Commentary on 1 John, Commentary · Chapter 4 · Verse 20, 21
1 JOHN 4.20, 21,
If any man ſay, I love God, and hateth his Brother, he is a lyar: for he that loveth not his Brother whom he hath ſeen, how can he love God whom he hath not ſeen, &c.
THeſe words continue the diſcourſe hegun, verſe 12: wherein he uſeth two motives to ſtir us up to love our Brethren.
1 From the fellowſhip ſuch have with God, amplified from the 13. verſe to 16.
2 From the ſoundneſſe of Gods love to ſuch; from verſe 17. to the end.
In theſe two verſes, he argues this truth by the contrary, viz. that ſuch as hate their Brethren, their love is not perfect but unſound: If any man ſay, he loves God, and hates his brother, he is a lyar, then he loves not God, this he proves by a double argument.
1 From the greater occaſion he hath to love his Brothrr then God, therefore if he love not his brother, he loves not God, and the occaſion is, the dayly ſight of his brother.
2 From the like and the ſame cauſe he hath to love his brother, as well as God, and that is from the equal commandement of God, and therefore if we love God out of obedience to his law, we ſhould love our brother, out of obedience to the ſame law.
Doct. 1. That the hatred of a Chriſtian brother, is an undoubted ſign of hypocriſie of the profeſſion of our love to God.
If any man ſay in heart, tongue or practice that he loves God, and yet hates his brother, ſuch a man is a lyar, that is, he expreſſeth not the truth, 1 Joh. 3.9. to 11. this is part of the meſſage of God, that we love one another: now the profeſſion of a Chriſtian, is a profeſſion of his ſubjection to the Goſpel of Chriſt; Now the Goſpel holds out five principal Ordinances.
1 Prayer.
2 The Apoſtles Doctrines.
3 Sacraments.
4 Mutual Communion.
5 Diſcipline.
Now if a man profeſſe ſubjection to the Goſpel, he profeſſeth ſubjection to theſe five Ordinances. The Apoſtle delights in this word profeſſion, Heb. 3.1. and commends it in Timothy, that he had made a good profeſſion before many witneſſes, 1 Tim. 6.12. Now doe but conſider, what every one of theſe Ordinances expreſſe about brotherly love.
1 In prayer we call God Our Father, and if he be our Father, then all his children are our brethren, and if we doe not reſpect them as our brethren, we renounce God for our Father.
2 In the ſame prayer we deſire God to forgive us, no further then we have hearts to forgive our brethren; if therefore we will not forgive our Brethren; we are no true profeſſors.
2 In the hearing of the word, we are to come like New born Babes, deſiring the ſincere milk of the word, and that is, when we come free from all malice and emulation, as babes be, 2 Pet. 2.1, 2. Therefore if a man come to the word with an heart full of envy and emulation, he profeſſeth himſelf a Chriſtian, but he deceives himſelfe.
2 It overthrows the Goſpel, becauſe this is one of the great Commandements of the Goſpel, that we love one another, Mat. 22.36. to 40. if a man therefore profeſſe himſelf a hearer of the law, and ſo of the Goſpel, (for he that renounceth the law, renounceth the Goſpel; for the Goſpel eſtabliſheth obedience to the Law, Rom. 3. ult. Beſides, it is the Commandement of the Goſpel, for the whole Goſpel is compact of two, Faith, and love, 2 Tim. 1.13. Joh. 13.34.) and doe not yeeld obedience to this particular Commandement of the Goſpel, he is a lyar.
3 The Sacraments are ſeals of our love, in Baptiſme, We are baptiſed into one body, 1 Cor. 12 13. and in the Lords Supper, We are all partakers of one bread, and one ſpirit, 1 Cor. 10.17. If therefore there be a different ſpirit in us, we are not of the ſame ſpirit, work not by the ſame Spirit. In a naturall body, if a member be cut off in a combate, in our hot blood we miſſe it not, nor feel the pain, but in cold blood we find the miſſe of it, and ſeek out for help; ſo in hot contentions betwixt Chriſtians they fall off from one another, they diſcern no change for the preſent; but when they begin to look back at former paſſages, and ſee what wounds they have made, both joyntly begin to be ſenſible of pains, and cannot reſt till they have taken ſome courſe to ſet the members in joynt again.
4 For private Communion, it calls for love; this profeſſion David made, and ſo doth every true Chriſtian, I am a companion to all them that fear thee, Pſal. 119.63. He doth not ſay only, he is a well willer or favourer to ſuch, (which yet is a great matter in our dayes) but he was a companion to them, he had ſweet and comfortable familiarity with them; if therefore we be ſo far from making them our companions, that we can hardly be brought to be favourers of them, we renounce ſubjection to the Ordinances of the Goſpel.
5 For diſcipline; this is one of the main ends of diſcipline, to ſee that no offence be given from one to another, Matth. 8.15. to 20. if therefore a man offend his Brother, and be not willing to be reconciled, in this caſe a man renounceth ſubjection to a main Ordinance of the Goſpel.
Ʋſe 1. To teach Chriſtian men, if you would be honeſt true hearted men, let there be no chriſtian brother in the world, but thou canſt ſay, that thou loveſt him; if there be any one that thou neglecteſt, and canſt not have fellowſhip with; why there is no ſoundneſſe in thee; better it is thou ſhouldſt love an hundred hypocrites, then hate one chriſtian brother; he that profeſſeth himſelf a chriſtian, and profeſſeth ſubjection to the Goſpel, and yet wants love to his brethren, he renounceth ſubjection to every Ocdinance of the Goſpel, and therefore his profeſſion is but hypocriſie, and he himſelfe is a lyar: è contra, if God give thee an heart unfeignedly loving every brother, if you make them your companions, and the men of your delight; why then, If he that ſaith he loves God, and hates his brother is a lyar, then on the other ſide, he that doubts whether he loves God, and yet unfeignedly loves his brother, he deceives himſelf; if thou canſt ſay, thou loveſt thy brother, the text will tell thee thou loveſt God: if thou canſt but find in thy heart true love to thy brethren, though thy profeſſion may be but weake and poor, yet it is ſound and ſincere; ſo much love, ſo much ſincerity; ſo much want of love, ſo much hypocriſie.
Doct. 2. The ſight of our brother is a ſtronger inducement to the love of him then any that hates his …rother, can have to the love of God.
For ſome might ſay, What though I love not my brother? he is full of weakneſſes and failings, yet I can love God, for … more cauſe, the Apoſtle tells you the ſight of your brother is a greater oc…ſ…on to love him, then any that hates his brother, can have to love God … a true indeed, he that loves his Brother, hath more cauſe to love God then his Brother, but he that hates his brother, ſhall find leſſe cauſe to love God then his brethren.
By ſight is meant not only viewing the face, but to have familiarity and fellowſhip with him, to have dayly intercourſe and commerce with him, now this much furthers love.
Reaſ. 1. From the ſtrength that is in dayly commerce together to procure love.
Our brother doth many things in our ſight; which might juſtly winn our love, we ſee many good parts in them, many good offices which they doe to us, and we to them, which much increaſes our love, the more we ſee our brothers, and communicate good one to another, the more we love them.
Reaſ. 2. From the little cauſe a man hath to love God that hates his brother; take a man that is eſtranged from his brother, he is much more eſtranged from God.
1 Such a man hath no faith in God, that wants love to his brother, for faith works by love.
2 He can have no ſenſe of Gods love, for God never reveals ſenſible love to ſuch, as have no love to theſe brethren, and then how can we love God, if we have no ſenſe of his love to us?
3 Much leſſe can he have experience of Gods love to him, for he never had it.
4 You will ſay, he may have reaſon to love God, for many bounties of God towards him; I, but what reaſon can ſuch have to think, that God gives them theſe in love? and therefore he will have little cauſe to love God; if he find in his heart no reaſon to love his brother, he will find leſſe reaſon to love God.
Ʋſe 1. To ſtirr us up to haſten out of this ſinfull luſt of hatred towards our brethren, for though we may think we have more cauſe to love God then them, yet truly we ſhall find if we be willing to part with our Brother, we ſhall be more willing to part with God.
Object. But this man hath done me much wrong, but God never did me any.
Anſw. If he hath wronged thee, and thou ſeeſt him daily, pity him the more ſtrive to heal it, and redreſſe it, if thou canſt not doe it, thou canſt not look that God ſhould ever pardon thee.
The ſecond argument the Apoſtle layes down why we ſhould love our brethren is from the equall cauſe we have of both, and it is from Gods Commandement to love both.
Doct. 3. True and ſincere profeſſion of chriſtian Religion, doth as duely yeeld obedience to one commandement as to another.
He that loves God, let him love his brethren alſo? Why? becauſe God hath commanded the one as well as the other, Pſal. 119.9. then ſhall I never be aſhamed when I have reſpect to all thy commandements, he doth not ſay, when he keeps them all, we all faile in that, but I may have reſpect to all, ſo a chriſtian cannot keep all Gods Commandements, but he may have reſpect to all, ſo David profeſſeth, Pſal. ….128. I hate every falſe way.
Reaſ. 1. From the ſame Law-giver that gives all the Commandements, Jam. 2.10, 11. he that breaks one, breaks all; if in obedience to Gods Law thou love him, the… in obedience to the ſame Law thou wilt love thy brother alſo.
2 From the n… …finity betwixt the Commandements, they are like to the links in a chain, breake one, you breake all: If a man love not his brother, how can he love God, or worſhip him, or keep his Sabbaths? He that hath not reſpect to all Gods Commandements, hath reſpect to none.
Ʋſe 1 Gives us a free tryall of our ſincerity or hypocriſie, If God give thee an heart to have reſpect to every Commandement, and therefore to make conſcience of them all; why, then thy profeſſion is true and ſincere, though thou canſt not ſay that thou keepeſt one of them aright, yet if thou be conſcionable unto them all, and it grieves thee, that thou canſt not perform that indeed which in heart thou reſpecteſt, thy heart is ſound; contrary, if we ſhake off the bonds of theſe Commandements, or breake but one willingly, we have no truth in us: Jehu had no reſpect to walke in all the Commandements of God, and therefore was an hypocrite, if a man take not heed to all the Commandements; he takes heed to none at all: When the two Harlots came before Sol…mon, his judgment was that the childe ſhould be divided betwixt them, the Harlot was willing, but the true Mother would by no means endure it: ſo if thou give God undivided obedience, thy heart is ſound, but if you divide with God, and ſome part you will give to God, and ſome part keep for your luſts; why, you have the heart of an Harlot, and all your works are dead works.
Object. Doe we not all ſin in many things, Jam. 3.2.
Anſw. Yes, we all faile in performing, but we may have reſpect to all Gods Commandements, and it grieves us that we have failed in thoſe we doe reſpect, and we are ſorry for it; if we be thus affected, our hearts are right before God.
Ʋſe 2. Of conſolation to all ſuch as find this frame of heart, to yeeld univerſall obedience to God, God himſelfe teſtifies your profeſſion is ſincere, and ſo you ſhall find you ſhall never be confounded, when you have reſpect to all Gods Commandements.
Ʋſe 3. Of exhortation to all that would have a teſtimony of the ſincerity of their profeſſion; Why, make we conſcience of every Commandement of God, and ſo we may have a ſure ground of our ſincerity.