The rule and exercises of holy living. In which are described the means and instruments of obtaining every vertue, and the remedies against every vice, and considerations serving to the resisting all temptations. Together with prayers containing the whole duty of a Christian, and the parts of devotion fitted to all occasions, and furnish'd for all necessities.

Helps to encrease our love to God; by way of exercise.

1. Cut off all earthly and sensual loves, for

they pollute and unhallow the pure & Spiritual love. Every degree of inordinate affection to the things of this world, and every act of love to a sin is a perfect enemy to the love of God: and it is a great shame to take any part of our affection from the eternal God to bestow it up∣on his creature in defiance of the Creator, or to give it to the Devil, our open enemy, in dis∣paragement of him who is the fountain of all excellencies and Coelestial amities.

2. Lay fetters and restraints upon the ima∣ginative and phantastick part: because our fan∣cie being an imperfect and higher facultie is usually pleased with the entertainment of sha∣dowes and gauds; and because the things of the world fill it with such beauties and phanta∣stick imagery, the fancy presents such objects as amiable to the affections, and elective powers. Persons of fancy, such as are women and children have alwayes the most violent loves; but therefore if we be careful with what representments we fill our fancy, we may the sooner rectifie our loves. To this purpose, it is good that we transplant the instruments of fancy into religion: and sor this reason musick was brought into Churches, and ornaments, and persumes, and comely garments, and solemni∣ties, and decent ceremonies, that the busie and lesse discerning fancy being bribed with its pro∣per objects may be instrumental to a more coe∣lestial and spiritual love.

3. Remove solicitude or worldly cares, and multitudes of secular businesses; for if these take up the intention and actual ap∣plication of our thoughts and our imployments, they will also possesse our passions; which if they be filled with one object though ig∣noble,

cannot attend another though more ex∣cellent. We alwayes contract a friendship and relation with those with whom we converse: our very Countrey is dear to us for our being in it: and the Neighbours of the same Village, and those that buy and sell with us have seized upon some portions of our love, and therefore if we dwell in the affairs of the World, we shall also grow in love with them; and all our love, or all our hatred, all our hopes, or all our fears, which the eternal God would wil∣lingly secure to himself, and esteem amongst his treasures and precious things, shall be spent upon trifles and vanities.

4. Do not onely choose the things of God, but secure your inclinations and aptnesses for God and for Religion. For it will be a hard thing for a Man to do such a personal violence to his first desires, as to choose whatsoever he hath no minde to. A Man will many times sa∣tisfie the importunity and daily solicitations of his first longings: and therefore there is no∣thing can secure our loves to God, but stop∣ping the natural Fountains, and making Re∣ligion to grow neer the first desires of the soul.

5. Converse with God by frequent prayer. In particular, desire that your desires may be right, and love to have your affections regular and holy: To which purpose make very fre∣quent addresses to God by ejaculations and communions, and an assiduous daily devotion: Discover to him all your wants, complain to him of all your affronts, do as Hezekiah did, lay your misfortunes and your ill news before him, spread them before the Lord, call to him for health, run to him for counsel, beg of him for pardon; and it is as natural to love him to

whom we make such addresses, and of whom we have such dependancies, as it is for children to love their parents.

6. Consider the immensity and vastnesse of the Divine love to us, expressed in all the ema∣nations of his providence. 1. In his Creation. 2. In his conservation of us. For it is not my Prince or my Patron, or my Friend that sup∣ports me, or relieves my needs, but God, who made the Corn that my friend sends me, who created the Grapes and supported him, who hath as many dependances, and as many natu∣ral necessities, and as perfect disabilities as my self. God indeed made him the instrument of his providence to me, as he hath made his own Land or his own Cattel to him: with this onely difference, that God by his ministration to me intends to do him a favour and a reward, which to natural instruments he does nor. 3. In giving his Son. 4. In forgiving our sins. 5. In adopting us to glory: and ten thousand times ten thousand little accidents and instances hapning in the doing every of these; and it is not possible but for so great love we should give love again, for God we should give Man, for felicity we should part with our misery. Nay, so great is the love of the holy Jesus,* 1.1 God incarnate, that he would leave all his trium∣phant glories, and dye once more for Man, if it were necessary for procuring felicity to him.

In the use of these instruments love will grow in several knots and steps like the Su∣gar-canes of India according to a thousand va∣rieties in the person loving, and it will be great or lesse in several persons, and in the same, ac∣cording to his growth in Christianity: but in general discoursing there are but two states

of love, and those are Labour of love, and the zeal of love: the first is duty, the second is perfection.

Notes

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