God being who and what He is must love Himself with pure and perfect love. The Persons of the Godhead love each other with a love so fiery, so tender, that it is all a burning flame of intense desire ineffable. God is Himself the only being whom He can love directly; all else that He loves is for His own sake and because He finds some reflection of Himself there . God loves His mute creation because He sees in it an imperfect representation of His own wisdom and power. He loves the angels and seraphim because He sees in them some likeness of His holiness. He loves men because He beholds in them a fallen relic of His own image. Potentially God loves all men alike, but His active love lights upon some men more than upon others, the degree depending upon how much of Himself He is able to impart to them. The truly Christlike soul enjoys more of God's love because God sees in it a truer image of Himself than in a soul less purified. God loves His Son with infinite perfection because He is the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person.
