Philadelphia, Treatise · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
Sect. 1.
THE third thing I am to treat of, is, Love to our Enemies. Here in the firſt place, Let us conſider, what this Love is, and wherein it conſiſteth.
1. It is not a Love in word and in tongue, but an affectionate Love, a Loving in heart and in deed. Rom. 12.10. be kindly affectioned one to another: foreign, be naturally affectionate, as the Dams among Creatures, are naturally affectionate to their young ones. Gods command [Love thine enemies] reacheth the heart, and enjoyns thee to affect them, as well as the tongue, to ſpeak loving words unto them.
2 It is a Love, that ſets us upon the exerciſe of all duties of Love toward them.
1. To love them with a Love of benevolence, to bleſs th…m that curſe you, to wiſh them good when they wiſh you evil, to ſpeak well of them, when they ſpeak all manner of evil of you, this is to love our enemies.
2. To be willing to pardon their private injuries done unto us.
So the Parable of the two debtors teacheth us, Mat. 18.25. The King pardoned one which owed him ten thouſand talents: and he was to pardon his fellow that owed him an hundred pence; which thing becauſe he would not do, his Lord was wroth, and delivered him to the Tormentors, till he ſhould pay all that was due unto him. Prov. 19.11. The diſcretion of a man defers his anger, and it is his glory to paſs over a tranſgreſſion. Men think it but baſeneſs and cowardlineſs to put up wrongs; but God ſaith, it is his wiſdom, his glory, his diſcretion. Suppoſe thine enemies have done thee great wrongs, and many injuries; the more is thy love manifeſted.
3. Heartily to rejoyce in the gifts and parts of our enemies, and in whatſoever is is excellent in them, and to be glad of their proſperity, and to lament when it is otherwiſe with them. Thus David made Lamentation for Saul, 2 Sam. 1. v. 19. The beauty of Iſrael is ſlain upon thy high places. v. 24 25. Ye daughters of Iſrael weep over Saul, who clothed you in ſcarlet with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. How are the mighty fallen in the midſt of the battel!
4. To love them with a Love of beneficence: To do them all the good we can; to do all the good we can to their bodies, to do them good ſpeedily and without delay, and conſtantly without any willing neglect, when it lieth in our power. Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you. Mat. 5.44. If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirſt give him drink; for in ſo doing, thou ſhalt heap coals of fire upon his head. Rom. 12.20. either coals of converſion, or co…ls of confuſion.
5 To love them with a religious Love, Love your enemies, pray for them which deſpitefully uſe you, Luk. 6.28. Pray for their health when they are ſick; pray for their lives when they are in the gates of death; pray for their deliverance, when they are compaſſed about with dangers, or oppreſſed with troubles: pray for their Converſion, Pardon and Salvation. Suppoſe wicked men vex thy Soul as the Sodomites did Lot for righteouſneſs ſake, and hate thee for thy Love, yet pray for them. So David did, Pſ…l 109.4.5. For my Love they are my adverſaries, but I give my ſelf unto prayer. Suppoſe they perſecute thee even to the death, yet thou art to pity them, and pray for them. Thus our Saviour prayed for his enemies, Father forgive them, they know not what they do. St. Stephen alſo prayed heartily for all his Perſecutors. Lord, lay not this Sin to their charge. He prayed heartily for them, when they were ſtoning him to death. When Davids enemies were plotting his death, he prayed for their good, he humbled his Soul with faſting, and cloathed himſelf with Sackcloth Pſal. 35.13. So St. Paul, 1 Cor. 4.12. Being reviled, we bleſs, &c. being defamed we entreat. The helliſh rage of enemies muſt move you to ſhew your heavenly love to them. This is the Love we muſt ſhew to our enemies, and this Love exceeds that of Publicans, and that for theſe reaſons.
1. Becauſe their Love is extended no farther than to their brethren their benefactors; where they find Love, there they return Love; they return good to none but to ſuch from whom they receive good; where no Love is ſhewn, there they will ſhew no Love; they will return evil for evil; What others meaſure to them, they will meaſure the ſame to them again.
2. Becauſe their Love at beſt, is but verbal and complemental, conſiſting rather in wiſhing than in ſupplying. They have words at will, Oyl and Butter enough in their mouth to ſupply all, but they keep all to themſelves, they have little to ſpare to their Neighbour, whatever his need be. They give as good words as need to be, Depart in peace, be warmed, and filled. but give him not thoſe things that are needful. Jam. 2.16.
3. Becauſe the Love of Publicans laſteth no longer than their friends Love laſteth; they often change in their affections. How often is the Love of carnal men turned into Hatred, and their friend-ſhip into enmity? the Love of Publicans is but Love of retaliation; but this Love is a conſtant Love. Let their enemies ſmile or frown, they love them. Let their enemies do good to them or do evil, ſtill they love them, and do good unto them; let their enemies bleſs or curſe them, yet they love them; yea when their enemies are in their height of malice, they love them and pray for them. Many waters of their enemies unkindneſs, and the raging floods of their enemies malice, ſhall neither quench it nor drown it. They may cool it, but cannot quench it: they may for a while keep down the Flames, but cannot put out the coal of Love within them.
SECT. II. Now I will ſhew, bow no Publicans or wicked men can love their enemies.
1. THey may ſpeak fair to their enemies, but this is not Love: their words are ſmoother than oyl, yet then their hearts are full of gall and bitterneſs, and of miſchievous devices. Joab ſpake friendly to Abner, while his heart was full of murderous intents.
2. They may ſalute their enemies, yet then, as Judas, they may ſeek an occaſion to betray them, as he did, by a kiſs and an embrace: and while they flatter them, they ſpread a net for their feet, making them a ſure prey: and if their feet be entangled, they are faſt enough for running away.
Yet no wicked man can, or doth Love his enemies, ſo as to wiſh well to them as often as they have opportunity: they cannot, they will not pray for them, but when occaſion is given, they will curſe ſuch as bleſs them, and will deal deſpitefully with them. The reaſons are theſe.
1. Becauſe this Love is a fruit of the Spirit, and proceedeth from grace. And it is as poſſible for Thorns to bring forth grapes, as for a wicked man to bring forth ſuch fruits of the Spirit. This Love that I ſpeak of, groweth no where out of Paradiſe, but in a gracious heart: there is no ſuch flower to be found in Natures Garden. Though men naturally love their kinred, and their friends, yet they cannot love their enemies. Naturally men hate their enemies; Nature judgeth it ſeemly and ju… to to be revenged on enemies; to give the ſame meaſure that their enimies meaſure to them. Every natural man is of the Phariſee's judgment, That we are bound to love them that love us, and hate our enemies. Hence it is, that men bring Arguments to juſtifie themſelves in their malitious actings againſt their enemies, and ſatiſfie themſelves with their own fallacious argumentations.
That wicked men cannot love their enemies, will appear, if we conſider what their hearts are filled with. Rom. 1.29. The Apoſtle ſaith, they are filled with all unrighteouſneſs, wickedneſs, malitiouſneſs, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity. Did not God ſet a dam, and keep within the banks, thoſe ſeas of malice in mens hearts, the whole world would ſoon be drowned in the flood of maliciouſneſs. Now before it is poſſible for a wicked man to love his enemies, his heart muſt be emptied of that envy, hatred and malice: the Spirit of regeneration muſt in a wonderful manner dry up this Sea of wickedneſs, and they muſt be brought to caſt out Envy, Hatred and Malice out of their Hearts, as they would Toads out of their Boſoms.
3. Becauſe they muſt firſt deny themſelves, and become patient and meek in Spirit, and be content to ſuffer injuries, affronts, … much evil-dealings, before they can bring their hear… to love them that acted all enm… agai… them. Oh What Grace is required to bri… the hearts of men to be meek, when provoked and to be content to ſuffer much evil.
SECT. III.
Queſt. HOw muſt our Love be extended to the enemies of God, of his Church, his, Truth, his Saints? For even to theſe we muſt manifeſt ſome Love, in praying for them.
Reſp. In anſwer hereunto, I deſire you to conſider theſe things:
1. Pray that God would put hooks into the Noſtrils of theſe Leviathans, that they might not always make havock of the Church of God; that God would fruſtrate the malitious deſigns of mighty Nim…ods, and bring their enterprizes to nought. Thus David prayed, that God would turn the Wiſdom of Achitophel into fooliſhneſs.
2. Pray that God would open their eyes, that they may ſee their own madneſs in kicking againſt the pricks, and that all their plots, counſels, malice againſt the Church will undoubtedly turn to their own deſtruction with…ut re…ance. How did St. Stephen's prayer …ke … St. Paul, who was one of his per…utors from a Blaſphemer and a Perſecutor, …od made him a great Inſtrument of his Glory, and a choice veſſel of his mercy. But yet when wicked men openly and wilfully manifeſt their hatred and malice againſt God, we muſt be friends to none that are enemies to God. Thus David ſaith unto God, Do not I hate them that hate thee? and am not I grieved with thoſe that riſe up againſt thee? I hate them with perfect hatred, I count them mine enemies. Pſal. 139 27.22. I hate none but Gods enemies, thoſe I count mine enemies. I am not troubled at him that wrongeth my perſon or good name, but at him that blaſphemeth my God, and perſecuteth his Truth, and his Saints for the name of Chriſt; theſe do I count my enemies. I have have hated the congregation of evil doers, and will not ſit with wicked, Pſal. 26.5. He would not ſo much as ſit with them, becauſe he hated them. As friendſhip with the world is enmity with God, ſo to contract friendſhip with the wicked, is to joyn with Gods enemies, and to cauſe him to turn enemy to him that ſo doth. See what a ſharp check was given to Jehoſhaphar for joyning in friendſhip with two wicked Kings, as Ahab and Jehoram, 2 Chron. 12.2. Shouldſt thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from the Lord. David did ſet light by the hatred of the world, but yet ſtrived ſtoutly for the maintenance of Gods Glory, inſomuch that he would undertake open war againſt all the Enemies of God. Hence ſprang all thoſe fearful curſes and imprecations that David in many Pſalms doth wiſh againſt the wicked for their enmity againſt God, and hatred of him. Read Pſal. 109. and ſee how David there doth curſe Judas, and all the enemies of the Goſpel.
Theſe imprecations againſt Gods enemies are uttered ſometimes.
1. Per modum pronuntiationis, non per modum optionis, by way of prediction, what will befall them. As for inſtance; Let them O Lord be confounded, and put to ſhame. This is not ſo much to wiſh their confuſion, as a prediction that they ſhall be confounded, and put to ſhame.
Sometimes when the deſtruction of the enemies of God is wiſhed or deſired, deſiderium optantis ad juſtitiam punientis, non ad poenam refertur: the wiſh is directed to Gods Glory, not ſo much deſiring the miſery and puniſhment of the wicked enemies. So Pſal. 58.10.11. The Righteous ſhall rejoyce when he ſeeth the vengeance, be ſhall waſh his feet in the blood of the wicked; ſo that a man ſhall ſay, Verily there is a reward for the Righteous; verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth. Gods Glory manifeſted in the deſtruction of the wicked, is matter of rejoycing to the Saints, not ſimply their deſtruction.
3. It is ad remotionem culpae, non ad deſtructionem peccantis, that Sin might be removed, not that the Sinner ſhould be deſtroyed.
Queſt. But how are godly men ſaid to hate, and how may they hate wicked men?
Reſp. 1. We muſt hate their ſins, not their perſons, all their ſins as well as one ſin, and in all wicked men as well as in one wicked man.
2. We muſt hate them as they are Gods enemies; not as they are our own particular enemies. David did humble himſelf for his own enemies; but as for the enemies of God and his Church, them he hated with a perfect hatred.
3. Our hatred muſt be with hope and deſire of their converſion, and not with deſpair. And in this there is more Love ſhewn than hatred; we muſt hate them as Gods enemies, yet not plot their evil in any thing, but pray for their good, and do them all the good we can, as occaſion ſerveth; Grace only can do this. Here ſee the excellency of Grace, it makes a man truly to hate ſin in all, and yet to love all likewiſe.