A Treatise of Love, Chapter 7
CHAP. 7. Whom we must louelove.
NOw followeth, to speake of the persons whom wee ought to louelove: and they are all men vponupon the face of the earth, good and bad, without or within the Pale of the Church; our louelove must stretch it selfe to any of them: they are our neighbour, whom wee are bidden to louelove as our selues; as wee may see in the Parable of the Samaritan: these we ought to doe good to, if they need, and wee be able; and for these we must pray.
Yea, wee ought to pray for eueryevery particular person, that wee know or can see, because wee know not (whatsoeuer hee bee now) but he may belong to God.
Wee must therefore louelove all; our enemies, and all men whatsoeuer they be, but especially the Saints and People of God. And of these I will speake seuerally, and in order.
And first of the louelove of our enemies.LoueLove of our enemies. That wee must louelove our enemies, is required inclusiuely in these words of 1. Ioh. 3. 23. that ye louelove one another; and in those words, that be the summe of the two Tables, Thou shalt louelove thy neighbour as thy selfe: as may appeare by comparing Exod. 23. 4, 5. with Deut. 22. 1, 2. He that is called in one place thine enemy, is called in the other thy brother or neighbour. More plainely its required, Pro. 25. 21. Matth. 5. 44. But ere we proceed to the proofe of this point, let vsus see who are the enemies wee must louelove, by shewing the kindes of enemies that there be, and withall cleere some Scriptures that seeme to countenance hatred of our enemies. Enemies bee publicke or priuate, Gods enemies or ours. Publike, be such as oppose & hate the Religion and truth of God, and persecute it in the professors thereof, or are enemies to anie good courses and godly proceedings, and so to vsus for the same. These againe bee eyther curable or incurable: for the curable, such as Saul was, who afterward became a Paul; we must hate their sinnes, pray against their deuices, but louelove their persons. The incurable we must hate their sinnes directly, and their persons indirectly.
Thus we hate the person of the Divell; though he be Gods creature, yet because hee hath sinned against the holy Ghost, and is Gods desperate, finall and incurable aduersarie, therefore wee are bound to hate him: So might, nay ought we to doe, if we knew anie man or men to be such: as S. Paul did, who 2. Tim. 4. prayed against Alexander, that God would reward him according &c. and the Primitiue Church against Iulian the Apostate.
Of these Dauid meant, Psal. 139. 22. Doe not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? yea I hate &c. and Psal. 109. & 69 22. to the 29. and in many Psalmes hee prayes for the finall and vtter destruction of his enemies, which is a signe of vtter hatred. But this was not because they were his enemies, but Gods as well; and not that only, but desperate and irrecouerable ones, which he saw by the spirit of God, being extraordinarily and infallibly▪ informed: thereof: whose prayers were but prophecies of the finall destruction of these men, as Psal. 63. 9. & 54. 5. But for vsus, because wee hauehave not the like measure or gift of the spirit, wee hauehave no such warrant to hate or pray directly against anie mans person.
Of these also are meant such places, where wee are bidden to reioyce at wicked mens destruction, Psal. 52. also Psal. 58. 10. We also, though we know not mens finall estate, yet if wee see anie notorious enemies of the Church, and Gospell, and good men, taken away, may giuegive God thankes, and in some sense reioyce, namely, that God hath shewed himselfe carefull of his Church, and hath prouided for his glory, the comfort of his people and passage of goodnesse, and for the terrour of other bad ones; but not to reioice as its their destruction: but as wee should pray for them while they liue, so pitie them being cut off, that they hauehave brought miserie vponupon themselues.
Obiect. But an obiection or two may be made. Our Sauiour Christ tells vsus, wee must hate father and mother, wife and childe &c. for his Names sake.
Answ. True, when they stand in opposition against Christ, and would pull vsus from him, we must then say, Get thee behinde mee Sathan, and tread vponupon them if they stand in our way to hinder vsus from following Christ. We must hate their counsell, but yet louelove their persons, and pray God to open their eyes and turne their hearts.
Obiect. 2. God bade the Israelites kill the Cananites, man, woman and childe, and spare none.
Answ. If God bade them hate them, they had a warrant so to doe; for wee must louelove our enemies in God and for God, and not against God, and wee must obey his commandement. But God bade them not hate them, but kill them, and so they might doe, and yet wish well to them, and pity them. The same may be said of all iust warres: wee may hate the bad cause of our enemies, ouerthrow their enterprizes, and slay their persons, and yet pity them, and pray for their saluation. As the Magistrate also, that puts a malefactor to death for his offence, and to terrifie others by his example, yet hates him not, but desires that his bodily punishment may be an occasion to bring him to Repentance, to the sauing of his soule; and therefore giues him godly counsell, grants him respit and time, sends Preachers to him to labour with him. So in the other.
And thus much of Gods enemies. Besides these, we may hauehave priuate enemies, that be vponupon occasion fallen out with vsus, that hate and hurt vsus, and hauehave done vsus wrong, and seeke our mischiefe. These our enemies wee must louelove: and of these principally, as also of Gods curable enemies, is our speech to be vnderstood in all that followes.
We must louelove our enemies: that is, we must carry a tender affection towards them, as desiring their good, wishing saluation to their soules, and outward prosperity, so farre as may stand with Gods glory, and their good, reioycing at their welfare, and grieuing at the contrary: and this wee must shew forth by all signes and fruits of good vsage eueryevery way. which are referred, Mat. 5. 44. to these three heads: first, Blesse them: that is, speake kindly to them and of them: secondly, Doe good: that is, be readie to helpe and relieue them: and lastly, Pray for them that hate and persecute you; euen pray to God to pardon them, and to turne their hearts. And thus are we to doe to those, that be neuer so deadly set against vsus; yea, and neuer so wrongfully. And marke, that in this last cited place, wee are first bidden to oue them: the beginning must be in the affection of the heart, that so the other dueties required may be performed, and that in a right manner, without which, the one or the other, or both will faile: and then that wee must not say wee louelove them onelyonly, but shew it by the fruits. Rom. 12. 20. If thine enemy hunger, feed him, &c. ouercome euill with goodnesse. Prou. 24. 17. we are forbidden to reioyce at our enemies fall, eyther into sinne or punishment.
Thus Dauid put on sackcloth, fasted, and prayed, when his enemies were in affliction. Elisha bade the King set bread & water before his enemies, and them that came to take the Prophet, 2 Kings 6. So did our Sauiour Christ to his Precept (Matth. 5.) ioyne his Patterne, not onelyonly not reuenging, as St. Peter saith, being reuiled, he reuiled not againe, being persecuted, he threatned not: but on the contrary, prayed for them that put him to death; Father, forgiue them, they know not what they doe. Thus he spake kindly to Iudas, when he betrayed him with a kisse, and called him Friend, Matth. 26. 50. Thus Steuen prayed for his persecutors, euen in the act of their stoning of him; Lord, lay not this sinne to their charge, Acts 7. at the end.
Now listen to some Reasons, to moue vsus to this difficult duety, and the Lord make them powerfull to perswade vsus thereto.
First, They be our owne flesh, Isa. 58. 7. therefore wee are not to hurt them, nor turne away our face from them to do them good.
Secondly, they hauehave some part, at least of Gods Image in them, in their soule, being an immortall spirit, in the Maiesty of their face aboue all creatures, in their authority they beare, or age, or gifts, or the like.
Thirdly, our Sauiour Christ commands it: But I say vntounto you, Mat. 5. 44. The Scribes and Pharisees had taught, they should louelove their friends, and hate their enemies: But our Sauiour Christ, the Law-maker, and so the truest Interpreter thereof, the Doctor of his Church, hee of whom the Father bade from heauen heare him, Matth. 17. 5. who is also our Lord and King; bids vsus louelove our enemies.
So that if hee may be heard, who is onelyonly to be heard, and if his authority and commandement may beare sway with vsus, that only ought to command our consciences; then must wee doe so. So that though Scribes and Pharisees say, LoueLove friends, and hate enemies; though the Deuill say so, flesh and bloud say so, and doe so, yet there is another to be heard against all these; But I say vntounto you, &c. Let vsus therefore listen to his voice.
Fourthly, so shall wee be the children of God, and be like him, who makes his sunne to shine, and raine to fall on the iust and vniust: and besides many outward mercies, giues them the Gospell, to call them to repentance; And euen loued vsus when we were his vtter enemies, and when as hee might hauehave glorified himselfe in our condemnation; yet he so loued vsus, as he gaue his own deare Sonne to redeeme vsus; and hath effectually called diuers of vsus to the Faith of his Son Iesus Christ, and the hope of eternall life. Oh LoueLove vnspeakeable, to bee shewed to enemies! Now what should we desire, and is our happinesse, but to be like him? Now when wee can louelove our enemies indeed, it will be a certaine euidence wee are the children of God: a signe we louelove God dearly, when wee can doe this difficult thing for his sake: And a signe of much grace to mortifie the rebellion of our nature, that lusteth to the quite contrary. And wee can hauehave no mark we are the Lords, except wee can doe this in some measure, and striue after it more and more.
Fifthly, Gods people must doe singular things, such as the world cannot attaine to. Now eueryevery Publican, ciuill person, hypocrite, can louelove his friends, and hate his enemies, but we must doe more: God hath shewed vsus singular mercy; therefore we must yeeld him singular obedience, and shew forth the power of his grace that is in vsus. We must not be singular in conceits, opinions, and courses of our owne deuising; but wee must be singular, in obeying such commandements of God, as the world will not be brought vntounto: and to reproach vsus for such singularity, shewes them to bee of this world that doe it.
Sixthly, this hath reward from God, so hath not louing them onelyonly that louelove vsus, which is selfeloue; wee shall hauehave their louelove still its like, and there is the reward we are like to hauehave: but in louing our enemies, we shall hauehave a reward, Prou. 25. 22. not of merit, but of promise for our encouragement.
Seuenthly, we are commanded, Matth. 5. 48. (whence all these reasons are collected) that wee should be perfect, as our heauenly Father is perfect. This is a degree of grace, and profiting in Christs Schoole, to be able to louelove our enemies; which wee must striue vntounto, in this and the like dueties; not contenting our selues to heare, reade, come to the Sacrament, which not onelyonly weaklings in grace, but hypocrites can doe, and doe continually, nor yet holding our selues satisfied with some small measure of LoueLove, or other graces, as Faith, Patience, &c. but to striue forward to some good degrees of them, and of the fruits of the same in our course, as occasion serues: of which this louing and doing good to our enemies, are principall ones.
Eighthly, hereby we shall, it may be, conuert and ouercome our enemies to louelove the truth; As the patience of the Martyrs, was a meane of the conuersion of some, who suffered soone after them. Or at least, it will bee a conuincing them, and leauing them without excuse; as Saul, by Dauids innocency, who twice might hauehave killed him, and did not, was conuinced, and cryed out, Thou art more righteous than I, 1 Sam. 24. 19.
Ninthly, we shall prouide herein well for our owne comfort, both in life and in death; when in all aduersities and wrongs by wicked men, our enemies, our hearts can testifie with vsus, that we seeke no reuenge, that we can pray for our persecutors. For this argueth much louelove to be in vsus, and that it is feruent, as God commands. As that is a great fire, that warmes not onelyonly them that be neare, but giues heate to them that be far off: So is this LoueLove.
This then, first confuteth the Doctrine of the Scribes andVse 1. Pharisees, of which wee hauehave heard: which is Doctrine and Diuinity for our turne, and well suiting to our nature; but its too pleasing to nature to bee good: nay, its to be abhorred.
2 The Papists also, who, little better, teach, that in two cases onelyonly we are bound to helpe our enemies, in the case of extremity, or of scandall. For other things, to louelove them, or pray for them, or doe them good in other cases, its but a counsell our Sauiour Christ giues, and no commandement. If men can do it, its well; but if they cannot, its not required. But this is false; our Sauiour Christ speaks in the Imperatiue and commanding Mood, and vrgeth it hard, with diuers reasons: therefore its not left to our discretion, but flatly required, as in other Scriptures.
3 It rebuketh the contrary nature that is in vsus, and the practice of the world, which quite against this Precept of louing, praying for, and doing good to our enemies, doe hate them, reioyce at their fall, enuie at any good that comes to them, speake all ill to them, and of them, interrupt all ill against them, requite one euill with another, taunt with taunt, suit with suit, blow with blow, and seeke to do them all euill. Yea, and men thinke they should bee borne with, and not blamed for this: Why, say they, he is mine enemy, and that wrongfully, I neuer did him hurt, yet he hath raised lies and slanders of me, or thus and thus abused mee: What then? what mastery else were it for you to louelove him? Oh but this cannot be heard of; whereby it appeares, that most men are carnall, and of the Deuill.
They say, they owe them no louelove; Well, yet you owe God all louelove, you cannot deny, and hee hath turned ouer some of the louelove you owe to him, to be payed to your enemy, and he will take it as payed to him; and this is but iust in common dealing among men.
Nay, its a fault too much among many Christians, that shew great weaknesse this way. If they be wronged, Oh how they swell, and how farre they will goe in reuenge, both by words and deeds, and how long they dare lye herein? whereby they be wray they be more flesh than spirit, as Paul said to the Corinthians. While these things are thus, are ye not carnall, and walke as men? 1 Cor. 3. 3.
My Brethren, these things ought not so to be. This is not the perswasion of Gods Spirit. Indeede, the spirit that is in vsus lusteth after enuie; but the Scripture teacheth better things: The wisedome that is from aboue, is, first, pure, then peaceable, full of mercy, and good fruits. Therefore this reuenging course, which is counted wisedome, if it be any, its earthly: that is, of the men of this world; sensuall, of our owne corrupt lust and desire, and Diuellish, he is the author and teacher of it.
Oh that wee could be brought to see our sinne eueryevery of vsus in this point, and be humbled, that there is such a nature in vsus, so contrary to the will of God, and for our practice, that hath been so bad, and lets eueryevery one of vsus bewaile heartily, and repent of that that is past: and for time to come, lets labour for greater grace, that when any such occasions be offered vsus hereafter, we may shew better fruits.
And though we talke with our enemy, or debate the matter, keep passion away, and doe it patiently; yea, or if wee reproue him, if he be worthy, or take the benefit of Law or Magistrate, yet let it be without reuenge. Wee are not bound hereby to louelove their sinnes, nor their needlesse society, nor to furnish them with kindnesse, that might make them fitter to doe hurt, nor to relinquish our right, or our good cause; but that we be free from hatred and reuenge, yea, and further, to ouercome their euill with goodnesse, as God doth, and commandeth.
And first, that we beware of reuenge, which is a wicked thing, and that for these Reasons:
First, Vengeance is the Lords, and he will repay. Its his office and priuiledge: to reuenge therefore, is to take the Royalty out of his hand; as one should put the Lord chiefe Iustice out of his seat, and iudge his cause himselfe. Hee must reuenge to whom it belongs, as Psal. 94. 1, 2. therefore the Egyptian said to Moses, when hee would hauehave parted him and the Israelite, Exod. 2. 14. Who made thee a Iudge ouer vsus? Noting, that men must not auenge without authority: therefore our Sauiour Christ bade Peter put vp his sword, when he cut off Malchas eare: with a reason, Because who so auengeth without a calling, shall perish by the sword.
Wee must therefore commit our case to God, as our Sauiour Christ did; for he can also doe it most wisely, and most righteously, 1 Pet. 2. 23. wee will doe it foolishly and partially, as wee see in daily experience. Leaue it to him, he will not faile to do it, and well too.
2 When we reuenge our own wrongs, we leaue the Lord nothing to do, except it be to turne his wrath from our enemy, on whom wee hauehave beene reuenged already, to our selues, for our sin of reuenging, as Pro. 24. 17, 18.
3 When we reuenge, we doe we know not what: we consider not who smote vsus. Its the Lord, as Iob said, The Lord hath giuen, and the Lord hath taken, when the Caldeans had robbed him. No euill in the City: that is, of punishment, but the Lord hath done it, Amos 3. 6. which made Dauid so quietly beare Shimei his rayling, because the Lord set him on worke so to doe for his humbling.
Our enemy is but as Ashur,Esay 10. the Lords rod, to beat vsus with; therefore to reuenge, is to wring the rod out of Gods hand, and breake it, or cast it into the fire, which is but an vngracious childes part. When God bids vsus louelove our enemies, he bids vsus but kisse the rod, to pull down our stomachs▪ which many wise mothers will make their yoong ones do betimes.
So also its the Deuill in thine enemy, that doth thee wrong in goods, life, or name, who hereby seekes to driue thee to reuenge, or some other sinne; as he did to moue Iob to curse God, by all the troubles hee brought vponupon him; therefore resist the Deuill, and not the man: for the Deuill aimes not at thy goods, or name, to hurt thee in them, but to draw thee to sinne, to the hurt of thy soule. If thou canst therefore, resist Sathan herein, and auoide the sinne he seekes hereby to bring thee to commit, thou shalt play a wise mans part, and so in stead of reuenging thy selfe on thy enemy, be reuenged vponupon Sathan, thy chiefest enemy.
4 When we reuenge, we do our selues ten times more hurt, than wee doe our enemy: wee hurt him a little, it may be, in his body, goods, or good name, and wound ourselues deeply in our own soules; hit him in the skin, and pierce the kall of our owne hearts: As the Bee, that to sting another, loseth shortly her owne life. Its the foolishest thing in the world to reuenge; but a wise part, to commit it to God, best for vsus, and worst for our enemy. Oh its no dealing with a man that commits his cause to God, no standing before him: for though God would part from his owne, yet he will not giuegive away his seruants right. It were better for an enemy, that the party that hee hates, should deuise all waies of reuenge in the world, by himselfe, and by his friends against him, than that hee should put it vp quietly, and leaue it to God.
And let vsus not stay our selues here, in auoiding reuenge, but goe forward to louelove our enemies, and labour to doe good against euill, as we are commanded, Rom. 12. vlt.
Obiect. I cannot doe it: for he hath deserued all ill of me; and can I then doe him good?
Answ. And hauehave not you done so against Almighty God, and yet he doth you good daily?
Obiect. Its a base part for mee, being wronged, disgraced, and abused, not to challenge him, and be auenged of him, if I can, else I shall be counted a cowardly foole, much more if I should doe him good.
Answ. This is but carnall Diuinity, which counts it great courage to turne againe and reuenge, which Heathens & Turks can doe, and eueryevery Bull and Bore can doe, and that its basenesse to put vp wrongs. But its quite contrary: for its true valour to ouercome our selues, and conquer our vnruly lusts and sinfull passions, and to obey the commandement of God, Prou. 16. 32. hee is more mighty that can rule himselfe, than hee that conquers many others: And that is true basenesse, for a man to be so led by his passions, as he can be are nothing, no, though God command, and the contrary turne to his owne destruction.
Obiect. When you hauehave said all you can, it is impossible.
Answ. No, its not impossible, though a hard thing it is, I grant: and therefore by the way, for such as professe they can beare all indignities done them, and can do them that do them, all good, as if there were no such matter, and finde no difficulty in it, (and yet but ordinary persons neither) for my part, I doe not beleeue them, and I doubt, they doe but deceiue themselues. If it were not hard to be done, it were not so worthy of a Christian. Its therefore a yoke, but easie; a burthen, but light to the spirituall man, that is well assured of the louelove of God to him, and of the forgiuenesse of many sinnes. But to the carnall man, I grant, its wholly impossible.
Lets labour therefore for this Faith and Assurance of forgiuenesse, whereby we may be enabled to doe this difficult worke.
Now to draw to an end of this point of LoueLove to our enemies, let vsus, I beseech you, be perswaded seriously to weigh the reasons that hauehave beene vsed to moue to this duety, and let vsus suffer our selues to be ouercome of them.
Its the most noble and heroicall duety, and truely worthy of a Christian man: hereby we shall proue our selues to bee the children of God, and doe like to him; which ought to be our greatest ambition.
Hereby wee shall shew our selues to hauehave profited well in the Schoole of Christ, and that wee hauehave not learned to do that eueryevery body can doe, but to doe some singular thing; for so may God expect of vsus, after all this cost of his Word bestowed vponupon vsus, and that we are growne past children and weaklings, on towards perfection, euen to doe difficult dueties, and such as are most contrary to our rebellious nature. The Lord perswade our hearts to conceiue well of, to beleeue, and obey this point.
Me thinkes, whiles I am speaking. of these reasons, the heart somewhat yeelds to this duety, and there seemes as if one should hauehave some power to doe it: and I am perswaded, that there bee diuers, that at the hearing and reading of these things, if they were tryed now they be hote, could be able to doe something this way.
But let them sinke downe so deep into our hearts, as they may abide with vsus, that if hereafter occasion shall be offered, we may be able to shew forth the force and fruit thereof. We must look to meet with wrongs and enemies; therefore lets learne to take out this lesson before-hand.
Oh that wee could but learne this one point at this time! how happily should we hauehave spent our time? Hereby wee shall honour our profession, conuert or conuince our aduersaries, and prouide much comfort to our owne soules: As that worthy Master Greenham, a man subiect to manie slanderous reports, that yet would say, these two things comforted him: First, that he found his heart not ill, but well affected to his brethren: Secondly, that when he was alone, he could humble himselfe to God, and pray him to forgiue him, that raised them vp.
Lets labour hereunto: what else doe we hearing so many Sermons continually, if wee meane not to shew forth the power thereof?