higheft good of being in general for its object: Being capable of life and happiness. It difcerns what is the fupreme, greatest good, and thus it feeks, and pursues with unerring wisdom; and being attended with omnipotence, all the infinite good, the proper object of infinite benevolence, which is discerned, willed and fought, must take place in the highest poffible degree, without the leaft defect. This is universal benevolence; difinterested, unlimited, infinite goodness, which has the highest poffible good of being in general for its object, that is, infinite good; which muft infallibly take place, and be enjoyed for

ever.

II. THIS love of benevolence does not exclude, but neceffarily includes, that which is called love of complacence; for he who is good, benevolent and friendly, must delight in goodness. He will not only take pleasure in the exercife of goodness; but will be pleafed with benevolence wherever it exifts. Therefore a complacency and delight in holiness, or moral excellence, is always implied in holiness. God is therefore represented in the fcriptures as delighting and taking pleasure in the upright, in them that fear him and are truly holy, and delighting in the exercife of loving kindness, judgment and righteousness. But it ought to be remembered that love of complacency is not the primary or chief part of holy love; for holinefs muft exift as the object of complacency, in order to the existence of the latter: And what can this holinefs, be, which is the object of complacency and the fpring of holy delight, but the love of benevolence or goodnefs? This is the primary and, most effential part; yea, the fum of holy love, which implies the love of complacency in its nature; the latter being a branch and emanation from the former. Therefore when we think and speak of holy love, benevolence fhould be the primary caufe and chief idea in

our

our minds, as being the fum of all, and implying the whole: For holy complacency, is complacency in benevolence, and of a benevolent complacency. And if we leave benevolence out of our idea of the love of complacency, we have no idea of true holiness; nor understand the scriptures where they speak of holy love in God or crea

tures.

It is true indeed, that moral excellence, or the love of benevolence and complacency, may be the object of benevolence as well as complacency, for the more excellent any being is, the greater is his importance and worth, and his interest so much more valuable; and indeed, the more existence he has; for excellence is real existence : Therefore there will not only be more complacence and delight in such a being; but he is more the object of benevolence, in wishing him well, profperous and happy, and doing him good if he ftands in need, and there is opportunity; and in being friendly to his existence, prosperity and happiness, and rejoicing in the fame. But this is not the primary object of benevolence, but what what may be called the fecondary object, which appears from what has been faid; for benevolence is good will to being, and seeks the greatest good of the whole; and therefore loves those who have no excellence, and wishes well even to enemies; but is exercised in a stronger degree, and a peculiar manner, towards thofe beings who are themselves benevolent, and friends to the general good; while at the fame time they are the only objects of complacence and delight.

III. Divine love or goodness, is perfectly disinterested, in oppofition to all felf love, or felfifhnefs. This is expreffed by uprightness or righteousness, and confifts in it. Uprightness is afcribed to God in the fcriptures, as effential to his character; yea, he is called "the most upright."* That is, perfectly, infinitely, and unchangeably fo. This

is opposed to partiality, which confifts in felf love, and is félfishness itself. True goodness, or love, is in its own nature uprightness, or difinterefted, in oppofition to this felf love, which is in its nature partiality and unrighteoulnefs, and contains in it the effence and fum of all that which is opposed to true holiness, that is, all fin. Therefore we must exclude from the love in which the divine holinefs confifts, all that can be properly called felf love, all felfish, partial, interefted affection; and confider the holiness of God as infinitely oppofed to all this.

IV. GOD himself is the object of his own love and goodness. Or, in the exercife of his love he has respect and regard to Deity as well as to creatures. This is neceffarily implied in perfect, univerfal, infinite benevolence, which includes impartial uprightnefs and righteousness; for it would be infinitely otherwise, and the moft partial, unrighteous affection, if there were no regard paid to the infinite fountain and fum of all being and perfection. That which is friendly to the greateft univerfal good of exiftence, and is moft pleafed and delighted with the highest moral perfection, muft regard the intereft of the fupreme head of the univerfe, and delight in the moft perfect beauty and excellence. And it hence follows that God is the chief and fupreme object of his own love and regard; and he loves and regards himself infinitely more than the whole creation, and makes himfelf his higheft and laft end of all; and therefore has made all things for himself, as the fcriptures af fert. This has nothing of the nature of what is called felf love in creatures; but is directly and perfectly op pofed to it. There is not the leaft partiality and selfishnefs in it; but the contrary, and is uprightnefs and rightcoufnefs itfelf, as has been fhown; for if God did not love and regard himself, his rights and intereft, according

to

to his own existence, importance and excellence, he would not be juft, impartial and upright. Impartial, difintercited benevolence and affection, must pay the greatest regard to the greatest and best being; and therefore to suppose this is partiality and selfishness is most unreafonable, and a direct contradiction.

This evident truth, which may be fo eafily demonftrated, ought to be impreffed on our minds, and never forgotten; for if it be out of view, and wholly difregarded, we cannot have right conceptions of God, or understand the holy fcriptures; and must be in darkness with tefpect to the most important doctrines of chriftianity, and not know wherein true religion confifts. Many, by making a mistake here, and confidering the love of God as having no respect to himself, but wholly exercifed towards his creatures, in feeking their good and happiness only, have conceived of him as an almighty tool or fervant, exifting only for the fake of his creatures, and feeking nothing but their happiness; and hence have gone into a scheme of doctrines and religion, which is wholly felfish, and as contrary to the holy fcriptures, as darkness is to light.

Let it then be fixed and remembered, that God is LOVE. He is infinite benevolence and goodness itself; and that he himself is the first, chief and last object of this love; fo that he regards himself fupremely and ultimately in all his works, and does every thing for himself, for his own fake: And that his wisdom and righteousness confift chiefly in this, as he would be neither juft, faithful, nor wife, fhould he forget himfelf, and have no regard to his own rights and character, in any one thing that he does through all his dominions; and therefore to fuppofe he does, is to entertain the most dishonourable thought of him, which in the highest degree tarnishes and ruins his moral character. In the light of this truth, rightly understood,

F 2

derftood, and cordially embraced, we fhall have great affistance in finding the meaning of the holy fcriptures; and determining what are the important doctrines there revealed, and fee their confiftence and beauty.

V. INFINITE benevolence or goodnefs, which feeks and promotes the greatest good of the whole, is infinitely opposed to all malevolence or ill will, which opposes all the good of being, and tends to univerfal evil; and must be infinitely difpleafed with it. This is juft as evident and certain, as it is that he who loves and is friendly to any particular character, or defirable object, is displeased with the contrary, and hates it, to as great a degree as he loves and is pleased with the other. And this displeasure and hatred is implied in his love to the oppofite object and pleasure in it; and is really the fame affection acting towards oppofite objects.

He who is a friend to the greatest good, and therefore is pleased with fuch friendship, must be equally an ene my to all who oppofe this good, and proportionally dif pleased and angry with them. And this displeasure, hatred and anger, in a perfectly benevolent being, is nothing in nature different from benevolence. It is nothing but goodness oppofing its contrary; which it must do, or else cease to be love and goodness.

Agreeable to this, the scriptures reprefent God, who is infinite love and goodnefs, to be in a proportionable degree difpleafed with all fin, which is in its nature opposition to benevolence, and to the general good. This is reprefented as the object of his implacable hatred and as exciting his anger, indignation, wrath and fury. This is fo far from leading us to conceive of any thing in God contrary to infinite love and goodness, or really diftinct from it, that it is nothing more than benevolence acting according to its own nature towards objects that oppose it. For love of good, is itself oppofition to evil

and