Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

Hence you never knew any Man, nor can the Records of Eternity produce any Man, or Devil, that ⟨p. 677⟩ever hated any Person, or any thing as good in it self: 'Tis a thing absolutely repugnant to the Nature of any Rational Creature. The Devils hate not God, because he is good; but because he is not so good to them, as they would have him; because he will not unlock their Chains, turn them into liberty, and restore them to Happiness, i. e. because he will not desert the Rights of abused Goodness. But how should we send up flames of love to that God, since we are under his direct Beams, and enjoy such plentiful influences! If the Sun is comely in it self, yet 'tis more amiable to us, by the light we see, and the warmth we feel.

Hence you never knew any Man, nor can the Records of Eternity produce any Man, or Devil, that ⟨p. 677⟩ever hated any Person, or any thing as good in it self: 'Tis a thing absolutely repugnant to the Nature of any Rational Creature. The Devils hate not God, because he is good; but because he is not so good to them, as they would have him; because he will not unlock their Chains, turn them into liberty, and restore them to Happiness, i. e. because he will not desert the Rights of abus'd Goodness. But how should we send up flames of love to that God, since we are under his direct Beams, and enjoy such plentiful influences! If the Sun is comely in it self, yet 'tis more ami•ble to us, by the light we see, and the warmth we feel.

1. The greatness of his Benefits have reason to affect us with a love to him. The Impress he made upon our Souls, when he extracted us from the darkness of nothing: The Comeliness he hath put upon us, by his own Breath: The Care he took of our Recovery, when we had lost our selves: The Expense he was at for our Regaining our defaced Beauty: The gift he made of his Son: The Affectionate Calls we have heard to over-master our Corrupt Appetites, move us to Repentance, and make us disaffect our beloved Misery: The loud sound of his Word in our Ears, and the more inward knockings of his Spirit in our Heart: The offering us the Gift of himself, and the Everlasting Happiness he Courts us to; besides those common favours we enjoy in the World, which are all the Streams of his rich Bounty. The voice of all is loud enough to solicit our love, and the Merit of all ought to be strong enough to engage our love: There is none like the God of Jesurun, who rides upon the Heaven in thy help, and in his Excellency on the Sky