The True Christians T est, Part 2 · Meditation 37
MEDITAT. XXXVII. From the Conſideration of the Nature of Love.
WHen I begin to think of the Nature of Love, I ſee a wide Field open, wherein I might either tire my ſelf, or loſe my ſelf. I will therefore confine my Mind to the Meditation of the Nature of Love, as it is, Giving, Transforming, Uniting, and Subjecting: Theſe are Four famous Properties of it, to give away the mind to the Object, to aſſimulate it to it, to unite it, and to ſubject it thereunto.
From every one of which will ariſe a ſtrong Diſſwaſive from the Love of the World.
He that loves gives; And what does he give? He gives his heart, he gives himſelf. The Text ſeems to juſtify this Notion, That predominant loving is a giving away of the Heart to any Object—My Son give me thy heart. He that predominantly loves God, gives him his heart; And it is true on the other hand, that the Covetous Man is given to the World, and the Senſualiſt is given to Pleaſures, Anima eſt ubi amat non ubi animat: The Soul that loves, ſojourns abroad all the while, and is anothers, not its own. He that loves God, gives himſelf to God, and dwelleth in him; which giving away of our ſelves is moſt advantageous. For in lieu of this poor gift, our ſelves, we receive God, who is infinitely better than Ten thouſand Selves: But he that by Love gives himſelf to the World, parts with the beſt he has, even himſelf, for nothing. He gives himſelf to that which can give him nothing back again, cannot ſo much as love him: In which reſpect I doubt not to affirm, that the Covetous Man is the greateſt Prodigal in the World; he parts with that which is moſt precious for no price at all. For to allude to our Saviour, he hath nothing in Exchange for his Soul.
Again, Let us a little conſider the Aſſimulating Nature of Love. As he that looks into a Glaſs, even by looking into it, makes a face therein; ſo he that loves, even by loving, contracts a ſimilitude. No Man loves God, but he forthwith neceſſarily becomes God-like. How precious and honourable muſt this love be then, that makes this bleſſed Transformation? And how vile and diſhonourable is that worldly love, that transforms Man into Money, nay into Muck! The Poets tell of a covetous King that turn'd all he toucht into Gold; but lo here a ſtranger ſight, the Covetous Worldling, turning even himſelf into Gold by loving it. Wouldſt thou be content, O Man, that God ſhould turn thee into Gold or Silver, into Houſe or Land? Why then wilt thou make this voluntary Transformation of thy ſelf? And yet ſo it is, thou becomeſt the thing that thou loveſt; even as a lump of Braſs, Caſt and Carv'd into the ſhape of a Man, is ſaid to be a man; but cut the Effigies of a Beaſt upon it, and it will be call'd a Lion or a Dog.
Yea more than ſo, the nature of Love is not only Aſſimulating but Uniting. The Soul of Man is no otherwiſe united to any Object but by Love; this makes him as much one with God, as he is capable, if God be his beſt belov'd Object; and it makes him one with the World, if that be his darling; even one with a Whore, if he be by love joyn'd unto her. The Particles of ſome Worms cut off, ſeek to be united to the Head: ſure I am that man (who is call'd a Worm and no Man) being by his Apoſtacy cut off from God, ought ever to be enquiring after his Original, and ſeeking to be re-united to the bleſſed Object from which at firſt he is ſo unhappily divorc'd.
In a word, the nature of all created love is to ſubject the Heart to the Belov'd Object: Qui aliquo fruitur, ei neceſſe eſt ut per amorem ſubdatur. He that loves God above all, confeſſes that he needs him above all; and ſeeks to be made happy, in conjunction with ſomething more excellent than himſelf is▪ which is but reaſonable, and indeed honourable. And ſo he that loves the World Predominantly, proclaims his need of, and dependance upon the World, in the enjoyment of which, he expects himſelf to be happy; which is unreaſonable and ſhameful. The covetous Rich Man does not ſo properly poſſeſs the World, as indeed is poſſeſt by it, the World has the command of his Heart, therefore it is his Maſter; and he is the worſt of Slaves, as giving himſelf into a voluntary bondage, and that to the vileſt and meaneſt of Maſters. What place in the Creation ſhall I aſſign to that man that loves the loweſt things; for by loving, he makes himſelf lower than they; and it will puzzle all Philoſophy to tell where to place that man, that is lower than the loweſt.
Shake off theſe ſhameful Fetters, O my Soul, burſt this Yoke: thou art call'd to liberty, renounce this Ahominable ſervitude; and reckon that if for an Hand-Maid to be Heir to her Miſtreſs, is a matter of Pride, for a Miſtreſs to e…ſlave her ſelf to her Hand-Maid, is matter of ſhame and reproach. The gracious Creator hath plac'd thee in a noble degree and rank of the Creatures, the lines are fallen to thee in a good place; do not wilfully degrade thy ſelf by forſaking thy ſtation and thrusting thy ſelf down below the loweſt, to thy eternal diſparagement and amazement: Leſt, whilſt thou ſtand'ſt in a mixture of diſdain, and pity, beholding the mighty Nebuchadnezzar herding himſelf with the Oxen; thou plunge thy ſelf into a more diſhonourable condition then this, and ſuffer thy ſelf to be ridden by thy own Beaſt.