A Treatise of Love, Chapter 1
A TREATISE OF LOVE.
CHAP. I.
HAuing finished the Doctrine of Faith, let me adde a few things concerning LoueLove, which were deliuered from the same Text, 1 Iohn 3. 23. in my ordinary course one after another. This is the commandement of God, that wee beleeue in the Name of his Sonne Iesus Christ, and louelove one another. Which, seeing the holy Ghost hath ioyned together, as two necessary & inseparable companions; and that the duety of LoueLove is of so necessary vse in the course of our liues, I thought good to adde some things hereof to the former Treatise. The holy Ghost hauing had occasion in Verse 22. of that Chapter, to speak of the keepers of Gods commandements, who are the parties whose prayers God will heare; now in this Verse, lest any should doubt and aske the question, But what be those commandements? he therefore names them, and orings them all to these two heads; Faith in Iesus Christ, and LoueLove to our brethren: and these he exhorts vntounto, to beleeue in Christ Iesus, and to louelove one another.
Now, in that the Apostle hath reduced to two heads all the commandements of God and our dueties, he hath mercifully prouided for our weaknesse, and preuented those carnall excuses whereby most men cloake their ignorance and carelesse neglect of heauenly things: Oh, they be so dull to conceiue, and the Scriptures so darke, and they hauehave such ill memories, and the Scripture so large, as they can make no worke of them; which is Adam-like, to turne the fault from themselues vponupon God. As if they should say, If God had giuen vsus shorter and plainer Scripture, and better wits and memories, wee would hauehave done great matters. But this is but the wickednesse and falshood of their hearts: for they can finde wit and memory enough for the world, their profits, pleasures, or lusts, and what they hauehave a minde to; and why should they not serue them for better things, if they would bend themselues thereto?
And God hath mercifully left vsus so much of his Word, as is necessary to saluation, cleare and plaine to eueryevery humble & teachable heart, that seekes helpe of God by prayer, and is willing to be ruled thereby. Yea, hee hath gathered the whole into short summes; As the whole Law and will of God, so large and scattered in the Scriptures, is referred to ten words, Deut. 10. 4. which are the ten commandements, deliuered by God, Exod. 20. and these ten referred to two, Matth. 22. 40. and these two to one, Galat. 5. 14.
So our whole direction concerning Prayer, is in that short plat-forme called the Lords-prayer. So hath the Church of God since, out of the Apostles writings, gathered all the things we are to beleeue vntounto eternall life, into twelue Articles. So hath God prouided in this lightsome, (and in that respect) blessed age of ours, abundance of good Books of the points and principles of our Religion, some more large, some more briefe; Catechismes for eueryevery bodies turne, that euen the dullest, and of worst memory, may come to the knowledge of God, themselues, and their dueties, and the things of saluation, if they bee not shamefully carelesse. So that the ignorance of the people of this Land (which yet is fearfully grosse, and more than any thinke for, but they that try it) is affected and wilfull; and therefore their condemnation will be (as more fearfull than of other Nations, so) most iust and inexcusable. It's lamentable to see how the precious time is spent with many, in sinfull courses and exercises; with most, in eager pursuit of the world, the profits, honours, and pleasures thereof, as if they were the necessary things, and end of our being here; when the meanes of the knowledge of God, and the things that concerne our owne happinesse lye wofully neglected. Hath God after the long night of superstition, ignorance, and idolatry, that our Fore-fathers lay vnderunder, caused the day to arise, & the sun of Righteousnesse to shine so long vponupon vsus, and shall wee yet louelove darknesse and not light, be ignorant, and grope at noone day? Hath God set vsus vp with those precious meanes of grace and life, and giuen vsus our full scope in them, when he hath denied them to Nations twenty times as great as our selues, and shall we make sleight of them? Oh how many vnderunder the tyrannie of Antichrist, that would skip at the crummes that fall from our tables, would aduenture their liues for the scraps and leauings of such things as we cast vnderunder our feet? They would and cannot; we may and will not: may we not iustly feare, lest God ere long snatch his Word from vsus, and bestow it vponupon them, that will make better vse of it?
The Lord awaken the people of this Land, to know the day of their Visitation, and to vnderstand the things that belong to their peace, before the decree come forth, and it be too late.
Get knowledge and vnderstanding, search the Scriptures, make vse of such good helpes as the time affords plentifully. Take our time: Say not, I am dull, I hauehave a bad memory. God hath taken away these pretences: therefore they will not goe for payment at that day.
Next, obserue, that Faith and LoueLove are ioyned together as two inseparable companions: wheresoeuer one is, there is the other also, and misse one misse both. He that hath Faith, must needs hauehave LoueLove; for Faith worketh by LoueLove, Gal. 5. Faith assuring vsus of Gods louelove, to vsus, makes vsus louelove God againe, and our neighbour for his sake, at his commandement, and for his Image that is in him.
And wheresoeuer true LoueLove is, there certainly Faith hath gone before; these can be no more seuered than sunne and light, good tree and fruit. As for that, 1 Cor. 13. If I had all Faith, and hauehave no LoueLove, I am a sounding brasse, and tinkling cymball: it's to be vnderstood of the greatest measure of the Faith of miracles, which indeed might be seuered from that of LoueLove, as in Iudas; not meant of iustifying Faith, of which before in the Treatise of Faith.
This may bee comfortable toVse. many humble soules, that vnfainedly louelove God (as appeares by good signes) that louelove his Word, Ordinances, and their Neighbours; but Saints especially, and yet doubt whether they hauehave any Faith or no: they may as well doubt whether the sunne be risen, when they see the beames therof shine in at their window. It's impossible to hauehave LoueLove, till we hauehave Faith wrought in vsus, which is the mother-grace; as impossible, as to hauehave good fruit without a tree for it to grow vponupon.
2. This on the contrary, witnesseth fearfully against the people of England, and the most part eueryevery where, that there is no Faith among them, seeing LoueLove is so scarce and hard to bee found. The manifold idle and malicious wilfull suites in Law, the many contentions, brawlings, raylings, and fallings out for trifles, doe shew there is but a little louelove. So much oppression, cruelty, extortion, bribery, symonie, such racking and rending, eueryevery man for himselfe, not caring who sinke, so hee swimme; so much deceit in bargainings and dealings, in buyings and sellings, as one knowes scarce whom to beleeue, eueryevery one spreads a net for his neighbour, to catch him if he can: such couetous pinching, neglect of giuing where cause is, of free lending, by reason of vsurious lending, and innumerable such courses as these, doe cry out with a loud voice, that LoueLove is but rare. Such neglect of duety to others soules, so few regarding to admonish, reproue, exhort, comfort, when, and where there is neede, few able, fewer willing: Besides, so little louelove to the Saints and true seruants of God. All these beare witnesse strongly, that LoueLove is wanting; and therefore, certainly, that there is no Faith: which where it is, cannot but shew it selfe by true LoueLove in the fruits thereof. Let men therefore, whosoeuer they be, keepe silence concerning Faith, except they can proue it by their LoueLove; which while they liue in the quite contraries thereto, they can neuer doe.
Next, whereas Faith and LoueLove being ioyned together, yet Faith is set in the first place, note, that though in regard of time, they be wrought together in the soule, yet in order of nature, Faith goes first, vniting vsus to Christ, from whom are deriued into vsus, LoueLove, and all other graces.
First, this confutes that PopishVse. assertion, That LoueLove informeth Faith, or giues a being vntounto it; which cannot be, since Faith is before it. It declares and makes Faith manifest where it is, and proues the soundnesse and truth of it, but giues no forme or being thereto.
2▪ This sheweth, that where Faith is not, there it's impossible LoueLove should be; therefore an vnbeleeuing man or woman, neither doth, nor can louelove God or their Neighbour: which is a fearfull thing to be spoken, and yet most true: Therefore, Lord, how should it awaken such (which are the greatest part) to labour earnestly after this grace of Faith! get this and get all; and so on the contrary.
3 Lastly, let none of those that are about the worke of Faith, hold off, and say, If I could louelove God as I would, and my Neighbour as I should, then I could beleeue: Nay, rather know, that you must first beleeue, and then you shall be able to louelove God and your Neighbour.
Obiect. But here some may obiect, that whereas the Apostle hath brought all our dueties to these two, Faith in Christ, and LoueLove to our Neighbour; that this is defectiue, for as much as the LoueLove of God, which is the chiefe of all, is left out.
Answ. We are to know, that it's not left out, but necessarily included in the louelove of our neighbour, from whence that doth proceed: for as hee that loues God, cannot but louelove his neighbour, so no man can louelove his neighbour truely, in whom the louelove of God is not wrought, for whose Image, and at whose commandement he loueth him, 1▪ Ioh. 5. 2.