Commentary on 1 John, Commentary · Chapter 5 · Verse 1
1 JOHN 5.1. latter part.
And every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him alſo that is begotten of him.
Doct. EVery Christian that is affected with the love of God as a father, is inlarged alſo with love to his brethren, as thoſe that are begotten of him.
This Doctrine is not delivered in theſe expreſſe termes any where elſe, but ſomething like is found, John 20.17. I aſcend to my Father and your Father. He acknowledgeth his Father to be their Father reconciled in him, and he looks at them as his bre hren, therefore tell my Brethren. He therefore that acknowledgeth God as his father, and bears a child-like love to him, by the ſame affection is he carried to love his brethren, as thoſe that are begotten of God.
Reaſ. 1. Becauſe he takes them all to be his Brethren. And 2. Becauſe he looks at God as their father as well as his, ſo that he that looks at God as his Father, and yet reſpects not his children as his brethren, is a lyer; he that loves his Father, loves all his children, becauſe they are his brethren of the ſame bloud, of the ſame womb.
2. If we look at God as our Father, and love him accordingly, then we look at his children as thoſe that have the image of God ſtampt upon them, and therefore we look at them as of the ſame temper with our ſelves, as partakers of the divine nature with our ſelves, 2 Pet. 1.4.
3. If we look at God as our Father, and ſo at every believer as the ſon of God, then we cannot but conceive that they are beloved of God, and that God pities them as a father doth his children, Pſal. 103.13. Why then we cannot love God the Father, but we muſt love his children, for the loves ſake▪ that God bears them: It … for, 2 Chron. 19.2. Shouldeſt thou love … thoſe whom the Lord loves … 20, 21. ſo … thoſe … love… Lord, …
… God, … then … for … w…ked in … Lord ſpare… … for, David … 1 Kings … of Abija… … God, yet for David … Fathers … …hough God ſee the children o… … yet … their …thers ſake, …, Iſrael. So … …e, if God th… …ther …e holy a… … and … though his children ſo…times walk … for their fathers like vntounto m…ſt …ave them a … …amp, … helpfull and loving to them for their …ood fa… … What … ſpo… be not the ſp… Gods child… De… ….5. … …not ſee thoſe badges of holineſſe and righteouſneſſe … yet becauſe God is holy, and juſt, we are to reſpect them … God bea… them and us. It was obſerv…e, that ſpeech … of God, whe… came to Jezabel, and comman… … down out of a window and ſlain, … …ds forth his … that curſed woman, for ſhe is a Kings dange… … 34. What Kings …ghter? but an Idolatrous King; and yet becau… … daughter, bury her. Now if this ſpeech of … by Go… …; it ſhould th… the children of Kings and Princes, … …atiou… … muſt be reſpected for their …ds ſake. Why, how much … …ill God look you ſhould put … the … and … any of his children be ſo far fo… … blaſpheme, … them be reſpected, no… … but beca…e the ſons and daughters o… … King … they … and ſinfull paſſages … offices … ſons and … of God, they have … of the… Father in them, though … degenerate, and that's gre…, then to be born of any earthly …
… 1. Ex…lu… all ſuch from the love… God as their Father, who…e … are … up fr… … as their brethren, i… … they come … the ſtamp of Go… …ildren upon them, his … ſtampt upon them, … they begin to ſit … …trange themſelves from them, though formerly they loved them …. What a poor caſe is his blinde world … that the more any … the nature of God, the mo… …ey hate the…? … ſuch know, … …ever look up to God as their Father, and … and neglect their brethren: we… the … Prin… you wou… …our and reſpect them for their Fathers … why, … Gods ſake? But know, that if you eſtrange… you … from the…, you plain… ſhew that for want of love to them that … gotten, you w… … to their father that begat them.
Ʋſe 2. To exhort at all … his brotherly love for if God uſe ſo many Exhortations and Arguments to ſtir us up to this duty, …t ſhewes that we are very backward …, and that our Spirit luſts to envy, James 5.5, …. And to help us to this duty of love, this is an eſpeciall good means, by looking at them as born of God, and ſo partakers of the ſame faith, partakers of the ſame divine nature; by looking at them as our Brethren, as the beloved of God, … great King; and though they walk in many, …oſe … children of good parents, and doth not eaſily break out … how much more ought we to love the children of …, and Jehu could reſpect the Daughter … and enemy to the State … though … …od on the… … love and … their …nities they are King …. We uſe to ſay ſo to ſome …, I lov'd your … my good friend, and as honeſt man, the… … I cannot … love you … your Fathers …ake, and therefore I am ſo… …ou take courſe… … your good Father; … and deſire you to break off … ſuch bad company. Thus we dea… … whom we love and ſhall we not doe ſo much … for … children that we ſee degenerate from him, and … you ſhould take ſuch courſes as no way beſeech the children of ſuch a good Father▪ I beſeech you carry your ſelfe like h… …, be holy as he is holy, and this is a true act of love.