The Book of Nature Translated and Epitomized, Chapter 8
Chap. 7.
Sect. I.
What is it, man ought to render unto God, for his love and all his benefits?
LOve. Something he has to render unto God, that may properly be called his own; otherwise would he be obliged to an impossibility. Forasmuch as the love of God is his principal gift unto man, the root and foundation of all his other gifts (which are but as tokens and manifestations of that) the intire, free, and most syncere love of man to God, is the most natural, reasonable, and suitable requital, that 'tis possible for him to make unto the lord, for his love, and all his benefits. Love is the most precious and excellent gift, the will of man has to dispose of, freely and uncompulsorily, where it list's. Thus have we found the thing we sought for, love, seated in the supream ruling power in man, his will. Syncere love to God, carries that in and with it, which is the best requital man can make for all that God has done for him. It does comprehend in it all that God requires of him. It is written; thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, soul, strength, and mind; and thy neighbour as thy self. Luk. 10. 27. Love is the fulfilling of the law. Rom. 13. 10. Love is the radical gift of God unto man, from whence did issue forth all other gifts. And by the love of man to God, as the prime and radical gift he has to return, will all the secondary gifts of God, that are tokens and manifestations of God's love to him, in his own and all inferiour nature, be surrendred and returned, used, and improved to the praise of his creatour. Man's love to God will cause him to glorify God in his body and in his spirit, which are God's. 1 Cor. 6. 20. Love then is the most natural, orderly, proportion'd retribution, and therefore the most pleasing and acceptable unto God, that man can make. No other gifts or performāces of mā, whatsoever, can be acceptable unto God, unlesse love be the root and spring from whence they do proceed. Love, as it is the first, so is it incomparably the greatest gift of God to man, or man to God. The love of man to God, is that which season's, qualifies, and render's acceptable all his other gifts and performances. God first loved man; man therefore ought to love God, and that in the first place, above all; and no other things, but for his sake, or as bearing his image and superscription stamp'd or impress'd upon them. Otherwise, his love to God will carry no correspondency with God's love to him, and so will not be accepted. Though the most absolute and perfect love of man to God, can, in no wise, equal the infinite love of God to him, yet being the best thing man can give, it wilbe accepted. The love of God to man, as much exceeds all possible love of man to God, as the being of God who is love, excell's the being of man; that is, infinitely. But if man give all that God requires of him, even all he has to give, it wilbe accepted. There is no pain, wearisomnes, or trouble in love. It alleviates all other labour, and renders all right performances delightfull. Our love rightly plac'd and fix'd, begets continual delight and gladnes of heart.
SECT. II.
The whole debt or service of love, which man is obliged to pay unto God, redound's and return's singly and wholly to his own profit and advantage.
GOd is infinitly perfect, wanting nothing, that any of his creatures can do for him. The profit and advantage of the service performable by inferiour creatures unto man, or by man unto God, must light somewhere. All is for man's profit; both what other creatures do for him, and what he does aright unto God. And by how much man's nature excell's the natures of all inferiour things, so much does his service rightly performed unto God, exceed the service which other creatures perform to him. Now the more excellent the service is, the greater is the profit, thereby redounding unto man. He therefore must needs have incomparably more profit from his service of love, freely performed unto God, then from any service that inferiour creatur's do by a natural necessity and impulse, perform unto him. And the more perfectly any man serv's God, the more profit he receiv's unto himself. 'Tis the true interest then and highest concern of man, to be incessantly performing his service of love to God, with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength, seing all redounds singly and intirely to his own advantage.
The service, other creatures perform to man, is not remunerable or capable of reward, because not freely performed, but by natural necessity. The service perform'd by man to God, being free, is remunerable. Man then receiving all the advantage by both services, let us distinctly consider what profit he receiv's by the first, and what by the second.
By the first, perform'd by other creatures unto him, his being is for a while continued in this mortal state. By the second, performable by him in Christ, unto God, is his everlasting wel-being atteinable. So much then as the eternal wel-being of man, excell's his bare temporal being in a mortal body, does the second service exceed the first, in dignity and profit. A bare being, is not profitable unto man, unless he may have a wel-being. Other creatures then by serving him with all they have, unless he serv God with all he has, will but aggravate his sin and adde to his misery. Being was given unto man, in order to his wel-being; So is the service of other creatures performed unto man, for his temporary being in this world, in order to that service he ought to perform unto God, with reference to his eternal wel-being, in the world to come. If the second service be not performed by man to God; the first, to wit, of other creatures unto him, is render'd void and to no purpose, as much as in man lies. Yea, it is perverted to the service of the devil, in enmity to God. All the service perform'd by other creatures to a man that serv's not God, is lost, or worse. The main end and chief design of God in creating the world, is frustrated and rendred of no effect, by the man that serv's not God.
We do plainly experience that man can't continue his being in this world, unless maintein'd and upheld by other creatur's: nor can other creatur's continue or subsist, unless upheld by the same hand that made them. If they could, they would be greater in this point of self-preservation, then man. Man can't maintein them in being, but is maintein'd by them. Some other hand then above both, mainteins them, and him by them. But man alone stands indebted unto God, as for his own being and theirs, so for the continuance of both.
By the first service, perform'd by inferiour creatures unto man, they are brought into union with him. By the second, performed by man unto God, he is brought into union with God. So in and by man, the world comes to be united with God. All things that came out of the love of God to man, by the love of man to God are brought into union with him that made them. He then that does not love and serve the lord, does what in him lies towards the disjoyning and seperating of the world from God, and the bringing of all things into disorder and confusion. Man alone (in whose nature and constitution all sorts of created nature, life, and being are put together) is the means in and by whom all inferiour creatures come to be united with God.
SECTION. III.
FRom the first obligation on man, or debt of love which he owes unto God, does naturally arise a second, like unto it; and that is the love of all creatures, as the works of his hands, and as bearing any thing of his image, or superscription upon them; on which account, himself pass'd that universal approbation, that every thing that he had made, was very good. Gen. 1. 31. But forasmuch as amongst all things there mention'd, men, for whom the rest were made, do beare the most compleat and lively image of God upō them, they are, on God's account, to be loved by us, more then any inferiour creatures. All men, as of one and the same nature, ought to look upon themselvs as one man, not many. There ought, by the very law of nature, to be the strictest union, the greatest peace and agreement amongst them, that's possible. As their love of God in the first place, so is the love of one another in the second, as bearing his image, founded in the law of nature. Thou shalt love the lord thy God, with all thy heart, soul, strength and mind, say's Christ. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commādments hang all the law and the prophets. Mat. 22. 37, 40. All men are bound by the law of their own nature, to live in perfect union with God, and with one another, by love. The greatest unity amongst men, arises from their first being united with God: and the firmer their union, the greater their strength. Self-love divides us from God, and consequently from one another. So come we to lose that strength which depend's on union, and to lie naked and exposed, in our own single persons, to all the wiles and darts of the devil; &c. Inferiour creatures are to be loved by mā, only on God's account, as the works of his hands, bearing some characters and shadowy resemblāces of his infinitly persect being and life. We are not to look on ourselvs as obliged to them, for any benefit, use or service we receive from them, or have of them; but unto God only, who causes them to perform such beneficiall service. The loving of inferiour creatures, as gratifying, our sensual desires, is so far from being a natural consequent of our loving God, that 'tis direct enmity to him. Such love of this world and the things thereof, is enmity to God. If any man thus love the world, the love of the father is not in him. Jam. 4. 4. 1 Jo. 2. 15. To ask of God creature-contentments, to consume upon our lusts, (Jam. 4. 3.) is to desire him that he would maintein us in our enmity against himself. The multiplicity of heathen Gods, and the various idolatries in the world, have arisen from man's unlawful, prohibited love of inferiour creatures. Many heathens concluded that any thing that did them good, was a God. On this account were they induced to worship the sun, moon, stars, fire, air, earth, water, sheep, oxen, &c. Such unlawfull, idolatrous love of inferiour creatures, has its rise, as a natural consequent, from self-love. When we love our own wills, in distinction from and opposition to God's, we love the creatures appointed for our use, only as they do gratify our wills in enmity to god; and not at all as the works of his hands, or as bearing any thing of his image and superscription upon them.
SECT. IV.
THe right paying or performing of the secondary debt of love, to all creatures, as the works of gods hands, but specially to all men (and yet more especially to the houshold faith, those that are not only made, but born of God) doth redound wholly to the profit of man as well as his performing the first debt of love immediatly unto god himself. God is above all capacity of receiving any profit by any thing his creatur's can do. All inferiour things are designed for the profit of man, not of god. And all the duty god requir's of man, is calculated singly and wholly to his own advantage. If he be wicked, he hurts other and himself; but god he cannot hurt. If he be righteous, what gives he to god, or what receiveth god at hi… hand? Job 35. 6, 8. The disadvantage of sin, and profit of righteousnes belongs to ourselvs only God can't be hurt by the one, or profited by th… other.