A55299:267
An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…
An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ, and our union and communion with him by Edward Polhill ..., Esquire.
London: printed for Ben. Foster, 1675
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Not that I deny, that the Love of God is eternal, 1unchangeable, fruitful, that is, that God was always good, and always continues good, and manifests his love and goodness in such ways as are suitable to his nature, which is the fruitfulness of it; but then the unchangeableness of Gods love doth not consist in being always determined to the same object, but in that he always loves for the same reason; that is, that he always loves true virtue and goodness, where-ever he sees it, and never ceases to love any person, ⟨p. 251⟩till he ceases to be good; and then the immutability of his love is the reason why he loves no longer; for should he love a wicked man, the reason and nature of his love would change, and the fruitfulness of Gods love with respect to the Methods of his Grace and Providence doth not consist in producing what he loves by an omnipotent and irresistible power, for then sin and death could never have entered into the world; but he governs and doth good to his Creatures, in such ways as are most suitable to their Natures; he governs reasonable Creatures by Principles of Reason, as he doth the material World by the necessary Laws of Matter, and brute Creatures by the instincts and propensities of Nature.
Not that I deny, that the Love of God is eternal, 1unchangeable, fruitful, that is, that God was alwayes good, and alwayes continues good, and manifests his love and goodness in such wayes as are suitable to his nature, which is the fruitfulness of it; but then the unchangeableness of Gods love doth not consist in being alwayes determined to the same object, but in that he alwayes loves for the same reason; that is, that he alwayes loves true virtue and goodness, where-ever he sees it, and never ceases to love any person, ⟨p. 251⟩till he ceases to be good; and then the immutability of his love is the reason why he loves no longer; for should he love a wicked man, the reason and nature of his love would change, and the fruitfulness of Gods love with respect to the Methods of his Grace and Providence doth not consist in producing what he loves by an omnipotent and irresistible power, for then sin and death could never have entered into the world; but he governs and doth good to his Creatures, in such wayes as are most suitable to their Natures; he governs reasonable Creatures by Principles of Reason, as he doth the material World by the necessary Laws of Matter, and bruit Creatures by the instincts and propensities of Nature.