A Treatise of Love, Chapter 10
CHAP. 10. How true Christians should louelove each other.
NOw I will adde yet one thing more, and that is, How true Christians should louelove and carry themselues towards each other. They ought to louelove one another most entirely, and more than they doe, or can louelove the common sort. They must louelove them as fellow-members of the same mysticall body whereof Christ is the head. Now how do the members of the natural body louelove, sticke together, and seeke the good of each other, defend and tender one another, reioyce in each others wel-fare, and grieue at the contrary? so ought the Members of the spirituall body much more, if it were possible. Wee cannot louelove all thus; for all are not fellow-members in this body of Christ.
Secondly, they must louelove as brethren: therefore the louelove that is to bee betweene them is called Brotherly kindenesse, 2 Pet. 1. 7. Therefore though some scoffing Ismaels deride this name, and say, Oh you bee of the Brethren: yet wee are not to bee ashamed of this name, seeing GOD so speakes.
Gods children be brothers and sisters; they hauehave the same Father, which is God, the same Mother, the Church, begotten by the same immortall seed, the Word of God, nourisht with the same milke, and meat of the same Word and holy Sacraments, heires of the same Inheritance in Heauen by Christ Iesus. A better Brother-hood than that of nature, as much as the spirit is better than the flesh: Yea, and a more lasting Brother-hood; that will last when this is vanisht away, which lasteth onelyonly for this fraile life of ours, but the other abideth for euer. Therefore our Sauiour Christ said, Who is my Mother, and who are my Brethren? Naturall Brethren ought to louelove dearely, how much more we that are of a better kindred?
Its very pleasing to God our Father; and to the Church our Mother, that all their children should liue in louelove, as Psal. 133. 1. and a ioy to all the brothers and sisters; As it is a ioy to any earthly Parents to hauehave their children louelove well together: and the contrary is very grieuous, and they will mourne to each other, There be two Boyes can neuer agree, two Girles that louelove not one another; what will they doe when we are gone?
Now to louelove as Brethren, is this; To hauehave Brotherly▪ affections each to other inwardly, and to declare the same outwardly by brotherly actions. For the first, we are bidden, Rom. 12. Be affectioned to lòue one another; as to weep with them that weepe, to hauehave compassion of their miseries, as Heb. 13. 9. As the Samaritan had compassion on the man that fell among Theeues. And our Sauiour Christ had compassion on the spirituall miserie of the People, Mat. 9. 36. St. Paul was affected with the miseries of the Iewes, and tooke them deepely to heart, Rom. 9. 1, 2, 3. So Nehemiah, hearing of the distresse of the Church of the Iewes at Ierusalem, though hee were well himselfe, yet he so mourned for them as it was seene in his face. The contrary is blamed, Amos 6. No man is sorry for the affliction of Ioseph.
So to reioyce with them that reioyce, as Luke 1. 58. yea, though it were ill with ourselues. As Paul in prison, yet reioyced to heare of the welfare of the Churches. These brotherly affections bee so necessary, as all brotherly actions not proceeding from these, are in no account with God; As a man may giuegive all his goods to the poore, and hauehave no louelove, and so bee but a tinckling Cimball, 1 Cor. 13. As if a man should giuegive, that hee might merit thereby, or to purchase credit, or for companies sake, or with vpbraiding; and from no compassion of the poore mans misery, it would neither please God, nor profit him that doth it.
So to admonish one (which is a speciall duety of LoueLove) but if done with twitting & reproaching, as glad they hauehave some matter against him, it hath lost his grace and reward with God.
And herein, the poore may shew as much louelove to their fellow-brethren as the rich; which may comfort them which are ready to be discouraged, and thinke they are vnhappy, and hauehave nothing to shew any louelove in; Yes, you may be as plentifull in brotherly affections, as any other.
Now for brotherly actions, they must bee adioyned to shew the truth of the affections; they be counterfeit, if not thus approued, as 1 Iohn 3. 17. like those speeches, Iames 2. 15, 16.
Brotherly actions be to the soule and body, as need is. To the bodily necessities of our fellowbrethren in ordinary wants, wee must giuegive of our superfluity; in extraordinary calamities, of our maine substance: And to thinke it honour enough, that God makes vsus giuers to them, that be as deare to him as our selues, and shall be inheritors of the same glory with vsus, though we abound now, and they bee suffered to want.
So to the soule in admonition, exhortation, consolation, and prayer, which are the principall and most profitable fruits of our louelove one to another. And all these ought to bee performed purely, feruently, and constantly, as wee heard in handling the properties of LoueLove.
But, Beloued, if wee come to looke for these things among Christians, they will all be found very much wanting, both brotherly affections, and brotherly actions, and those that be, oft not pure, but with looking at our selues, not feruent, but faint and few, nor constant, but short and brittle, broken off by affliction, especially, if it continue, when yet there is most need: for a brother is borne for aduersitie.
Many Christians will be kinde to another in the beginning of their affliction, and for a little while; but if it hold long, then most faile him, and their louelove is spent as it were. Or otherwise, their louelove is broken off by some vnkindnesse, and not readily sodered againe so strong as it was afore.
There is much strangenesse between Christians; they care not one for another almost: they see each other at Church, but not all the weeke after. Peace hath made Christians proud and carelesse; eueryevery man can subsist by himselfe, and hath no neede of his brother: We may iustly feare, God will send vsus troubles, to make vsus glad one of another.
But there is vse enough one of another euen now, if we had eies to see it, to helpe, encourage, comfort, and confirme each other in our holy profession and Christian course, against the manifold discouragements and temptations we are subiect to meet with; and to whet on, and set an edge one vponupon another, that grow so dull; to lay our brands together, that wee may catch some heate from one another; to minde one another of such changes as may come, and so of our last end, to prepare for them in time.
Stronger Christians, and of better gifts, looke so houerly on the weake; so the rich vponupon the poore: Fie vponupon it, are they not your brethren? do you not know them, because of their russet or leather coate? he hath as much grace, may be, more than you, and shall hauehave (it may be) a better place in Heauen than you; and doe you esteeme so meanly of him? Its counted pride, when any will not know their poore kinred; know Iesus Christ and the grace of God in them, and disdaine not their company, though your inferiours; seeing, as you may comfort and refresh them by your louelove, so you may receiue much benefit from them againe.
Christians should meet together, not to feasting onelyonly, but sometimes to build vp one another by holy conference. and this will encrease louelove greatly: for when wee see the grace of God one in another, and get good one by another, our louelove is hereby greatly furthered.
Another fault too much among many Christians, is, as want of bowels of tender compassion towards our brethren in distresse, so there is not that forwardnesse and freenesse to relieue their necessities.
First, for their bodily wants, there is too much straitnesse ofttimes; whereas if we did consider, that they are not onelyonly our owne flesh (as the common sort are) but our fellow-members, fellow-brethren, and such as whom God might hauehave made vsus takers from them, and them giuers to vsus, it would enlarge our heart and our hand towards them. Well, what we doe for them, is not to fellow-members and fellow-brethren onelyonly, but to Christ Iesus himselfe; and it shall be so counted for at the last and great day. Its not so much theirs to whom we giuegive it, as its our owne, and furthers our reckoning: As the seed is not the grounds so much, as the owners that sowes it, and for his benefit. It will be all reckoned ours at the great payment day, euen to a cup of cold water: and wee shall see he hath not forgotten any worke of our louelove, but hath kept iust bookes and true accounts, and will then say to vsus, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit, &c. For I was oft, in my members, in a poore condition, and ye ministred vntounto mee; now receiue a thousand fold, euen that Kingdome that was prepared for you from the beginning of the world.
And for relieuing their spirituall wants, there is oft too much want of compassion and care. How farre may a Christian goe out of his way, ere another, with the spirit of meeknesse, will step in by a wholsome admonition, to stop him in his course? The heauie not comforted with a word in season, nor the fainting encouraged, but eueryevery man minding his owne matters, as though we were strangers, and God had giuen vsus no charge one of another.
Nay, there is yet a greater fault to bee found among many Christians, than these two that I hauehave spoken of, and that is this, That sundry of them can take leaue to fall out, and contend with each other, and that very deeply: sometimes for words, sometimes for small matters of the world; yea, and some when they be out, cannot finde the way in againe, nor are they ashamed of that they hauehave done, but can lye and continue in it month after month. Is this the behauiour of fellow-members? thinke we our Head Christ will endure or beare it, to hauehave his body thus rent one member from another? nay, one would thinke, is this possible: What doe you thinke of your selfe, that you are a true member of Christ by Faith? Well, and what doe you thinke of him, that you are thus rent and diuided from? I dare not but thinke (you will say) but he belongs to God. And doe you thinke then, that the member of Christ should eyther thus deale, or thus be dealt withall, and that by his fellow member? He that should see one member in a mans naturall body, offering hurt and violence to another, would hee not thinke the man were mad? What shall wee say then, when Christians can so eagerly pursue each other in words and deedes (as too oft is seen) shall wee say they be in their right minde? but rather, that the spirit of pride, or couetoushesse, or some such humour, hath intoxicated their braines. This will cost them deare, or euer they can make their peace with God and their Conscience; and they must fall out as deeply with themselues for their folly, & with indignation take a holy reuenge of themselues, that they may feare euer to doe the like againe.
Is this the behauiour of brothers and sisters, to flye in one anothers face, to liue at such oddes, as that all the Parish takes notice of it? If naturall brethren should doe so, all men would cry shame of it. Doth our father like this, thinke you? our mother, and fellow-brethren round about, that see or heare of it, doe you thinke this goes not to their hearts? And thinke you, you doe not open the mouthes of Canaanites and Perizzites that are eueryevery where, and heare of it? Thinke wee good, to giuegive them such iust matter to speak euill of vsus, and of our holy profession for it? Our father Abraham could say to his inferior Lot, Let there be no strife betweene mee and thee: for we are brethen. A body would thinke that the name Brother, should eyther preuent all strife, or at least quickly breake the necke of it.
Though good Christians, may out of brittlenesse of nature, fall out on the sudden, yet, me thinks, grace should enforce them to recall themselues, and yeeld to each other, and come in, though they were of neuer such a proud and stout stomach naturally. Else may they not suspect themselues to be bastards, rather than right bred brothers? to bee wooden legges, and no liuing members? at least they hauehave got the numb palsey, for which they had need to seeke speedy remedy.
Let vsus, I beseech you, so many of vsus as hauehave been faulty in any of these three things, see how ill they hauehave becommed vsus, be ashamed and humbled for them, and amend, that we may hauehave sound arguments, that we are true members of Christs body, and liuely and feeling ones.
Thinke like brethren, speake as brethren, both to face and behinde their backes, and doe like brethren, so shall we glorifie God our Father, credit and comfort the Church our Mother, and our fellow-brethren, and stop the mouths of Papists, Atheists, prophane ones, meere ciuill ones and worldlings, that would not a little reioyce at our diuisions.
Put on brotherly affections, shew them by brotherly actions, let not small matters make vnkindnesse, depart from much for peace and louelove, let our differences be speedily compounded by others, if we cannot agree them within our selues; feare rather to doe the least wrong, than to suffer a greater: so shall we be fit to doe good one to another vponupon all occasions; for goodnesse goes forward where louelove is, but contention or vnkindnesse stops the course of all that is good. So shall we also be stronger against our common aduersaries, the World, and Deuill, which doe so hate vsus, as a body would thinke it were meet for vsus to stick fast and close together, and make much one of another, seeing this wicked world is bent against vsus.
Let mee conclude this my speech to you Christians, with that blessed exhortation of Saint Paul, 2 Cor. 13, 11. Finally, my Brethren, fare yee well, be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one minde, liue in peace, and the God of louelove and peace shall be with you.