18 A godly man is a lover of the Saints;1 the best way to discern grace in ones self, is to love grace in others, 1 Ioh. 3. 14. Wee know we have passed from death to life, because we love the Brethren: What is religion but religation? a knitting together of hearts; Faith knits us to God, and love knits us one to another: There is a two-fold love to others.
1 A civil love; a godly man hath a love of civility to all, Gen. 23. 7. Abraham stood up and bewed to the children of Heth: Though they were extraneous, and not within the pale of the Covenant, yet Abraham was affable to them: grace doth sweeten and refine nature, 1 Pet. 3. 8. be2 courteous: wee are to have a love of civility to all.
1 As they are ex eodem luto, of the same lump and mould with our selves, and are a peece of Gods curious3 needle-work.
2 Because our sweet deportment towards them, may bee a means to win upon them, and make them in love with the waies of God; a morose ruggid carriage, often alienates the hearts of others, and hardens them the more against holiness, whereas a loving behaviour is very obliging, and may bee as a load-stone to draw them to religion.
2 There is a pious and an holy love, and this a godly man doth bear chiefly to them, who are of the houshold of4 faith; the other was a love of courtesie, this of complacency: Our love to the Saints (saith Austin) should bee more than to our natural relations, because the bond of the spirit is nearer than5 that of blood. This love to the Saints, which evidenceth a man godly, must have seven ingredients in it.
1 Love to the Saints must bee sincere, 1 Ioh. 3. 18. Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth: The hony that drops from the comb is pure, so must love be pure without deceit: Many are like Naphtali, Gen. 49. 21. he giveth goodly words: Pretended love is like a painted fire, which hath no heat in it. Some hide malice under a false veil of love; I have read of Antoninus the Emperour, where he made a shew of Friendship, there he intended the most mischief.
2 Love to the Saints must be spiritual, we must love them because they are Saints; not out of self-respects, because they are affable, or have been kinde to6 us, […]. Hesh. but we must love them under a spiritual notion, because of the good that is in them; we are to reverence their holiness, else it is a carnal love.
3 Love to the Saints must be extensive, we must love all that bear Gods7 image.
1 Though they have many infirmities; a Christian in this life, is like a good face full of Freckles; thou that canst not love another because of his imperfections, didst never yet see thy own face in the glass; thy brothers infirmities may make thee pity him, his graces must make thee love him.
2 Wee must love the Saints, though in some things they do not coalesce and agree with us: another Christian may differ from me in less matters, either because hee hath more light than I, or because hee hath lesse light; if he differs from me, because he hath more light, then I have no reason to censure him; if because hee hath less light, than I ought to bear with him, as the weaker Vessel, in things of an indifferent nature, there ought to be Christian connivance.
3 We must love the Saints, though their graces out-vye and surpass ours; we ought to bless God for the eminency of anothers grace, because hereby religion is honoured; Pride is not quite slain in a believer; Saints themselves are apt to grudge and repine at each others excellencies; is it not strange, that the same person, should hate one man for his sin, and envy another for his vertue? Christians had need look to their hearts; then is love right and genuine, when we can rejoyce in the graces of others, though they seem to eclipse ours.
4 Love to the Saints must be appretiating, we must esteem their persons above others, Psa. 15. 4. He honours them that fear the Lord: we are to look upon the wicked as lumber, but upon the Saints as jewels, these must bee had in high veneration.
5 Love to the Saints must bee Social, wee should delight in their company, Psal. 119. 63. I am a companion of all them that fear thee. ‘Tis a kind of hell to be in the company of the wicked, where we cannot choose but hear Gods name dishonoured: It was a capital crime, to have carried the Image of Tiberius, engraven upon a Ring or Coyn into any sordid place; They who have the Image of God engraven upon them, should not go into any sinful sordid company. Never but two that I read of, who were living, did desire to keep company with the dead, and they were possessed with the (Mat. 8. 28) Devil: what comfort can a living Christian have, to converse with the dead? Iude 2. but the society of Saints is eligible; this is not to walk among the Tombs, but among beds of spices. Beleevers are Christs garden, their graces are the flowers, their savory discourse is the fragrant smell of these flowers.
6 Love to the Saints must be demonstrative; we should be ready to do all offices of love to them; vindicate their names, contribute to their necessities, and like the good Samaritan, pour Oyl and Wine into their wounds,8 Luk. 0. 34. 35. Love cannot be concealed, but is active in its sphere, and will lay out it self for the good of others.
7 Love to the Saints must be constant, 1 Iohn 4. 16. He that dwelleth in love: Our love must not only lodge for a night, but we must dwell in love, Heb. 13. 1. Let Brotherly love9 continue: as love must bee sincere without hypocrisie, so constant without deficiency; love must be like the pulse, alwaies beating; not like those Galathians, who at one time were ready to pull out their eyes for Paul, Gal. 4. 15. and afterwards were ready to pluck out his eyes; love should not expire but with our life: and surely if our love to the Saints, be thus divinely qualified, we may hopefully conclude that we are enrolled among the godly, Ioh. 13. 35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
That which induceth a godly man to love the Saints, is, because he is nearly related to them, there ought to be love among relations, there is a spiritual consanguinity among beleevers, they have all one head, therefore should all have one heart, they are stones of the same building, 1 Pet. 2. 5. and shall not these stones bee cemented together with10Love?
Use 1. Is this the distinguishing Mark of a godly man, to be a lover of the Saints, then how sad is it to see this grace of love in an eclipse? this Character of godliness, is almost blotted out among Christians England was once a fair garden, where the flower of love did grow, but sure now this flower is either plucked or withered; where is that amity and unity as should be among11 Christians? I appeal to you, would there bee that censuring and despising, that reproaching and undermining one another if there were love? instead of bitter Tears, there are bitter spirits; a sign iniquity abounds, because the love of many waxeth cold; there is that distance among some professours, as if they had not received the same spirit, or as if they did not hope for the same heaven: In the Primitive times, there was so much love among the godly, as set the heathens a wondring, and now there is so little, as may set Christians a blushing.
Use 2. Use 2 As we would be written down for Saints in Gods Kalender, (Exhort) let us love the (1 Pet. 2. 17) Brotherhood: they who shall one day live together, should love together; what is it makes a disciple but12 love? Iohn 13. 35. The Devil hath knowledge, but that which makes him a Devil is, that hee wants love. To perswade Christians to love, consider,
1 The Saints have that in them, which may make us love them; they are the curious embroidery and workmanship of the Holy ghost, Eph. 2. 10. they have those rare lineaments of grace, as none but a pensil from heaven could draw; their eyes sparkle forth beauty, Cant. 4 9. their breasts are like clusters of grapes, Cant 7. 7. This makes Christ himself delight in his spouse: The King is held in the galleries. The Church is the daughter of a Prince, Cant. 7. 1. she is waited on by Angels, Heb: 1. ult. she hath a Pallace of glory reserved for her, Ioh. 14. 2. and may not all this draw forth our love?
2 Consider how evil it is for the Saints not to love.
1 It is Unnatural, the Saints are Christs Lambs, Ioh. 21. 15. for a dog to worry a Lamb is usual, but for one Lamb to worry another, is unnatural: The Saints are brethren, 1 Pet. 3. 8. how barbarous is it for brethren not to love?
2 Not to love is a foolish thing; have not Gods people enemies enough, that they should flye in the faces one of another? the wicked confederate against the godly, Psal. 83. 3. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people: though there may fall out a private grudge betwixt such as are wicked, yet they will all agree and unite against the Saints: if two Gray-hounds are snarling at a bone, yet, put up an Hare between them, and they will leave the bone, and follow after the Hare; so if wicked men have private differences amongst themselves, yet if the godly be near them, they will leave snarling at one another, and will pursue after the godly; now, when Gods people have so many enemies abroad, who watch for their halting, and are glad when they can do them a mischief; shall the Saints fall out, and divide into parties among themselves?
3 Not to love is very unseasonable; Gods people are in a common calamity, they suffer in one cause, and for them to disagree, is altogether unseasonable; why doth the Lord bring his people together in affliction, but to bring them together in affection? Mettals will unite in a furnace, if ever Christians unite, it should bee in the furnace of affliction. Chrysostome compares affliction to a shepherds Dog, which makes all the sheep run together: Gods Rod hath this loud voice in it, Love one another; how unworthy is it when Christians are suffering together, to be then striving together.
4 Not to love is very Sinful.
1 For Saints not to love, is to live in a contradiction to Scripture; the Apostle is continually beating upon this string of love, as if it made the sweetest musick in Religion, Rom. 13. 8. Col. 3. 14. 1 Pet. 1. 22. 1 Ioh. 3. 11. 1 Iohn 4. 21. This Commandement we have from him, that hee who loveth God, love his Brother also: not to love, is to walk Antipodes to the word; can he be a good Physician, who goes against the rules of Physick? can he be a good Christian, who goes against the rules of Religion?
2 Want of love among Christians, doth much silence the spirit of prayer: hot passions, make cold prayers; where animosities and contentions prevail, instead of praying one for another, Christians will be ready to pray one against another; like the Disciples, who prayed for fire from heaven upon the Samaritans, Luke. 9. 54. and will God, think you, hear such prayers as come from a wrathful heart: will hee eat of our leavened bread? will hee accept of those duties, which are sowered with bitterness of spirit? shall that prayer ever go up as incense, which is offered with the strange fire of our sinful passions?
3 These heart-burnings, hinder the progress of piety in our own souls; the flower of grace, will not grow in a wrathful heart; the body may as well thrive while it hath the Plague, as a soul can, that is infected with malice: while Christians are debating, grace is abating; as the spleen grows, health decaies, and as hatred increaseth, holiness declines.
5 Not to love is very fatal; the differences among Gods people, portend13 ruine: all mischiefs come in at this gap of division, Mat. 12. 25. Animosities among Saints, may make God leave his Temple, Ezek. 10. 4. The glory of the Lord, went up from the Cherub, and stood upon the threshold: Doth not God seem to stand upon the threshold of his house, as if he were taking his wings to flye? and wo to us, if God depart from (Hos. 9. 12) us: If the Master leave the ship, it is near sinking indeed: if God leave a land, it must needs […]ink in ruine.
Quest. How shall wee attain this excellent grace of love?
Answ. 1 Beware of the Devils Foot[…]osts, I mean such as run on his errand, and make it their work to blow the coals of contention among Christians, and render one party odious to another.
2 Keep up friendly meetings; Christians should not be shy one of another, as if they had the Plague.
3 Let us plead that promise, Ier. 32. 39. I will give them one heart, and one way: Let us pray that there may bee no strife among Christians, but who shall love most; let us pray that God will divide Babylon, and unite […]ion.
Use 3 Is this a mark of a godly man,14 to love· the Saints? then they must stand inlighted for ungodly, who hate the Saints; the wicked have an implacable malice against Gods15 people, and how can antipathies be reconciled? To hate Saint-ship, is a brand of a reprobate: they that maligne the godly, are the curse of the creation; if all the scalding drops in Gods Vial, will make them miserable, they shall bee so: Never did anye who were the haters and persecuters of Saints, thrive upon that Trade: What became of Iulian, Dioclesian, Maximinus, Valerian, Cardinal Crescentius, and others, some of them, their bowels came out, others choked with their own blood, that they might be set up as standing monuments of Gods vengeance, Psa. 34. 21. They that hate the righteous shall be desolate.
Footnotes
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Char. 18. ↩
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[…]. ↩
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Resert laertius de Aristotele, quum ipsi probo daretur, quod flagitioso homini opem tulisset, eum respondisse, […]. ↩
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Quemadmodum ignis ea intensius caleficit quae adsita quam quae dissita sunt: ita charitatis ignis ferventius fidei domesticos diliget, quam […] qui sunt a fide extranei. ↩
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Quia major est fraternitas spiritus quam sanguinis. Aug. Tom. 0. ↩
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Ollaris amor, qui tamdiù fervet quan diù olla fervida est. ↩
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A quatenus ad omne valet consequentia. ↩
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Haec erat aqua limpida ex fonte charitat is in miserum profluens, Solitarius erat, Samaritanu[…] accedit eum, & visitat; vulner atus erat, haec sine naus[…]ae vine expurgat, oleo lenit; semi-mortuus erat, hic suo jumento ipsum vehit; peregrinus erat, hic in hospitium invehit; pauper erat, hic pecuniam pro illo erogat. Glass exeg. p. 4. in luc. ↩
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[…]. ↩
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Quando quidem lapides vivi sumus, nos coadunari in unu[…] templum, ac mutua charitate conglutinari necesse est. Calvin. Vse 1. ↩
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Quam ardent ubique odia regnat discordia, germana illa […] non secus ac si in tenebrosum aliquem carcerem esset inclusa, aut in exilium pulsa, nusquam fere inter Christianos conspicitur. ↩
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Charitati nihil […], est virtutum regina Christianorum vexillum, discipulorum […], perfectionis vinculum. ↩
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Omne divisibilé est corruptibile. ↩
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Vse 3. ↩
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Impii sanctorum statuas coronant, eorumque virtutes odio habent. ↩