views and tasts of his precious Mercies, a sweetness of nature, and increase of holy Love to God, as the Bee sucks Honey from the flowers. We should not now and then for a recreation light upon a flower, and meditate on some Mercy of the Lord, but ⟨p. 128⟩