The Rise Race and Royalty of the Kingdom of God

5. The Philosopher in a Mill seeing his Friends making a doubt of coming in to him there, out of a disesteem of the place, and of him for being found in that place, invited them in with these words; here also are the immortal God's. When thou feelest thine heart standing at a distance from any condition for the obscurity of it; or disquieted with cares in any condition for the troubles of it, say to thine heart after this manner; here also is my Jesus with all his Train of Immortal Glories, Loves, Angels, and Spirits. Here he is in a Figure of himself. Here is he in Person under this Figure. Here he is ready to shine forth, and appear gloriously. This is his Shadow; This Shadow is his Tabernacle, in which he dwelleth with me. Upon this Ground will I tune all my cares, all the unquiet motions of my Spirit to Prayers, and Praises, to the Melody of Faith, Love, and Joy. Thus much for the 2d Lesson of living without Care, with content upon this First Principle in the knowledge of the Lord, and his Beauties; that he maketh this world a Shadow falling from his Beautiful Person.

3. Lesson. Live beautifully, and purely, as Priests to God in this present world. For this world is the Temple of God, in as much, as it is Jesus Christ in a Shadow. For the Invisible things of him from the Creation of the World are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his Eternal Power, and God-Head, Rom. 1. 20. Four things make a Temple. 1. A Divine Authority for the building of it. This World is the Creation of God. 2. A Divine Pattern. The Invisible things of the God-Head, of the Lord Jesus the power of the God-Head, of Eternity are figured upon this World. 3. A Divine End. The proper end of these Figures is to form notions of the Divine nature upon our minds, to lead us to converse with it, to bring us into the Participations of it, that it may enjoy itself in the reflections of its own excellencies, and Glories from us; v. 21. When they knew God, they glorified him not, as God. They emproved not these Figures, and Notions to an entrance within the Vail into the Glory itself, which was the Divine end of them. 4. A Divine Presence. Jesus is he, who filleth All in All, Ephes. 1. l.

In what a Calm, in what Serenity, in what Purity, with what Beauty should we appear in this world, as Priests in the Temple, and in the midst of the Mysteries of God?

Psal. 29. 9, In his Temple doth everyone speak of his Glory. In the Hebrew you may read every Thing, as well as every One. So the Margin hath it; every whit of it; that is, of the Temple uttereth Glory. Such should we ever be, as those who see the essence of Beauty, who hear the Soul, and Spirit of Music, who taste, take in, and feel the pure, the primitive Life of all Sweetness, and Joy in the Glory, the God-Head itself inhabiting every part and point, every passage, motion of Things in this whole Creation, as in a Temple. How would our Persons, and lives shine with a spiritual Luster; how sweet would the Music of our Spirits, and Conversation be, if we did thus take up, and bear this Natural Image, as the Tabernacle, and the Star of our God, our Beloved Jesus? Figures made by the Eternal Spirit, to worship, and enjoy him, as St. Stephen speaketh, Acts 7. 43.

Eccles. 3. We read, that there is to everything a Season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven. v. 1. To be born, and to die; to plant, and to pull up. v. 2. To kill, and to heal. v. 3. To weep, and to laugh. v. 4. To love, and to hate; for war, and for peace. v. 8. He hath made everything beautiful in his Time, or in its Time. v. 11. And whatsoever God doth, it shall be forever. v. 14.

In the Tabernacle, and Temple every part, every pin answered to the Pattern on the Mount, which were the Heavenly Things themselves in the Spirit, in Eternity. All objects, all actions in the Temple, the Beasts, the cutting their throats, the taking off their skins, the taking out their Entrails, the cutting them in pieces, the boiling, the burning them were sacred Figures of Divine and Immortal Glories, to which the Music of the Levites round about upon the walls with their Instruments, and voices kept time.

Thou, O Man, art set in this world, as a Priest in this Temple. Behold! Both the Intell • ctual, and the Bestial part in it; Love, and hatred; War, and Peace; Joy, and Grief; Light, and Darkness; Weeping, with Howlings, Laughter with Shouts; Life, and Death with all that is delightful, or dismal belonging to them; all these Heavenly, and Divine Mysteries. Everyone answereth to a purpose in the Heart of God, to a Pattern in the Eternal, and Essential Form of God. Everyone answereth to the Music of the Holy Angels, which stand in Quires in the uppermost parts of this Creation, as the Levites upon the walls of the Temple. The basest, the bloodiest Persons, and Offices; those that kill, and those that are killed, bear the Figure of Jesus Christ, like the Beasts for Sacrifice, or the Sacrificing Priests in their linen Garments stained with Blood.

Every thing is beautiful in his Time. The Time of everything is Divinely set; by a Divine Pattern, in a Divine Proportion; by a Divine Power. Thus each thing is clothed with a double Beauty. 1. The Divine Harmony of the Universal Image in Nature, resulting from, and resting upon each particular fitly set with a sacred proportion, and contrivance in its own Time, and in his Time, that is, by a Divine Hand in a Divine Time. 2. An exact, and ravishing Harmony with the Eternal Image of the supreme Glories in God. As line for line, feature for feature, color for color, motion for motion from a Face in a Glass answer to the Beautiful Face, which beholdeth itself in the Glass; so is God, and this world; the Face in the water, and the living Face; Beauty itself, by looking upon the water, at once Figuring itself upon it, and beholding itself in it; all being reflections of its own Glory • .

Obj. But you will say, we see not now this resemblance of the Divine Glory in the face of the Creature.

Ans. What God do • h, he doth forever. v. 14. As Jesus said to Peter of the washing his Feet: What I do, thou knowest not now: but thou shalt know hereafter; that may be applied here. The work of God in this World, and Time, is for Heaven, and Eternity, to be understood, and enjoyed there. When we shall come into the presence of the Life, and the Original, then shall we look again with another manner of Eye upon the Picture, and have an unexpress • ble pleasure to behold one in the other. As the Tabernacle, when its season was past, was taken into the Temple. So when Time, and this world are past away, Time, and this world from the Beginning to the End shall be taken up into their first Patterns, into Eternity. God shall call everything to the least dust, or moment by its name, and no one shall be wanting. There shalt thou see the Beauty of the whole, and of every part in the light, and life of its Glorious Original. Then shalt thou know, what God hath done from the Beginning of the world to the End. Thou shalt now possess, and enjoy all with inexpressible pleasures, when thou shalt thus meet them again in a new Light, to be forever with thee.

In the mean time, as Christ said to Martha: Believe, and thou shalt see the Glory of God. Thy Jesus is the Resurrection, and the Life; and that now, and that within thee, in thy Spirit. John 1. 14. The Word was made Fl • sh, and dwelt (tabernacled) among us; (and we beheld his Glory, the Glory, as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of Grace, and Truth. O Man, O Christian, open the Eye of thy understanding, open the Eye of thy Faith; see this world the Tabernacle, the Temple of the Eternal Word; behold all things full of the Grace, and Glory of his Person in Shadows, and Images formed by himself; behold himself in the truth of all this Grace, and Glory; in that height of Glory, which is proper to his own Person, as he is the only begotten of the Father, dwelling with thee in this Temple, behind the Vail of every Shadow and Image. Behave thyself, as in the House of God. Walk in the midst of all Creatures, and Occurrences, as in the midst of so many Divine Mysteries; as a Priest in the Temple. In purity, in peace, in wisdom, in love, bear in every state the Figure of thy Jesus, and his Glories; converse with it in every thing; walk in it at all times. See thy Glorified Jesus himself together with his shadow; make him the mark of thine Eye, and thine Heart; terminate all the workings of thy Spirit upon him, as the Truth, and Substance. So wait continually for the breakings forth of the glory, as a Heavenly Flame thorough the Shadow upon thee, to take thee up into itself. And thou, as thou ascendest, carry up the Shadow with thee.

4. Lesson. Live abstracted from this world in the world. Distinguish, and separate thyself from the Natural Person, Life, and Image, which are all the Shadow, and no more; that thou mayst stand in an Immortal Person, a Life of Glory, the Essential Image, which is the Truth. The Lord Jesus saith: I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you, that I go away. For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you: but, if I depart, I will send Him to you, Joh. 16. 7. Jesus Christ in the Shadow, in the Flesh is the Crucifier, and the crucified. Jesus Christ in the Substance, in the Spirit, is the Comforter, and the Comforted. How expedient is it for us in the midst of these Shadows to withdraw ourselves into the Life, and Truth; that when all things there are dying upon the Cross, all things here may be Comforters, and Comforts▪ which continue forever?

The Lord Jesus saith to the Father Sacrifice, and Burnt-offering thou wouldest not have; but a Body hast thou prepared me; that is, to be offered up in the place of all Sacrifices, H • b. 10. 1. We read v. 1. that the Law hath a Shadow only of good things to come. Jesus, and all His Members have the Shadowy Body of this Natural Man, and the First Creation fitted for them only, to sacrifice themselves in these to the Eternal Truth, that thus they may return on high into That.

All Shadows are under the Law. The Law hath Shadows only of Good things to come. All Sacrifices are under the Law. The Gospel is a Feast, Spirit, and Life.

How wise, how blessed is he, who gathereth himself up entirely out of Nature and Flesh into the Invisible Glory of the Spirit? In which, while Flesh is suffering, as a Sacri • ice by Fire, he seeth all Flesh, Suffering, and Sacrifices to be Shadows only, Shadows of Immortal Joys, and Himself already in those Joys, triumphing over, and comprehending those Shadows in the Beautiful, and Blessed Truth, These are the Lessons from the First Principle; which was, that this World in its pure Naturals falleth as a Shadow from the Glorified Person of our Savior.

2. Principle. The Presence, and Appearance of the Person of our Lord Jesus, and His Glory, is withdrawn from the fallen, and corrupt World. The Devil is called in the Scriptures, The Prince of Darkness; and The Prince of this World. This World, the World in this fallen state is Darkness. Darkness is the Privation of Light. The absence of the Sun from the Earth is the Cause of Darkness. Our Savior in Glory is the Light, the Sun of the whole Creation. While He goeth away with His Beams into a far country, to shine in the Invisible World, He leaveth all behind Him in the Dark. Three Lessons naturally flow from this second Principle.

1. Lesson. Believe not any Appearances of things in this World. Darkness in the language of the Holy Ghost signifieth Deceit. The Lord Jesus saith of Himself; I am the Truth, Truth hath lest the World together with Jesus Christ. Blessed is he, who having the Possessions, or Powers of this World in his Hand; the Smile, or Frowns of it before his Eyes; the Griefs, or Joys of it in his Heart; can with a good assurance say: Have I not a Lye in my Hand, and in my Heart? Are not the Apparitions of the Devil the Father of Lyes before me?

2. Lesson. Love not the things of this World, James. 4. 4. Ye adulterers and Adulteresses, know ye not, that the Friendship of this World, is enmity with God. It is not now the Seed of the Woman, which is a Divine Loveliness, and Love in the Person of our Heavenly Bridegroom, which springeth up in all the Forms, and Fruits of this World. Yet a little while, saith He to the World, and ye shall see me no more. No! It is the Seed of the Serpent in Deformity, and Enmity; in a Contrariety to all Spiritual Beauty Goodness, and Truth, which groweth up everywhere. Your Love to any part of this World is Unclean, and Adulterous: By it you leave the pure, and sweet embraces of your own Glorious Husband to lie down infolded in the treacherous Twinings of the old Serpent, the Dragon.

3. Lesson. Walk not after the Fashion of this World, Rom. 12. 2. Be not conformed to this World. While the Lord Jesus was with this World, it was, His Shadow. He figured His Beauties upon it; He acted it with His Spirit; His Name was as an Ointment poured out upon it; He spake to us and conversed with us there: But now, when He is absent, the beautiful Figure is gone, the Darkness with all its confusions, and cursed Fruits remain▪ The Spirit of Darkness ariseth in it with all his, Hellish Forms of Deceit, Defilement, and Wrath; If thou clothe thy Spirit with any Worldly Image, thou puttest on a filthy Garment, which will pollute thee; thou puttest on a fiery garment, which hath • the burning poisons of Hell hidden in it, which will cleave inseparably to thee, torturing, and consuming thee with a hidden, inward, and u • quenchable flame, This is the Second Principle.

3. Principle. Jesus Christ hath reconciled all things, hath gathered up all things into One, hath made all things New with the Spiritual, and Eternal Glory of the Father; as the World standeth in the Resurrection of Christ from the Dead, and in His Glorified Person, as a New Head to it with a New Name.

Lesson. You then, that are Christ 's live victoriously, and triumphantly in this World. Abide in your Head. • There you see all this World lying conquered, captivated, comprehended in a new, and endless World of Life, Love, and Glory, Rom. 5. We rejoice, saith St. Paul, v. 2. And not only so, but we glory in tribulation, v. 3. Because the Love of God is shed abroad in our Hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto us; v. 5. O Christians! live in Joy; Live in Glory; live in perpetual Triumph. For by the Resurrection, and Ascension of your Jesus, the bitterest Enmities, the blackest Extremities are Forms, Floods of Light, and Love in that Sea of Light, and Love, the Holy Ghost breaking forth from the sweet, and glorious Deep of the God-Head in the Heart of the Father. Rom. 8. v. 57. In all these things, (famine, nakedness sword mentioned before) we are more than conquerors through Him, that loved us v. 58, 59. For nothing, life, nor death, nor Angels, things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth shall be able to sparate us from the love of god, wl ••• is in Christ Jesus. Dear Soul! dwell forever in this good Land of Life, and Love, thy Savior in the Spirit. Nothing here can separate thee from the Divine Love Every thing then, that cometh to thee in life, or in death, must come in that Element of Love; it must come in a Lovedress; it must be Love itself in a Lovely Form. Every thing, that toucheth thee here, must touch thee with the Heavenly kisses, and Embraces of Divine Love. Otherwise there would be a Separation between Love, and thee.

In thy glorified Jesus is the Love of God, that Love, which is God, the God-Head of Love. O blessed Habitation! O Happy, and Heavenly Country! thine own Country indeed! What so much our own, what so near us, so much One with us, as Love? Here Love in its God-Head filleth all, in Spiritual Forms, in Forms of Glory, and of God. O glorious Victory! O Saints more, than Conquerors in the Resurrection of your Savior! The World is fallen before you; it is no more. The old things, of Vanity, Darkness, Sin, Sorrow Death are passed away in His Death. Thus you are conquerors. But in His Resurrection the World is raised again in a Form of Eternal Love, and Glory for you. All things are come again, and are made New, All things appear again the second time Immortal Spirits shining in the Loveliness, burning in the Love of the God-Head for you; opening all things past, present, and to come in themselves, as Beautiful, and Sacred Mysteries of Divine Love to you; which ever is Delighting itself in You, sporting with you, preparing Joys & Glories for you. Thus you are more than Conquerous through Him, who hath loved You. Live then in Him Joyfully, gloriously, Triumphantly. I have done with the first Part of my last Use, the Swee • ning, and Sanctifying Life in this World.

2. Part. To sweeten, and sanctify Death by the Knowledge of Christ in Glory, I shall lay down three Principles to this End.

1. Principle. Every Saint standeth • complete in Glory in the Glorified Person of Christ above, even while he is living, or dying here below, Ye are complete in Him, who is the Head of all Principality, and Power, Col. 2. 10. In the verse before the Lord Jesus was described, as in Him dwelleth all the Fulness, (or Compleatness) of the God-Head bodily. v. 9. Then this is added; And in Him ye are complete, (or full,) who is the Head of all Principality and Power. A Believer is complete in his Savior, as He hath the Compleatness of the God-Head in him; and the Compleatness of all the Angels beneath him. His Life then, and His Death, as they stand in Jesus Christ, are more than Angelical They are Divine.

I shall endeavor to set in lively Figures before your Eyes the Beauty, and Sweetness in the Death of a Saint by four Scriptures.

1. Script. And hath raised us up together, and made us, sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Eph. 2. v. 6. What is to be understood by [ together ] is plain in the verse before, hath quickened us together with Christ, It is God, who doth all this, as is seen, v. 4. God who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he hath loved us. Four Positions lie clear in this Scripture.

1. Pos. A Believer is risen from the Dead. He dieth no more. He is passed from Death to Life. As Abraham is said to have received Isaac from the Dead in a Figure; So the Beloved of the Lord d • eth only in a Figure. Death is to him a Divine Figure standing in the Resurrection from the Dead. His Death is a Flower of Life, and Immortality growing up in the Paradise of God, which is the Glorified Person of Jesus. It beareth indeed the Figure of Death, but is full of a Sweetness, and Beauty, which can never fade, or die. Let us all labor for our part in the New Birth. This is a Resurrection from the Dead. All things after it are Life; Pure Life without any mixture of Death; Perpetual Life, Endless Life without any Sting of Death in the tail of it.

2. Pos. A Believer is already s • t down in Heavenly places; nay more than Heavenly. The Word Heavenly is by some translated, and so it properly signifieth Supercoelestial, more than Heavenly places, above the Heavens. Here a Saint is made to sit down. He is fixed, and established; He is at rest, at home, at the end of all his journeyings, and changes. He is set as a Bride, at the Marriage-feast. He is set, as a Prince upon the Throne of his Kingdom. Thus God giveth His Beloved Sleep, Rest, a Feast, a Throne in Death, Jesus Christ in Glory is this Sleep, this Rest, this Feast, this Throne, which endureth for ever, and ever. O Christian! rejoice, and glory in Death for the Hope of the Joy, and Glory of thy Bridegroom there. Thy Death hath nothing of Dust, or Darkness in it. It is a Heavenly Thing, nay more than Heavenly. It is something Supercoelestial. It is a soft Strain, and ravishing Touch in the Music of the Divine, and Eternal Rest. It is a savoury Dish, such, as thy soul loveth, at the Feast in the Kingdom of God. Solomon had a throne of Gold. On the Steps, which were the Ascents to the Throne, on each side were Lions of pure Gold. Thy Death, O Saint, is now no more a fierce, and devouring Lyon to affright thee. It is the figure of a Lyon in Gold, in one Glory. It is not only an Ascent to thy Throne, O Jedidiah! Beloved of the Lord! It is One Piece of Eternal Glory with thy Throne. It is an Ornament, an Emb •• llishment of Glory to thy Throne.

How good is it for those, who are born of God to keep themselves pure, that they may always see God, that they may see all things to them Divine Objects in a Divine Light, sparkling Jewels of Divine Love, We are ever in the midst of these things, which are more than Heavenly, in the midst of these Supercoelestials; even in the arms of Death. While we keep ourselves unspotted from this world, we see these Supercoelestials, and Death itself in the number of them. But every sin casteth a mist upon them, and covereth us with a Cloud, that we see them no more. Now the Visions of our Joy, and Glory: of Light, and Truth are hid from our Eyes. Now fear, and trembling are upon 〈◊〉 Life is full of Trouble, and Death full of Terror.

3. Pos. A Saint is set down in Heavenly places together with Jesus Christ. The sweetening, and the heightening of all the Joys, and Glories of the Gospel is the Union with thy Beloved Bridegroom. The work of Grace is a Birth, a Resurrection, a Marriage, all in one. The Death of a Saint is an Act of Spiritual Communion between Christ, and the Soul; a Marriage-Joy. The Lord Jesus presenteth himself to the Believer in the Form of Death, as in a Heavenly, a Supercoel • stial Beauty. At this sight the Saint is immediately transformed into the same Image. Jesus Christ springeth up into the Believer, a Believer springeth up into his Beloved in this Heavenly Form. So both are made one in it. Thus Death becometh a Love-play between Christ, and his Spouse, He by a Spiritual Kiss breatheth forth his Spirit of Divine Loves, Immortality, and Invisible Glories into the Spouse. The Spouse ravished forth from her self again in the same moment breatheth forth her Spirit into the Bosom of her Lord. Thus they die together, they die one in another, they die one into another.

In the first of the Canticles there is a Prophetical Song, which beginneth at the Resurrection of our Savior, and the Effusion of the Spirit, together with the Spiritual Union between Christ, and his Church, which was, as their Heavenly Espousals solemnized, and sealed with a Kiss, with the reiterated Kisses of his Mouth. Then followeth in the process of the first Chapter, and beginning of the Second, the Loveliness of the Spouse, and the Love between her, and the Heavenly Bridegroom in her Sufferings, and Death, as they are acted upon the Stage, in the glorious Scene of the Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ, in the State of Espousals, and in their Union in one Spirit. The dying Spouse there singeth to her Lord; Behold! thou art fair, my Love, yea thou art pleasant; also our Bed is green, v. 16. Jesus Christ is fair to a Saint Eye in his Divine Loveliness being risen up into the Glory of the Father. He is pleasant to her in his Loves, which are his Loveliness in Motion, acting beautiful parts; transforming itself into delightful Shapes with endless variety; in all pouring forth itself into her Bosom, taking her up into itself with Blessed Changes of one into another. The Unity of the Spirit is the Bed of Divine Loves, which is ever green, that is, as the word importeth, ever encompassed with a Heavenly Calm, and Serenity, ever flourishing, ever fruitful. Death itself is the mutual embracing of these two Heavenly Lovers in this Bed of Spiritual Loves in the midst of a Divine calm, and clearness; while out of these embraces they spring up into innumerable Forms of Eternal Beauties, and Joys, which are the flourishing Fruits, and Blessed Children of this Marriage-Union.

It is said, that nothing was made without Christ, (apart from Christ) that was made in the Creation, John 1. 2. Remember, O Christian, that in the new Creature thou art, thou sufferest, thou doest nothing, in life, or in death, without thy Jesus in Glory, apart from thy Jesus in the Unity of his Spirit, which is the Center, and Circle of all Blessed Spirits, with all the Train, and Treasures of the Divine Nature. While thou livest, all the Body of Christ, Heavenly Spirits, Innumerable Angels live with thee thy life. All these, all the Lights, and Loves of the Supercoelestial State die with thee thy Death.

4. Pos. All this Resurrection, Ascension into the Heavenly places, Fellowship of a Believer with Christ is in Christ. He hath raised us together, and hath made us sit together in Heavenly Places in Christ Jesus. See now those places above the Heavens, those more than Heavenly Things in the midst of which a Saint is set. They are all in the glorified Person of Christ, who is made higher than the Heavens.

The Learned tell us, that there are three Worlds. 1. This, which is visible. 2. The Angelical World. 3. The Divine World. All things of the upper, and greater Worlds are in the lower, as in the Seed. All Things of the lower are in the Superior, as ripe Fruit. Every thing is in each according to the nature of that place. Behold! This is the Divine World the Person of our Lord, and Love ascended up on high above all Heavens of Angels. Here in him the Fulness of the God-Head dwelleth Bodily; that is, not shadowily, or seminally; in its Shadow, or Seed; but in its Substance, and Perfection. While here thou standest fast in this thy Jesus, thine own proper habitation, Death itself is an Angel; nay more, it appeareth in a Divine Form, is become a Divine Glory, a rich and ravishing piece of variety in the Unity of the Divine Nature. In the World of Angels everything is a distinct Angel. In the Divine World all things are clothed with the form of God.

As a Child lying in its Mothers lap, a branch from the Mother bearing her Image, with its mouth at the Breast, looking upon her Face, falling asleep in her Bosom; yet not so sleeping, but that still it sucketh as it sleepeth: such is a Saint dying in Jesus Christ. He lieth in the lap of the Supreme Glory encompassing him on every side, and bearing him, as its own Birth, and Image. His mouth is at the breast of this Glory. His Eye is upon the Face of this Glory. He sleepeth in its Bosom. But it is a Divine sleep. While he sleepeth, he is awake, and keepeth his Eye still upon the Glory, and sucketh in the Glory still in Death. We have this excellently represented in one place by the Prophet Isaiah, where the Heavenly Jerusalem, (which is our Jesus in the Spirit,) is said to bear her Children on her sides, and to dandle them on her Knee. In another place they are said, to walk in the Light of the new Jerusalem These Dandlings, and Dancings in the Arms of that Glory, which is our Mother, our Father, and our Husband, our Heavenly Jesus; such walks in its sweet, and living Light are all the Motions, and Changes of Life, and Death to those, that are in Christ Jesus.

I shall conclude my Observations from this Scripture with the difference between the Death of a Man standing in the Root of the First Adam, and a Christian in Christ. Death to one is a Poison. In eating of the Forbidden Fruit he dieth out of the Earthly Paradise yet remaining in its ruins in this World into a Land of Briars, and Thorns, into a vast, and howling Wilderness, where the Light is Darkness, and where there is no Order. The Death of the other is a Cordial of dissolved Pearl. In eating of the Tree of Life he 〈◊〉 out of a Land of Briars, and Thorns into a Heavenly Paradise, the Paradise of God. I have done now with the first Scripture.

2. Script. Verily, verily I say unto you, except a Corn of Wheat fall into the ground, and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much Fruit John 12. 24. These are the words of our Savior concerning himself upon a report made to him hy Philip, that some Greeks desired to see him. The design of Jesus is partly to raise them from a Carnal view of him on Earth to a Spiritual sight of him in a Heavenly Glory after Death, partly to signify the difference between his State of humiliation in this Life, where he is single and Barren in the Flesh; and his State of exaltation after Death, where he • iseth up an Universal Person reconciling, comprehending All in the Unity of the Spirit; a Fruitful Person being a new head, and root in the Love, Life, and Glory of the Father to all Mankind, Jews, and Gentiles; to all Creatures.

Our Savior, while he lived, was, as a single, naked grain of Wheat. But when he sprung up out of the Grave, he became a pleasant, and flourishing Plant bearing much Fruit, many grains of Wheat in one Ear; many, all Persons, all Angels, and Spirits in Glory, in that one, his own Person, and Spirit. He was in the Flesh, as one Rose, one Apple pulled off the Tree. He is in the Spirit, as the Rose-Tree, the Apple-Tree. All Angels and Saints, all Forms of Things are glorified in his Glory; all in Heavenly, and Immortal Persons are in his Heavenly Person, as full-blown Roses growing upon the Rose-Tree, as full-ripe Apples upon the Apple-Tree.

The Death of a Saint is upon this ground made most beautiful, and pleasant; Can. 2. 3. As the Apple-Tree among the Trees of the Wood; so is my Beloved among the Sons. I sat down under his Shadow with great delight, and his Fruit was sweet to my taste. There are three distinct parts in the Hebrew; 1. I desired, and sweetly delighted in his Shadow. 2. Then I sat down. 3. And his Fruit was sweet to my taste. The Apple in Holy Scriptures and in the writings of Learned Authors is famous for a pleasant Cordial nourishment of Life; and for an Emblem of Love. You may see this in this Chapter. v. 5. Stay me with Flagons, comfort me with Apples; for I am sick of Love. Apples are Emblems of Love for their pleasant looks to the Eye, their fragrant smell, their delightful taste, their cordial virtue, their round form, which is a Figure of Unity, the Root and Sap, and Fruit of all Love.

In the midst of the Wood of this Life, where all Forms of things are like blasted, and barren Trees, good neither for Shade, nor Fruit, Jesus Christ standeth, as an Apple-Tree, a Tree of Life, and a Tree of Love, Fair, Flourishing and Fruitful.

When the poor Spouse of Christ thorough all this Life is wearied with scorching Heats, sounding Tempests, raging Storms, then her Beloved, when He seeth His Fit Time, springeth up, as a Paradisical, and Heavenly Tree. As He springeth up, He overshadoweth His Spouse; not, as a cloud overshadoweth the Sun, or as Darkness in the absence of the Sun overshadoweth the earth; but as the approaching, and rising Sun overshadoweth the Stars. So the Lord, as a Tree of Glory spreadeth His Shadow over all those Lights of the Night, the Principles, Powers, Activities; Appearances o • the Natural Man; drinking them up into One Light of Glory, and Immortality with Himself, while He drowneth them, with a Sea of Love breaking in upon them, and overflowing them. How sweet is this Approaching Shadow of her Lord's Blessed Person to the Love-sick Soul? a Shadow perfumed with the Ointments of His Love; shining with the purple Luster of His Beauties; quickened with the Life of His Glories; a Divine Shadow? With what Desire, with what Delight doth the Holy Soul go under this Shadow? How precious in the Eye of God, of all the Angels, of a Saint Himself, is This Death? This Death is no Evening to a pleasant Day; but a Lovely Morning, and glorious Sun putting out the Lights of the Moon, with all the Sars, because the Time of the Night is past, and the Day is come. Never did the softest, and sweetest Sleep 〈◊〉 with more pleasure upon the Senses of any Person; than this Shadow of Death cometh upon the Heavenly Bride.

Here a Saint sitteth down. As He entereth into this Shadow, he entereth into Rest, into the Un • ty of God, where He resteth forever from his own Work, and Spirit, to lie down in the Eternal Spirit.

Now he cat • h of his own Apple upon this Apple-Tree. He meeteth with Himself in Glory in the Glorified Person of his Beloved, as the ripe Fruit of Life and Love hanging ready upon its own Tree in Eternity. In the same moment he seeth it, he taketh it in, he relisheth it with inexpressible sweetness, and delight, as being Great, Glorious, His own by the nearest, dearest Suitableness, and propriety; Himself in the Entirest Unity; in the same Moment he seedeth upon it, is Transubstantiated into it and becometh that Lovely Apple that full-ripe Fruit of • ove upon the Tree. As he thus seedeth upon his own Apple, and is changed into it, at once he seedeth upon, is changed into all the Apples of the Tree, and the whole Tree itself. For this is the Divine Mystery of Spiritual P • an • s in the Heave • lie Paradise; each Fruit, each part of the Pl • nt comprehendeth the whole P • ant; all the Plants stand, live, and grow together in each Plant. Every Person a • d Spirit in Glory hath its own Name, & all Names written upon it. It is itself an Entire Heaven, in which all the Heavenly Inhabitants shine, and sing, and dance together with their various Beauties, Musicks, and Motions cast into the most Divine Harmony by a most perfect Unity.

3. Script. John 14. v. 2. 3. In my Father's h • use are many Mansions. If it 〈…〉 I would have t • ld you. I go, to prepare a place for 〈◊〉 . And if I go and prepare a place for you; I will come again; • nd receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Three Mysteries are opened to us in these words; 1. The Place of Blessed Persons after this Life.

2. The Preparation of this Place.

3. Their Passage into this Place. All are full of a Joy glorious, and unspeakable.

1. The Place of Blessed Spirits after this Life. It is, saith Christ, my Father's House. The House of the Father is the Glorified-Person of His Son. This is the Temple of God in Heaven, the Palace of the great King. In Him the fullness of the God-Head dwelleth bodily. All glorious Persons, Angels, Saints, and Spirits, as they are comprehended in the Person of Christ, and make up His Body, the Divine Body, the Body of Glories, and Eternity in Him, as they are Beautiful Members in that Body, so are they Mansions in that Temple, Apartments in that Palace: Every Apartement in this Divine Palace hath the whole Palace, with all the Persons, Prospects, Furniture, Entertainments of the whole within itself. This is the Place.

2. The Preparation of this Place. I go to prepare a place for you. While this Palace of Eternity with all its Apartments, which are also its Inhabitants the Glorified, and Immortal Persons of all Saints, stood in the Father, in the Divine Nature alone; it was hid from the Eye of every Creature, it was shut up, that none could enter into it, it was remote from every Creature at a very great distance. The Lord Jesus by His Death, and Resurrection entering with the Human Nature into this Eternal Habitation, hath set it up in the Nature of Man, hath brought it near to us, hath set it in our view, hath set it open for us. The Gates of this Temple, of this Heavenly Jerusalem stand open day, and night to all quarters of the Heaven, and the Earth. All the Apartements of it with our several Names written upon them, our several Persons in Glory appearing in them, stand ready. The Lord Jesus Himself is the Beautiful Gate, the Living Way, the Ascent, the rich Stair-case to this Temple. The Angels are continually descending in Him as Chariots, to bring down riding upon them our glorious Savior, and our glorious Selves into the Bosom of our Spirits here below. The Bridegroom, and the Bride ready trimmed, and already joined in One, come thus down out of Heaven, come thus forth from the Temple. The Angels are continually ascending by this Stair-case carrying up our Spirits beforehand on visits into this Palace, into our own Apartments, into the Bosom of our own Glorified, and Immortal Substances there. Every Grace, every Providence, every Motion of things, to him whose Eyes are opened, is such an Angel such a chariot of Angels with these Persons riding in it.

3. The Passage into this Place. I will come unto you, and take you unto my self, that where I am, there ye may be also. There are three Steps of Christ's Coming to us in Glory; 1. Into our whole Spirits by Regeneration; 2. Into our whole Souls at death. 3. Into our whole Persons, Spirit, Soul and Body at the Resurrection. By every step he maketh a mutual Union, so far as he goeth. He cometh to us; He taketh us to himself, that we may be both together in one place, in one Spirit. He letteth himself down in his Heavenly Palace into us; he taketh us up into the Heavenly Palace in himself; he maketh our Persons a Heavenly Palace like his glorified Person, and one with it.

This is our passage in Death into Glory. Of old God descended upon the Tabernacle in a Cloud, & the Glory was in the Cloud. Then Moses was summoned to enter into the Cloud, and so into the Glory; where God talked with him. In latter times the most excellent Majesty in a 〈◊〉 . Cloud overshadowed the Lord Jesus, and in overshadowing him transfigured him, then in the transfiguration talked to him of his Sonship to the Father, and of Love. In like manner at the set time the Lord Jesus, as a living Temple of Heavenly Glory, cometh down upon thee in a white Cloud of some Love-storm, or Love-sickness. I call it a Lovesickness, because it ariseth at once from the Love of the Spirit of the Bride in thee, and from the Love of thy Bridegroom to thee; from the longings, and burning desires of both after the immediate, perpetual, and full enjoyments of each other: As thou enterest into this Cloud, and art overshadowed by it, thou art in a moment, at the same time taken into that Palace of Glory, and transfigured into the Glory of that Palace. There thou appearest to be the Son of God, the Spouse of the Immortal King. God speaketh to thee, converseth with thee, as a Son, and Spouse in one. He seeth the Figure of his own Beauties in thy Face; and his Heart resteth in thy Bosom. He seeth, and enjoyeth thy Person, as springing up eternally with incomprehensible Pleasures out of the Root of his own Divine Loveliness; he feeleth, and relisheth thy Spirit, as the flowing of his own sweetnesses from their own Fountain in himself; he poureth forth himself in a flood of Beauties, and Sweetnesses into thee, All his Loves rest in thy Love, and he in thee.

4. Script. I am now come to the last Scripture. For we know, that if our Earthly House of this Tabernacle be dissolved, we have a Building of God, an House not made with hands, Eternal in the Heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our House, which is from Heaven. If so he, that being clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we, that are in this Tabernacle do groan, being burdened; not that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that Mortality might be swallowed up of Life. Now he, that hath wrought us for this self-same thing is God, who hath also given us the Earnest of the Spirit. 2 Cor. 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

This is a rich, and deep Scripture. What expressions of Death are those? How full of Joy? Not to be found naked? Naked of any support, or comfort? Of any clothing of Being, or Beauty; Essence, or Substance; Form, or Fulness, in Person, or Relations? Not to be unclothed? Of any Garment of Light, or Life? To be clothed upon with an House from Heaven? To have the Lord Jesus, as a circling Glory coming down upon this Image, in which we now dwell, neither taking away the Nature, nor Form of anything, that here we are, or have, but taking up all as sacred Mysteries into a Temple of Glory, giving them a place forever in this Temple, penetrating, filling, and clothing them the Glory? To have Mortality swallowed up of Life? To lose none of the things, or entertainments, which here we enjoy in this mortal state, but the mortality of them only, and that not by Death breaking them down with violence, but by the sweet breakings in of Life, and Immortality upon them; not by a blackness of Darkness dreadfully over-spreading them, but a brightness of Eternal Glory delightfully rising upon them, like the Sun upon the beautiful Forms of Heaven, and Earth, after they have weakly appeared in the melancholy Beams of the Moon shining faintly in the shade of the Night. And He that hath wrought us for the Self-same Thing, is God. It is a Divine Hand, and Skill, which hath framed, and fashioned us to this capacity. It is God, who by his own operations in us, not mediately, as in t • e works of Nature, but immediately, as in all works of Grace, and Glory, hath wrought out this Spiritual, and Divine Being, this Spiritual, and Divine Nature in us, which never dieth, but is changed from Glory to Glory; which in Death putteth off nothing, but putteth on a greater, and purer Light upon its weaker Lights, and Shades; piercing thorough, and breaking up delusive Shapes formed out of the Darkness of remaining night by stronger Beams of Glory falling from above. Who hath also given us the Earnest of his Spirit. An Earnest is part of the Sum in present, and an assurance of the rest. God doth not only frame a Spiritual work, like a new Heaven in us, but giveth us the Person of his Spirit himself, in which the Persons of the Father, and the Son are seen together unveiled in their Union, and Communion of Beauties, and Loves; in the unity of which all Angels and Blessed Spirits dwell together, as their proper Center, and Circle. This Spirit God giveth to be in the Spiritual Nature framed by himself in us, as a new Sun in the new Heaven. This Spirit in us is the Earnest of our Death; a foretaste of its Sweetness, and Delights; a vision in part beforehand of the manner of our dying; and an assurance of the completing of its season after the same Beautiful, and pleasant Image. As at the first Effusion of the Spirit upon us, or any new Effusion; as at any Act of the Spirit, when he shineth our freshly in us; this Natural Image of Things is no more; a Light of Glory, Forms of Glory Immortal Spirits full of a Divine Beauty, and Majesty appear everywhere. They are alone, and there is nothing besides in the whole space of Things above, or below, past, present, or to come. As they are, so are we. All Things are one Vision of Divine Glory. Neither do we perceive, how one Image of Things goeth, and another cometh. Both are done; one is come, the other is gone in the same moment, in the twinkling, or cast of an Eye. So is Death. This is the Earnest of our Death. This is a step of Death; a foretaste of it. So shall Death he perfected us.

I have three Observations to make upon this Scripture besides that, which I have already said in order to my present purpose; to show how the knowledge of Christ in Glory sanctifieth, and sweeteneth Death.

1. Obser. Here are three distinct Frames. 1. A Building. v. 1. 2. A Tabernacle. v. 1. v. 4. Where take notice, that in both places it is translated this Tabernacle; but is in Greek, the Tabernacle. 3. The Earthly House. v. 1.

This seemeth to allude to the Temple, which was a standing, stately Building set up by Solomon in the Kingdom of the Jews; to the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, which was less, and moveable but rich and • ine for the Workmanship, and for the Materials; to the Tent of course stuff, a covering • or the Tabernacle. All these were Figures of Christ, and his Church, to which they are also applied.

1. The Heavenly Person of Christ, as it standeth in the high and holy place of Eternity; as it springeth up out of the Bosom of the Father, and abideth in his Bosom; as it is one Spirit, and one Glory with the Father, is the Temple, the Building. For the Building hath this Three-fold Character; 1. It is of God, in Greek out of God, as Gold is out of a Mine of Gold. 2. It is Eternal; 3. It is in the Heavens.

The Glorified Person of every Saint, as it is comprehended in this Glorious Head of all Saints, is a Temple, a Building in Heaven, in Eternity, of the same manner, and fashion.

2. The Tabernacle made of Sky-color, of Scarlet, of Purple, of fine Linnen, with Silver, and Gold, and all manner of precious stones, wrought with Cherubims, and all curious Workmanship, is the Image of God in Christ, and a Saint here below in the Wilderness of this World. John 1. 14. And the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt (in Greek Tabernacled) among us, and we beheld his Glory, the Glory, as of the only Begotten Son of God; full of Grace, and Truth. Here you have the Temple, which is higher, greater in compass, and more glorious than the Heavens, contracting itself into a Tabernacle, and residing in that Tabernacle, filling it with its own Sweetnesses and Glories, which are Grace, opposed to Wrath, Truth opposed to Shadows. The Word was made Flesh. The Eternal, and Substantial Image of God, which is the Temple, the true Heaven brought forth itself into a Temporary, and Shadowy Image, which is the Tabernacle, and the Paradise of the whole Creation. As it is in the Lord Jesus, so is it in his Spouse, who is the Fulness of him that silleth All in All. This vile Body in which a Saint is here; this dark, and course Form, with which our Souls, and Bodies are clothed here, is the Tent, that covereth the Tabernacle; the Earthly House of the Tabernacle.

2. Obser. The Effect of Death is different in these Three.

1. The Tent, the Earthly House only is dissolved. It is dissolved, and no more. It is taken to pieces. The Word belongeth to the taking down of a house; or the taking of Horses out of the Coach, and setting them up in a stable at an Inn, when the day, and the Journey are ended. The Dark, and Narrow Form, which made it a Vile Body, a Body of Death, is lost. The Materials are laid up in the Tabernacle.

2. The Tabernacle is taken into the Temple. This is that, which shall be clothed upon from Heaven, v. 2. If so be, that being clothed, (or, as it is in Greek, if having been clothed, namely with the Tabernacle) we shall not be found naked (of the Tabernacle in Death,) v. 3. So it is explained in the words following; For we, that are in the Tabernacle do groan being burdened: not that we should be unclothed (of the Tabernacle;) but clothed upon, that Mortality might be swallowed up of Life; (that the Form of Mortality might be lost forever in Immortality, and the Mortal Things continue being now become Immortal.)

When thou puttest on Jesus Christ, thou puttest on that Image of Grace, and Nature, in which Para • ise is revived, and heightened, in which is contained all that is good, fair, and pleasant thorough the whole Creation quickened with a new Sun-shine from on high. This thou puttest on in thy Natural Man. This thou shalt never put off, after that thou hast once been clothed with it. It is still clothed upon with a higher and higher Glory from Heaven; until in Death the Glorified Body of Christ come down entirely upon it in the fullness of all its Divine Beauties.

3. The Eternal Building in Heaven, thy Glorified Person, which was hither to hid in God, with, and in the Glorified Person of thy Savior now cometh down, clotheth thee entirely, resteth openly upon thee, never to go off from thy Tabernacle more.

3. Observ. See the beautiful, and sweet manner of Dying. Death is expressed in Two Representations; 1. A Dissolution; 2. A Deluge; a Swallowing up.

4. Death is a Dissolution. If our earthly house of this Tabernacle be dissolved; v. 1. A Troop of everblessed Spirits united by Eternal Love into one Form of Glory make the Heavenly Body of thy Beloved. In the same Form, and yet another, they make thy Heavenly Body, and Person in the Bosom of thy Bridegroom, O Believer! These descending are by the sacred knot of this dark, and narrow Form in Nature tied together into One Mortal Person; in which they are the Shadow of themselves; and tied down to the Earth to stand their Trial in the midst of all sorts of Temptations.

Thus they continue, till they have finished the Mystery of God, and completed the Figure of Divine Things in their Persons here below. Then, when the set Time is come according to the Laws of that Eternal Harmony in the Nature of God, which is the Supreme Love, Beauty, and Wisdom, all in One; they die after this manner.

That Troop of glorious Spirits, which is Thy-Self above come down upon Themselves, Thy Self imprisoned in their Shadow below. As the Fire of God, they touch with some Mysterious Stroak of Providence the knot of this Earthly Form; Immediately it untieth, and is dissolved. Now all these Spirits thus set free retaining the Unchangeable Unity of thy Person return, Each to Itself in the Liberty, Beauty, Joy, and Glorious Majesty of its proper Substance, and Its own, Its First Heavenly State. Yea, they are already there in their Building Eternal in the Heavens. This Eternal Building, these Heavens come down upon them, to clothe them from above; that in no one moment they may be found naked, At once they spring up out of the Earth, they come down out of Heaven, and meet, and kiss each other, and fall into One with a Wonderful Shout, a Triumphant Concurrence of all Blessed Spirits in the Perfect Freedom of all their Joys, and Glories. They fall into One, because they are One, and this One is Thy self. In an Instant, the Twinkling of an Eye, the Living Word cometh to them, the knot of Nature is dissolved, all fly, this knot, the Figure itself, the Shadow, like Doves to their Windows, like a Court to their several Mansions in the same Palace; So they fly into the Bosom of their proper Substances; where Thou art the same Person in Truth, at Liberty, and awake which thou wert in Show, in Captivity, in a Dream here below. Thou art the Unity, in which all these Spirits with the unsearchable Riches of their several Varieties ever centred, and dwelt together, as One, once shut up in darkness, and in a narrow place; but now displaying all their Beauties, unfolding all their Joys to the full. O how are the Beauties, and Pleasures of thy Death, O Saint, far beyond all those of Marriage, and of Children. How doest thou in that moment meet, and marry thyself in all the flourishing Glories, with all the warm and fresh Loves of the Divine Nature? How doest thou bring forth a Troop of Divine Spirits in thine own Form, and Person to be ever before thee, bred up, and Living with thee, rejoicing in thee, the Delight of thine Eyes, and the Jewels of thy Bosom, the pleasure of thine Embraces day by day!

This is the first Representation of Death by a Dissolution.

2. Death is a Deluge; that Mortality might be swallowed up of Life, 2. Cor. 5. v. 4. It is in Greek; that the, or, this Mortal may be swallowed up of Life. Life in the Abstract, in its Purity, and Perfection without any Mixture, or Allay is Immortality, Eternity, Christ, and God. As God is Light, in which there is no Darkness: so God is Light, in which there is nothing of its contrary, neither in act, nor in possibility; no Death, nor Shadow of Death. The Mortal is that, which is capable of Dying in a Saint with the Principles of Corruption, and Power of Death adhering to it.

See the Glory, the Might of this Glory, the Extent of it in the Death of a Saint. Life Itself in its own Divine Essence, as a Divine Substance, no more an Accident, in the Purity of all Its Sweetnesses, in the Perfection of all Its Powers, as it reigneth upon the Throne of Eternity, breaketh forth upon the Person of a Saint, upon all His Powers, and Parts, the lowest, the darkest, the most Mortal. As It breaketh forth, It drinketh up all together with the Shadow of Death Itself encompassing them into itself.

Mortal Things are Shadows of Immortal; that is, Figures in the Dark. But the Darkness also is Part of the Figure. The Life of pure Nature is an Image-Life a Shadowy Life. The Darkness swallowing up the Figure, and defacing the Shadow is a Natural Death. The Devil lurking in the Dark Part, as in His Den, from thence coming forth into the Figure is the Life of Sin. When a Sinner dieth, the Devil in the Darkness of the Shadow, Divine Wrath thorough the Devil swallow up the Darkness, Image, and all into themselves.

But at the new Birth of a Saint, the Eternal Life, and Substance awakeneth itself in the Shadow, liveth, and weareth that Darkness, as a Divine Vail upon Its Beauties too bright to appear nakedly on Earth. It acteth that Figure, as a Picture with the Life in it; looking forth through, and springing through it, as a Flower thorough the Lattices and the Windows. Then when the time of Harvest, and the Singing of Birds is come; this Eternal Life drinketh up All into its own unmixed, unfading Light. Thus a Saint dieth.

As sometimes the Sea sendeth forth an Island, which after sometimes it again swalloweth up: so is the Life, and Death of a good Man in His Mortal Part. He riseth up like an Island from the unfathomable, and glorious Depths of a Divine Sea, the Sea of Eternal Life and Love. He standeth rooted in this Sea, and encompassed with It on every side. So He lives. Again He sinketh down into the Blessed Depths, out of which He arose. So He dieth.

Elijah laid His Sacrifice with a pile of wood upon the Altar. He digged Trenches round about the Altar, which he filled with Water, till it ran over. Then he called upon the Name of the God of Israel. Immediately a Fire descended from Heaven, which licked up all the Water, consumed the Sacrifice with the Wood upon the Altar.

The Altar is our Jesus filling the Earth, as well as the Heavens. The Saint in his Divine Part is the Sacrifice upon the Altar, in Union with Christ. The Wood is the Mortal Part of a Saint, which also lieth upon the Altar of Christ's glorified Person, The low estate of a Saint in Flesh with all his Sufferings, and Sorrows, all the Powers of Darkness, and Death, make the Trenches full of Waters round about Him: At length the Divine Sea from below, when It hath fulfilled the Days of Its Pilgrimage, and Imprisonment, calleth to Its Father above. Then in a moment the Lord Jesus in His Glorified Body, as a Flame of Immortal Love and Life cometh down from Heaven upon this Saint, drinketh up at once the Sacrifice; the Wood, the Waters, and All into One Flame with itself. Nothing remaineth, but the Altar, and the Trenches; the Place, where they had been; the Double Image in which they had appeared; a Light-Image Beautiful, and Pleasant in the Spirits of Light; a Dark-Image in Dark Spirits. Both these by degrees vanish into their several Elements of Light, and Darkness.

I have done with my first Principle in the second Part of my present use which is to sweeten, and sanctify Death by the Spiritual Knowledge of our Lord, Jesus. The first Principle was this: A Saint is complete above in the Glorified Body of Jesus Christ; while he is living, or dying here below.

2. Principle: The Glorified Person of our Savior with all its Divine Fulness dwelleth Spiritually in the Natural Body of each Saint on Earth. Our fleshly Members are the Members of Christ in Heaven, 1 Corin. 6. 15. The riches of the Glory of this Mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the Hope of Glory, Col. 1. 27. As the Essential Form of a Plant with all its proportions, and perfections lieth enclosed in the Seed, which by the breaking of the Seed, displayeth itself upon it, and transfigureth the Seed; so is the Natural Body of each Believer a Seed; so is Jesus Christ the Hope of Glory, a Body of Glory to that Seed, and dwelleth enclosed in it, until the Spring of Death.

The Natural Body is called a Body of Death, Rom. 7. 24. We are said to wait for the Adoption, or Sonship, the Redemption of the Body, Rom. 8. 23. These two Bodies cannot be the same. One is a Redeemed Body; a Body of Adoption, or Sonship. This is, as St. Paul speaketh before, a Body brought forth into the Liberty of the Glory of a Son of God. The other is a Body of Death. St. Paul crieth out against one: Who shall deliver me from this Body of Death? St. Paul groaneth, and waiteth for the Redemption of the other, as a Son of God. One is the Oppressor; the other is oppressed. One is a Grave, and Death; the other is a Divine Life, a Form of Glory, a Son of God in the Valley of the shadow of Death in the Grave.

As a Sun at night casting up its Cloud, and foretelling a fair day: so is the Death of a Saint; the Glorified Body of a Saint being one Spirit with the Glorified Body of his Beloved, casteth up the Cloud of this Natural Body, which had lien, as the Cloud of Death upon it, and now immediately maketh a • air, and Heavenly Day without the interposal, or succession of any Night. The Glorified Body of Christ, and his Bride are hid under this Body o • Flesh, like the Sun under a thick Mist. It is long glowing. and casting glympses of itself thorough the Mist. The Mist groweth thinner. The heat and light of Divine Love, Beauty, and Joy groweth stronger. At last the Mist is quite gone, drunk up into the Sun. The Sun shineth out with open Face, and the Freedom of all its Beams.

3. Prince. That which this Body is to a Saint here, that his Glorified Jesus is to • im in Death. We take pleasure rather to be absent from the Body, and present with the Lord, saith St. Paul 2 Corin. 5. 8. These words Absent, Present, relate in Greek, to a Country, a People. Such a presence as the Soul hath with the Body in Lie: it hath with its Lord, and Love in Death. Here thy Body is the Country, the Region of thy Soul. Thy Body is the Image, into which thy Soul is formed, in which alone it appeareth to itself, or others. All thy Relations, Companions, Contentments are Images presented unto thee in this Glass, and Impressions made upon thee by the Images appearing in this Glass. All this World is nothing to thee, but as it is an Appearance rising up in thy Body, which by virtue of the Personal Union raiseth a suitable Act of Life in thy Soul. All this World to thee is only a diversity of Forms, into which it is varied, and a diversity of Impressions made upon thy Soul by this variety of Forms.

In Death this Glass is broken, this Image vanisheth, this Country disappeareth like an Enchantment. Thy Glorified Jesus cometh in the place of this Body, and is a Heavenly, a Divine Body to thee. Thy Glorified Jesus is that Beautiful, Pure, and Immortal Form, in which thou appearest to thyself, and to all. Thy Relations, Companions, Entertainments are the Glorified Person of thy Jesus varied into Innumerable Forms of Love, Light, and Loveliness. All thy Motions, Affections, and Pleasures are in Sympathy, and Consort with thy Jesus by virtue of the mystical, and inexpressible Union between thee, and him. All acts of Life in thee, all Touches upon thy Spirit are the kisses of his Divine Mouth, Myrrh dropping from those Lilies of the Heavenly Paradise, his Lips. This is thy Country, thy People, thy World, the Fulness of the God-Head dwelling bodily in Christ. Spring for joy O dying Saint! The World, thy Country, thine own People, the Body into which thou now comest, is the Fulness of all Divine Light, Divine Life, the Fulness of all Divine Forms, Loves, Joys, and Glories dwelling together with the Fulness of a Divine Harmony in the Glorified Body of thy Beloved. This hath drunk up into itself thy former Body with all its acquaintances, and entertainments, the former world with all its furniture.

PART II.

I divided these words into three parts.
• 1. THe Loveliness of our Lord Jesus; Thou art fairer than the Children of Men.
• 2. The Love of Christ; The Love of this Lovely One; Grace is poured forth in thy lips.
• 3. The Seal of the God-Head, of a Divine Blessedness, and of Eternity upon both these, the Loveliness, and the Love in this Glorified Person of our Savior; Therefore God hath blessed thee forever.

I have finished my discourse on the first part. I now take in hand the second part. I have spoken something of the Loveliness of our Beloved One, as I have by any Beam from his Beauties been enlightened to some glimmering vision of them, and quickened to a weak expression of that, which I have seen.

Now I am to speak of his Love, as the Grace, and Sweetness of it shall pour forth itself from his Lips into mine by a Spiritual kiss from the Mouth of this Heavenly Bridegroom.

Grace is poured forth in his Lips. The rich composition of this Heavenly-sweet Sentence is made up of three rich Materials; 1. Grace; 2. Effusion, or the pouring forth of this Grace; 3. The Lips of the Lord Jesus. These are to be explained.

1. Grace. This in the Language of the Scripture signifieth three Things. 1. Grace is Love. For the Grace of God, which bringeth salvation to all Men, hath appeared; Tit. 2. 11. But after that the kindness, and love of God our Savior toward Men hath appeared. Tit. 3. 4. That which in one place the Apostle calleth Grace, in the other he expresseth by kindness, and love. Grace is love in its Fountain freest, and sweetest. 2. Grace is Loveliness, or Beauty. Prov. 31. 30. Favor is deceitful, and Beauty is vain. Favor there is Grace. It is the same word in Hebrew with this in my Text. Grace is Beauty with its most powerful charms, as it toucheth every Spirit, answereth every desire, maketh all things answer it, and dance to its Music. So the Hebrew word imports. 3. Grace is Joy, or pleasure a fair, and smiling Child begotten between these two amiable, and ever-pleasant Parents Love, and Beauty. St. Paul commandeth the Saints to sing, making melody to God with Grace in their hearts; that is, with Divine Joy kindled into a Heavenly Flame from the Love, and Loveliness of the Lord J • sus shining forth there unitedly, and concentring their joint Beams in the Beloved Spirit.

Thus Grace is all three, Love, Loveliness, and Joy; all these with a peculiar, and most eminent heightening; as the Sunshine is the Grace of a Garden, and the F • owers in it: So Grace in the sense of the Gospel is Love, Beauty, Delight with the God-Head the Sun of Spirits peculiarly, and nakedly shining in them.

But principally, and primitively Grace is Love. Then it is Loveliness, as that is the first Birth, and lively Image of Love, in which it bringeth forth itself to its own Eye, and embraces, then sporteth with it as its Spouse. It is Pleasure, as that springeth from the Union of these two, and is their mutual Life, and Perfection each in other.

Grace is a Tree, where Love is the Root, and Sap; Loveliness the fair Tree with its Body, and Branches rising out of this Root, whose Sap formeth itself into this Beautiful Figure. Joy is the Fruit, into which the sweet Sap of Love from its Root, thorough the Body, and Branches of its shining Beauties digesteth itself unto a perfect, admirable, and Divine Maturity to be the Food, and Feast of all Lives, all Spirits in Time, and Eternity. It is Love smiling in the face of every Beauty, which is the Grace of it, as the Water, and Sparklings of Light in a Diamond are the Grace of that. It is the Taste, and Rellish of Love in every Joy, is as the Wine, which is the Grace of the Feast.

It is the Love of Jesus Christ at its height, which is the Grace intended here.

2. The Effusion, or Pouring forth of this Grace is next to be opened. Three, things are signified in this Effusion, 1. A Fulness of Grace is discovered. Natural Agents work to the utmost of their Power. God is in nothing so Natural, as in His Love. His work of wrath is his strange work, praeternatural to Him, and a Disguise upon Him. Love is His Right Hand; the Sheep are set at his Right Hand. Love flows forth from the Person of the Father unveiled, & naked, as Light from the Sun; Millions of fresh Beams each moment from each point. 2. Freedom of Grace is manifested in Its Pouring forth itself. It is its own First Mover. It puts itself into Motion. It is a fluid thing. It cannot contain itself within its own Bound, the Heart of God. It is ever pouring forth itself all abroad into every Heart. Divine Love is the most universal and importunate Beggar. It cometh to the door of every Spirit. It Knocketh. It presseth in. 3. A Force of Love putteth forth itself in this Expression. When the Rain cometh with a Tempest, and falleth with a great force, we say; It poureth down. Love from above stormeth Hearts most fortified against it. It rusheth forth like a mighty flood. If any banks, or dams oppose it, it riseth so much the higher, it gathereth so much the more strength, till it bear down all before it, carry away all with it, overflow all, swallow up all into itself, that all things become One Sea of Love.

3. The Lips of Christ into which this Grace is poured forth, may be understood four ways. 1. The Word of the Scriptures, and the Outward Ministry are the Lips of Christ, in which Grace is poured forth. All the Scriptures are Love-letters from Christ in Heaven; all the Ministries of the Gospel are Love-Embassages, Love-tokens. 2. All Outward Providences, all Inward Discoveries of the Lord Jesus are His Lips, with which He kisseth us, and poureth forth the Divine Sweetness, and Strength of His Love into our Spirits; 3. The Spirit Himself is the Mouth, and Lips of the Heavenly Bridegroom. By this He uniteth Himself most immediately to us in the closest, and Divinest Love-union. By this He transmitteth Himself, and His Love most warmly into us. 4. The naked Person of Christ in Glory is to be understood by these Lips. The Holy Ghost composeth this Psalm, as a Marriage-song to celebrate the Union, State, and Joys of the Heavenly Bridegroom, and Bride in the Resurrection, and Ascension of our Blessed Lord. Here the Person of our Beloved is all a Divine Mouth, with which He breatheth forth all the Sweetnesses of His glorious Nature, and Love, as He sucketh in ours. It is all One Divine Eye from which He poureth forth upon us continual Floods of Light, Beauty, and Grace; by which also He taketh us in continually in all Blessed Forms of an Immortal Loveliness, and Love; Thus we see ourselves continually in Him; He seeth Himself continually in us; Eye to Eye, each a Living Glass of glorious Love to the other.

The Spirit, and the Lord Jesus in Glory are Both One. A Be in a Garden sitteth upon every flower, and plant, sucking the virtue forth from it. This it formeth into One Sweetness in itself, which is Honey. Full of this Honey it flieth to its Hive, and there layeth up its pleasant Treasures. So this Spirit resteth upon every Excellency in the God-Head, every Life, and Image of things in the Creature. It extracteth the several virtues from all. It turneth all within itself into One Divine, and inexpressible Sweetness, which is Love. With this Treasure of Love it maketh haste to some broken, and forlorn Heart: There in this Heart, in thine Heart, if thou wilt believe, that thou mayest taste, and see it, it layeth down its precious Burthen, it layeth up the inestimable Riches of glorious Grace.

We read in the building of the Temple that there was a great Sea of Brass, which stood upon twelve Oxen the figures of the Cherubims. Our Savior's glorified Person is a vast Sea of Love. All the Angels of God support this Sea, serve this Love. The God-Head itself in a bright, and sweet flood of Love is poured abroad in this Sea, in this Bosom, and Person. Here every Believing Soul batheth itself in, and taketh its Fill of Loves.

Doct. The Doctrine which I intend to insist upon according to the Grace of God given unto me is this. The Love of God is poured forth in the Glorified Person of our Lord Jesus. Thy Name is an Ointment poured forth, Cant. 1. 2. The Name of our Beloved, which His Spouse Knoweth Him by, and calleth Him by, is That Name above every Name in this World, or the World of Angels, which the Father hath given Him at His Resurrection, and Ascension; Ephes. 1. 21. This Name is His Person itself in Glory, which is the only Expression of itself. This is an Ointment poured forth. O Blessed Ointment of Divine Love, which hath all the Cordial Spices, and Sweets of the God-Head itself in it, which perfumeth all things thorough Heaven, and Earth; which maketh all Faces to shine with a Divine Luster, and all Hearts to spring with a Divine Joy! This costly Ointment was before shut up, and kept in an Alabaster Box, in the Glorious Secret of the Father's Bosom. But now that Box is broken in the Death of our King. That Bosom is opened in His Resurrection. That sweet Treasure of all Life, and Delight, the Eternal Love of the Father is poured forth at the Root of the Creation, upon the Head of every Creature in the Glorified Person of Jesus Christ. Its sweet Savour is gone forth into the Nostrils of every Spirit, to revive it, and allure it to its Everlasting Embraces.

1. John 5. 11. This is the Record; (namely of God Himself,) that God hath given us Eternal Life, and this Life is in His Son. Eternity is defined to be The Possession of all Good at once, and in One. There are Three things, which go to make up Eternity 1. A Perfection of Excellency. 2. A Collection of all Excellencies 3. A Station of all these with their several Distinctions in One Toppoint of Spirituality above all Division, or Change. Love is the Union of Lovely Things. The most Perfect Love is the most Perfect Union, which bindeth up all Lovelinesses in their several Perfections into the streightest Unity. Eternal Life then is the Life of Love in its Purity, and Perfection. Eternity is Love itself; the firmest, and Fullest Union of all Graces, and Graceful Things in the height of Glory, and the height of Unity.

This Eternal Life, this Eternal Love; this Life of Love, which is the Life of Eternity is diffused, is given to us by the Father in the Glorified Person of Christ. This is the Glorifying of His Person, the Pouring forth of this Love, which is the Gold of the Temple, the Glory of Eternity, in Him, as in a Common Person, in which the whole Creation lieth.

Before I leave this Scripture, which I have brought for the Proof of my Doctrine; ye who hear, and ye who read, stand still a while, and together with me gaze upon, admire the riches of the glory of the Grace, and Love of God in the Gospel. This, saith St. John, is the Record, that He hath given us Eternal Life, and this Life is in His Son. You have here the whole Substance of the Gospel, the Record of God, the Glad Tydings from Heaven sum'd up. It is Love. This Love lieth in Three Parts; 1. Free Grace in these words, God hath given us. 2. The Gift of Free Grace, Eternal Life. You have heard already, that the Eternity, the Perfection, and Crown of Life is Love. 3. The Lovely Seat of this Gift; and this Life, this Love, is in His Son.

Behold, how the Love of the Gospel is no other, than the Divine Nature, and the 3 Parts of this Love the 3 Persons in that Divine Nature.

1, Free Grace is the Fountain of Love, the Fountain of the God-Head, the Father the Giver.

2. The Gift is the Holy Spirit, Love itself, the Eternity of Life, and Love, the Collection of all Loves and Lives in Eternity, the Gathering together of all the pure, and sweet Waters of Love, and Life into One Place.

3. The Seat of this Gift; the Son. The Person of our Bridegroom is that vast, bright, and Beautiful Deep prepared, as a place for those pleasant Waters, those Treasures of Love.

How are the Windows of the God-Head here set wide open to pour down Showers of Love! How are the great Deeps of the God-Head broken up to send forth Floods of Love! What a Blessed Deluge of Love is here, enough to drown ten thousand Worlds of Sins, and Souls after a Lovely manner; so that the Sins shall never live, nor appear more; the Souls shall never die, nor be at all darkened anymore!

Come now ye unbelieving Hearts; be subdued to the Faith of the Gospel by the Strength of this Love. Come ye hard Hearts; be softened by the Sweetness of this Love. Come ye unclean Hearts; be refined, be Spiritualised, be raised above Sense, Flesh, by the Purity of this Love. All the Strength, all the Sweetness, all the Purity, and Pure Beauties of the Divine Nature are concurrent in this Love. The Three Glorious Persons in the Trinity are no other, than Love itself in so many Forms of Beauty, and Blessedness acting those Heavenly Parts, which may make all the Joys, and Glories of Love complete in them, and in you.

I shall prosecute my Doctrine under three Heads.

1. The Nature of Divine Love. 2. The Effusion, or pouring forth of this Love. 3. The Person of our Lord Jesus, as this Love is poured forth into him.

1. Head. The Nature of Divine Love. I shall endeavor to explain this to you by three Descriptions.

1. Descript. Divine Love is a Union between God, as a Lover, and the Soul, as his Love, 1 Cor. 6. 16, 17. It is said, they two shall be one Flesh. But he that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit. Marriage is the Solemnity, Festival, and Crown of Love. The Marriage-Union is the perfection of the Love-Union. The Spirit speaketh here of a Marriage in the Flesh, as a Figure, and Foil only; but of the Marriage in the Spirit as Love-Union in its Luster, and its Life.

This Love-Union hath three Parts.

1. There is a Unity, which is the ground of Love. All Love springeth from this Divine Seed sown throughout all things; a Primitive, and Original Unity.

2. There is a Distinction in the Unity, which is the Life of Love. This maketh the Lovers. The Unity springeth up within itself into a Distinct, and Beautiful Image of itself, that it may be both its Lover, and its Love.

3. There is a Union of these two, the Original, and its own Life-Image, as they stand distinct in the Unity. This is Love consummate. This is the Marriage-bed of Divine Love, ever flourishing and fruitful. Here it multiplieth itself into innumerable Loves, Beauties, and Joys, which flow endlessly fresh every moment out of this sacred Fountain.

Thus Love is the Circle of Eternity, hath its beginning in itself, springeth up out of itself, returneth again into itself without beginning or end.

Thus in Heavenly Love first one is made two, then two are made one again, So is it all four in one, a Birth, a Marriage, a Death, a Resurrection in a continual Circle; while they are ever bringing forth one another; dying into each other; rising again one out of the other; and in all united. This is the Divine sport, or play of Spiritual Love.

You shall see these three parts of the Heavenly Love-union in three Images; in Heaven; in Paradise; in the Soul.

1. Love-Union in Heaven. The first Person in the Trinity is the God-Head in the Unity, which is the Center, and Spring of all Love. The Second Person is the God-Head distinguishing itself into a variety of Persons in the Unity. The God-Head in the glorious, and deep center of its Unity springeth up into an express Image of itself, shining forth from the Unity, and shining back upon it in the brightness of all its own Glories within its own Divine deep, and Center. This is to the Father perfectly Himself, his Son, and his Spouse, all in one. The Spirit is the Third Person. This is the Union of the other two. Divines therefore peculiarly appropriate the name of Love to this Person. The manner of his Production is expressed by a Procession from the Father, and the Son jointly, by way of breathing, as the sweets of two Flowers mingling in the same Air, or as the Divine Kiss of two Spirits, by which they breath forth themselves each into other, and become two Spirits in one.

This is the first Image of the Love-Union in Heaven; where the Mystery of the Trinity is the high, and Holy Mystery of Love in its Original. Here first of all one is made two, and those two are made one again.

2. Love-Union in Paradise. Adam, and Eve together with the race of all Living, to which Eve was Mother, stood at first in Adam, all in one. Male, and Female made He him, Gen. 1. v. This was Human Nature in its Unity, the figure of the Divine Unity, the Father in the Trinity. Then Eve was taken out of Adam. The Unity was distinguished into two Persons, and Sexes within itself. For Adam saith of Eve after the distinction; This is Flesh of my Flesh, and Bone of my Bone. The Unity of the Nature continued in the two Sexes. Now the Woman was the Image, and the Glory of the Man in Paradise, as the Son is the Image of the Father, and the Brightness of his Glory in Heaven. Now there is no Solitude in the Unity, which maketh Paradise a Wilderness, the Unity is the true Paradise within itself springing up into variety, then marrying itself to it, and so flourishing from this Union with all manner of Beautiful, and pleasant Fruits. By this Birth and Distinction in the Unity, Adam and Eve are capable of enjoying themselves each in other, and of multiplying themselves. Thirdly, Eve is brought to Adam again, and these two are made one Flesh. This is the making of two one again, which were first made two of one. This Unity in the Distinction, and Distinction in the Unity is that Marriage in Paradise, which is the Type of that Incomprehensible Marriage above all Heavens, which is the Third Person in the Trinity. In him the Father, and the Son spend Eternity in mutual Embraces, and multiply themselves into an Infiniteness of Blessed Lives, Blessed Loves.

You that are Married Persons, see yourselves in this double Glass of Paradise, and the Trinity. By these Glasses dress yourselves in your Loveliness, and Loves one for another. St. Paul saith, that Marriage is Honorable among all, or in all things.

A Type hath a double Honor; the Figure, which is Shadowy, the Truth, which is a substantial Glory. Husbands, and Wives preserve the Honor of your state at least in the shadowy part. Bear the Figure of the Ever-glorious Trinity, whose Type you are, by a mortal Beauty, Truth, Purity, Sweetness, which are the Gold, and precious Mettal in the Ring of this Love-union. This will make Marriage an Earthly Paradise. But rest not in this. You will find a Serpent here, that will quickly poison all your Sweets, and change your Flowers into Thorns; if you pass not thorough the Earthly into the Heavenly Paradise. Then you wear the Marriage-Crown in Truth, when that Spirit, which is the Band of Love between the Father, and the Son, is the Eternal Band of Divine Love between you also; when you also make your Marriage-Bed in the Bosom of the Holy Ghost.

What Joys, what an Immortal Off-spring is born of those Lovers, where the Love-fellowship of these below, and the sacred Love-fellowship of the Blessed Trinity above descend, and ascend one into another, where they mingle themselves Universally?

3. Love-Union in the Soul, Joh. 3. 6. That which is born of the Spirit, is Spirit

The Divine Being, Life, and Form of the Soul, in which it is a Spirit, lie first wrapped up in the Unity of the Eternal Spirit its Heavenly Mother above.

The Eternal Spirit out of this Love-Center, and within the Love-Circle of its own Unity by the New-birth in the Soul bringeth forth at once a Daughter-Spirit, a Sister, and Spouse to itself.

This Divine Spirit, like the Paradisical Eve, so soon as it is born of its Heavenly Adam, is brought to him again, and they Two are made one Spirit, 1 Cor. 6. 17. As a New-born Babe, so soon as it is sprung out of the Womb, seeketh the Breast of the Mother, that it may suck forth a continued stream of Life from the Fountain of its Life: so is it in the Spiritual Birth. So soon, as the New-born Spirit ariseth up out of this Unity, which is the Womb of the God-Head; it is immediately received into the Arms of this Unity; it desireth after, it hunteth for, it returneth to, it fasteneth upon this Unity, which is the Breast of the God-Head. By this it draweth in the sincere, and pure Milk of the living Word; it taketh in by plentiful streams the Light, Life, Glory, Substance of the Divine Nature to grow by them. O you, who indeed 〈◊〉 born of this Unity, lie continually in the Bosom of it, hang continually upon this Breast. But thus, as in the Eternal Generation in Heaven; as in the Creation in Paradise; as in the Regeneration, which is the opening of Paradise, and Heaven both a second time in the Soul; all are Love-Births, Love-Unions. The Unity distinguisheth itself within itself into another self, which is yet still the same, that there may be a variety in the Unity without the breach of the Unity. The Virgin above bringeth forth a Son, which is also her Lord, and continueth a Virgin still. The Beautiful variety, which is the Effulge • cy of the Unity, rejoyneth itself again to it, and still remaineth a variety in its distinction from it. Thus the Love-Marriage is everywhere solemnized, and everywhere maketh a Paradise, and a Heaven above, and below. This is the first Description of Divine Love, a Divine Union, where one Glorious Spirit is made two, and these two make themselves one again.

Use. Learn from the Beauty, and Sweetness of Divine Love, the Evil of this Worlds Love by their contrariety to it. Ye Adulterers, and Adulteresses, Know ye not, that the Friendship of this World is Enmity to the Father. Who therefore is this World's Friend. is an Enemy to God: James. 4. 4. See the Evil of this World's Love in 3. Steps.

1. Step By loving this World you separate yourselves from the Love of God. You estrange yourselves from all true Joy, Peace, and Rest. For these are the Attendants, and Companions of Divine Love.

Cant. 3. 7, 8. You read of Solomon's Bed▪ which hath fourscore valiant menos the valiant men of Israel round about it, with their swords girt upon their thigh for the fear of the night. How great, how Divine is the Sweetness, the Safety, the Security of Spiritual Love. He, that abideth in this Love enjoyeth an Uninterrupted Rest, and untroubled pleasures, in a Night of the greatest Darkness, Dangers, Tumults, and Storms. He hath ever round about Him a Troop of Holy Angels for his Guard, armed with the Glorious Power of the Spirit. This is the Sword upon their Thigh. In the midst of these he lieth upon a Royal Marriage-bed. Here he is encircled with the Spiritual Embraces of King Solomon, the Lord Jesus in Glory, the King of all Peace, Perfections, and Pleasures, This is the Love of God, that Love, by which God, and the Soul live, and dwell together in One Spirit.

You now, who prefer the blackness of darkness before the Beauty of Christ's Face, restless cares, endless fears, continual dangers, and deaths before the Rest, and Joys of Christ's bosom, love this world, and let the love of Jesus Christ go.

2. Step. By the Love of this World you make yourselves Adulterers with a Witch, and a Common Whore. Poor Soul! thou forsakest the Arms of thine own Love, thy Loving Roe, and pleasant Hind, the Wife of thy Youth, of Eternal Youth, the Heavenly Image in the Person of the Lord Jesus. Thou givest thyself up to the Embraces of the strange Woman, the Strumpet, this World the Fleshly Image of Things.

The Love of your Savior is all Truth, Purity, Peace, Immortality. The Love of this World beginneth in Deceit, hath its Power in Enchantments, its Effect Pollutions, its End Destruction. She giveth thee Drink indeed in a Golden Cup. But she maketh thee to drink in first a Wine of Sorceries, then of Fornications. Her End is to have her Flesh burnt with Fire; and into the same bed of flames will God cast all those, that commit fornication with her.

3. Step. By loving this world thou makest thyself an Adulteress with the Devil. This World, as it stealeth thine Heart from God is a Composure of Lyes. The Devil, who is the Father of Lyes, maketh thy Soul his Strumpet, upon which he begetteth these false Forms of things. Thou breedest these young Devils upon thy Knee, and as thou sportest thyself with them, thou suckest in by their Kisses the poison, and fire of Hell into all thy veins.

The Devil first woos thee in a Counterfeit shape of false Beauty, Glory, Power, Joys. When he hath gained thee, he breaketh forth upon thee in his own shape of endless Terror, and Horrours.

There is nothing truer, than that the Love of this World is a Spiritual Adultery with the Devil, and the Head of all Adulteries, of all Defilements. There is nothing more sure, than that Carnal Adultery in all the degrees of it, the Similitude of this, most powerfully calleth up into us, and upon us the Spirit of this World, the Prince of Darkness, the Devil with all His Dark, Deforming, and Destroying Powers. O ye sons, and Daughters of men, who dwell in the midst of the snares, and nets of this great, painted Adulteress, be aware of your danger. Abide in your first Principle your Root, your first Husband, the Eternal Love of the Father in Christ. Abide in your own Habitation, the Bosom of your own Bride, the Eternal Beauty, the Essential, and Immortal Image of the God-Head in Christ. These Loves shall be a Fountain of Life to you above to preserve you from the snares of Death below.

4. Step. By the Love of this World you turn the Love of God into Wrath, and fury If you be the Friends of this World, you are the Enemies of God; saith St. James. Why do you provoke the Love of God? Will you contend with Almighty Love? Are you greater, than that? Love is the Right Hand of God's Strength; His God-Head lieth in His Love. God is Love. This Love is strong, as Death; cruel, as the Grave. What art thou, O Worm, to stand before it, to bear its rage? O choose rather to lie down, as a Bride, in these everlasting Burnings, and Devouring Fires of Love to be cherished, changed refined, and glorified by their tender, and divine Embraces; than to set thyself, as Briars, and Thorns against them, to be consumed by them.

Thus I have done with the First Description of Divine Love; A Union between God, and the Soul, as the Beloved, and His Love in One Spirit of Purity, Immortality, Joy, and Glory.

2 Descrip. The Love of God is the Will of God.

This is a Universal Truth that in every Spirit Love, and the Will are One.

This appeareth in their Nature, their Object, their Operation.

1, The Nature of the Will, and Love are One. The Will is defined to be the Inclination of the Spirit as it tendeth, and bendeth itself to this or that, this way, or that way. Love is styled The Weight of the Soul. As heavy things by their Weight; so Souls by their Love are carried to their proper Center.

2. The Object of the Will, and of Love is the same. It is a rule, that The Powers, and Habits in Spirits are distingu • shed by their Objects. Every Principle, and Faculty is the Object in its S • ed. The Object is the Form, and Perfection of the Principle. The Object of the Will is Goodness Appearing. The Object of Love is Loveliness, Loveliness, and Goodness both consist in Su • tableness, which hath its Ground in Unity. If there be any Difference between Goodness, and Loveliness, it is this, that as the Flower of Light is the Sun-shine; and as Jesus Christ is the Ef • ulgency, the Shine of the God-Head, the Brightness of the Glory of God; so Loveliness, or Beauty is Goodness shining • ut to attract all Hearts to it. Thus Loveliness the Object of Love, and Goodness Appearing the Object of the Will agree entirely in One.

3. All their Operations are the same. The Affections, and Passions are the Motions of the Will; All these are Love's Summer, or Winter; Love in the Seed is Desire. Love budding, and blossoming is Hope, Love in the ripe Fruit is Joy. Anger, Fear, Grief, and Hatred are Love in its Opposition to its Enemy, which is Enmity alone; Love flying from, or contending with that, which standeth in its way to, or would rob it of its Beloved Object.

But this is spoken in General only concerning the Will, and Love.

In Particular let us see, how the Divine Will, and the Divine Love appear to be the same in the Holy Scriptures. The Will of God is distinguished by Divines into the Revealed, and the Secret Will of God. One is the Divine Will in Outward Signs only, The Other is the Good-Pleasure of God in His Heart, and in Eternity.

1. The Revealed Will of God is Love, 1. Tim. 2. v. 1. &c. In the first v. of this Chapter you have a Divine Rule; that All manner of Prayers, be made for All Men. This Rule is pressed by a particular Application of it to Kings, and all in Authority; v. 2. All in Authority; what ever their Persons are, or their Right, v. 3. The Reason of this Rule is laid down. For this is Good, and Acceptable to God our Savior. This Universal Love wound up to the Highest strain of Spirituality, and Divinity in us is a Vein of the Supreme, and Divine Good let forth from the Heart of God, where the Fountain of Good is, and circling thorough our Hearts into his Heart again by Prayer. Therefore is it acceptable to God. Our Wills are never so in tune to the Divine Will, and in consort with it, as when the Spiritual motions of our Hearts in the Bosom of the Father are strains of Universal Love.

The Root of this Reason is discovered. v. 4. God will have all Men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the Truth. Love is said to consist in this; To Will good to any one. If this be love to Will good to any; Then is it the best, and highest love to Will the best, and highest good. Behold then! The revealed Will of God is a Revelation of love to the height. God will have all Men to be saved. God willeth the highest end, which is the best good to the lowest, and worst of Men, to all Men. That this end may not fail, he also willeth the means to the end; that all Men should come to the knowledge of the Truth.

The Ground, in which this root of love liveth, is the Unity of God, and Christ. For there is one God and one Mediator between God, and Man, the Man Christ Jesus. The highest Unity Is the largest Universality. It is in Spirits, as in these Heavens, which we see, the highest are the widest. All beneath them lie in their Bosoms. The whole nature of things is love. For the Divine Nature the Original is love. This love throughout the whole nature of things is as a Pyramid made up by degrees of different Unions, till it end in the highest, and most indivisible point of Unity.

The Unity of God is that Fountain of love, out of which all things proceed. The secret force of this Unity is that stream of love, which runneth thorough the Heart, and Veins of Every Creature in the Person of Christ, which is the golden Pipe with its several branches laid thorough the whole Creation from the Beginning to the End. There is one God, and one Mediator between God and Man, the Man Christ Jesus.

Thus the revealed Will of God is love.

2. The secret Will of God is love. Fury is not in me. Who would set the briars, and thorns in Battle array against me? I would go thorough them, I would consume them. Wrath is not in God. It is without him only, as a Cloud upon the Sun. The heart of God is Love. Wrath is but the work of his Hand, and that his strange Work, like nothing within, a disguise only. The Face of God, and the proper light of it is love. Wrath is vizor, a mist before his Face, and no more.

Fury in God is love by the opposition heightened to a flame to consume all vanity, and enmity, that setteth itself before it, or against it.

O that I had a voice powerful enough to reach all the Souls wandering thorough the whole Creation, and to call them together, to take this Cup of Salvation into the hand of their Faith, to set it to the mouth of their Faith, and drink deeply of it! As the Wine of this Cup goeth down into your Spirits, you will find it to go down right. How sweetly, and how fully will it touch, satisfy, and fill every faculty, every desire, every Seed of life with its proper good. The Cup of Salvation, which I hold forth to you is this Divine Truth, the Sum of the Gospel Preached by Angels in their Songs at the Birth of our Jesus; The Will of God is love.

Hear this, and believe it, O ye Souls, the Inclination of God, the supreme Spirit, and Fountain of Spirits is to you. The tendency, and the bent of the Divine Nature is to make your joys full by the possession of all good in itself; and to fulfil his own joys in you. For the Will is the Inclination of every Spirit; and the Will of God is love. Hear this, and believe it, O ye Souls, God is carried with the whole weight of his God-Head to you, as to his Center, to rest eternally in you, and to rejoice over you. For love is the weight of every Spirit, and the Will of God is love. The Will of God in the Freedom, Absoluteness, Infiniteness of it is love.

Now I live, saith St. Paul, if ye stand fast in the Faith, 1 Thes. 3. 8. St. Paul speaketh not this in his own Spirit, but in the Spirit of God. God in his own Spirit speaketh it with a greater force, and fuller sense to everyone of you, if you believe me, and take in my love, which is my life, now have I a new Love, a new Life, a new Joy, and Heaven in you. As you grow in this Faith, my Life, and Joy increaseth in you. If you stand fast in it, my Joy, and Glory is as firm in your hearts, as in Heaven itself.

If you will believe all the Declarations of God from Heaven; the revealed Will of God is Love. If you have any Inward, and Divine Touch of the secret Will of God; all the breathings of his Heart are Love. O take in the Love of God, that his Love may become a Divine, Immortal Seed of all Love, and Loveliness in you.

But now let us hearken to the groans of some poor ones among these multitudes of Souls, who parched and burnt up with their Sins, Sorrows, who benighted in the Darkness of their unbeleief; yet among all these Millions of streams of Love, which flow forth upon their Spirits from the heart of God, among those Millions of Beams of Love, which fall from the Eye of God upon their hearts dare not take in any one. No, though they thirst for Divine Love more than for Life, yet shut up their Spirits against all Approaches, or Appearances of it, as delusions.

Obj. These Souls sigh forth this great Objection against the Love of God: You say, the Will of God is love; the object of every Will is some good; the object of all love is some loveliness. What loveliness can there be in me to draw the heart of God to me, to be in love with me, who am only loathsome by my lusts, and deformed by my passions? What good can be found in me to attract the Divine Will to center itself in me by love, when no good, but all evil dwelleth in me?

Answ. 1. Dear Soul, who thus reasonest for thine own sufferings against the love of God, I shall give thee three Answers in the behalf, and in the name of Divine love. O that love itself from the heart of God would drop its Sweetness from its own mouth upon thee, and seal it upon thy Spirit, while I am speaking for it to thee!

First, Thou wert made in the Image, and Likeness of God, Gen. 1. All Loveliness consisteth in Suitableness; Suitableness in Similitude, and Likeness. There is nothing, which draweth Hearts and Love, which attracteth all things so powerfully, as Similitude doth. Similitude is a kind of Unity, and Likeness Oneness. Similitude is described to be one Form in two matters, or subjects. Let this, O drooping Soul; raise thee to look upward to that Heaven of Eternal Love, which ever holdeth thee in its Embraces, and shineth round about thee. The Divine Image, and Similitude is thy proper Person, thine Nature, thine Essence, it lieth indeed captivated in chains of Darkness, dishonored, and defiled by thy lusts, wounded, and mangled by thy passions, oppressed with guilt, slain by unbelief in thee. Yet this Divine Image is in thee. It is thy true self according to the first Creation.

Dost thou ask now, what that good is, which attracteth the Divine Will to thee by the love of it? God is in love with his own Likeness in thee. He seeketh his own Birth, His Spouse in thee, sprung forth from himself to be his Joy in the midst of all the Creatures, to be Queen, where ever he is King in the whole Creation. This Divine Image in thee, this thy Divine self is that Pearl in the Field, for which God giveth himself, that he may purchase the Fields. This is that good, to which the heart of God is carried with all its weight of love, to redeem it, to revive it, to raise it out of the Dust, that it may shine again in his Glory, and sing of his loves.

The Lord Jesus telleth us, Mat. 24. 28. Where the Carkass is, there the Eagles will be gathered together. The Scriptures represent the Spirit of God in its low estate, in the Flesh of Christ, and his Members by a Dove, a Groaning Dove. The Dove is in the clefts of the Rock, and the holes of the Stairs, Cant. 2. The Spirit descended upon Jesus at his Baptism before his Temptations in the form of a Dove.

The Spirit in his Heavenly strength, and Glory is set forth by an Eagle. I have born them upon Eagles Wings, saith God. They shall mount up on high like an Eagle; saith the Prophet Isaiah. The Spirit is often expressed in the plural number, because he is that Unity, which is the Spring, the Center, the Circle, and Band of all blessed Spirits. He hath in himself an endless variety of Spiritual Glories, which are all glorious Spirits in him, as he is, and one with him. whithersoever his Will is to go, they all go together with him. He is therefore expressed by seven Lamps, seven Spirits, and Eagles here. Where the Carcass is, there the Eagles will be gathered together The end of all this is to make way for the letting in of a flood of Heavenly Balsom, of Divine love upon every heart, upon the broken heart, to heal it; upon the hardest heart to soften it.

Eagles from afar, and from on high are drawn to slaughtered Carcasses, as to their proper Prey So when the Divine Image lieth in thee as a loathsome Carcass at the bottom of a dark and deep Dungeon, now is it the most proper Bait, and most powerful Attractive of Divine love. Now the Lord Jesus, the Eternal Spirit with all the Troop of Spiritual Powers, and Glories resort to this Carcass, descend upon it, hunger after it. Now they feed, and feast upon it, until they have eaten it up, until they have converted it into one pure nature, and glorious Spirit with themselves.

When Ignatius was to be devoured by wild Beasts; now saith he, shall the Teeth of the Lions grind me into fine Flower, to make fine Manchet of me for the Table of God. So do thou say concerning all thy Sufferings within, and without: These are the Divine Teeth of the Spirit of Heavenly love. Now doth my God feed upon me. If my God feed upon me, if he nourish, and enlarge his own Life, Joys, and Glory by me, then shall he also change me, take me up into himself, diffuse his own Life, Joys, and Glory into me.

This is the first Answer.

Ans. 2. Dear Soul, whoever, whatever thou art, thou art the Off-spring of God. St. Paul citeth this from a Poet, confirmeth it by a Divine Testimony, applieth it Universally to all, maketh it the ground of Evangelical Truths, and Loves; Acts 17. 28. As some of your own Poets have said; We are his Off-spring.

St. Paul hath something very like this, Ephes. 3. 9. The Gospel was hid in God from the Foundation of the World, who made all things by Jesus Christ. God had the love of the Gospel in his Heart, and sowed it as a secret Seed in the Foundations of the whole Creation, when he made all things by Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Seed of Nature, as well as of Grace, and so lieth hid in the Bosom of every Creature, as the true Pearl in the Field. That Divine Image, of which we spake before, was the similitude only, the Mother of Pearl; This is the Substance, the Pearl itself. In the Off-spring of God is the Seed of God. Where the Seed of God is, there is God himself in the Virtue, Power, and fullness of his Divine Nature. For so the Seed of every Plant hath that Plant Virtually, and Spiritually in it.

Be now no more unbelieving; but believe. Believe the love, which God hath to thee. Believe, that all the Inclinations of the Divine Will are to thee; that the Eye, and heart of God are turned toward thee in every place, fixed upon thee with all that intention, and force of Sweetness in the Divine Nature. For why? He is drawn irresistibly to his own Seed, his own Son, his own self in thee. Thou art his Off-spring.

When Micah was reproved for crying after the Company, he repl • ed: Ye have carried away my God's, and ye say; why criest thou after us?

No more now doubt, and say; why should the most high God with an Eye of love from Heaven, thus follow me into every state of life, into all the corners of my heart? Why should he by a voice of love from Heaven in the Word, in Providences, in the motions of his Spirit thus cry, and call after me? Thou hast his Seed, his Son, himself in thee.

Do thou answer him again, and say: Thou seekest thyself, thy Seed, thy Sheep crucified, buried, lost in me. O seek, and find it; find it, and take it up into thine Arms; keep it in thine Arms, till thou bring it home to its own self, to its lost Life, Joys, and Glories again. But I also seek my Life, my Original, my true self hid with Christ in thee in the brightness of thy Glory. O take thy crucified self in me home to thee into thy Bosom. O give me my Glorified self with thee home to me into my Bosom. Thus much for the second Answer.

Ans. 3. Still the wounded Spirit sigheth, and saith: Can God take pleasure in anything common, or unclean? Dear Souls, ever dear to the Divine Will, when you have a sense of Sin or, Love; and when you have none, understand the Mystery of the Divine Will in the order, and method of Divine love. When you understand this, you will have a deep, and kindly sense of Sin indeed, but so, as to have a righter, and sweeter sense of love by it.

There is a Twofold Love in God; a Love of Complacency, or Delight; a Love of Benevolence, or good Will. The first is that, by which he taketh pleasure in thee, as a Bridegroom in his beautiful Bride. The second is that, by which his Will is set on work to make thee beautiful, and a Bride to himself. The love of Complacency is the first, and the last love. The love of benevolence is a middle-love, which ariseth out of this, and endeth in it; as Springs, and Rivers come from the Sea, and run into it.

This is the Order of Divine love. First thou art beloved with a love of Complacency from Eternity, as thou art seen in that Glass of Eternity, the Word, the Lord Jesus. Secondly, Thou art for this love's sake beloved with a love of benevolence in time in thine own Person, by which love, God willeth all good to thee, and worketh all good in thee. Lastly, Thou art beloved with a love of Complacency to Eterni • y in thine own Person, as thou art decked with all the Ornaments of the Divine Nature. This is the order of Divine love. Its Music is made up of these three Parts.

1. Part. Divine-love in the first Part is a love of Complacency, or Delight in thee, as thou art seen Eternally in the Person of Christ. Dear Soul, while thou art complaining here below, and fixest thine Eye upon thy shame, thy God seeth thee all-glorious within, and without in the glorified Person of the Lord Jesus. There he taketh his first view of thee. There his Eye, and his Heart are fixed Eternally to thee. Here he maketh choice of thee, here he falleth in love with thee, and his Soul resteth with perfect delight in thee. For he beholdeth thee, as a spectacle of all Divine loveliness lying in the Bosom of him, who is the brightness of all Divine Glory. As a Vessel in the Sea is filled with the Waters, and overflown with the same Waters: so art thou before the World was in the Person of thy Jesus, as in a Sea of Spiritual, Heavenly Beauties; all full within, all covered without with these Glories; quite thorough transparent with the riches of their luster; entirely swallowed up into the Sea of these pure, and bright Glories. This is Electing Love, of which St. Paul speaketh; Ephes. 1. He hath made us acceptable in the beloved one. It is a significant expression which no language can answer for the Sweetness, and Fulness of it; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , made acceptable. The phrase hath this force in it. God embraceth thee with the Arms of the dearest, and tenderest loves, finding thee entirely clothed, and encircled with the height of all loveliness in the object of all loves, and the first s • at, the essence itself of all lovelinesses the Lord Jesus. His Soul is well-pleased with thee to the utmost of all Content; he hath his fill of Pleasures in thee, enjoying thee in the Center of all Pleasantnesses, his own Son.

2. Part. D • vine love in the second Part is a love of Benevolence. While thou art a desolate Wilderness, where nothing appeareth but Dearth, and Drouth, but Bush, and Brake, the love of Eternity descendeth, and soweth itself, as a Heavenly Seed in thee. It cometh down in Heavenly Showers. It breaketh forth in Heavenly Sun-shines upon thee. The same love springeth up into all manner of Spiritual loveliness in thee. Now the Grass groweth, the Roes, and the Hinds play, where the Dragon lay. The Bramble bringeth forth Roses. The Stony Heart is now made the Garden of God. The Soul which wallowed in the • ilth of the Devil is washed by Eternal love in its own Blood, redeemed by its own life, made to bear the Fruit of its own loveliness, and ready trimmed for a Bride to itself.

3. Part. Divine love in the third Part is a love of Complacency, and delight in thee in thine own Person: Now Heaven is opened to thee. God with all his holy Angels are continually descending, and ascending between Heaven, and thine Heart, which is become as it were another Heaven on Earth, God resteth in his Love to thee, and rejoiceth with singing over thee. The Marriage-feast of the Lamb, and his Bride is kept in thee, and thou art that Bride. God with all his loves resteth in thy Bosom. All his desires, who is infinite, are terminated in thee. All his delights are consummated in thee. All the Quires of Angels round about sing of his love to thee. All his Excellencies, and Glories, all his works on every side sing for his Joy in thee.

Ah! Dear Souls! When God shall thus bring back your Captivity, how will your Mouths be filled with laughter! How will you be, as those that Dream? But why should these glad Tydings seem to you too good, too great to be true. God is able to do all this for you, and in you. For his Power is Infinite. God is as willing, as he is able. For his Power lieth in his Will, and his Will is Love. Only wait thou for him; and keep thine Eye upon the first Link in the Golden Chain of Divine love, which is fastened to the Throne of God, the Person of Christ in Heaven, above all thy frailties, folly, and filths, before thy Being in Flesh. This Link is that, which draweth after it the other two inseparably, and infallibly.

This is the Circle of Heavenly love. First, God loveth thee in Eternity with that love, with which he loveth the Lord Jesus. For he beholdeth thee in the light of the same loveliness, in which he beholdeth Jesus Christ. Then he bringeth down the Treasure of this love, and loveliness, which is his beloved Son into thee, soweth him, as a Seed of the Divine Nature, and Sonship. He springeth up in thee, transformeth thee into his own likeness, groweth up in an inseparable Union, and Fellowship with thee. Now God hath another Son, in which he seeth his Son in conjunction on Earth, as he saw them before in conjunction in Heaven. Lastly, God embraceth this Son on Earth, in whom he seeth his Son. He giveth him the kiss of a Father, with all the Joys of a Father. He taketh him into his Arms, carrieth him up into Heaven changing him still, as he carrieth him up, till this Union begun below, be at last made perfect in, and swallowed up into that Union, which was at first in Eternity. Then shall the Lord Jesus see himself in a Saint after the same manner, in which a Saint is seen in the Lord Jesus; both being made perfect in Each, and all made perfect in one. Follow on to know the Lord, and his love, and ye shall know this love of the Lord.

1. Use. See the Evil of sin upon two Accounts. First Sin is an Aberration from the Will of God. Secondly Sin is an Opposition to that Will.

1. The first Evil of Sin is, that is it an Aberration from the Will of God. The Will of God is love. In every Sinful path thou losest the Love-Presence of thy God. What is this Love-Presence and what is thy loss in being deprived of it? In the Love-P • esence of God are these Things.

1. A Light of Glory shining round about thee. This Light of Glory clotheth thy Person all over with its living luster, as with a Garment of pure Gold, of Divine Loveliness. This Light layeth all things open, and naked to thee in their Heavenly Beauties, in their Eternal Truths, and Substances. This light is a mutual Union, and Fellowship between thee, and all things in the light, all the Children of light, all Spirits, and Forms of light. This light is a Spiritual Paradise, in which thou springest up, and flourishest, as a Plant, and Flower of light. This Divine Light is a new Wine, which thou continually drinkest in, and art filled with pure Spirits of all Life, Excellency, Loves and Joys. Lastly, This pleasant, and triumphant Light chaseth away all the shadows, all the darkness, deceits, melancholy, and fears of the Night.

2. In the Love-Presence is the Face of God unveiled, naked, and smiling. God is as a King, and a Bridegroom, in his Ivory Palace. Thou art, as his Queen, and Bride at his Right hand in Garments of Needle-work wrought by the Eternal Spirit with all manner of Beautiful, and Delightful Flowers, and Figures. Here they make these two glad with all manner of Pleasures, as on their Marriage-day.

3. An innumerable company of Angels make up this Love-Presence. These are thy guard. They continually encircle thee, and encamp round about thee in every place by night, and by day. Which way soever thou goest, they bear thee in their arms. They go before thee, to make smooth paths for thy Feet, and to prepare a resting place for thee. They contend with all the Powers of Darkness in thy behalf, for thy Body itself, even in Death. They make Peace for thee with the Beasts of the Field, and a Covenant for thee with the Stones of the Earth in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Mystery of the Gospel. The darkest Appearances of things have the face of Pleasure itself, and put on Immortal Beauties for thee. The hardest things soften into Spirits of Life, and Love, flow with Springs of love, and delights for thee.

4. The God-Head itself encompasseth thee with a Ring of unapproachable Powers, and Incomprehensible Glories, like the Mountains round about Jerusalem. Himself becometh unto thee the Habitation of a Rock, the Rock of Eternity, and Glory. Himself is thy King, thy Kingdom, thy Palace, thy strong Tower; thy safety, thy rest, and thy pleasure. In this Divine strength, in this Divine secret no evil can come near thee, no good can ever fail thee, neither the Bread of thy strength, and life, nor the living Waters of thy Loves, Beauties and Joys.

This is the Love-Presence of God. This is drawn in, and withdraweth itself from thee in the same degrees, as sin is entertained in thy Spirit and Life.

Evil is a Privation of Good. How great an Evil then is the least sin, which depriveth thee of the best, and greatest good the Love-Presence of thy God? Blessed are the pure in Heart, saith our Savior, they shall see God. Mat. 5. How cursed are the Impure? Woe to the filthy, and unclean. They are condemned to the loss of the sight of this God, and the sense of his Love, which sight, which sense alone enlighten, alone sweeten Heaven.

This is the Will of God, your Sanctification. The Will, and the Love of God are one. While you stand in a holy Temper, and State, you stand in the Will of God, you stand in the Love-visions, and Love-embraces of God. What a horror should you have for every Sin, which cometh to snatch these blessed visions of Love from before your Eyes, and you from the midst of these embraces of love?

When the Lord Jesus died, the Sun was entirely darkened besides the course of Nature, the Rocks were rent asunder, the Earth shook, and trembled, the Graves were opened, and the Dead came forth. How dreadful, and dismal a thing would Sin appear, if we met with so unnatural, affrighting a Change as this, upon the act, or meditation of every Sin? But the change is far more tragical, and mournful, if we saw it with the Eyes of our mind, as indeed it is.

Upon the arising of each Lust in thee to gain thy Will from the Bosom of thy Will. Jesus Christ is spiritually slain in thee, who hath a Twin-life with thy life, while thou livest in the Divine Will. This is a Death far more deadly, than that in his Flesh. Now that light of Glory is extinguished in thy Spirit, which shineth ten thousand times brighter, and sweeter, than the Summer-Sun. Now the Rocks the Divine Powers round about thee, rend asunder, and remove out of their places. Hell is opened. All things round about thee are Apparitions from beneath; evil Spirits walking in all Forms of things. The whole frame, and face of Nature is full of Darkness, and uncertainty, Tremblings, and Horrour. The whole Image of things within thee, and without is changed from a Love-Presence to a spectacle of Wrath, and Vengeance.

O that Men understood, and would believe the Evil of Sin, of a departure from the Divine Will, which is a Sea of Love, to their own Will, which is a dark fire of Lust burning up into an open Hell. But though they neither understand, nor believe it; yet is it true, and they feel it to be so.

2. The Second Evil of Sin is an opposition to the Divine Will, that is, to the Divine Love. But can any oppose unclean Lusts to so pure a Love? Earthly, Hellish Lusts to so Heavenly a Love? Fleshly Lusts to a spiritual Love, a Love, which is the Life, and Immortality of all Blessed Spirits? Can any oppose raging passions to the meekness, and sweet Calm of Divine Love? Can any set themselves against that Love which wooeth them continually, till it win them, which doth all things for them? Can any so cast shame upon that Love, which poureth forth itself, as a sweet-smelling Ointment of all Grace, and Beauty upon their Heads, and Persons? Are any hearts to be found so hard, that they will wound Eternal Love itself, while it is pouring forth the Life-Blood of its own heart, partly for a Divine Bathto wash us w • ite in, part • y as a prec • ous Balsom to heal those woe • nds, which Sin, and Sorrow make in the • ? All this we do, while by Sin we walk contrary to the Divine Will, which is all Love, Love framing all contrivances, casting itself into all Forms in Heaven, on the Earth, under the Earth, acting all parts of Life, and Death for us, to gain us, and to crown us with all its Joys, and Beauties. O how uningenuous, how unnatural a thing is Sin? O take heed of trusting the comforts of your lives, the life of your Souls, the sweetness of your Relations to it.

The foundations of Heaven, and Earth are not so firm, as that of this Truth: The greatest Evil of Suffering is to be chosen a thousand times, rather than the least Evil of Sin. In the midst of all other Evils thy Will may stand in a Love-Union with the Divine Will, which is the only Paradise of Delights, and Beauties, that never fade. In every Evil of Sin thy Will standeth in opposition, and enmity to the Divine Will, which enmity alone is the Center of Hell, where all its blackness of dark • ess, all its unquenchable fires, all its innumerable furies, forms of torment rise up into it.

Our Lord Jesus in his Agony, on the Cross, in all his Sufferings had a Joy set before him. The Wrath of his Father with all its Tempests, which shook Heaven, and Earth was a spectacle of Divine Love, and Joy set before him. For in all this his Fathers Will was done by him. His Will was tuned to his Fathers Will. So the Harmony, and Music of Divine Love plaid in the Ear of his Spirit thorough all. His Will was an excellent Lute, the more it was broken, the more sweetly it returned all that Music.

On the other side all the pleasures of Sin, all the Glories of the Creature to a sinful Soul are only a scene of Heaven in Hell. For the Will standeth in a Contrariety to the Divine Will, which is the Supreme Love, and Joy. What can the Contrariety to the Supreme Love; and Joy be, but the deplorable extremes of Wrath, and Torment?

Use 2. The Will of God declareth itself to be Love, to this end, that you may not sin by departing from it: but if any man do sin, that he may presently return. Saul was softened, and melted, when he heard the language of love from David, who had watched over him to preserve him, while he slept in the midst of that Army, with which he made War upon him: Is this thy voice my Son David? said he then. Open thine Eyes, see the Divine Will with innumerable Eyes of love watching over thee in the midst of thy rebellions. Open thine Ears, hear the Divine Will wooing thee with the sweetest language of love in the midst of thy pollutions. This will turn thee again to the Will of God to melt thyself into its Bosom, when once this thought ariseth in thee, that thou returnest to a Bosom of love ever open to thee.

Use. 3. Be in love with Holiness. Holiness is a Conformity to the Will of God. This Will is Love. How easy is that Yoak? How light is the Burthen? How pleasant is the Law of Love? Keep my Commandment, and abide ye in my Love, even as I abide in my Fathers Love, saith Jesus Christ. To abide in the Divine Will, to keep the Commandments of that, is to abide in the Paradise of Divine love, to dress it, and keep it. David saith of the Law of the Lord, Psal. 19. It is more to be desired, than thousands of Gold, and Silver. It is sweeter than the Honey, and the Honey-comb. In keeping it is exceeding great reward. Hear, O beloved Souls and be wise, and be in love with Holiness. In every command to Holiness God cometh to you in the Light, and Purity of all his Divine Beauties, in the Strength, and Sweetness of all his Divine loves, to make thee like himself, to marry thee to himself. In every act of obedience to this law of Holiness, thy Person shineth with a Heavenly luster by the shining forth of the unveiled Person of God upon thee: thou receivest a kiss of Heavenly love immediately from the Mouth of God, and returnest it again. O taste, and see. Then you will say, that this Heavenly Traffick is beyond that of all precious, of all pleasant things. No where such loveliness, as this; no where such love. Holiness is a Conformity to the Will of God. The Will of God is Love, the Fountain, and the Life of all Incorruptible Beauties, of all pure, and ever-flourishing Pleasures.

I have done with the second • escription of Divine Love, which defineth it to be the same with the Divine Will.

3. Descrip. God is Love. He, who was the Disciple of Love, who lay in the Bosom of Love, and so best knew what Love is, declareth Divine Love to be the Nature, and Essence of God. God, saith he, is Love. He that dwelleth in Love, dwelleth in God, and God dwelleth in him, 1 Joh. 3. 16. As the Sea is a heap of Waters: The gathering together of the Waters God called the Sea, Gen. 1. As the Body of the Sun is a pure, and simple Light: so is God a Collection of Loves: a gathering together of all Loves into one Spirit. This is the Divine Nature an Unity, a Purity, a Simplicity of Love.

I shall endeavor to show you by four Arguments, that there is no name, which doth so properly, so fitly express the nature of God, as this of Love.

1. Argum. The first, the principal Thing, the beginning of all Things in God is Love, Psal. 136. I intend a short Paraphrase upon this whole Psalm; because it maketh so clearly, and fully for my purpose, being taken altogether from the beginning to the end of it.

If you would hear the Music of Angels, of Heaven; if you would hear the living Harmony of the Divine Nature, as it is all Love: listen with a Spiritual Ear to this Psalm, which is a Song composed entirely of this Subject of Divine Love. If the Spirit of God assist me to sound forth aright the Heavenly Music of this Psalm, I do not doubt to make your hearts in your Bosoms to leap, and dance to it, by that time I have done.

First, Take two general Observations concerning this Psalm.

1. Gener. Observ. This is a Psalm of Praises, and Thanksgivings; the Work of Heaven, a Heavenly Work. But all the Praises here are attributed to, all the Thanksgivings are terminated in Love, and the Eternity of Love. This is the burden of the Song repeated in every verse; this is that, into which all the Strength, and Sweetness of the sense is still resolved; this maketh one half of every verse quite thorough the whole Psalm: For his Mercy endureth forever. The Word in Hebrew signifieth alike, Mercy, Kindness, Love. That word, endureth, is added by the Translatours. You may read the words with as full an agreement with the Original, as I humbly conceive, For his Love is Eternal.

But however this be, if we adhere to the Translation; Mercy is one of the sweetest, tenderest, largest names of Divine love.

1. Mercy is Love condescending, and descending from the heights of all Heavens above to the nethermost parts of the Earth, to the nethermost Hell.

2. Mercy is Love uniting itself to the vilest, and most miserable Creatures, which lie below, which stick in the Mire, and Clay in the bottom of the Pit. There love sympathizeth with them, maketh itself entirely one with them in their low estate.

3. Mercy is Love making a mutual and strange exchange with those loathsome, and lost Souls. I • taketh to itself their guilt, shame, weakness, and woes. It giveth to them its own Righteousness, Strength, Beauties, Joys, and Glories.

Thus Mercy is the circle of Divine love, as it cometh forth from Heaven, and Eternity; goeth down to the lowest depths of Time, and the Creation; then ascendeth again, till like the Sun it return thither, where it first arose. Poor, and broken Spirits, who lie at the utmost ends of the Earth mourning as outcasts; hope evermore in Eternal love, wait for it. The love of God will find you out, it will meet with you, and take you in its way. For Divine love is Eternal. It encompasseth Heaven, and Earth; Time and Eterty. His Mercy endureth forever.

2. Gener. Observ. This Psalm comprehendeth all things in it, Created, or Uncreated; the Nature of God; the Persons of God, and of Christ; the Wonders of God; the Works of God; the Works of Nature, Grace, and Glory. It comprehendeth all things. Then it maketh the ground, and Crown of all to be Love; this is brought in to every particular in each verse, as the Reason, Rule, Result of all: For his Mercy endureth forever; for his love is Eternal.

It is a maxim in Nature, that all motion is founded upon something immovable. This is the Divine Maxim, upon which Heaven, and Earth standeth; all motions in the heart of God, and in the Creature; of Grace, and Nature are founded upon the unmoveableness, the unchangeableness of eternal Love.

O blessed Love! O blessed God, who is this love! O blessed Soul, which with a spiritual Eye created by this love seeth this all, this whole frame of things to be a structure, a composure of Divine Love! Eternal Love rising up into a Temple, which itself filleth with its All-powerful presence and God-Head, figuring itself in all Forms; acting all Parts; dwelling, and conversing with us, with itself in us, and in all things.

Wandering Souls, take what wings you will to yourselves, you can never fly from the Face, from the Bosom of this Love. The Face of Divine Love shineth thorough all things. The Bosom of Love is the Nest, in which all things, lie. He that hath an Eye to see this Love; he that hath a Palate to relish it, feeleth and feedeth upon a Heavenly Sweetness dropping from the Divine Nature thorough all Objects, thorough all his Senses, as that Honey from the Rock of Eternity.

These are the two general observations. I come now to the parts of the Psalm which are three; 1. God. 2. The Wonders. 3. The Works of God.

1. Part; God. This Part hath three Particulars. 1. The Nature of God. 2. The Person of the Father. 3. The Person of Christ.

1. Partic. The Nature of God is Love. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good; for his Mercy endureth forever. v. 1. Goodness is the Nature of God. All the Goodness of God consisteth in his Love, and the unchangeableness, the Eternity of that. The Lord Jesus teacheth us in the Gospel, that there is none good, but one, that is God. God alone is good essentially, and so primitively, and so perfectly, infinitely good. For nothing can limit, or confine itself. Goodness is in each Creature, as an accident only. In God it is his essence. The essence of God is goodness, The essence of goodness is Love, Eternal Love. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his Mercy endureth forever, his Love is Eternal. The Reason, or Object in God of all Thanksgivings is his goodness, The Formal Reason, the Essence of his goodness is his Love.

As we pass, let us make four short Notes upon this Particular. 1. Faith in the Soul is to be the Counterpart of Love in God. How large then should out Faith be, which is to answer so great a Love? All the goodness of God lieth in his Love. The Essence of God, which is so incomprehensible, so infinite is Love. The Heart of God, the Divine Nature is all Love. O that our Hearts, our Souls, our whole Being were all one Mouth of Faith, and that Mouth opening itself still wider and wider to take in these Seas of Divine Love. 2. The goodness of the Divine Nature is Love. The Seed then of all goodness in us is Divine Love. Let us never say; the Evil of my Heart, and Life keep me from the Fountain of Love in the Heart of God. If I were good, with what Freedom should I come to it? With what desire, delight should I drink of it? Take in this Love, that thou mayst be good. This is the beautiful Flower, and ripe Fruit of the Divine Nature in the Creator. This is the Immortal, and precious Seed of the Divine Nature in the Creature.

2. Partic. The Person of the Father is Love. O give thanks unto the God of God's; for his Mercy endureth forever, v. 2. The ground upon which I Interpret the God of God's in this verse to be the Father, the Lord of Lord's, in the following verse to be Jesus Christ, is the Authority of the Holy Ghost in the New Testament, who often distinguisheth these two ever-blessed Persons by these several Titles of God, and Lord. St. Peter saith of Jesus Christ in the Acts; Him hath God made both Lord, and King. St. Paul saith; There is one God the Father, of whom are all things, and we of him. There is one Lord Jesus, by whom are all things, and we by him. The Holy Apostle seemeth here by the name of God to understand the Fountain of things; by that of Lord, the Channel. In another place he speaketh in like manner: There are differences of Administrations, but the same Lord. There are diversities of operations, but the same God, who worketh all in all: God is the Original of all Power; Jesus Christ, the great, and universal Administrator, the supreme Minister in all the Affairs of the God-Head, and so the Lord.

But to return; the excellency by which God the Father infinitely surmounteth all the God's, • ll Powers, Greatnesses, and Glories is Eternal Love. The Sovereignty, by which he reigneth over, ruleth, rideth forth upon all the God's, all Powers, Greatnesses, and Glories is Eternal Love. The Fountain of the Father, from which he bringeth forth the highest Spirits, Angels, and Saints into the Heavenly Image, and Form of God, that they all become, as Sons of God, as God's round about the Throne of the God of God's, the Father of them all; this Fountain is Eternal Love. O ye Saints! O ye Souls, whom God hath created, and brought forth from a Seed of Love in Eternity, lay your Mouth to this breast of Love, suck in abundantly the pure Milk of Eternal Love, that you may nourish the Divine Nature, and grow up into the Form of God by it. What do we make ourselves, when we cast off Divine Love, when we cease to love? We cast off the Divine Nature, and become Devils. The God of God's, the Fountain of the Divine Nature, the Father of the Divine Life, and Image in Angels, and men hath all his Praises for his Love, he hath his virtue, perfections, and preeminence all consisting in his Love, and the Eternity of that. O give thanks unto the God of God's: for his Mercy endureth forever: for his Love is Eternal. v. 3.

3. Part. The Person of Christ is Love. O give thanks unto the Lord of Lord's: for his Mercy endureth forever. The Kingdom of Christ is a Kingdom of Love. All the Praises of his Reign are terminated in everlasting mercies, the kindnesses of Eternity. As Jesus Christ is the Lord of Life, and Prince of Glory; so is he also the Lord, and Prince of Love.

The Headship of the Lord Jesus over all Principalities, and Powers is the Well-head of love. Our Savior, as he is the Wisdom of the Father, by which he conducteth all things, is a love-channel, the way of love, a contrivance, design, and mystery of love. As he is the Power of God, which carrieth on all, so he is a flood of love pouring forth itself into this channel, and running along thorough it, filling all the windings, and turnings of the Creation, and of Providence.

Who would not worship thee, O thou King of Saints! O thou King of loves! Who would not kiss this Son with a kiss of Allegiance, and be a Subject in this Kingdom; where the King, and the Kingdom both are love. The sharpest reproof here is a kiss of love. The deepest wounding is an anointing of love. The Lord Jesus in this sense also is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lord's. All his Subjects are Fellow-Lord, Fellow-King together with himself, sitting together upon one Throne, which is a Throne of Grace, Throne of love, love findeth, or maketh an equality.

I have passed thorough the first part of the Psalm, which is the God of love

2. Part. The Wonders of love. To him, who alone doth great Wonders: for his Mercy endureth forever, or his love is Eternal, v. 4. All the wonders of God are wonders of love. God is in nothing so to be admired, as in his love.

Admiration is imperfect knowledge. Those things are wonders to us, which are incomprehensible, the causes, and natures of which we cannot search out, or reach to. What Joy is this to understand, that all that, which we cannot understand in the nature of things, which is, as a thick darkness round about us, is a glorious mystery of Divine love? That all that everywhere, of every Creature, of every Providence of the Creator himself, in which our Spirits are swallowed up, and lost is an abyss of love, a great, and shining deep of Divine love?

He who thinketh, he knoweth anything, saith St. Paul, knoweth nothing, as he ought to know. How wise, how right, how pleasant is this, to know, that we have a perfect, a right knowledge of nothing, that all things may become wonders of love to us; that the less we see, the more we may feel of a Divine pleasure in the admirations, and raptures of Divine love transcending our highest faculties; that where we cannot comprehend things, we may give up ourselves to be comprehended by an incomprehensible love?

The Body of the Sun cannot be seen, but daz • eth, and darkeneth our sight, when we fix our Eyes upon it. The Stars are said to be vast Bodies of Light, and Glory. Yet we see nothing of them, but little twinklings, and sparks. The reason in one is the excess of Light; in the other the excess of Height. Believe it; all things round about us are Stars, and Suns of Divine love; love in Divine Forms of a transcendent magnitude, and luster. But we see them generally in a dusky, and shadowy Appearance, like the Sky at a great distance; or at best as little sparks, and twinklings of love. Our sight faileth by reason of the greatness of the Glory, and its height above us.

I come now from the second to the third part of the Psalm.

3. Part. The works of love. All the works of God are works of love. The works of God, and of love are of three sorts; works of Nature; works of Grace; works of Glory.

1. Works of Nature. These are summed up in the Principal, and Universal parts, which comprehend all the rest, v. 5. 6, 7, 8, 9. The Heaven, the Earth, the Day, the Night, the Sun, the Moon, the Stars are mentioned. To everyone of these distinctly is annexed that close, and Crown of love; for His Mercy endureth forever; or his love is Eternal.

The whole frame of things is a Creation of love. All the Creatures are so many Forms, and Shapes, which love putteth on to appear to us in, to converse, to sport itself with us. If it take to itself the Glory of a King in the discovery of itself by the light of the day: it taketh to itself a greater Glory, and affordeth a greater pleasure by surmounting all our Powers, and being incomprehensible, when it hideth itself in the darkness of the Night.

Love is the Center of the Earth beneath, on which the whole Creation resteth and moveth. Love is the Circle of Heaven above, which encompasseth all.

It is Divine love, which rideth upon the Circuit of the Heavens, of all the Heavenly Spirits, and Heavenly Bodies, ruling all things by its blessed, and sweet influences from thence. It is Divine love, which soweth itself, as a Seed in every dust of the Earth, to spring up from thence into a Divine Form and Fruit. The Sun is a Figure of Eternal love shining forth with its naked Beauties in their full Glory. In the Moon we see love shadowed, and coming forth with its Night-dress to rule, and enlighten every night, the blackest, the most tempestuous. The Stars are innumerable Eyes of Love looking forth upon us, watching over us, attracting our Spirits, and drawing them up to Heaven, to the Fountain of love. They are so many sparks of love flying forth from the Heart of God, and glowing continually round about us to warm, and melt our Hearts.

Can we now keep dark, blind, cold, unkind, unclean, dead hearts in our Bosoms in the midst of a Creation of love, where so many Eyes of love shine so sweetly upon us, so many sparks of love lie glowing round about us, so many Seeds of love are sown in our Earth, so many influences of love are continually falling from the Heavens on every side.

The heat of the Sun warmeth stone-walls, quickeneth slime to a living Creature. You that have hearts of stone in your Bosoms, lay them open to the Beams of his love, they will be warmed with a Heavenly heat, they will live the life of Angels, of God.

The work of Providence is to be annexed to the Creation among the works of Nature. The work of Providence is painted out to us in the Nation of the Jesus, as in a Figure from the tenth verse to the twenty third, as the Soul formeth, animateth, and inhabiteth the Body; as the Soul is all in the whole Body, and all in every part of it: so is Eternal love the Spring, the Life, the Sweetness, the Beauty residing in the whole work of Providence, and resting entirely on each l • ne, each motion of it. Every particular in each verse is set off with this love, as the ground, the glory, and the relish of all: For his Mercy endureth forever: or, his love is Eternal.

As a Silkworm spinneth a soft, and shining piece of work out of its Bowels, in the midst of which it ••• f liveth, and dieth to live again with Wings, and multiply itself: so is the whole piece of Nature, and Providence a rich, and delicate contexture of the tenderest Love. Eternal Love spinneth it out of its own Bowels, liveth with us, and dieth for us in the midst of it. Then it riseth again with Wings of Spirituality, and Glory. In this Divine Form it cometh again to generate a Divine Seed to itself.

A Painter, who is drawing a Beautiful Person, keepeth his Eye ever upon the Life. Whether he lay dark or bright Colours, whether he make Shade, or Light, crooked lines, straight or circular: still he is acted by that Idea of Beauty, which he taketh into his Spirit by his Eye from the Life itself; still he is forming that lovely Face in every stroke, and color. Thus Divine Love in the whole Age of the World, in the life of a particular Saint, in the general Affairs of the Church sometimes maketh a Land of Egypt, sometimes a Passage out of it; here a red Sea, there a way thorough it; now a Wilderness, then a Land of Canaan. But in all these it ever hath its Eye upon that Divine Glory, which Eternal Love bringeth forth to itself, within itself, as its own Essential Form and Image. This Glory, this Life-Image of Love, is that, which it is forming in every Egypt, Sea, Wilderness, and Canaan.

The Heathen represented the Nature of this thing by Venus, the Mother of Love; the Seeds, and Life springing by a Cupid, Love the Child of this Mother, Gen. 1. 2. It is said that the Spirit of God moved upon the Waters. The Paraphrase upon that Scripture maketh it to be an allusion to a Dove, which is the Bird of love sitting upon her Eggs, and hatching her young ones. The Holy Spirit is often in Scriptures represented by a Dove. Eternal Love is of a Truth, that Almighty Spirit, which at first sat upon the whole Creation to form it, and moveth upon it thorough all times to cherish, and govern it. Love is the Mother of all above. All things are the Off-spring of Love, a Race of Seminal, and Springing Loves. Mercy, Love runneth along with the whole, with each particular of the whole thorough the length of Eternity itself. This is still the Burthen of the Song: For his Mercy endureth forever.

2. The Works of Grace. These are the second sort of Divine Works; and these also are the Works of Love.

These are divided into three Ranks.

1. The constant abode of the Soul in the Heart of God. Who remembered us in our low estate. v. 23. Thou, O broken Heart! Art sinking by ignorance, by unbelief, by thy fall from God, thou art sinking still deeper into the Darkness, and Filth of this World, and thy Lusts. Still thou sinkest into the Power, and Horrours of the Devil. Now thou sayest; the Lord hath forgotten me, he hath cast me off forever. Yet he remembereth thee in thy low estate. Still thou art in his Thoughts, thou art in his Heart, as a Pillar in the Temple of the Divine Nature, which is Love, never to go forth. Thy Person is ever before him with a Sweet and deep Impression upon his Spirit never to be rased out. What hath done this? It is Eternal Love. This is the Light of the Divine Mind, which continually presenteth thee to it in the dress of its own Be • uties. This is the sweet force of the Divine Will, which holdeth thee fast in itself, which beareth thee in its Arms thorough all conditions, and will not let thee go forever. This is the Reason, why He remembereth thee in thy low estate: For his Mercy endureth forever.

2. The bringing us back into the Bosom of God. This is the second Rank in the Works of Grace. And hath redeemed us from our Enemies: For his Mercy endureth forever. v. 24.

It is Eternal Love in the Bosom of the Father, which hath sent Jesus Christ forth from thence for us, and to us; that he may be our Sacrifice, our Ransom, and our Redeemer.

It is Eternal Love in the Person of Christ, which cometh down from Heaven to make itself a Sacrifice for us to the Justice, and Wrath of God.

It is Eternal Love in the Person of our I • sus, which descendeth upon the Earth, as a Field of Blood to undertake the Fight with the Powers of Darkness, that he may reskue us, and redeem us from all our Enemies on Earth, and in Hell.

It is Eternal Love in the Person 〈◊〉 I •• us Christ, that g • veth itself a Price for us, that one Pearl, in which H •• ven, and Earth, with all the treasures of the Creature, and Creator lie to pu • chase us to itself.

It is Eternal Love in the Person of our Heavenly Bridegroom, that giveth itself to us, to clothe us, to form us, to act us, to be a Crown of Divine Glory upon us; to be a Fountain of all Spiritual Loveliness, Life, Grace, Purity, and Joys in the midst of us. Thus it redeemeth us from our Captivity, and Shame. Thus it maketh us a Bride fit for itself coming forth ready trimmed out of the Heaven of its own Embraces.

3. The nourishing of us in the Bosom of God. This Work of Grace cometh in the third Rank: Who giveth food to all Flesh: For His Mercy endureth for ever. Mark, how these answer one another; Mercy; Food: All Flesh; For ever.

Eternal Love is both the Feeder, and the Food. If God give Food; If everlasting Mercy, Eternal Love in the Divine Nature, and Form give Food: This is Food indeed, not the Flood of a Shadow, or a lie. My Flesh is Meat indeed, my Blood is Drink indeed; saith our Lord Jesus. The Lord speaketh not this of his Human Nature. For of this he saith in another place: The Flesh profiteth not: but the Spirit quickeneth. It is Eternal Love, which is the Flesh of Christ, the strength, and substance of the Divine Nature. It is Eternal Love, which is the Blood of Christ, the Life and Sweetness of the Divine Nature. This is that Meat indeed, and Drin • indeed, which Love giveth for Food to all Flesh in its Bosom to nourish it to Eternal Life.

I have passed thorough the second Sort of 〈◊〉 Works, the Works of Grace.

3. Works of Glory. O give thanks unto the God of Heaven: For his Mercy endureth forever. v. 26. and last. The Psalm begun with Goodness, as its ground of Love, v. 1. It closeth its Music with Heaven, as the Crown of Love. The natural Heavens, the Heavens of the first Creation are not intended here, These were mentioned in the body of the Song, and pass away. These are the last and highest Heavens; the Heavens of Glory: the high and holy places of Eternity. These Heavens are all made of Love. All the precious, and incorruptible Substance; all the inexpressible, and pure Sweetnesses: All the Divine and unfading Beauties of these Heavens are Eternal Love. All the Praises given to God, as he appeareth in these Heavens with all his Saints, and Angels; all his Joys, and Glories round about him, are attributed to Eternal Love, the Root, the Flower, the Fruit, the only reason, and relish of all. O give thanks to the God of Heaven: For his Mercy endureth forever: For his Love is Eternal. The midst of Solomon's Chariot is pav • d, or flameth with Love, Cant. 3. The Center of Heaven is a Love-fire. All the Spirits, and Spiritual Glories of it are Immortal flames of Divine Love.

2. Argum. Love is the end of all Things with God. This is the second Argument to prove Love to be the proper Name of God, and full expression of the Divine Nature. Love appeareth to be the last end of all things three ways.

1, All the Works of God end in Love. 2. All the Attributes, and Ex • ellencies of God serve his Love. 3. God resteth in his Love.

1. All the Works of God end in Love. Psal. 145. v. 9. His tender Mercies are over all his Works. The word Mercies cometh from the Belly; the inward parts; the Womb. It signifieth the very heart of Love, where it first liveth, and never dieth. where it lieth warmest, and hath the strongest pulse. It signifieth Love in its Center, and Fountain, where its operations are tenderest, liveliest, and highest. It signifieth that the dearest of all Loves, the love of a Mother to the Child of her Womb. This Love is over all the Works of God. Over in Hebrew hath also the sense of Above. It is the end alone, which is over all, and above all. In these two respects Love appeareth to be the end of all the Works of God.

1. Love is over all the Works of God. As a Bird spreadeth itself over its Nest to hatch, and cherish its young ones: So the end spreadeth itself over all the means, and ways to it. The end fashioneth, and formeth them. T • e end directeth and moveth them. The end putteth a Beauty upon them, and a pleasantness into them. The end terminateth, and perfecteth them in itself. Thus Divine Love, as the Heavenly Dove, maketh the whole compass of things its Nest, and sitteth upon it. Love giveth Being, Form, Motion, Light, Life, Loveliness, Perfection to all the Works of God. Love is the consummatior, and Crown of all. Thus love is the last end.

2. Love is above all the Works of God. Nothing can be above all besides the end of all. The end of all boundeth all things and confineth them. Eve • y thing, which hath an end is finite. The end itself is infinite, because it ha • h nothing above it to give bounds to it, nothing beyond it to terminate a • d confine it. Divine Love is the end of all good, the measure of all good, an infinite good. For the love of God is above all the Works of God. O the transcendent Sweetness, Suitableness, Goodness of Divine Love! When you have extracted all that is sweet, all that is agreeable, all that is good out of every Creature, every Divine Work; the Love of God is sweeter, and better than all this. Yea, there is in this Love a sweetness, which so much excelleth; which is so quite of another kind; that by all this you can take no measure of it, you can make no conjecture of it. For all this is finite, and that is infinite. Now it is a firm and sure Rule: there is no proportion between a finite, and an infinite Being. You must taste this Love itself to know how precious it is. All the delights here, when they are highest, truest, and purest are dreams only of this Love. Awake, O Soul, and dress thyself to be a Bride to this Love. Stir up all those infinite desires, which are sown in thee to meet, embrace, and take in the infinite excellency, the infinite Sweetness of this Love.

2. All the Attributes, and Excellencies of God serve his Love; This proveth Love to be the end of all. We read thus, Ephes. 1. 5, 6. Who hath predestinated us to the adoption of Sons by Jesus Christ in himself according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the Glory of his Grace. Grace is Love with these three Graces adorning it, Freedom, Sweetness, Fulness. See if this Love be not God himself, to which the Praise and Glory is given. Can this be any other, than God in his last, and naked Appearance, the end of all, to which the Praise, and Glory of all is ascribed? Behold, with what Pomp Divine Love is brought in. A long order of Divine Glories go before it. Love followeth them, as King, and God. 1. The Counsels of God in Eternity comprehended in the head of them all predestination; Who hath predestinated us. 2. The Adoption, the Sonship, all the Sons of God. 3. Jesus Christ himself, the brightness of the Glory of God, by whom all the world Visible, Invisible; of Nature, Grace, and Glory are made; in whom all the Fulness of the God-Head dwelleth Bodily. 4. The Will of God, which is the unsearchable Treasure of all Sweetness, Goodness, Power, and Joy; the Seed, and Fruit of all Desires thorough Earth, and Heaven. Yea the good pleasure of his Will, which the Will of God, like the Sun shining in its strength, or a full Sea. All these in their Order serve to the Praise of the Glory of Divine Love. Who hath predestinated us to the Adoption of Sonship by Jesus Christ in Himself according to the good pleasure of his Will, to the Praise of the Glory of his Grace. All the most Spiritual, and highest Images of God in his Sons; all the most beautiful, purest, and sweetest Idea's of Eternity within himself; Jesus Christ the Supreme Image, the Universal Idea, which comprehendeth them all, and surmounteth them all, give up all their Glories to Love, as Stars do their light to the Sun. Love is the first, and the last, the most high Father, and end of all. This is that last opening of the God-Head, in which all other lights of Nature, Grace and Glory terminate, as in their proper, and beatifical end.

Let us apply this two ways. Let it be a Caution, a quickening to us.

1. A Caution. Take heed of provoking the Love of God to Jealousy. The greatest Sea rageth with the highest, and most dreadful Waves in a Tempest, when the Wind's upon it. The Jealousy of this Love is the rage or a God in the greatness of his Power, Glory, and Majesty, at the height of his God-Head. For this Love is God in the full and final Glory of his Divine Nature, after which we are to expect no other, no further Discovery.

There are two things, of which the love of God is most Jealous, its Glory, and its Bride.

1. Love is most jealous of its Glory. The Glory of Divine Love consisteth in its Purity, its Spirituality, its Heavenliness. It is a pure Spirit, the first and purest of all Spirits. It is itself the highest Heaven, the Heaven of Heavens. If you impute to this Love anything impure, fleshly, or earthly; it you make this Love, a pretence to the flesh, and to filth, you stain its Glory, you put it to open shame, you blow up its jealousy to a flame, which will burn to the nethermost Hell.

2. The Love of God is most jealous of its Bride. Thy Soul, O Man, is the Daughter, the Sister, the Bride to this Love. Take heed of dishonoring the Marriage-bed of Divine Love in thy Soul, and defiling its Spouse. If thou pollute thyself with any fleshly lust, with any worldly love, with any Idol without thee, or within thee: this most high, and holy Love will be an everlasting flame, and a devouring fire burning upon thee, until it have burnt up, and consumed every Idol of thine Eyes, or Heart, every Lust, every other Love.

2. A quickening. Direct the Eye of your Spirits thorough all things, thorough all the Attributes, and Excellencies of God to his Love. Terminate your desires by all Divine Actings, and Discoveries beyond them all upon the Love of God. For this is the end of all; this is God.

Divine Love is the great, and rich Diamond of the Divine Nature. All other operations, and excellencies of the Divine Nature are the Sparklings, the Luster, the Water of this Diamond. Let all the Sparklings, and Streams of sweet light from this precious Stone draw your Eyes, and Hearts to the Diamond itself, to the naked Bosom of Love. There is the abundance of Glory. There you shall milk forth the Divine Life, Delights, and Glory in abundance,

As the Wood was of old laid upon the Altar, and the Sacrifice upon the Wood in order to the descent of fire from Heaven, which turning the Wood, and the Sacrifice into one flame with itself, returned thither from whence it came: so let your life, and religion be a continual Sacrifice to Eternal Love. Let the Lord Jesus be thine Altar, which is Love rising up out of the Earth. Lay all Duties, Graces, Truths, Spiritual Discoveries, as Wood upon this Altar. Bring thy Soul, thy Heart, thy whole Person for the Sacrifice. Now wait, look upward, pray for Love, as the pure flame of the God-Head to come down, to change all, to unite all unto itself in one Love, and so ascend again with all unto its own place above the Heavens.

I have shown in general, how the Divine Attributes all serve Love, as their end. I will explain it yet more by three instances of the three chief excellencies in the Divine Nature. Wisdom, Power, Righteousness.

1. Instance; The Wisdom of God serveth his Love. According to the riches of his grace, in which he hath abounded towards us in all Wisdom, and Prudence. As a plentiful Spring by the abundance of its Waters maketh a bed, and channel to itself, in which it runs along: so is the Divine Wisdom a manifold, and deep channel, which the full Spring of free Grace, of Eternal Love maketh to itself by the force of its endless streams, as they flow thorough all things, and play with themselves in various courses, and forms, until they meet again in the Sea of Love, the Bosom of God. Divine Wisdom is the richness of Divine Love spreading itself into an infinite variety; sporting itself with itself in all diversity of Forms, and Shapes; thorough innumerable Changes, innumerable Windings, and Turnings bringing forth itself into a most ravishing Harmony of all Divine Beauties, and Joys. Divine Wisdom is Love forming itself into rich designs, most beautiful contrivances, full of unexpected, and surprizing turns, full of depths past the search of every created Eye: that in the close it may display its blessed Treasures more fully; that it may raise, and enlarge every Spirit to take in its Joys. Thus the riches of Grace have abounded towards us in all Wisdom and Prudence.

The Wisdom of God is the Divine art of Love. The Divine Prudence, and Providence is the Net of Love to catch Hearts, and Souls in, spread thorough the Sea of the Creation.

O blessed Fisher of Souls, D • vine Love! O blessed Net of love, the Divine Wisdom, and Providence! Thrice-blessed Souls, that are caught in this Net, by this Fisher! These are taken only to be removed out of the Salt, and troubled Sea of this World, into the sweet, clear, and calm Sea of Love.

But wretched are those Spirits, who like Carps in a Pond sink themselves down deep into the mud of flesh, and fleshly lusts, that they may escape this Divine net of Love,

The Wisdom of God is the Music of Love, by which it charmeth Spirits, to attract them to itself, to compose them unto a Heavenly Harmony of Peace, and Purity. Those are indeed Adders, the Seed of the Serpent, who love not the sound of this Music, who stop their Ears, that they may not hear this Charmer the Divine Love, though he charm with so much skill.

2. Instance. The Power of God serveth his Love, Rom. 1. 16. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the Power of God unto everyone that believeth. The Gospel is the Ministry of Grace, or Love. The Divine Power then acting in the Gospel is the Minister, and Servant of Love.

This will appear more by laying together three Scriptures in the Canticles, which opening one another will send forth a sweet light of Divine Grace shining in them.

1. Scrip. Cant. 5. 10. It is said of the Lord Jesus; He is the Chief among ten thousand. The Hebrew word for Chief is Standard-bearer. I humbly conceive, that we are not to understand here the Person, that beareth the Standard, or Banner, whoever is inferior to many Persons in the Army; but the Prince, whose the Standard, or Banner is, which is carried, unto which all the Army is gathered together, and under which it moveth. The sense seemeth to be the same with that; Joshu. 1. Jesus Christ appeared in the form of a man with a drawn Sword in his hand. Being asked by Joshua, who he was he answered: The Captain of the Lord's Hosts.

2. Scrip. Can. 6. 10. The Spouse of Christ, which is the Church in general, and every believing Soul in particular is described to be; Terrible, as an Army with Banners. This relateth to the Army, and Banners mentioned before; Cant. 5. 10. Psal. 34. 7. we read, that the Angel of the Lord pitcheth his Camp round about those that fear the Lord. It is in the Original Tongue; the Angel Jehovah. The Lord Jesus is God with God the Father above all Angels, and Men. He is God setting up his Pavilion in the midst of the holy Angels. He is God setting up his Pavilion with Men in the midst of their Spirits. This is the Captain of the Lord's Hosts, the Prince of Glory, who as a great Prince at the head of an Army placeth things dearest to him, his Treasure, his Princess in the midst of the Army, as in a place of Strength and Honor.

3. Scrip. Cant. 2. 4. The King brought me into his Banquetting House, and his Banner over me was Love. You will say now; what hath Love, or a Banquetting House to do with a Banner of War? You shall now see, how these Scriptures come home to my end, and declare the Power of God to be the Servant, and the Soldier of his Love.

The proper intent of a Banner is to bear the Cause of the War wrought upon it, either by Image, or Inscription, or both. It is frequent, when the War is ended, for the Conquerors in the rooms, in which they feast for joy of the Victory, to have hanging over their Heads the Banners, under which they are fought. These are Tropheys, marks of the Victory, and Ornaments of the Triumph. Silken flags a • solemn Shows, at public Feasts, at Funerals are Imitations, and Images of this.

If a King make a War for his Bride, or Love, he may very well have Love in a rich Figure, and in Golden Le ••• displayed upon his Banners. Neither can anything be more pertinent, when he returneth home, and feasteth publicly with his Queen, than to have these Banners with Love inscribed upon them in golden Letters, and figured upon them in glorious Images waving over their Heads to increase their Joys by this Declaration; Love was that, for which the King fought; Love was the force, by which he conquered; Love is the end of the Victory, the Joy, and Crown of the Feast.

I know you prevent me in your thoughts, you, who love the Lord Jesus, by applying this to your Prince, your Beloved, and his Love, his Bride, your own Souls.

I shall bring down all to my purpose, and to your practice in the exercise of those Principal, and Triumphant Graces, Faith, Love, Heavenly Joy by three Conclusions, or Spiritual Maxims.

1. Conclu. All the Armies of God, all the Powers of the God-Head, the innumerable Companies of holy Angels, and blessed Spirits, all the Hosts of Heaven, and Earth with their Captain the Lord Jesus at the head of them move, and fight in their courses under the Banner of Love. Thy Person in a glorious Image of all Divine Beauties is figured upon the Banner, as this Eternal Princes Love. Love to thee is wrought upon the Banner in Characters of Glory. This is the Cause of all motions in Heaven, and Earth. To this Banner all Powers everywhere resort, unto this they are united, under this they march, and fight.

2. Conclu. The Lord Jesus, as Captain of the Lord's Hosts, with all his Heavenly Armies, his ten thousands of Angels, his Chariots of fire, and Horses of fire continually encompasseth thee, marcheth, encampeth round about t • ee, as his chiefest Treasure, his Love, with Banners of Love spread, and displayed over thee; on every side of thee round about. Every step thou takest in thy way to Heaven is in the midst of these Warriours. All Divine Powers continually circle thee in. The Invisible, and Invincible Hosts of God under the conduct of thy Beloved Jesus are thy perpetual Guard, and Convoy. In the midst of these thou walkest, • ittest, and liest down; thou wakest, and sleepest, Psal. 91. 11. The Angels have a charge of thee from their Prince, and thy Bridegroom, that they keep thee in all thy ways, that they bear thee in their hands, least at any time thou strike thy foot against a stone; that thou never stumble. The Angels of God are thy Chariots of War: thy Chariots of State, thy Chariots of Love, thy Chariots for Travel, in which thou journiest thorough this Wilderness to thy Kingdom, the Kingdom of Love and Glory. All this they are in one. They make thy way thy Palace in the midst of thy Kingdom for Strength, for Glory, for Delights, for Rest in thy Love. They bear thee up above in the light of Life, in the Life of Divine Love. This is the way high, and lifted up above all the Powers of Darkness, and Death, in which they carry thee along, that thou mayst never strike thy foot against any stone of offense, against any hard and hurtful Form of Darkness, Enmity, or Death. Thy Jesus, the Bosom of thy Beloved is this way.

3. Conclu. These Banners of Love, which are spread over thee in thy marches here, the same hang streaming over thy head to Eternity, and over the Head of thy King, as thou fittest at the Feast with him in Heaven. The Fights about thee here, are the Trophies, and Triumphs at the Feast here. The same Love is figured on all, which maketh all precious Stones, and Jewels in thy Marriage-Crown, and Crown of Glory, to shine there, and adorn it forever.

Use. The Use, which we make of this is to see the difference between the two states of a Saint, and a Sinner; a Believer, and him, who believeth not.

1. See the blessedness of • Believer. Heb. 1. 2. Jesus Christ is said to be the Brightness of the Glory of God, that is of Love; the express Image of the Substance, or Person of God, that is, of Love. For God is Love. v. 6. 7. When God bringeth his Son again, that is, after his Resurrection, in his Spiritual, and Heavenly Appearance, into the world; he saith: Let all the Angels of God worship him. He hath made all his Ministers Spirits, and his Angels a flame of Fire. This concerneth thee O Believer, and is spoken of thee.

O the blessedness of that Soul, which indeed receiveth Jesus Christ, and his Love by Faith, if only thou didst know thine own happiness! God hath brought his Son in his second Appearance, in his Spirit, into thine Heart. He is in thee the brightness of the Glory of Love, that is, of the Divine Nature shining in the midst of thee. This is that Eternal Sun, from which all blessed Spirits continually drink in the Light, Influences, Joys of Life, and Immortality. He is in thee the express Image of Love, which is the Substance, and Person of God. This setteth itself thorough him, as a Seal upon thine Heart. Now the Power of God is a Servant to his Love in thee. Now God saith; Let all the Angels of God worship, how down to, serve my Love in this Soul. God himself maketh his Angels Flames of Love enfolding thee, penetrating thy Body, and Spirit, shining within thee, round about thee continually in the darkest night. He maketh his Angels Ministring Spirits to thee. Spirits of Glory Minister Love to thee after an Invisible manner in all visible Things. Every moment of time, every Circumstance, or Accident in time, are the Wings of Angels, a Chariot of Angels carrying thee above the snares of Death below into Heaven. This is thy Portion, who believest in the Lord Jesus and his Love.

2. See the misery of Unbelievers. How wretched art thou, who believest not, who sayest to the Love of God, and the Tydings of it from Heaven: Depart from me, I have no pleasure in you.

Those Powers of Darkness, that are ever ready to raise up Leviathan from his Stormy deep below, curse thee. All evil Spirits are Flames of Wrath burning within thee, burning from without upon thee always, in the midst of thy Jollities, at thy Feasts, on thy Beds of pleasure. Evil Spirits are ever Ministring Wrath to thee after an Invisible manner thorough all Visible Things. Devils are thy Chariots. These wrap thee up in a thick Cloud, in the blackness of Darkness, and hurry thee to Hell. O be not unbelievers, but believe, that you may inherit the Land of Love, and dwell in it forever. Love inviteth, wooeth you to believe, that is, to receive itself into your Hearts. Love will bring its own entertainment, and make the Feast for itself; if you for your parts will but take it in, as a guest.

3. Instance. The Righteousness of God serveth his Love. Rom. 5. l. Grace re • gneth by Righteousness unto Eternal Life thorough Jesus Christ our Lord. Grace is Love in its Fountain, Love upon the Throne. Love is brought in here by the Apostle under the name of Grace, as a King. Eternal Life, Heaven is the Kingdom of Love. Jesus Christ is the chief Minister of State to this great King. God is Love sitting upon the Throne. The Lord Jesus is the same, supreme Love descending from the Throne to be the Universal Servant, and General Officer throughout all this Kingdom of Love. Righteousness is the Scepter of the King. Thy Scepter is a Scepter of Righteousness, Psal. 45. Love reigneth by Righteousness unto Eternal Life thorough Jesus Christ our Lord.

There are three Ways, in which the Righteousness of God serveth his Love.

1. Righteousness is the Royal-Garment, and the Wedding-Garment for Love itself, and its Bride on the Coronation, and the Wedding day, which are both one, the day of the Spirit, the day of Grace, the day of Eternity. The Bridegroom himself is said to be fairer than the Sons of Men, in my Text; Psal. 45. 2. He is clothed with the Righteousness of God, which is the Comeliness, the Beauty of Holiness, or the Holy, the Pure, the unstained, unmixed Beauty of the Divine Nature. Two things make Beauty; Features; Colours. The Features in the Face of the God-Head are the variety of all Excellencies in a Harmony. The Colours are the Glory shining in all these. This is the Righteousness of God. Jesus Christ hath both these. He is the express Image of the Person of God. There are the Divine Features. He is the brightness of the Glory of God. There are the Divine Colours, and Luster. Both these make up the Garment of Righteousness, which is the Divine Loveliness of Love himself. In this he appeareth fairer, than the Sons of Men on his Marriage-Day in the day of the Gospel. For Behold! He cometh forth in the Righteousness of God.

This also is the Garment, with which Love clotheth, and adorneth his Spouse, the Believing Soul to make her fairer, than all the Daughters of Men, than all the Daughters of Jerusalem, than all Angelical Beauties. The Queen is said to be brought to the King, all Glorious within, in Garments of beaten Gold, in Garments of Needle-work: Psal. 4. 5. The Glory quite thorough, the beaten Gold, the Needle-work is all comprehended in the Righteousness of God. He was made Sin for us, that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him. 2 Cor 5. 21. This is the Garment, with which Divine Love adorneth his Queen to make her fit for his Throne, and his Embraces. This Garment of Divine Righteousness hath a mysterious virtue in it. It is at once a Bath of Divine Blood, which taketh off all the blackest, deepest stains of deformity from the most loathed Souls. It is a Tincture of Divine Beauty which giveth in a moment Youth, Immortality, a loveliness quite thorough its whole Essence, a Substantial, Essential loveliness, a loveliness resembling, and answering that of love himself, of God. This is the beaten Gold, all Glory within.

A learned Interpreter teacheth us, that the Needle-work in the Garment signifieth properly Oes wrought in Gold, like so many Suns, all over the Garment. How rich, how Beautiful is that Garment of Righteousness, with which the Lord Jesus decketh the Soul of every Saint, in which it fully pleaseth the Eye of God, and dazleth the Eyes of Angels! It is set all over with Golden Oes of an Eternal Glory, with Invisible, and Eternal Suns, the unveiled Face, the entire Person of the Lord Jesus set in every part, and shining from every point of it. This is the first Service of the Divine Righteousness to the Divine Love, to make itself, and its Bride, the Beloved Soul Infinitely, Unchangeably Lovely, and Pleasant one to another. This is the Righteousness of our fustification.

2. Eternal love soweth the Righteousness of God, as a Divine, a Spiritual Seed in our Hearts. This Seed changeth the ground into its own Nature. It draweth the virtue and strength of it to itself. It groweth up in it, together with it to a Tree, which is an entire Paradise in itself. The body of this Tree is the Lord Jesus in the Power, Glory, Fulness of his Spirit. The Branches are all the Spirits of God, of Angels, and Saints spread thorough all times, and things. All moral Excellencies, all the Beauties, and Perfections of the Divine Image in the first, and universal frame of Nature are the leaves of this Tree, which here never fade. All Divine Righteousness, all Evangelical Perfections, and Spiritual Graces are the Fruit, which is fitted for every Season, and ever ripe in its Season. On this Fruit love itself, which is God, the Son of love Jesus Christ, all the Angels of love, the Soul herself feed, are refreshed, and raised to a Divine Joy. This is the Righteousness of our Sanctification.

3. The Righteousness of God is the Scepter in the Hand of Love, by which it ruleth all things. As Moses commanded all the Elements, the Air, the Water, the Earth by stretching forth the Rod in his hand: so the Love of God swayeth all things everywhere by the Scepter of his Righteousness. The Harmomony and Motions of the Divine Righteousness from the hand of Divine Love are felt, and obeyed by all things to the utmost end of the Creation. Righteousness is the Music of Divine Love, by which all things are charmed.

Use. See the distinction between the liberty of Spiritual Love, and the licentiousness of Fleshly Lusts.

1. Divine Love is free but Divinely fair, and pure. St. James calleth the Gospel, which is the Ministry of Love from Heaven; the perfect Law of Liberty; and in another place, the Royal Law. Love is free, but it is perfect. Love is a Liberty: but it is a Law to itself in its Liberty. Love is a King: but it reigneth in Righteousness. It is itself, both King and Law to itself. Love, saith St. Paul, is the fulfilling of the whole Law. Jesus Christ said to John the Baptist; It behooveth me to fulfil all Righteousness. This is the Language of Heavenly Love in every Holy Heart: It behooveth me to fulfil all Righteousness. Love is an obligation of Righteousness to itself. Righteousness is the decency, the comeliness of Love. Love is the Divine Unity, and Righteousness the Heavenly Harmony, in which this Unity of Love diffuseth itself thorough all things. True liberty is only found in Harmony. All Bondage ariseth from Discord, which hath its Root in Contrariety, and Enmity. Righteousness is the Harmony, and Beauty of Love.

It is the liberty of the Sun to shine; of a Tree to flourish with Leaves, Flowers, and Fruits. Righteousness is the liberty, the Sun-shine, the Beauty, and fruitfulness of Divine Love.

As the Sun by its light: so the love of God by its Spiritual Beauty, which is Holiness, attracteth Spirits to it; maketh them in love with it; maketh them lovely by Assimilation, making them like itself; filleth them with all delights: maketh them fruitful with all Beautiful, and Divine Births of Grace, and Glory.

Love and Righteousness are, as the Father and the Son in the Blessed Trinity. Love bringeth forth Righteousness, as its proper brightness, its lovely light, its essential Image, the express Image of its Substance, and all its Sweetnesses, or virtues. As the Father is at liberty only in the Son, his own Image; as the Son is nowhere at liberty, but in the Bosom of the Father, his own Principle, and Original: so is love nowhere truly free, but where it springeth up, and flourisheth in the Fruits of Righteousness. Righteousness is then only Free, Kindly, Evangelical, and Divine, when it springeth from the Womb of love, lieth in the Bosom of love, hangeth at the Breasts of that love, which is God; of God, as he is in his own Eternal Form of love.

He that hath the Son, hath the Father also. He that hath the Father, hath the Son: saith St. John. Let us not be deceived. He that worketh Righteousness, hath the love of God in him; and he that hath the love of God, hath also the Righteousness of God. Love is the fulfilling of the Law, of every Law; Natural, Moral, Evangelical; of the Letter, and of the Spirit. Love doth nothing uncomely; offendeth no Principle, Human, or Divine; of Sense, Reason, or Grace. Thus Divine Love is free, but Divinely fair and pure.

2. So is not Lust. The Lust of the Flesh is licentious, without Law, Light, Harmony, Order. All Disorder, Deformity, Shame, Bondage, Anguish, and Death are there, where Lust is. Can there be any Freedom, Beauty, or Peace in the midst of Confusion, and Contrarieties?

Every Lust maketh thy Spirit a narrow, and deep Pit of Darkness, and Horrour. Thou liest sunk to the bottom of it in the midst of loathsome Toads, and poisonous Serpents twining about all thy parts, crawling upon thy naked Bosom, and naked Heart.

3. Cast out every flesh Lust. A Lust is the spawn of the Devil. If thou suffer it to lie in thy Soul, innumerable Devils will spring up out of it, and make thee a Hell in thyself, a Habitation of Devils. The Devil was a Beautiful, and Blessed Angel, until Lust came. Lust made him a Devil. Lust is the Nature, and Essence of the Devil: It maketh thee the Child of the Devil.

4. Take in, cherish the Love of God in thine Heart. Pray for, wait for, receive gladly the Blessed Sower, the Lord Jesus, when he cometh forth to sow the Seed of Love in thy Soul. Cherish it, when it is sown. Give it depth of Earth; let it take root deep enough in thee Suffer no cares of this world to choke it. Love is the Seed of God in thee: The Image of God with all the Graces, and Joys of it; the Divine Nature with all its Purities, Powers, and Perfection; God himself will grow up out of it to dwell and walk in thee; to fill thee with the presence of his Glory; to make thy Spirit, and Person another Heaven to him. The God-Head of God; the Guilding, Sweetning, and warming of Heaven; the life of Eternity is Love.

I have now shown, how all the Attributes of God serve his Love, in general, and in three particular Instances of the Wisdom, Power, Righteousness of God. This is the Second Proof, that Love is the end of all.

3. God resteth in his Love; This is the third Proof, that Love is the end of all. Zephan. 3. 17. He will rejoice over thee with singing; he will rest in his Love. Like the Joy of Harvest, when the Countryman bringeth in the last shocks of ripe Corn out of the Field with Songs and Garlands; because this is the end of all his labors for the whole year: so God rejoiceth, when his Love is come to the ripe Corn in the Ear, when it is cut off from its Earthly stalk, when in the full declaration of it, in the riches of its Glory, in the Simplicity, and Spirituality of its Divine Nature, it is brought home into his Bosom again, for this is the end of all the Circuit of his labors thorough the whole Creation. This is his Noah; his rest.

No man resteth, till he come to his last end. The Love of God is his last end. For he resteth in his love. All motion tendeth to, and endeth in rest. All the Motions, Works, and Ways of God tend to, and end in Love. For this is his rest.

God in all other Appearances, and Forms of things is in transitu, passing thorough them, as a way-fairing man, till he cometh to the full expression of his Love. This is his Mount Zion, his resting place forever. Upon this Mount of Love God casteth off every disguise, layeth aside every veil. Here God is seen naked, in the simplicity, and brightness of his own Beautiful Person. Love is the Crystal Glass of the Divine Essence in its own light, and purity. Here all the Saints see God, themselves, all things in their Eternal Forms of Divine loveliness with a beatifical vision. Here time is no more. The mystery of God, which is the mystery of Love is made perfect, is finished and ended.

A wise man, so far as lieth in his Power, maketh all his desires, and designs, all his works, all things within his Sphere to meet in his end; that his rest in his end may be sweet and full. God is infinitely Wise, and Almighty. All his Counsels, and Contrivances; all his Works, and Ways in Heaven above, on the Earth below; all his Attributes, and Perfections; all things, that ever were, meet in his Love; as in their end. So he resteth in his Love. His Soul, and all that is within him is well-pleased in his Love. His Joy is full. He lieth down upon the Bed of love with the perfection of all contentment; with the sweetest and highest Complacency of all those infinite Powers in him. Love is an end every way proportioned to him. For it is himself. God is Love.

Use. 1. How happy a thing were it, if Men were like to God in this, to have their rest in love? This would be a Heaven upon Earth. What a Divine Calm should we be continually in? Divine Love would be a Bed of rest to us, while the Storms only made Music to the Heavenly Dances of things round about us. O the blessed, and unknown force of this Wine of Heaven, Eternal Love, where it is drunk deeply, down into any Soul by large draughts!

Beware of the Corruption of Love. The Corruption of the best thing produceth the worst of all things. Lust is the Corruption of Love. Beware of the Contrarities to Love. All Passions are Contrarieties to Love. There can be no Peace, no Rest, no Comfort of Love, while our Lusts, and Passion prevail. Seek God, seek the Rest, and Joy of the Lord in his Love. Behol • he giveth his Beloved to sleep. It is Divine Love alone, which singeth us into: Divine sleep of sweetest rest, and delight in its own Arms, in the midst of even Tempest of Sickness, Sorrows, or Death.

I have finished the second Argument for the confirmation, and explication 〈◊〉 the description of Love taken from St. John; that God is Love; in as much 〈◊〉 Love is the end of all.

3. Argum. The Unity of God is the highest, and purest love. This is 〈◊〉 third Argument to show, that God is Love that the first and Supreme Love 〈◊〉 the most high God over all Blessed forever. The highest, purest, and mo • Spiritual Union of all things in the highest, purest, and most Spiritual Form • in one Eternal Spirit; this is the Love; this is God.

I will unfold to you this sweet, and glorious Unity, which is the Divine N • • ure, and which is Divine Love by three Principles of our common Orthod •• Divinity rightly founded upon the Scriptures.

1. Prin. God beholdeth All things in himself. He goeth not forth out of himself to converse with any Thing. He receiveth not any Impression from thing without himself. Rom. 11. v. 35. 36. Who hath been his Counselor? or, who ha •• given to the Lord first that he should repay him? God is Simple, ever Perfect uncompounded. He seeth all things in the Glass of his own Essence He Himself All to himself, his own Center, and Circumference.

2. Princ. Every thing which God seeth in himself, he seeth at himself. All Forms of things, as they appear in God, appear clothed with the Form of God. James. 1. 5. every good, and perfect Gift cometh from above, from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variableness; nor shadow of Turning. All appearances of things in the Fahter of Lights, the Sun of Eternity, are Lights; good, and Perfect Lights, not Beams, but so many entire Suns; Springs, and Seas of Light, the Light of Life, and Love in the Bosom of that Sun, the Father of them All. For there is no Variableness in God, although there be Variety. God is the Same in every season, and Appearance without any Shadow of Turning.

3. Princ. God, as he seeth all things in himself, in one Divine Form with himself, comprehendeth them unchangeably in the closest, and sweetest Embraces, converseth with them Eternally in the highest degree of all mutual Suitableness, Sweetness, Satisfaction and Delight. Pythagoras said; Friendship, the best Kind of Love on Earth was One Soul in several Bodies, as in so many Images, and Reflections of itself. Such is God, such is Love, One Incomprehensible Spirit multiplying itself into Innumerable Representations, and Reflections of itself; that it may contemplate itself, possess itself, delight it Self Infinitely for the Divine Form complete in every One, endlessly for the Variety ever New.

This is the sacred, Unsearchable Unity of the Divine Majesty. Thus this Unity is the most Sacred, and Supreme Love.

Quest. Now you may perhaps say within yourselves, someone of you: This Love, of which you speak, is the Love of God within himself, the Love of God to himself. What is all this Love to me?

Answ. My answers to this Question. shall be so many Applications of this Truth.

Use. 1. All this Love is nothing to thee, who separatest thyself from the Divine Unity by sin: Your Sins separate between me, and you; saith the Lord by the mouth of his holy Prophet. You have accounted yourselves unworthy of Spiritual Loves, in that you have divided yourselves from the Unity, the Heavenly Body, and Spirit of the Lord Jesus. You stand in the strength of your own Spirits, and walk after your own Imaginations; Principles, and • mages, which you have found out and chosen to yourselves to stand in the Power, and walk in the Light of them. Matth. 23. 37. Jesus Christ mourn • th over Jerusalem in these words: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who stonest the Pro • hets, and killest those that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered • he, as a Hen gathereth her chickens under her Wings? But ye would not. There • ore now shall thy house be left unto thee desolate. I say unto you; Ye shall see me no more, until ye shall say; Blessed is he, that cometh in the name of the Lord,

Wretched Soul, who art still in thy Sins, hear thy Savior after this man • er mourning over thee with tears of blood falling from those Wounds which Love in him, Sin, and Unbelief in thee have made; with Words of Pity, and tender Compassions falling from his Lips: O wretched, wretched Soul, which by sin woundest that Unity of Divine Love, which first sent thee forth from its Blessed Womb; which by Unbelief continually killest in thy Self that Unity of the Eternal Spirit, which springeth up in thee, which sendeth forth sweet glances, maketh strong Impressions of itself upon thee, to draw thee into its Blessed Bosom. O sinful, O Unbelieving soul, how often within thee, without thee, in thoughts of thine Heart, in touches upon thy affections, in the ministry of my Word, in the works of my Providence have I spread over thee the Shadowing wings of the Divine Unity, the wings of Divine Love, of the Heavenly dove, my Spirit? How often would I have gathered thee under these wings; to have lien safe from every Bird of Prey, every Evil, and Unclean Spirit; to have lien warm under that Divine Heart, which would have cherished the Divine Life in thee with all the Graces and Joys of it. But thou wouldest not Therefore is thy Spirit, and Person left to thee desolate, without Spiritual Life, Spiritual Comfort, Spiritual Company; which all as Plants of Immortality grow, and flourish together in the Unity of the Eternal Spirit, as in their Root. But, poor, forlorn Soul, when thou shalt see thy Savior come again, in his Spirit, into thy Spirit; then shalt thou fall down at his feet, fly into his Arms, and say; Blessed is my Jesus coming in the Heavenly Evidence of the Divine Unity, which is the Supreme Love, that subdueth all things to itself. Now I believe. This Unity, this Love is the Ground and Root of Faith.

Use. 2. All this Love is nothing to thee, who livest in the enmity of the Serpent. Thou hast no lot, nor portion in that Divine Unity, which is the Fountain of Love, who livest in Wrath, Malice, and a bitter Zeal. The Spouse of Christ, the Soul, on which he hath set his Love, is a Dove, hath Honey and Milk under her Tongue. Divine Love, Heavenly Peace, and Joy are a Fountain of Milk, and Honey in her Heart. Gentle Language, Words of Meekness, Healing, Peace-making works are streams of Milk, and Honey under her Tongue flowing from the Fountain of Divine Love in her heart.

We read in the Book of Job; that the Wicked Man shall never see the Land of Brooks, of Fountains, and of Rivers of Waters: but the Serpent shall bite him; These expressions seem to allude to the Land of Canaan, and the fiery Serpents in the Wilderness; which things themselves were Types of the Paradise of Love in the Divine Unity, and the Enmity of the old Serpent in the Wilderness of Sin.

As thou likest not to retain Love in thine Heart, language, and life; but art a fiery, biting Serpent by deadly hate, bitter Speeches, works of wrath and malice formed in Hell: so thou shalt never see the pleasant Land flowing with Brooks, with Fountains, and Rivers of Love. The crooked Serpent shall wrap thee up in his cursed folds, to draw thee into his hideous Den, there bite, and devour thee.

Use. 3. Believe. So shall all this Love be thine, in thee, and to thee. I shall make good this to thee by 3 Arguments, which are so many Motives, to persuade thee to believe, to stand fast in the Faith, to grow in Faith.

1. Argum. Believe, and by believing thou shalt be transplanted into the Divine Unity. He, that is joined unto the Lord, is One Sp • rit. 1. Corin. 6. 17. Faith, which joineth us to Christ, by his Approach to us, by our Reception of him, and Acherence to him, ingrafteth us into the Unity of the Eternal Spirit.

The Unity of God is a Golden Chain, which fastened to the Throne of the Divine Essence above all Heavens, letteth itself down to the lowest parts of the Earth by several rich, and curious Links, that It may draw us up to itself. The first and Highest Link of this Golden chain is the Union of the ever-blessed Persons in the most Holy Trinity in One, Glorious, and Incomprehensible Essence.

The second Link in this Mystical Chain is the Union of the Divine, and Human Nature in One Divine, and Heavenly Person by the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus.

The Third is the Mysterious Union of Two Persons, a Saint, and his Savior in One Spirit by Regeneration thorough Faith. While thou believest, the Divine Unity by these degrees, like the Steps of Gold to Solomon's Throne of Gold, descendeth into thee, that thou mayst ascend to that by the same Steps. By believing thou art One with God in the Fountain of the Divine Nature. The Father himself, the Fountain of Israel, is now thy Fountain and thy Father, Believe, and thou shalt be One with God in his Son, His Image, His Glory. God giveth His Son for thee, that thou mayst believe. God giveth his Son to thee in Believing. Believe, and thou shalt be One with God in his Spirit. Believing ye received the Spirit of Promise; saith St Paul Ephes. 1. The Spirit is the Great Promise. The Spirit is All the Promises in a Knot, living, and flourishing upon the Root of eternity, like the Sun with his Beams. The Spirit is the Unity Unvailed. Jesus Christ in his Flesh is the Sun of the Divine Nature, under a Cloud. Jesus in his Spirit is the same Sun shining out clear, and shedding abroad all his Glorious Beams, which are all the Great, and Precious Promises in their Accomplishment.

If thou believe, whoever, how vile, how deep in sin, how black soever thou art with Guilt, thou art now One with God in his Righteousness. Christ is made Sin for thee, that thou mayst be made the Righteousness of God in him; according to St Paul. If thou believest, thou art One with God in his Rest. he, that believeth, entereth into Rest, as God also rested: Hebr 4. 4. Finally believe, and thou shalt be One, as the Father, and Christ are One. Jesus Christ prayeth not only for his Apostles; but for all, that shall believe on him thorough their word. He maketh this Petition expressly for them to his Father: That they may be One, as we are One. John 17. 22. If two lie together, they shall be warm; saith Solomon in Ecclesiastes. What warmth of Divine Life, Love, Joy, and Pleasure is there, where these Three, the Father, Christ and a Believer lie together wrapped up in One? See how Faith placeth the Soul in the warm Bosom, upon the Golden Throne of the Divine Unity together with Jesus Christ. This Divine Unity in Christ is become now thy Center, and thy Circle, O Believing Soul; thy Center, out of which and in which thou doest at once both rise, and rest; thy Circle, unto which thou enlargest thyself, with which thou art encompassed.

Qu. Perhaps some souls are so far touched with the Sweet sense of this Blessed Unity, that they say within themselves; We see indeed a glorious Rest and Joy, in being implanted into the Unity of the Eternal Spirit by Believing: But what shall we do that we may believe, and be set in this Root of Eternity?

Ans. This Root of Eternity, this Glorious Unity eternally comprehendeth and holdeth thee. Look then up to this Unity, fix thine Eye immovably upon it, as thy first Principle and Habitation. So wait, until by a Virtue coming down from thence, thou apprehend by faith this Heavenly Unity of the Spirit, in which thou art comprehended.

Arg. 2. Believe, and thou shalt partake of the Divine Love, by being planted into this Divine Unity. The Unity, in which the Sons of God dwell together, as Brethren, is compared by the Psalmist to the holy Ointment which was poured forth upon the Head of the High Priest, and ran down to the skirts of his Garment. Thus by Faith the Unity of God in Christ poureth forth itself as a rich Ointment of Divine Love, which spreadeth itself in its precious Substance and Sweetness over thy whole Person to the lowest border of thy Garment. Thus art thou anointed to be a King and Priest to God the Father together with the Lord Jesus. When this Unity openeth itself upon thee to the Eye of thy Faith, and taketh thee into itself; then shalt thou see thy self, and be ravished to see thyself in the midst of all the Loves of God and embraced most closely by them all.

1. In this Unity the Eye of Faith discovereth to thee Electing Love, Now thou relisheth the Sweetness, now thou receivest upon thy Spirit the Seal of Electing Love, which was before the World was, and then had thee with it in its Bosom. Now thou seest by the Light of the Glory of this Unity shining upon the Eye of thy Faith the Father in the Height of Eternity looking upon thee in One Loveliness, loving thee with One Love together with himself in the Beautiful, and Blessed Person of his Son.

2. Faith showeth the Justifying Love in this Unity. What peace, what Joy is there in this Sight, when a poor Believer taken out of the Dungeon where he lay in chains of guilt, and filth, a Prisoner to the Wrath of God, seeth himself set in the Court of the great King before his Throne, acceptable, and amiable in the Beloved One? Thou now appearest washed in the same precious Blood of God. Thou shinest in the same Beauty, and Righteousness of God together with Jesus Christ. Yea, he is thy Loveliness, who is Height and Sealed Sum of all Loveliness; of all Loves. For thou art made acceptable in the Beloved One; Eph. 1. v. Thou art not only Righteous, but Righteousness itself; the Righteousness of God. Thy Person is a Solid Glory, a Transparent Glory, a Pure, unmixed Glory of Divine Righteousness. For thou art the Righteousness of God in him. Faith maketh thee One Spirit with him, who is the Brightness of the Glory of God.

3. Believing thou meetest in this Unity with the Sanctifying Love of God. That Seed of God, which is One, soweth itself in thy Soul, and springeth up into the Fruits of Holiness, and Immortality. Now say to thy Soul upon a good account: Return unto thy Rest, O my Soul. The Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. The Goods of Heaven, and Eternity are sure to thee. For this Seed of All Good, of Grace, and Glory, which is now sown in thee, will grow up by day, or by night, whether thou sleep, or wake; though thou know not, how it grow.

4. The Believing Soul seeth, and smelleth the Heavenly Flower of Comforting Love living, and flourishing in this Root of Eternity, the Divine Unity. The Spirit himself, whose Unity is the Band of all Peace, and Joys, is now with thee, and in thee, a Comforter, the Fountain of all Living Comforts.

5. Believe, and Faith will set in thine Eye this Glorious Unity, as the Crown of Glorifying Love. Jesus Christ saith expressly among his last Words, John. 17. 22. That Glory, which thou hast given to me, I have given to them: that they may be One, as we are One. This is the concluding, and crowning Glory; This is the Glorifying Love, Love in Glory; the Unity made Perfect. The Father hath given Glory to Christ by giving him the Being of his heavenly Person, which is the Glory, and himself in that Being a Glory, in that Glory. Jesus giveth the same Glory to us, himself, and his Father, to make us One Glory with themselves; that the Unity may be the Glory, and each in the same Spirit may be a Unity of Glories. O! believe. Can anything be desired sweeter, s • rer, greater by any Soul, than to be one Love, one Glory with Jesus Christ, and his Father? Faith planteth thee into this Love, into this Unity.

3. Argum. Faith by planting thee into the Unity of God bringeth thee into the Light of God. The Eye of Faith seeth the Truth of Things, as it is in Jesus, and Jesus, as He is in the Unity of the Spirit. Ephes. 4. 21. If ye • have been taught in Him, as the Truth is in Christ. Ephes. 4. 3, 4, 5. Keep the Unity of the Spirit in the Band of Peace; One Body; One Spirit, One Lord. The Light of Faith, is the Light of the Divine Unity; as the Light of Sense is the Brightness, and Glory of the Corporeal Unity, which is One Sun. This Light discovereth the Truth of things in the Secret of the most sacred Unity, in the Lord Jesus, as He is One in the Unity of the Spirit. How different is the Appearance of things to Sense, and to Faith? What different Lights shine in the Diversity of flesh, and in the Unity of the Sp • rit? In the latter of these are seen all beautiful, and pleasant things, all things in Beauty, Pleasantness, in Heavenly, Immortal Forms. And this Sight alone is the Truth. Believe, so shalt thou see thyself in Christ in One Glory. Thou shalt know, that this which thou now seest is the Truth, thy True Person, and Form. Now thou shalt cry out with Joy, and Wonder. Behold I am fair, I am altogether fair. It is easy for me now to believe that I am my Beloved's, and that His desire is toward me; while I see myself in this Glass of Christ's Glorified • erson, in this Circle of Glory, the Unity of the Spirit. Believe; So shalt thou see all the Saints in One Glory with Christ, and shalt know, that this is the Truth of every Saint. Then shalt thou stretch forth thine arms to them, and say; How is my heart enlarged towards you! Ye are, as I am, all look like Princes, the Sons of the great King. My joy is fulfilled in You all. Believe: For, when thou behevest, thou shalt see all the Works of God in a Vision of Truth and Glory. Thou shalt see them in Christ, as Christ is One in the Unity of the Spirit. All shall appear to thee like the Joynts, or white Circles of the Thighs of the Spouse Cant. 7. 1. Jewels, the Work of a curious Ar • ificer, M • ster-pieces of Divine Love; they shall be all to thee, as the hands, and fingers of thy Beloved; Rings of Gold with a precious stone set in them; Circ • es of Divine Light, and Life; figures of the Supreme Unity, with that Glorious Unity itself set in them to enrich them.

Believe. O what a Paradise in the third Heavens is a Believer caught up into, when first the Eye of Faith is opened in him? Yea, as often, as it openeth itself in him; He beholdeth all Forms of Things, as they are in Truth, this Truth, as it is in Christ, this Christ, as he is in the Unity of the Spirit. With what pleasure like that of a Resurrection from the Dead, when all things, that ever we conversed with, rise together with us into the same Glory, doth a man now look round about him, and say. O all ye Appearances of Things, that ever were, or are to be! Are these your Forms, your true Forms? Is this sight of you, which I have now in the Divine Unity, the only Truth?

Then the Believing Soul stretcheth forth her hands to them all, and crieth out with wonder, and delight: my Father, my Mother, my Husband, my Wife, my Brethren, my Sisters, my Children, all the delights of my Eyes; all the Sweetness, and Joy of all Relations are ye all.

Use. 4. You who are planted by Faith into the Divine Unity, show the Fruits of this blessed Root in Purity and Love.

3. Let a Divine Purity shine in thy Life, O Christian. The Unity of God is his Simplicity. The Simplicity of God is his Purity. The Purity of the most excellent things is their freedom from mixture. The more they are themselves, the more they shine, the more pure, and precious they are.

Live, and walk in the Unity of the Spirit, Galat. 5. 25. Behold thyself, and all things; converse with all, as they appear, as thou meetest them in thy walks in this circle of the Divine Unity. Sleep not the sleep of Sense, or Flesh, lest thou be hurried in Dreams into the Land of Darkness, where the Light is Darkness, where there is no Order, no Unity.

Awake into the Light of this Blessed Unity. So shalt thou be ever with God. So shalt be ever like God.

2. Be immovable in Love. God is Love, because he converseth with all things in the Light of his own Spirit alone, which is the Light of Lovel • ness, and Love. Be thou a Child of God, a Child of this Light, and so a Child of Love. Be a Priest of Divine Love. Be ever! within in thine own Spirit, as a Temple of Holy Loves, filled with the Glory of that God, which is Love. Know nothing anymore in any Appearance besides that, which showeth itself to thee in this Temple by the Light of this Glory.

Object. Here an Objection cometh in our way, which may arise in every understanding against all this discourse, which we have had concerning the Divine Unity, and Divine Love. Doth not God see Sin, and hate Sinners? Ought not we to do so?

Ans. I answer affirmatively; the Divine Nature both in God, and in the Children of God discovereth the deformity of Sin by a most clear Light; and hateth it with a most perfect hatred.

I shall confirm, and explain this Answer by four particular Answers.

1. Ans. S • n is a privation of Holiness, which is the Beauty of Spirits, as Darkness is a privation of Light; and every Evil of some Good. Privations are known only by their contrary habits God, and all Holy Spirits see the Evil and Ugliness of Sin in the Light, and Glass of their own Heavenly purity.

2. Ans. Hatred is an intellectual contrariety. The Unity and Love of the Divine Nature, in the King of Saints, and all his Holy Ones is essentially and formally in itself an irreconcilable opposition, an active contrariety to Enmity, and Sin, as Light, Day, and Immortality are to Darkness, Night, and Death.

3. Ans. God seeth Sin in order to his Wrath. God seeth his Wrath in orde • to his Glory; his Glory as the full object of his Love, order is the Chain, and Band of Unity. Thus God beholdeth all at once, as they lie comprehended in the Unity of Eternal Light, and Love by their several Subordinations.

God beholdeth Sin, as it is swallowed up into a flame of wrath; the flame of wrath, as it is heightened to a Light of Glory; the Light of Glory, as it shineth, and liveth in the Eye of his Love, the Fountain of all Lights, Life, and Joys.

Love is the Eternal, and rich Root of all. Glory is the Tree, that springeth up out of this Root, the perfect, and full Image of Love, in which it liveth, diffuseth, and delighteth itself within itself.

This Tree of Glory spreadeth itself into many flourishing Branches, among which are Holiness, Justice, Wrath against Sin. Wrath by the force of the contrariety raiseth up Sin, as a mark to shoot its burning Arrows, and cast his fiery Darts at. Love thorough these Attributes letteth in Sin by the Law, that it may display itself more fully in its War with its Enemy, in it Conquest, and Triumph over it; that it may break forth, and rise up thorough it more powerfully, purely, and sweetly; like a flame going up to Heaven from a great pile of Wood perfectly subdued to it.

The Unity of God is now the Glass of Love, in which alone God seeth all • Things; and the Diamond, which he seeth set, and shining in every Ring of Operative, or Permissive Providences.

Sin appeareth to him in the Glass of his Wrath and Justice. These showeth themselves to him by their reflections, and Images in the Glass of hi • Glory. His Glory shineth forth from the Arms, and Bosom of his Love, which is the inmost Center, and outmost Circle of the Divine Unity. Here all things lie, here all things present themselves to God, as Mysteries of Divinity, and Love in the Unity of the Divine Nature.

God beholdeth with a fullness of Joy his Love the reflection of himself, his own Fountain, the Fountain of his blessed Unity, in which he lieth Eternally bathing himself in pure floods of Incomprehensible Pleasures; this Love, this Unity, this Fountain he beholdeth in all his Glory. His Glory is the Object of his Eye in the Severity of his Justice, and Wrath. He contemplateth his Justice, and Wrath alone in Sin. Thus God seeth every where the Mystery of his Divine Unity, as the great and bright deep of Eternity. He seeth everywhere the Seal, the express Image of his Divine Unity, where all the riches of his Glory, and Sweetnesses of his Love unfold themselves, and sport together.

Thus, O Saint, learn to look upon every Sin. See it in this Glass of Truth, the mystery of the Divine Unity. See this secret and invisible Jewel, the mystery of the Divine Unity sealed upon it, sealed up in it. Thus shalt thou see Sin so, as to preserve thy Purity, and thy Love both in one. Thou shall • see Sin so, as to be at once a flame of Wrath to it, and a Light of Glory, a flame of Love in that flame of Wrath, comprehending both, Wrath and Sin in the Wrath. So shalt thou see Sin, hate, and dwell forever with God, who is the Beauty of Holiness, and Love.

4. Ans. God looketh upon a Sinner, as upon a Prison and a Grave, where the Truth, the Divine Seed, the Light and Life of the Divine Image lieth detained, captivated, slain by a Lie; the Prince of Life, and Light by the Powers of Darkness. His Wrath and Hatred against the Sinner is a zeal of Love. He cometh forth with Thunders, Lightnings, Tempests and Earthquakes in his Wrath to break down the Prison walls, to break open the Grave, that the Prince of Glory may come forth into the Light of Life, and the liberty of the Glory of a Son of God.

God, as a Sun, breaketh forth with power, and in his Strength, to dissolve by the force of his Beams the Inchantment, and Light; that the Sons of Light, and the Truth may be set free.

Thus God hateth Sinners; thus do thou hate them with a perfect Hatred. Let thy fire be no bitter zeal, but a zeal of Love. Let thy woundings be Divine Anointings.

I have hitherto passed thorough only one half of my discourse upon the description of Spiritual Love by the supreme Unity in the Divine Nature.

I shall take my ground for the other half; Galat. 3. 20. This shall be my Center for a time, from which my Motions shall arise, and whither they shall return to end thee.

The words are these: Now a Mediator is not of one; but God is one. This Scripture hath a sweet, and clear depth of Love in it, but unfathomable. This depth is the Unity of God.

St. Paul stateth here the most essential difference between the Law, the Ministry of Wrath; and the Gospel the Ministry of Love. One is established in the hands of a Mediator; in the other God is one. The Love-union in the Gospel is too near, too sure, too sweet to need, or admit a Mediator.

The Fountain of all Evangelical Grace, and Love is the Unity of God. The Unity of the Spirit is the Band of Peace between the Uncreated, and all Created Spirits, Ephes. 4. 6.

But we shall more clearly see the Riches Treasured up in this Scripture, if we look upon it by the light of another Scripture in the same Chapter; v. 16. Now the Promise was made to Abraham, and his Seed, he saith not to Seeds, as to many, but as to one. And to thy Seed, which is Christ.

The Holy Apostle in this Chapter maketh it his work to prove, that Righteousness is not by the works of the Law; but by Faith in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel.

God descending into Christ, and taking up Christ into himself; Jesus Christ in this fullness, and Glory of the God-Head entering into the Soul, and taking the Soul into himself, by the free Revelation, and immediate Union of Faith: This is the Righteousness of God, and of his Saints in the Gospel.

One Argument, by which St. Paul maintaineth Righteousness to be of Grace, and not by Works is laid down. v. 15. the Covenant of Grace was long before the Law. He confirmeth that here v. 16. The Promises were made to Abraham, and to his Seed, &c.

The Holy Ghost in this verse established the Heavenly Building of the Gospel upon three beautiful, and firm Pillars.

1. Pillar; The Gospel is a mere, simple, pure Promise. That, which was called in the verse before, the Testament, or Covenant, is here expressed by Promises. The Law is compounded of Precepts, and Promises dependant upon those Precepts, as condition of the Covenant to be performed mutually on both sides; of prohibitions and threatenings annexed. But, as the Sun is a Body streaming forth freely by a knot of Beams. So is the Gospel a knot of Promises, which are all Love in so many clear, unmixed Beams shooting themselves freely forth from the fullness, and force of Love alone in its Head-spring, the heart of God.

Obj. But you will say; Are there not Precepts set down; Conditions imposed; Duties required; high, and hard things to be performed in an Evangelical State?

Ans. It is most true. The Gospel hath its Precepts, Conditions, Duties; and these all high, hard, raised to a pitch of Spirituality, and Heavenliness beyond the reach and sight of any natural Spirit. But these all depend upon the Promise, and not the Promise on them. All Evangelical Graces, and Duties are Children of the Promise. The Promise is, as the Jerusalem above, free, the mother of all living Principles, and Performances.

We read; 2 Pet. 1. 4. That we have given to us, great and precious promises, by which we are made partakers of the Divine Nature.

You, who believe not, hear, and believe. You who believe but faintly, and weakly; hear, that your Faith may be increased. You, who are strong in Faith; hear, and believe yet more. Hear, how all the difficulties in believing in the whole life of Faith from the Beginning to the end; the Promises are Pipes of pure Gold laid into your Hearts from the Heart of Christ in Glory. By these from that flourishing Olive Tree, the Divine Nature, as the best Oil, floweth in upon you freely, and perpetually.

When a Gardener would set choice Plants, Flowers in a barren, sandy Soil, he first bringeth in fresh, and fertile Soil to lay upon it. Then he planteth in this good ground, which he hath made, his Flowers, and Trees, which now flourish, and make that barren Earth a rich, and pleasant Garden. So God findeth thy Spirit, O Man, barren, and sandy, a Rock. No Spiritual Plant, no Truth, or Grace of the Gospel can take root, or live here. But be not thou discouraged by all this, by the hardness of thine Heart, the barrenness, and enmity of thy Spirit to the Heavenly Seed, which it killeth, as often, as it is sown in it. Look to the Promises, God by these will bring in the Divine Nature. With this, as a good, and Heavenly ground he will overlay, and enrich thy Spirit. Now God will plant every pleasant Truth, every Evangelical Grace in thy Spirit. Now they shall all prosper, they shall unfold their several Beauties, send forth their sweet smell, and bring forth much fruit in thee. For this new Earth of the Divine Nature shall send forth its Fatness and Sweetness into them, and make them to grow.

When a Prince goeth his progress, his Gests are set down before he leaveth his Court; which way, and how far he shall Travel every day; where he shall lodge at night. His Servants with Furniture, and Provisions from his Court wait upon him all along.

A Promise is a Declaration, and Obligation of Divine Love, which it maketh of itself, which it layeth upon itself, free, and immutable.

Whoever thou art, that hearest this, believe in the Promise: Believe freely, in a free Promise. This Faith will make thee the Prince, of which I speak. Thou art now a Prince come forth from Heaven to take thy Progress thorough this world, and so return home to Heaven again. All thy Gests by day, and Rests by night are set down Eternally in Heaven in the Book of Love there, which is the Heart of God, and from thence in a Promise, which is Eternal Love, or the Heart of God transcribed, to be read by thee. The day of a Saint is the Light shining from the Face of God. The night is the drawing in, and darkening of this Light. All thy motions by day with every Circumstance, O Believer, O Heavenly Prince, are described exactly in the draught of Divine Love, the Promise. Thou goest, as it is written of thee there.

The Holy Angels, thine own Servants from thy Court in Heaven attend thee in all thy way with Heavenly Provisions, and Minister unto thee, as is appointed there. Thy resting-place every Night is ordered in the Promise. The Blessed Angels go before thee. They take up thy lodging for thee. They make it ready with Heavenly Furniture. They make thy Bed for thee. They are a Guard round about thee for the fear of the night. All things are done, as was set down before in the Bosom of Eternal Love opened in the Promise. Thus the Gospel is All a Promise. The Promises are Love shining forth by its own Brightnesses, and Beams. Love is that name of God, which is an Ointment poured forth. Love is the Divine Nature freely flowing, and diffusing itself, like Live-Honey. As a Bottom of Silk is unwound, and wrought out into divers beautiful Figures in a Garment of Needle-work: such is thy Life, thy whole Story, O Saint, Divine Love spun forth from the glorious Heart of God, as Silk from the curious Worm, is wound up into a Bottom in the Promise. This rich Bottom worketh out itself into all thy motions, and rests, into all thy Changes, and Chances thorough thy whole course, as into so many exact, and shining Figures of Eternal Glories. Thus Love maketh itself the entire History of thy Life; of that History, and Life it maketh for thee a Garment to wear in Heaven, becoming the Bride of the great King.

You may see something by my description of this first Pillar, on which the Gospel standeth, how God is one in the Covenant of Grace, and that high, Heavenly Unity the sweet Spring of all the Grace, and love of the Covenant. You will see this breaking forth more, like the day dawning by degrees upon you, as I shall set before you the other two Pillars of Evangelical Truth.

2. Pillar. The Promise of the Gospel is to the Seed, and to that Seed, as to One. To Abraham, and to his Seed were the Promises made. He saith not, to Seeds, as to many; but to his Seed, as to One. v. 16.

The Seal of the Promise upon the Seed is the Unity. God will not give his Glory to another. The Love, and Grace of God in the Gospel is his chief Glory. Therefore is Evangelical Love to the Evangelical Seed; and that for the Unity sake. The Seed everywhere in the Father, in all the Off-spring is one with itself. Love, and Unity are ever inseparable. The Strength and Sweetness of the Relation between the Father, and the Child is the Unity. Love is at its height in a Father, because there is the Head of the Unity. The Unity here is the Spring of Love. From hence its streams run along into all relations with the sweeter; and stronger force, as they are nearer to this Spring. God is Love. God is one.

3. Pillar. That one Seed, to which the Promises are made, is Christ. To Abraham, and to his Seed: as to One; and that one, Christ. Isaac was the Seed of Abraham. Isaac stood only, as a Figure of the Lord Jesus. Isaac signifieth Laughter. The Lord Jesus is the true Seed of Mirth and Joy. When he cometh to us by his Spirit, which is his proper, his eternal Presence, and Appearance; he bring • h back our Captivity from the Powers of Sin, Sorrow, and Death; he filleth our Mouths with laughter; he maketh us, as those that Dream; he placeth us in the midst of such glorious Persons, and Things, he clotheth our Persons with so much Glory; and all this by so • asy, so sweet, so sudden, so universal, so unexpected a change; that it seemeth for the greatness of the Glory more like a Dream, than Truth.

But if Isaac here typify the Son of God; then doth Abraham stand in the place of God the Father. The name signifieth The high Father of a Multitude; or, The Father of a high Multitude.

God the Father maketh the Promises to himself, and to his Son Christ. Jesus Christ