Chap. VII - Of Eternal Love

Summary

What Benefit GOD himself does receive by his Eternal Love. That when our Love is made compleat and Perfect, it will be like his, and the Benefit of it will be Eternal.

BEFORE we can fully discern the Benefit of Love, or see the Glory of it in all its high and admirable Effects, we must consider what Love is and doth in GOD. For as we have said, The Life of GOD is Love; nay the Apostle saith, GOD is Love: By Loving he begot his Love. And if his Love be his Godhead, his Essence is an infinite and Eternal Act of Love, by extending which through all infinity, and by Loving Eternally, he begot his infinite and Eternal Essence: which is the Love that filleth all Worlds with Beauty and Glory. When you consider it well, An Act of Love is begotten by Loving: And if his Wisdome, and Goodness, and Blessedness, and Glory be seated in Love, his Love is his Wisdome which is the Son of GOD, and his Goodness, and his Glory, and his Blessedness. For all these, tho we conceive them diversly, are the same Thing: and of the Son of GOD it is said, that he is the Wisdom of the Father, and the Brightness of his Fathers Glory. He is the Life of the Father, by whom also he made the Worlds, and the Love of the Father for whom all Things were created, that are in Heaven, and that are in Earth, visible and invisible, whether they be Thrones, or Dominions, or Principalities, or Powers: all Things were created by him, and for him. For GOD enjoyeth all Things by his Love, which is his Eternal Son; and made them as perfect and delightful as it was possible for things created to be, that he might take Pleasure in them. As he himself is made Glorious and Delightful in the Eyes of all Angels and Men by Love, so doth his whole Kingdom arise and Spring from Love; the Beauty and felicity of all his Creatures, their Joys and Praises, their Uses and Perfections are founded in his Love, by his Love he begetteth all his pleasures in himself, by his Love he made his Treasures infinite, and by that alone doth he take infinite Pleasure and Delight in himself and his Kingdome.