The first difference in the interpretation of this place is about the cause of sending Christ ; called here love. The second, about the object of this love ; called here the world. Thirdly, Concerning the intention of God in sending his Son ; said to be that believers might be saved.
For the First, By "love" in this place, all our adversaries agree that a natural affection and propensity in God to the good of the crea- ture, lost under sin, in general, which moved him to take some way whereby it might possibly be remedied, is intended. We, on the con- trary, say that by love here is not meant an inclination or propensity of his nature, but an act of his will (where we conceive his love to be seated), and eternal purpose to do good to man, being the most trans- cendent and eminent act of God's love to the creature.
That both these may be weighed, to see which is most agreeable to the mind of the Holy Ghost, I shall give you, first, some of the
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reasons whereby we oppose the former interpretation; and, secondly, those whereby we confirm our own.
First, If no natural affection, whereby he should necessarily be carried to any thing without himself, can or ought to be ascribed unto God, then no such thing is here intended in the word love; for that cannot be here intended which is not in God at all. But now, that there neither is nor can be any such natural affection in God is most apparent, and may be evidenced by many demonstra- tions. I shall briefly recount a few of them : —
Fwst, Nothing that includes any imperfection is to be assigned to Almighty God: he is God all-sufficient; he is our rock, and his work is perfect. But a natural affection in God to the good and salvation of all, being never completed nor perfected, canieth along with it a great deal of imperfection and weakness; and not only so, but it must also needs be exceedingly prejudicial to the absolute blessedness and happiness of Almighty God. Look, how much any thing wants of the fulfilling of that whereunto it is earned out with any desire, natural or voluntary, so much it wanteth of blessedness and happiness. So that, without impairing of the infinite blessed- ness of the ever-blessed God, no natural affection unto any thing never to be accomplished can be ascribed unto him, such as this general love to all is supposed to be.
Secondly, If the Lord hath such a natural affection to all, as to love them so far as to send his Son to die for them, whence is it that this affection of his doth not receive accomplishment? whence is it that it is hindered, and doth not produce its effects? why doth not the Lord engage his power for the fulfilling of his desire? " It doth not seem good to his infinite wisdom," say they, "so to do." Then is there an affection in God to that which, in his wisdom, he cannot prose- cute. This among the sons of men, the worms of the earth, would be called a brutish affection.
Thirdly, No affection or natural propensity to good is to be as- cribed to God which the Scrij)ture nowhere assigns to him, and is contrary to what the Scripture doth assign unto him. Now, the Scripture doth nowhere assign unto God any natural affection whereby he should be naturally inclined to the good of the creature; the place to prove it clearly is yet to be produced. And that it is contrary to what the Scripture assigns him is apparent; for it de- scribes him to be free in showing mercy, every act of it being by him performed freely, even as he pleaseth, for " he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy." Now, if every act of mercy showed unto any do proceed from the free distinguishing will of God (as is apparent), certainly there can be in him no such natural affection. And the truth is, if the Lord should not show mercy, and be carried out to- wards the creature, merely upon his own distinguishing will, but
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should naturally be moved to show mercy to the miserable, he should, first, be no more merciful to men than to devils, nor, se- condly, to those that are saved than to those that are damned : for that which is natural must be equal in all its operations; and that which is natural to God must be eternal. Many more effectual rea- sons are produced by our divines for the denial of this natural affec- tion in God, in the resolution of the Arminian distinction (I call it so, as now by them abused) of God's antecedent and consequent will, to whom the learned reader may repair for satisfaction. So that the love mentioned in this place is not that natural affection to all in general, which is not. But, —
Secondly, It is the special love of God to his elect, as we affirm, and so, consequently, not any such thing as our adversaries svTppose to be intended by it, — namely, a velleity or natural inclination to the good of all. For, —