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SECT. VIII.* 1.1
8. IF thou wouldest have thy heart in Heaven, keep thy soul still possessed with true believing thoughts of the exceeding, in∣finite love of God. Love is the attractive of love. No mans heart will be set upon him that hates him, were he never so excel∣lent; nor much upon him, that doth not much love him. There is few so vile, but will love those that love them, be they never so mean. No doubt it is the death of our heavenly life, to have hard and doubtful thoughts of God; to conceive of him as a hater of the Creature (except onely of obstinate Rebels,) and as one that had rather damn us, then save us, and that is glad of an oppor∣tunity to do us a mischief, or at least hath no great good will to us▪ This is to put the Blessed God into the similitude of Satan. And who then can set his heart and love upon him? When in our vile unbelief and ignorance, we have drawn the most ugly picture of God in our imaginations, then we complain, that we cannot love him, and delight in him. This is the case of many thousand Christians. Alas, that we should thus belie and blaspheme God, and blast our own joyes, and depress our spirits! Love is the very essence of God.* 1.2 The Scripture tells us, That God is Love; it tell∣eth us, That Fury dwelleth not in him; that he delighteth not in the death of him that dieth, but rather, that he repent and live. Much more hath he testified his love to his chosen; and his full re∣solution effectually to save them. O, if we could always think of God, but as we do of a friend; as of one that doth unfeignedly love us, even more then we do our selves; whose very heart is set upon us to do us good, and hath therefore provided us an ever∣lasting dwelling with himself, it would not then be so hard to have our hearts still with him! Where we love most heartily, we shall think most sweetly, and most freely: And nothing will quicken our love more then the belief of his love to us. Get therefore a truer conceit of the loving Nature of God, and lay up all the experi∣ences, and discoveries of his love to thee; and then see if it will not further thy heavenly-mindedness.