things we see; in remarking the general bounty and munificence with which this great Paterfamilias hath provided for the necessary sustenance, for the convenience, for the defence, for the relief, for the delight and satisfaction of his creatures: even in the contemplation of these things being ravished with admiration and affection, how often do they thus exclaim: 'O Lord, how manifold are thy works, in wisdom hast thou made them all.' The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord: the earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy! Great is our Lord, and of great power; his understanding is infinite: All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord;' with such reflexions, I say, on those common, yet admirable and excellent works of God (which we perhaps with a regardless eye unprofitably pass over) did those good men kindle and foment pious affections toward God. The same effect may also the considering the very common proceedings of divine providence beget in us; such as are discernible to every attentive mind both from history and daily experience; considering God's admirable condescension in regarding and ordering human affairs both for common benefit, and for relief of particular necessities, his supplying the general needs of men, relieving the poor, succoring the weak and helpless, protecting and vindicating the oppressed, his seasonable encouraging and rewarding the good, restraining and chastising the bad even such observations are productive of love to God in those, who, according to that duty intimated by the prophet, do regard the works of the Lord, and consider the operations of his hands:' they who are wise, and will observe these things, they,' as the psalmist tells, shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord;' understand it practically, so as to be duly affected thereby; and so accordingly we find the consideration of these things applied by the great guides and patterns of our devotion. But especially the study and contemplation of those more high and rare proceedings of God, in managing his gracious design of our redemption from sin and misery, wherein a wisdom so unsearchable and a goodness so astonishing declare themselves, are most proper and effectual means of begetting divine love: if the consideration of God's eternal care for our welfare, of his descending to the lowest condition for our sake, of his willingly undertaking and pa : tiently undergoing all kinds of inconvenience, of disgrace, of bitter pain and sorrow for us; of his freely offering us mercy, and earnestly wooing us to receive it, even when offenders, when enemies, when rebels against him; of his bearing with exceeding patience all our neglects of him, all our injuries towards him; of his preparing a treasure of perfect and endless bliss, and using all means possible to bring us unto the possession thereof; if, I say, considering those wonderful strains of goodness will not affect us, what can do it? How miserably cold and damp must our affections be, if all those powerful rays (so full of heavenly light and heat) shining through our minds cannot inflame them? how desperately hard and tough must our hearts be, if such incentives cannot soften and melt them? Is it not an apathy more than stoical, more than stony, which can stand immovable before so mighty inducements to passion? Is it not a horridly prodigious insensibility to think on such expressions of kindness without feeling affection reciprocal? But if the consideration of God's general and public beneficence will not touch us sufficiently, let us farther hereto adjoin, 3. Serious reflexions on the peculiar (personal or private) benefits by the divine goodness vouchsafed unto ourselves. There is, I suppose, scarce any man, who may not, if he be not very stupid and regardless, have observed, beside the common effects of God's universal care and bounty wherein he partakes, even some particular expressions and testimonies of divine favor dispensed unto him by God's hand, (apt to convince him of God's especial providence, care, and good-will to him particularly, and thereby to draw him unto God,) both in relation to his temporal and to his spiritual state; in preventing and preserving him from mischiefs imminent, in opportune relief, when he was pressed with want, or surprised by danger; in directing him to good, and diverting him from evil. Every man's experience, I say and suppose, will inform him that he hath received many such benefits from a hand, invisible indeed to sense, yet easily discernible, if he do attend to the circumstances wherein, to the seasons when they come; it is natural to every man being in distress, from which he cannot by any present or visible means extricate himself, to stretch forth his hand and lift up his voice toward heaven, making his recourse to divine help; and it is as natural for God to regard the needs, to hearken to the cries, to satisfy the desires of such persons; for, The Lord is nigh to all that call on him: he openeth his hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing: He will be a refuge to the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble: He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness: They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing: Look at the generations of old and see; did ever any trust in the Lord and was forsaken? or whom did he ever despise that called on him? This poor man (this, and that, any poor man,) cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles;' since then no man in all likelihood hath not some occasion of God's especial favor and assistance, and God is always so ready to afford them, we may reasonably presume that every man doth sometime receive them, and is thereby obliged to return a grateful affection to him, not only as to a common benefactor, but as to his particular friend and patron. However there is none of us who may not perceive himself singularly indebted to God's patience in forbearing to punish him, to his mercy in pardoning and passing over innumerable offences committed against him: the renowned penitent in the gospel did love much, because much was forgiven her:' and who is there of us, that hath not the same reason to love much? Who is there that, at least according to God's inclination and intention, hath not had much forgiven him? Whom have not the riches of divine goodness and long-suffering attended on in order to his repentance? Who hath not been in so great degree ungrateful, unfruitful, and unprofitable, that he hath not abundant reason to acknowlege God's especial grace in bearing with him, and to confess with Jacob, that he is less than the least of all God's mercies?' If any such there were, he should have no less cause to be affected with the abundance of that grace, which so preserved him from sins and provocations. For if we stand, it is he that upholdeth us;' if we fall, it is he that raiseth us;' it is his especial favor that either we avoid sin, or sinning escape punishment. Now then God having by many real evidences declared such particular affection toward us, can we, considering thereon, do other wise than say to ourselves, after St. John, Nos ergo diligamus Deum, quoniam prior dilexit nos; Let us therefore love God, because God first loved us:' surely in all ingenuity, according to all equity, we are bound to do so; the reason and nature of things doth require it of us: all other loves, even those of the baser sort, are able to propagate themselves; (to continue and enlarge their kind;) are commonly fruitful and effectual in producing their like: how strangely then unnatural and monstrous is it, that this love only, this so vigorous and perfect love, should be barren and impotent as it were? " If you love those that love you,' saith our Saviour,' what reward have you?' (what reward can you pretend to for so common, so necessary a performance ?) do not even the publicans do the same?' (the publicans, men not usually of the best natures, or tenderest hearts, yet they do thus.) And, again saith he, If you love those who love you, what thank is it? for even sinners love those that love them;' (sinners, men not led by conscience of duty, or regard to reason, but hurried with a kind of blind and violent force, by instinct of nature, do so much, go so far.) If thus men, both by nature and custom most untractable, the least guided by rules of right, of reason, of ingenuity; yea, not only the most barbarous men, but even the most savage beasts are sensible of courtesies, return a kind of affection unto them who make much of them, and do them good; what temper are we of, if all that bounty we experience cannot move us; if God's daily loading us with his benefits,' if his 'crowning us with loving-kindness and tender mercies,' if all those 'showers of blessings,' which he continually poureth down on our heads, do not produce some good degree of correspondent affection in us? It cannot surely proceed altogether from a wretched baseness of disposition, that we are so cold and indifferent in our affection toward God, or are sometimes so averse from loving him; it must rather in great part come from our not observing carefully, not frequently calling to mind, not earnestly considering what God hath done for us, how exceedingly we stand obliged to his goodness, from our following that untoward generation of men, who were not, it is said, 'mindful of the wonders which God did among them; who remembered not his hand, nor the day that he delivered them;' rather following, I say, such careless and heartless people,' (so they are termed,) than imitating that excellent person's discretion, who constantly did set God's loving-kindness before his eyes,' who frequently did thus raise his mind, and rouse up his affections; Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgiveth all thine iniquities, and healeth all thy diseases,' &c. It is not for want of the like experience, or the like obligation, but for want of the same wisdom, of the same care, of the same honest consideration and diligence, that we do not the like. To these means I add that, 4. A special help to breed in us this holy disposition of soul will be the setting ourselves in good earnest, with a strong and constant resolution, to endeavor the performance of all our duty toward God, and keeping his commandments, although on inferior considerations of reason, such as we are capable of applying to this purpose; regards of fear, of hope, of desire to avoid the mischiefs arising from sin, or attaining the benefits ensuing on virtue. If we cannot immediately raise our hearts to that higher pitch of acting from that nobler principle of love, let us however apply that we can reach unto practice, striving as we are able to perform what God requires of us; exercising ourselves, as to material acts, in keeping a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man; the doing which, as it may in time discover the excellency of goodness to our mind, so it will by degrees reconcile our affections thereto; then, by God's blessing, (who graciously regards the meanest endeavors toward good; who despiseth not the day of small things;' who will not quench the smoking flax, nor break the bruised reed,') from doing good out of a sober regard to our own welfare, we shall come to like it in itself, and consequently to love him, unto whose nature, and to whose will, it renders us conformable for as doing ill breeds a dislike to goodness, and an aversation from him who himself is full thereof, and who rigorously exacts it of us; as a bad conscience removes expectation of good from God, and begets a suspicion of evil from him, consequently stifling all kindness toward him; so, doing well, we shall become acquainted with it, and friends thereto; a |
