The Marrow of Sacred Divinity - William Ames (1642)

1. CHarity is a vertue whereby we love God as the chiefe good. Psal. 106. 1. And 118. 1. & 136. 1. Praise the Lord, because he is good, for his mercy endures for ever. The joy of praising which is an effect of Charity hath the same primary object with Charity its proper cause. Therfore the goodnesse of God which doth specially shine forth in the effects of kindnesse, is the proper object of Charity (as it is of praising.)

2. It followes Faith and Hope in order of nature, as the effect followes its causes: for we therefore love God out of Charity, because by Faith and hope we tast in some measure how good God is, and his love shed abroad in our hearts. 1 John 4. 16. 19. We have knowen and believed the love which God hath towards us, we love him because he loved us first.

3. Therefore not love, but Faith is the first founda tion of the spirituall building in man: not onely because then the building begins, but also because it sustaines, and containes all the parts of it as also it hath the nature of a roote, as it doth confer power to fructifie.

4. A confuse and remote inclination towards God goeth before Faith (a certaine shadow▪ whereof is found in a certaine manner in all Creatures) Acts 17. 27- That they might seeke the Lord, if happily they might find him by seeking him, but it is rather an ineffectuall Velleitas woulding (as they call it) to love God, then a true love.

5. That distinction of the Scholemen, betweene the naturall and supernaturall love of God, that is, whereby they make one love of God, as it is the beginning and end of nature, and another as it is the beginning and end of grace, is an idle figment. Neither indeed can a man since the fall, by the strength of nature without Faith, love GOD above all, no not with that love which they call naturall.

6. The love of Charity is of Union, well-pleasednesse, and good will: for those are as it were the parts of Charity, and they are alwayes contained in it, if it be true, namely desire of Union, wel-pleasednesse of enjoying, and affection of good will.

7. Love of Union is that affection, whereby we would be joyned together with GOD. 2 Corinthians 5-8. It is our desire to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

8. There is also love of Union, in GOD towards us. Eph. 2. 4. 13. He loved us with much love. You who were far off, are made neere. But his love is out of the aboundance of goodnesse, because he expects no profit out of us: for we are unprofitable servants to GOD. Luc. 17. 10. John. 22. 2. 23. But our love towards him is out of the want of goodnesse, because we stand in need of God. 2. Cor. 5. 4. We groane being burdened—that mortality may bee swallowed up of life.

9. Therefore our love as it is love of Union with God, is in part, that love which is called love of concupiscence or desire: because we doe properly desire God to our selves, because wee hope to have profit from him and our eternall blessednesse.

10. Yet the highest end of this love ought to be God himselfe.

11. Love of wel-pleasednesse is that affection, whereby we doe approve of all that that is in God, and rest in his most excellent goodnesse. Rev. 7: 12. Blessing and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour and power, and strength unto our God for ever, and ever, Amen.

12. God also hath love of wel-pleasednesse towards us, Heb. 13. 16. But his wel-pleasednesse is in those good things which are communicated by him to us: but our wel-pleasednesse is in that goodnesse, and Divine perfection which in no sort depends upon us.

13. Love of good will, is that affection whereby we yield our selves wholy to God, and we wil, and endeavour that all things be given to him which pertaine to his glory. Revel. 4. 10, 11. They fell downe and cast their crownes before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power. 1 Cor. 10. 31. Doe all to the glory of God.

14. God in bearing us good will, doth make us good, by conferring that good which he willeth: but we cannot properly bestow any good upon him, but only acknowledge with the heart, publish by words, and declare in some measure by deeds that goodnesse which he hath.

15. That mutuall Charity which is between God▪ and the faithfull, hath in it selfe some respect of friendship. John 15. 15. I have called you friends, because I have made knowen all things which I have heard from my Father.

16. In this friendship although there is not found that equality which is among men that are friends, yet that equality which is possible doth appeare in a certaine inward communion which is exercised betweene God, and the faithfull: in which respect God is said to reveale his secrets to the faithfull. Psalm 25, 14. John 15.

17. Charity doth implicitly containe in it the keeping and fulfilling of all the Commandements of God▪ Rom. l 13. 10. 1 John 2▪ 5. and 3. 18. For he cannot truly love God who doth not study to please him in all things, and to be like him. 1 John 4. 17. Herein is our Charity made perfect—that as he is, such also are we.

18. The manner of our Charity towards God is that it becaried to him, as to that which is simply the highest good and end; so that neither God, nor the love of God is principally and lastly to be referred to any thing else: because such love should be mercenary. John 6. 26. Ye seeke me, because yee ate of the loaves and were filled.

19. Yet wee may love God as our reward. Genesis▪ 15. 2. And with respect, of other good things, as of a reward. Gen. 17. 2.

20. The degree of Charity towards God ought to be the highest, first in respect of the object, or as they say objectively, that is, willing a greater good to him then to any. 2. In regard of esteeme, or as some speake, appretiatively, that is, preferring him and his will before all other things, even our own life. Matt. 10. 37. Luc. 14. 26. So that we rather choose to die then to transgresse even the least of his Commandements. 3. Intensively, that is, in respect of the vehement indeavour, in the application of all the faculties to the loving of God. Deut. 6. 5. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.

21. According to this description of Charity it is rightly said of some Divines, that God is only to be loved: that is, simply, by it selfe and according to all the parts of Charity (namely with affection of good will, desire of Union, and wel-pleasednesse of enjoying in the highest degree) although our neighbour also is to be beloved in a certaine respect, for another thing, in part and in a lower degree.

22. To this Charity is opposed that feare which hath torment, by the presence of God and feare of punishment to be in-flicted by him, 1 John 4. 18. Perfect love casteth out feare: because feare hath torment.

23. Hence Charity being perfected casteth out feare. Ibid. Because that feare is an horror arising from the apprehension of evill, by reason of the presence of God: and so is opposed to Charity, which is caried unto God, as unto that which is absolutly good.

24. Secondly, there is opposed to it an enstranging from God, which is called by some hatred of abomination. Psalm 14. 3. John 3. 20. They are all gone out of the way. He hates the light, for as Charity consists in affection of union, so this enstranging is in disjunction. But that hatred of God is most contrary to the love of God, which is called hatred of enmity. John 13. 23, 24, 25. They have hated both me and my Father. For as the love of Charity is in good will: so this enmity against God, is in that that ungodly men doe desire and will ill to him if it might be, that he were not, or at least that he were not such an one as he is.

25. For although if God be apprehended so as he is in himselfe, he cannot be the object of hatred; yet as he is apprehended as one that taketh vengeance on sinners, so far forth he is often hated of the same sinners: because in that respect he is most contrary to them, Ioh. 3. 20. Whosoever evill doth, hateth the light, neither commeth to the light, least his deeds be reproved. For as the love of God is in the godly the cause that they hate impiety contrary to God; so the love of iniquity in the ungodly causeth that they hate God as contrary to their iniquity.

26. But the degrees by which men ascend to this height of ungodlinesse are these. 1. Sinners love themselves inordinatly. 2. They will that which pleaseth themselves, although it be contrary to the Law of God. 3. They hate the Law: because it is contrary to this desire. 4. They hate God himselfe who is the giver and author of such a Law.

27. The love of this world also is opposed to the Charity towards God. 1 John 2. 15. Because this world agreeth not with God & his will. There Verse 16. If any love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Because whatsoever is in the world is not of the Father.

28. For as the perfection of Charity is in this that the mind doth rest in God, so it must needs be against Charity that the minde doth rest in that which is contrary to God.

29. Charity is no more the forme of other vertues, then any vertue commanding or ordering the acts of another is the forme of it: but because those acts which in their nature doe not respect God are referred to him by Charity,¹⁸⁸ and in him such acts are perfected, therefore by a metaphor it is not amisse called the forme of those acts, and of the vertues also from which they come.

30. But Charity cannot be the intrinse call forme of Faith: because in its nature it followes Faith as an effect followes the cause, it doth not goe before as a cause doth the effect.

31. Neither is faith extrinsecally directed toward God by love; but in its proper and internal nature it respects God as its object.

32. Iustification of Faith doth in no sort depend upon Charity (as the Papists will have it) but upon the proper object of Faith.

33. Where Faith is said to worke by love. Gal. 5. 6. It is not because all efficacy of Faith depends upō charity as upon a cause: but because Faith doth shew forth and exercise its efficacy in the stirring up of Charity.

34. The particle, by, doth not there shew a formall cause: but as it were an instrumentall: as when God is said to regenerate us by the word.

35. That Faith which is without works is said to be Dead. Iames 2. 26. Not because the life of Faith doth flow from workes: but because workes are second Acts, flowing from the life of Faith.

36. Faith is said to be perfected by workes. Iames 2. 22. Not with an essentiall perfection, as the effect is perfected by the cause: but by a complemental perfection, as the cause is perfected, or made actually compleat, in the producing of the effect.¹⁸⁹

37. Because the object of Charity is the very goodnesse of God, as it is in it selfe, but Faith and Hope doe respect God as he is propounded to us to be apprehended: therefore that inclination of the mind toward God which belongs to Charity, doth more evidently and constantly appeare in weake believers, then the speciall acts of Faith or Hope: because the goodnesse of God is more manifest in it selfe, then the way of apprehending it; which is represented to us in this life, as it were darkly.