Now this Opinfonate, affected Propriety or Selfness comes about thus. God, having in the Beginning created the whole World for Himself, and therein manifested His Power, in making all things to serve and fear Him, as their Lord, would also manifest his Goodness, and therefore made some things to love Him too, that is, to serve Him as a Father no less then as a Lord. This that He might do, 'twas fit His Service should be Rational; 1that is, proceed from a rational Appetite, to wit, the Will informed by the Understanding. So then He made such a Creature as was capable of such an Appetite, and therewith He endued it. Now 'twas necessary this Appetite should be free so, that it might love or not love God's Goodness freely: The Reason is, Because God is a Perfect Good, and so requires Perfect Love to attend it. But now Perfect love, as it casts out Fear, according to the Apostle, 2so it casts out Force too; as which would argue Imperfection in the Good it loves, that it could not, of it self, without the aid of an Extraneous force, attract love proportionable thereunto. For this cause He made the Appetite of the Will free, as by His Assistance to continue in Obedience to His own Will, so by its own mutability to deflect from that, to desire an Independent subss;istence, of it self, and thereto to bend its whole Activity. Being thus enfranchised, it made use of its own Freedom to the worst part, and so rebelled against God, its Maker, forgetting Him, and directing all things to it self. For so, (to omit the Sin of the Angels not revealed to us) we find that Adam, not content with that Condition wherein he was set by God, brake that Law, wherein he was to acknowledge his Dependence and Obedience; by which act of his he did interpretatively renounce God his Maker, and directly sought and set up himself. Here now came in our Propriety, Self-love, Self-will into the World, and therewith sin, the Original of all evil; as well of that which is simply such, sin, as of that which is such to some things only, and in some respects, misery. For, so we find in the story, that Adam, thus seeking himself, ⟨p. 24⟩found himself indeed, but to his own Destruction: Or rather, to speak more truly, did not find, but quite lose himself, as will appear out of God's words concerning him.
Now this Opinfonate, affected Propriety or Selfnesse comes about thus. God, having in the Beginning created the whole World for Himselfe, and therein manifested His Power, in making all things to serve and feare Him, as their Lord, would also manifest his Goodnesse, and therfore made some things to love Him too, that is, to serve Him as a Father no lesse then as a Lord. This that He might doe, 'twas fit His Service should be Rationall; 1that is, proceed from a rationall Appetite, to wit, the Will informed by the Ʋnderstanding. So then He made such a Creature as was capable of such an Appetite, and therewith He endu'd it. Now 'twas necessary this Appetite should be free so, that it might love or not love God's Goodnesse freely: The Reason is, Because God is a Perfect Good, and so requires Perfect Love to attend it. But now Perfect love, as it casts out Feare, according to the Apostle, 2so it casts out Force too; as which would argue Imperfection in the Good it loves, that it could not, of it selfe, without the aid of an Extraneous force, attract love proportionable thereunto. For this cause He made the Apperite of the Will free, as by His Assistance to continue in Obedience to His owne Will, so by its owne mutability to deflect from that, to desire an Independent subss;istence, of it selfe, and thereto to bend its whole Activity. Being thus enfranchised, it made use of its owne Freedome to the worst part, and so rebel'd against God, its Maker, forgetting Him, and directing all things to it selfe. For so, (to omit the Sin of the Angels not revealed to us) we finde that Adam, not content with that Condition wherein he was set by God, brake that Law, wherein he was to acknowledge his Dependence and Obedience; by which act of his he did interpretatively renounce God his Maker, and directly sought and set up himselfe. Here now came in our Propriety, Self-love, Self-will into the World, and therewith sinne, the Originall of all evill; as well of that which is simply such, sinne, as of that which is such to some things onely, and in some respects, misery. For, so we finde in the story, that Adam, thus seeking himselfe, ⟨p. 24⟩found himselfe indeed, but to his owne Destruction: Or rather, to speak more truely, did not sinde, but quite lose himselfe, as will appeare out of God's words concerning him.
- 1Rom. 12.1.
- 21 John 4.18.
