"For certainly there cannot be a higher pleasure than to think that we love and are beloved by the most amiable and best Being"

Mary Astell’s assertion, “For certainly there cannot be a higher pleasure than to think that we love and are beloved by the most amiable and best Being,” articulates the profound human yearning for spiritual connection and the deep fulfillment found in loving, and being loved by, the divine. The pleasure referenced transcends mundane joy, suggesting an ecstatic satisfaction rooted in the relationship between humanity and the highest possible good, a being characterized as both supremely lovable (“amiable”) and perfectly virtuous (“best”). At the core of the statement lies the idea that the greatest happiness derives not from material possessions or even human relationships, but from an affectionate and reciprocal bond with God.

The phrase speaks to love as the noblest of human capacities, especially when fixed upon the ultimate source of goodness. Reciprocity heightens this joy: knowing that one's devotion is returned by such a perfect being fosters a sense of security, purpose, and validation impossible to find elsewhere. Mutual love with God becomes the apotheosis of pleasure because it engages the soul at its deepest level, offering acceptance and meaning that dwarf worldly attainment. This relationship, spiritual and metaphysical, reflects the aspirations of early modern religious philosophy for union with a transcendent other. The love described is not blind submission, but an elevated exchange, where both lover and beloved are actively engaged.

Astell’s choice of the words “most amiable and best Being” alludes to classical theology that conceives of God not as a distant authority figure, but as supremely attractive and infinitely good, a being worthy of love rather than mere fear. The passage implicitly critiques earthly attachments as secondary, redirecting the heart’s truest longing toward the divine. Thus, ultimate pleasure arises when the soul recognizes the best object for its love and discovers that this love is fully returned, completing a circle of joy that encompasses both giver and receiver.