3. But it may be asked again, as indeed we see it is true, what is the reason that sometimo meaner Christians have more loving souls than great scholars, men of great parts ? One would think that knowledge should increase love and aft'ection ?
So it doth, if it be a clear knowledge; but 'great wits and pates* and great scholars busy themselves about questions and intricacies, and so they are not so much about the affections. A poor Christian ofttimes takes those things for granted that they study, and dispute, and canvass, and question. There is a heavenly light in his soul that God is my Father in Christ, and Christ, God and man, is my Mediator. He takes it for granted, and so his affections are not troubled. Whereas the other, having coiTup- tion answerable to his parts, great wit and gi-eat corruption, he is tangled with doubts and arguments. Ho studies to inform his brain ; the other to be heated in his aftections. A poor Christian cares not for cold niceties, that heat not the heart and afiections ; he takes these for granted if they be propounded in the Scripture. Instead of disputing, he believes, and loves, and obeys ; and that is the reason that many a poor soul goes to heaven with a great deal of joy, when others are tangled and wrapped in their own doubts. So much for satisfying of these things. To go on, therefore, to give a few directions how to have this heavenly fire kindled in ns, to love God, considering such great things are provided for those that love God. It is a matter of consequence : as we desire heaven, we must desii-e this holy fire to be kindled in us.
Let us know for a ground, as it were, that it is our duty to aim at the highest pitch of love that we can, and not to rest in the lowest. The lowest pitch of loving God, is to love God because he is good to us. That is good. The Scriptures stoops so low as to allow that God would have us love him and holy things for the benefit we have by them. But that is mercenary if we rest there. But God stoops to allm-e us by promises and favours, though we must not rest there. But we must love God, not for ourselves, but labour to rise to this pitch, to love ourselves in God, and to see that we have happiness in God, and not in ourselves. Our being is in him. We must love ourselves in him, and be content to be lost in God ; that is, so to love God, that if he should cast us away (his kindness is better than life), do others what they wiU, we will love him, and ourselves for his excellencies, and because we see ourselves in him and are his children. We must labour to rise to that, and that is the highest pitch that we can attain to. We must know that for a ground.
And know this for another, that when we speak of the love of God, we
speak of love incorporate into our conversations and actions ; not of an
abstracted love and affection, but of love in our places, and callings, and
standings, love invested into action. Therefore the Scripture saith, we
* Qu. 'parts'? If 'pates,' == heads. — G.
A GLANCE OF HEAVEN. 19'5
must love God ' with all our mind^ with all our heart, with all our power and strength,' Deut. vi. 5 ; that is, in our particular places. To make it clear. When we speak of love to God, we speak of love to him in our particular callings. He loves God that is a magistrate and executes justice for God's sake ; and he that is a minister, and teacheth the people con- scionably for God's sake, and shews them the way to heaven. He loves God as a man in the commonwealth, a statesman, &c., that in that place seeks the glory of God, and the good of the church and religion. Shall men talk of love to God, and their aftections are stirred up I know not whereabout ? No. It is an affection that is discovered in actions.
How can we love God with all our might, except as fax* as our might extends, our love extends ? How far doth thy activity, thy power, thy sphere, that thou canst do anj'thing, stretch ? So far must thy love ; and thou must shew thy love in all the powers and abilities that God hath fur'- nished thee with.
Fot a man that hath great place and opportunity to do good, and to think it enough only to love God in his closet, &c., this is not the love we speak of. A man must love God with all his might, as he stands invested in relation this way or that way.
The love of God in a private man will not serve for a magistrate or a public man. He must shew his love in his place by standing in the gap, to hinder all the ill, and to do all the good he can. Every man must do so, but such a one more especially, because God hath trusted him v;ith more. Well, these things premised, to come to some directions how to come to love God.