The True Christians T est, Part 2 · Meditation 44 – Meditation 45
MEDITAT. XLIV. A further Motive to the Love of God.
THirdly, I conſider with my ſelf, and do propound it to the conſideration of any Man, that is in his right Wits and his Senſes, exerciſed to diſcern any thing, that whatever is lovely in the Creature, is from God. Our Saviour ſomewhere ſaith to Philip▪ deſiring a ſight of the Father; Have I been ſo long with you, and ſayest thou ſhew us the Father. q. d. What an impertinent requeſt is it, for a man that has ſo long Converſt with the Son, the expreſs Image of the Father, to deſire to ſee the Father. I may with ſome reaſon wonder, and ſay the ſame concerning every lovely Object in the whole Creation; Have we ſeen ſo many beautiful Objects, and taſted to many pleaſant things, and can we not in all thoſe ſee the Beauty, and taſte the Sweetneſs of the Creator? Why that whereby any thing is lovely is of God. Deus eſt quodcun que vides; and ſo we cannot miſs of taſting the Divinity in every pleaſant Morſel, of ſmelling it in every flower, of beholding it in every ſweet Face and Feature: Created good being nothing elſe but a Reflection of the Uncreated Goodneſs. The Wit and Ingenuity for which thou loveſt thy ſelf, the Beauty and Symmetry for which thou loveſt thy Wife, or any other Woman, the Deliciouſneſs for which thou loveſt Meat, or Drink, or Muſick, the Health and Honour for which thou ſo much doteſt upon the World, is but a drop iſſuing out of that Immenſe Ocean of Wiſdome, Beauty, Sweetneſs and Perfection, which God is.
To ſpeak properly, The Excellencies which we ſee in the ſeveral Creatures, are not the Perfections of this or that particular Being, but the perfections of God; for they are nothing but what he made them: and it is by ſtamping his own Beauty and Goodneſs upon them, that they are any of them in any kind good and beautiful; and indeed not only the Perfections and Ornaments of every particular Being are of God, but the very thing it ſelf. Becauſe he is, therefore we are; for in him we live and have our being. In ſpight of all Grammar, I cannot but ſometimes ask my ſelf this ſtrange queſtion, Where was I before I was? A little Philoſophy will reſolve it; whatever there was of me, as I was future, and to exiſt, was in God; Ibi nobiliſſimum mei exemplar. All things are in God, I amongſt the reſt. Age anima, repete illud unde prodiiſti, unde fuisti. There is a great deal of Reaſon why I ſhould love God more than my ſelf, who is the Original and Womb of my being; of whom it is, not only that I am thus accompliſht, but that I am at all. And if more than my ſelf, then certainly more than all other things whoſe Being and Excellencies are derivative as well as my own. The Apoſtle John Argues ſtrongly, 1 John 5. 1. Every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him that is begotten of him. Methinks I may invert the order of the words, and argue with no leſs clearneſs (for the ſame Spirit of God juſtifies this Argumentation alſo) If any one love that which is begotten, he ought to love him that begat: If any one love any lovely Creature, be ought much more to admire the Creator. If a man delight in the Picture of his Friend, and love to contemplate it in his Chamber, how much more will he hug his Friend, the Original and Prototype, when he hath him in his Arms? Ariſe, O my Soul, dwell not upon the loweſt Round of the Ladder, but ſ…ring up by the ſeveral Creatures, as by ſo many ſte… … till thou arrive at the very Original of Beauty and Being.
MEDITAT. XLV. Further Motives to the Love of God.
ANd now purſue this Meditation a little, and add hereunto, That if all the Lovelineſs of the ſeveral Creatures be by way of communication from God, he himſelf muſt needs be infinitely mere Lovely. That bleſſed Supream Being, from whom theſe Excellencies are deriv'd muſt needs himſelf be more Excellent. The ſweetneſs of the Stream muſt needs fall ſhort of the ſweetneſs of the Fountain: as it is true, Nihil dat quod non haber, ſo it is alſo, Nihil dat omne quod habet. All Created Perfections do flow forth from God, as from an infinite Fountain, by way of Redundancy: how inconceivably infinite muſt the Fountain fulneſs … be!
God hath given power to Kings to kill the Body; who would not fear them? He has given them Authority that they can … to this man, come, and to another do this: and who would not obey them? How much rather then ought we to fear him that can caſt both Soul and Body into Hell; how much rather ought we to be obedient to the Supream Authority of Heaven, be in ſubjection to the Father of Spirits, and live? In like manner may any devout mind Reaſon, God hath endowed the Souls of Men with Wiſdom, Ingenuity, Good Nature, gracious diſpoſition. Who can chuſe but love ſuch lovely Objects as theſe; nay rather who will not love the Infinite Wiſdom, Be…ig…ity, and Holineſs, from which theſe are but little Emmanations, and to which they do not bear ſo much proportion as the ſmall duſt of the Baliance, does to the vaſt body of the Earth.
Why ſtand ye admiring us, or the Miracle, ſaid the Two Diſciples? Admire the Divine Jeſus, by whoſe power theſe mighty Miracles are wrought. And why ſtand ye gazing upon me, may all Created Beauty ſay, Paſs on to the great Exemplar, contemplate, admire, and love the raviſhing unſpotted Beauty, in compariſon of whom I am meer vileneſs and deformity: And why ſtand ye gazing upon me, may all created Strength ſay, may the Behemoth and the Leviathan ſay, Paſs on from the chief of the ways of God, to God himſelf; contemplate the Allmighty, Adore and Reverence the Abſolute, Indefeatable, Uncontroulable, Unchangeable, Eternal Being, compar'd with whom our ſtrength. is as ſtraw, and all our might but as rotten wood. And why ſtand ye ſucking at me, may all Created Sweetneſs ſay, may the Honey, and the Honey Comb ſay, Go from the Ciſtern to the Fountain, to the uncreated Sweetneſs, entertain your ſelves, and fill your Souls with the Heavenly Manna, in compariſon of which Fountain, all the Rivers of Created Pleaſures are as the Waters of Marah, in compariſon of which Manna, all created entertainments are rather Husks than Bread, fitter for Swine than Souls.
And why dote ye on me; may all Worldly Glory ſay, may Solomon in all his Glory ſay, if you will aſpire, let nothing terminate your Covetouſneſs Ambition below the Supream Goodneſs, and the Inacceſſible Glory, the Glory of the Higheſt, who hath ſtampt ſome little of himſelf upon me, whereby I become deſirable or glorious; but in compariſon of whoſe brightneſs, I am a dark ſhadow, and a total Eclipſe.