The theory and regulation of love a moral essay, in two parts : to which are added letters philosophical and moral between the author and Dr. Henry More / by John Norris ...

MOTIVES TO THE STUDY AND PRACTICE OF REGULAR LOVE By way of Consideration.

1. COnsider O my Soul, that the ve∣ry Essence of the most Perfect Be∣ing is Regular Love. The very same Apostle that saies God is Love, saies also in another place that God is Light, and that in him there is no darkness at all, Joh. 1.5. God therefore is both Love and Light; Light invigorated and actuated by Love, and Love directed and regulated by Light. He is indeed a Lucid and Bright act of Love, not Arbitrary Love, but Love regulated by the exactest Rules and Measures of

Essential Perfection. For how Regu∣lar a Love must that needs be, where the same Being is both Love and Light!

2. Consider again my Soul, that the Material World the Offspring and E∣manation of this Lucid Love, is altoge∣ther conformable to the Principle of its production, a perfect Sample and Pattern of Order and Regularity, of Beauty and Proportion, the very Re∣flexion of the first Pulchritude, and a most exact Copy of the Divine Geome∣try. And if thou could'st but see a draught of the Intellectual world, how far more Beautiful and delightsom yet would that Orderly Prospect be. And wilt thou my Soul, be the only Irregu∣lar and Disorderly thing among the Productions of God? Wilt thou disturb the Harmony of the Creation, and be the only jarring String in so Composed and well-tuned an Instrument? As thou wilt certainly be if thou dost not Love Regularly. For

3 Consider My Soul, that 'tis Regu∣lar

Love that makes up the Harmony of the Intellectual world, as Regular Motion does that of the Natural. That Regularity of the understanding is of no other Moment or Excellency, than as it serves to the Regulating of Love. That herein lies the Formal Difference be∣tween good and bad Men in this world, and between the good and bad Spirits in the other. Brightness of understand∣ing is Common to both, and for ought we know, in an equal Measure, but one of these loves Regularly and the other does not, and therefore one we call an Angel, and t'other a Devil. For 'tis Regular Love upon which the wel∣fare and Civil Happiness of Society de∣pends. This is in all respects the same to the Moral world, as Motion is to the Natural. And as this is maintain'd in its Course by Regularity of Motion, so must the other be upheld by Regulari∣ty of Love. And therefore further.

4. Consider O my Soul, that the God of Order, he that is both Light and Love,

has prescribed two sort of Laws with respect to the two worlds, Laws of Motion, and Laws of Love. Indeed the Latter have not their Effect as Neces∣sarily and determinately as the former; for the Laws of Motion God executes by himself, but the Laws of Love he has committed to the execution of his Creatures, having endow'd them with choice and Liberty. But let not this my Soul be used as an Argument to make thee less Studious of Loving Re∣gularly, because thou art not irresisti∣bly determin'd and necessitated to Love according to Order, but art left to thy own Choice and Liberty. Nei∣ther do thou fancy God less concern'd for the Laws of Love, than for the Laws of Motion, because he has not in∣forced those, with the same Necessity as he has these, For

5. Consider yet further My Soul, that God has taken as much care for the Regulation of Love as is consistent with the Nature of Free Agents. For

has he not prescribed Laws of Regular Love? And has he not furnish'd thee with a stock of Natural Light and un∣derstanding, of Reason and Discourse to discern the Antecedent Equity and Reasonableness of these Laws? And lest thou should'st be negligent in the use of this Discursive Light, has he not as a farther security of thy Regular Love against the danger either of Igno∣rance or Inconsideration, furnish'd thee with certain Moral Anticipations and Rational Instincts, which prevent all thy Reasonings and Discoursings about what thou oughtest to Love, and point out the great Lines of thy Duty, be∣fore thou art able, and when thou dost not attend enough to see into the Na∣tural grounds of it. And left all this should prove insufficient or ineffectual, has he not bound thy Duty upon thee by the most weighty Sanctions, and most prevailing Ingagements of Re∣wards and Punishments, of Eternal Happiness, and Eternal Misery? And

to make all this efficacious, does he not assist thee by the Graces of his Spi∣rit in the Regulation of thy Love? And what can God do more with the safe∣ty of his own Wisdom, and of thy Li∣berty? And lest thou should'st fancy that 'tis either in vain, or unnecessary to apply thy self to the Study of Regu∣lar Love,

6. Consider yet further My Soul, that the great Mystery of godliness is nothing else but a Mysterious Expedient for the promotion of Regular Love. As it pro∣ceeded from Love, so does it wholly tend to the Regulation of it. 'Twas to attone for the Irregularities of Love, that the Son of God became a Sacri∣fice to his Father. To attone for it so far, that all the Lapses and Misap∣plications of our Love should be for∣given, provided we return to the Re∣gularity of Love for the future. Had he not done so much, to return to Re∣gular Love had been in vain, and had he done more, it had been Needless.

But herein is the Mystery of Godliness, that by the wise dispensation of God the matter is so order'd, that Happi∣ness is attainable by the Order of Love, and not without it. And can there be a stronger ingagement, O my Soul, to perswade thee to the Study of Re∣gular Love, or to convince thee that God is not less concern'd for the Har∣mony of the Moral, than of the Natu∣ral world, for the Order of Love, than for the Order of Motion? Be wise then O my Soul, and consult the Ends of God, the Harmony of the World, and thy own Eternal Happiness. And that these thy Considerations may be the more effectual, apply thy self with all possible elevation of spirit to the God of Light and Love.

THE PRAYER.

O God of Order and Beauty, who sweetly disposest all things, and hast establish'd a Regular course in the visible World, who hast appointed the Moon for certain Seasons, and by whose decree the Sun knoweth his going down, let the Moral world be as Regular and Harmonious as the Natural, and both conspire to the declaration of thy Glory. And to this End grant that the Motion of our Minds may be as orderly as the Motion of Bodyes, and that we may move as regularly by Choice and free Election, as they do by Natural instinct and Necessity.

O God of Light and Love, warm and invigorate my Light, and direct and regulate my Love. In thy Light let me see Light, and in thy Love let me ever Love. Lord I am more apt to err in my Love than in my understand∣ing, and one Errour in Love is of worse

Consequence than a thousand in Judg∣ment, O do thou therefore watch over the Motions of my Love with a peculiar governance, and grant that I my self may keep this Part with all diligence, seeing hence are the issues of Life and Death.

O Spirit of Love, who art the very Essence, Fountain and Perfection of Love, be thou also its Object, Rule, and Guide. Grant I may Love thee, and what thou love'st, and as thou love'st. O Clarify and refine, inlighten and a∣ctuate my Love, that it may mount upward to the Center and Element of Love, with a Steddy, Chast, and un∣fullied Flame; make it unselvish, uni∣versal, liberal, generous and Divine, that loving as I ought I may contri∣tribute to the Order of thy Creation here, and be perfectly Happy in loving thee, and in being lov'd by thee Eter∣nally hereafter. Amen.