A Treatise of Love, Chapter 5
CHAP. 5. Causes of the want of LoueLove to our Neighbour.
NOw to this end, that eueryevery man may the better see how to mend that that is amiss, let vsus a little look into the causes of this want of LoueLove, and what are the hinderances of the fruits thereof. The maine and generall cause is an euill heart, pestered with selfe-louelove, and many lusts that be contraries to LoueLove.
1 More particularly. Want or weaknesse of Faith is one great cause. When our Sauiour Christ told his Apostles, they must for giuegive till seuenty times seuen times, what said they? Luke 17. 4, 5. Increase our Faith. Assurance of Gods louelove to vsus, in pardoning our many sins, and giuing his Son Iesus Christ, and assurance of eternall Life, makes vsus louelove againe, and both to giuegive and forgiue; which are two principall dueries, and fruits of LoueLove. Pride, and the following Vices are hinderers of the exercise of LoueLove.
2 Pride, whereby men thinke highly of themselues, and meanly of others; thinke they may speake or doe any thing, but others may doe nothing to them. OnelyOnly by pride doe men make contentien, Prou. 13. 10. Humblenesse causeth louelove, Ephes. 4. 2. Pride makes men think themselues so wise and good, as eueryevery body should say as they say, doe as they doe, and after a sort doe homage to them; if they doe not, then the peace is broken straight.
Pride will not endure a reproofe: therefore being told of a fault, they fall out deeply; as Ioash with Zechariah, Ahab and Iezabel with Eliah, Herod with Iohn.
3 Couetousnesse is another: this makes men contend for trifles, the least dammage done him is thought so great (looking on it in a false glasse) as its sufficient to breake LoueLove, and cause a suite.
It causeth men to oppresse, to vse false weights & sleights, &c. It hinders both mercy to the poore, and all other neighbourly offices of inuiting, and the like.
4 Enuie hinders LoueLove exceedingly. When one enuies at the prosperity of another in whatsoeuer kinde, of temporall or spirituall good things; As Labans sons did at Iacob, which changed their countenances towards him, and made him weary of his place. Cain, that enuied that Abels sacrifice was better accepted than his, and Esau that Iacob was blessed, Ismael, that Isaac was the son of the Promise: what breach of LoueLove, and wofull fruits followed of all these?
5 Frowardnesse & shortnesse of spirit breakes LoueLove very oft: for angry words stirre vp strife, Prou. 15. 1.
6 These dayes of peace are an occasion, through mens corruption, that men grow hollow and strange, and to set light by one another. Troubles cause men to make much of each other, and cling together: as the sheep, that out of danger, and in a faire day, scatter themselues ouer a field, in a storme, or when they see a dog come, run all together.
These and such like, be wofullEffects. causes of the want of LoueLove, which also bring forth as lamentable effects eueryevery where, both in Church and Common-wealth. What wofull breaches, hideous contentions, what hard measure and wrongs are offered, what enmities and oppositions, to the hazzard of the Church, danger of the Common-wealth, and ouerthrow of the prosperity of many Parishes?
What ruine brings this want of LoueLove vponupon many Families?
And among particular persons, what breakings out both in word and deed, to the dishonour of God & Religion, & the vndoing each other many times, both in soule and state? to the disgrace of the Gospell, and ill example of the beholders, and hurt to their own soules, by keeping them from, and disabling them for the right performance of holy dueties, which cause cold prayers, and those not heard; and hereby eyther kept from the Sacrament, as many times it is (Oh fearfull thing to bee spoken) or else slubber it ouer, and come with festered hearts, and so lose the benefit: nay, by such vnworthy comming, they prouoke the wrath of God, and eate their condemnation as much as in them lyeth; but oft times they eate and drink their iudgement, a sore sicknesse, and may be, their owne death, or the death of wife, or some childe that is deare to them, to teach them and others by their example the price of such boldnesse.
Now seeing these things bee so, the Lord giuegive vsus eueryevery one hearts, where we finde our selues faulty, to humble our selues, and craue mercy, and to labour to be reformed in this point. Therefore, first, let's labour to plucke vp these noisome weedes out of our hearts, that this precious plant of LoueLove may grow therein.
1 Striue against Infidelity, and labour to get Faith, and the encreases thereof, if by Gods grace we hauehave it already.
2 In humblenesse of minde, labour to esteeme others better than our selues.
3 Labour for a moderate affection toward these outward and base things in comparison, setting more by LoueLove, and the sweet fruits of it, than by them all; and therfore much more, than by small trifles.
4 Auoide enuie. Is our eye euill, because our Masters eye is good? wee hauehave more than wee might looke for.
5 Striue against techinesse and shortnesse of spirit. Think what a base lust, and sinfull distemper it is, how it exalteth folly, and how ill it becomes vsus, and what an enemy it is to true LoueLove.
And labour wee, that this louelove to our brethren may shew forth it selfe in all good fruits, in iudging the best, departing from our right, not prouoking, nor being easily prouoked, but forbearing and forgiuing offences and wrongs, and communicating of what God hath imparted to vsus of any kinde. and that for these Reasons; weigh them well.
1 First, God requireth it ofReasons. vsus, who is LoueLove, 1 Iohn 4. 8. and if we performe it, we doe not so much serue our neighbour, as please God, who takes it to himselfe; and in neglecting this, wee neglect not our neighbour onelyonly, but God, who takes himselfe wronged in this behalfe.
2 Our neighbour is our owne flesh, and eueryevery one hath some part of the Image of God in him, or vponupon him.
3 The Word aboundantly cals for it, the Sacrament of the Lords Supper puts vsus strongly in minde of it.
4 No better argument, that we are in the light, louelove God, and are Christs Disciples, be translated from death to life, be endued with that excellent grace of true Faith, than this, that we truely louelove one another, Iohn 13. 34, 35. 1 Iohn, 3. 14. As a King is not knowne by his apparrell, great company with him, &c. which may be some meaner man, but by his Crowne; so is not a Christian knowne by his hearing Sermons, or good words, but by his LoueLove.
5 The beauty of a Christian is LoueLove: he is the best Christian, that loues most, whose lips feede most, whose branches spread widest.
6 And for forgiuing wrongs, what should wee doe else? God forgiues vsus many & great debts, and ill dealings with him, and shall wee be ready to reuenge eueryevery petty trespasse? See Matth. 18. 34. what became of him that did so. God bids vsus aske forgiuenesse on no other condition, than that we forgiue our neighbour, Marke 11. 25, 26. And no better signe, that a man is forgiuen of God, than to forgiue our neighbour; and no man can be assured of that, but he will forgiue. Let vsus therefore of the sea of compassion that God hath shed out vponupon vsus, let fall some drops of it vponupon our neighbour.
Also wee may stand in need of our neighbours forgiuenesse: for who liues, and is not subiect to offend his neighbour one way or other? No cause therefore wee should seeke reuenge, which eueryevery Turke, yea, eueryevery beast can doe; but passe by offences, which is the glory of a man, Prou. 19. 11. Keep out anger therefore in such cases if wee can, or if wee be not so strong, yet let it not rest in vsus, sowring in our hearts: Let not the sunne goe downe vponupon it. The world counts this base, but indeed its truely honourable. Its the honour of God, Micah 7. 18. and so it makes vsus like him. Let vsus therefore labour to doe thus; and not a little or some few times, but get a long skirted LoueLove, which will couer a multitude of offences, as St. Peter saith, 1 Pet. 4. 8. or, as Prou. 10. 12. All trespasses.
7 And for distributing things temporall or spirituall as wee hauehave, great reasons there bee. God giues to all, both good and bad: he hath giuen vsus what wee hauehave; (for what hast thou, that thou hast not receiued?) and giuen vsus them to be good stewards, and dispensers thereof, to the good of others, 1. Pet. 4. 10.
And the more wee giuegive, the more we hauehave, and not the lesse; it encreaseth in the giuing, as the loaues in our Sauiour▪ Christs hands, especially in spirituall things; yea, in temporall: therefore giuing is compared to sowing, which in good ground is vsually with encrease. Therefore a worthy Minister vponupon occasion asking his wife, whether there were any mony in the house, she answered, that she knew but of one three pence; Well, saith he, wee must goe sowe: that is, giuegive something to the poore, knowing that to bee the way of bringing in, Prou. 11. 24, 25. Deut. 15. 10. The best thrift is to be mercifull, and the way to beggery in a a mans selfe, or his posterity, is to be pinching.
And to conclude all, LoueLove in the exercise of it, will bring much peace to our consciences, and comfort vsus not a little on our death-bed, that we hauehave not liued to our selues, but to be vsefull to many, especially to soules. It procureth vsus louelove in the places wee liue in, and in the Church of God a good report.
No man is well beloued, though he hauehave good things in him, if he be not louing. Oh, say they, he is a good honest man, I thinke, but he is a harsh censurer, contentious, so hasty that no man can tell how to speake to him, hee is a strait man, liues all to himselfe, few the better for him by counsell, admonition, encouragement, and the like: and so for outward things, very close-handed and neare.
But if a man be full of louelove, it will procure him louelove againe, he shall be well spoken of while hee liues, and mourned for when hee dyes, which is a good mercy of God, and the temporall reward of righteousnesse and louelove. Pro. 10. 7. The memoriall of the Iust shall bee blessed. Thus they wept for Dorcas, and shewed the coates shee had made, Acts 9. 39. But a proud, churlish, close man, shall liue without being desired, and dye without being mourned for.
These would hauehave louelove, good will, and credit in the Countrey and Towne they liue in, but they will not seeke by this way to procure it, will not be at the cost, bee not vsefull, liberall, &c. let them neuer looke for it: Let them winne it, if they will weare it. Others care not, so they may scrape all to themselues, what the world say of them; let the good name goe which way it will. But these are base minded persons, and they carry little better than a curse about them, while they liue.