On Loving God VI: 16- VII: 1 7: How God Should Be Loved
On Loving God VI: 16VII: 1 7
HOW GOD SHOULD BE LOVED
VI. 16. Briefly repeating what has been said so far, consider first how God merits to be loved, that there is to be no limit to that love, for he loved us first.174 Such a one loved us so much and so freely, insignificant as we are and such as we are, that, as you recall I said in the beginning, we must love God without any limit. Finally, as love offered to God has for object the one who is immeasurable and infinite— for God is both infinite and immeasurable— what, I ask, should be the aim or degree of our love? What about the fact that our love is not given gratuitously but in payment of a debt? Thus the Immeasurable loves, the Eternal loves, that Charity which sur passes knowledge loves;175 God, whose greatness knows no end,176 to whose wisdom there is no limit,177 whose peace ex ceeds all understanding, loves178— and we think we can requite him with some measure of love? "I shall love you, O Lord, my fortress, my strength, my refuge, my deliverer,"179 and whatever can be held desirable and lovable for me. My God, my help, I shall love you as much as I am able for your gift.
My love is less than is y_qurMue,,jye-tnat less than I am able, for even^THTTannorTove you as much as I should, still I can not love you more than I can. I shall only be able to love you more when you give me more, although you can never find my love worthy of you. For, "Your eyes have seen my im perfections, and all shall be written down in your book,"180 all who do what they can, even if they cannot do all they should. As far as I can see, it is clear enough to what extent
God ought to be loved and that by his own merit. By his own merit, I say, but to whom is the degree of this merit really clear? Who can say? Who can understand it?
VII. 17. Let us see now how he is to be loved for our advan tage. How far from the reality is our knowledge of it? Never174. ljn 4:10. 178. Phil 4:7.
175. Eph 3:19. 179. Ps 17:2-3.
176. Ps 144:3. 180. Ps 138: 16.
177. Ps 146:5.