A treatise of the divine essence and attributes. By Thomas Iackson Doctor in Divinitie, chaplaine to his Majestie in ordinary, and vicar of S. Nicolas Church in the towne of Newcastle upon Tyne. The first part

CHAP. 18.

Want of consideration, or ignorance of Gods un∣feigned love to such as perish, a principall meanes or occasion why so many perish.

1 BVt if the most part of men, as we cannot deny, doe finally perish, what shall it availe to revive this doctrine of Gods infinite love to all; by whose fruitlesse issue, he rather is made an infinit looser, than men any gainers? As for God, he hath frō eternity infallibly forecast the entire redemption, of his infinite love, which unto us may seeme utterly cast away. And of men, if many dye, whom he would have live (for his will is, that all should bee saved, and come to the know∣ledge of the truth) the fault is their owne, or their instructers; that seeke not the prevention of their miscariage; by acquainting them with this coelesti∣all fountaine of saving truth; whose taste we labor to exhibite unto all, because the want of it, in ob∣servation of the heathen, is the first spring of hu∣mane misery* 1.1. Or, in language more plaine, or pertinent to the argument proposed, most men reape no benefit from Gods unspeakeable love; be∣cause not considering it to be his nature, they doe not beleeve it to be as he is, truly infinite, unfeign∣edly extended to all that call him Maker. But had the doctrines, which those divine Oracles [God is love, and would have all men to bee saued] naturally

afford, beene for these forty yeeres last past, as ge∣nerally taught, and their right use continually prest, with as great zeale and fervency, as the doctrine and uses of Gods absolute decree, for electing some, and reprobating most, in that space have beene, the plentifull increase of Gods glory, and his peo∣ples comfort throughout this land, might have wrought such astonishment to our adversaries, as would have put their malicious mouths to silence. Who would not be willing to be saved, if hee were fully perswaded, that God did will his salvation in particular; because hee protests hee wills not the death of any, but the repentance of all, that all might live? Or were the particulars of this doc∣trine, unto whose generality, every loyall member of the Church of England hath subscribed, general∣ly taught & beleeved; all would unfeignedly endea∣vour with fervent alacrity to be truely happy, be∣cause none could suspect himselfe to bee excluded from his unfeigned and fervent love, who is true happinesse. Whose love and goodnesse is so great, that hee cannot passe any act, whereby any of his creatures should bee debarred either from being like him in love and goodnesse; or being such, from being like him in true happinesse: But alas, while the world is borne in hand, that the Creator oft-times dispenseth the blessings of this life, not as un∣doubted pledges of a better, but deales with most men, as man doth with beasts, feeding them fattest which are appointed first to bee slaine: the magnificent praises of his bounty secretly nurseth such a misperswasion in most men of his

goodnesse; (at least towards them) as the Epigram∣m••tist had of a professed Benefactor, that shewed him (as he thought) little kindnesse in great Bene∣volence.

Munera magna quidem misit, sed misit in hamo, Et Piscatorem piscis amare potest? Great gifts he sent, but under his gifts, there covered lay an hooke, And by the fish to be belov'd, can th'cunning Fisher looke.

2 The frequency of sinister respects in dispen∣sing of secular dignities or benevolences, makes such as are truly kind, to be either unregarded, or mistrusted by such as stand in neede of their kind∣nesse. And as fishes in beaten waters, will nibble at the bait, although they suspect the hooke: so the world hath learned the wit to take good turnes, and not to be taken by them; as suspecting them to bee profered in cunning rather than in true kindnesse: and cunning, where it is discovered or suspected, is usually requited with craft; love onely hath just title unto love. The most part in∣deed are so worldly wise, that none but fooles will easily trust them; howbeit our naturall mistrust of others, makes all of us a great deale worse than we would be. And as if we thought it a sinne or point of uncharitablenesse, to prove other mens conjec∣tures, that measure our dispositions by their owne, altogether false; wee fit our demeanours to their misdeemings of us, and resolve rather to do amisse; than they should thinke amisse. Howbeit even in

this perfidious and faithlesse age, the old saying is, not quite out of date: Ipsa fides habita obligat fidē. Many would be more trusty than they are; and do much better by us than they doe, would we whol∣ly commit our selves to their trust and kindnesse. Now, though by mans goodnesse or badness, God can neither become worse nor better in himselfe; yet the riches of his bounty, or communication of his goodnesse, are still multiplyed towards those that stedfastly beleeve him to bee such as hee is: One, whom all are bound to love; because hee is so kind and loving; one whom all may safely trust, be∣cause his loving kindnesse is so utterly void of par∣tiality, being armed with power and justice infi∣nite. Thy righteousnesse is like the great mountaines, thy judgements are like the great deepe; O Lord thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is thy louing kindnesse, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. Psal. 36. ver. 6, 7. This especially should move all to admire his loving kindnesse, that he loved all without any other motive than his owne meere goodnesse or loving kindnesse, either to incline his will or stirre up his power to give them a being like his owne: We love him (saith Saint Iohn) be∣cause he loved us first. Doe all then whom hee un∣feignedly loves, love him vnfeignedly? Would God they did: for so (as his will is) all should bee saved. Did then the Apostle meane that his love to us, is no true cause of our love to him? yes; yet not simply as it is in him, but as being unfeignedly in him it is truly apprehended by us. Ingenuous

love is never lawfully begotten, or fully concei∣ved but from an apprehension of true lovelinesse in the object; and nothing can bee more lovely then love it selfe, when it is firmely apprehended or un∣doubtedly knowne.

3 Though secret consciousnesse of our owne un∣lovelinesse, in the state of nature, makes us oft-times too mistrustfull of others love: Yet unto our na∣ture unregenerate and overgrowne with corrupti∣on, it is almost impossible, not to love them whose love to us we assuredly know to be unfaigned; un∣lesse their behaviour be very loathsome. Howbeit even so we love their persons, though not their pre∣sence, wherewith againe we willingly dispense, if it may gratifie us in other things, which we much desire. That which makes the worlds condemna∣tion so just, that infinite mercy may not dispence with it, is mens dull backwardnesse to love him, of whose glorious beauty, the most glorious, most admired creatures are but fleeting shadowes, no true pictures. Him of whose infinite love and un∣feigned preventions in unrecompensable benefits, all the pleasures wee take in health, the joy of strength, the sweetnesse of life it selfe; and whatso∣ever in it is good and lovely, are infallible pledges, and yet his intention in free bestowing them is to bind himselfe (more strictly than man is bound by receiving the just price of what he bargaines for) to instate us in the incomprehensible joyes of endlesse life.

Hee requires nothing at our hand, but that wee may be more capable of his loving kindnesse, by

drawing still nearer and nearer to him, with all our hearts, with all our soules, and with all our strength; of whose least portion he is sole maker and preser∣ver; of all whose motions hee is sole author and guide. From participation of his favour or presence, whatsoever is good in them, is undoubtedly ca∣pable of increase. The services wherein the eter∣nall King requires demonstration of this our love, are not so hard, as those which wee willingly per∣forme to corruptible men, not invested with any shadow of his lovelinesse, nor seasoned with any tincture of his loving kindnesse; to men, that can∣not be so beneficiall as loving to their friends, nor halfe so loving as they are lovely, though their lovelinesse come farre short of their greatnesse. Far otherwise it is with him, whose Greatnesse and Majesty are truly infinite: hee is as glorious and lovely as great, as loving as lovely, and yet withall no lesse beneficiall than loving to those which love him, and doe his will.

4 This unfaigned love of him, raised from be∣leefe of his loving kindnes toward us, is as the first conception or plantation of true happines, to which once truly planted, whatsoever in this life can befal us,* 1.2 serves as nutriment. Diligentibus Deum omnia operantur in bonum. Wee know that all things worke together for good, to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.

As this Article of his goodnesse and love is to be prest before any other, so the first and most natu∣rall deduction, that can be made from this or any other sacred principle; and that which every one

when hee first comes to enjoy the use of reason, should be taught to make by heart, is this: He that gave mee life indued with sense, and beautified my sense with reason, before I could desire one or other of them, or know what being meant; hath doubtlesse a purpose to give me with them, whatsoever good things my heart, my sense or reason can desire; even life or being as farre surpassing all goodnesse, flesh and blood can conceive or desire, as this present life, I now enjoy, doth my former not being, or my desirelesse want of being what now I am. These are principles, which elsewhere (by Gods assistance) shall bee more at large extended: yet would I have the Reader ever to remēber, that the infinite love, wherewith God sought us when we were not, by which he found out a beginning for mankind, fitted as a foundation for endlesse life, can never be indissolubly betroth∣ed unto the bare beeing which hee bestowed upon us. The finall contract betwixt him and us, neces∣sarily presupposeth a bond or linke of mutuall love. There is no meanes possible for us to be made bet∣ter or happier than we are, but by unfaigned loving him, which out of love hath made us what we are. Nor are we what we are, because he is, or from his Essence onely, but because he was loving to us. And after our love to him enclasped with his unspeaka∣ble and unchangeable love to us, whose apprehen∣sion must beget it; the faith by which it is begot∣ten in us, assures our soules of all the good meanes the infinitie of goodnesse may vouchsafe to grant, the infinity of wisedome can contrive, or power omnipotent is able to practise; for attaining the

end whereto his infinite love from all Eternities doth ordaine us. And who could desire better en∣couragement or assurance more strong then this, for the recompence of all his labours? or if all this cannot suffice to allure us, hee hath set feare be∣hind us to impell us unto goodnesse; or rather be∣fore us, to turne us backe from evill.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Heu primae scelerum causae mor∣talibus agris Naturam nescire De••m. Silius Ita∣licus. lib. 4. de be••••o pu∣n••••••.
• * 1.2

  Rom. 8. 28.