motive that induces and moves him in all his attractive operations; for Divine love is the Heavenly Sun, or Sun of suns, (viz.) the very essence thereof; the proximate sphere in which our Lord exists, and by which he constitutes the happiness of the heavenly world, and likewise warms our cold hearts or affections by shining upon us, individually and impartially, without intermission, rays or beams of heavenly fire, which proceed by influx from the Sun of Righteousness. Moreover all natural suns (the fixed stars) being the purest and most glorious bodies in the universe, and likewise centres of systems of inhabited worlds, constantly revolving round their attractive orbs, is another reason why we place love in the exact centre; that interior attribute being the real essence and substance, the esse, of Jehovah, and consequently the life or existence of the Sun of Righteousness, by which he operates through his other perfections according to Divine order; love being the primary moving principle of all creation, and from which every thing that is perfect proceeded.

Spiritual influx-Love has an influx into the heart or will of the immortal soul, which is its proper vessel to receive the heavenly rays thereof, to constitute celestial life or happiness by reception, on the part of mankind, and for which express purpose the "living soul" was created a recipient vessel. The heart or will is the receptive faculty of Divine love, consequently the will is the esse of man; the understanding being the receptacle of Divine wisdom is passive thereto; similarly, by correspondence, as light is to heat: so that the more love we will, or desire in our hearts, the more we thereby receive; for the rays flow into man exactly corresponding thereto. Our reception of spiritual life or love altogether depends on our real desires.

Divine love being the primary motive or first active principle of the Supreme, appertains more to his existence than any other, signifying spiritual heat or life, to which the heart (the seat of life) corresponds; it is therefore applicable to the unity of the Godhead, Jehovah himself, the only "Almighty self-existent:" from whom the Trinity of attributes (corresponding to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) are continually emanating and operating. Love corresponds to the Father, Wisdom to the Son, and Power to the Holy Ghost.

As light proceeds from heat, and is yet therewith conjoined inseparably; so does the wisdom of God, in a corresponding manner, emanate from his love; (wisdom being the form of love) nevertheless they are both likewise inseparably conjoined in all the operations of the Sun of Righteousness: from which it is evident that love is as interior and superior to wisdom as fire (or heat) is to light, because love is heavenly fire, and wisdom heavenly light.

"Great Source of day, BEST IMAGE HERE BELOW
OF THY CREATOR, ever pouring wide,

From world to world, the vital ocean round,
On nature write with every beam his praise."

It was the attribute Love and love alone (the Father) that induced the Wisdom (the Son) of Jehovah to create as well as to redeem mankind; it being his heart's desire to make all probationary beings, sincerely repenting of their iniquities, as happy as they could possibly desire or become by their internal faculties being continually enlarge I, especially after death, which change will render them more fit and suitable objects for the Supreme to bestow his benevolence or favour upon, as they advance (by reception in their affections) towards the Grand Centre, DIVINE LOVE, the Sun of the Heavenly world.

ON DIVINE LOVE, "THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

"Thou art a Fountain, always running o'er,

A Sea without a bottom or a shore:

A fathomless Abyss! a vast profound,

Where Angels thoughts are swallowed up and drown'd.
Thou art a pure! an uncreated Fire! *
Still everlasting! though the worlds expire:
An inexhaustless Source! that can't decay,
Burning refulgent to immortal Day!

Thy beams shall shine, in full meridian state!
To unknown ages, an Eternal date.

Blest is the man, who feels thy Love Divine!
His Soul shall flourish as the spreading vine,
For evermore, beyond the reach of time."

Operations of the Attributes.-The attributes Goodness and Wisdom being emanations from Love, (by which they are consequently passive thereto) we have placed them on the two upper angles of the triangle, which are in exact parallel to each other, in perfect union; supporting, governing, and guiding power, that being the last and consequently the only real passive attribute of God: for although goodness and wisdom (being secondary perfections) are passive to love, (the primary) they are nevertheless active in themselves, as they appertain and correspond chiefly to the mind or intellectual principles of Jehovah, (especially wisdom which devised the plan of creation and redemption) which perfections however are moved to operate entirely by Love.

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The attributes goodness and wisdom are properly speaking co-operative with the operative Love, (correspondingly as light is co-operative with heat) in all the operati ons of the Supreme.

These three interior and superior attributes, (viz.) Love, Goodness, and Wisdom, (which can only

Fire is the best possible emblem of the intensity of Divine Love, ("For our God is a consuming fire:") because it exactly corresponds thereto.

appertain and correspond to the affections and intellectual principles of Jehovah, viz. his heart and mind,) are always co-operating together in all his works of nature, providence, and grace, and are therefore continually active to the last attribute, power, (to which his hand corresponds:) in consequence of which we have placed it on the base or lower angle, underneath the other attributes: power being only passive, although it is apparently active. All intelligent persons must admit that exterior principles and properties are passive or obedient to interiors, which are always active; it is therefore evident and certain, that the power or hand of Jehovah is continually being moved and guided by his interior and superior attributes, Love, Goodness, and Wisdom; which cannot possibly err, or be partial to any of the human family; consequently his power cannot, it being merely passive, for there is no stress or weight whatever on the attribute power alone, it being the exterior principle of God, and only the action of real power, (viz.) Divine Love, although most persons by encouraging and receiving apparent instead of real truths, conceive it to be quite the reverse, probably never giving it that due consideration which the nature of so important a subject requires.

For instance, what is generally termed power is not real strength or action, but merely apparent; being only the ultimate or last principle in moving; for power of itself is inert and motionless, and upon earth applicable only to matter, which is but a derivation or production from spirit, in a lower or less degree perfect: for every particle of animate and inanimate matter, including the whole material universe, is a symbolical effect, or an out-birth which proceeded from the spiritual world, and is consequently moved thereby. It is an established

universal law of Heaven that spirit flows into and operates upon matter. It is evident that matter is invariably moved by spirit; our hand or exterior principle is only apparent power, being only moved and directed by interiors. ·

The Will or Decree of God.-Having we conceive sufficiently explained how the attributes of the Supreme operate upon the whole universe, including all mankind; by which we have proved that Love, Goodness, and Wisdom are actives; and power the only ultimate passive thereto: we will now treat on his determined will or decree, which includes the whole Scriptural and rational doctrine of election or predestination.

Probably some of our readers will scarcely perceive where we have placed the will on the diagram, (for on account of its not being an attribute we were obliged to make the letters smaller) but on examination it will be found precisely above the base or lower angle of the triangle, underneath love, goodness, and wisdom, it being invariably derived therefrom as a procedure; for the will or decree of God is actually formed by those three superior attributes alone, being a pure composition or admixture thereof; consequently passive thereto; having no other derivation whatever, it must necessarily participate of the same properties, and the same only, (in a compound or mixed state) which was our reason for placing it below them.

Now although the will or decree is passive to the active attributes, it is nevertheless continually active to power, the ultimate perfection; for the power of the Deity is (only) the ultimate operative principle: the will being more interior and superior than power, and from whence alone all the action of power is derived.