the Persians and Hindus. 167 



** and meftimable benefits ; all tbe good, that we have ever enjoyed, or can 

 " ever expect, being derived from his pure bounty ; all things in the world, 

 ** in competition with him being mean and ugly; all things, without him, 

 ** vain, unprofitable, and hurtful to us. He is the moft proper obj eel: of 

 " our love ; for we chiefly were framed, and it is the prime law of our na- 

 " ture, to love him ; our fouU from its original inflincl, vergeth toward him 

 " as its centre., and can have no reft, till it be fixed on him: he alone can 

 ** fat isfy the vaft capacity of our minds, and fill our boundlefs defires. 

 " He, of all lovely things, moft certainly and eafily maybe attained; for, 

 " whereas commonly men art; crofted in their affection, and their love is 

 " embittered from their affecting things imaginary, which they cannot reach, 

 " or coy things, which difdain and reject them, it is with God quite 

 " otherwife : He is moft ready to impart himfelf; he moft earneftly defir- 

 ** eth and wooeth our love.; he is not only moft willing to correfpond in 

 ■*' affection, but even doth prevent us therein : He doth cherijh and encour- 

 44 age our love by fweeteft influences and moft confoling embraces, by kinder! 

 :*« exprelTions of favour, bv moft beneficial returns; and, whereas all other 

 -«' objects do in the enjoyment much fail our expectation, he doth ever far 

 " exceed it. Wherefore in all affectionate motions of our hearts toward 

 f 1 God; in clearing him, or feeking his favour and friendfhip; in em- 

 •* bracinghim, orfetting our efteem, our good will, our confidence on him; 

 f* in enjoying him by devotional meditations and addrefies to him; in a re- 

 ■«* flective fenfe of our intereft and propriety in him ; in that myfterious union 

 " of Spirit, whereby zoe do clofcly adhere to, and are, as it were, inferted in 

 ** him ; in a hearty complacence in his benignity, a grateful fenfe of his 

 - kindnefs, and a zealous define of yielding fome requital ibr it, we can- 

 «? not but feel very plcafant tranfports : indeed, that celeftial flame, kind- 

 *" led in our hearts by the fpirit of love, cannot be void of warmth; we. 



