An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

Had he never created a Creature, he would have been for ever happy by amatorious and intellectual Reflections upon himself, and his own Perfections. It is true that God calls for our Love upon account of Creation, Providence and Redemption; but it is due to him for himself, for his Divine Excellency and All-sufficiency. Could we imagine, what is impossible, that there were a rational Creature, who never received any good from God, upon such a supposal, that Creature would be bound to love God for his intrinsical Goodness and Excellency; or else the Will of that Creature might, which is very strange, pass by the Supreme Good unsaluted. But to leave that Supposition; now we have God and many blessings before our eyes, we are bound to love God above all, as the complete and adequate Object of our Love: Should we love any ⟨p. 601⟩Blessings without or above him, it would be Cupiditas, Lust, (which is the formale of every sin) and not Love. I conclude with that of Bonaventure, ¹Secundùm Charitatis legem, impossibile est aliquid plus vel aequaliter Deo amare, Charitas enim, quia diligit Deum ut summum bonum, diligit eum super omnia; quia diligit Deum ut finem ultimum, diligit eum propter se. Blessings may be motives to us to love God, but they are not to be loved as the supreme End or Good, that is God only in his infinite Goodness and Excellency; upon account of these all Worship, and among the rest, Love is due to him.

Had he never created a Creature, he would have been for ever happy by amatorious and intellectual Reflections upon himself, and his own Perfections. It is true that God calls for our Love upon account of Creation, Providence and Redemption; but it is due to him for himself, for his Divine Excellency and All-sufficiency. Could we imagine, what is impossible, that there were a rational Creature, who never received any good from God, upon such a supposal, that Creature would be bound to love God for his intrinsecal Goodness and Excellency; or else the Will of that Creature might, which is very strange, pass by the Supreme Good unsaluted. But to leave that Supposition; now we have God and many blessings before our eyes, we are bound to love God above all, as the complete and adequate Object of our Love: Should we love any ⟨p. 601⟩