To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
1. COmplacence then drawes into our hearts the feelings of diuine perfections, accor∣ding as we are capable to receiue them, (like as the Myrrour receiues the Sūns picture, not accor∣ding to the excellencie and amplitude of this great and admirable Lampe, but with proportion to the glasse its largnesse and capacitie) and therby we become conformable to God.
2. But besids this, LOVE OF BENEVOLENCE
brings vs to this holy conformitie by another meanes; LOVE OF COMPLACENCE drawes God into our hearts; but the LOVE OF BENEVOLENCE darts our hearts into God, and by consequence all our actions and affections, most louingly dedicating and consecrating thē vnto him: for Beneuolēce de∣sires that all honour, all Glorie, ād acknowledgmēt possible should be rendred vnto God, as a certaine exteriour good which is due to his Goodnesse.
3. Now this desire is practised according to the complacence which we take in God, as follo∣weth. We haue had an extreame Complacence to perceiue that God i•• soueraignely GOOD, ād there∣fore, by the LOVE OF BENEVOLENCE, we desire that all the Loues which we can possibly imagine, may be imployed to loue this Goodnesse entirely. We haue taken delight in the soueraigne excellen∣cie of God's perfection; and therevpon we desire that he should be soueraignely loued, honored, ād adored. We haue bene ioyed to consider, how God is not onely the first beginning, but also the last end, Authour, Conseruour, and Lord of all things; for which reason we wish that all things should be subiect to him by a soueraigne obe∣dience. We see Gods will soueraignly perfect, vpright, iust, equall; and vpon this consideration our desire is, that it should be the rule and soue∣raigne law of all things, and that it should be ob∣serued, kept and obayed by all other wills.
4. But note THEO: that I treate not heare of the obedience due vnto God, as he is our Lord and Maister, our Father and Benefactour: for this kind of obedience belongs to the vertue of Iustice, not
to Loue. No, it is not this I speake off for the pre∣sent: for though there were no Hell to punish the wicked, nor Heauen to reward the good, and that we had no kind of obligation, nor dutie to God (be this saied by imagination of a thing impossi∣ble, and scarcE imaginable) yet would the LOVE OF BENEVOLENCE moue vs to render all obedience and submission to God by election and inclina∣tion, yea by a sweete violence of Loue, in conside∣ration of the Soueraigne Bountie, Iustice and equi∣tie of the Diuine will.
5. Doe not we see, THEO: that a maide by a free choice proceeding from the LOVE OF BENE∣VOLENCE, doth subiect herselfe to her husband, to whom, otherwise she ought no dutie? Or that a gentleman, submits himselfe to a forraine Prince's command or else giues vp his will into the hands of the Superiour of some religious Order, which he is content to vndertake?
6. Euen so is our heart conformed to Gods, when by holy Beneuolence we throw all our affe∣ctions, into the hands of the diuine will, to be tur∣ned ād directed by it, to be moulded ād formed to the good liking thereof. And in this point the profoundest obedience of loue is placed, which hath no neede of being spurred by minaces or re∣wards, nor yet by lawes and commandements; for it preuents all this, submitting it selfe to God, for the onely perfect goodnesse which is in him, where by he deserues that all wills should be obedient vnto him, subiect, and vnder his power, confor∣ming and vniting themselues to his diuine inten∣tions, in and through all things.