Philadelphia, Treatise · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
THe next thing I am come to do, is to ſhew, When a man may be ſaid to love the Children of God. To this end, conſider theſe following particulars.
1. True Chriſtian Love to the people of God is a peculiar kind of Love, whereby a man loveth them as they are the Children of God, and as Brethren, be they Strangers or Acquaintance, Kinred or not; rich or poor, mean or mighty, honourable or baſe, it is all one, if they be righteous perſons. In natural Love, there is a peculiar Love of a Brother towards a Brother, diſtinct from the Love of a Neighbour: a man may have a natural Love to a Neighbour, but another kind of peculiar Love to a Brother. So if a man do love the Children of God as he ought, he loveth them with a peculiar Love, as …hey are the Children of God. A man may lo… …nother, for ſome good quality of Art or Nature, though he be not a Child of God; but there muſt be a peculiar Love to the Children of God, though there be not the ſame qualities of Art or Nature in them: he muſt love them as made near unto him by Grace, and joyned with him in partaking of the ſame precious Faith; he muſt love them for Holineſs ſake, becauſe they fear the Lord, and follow after righteouſneſs. Some men have no peculiar Love to the people of God, but their peculiar and familiar Love is for ſome natural perſons, who ſuit beſt with their carnal affections: theſe are their boſom-Friends. This is a ſign of unſound Love, when a mans moſt intimate Friends are wicked perſons; although he may beſtow a good look upon ſome of the people of God, and ſometimes carry himſelf ſomewhat fairly towards them. If they ſeem to love ſome of the people of God, it is for ſome other reſpect, and not becauſe they are the Children of God: it may be there is ſome ſpecial gift in them, either of Body or Mind, common to them with natural men, and for this they love them, and ſometimes delight in their company; but as for other good men, not ſo qualified (yet as ſincere as the former, and as rich in Grace) they do not affect them.
He that loveth Religion in a man becauſe he is rich, or comely, or a man of parts, &c. …ut ſlighteth it in a poor Lazarus, in a mean …n, though he be all glorious within, he doth not love a godly man. And as Alexander ſaid of two men (one was his Friend, the other was his Flatterer), Hic amat Regem, ile Alexandrum; This man loveth me becauſe I am a King, and can prefer him; but, that man loveth Alexander, he loveth my very perſon. So it may be ſaid of ſuch as love Religious perſons, becauſe rich or noble. Hic amat divitias, honores, ille amat religionem. Theſe men love riches and honours, not religion; only he that loveth a righteous man in nomine juſti, becauſe he is righteous, he loveth the godly with a peculiar love.
So the true love by which the Children of God do love each other, is towards Strangers whom they never ſaw, nor are like to ſee, when they hear of their Graces, and of their zeal and forwardneſs in the ways of God, and for his glory; as St. Paul was affectionate towards thoſe of the godly, who had not ſeen his face in the fleſh.
2. Then doth a man truly love the godly, when he can love all Saints, as well as ſome; and this floweth from the former. If I love a c…ild of God becauſe a child of God, I muſt love all the children of God. A quatenus ad omne valet conſequentia. If I love gold, becauſe gold, I love all gold; ſo if I love grace, becauſe grace, I cannot but love grace in all. If I love the Image of God in one, I muſt needs carry the ſame affection to all that have this Image. There is the ſame ground, reaſon, motive and object in all Saints, as well as in one particular Saint. To love one Saint, and not another, is to make ſpiritual love carnal, a divided, a factious love; as the Apoſtle ſpeaks to the Corinthians; for while one ſaith, I am of Paul, another ſaith, I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal. So when men ſhall ſay, I love ſuch a man, he is a good man, but cannot endure the name of another godly man; their love is carnal. He that loveth not all Saints, loveth no Saint at all; he that loveth not the poor Saint as well as the rich, the low and mean Saints as well as the noble and honourable, he doth not truly love any. There is great reaſon why we ſhould love all Saints as well as one, be their outward conditions never ſo contrary. God the father loveth all his Saints alike. All the Saints have an equal ſhare in the love of Jeſus Chriſt, he ſhed his blood for all alike; he giveth his merits and righteouſneſs to all alike: Yea, Jeſus Chriſt himſelf calleth all the Saints his brethren, even the meaneſt of his Saints. The heart of the meaneſt Chriſtian is the Temple of the Holy Ghoſt, as well as the heart of the moſt honourable, and ſhall not we love all whom the Lord thus loveth? Godly love is like the Center in the midſt of a Circumference or circle, which hath an equal reſpect to all parts of the circle; ſo true Chriſtian love hath reſpect to all parts of the circle, ſo true Chriſtian love hath reſpect to all Saints equally.
3. When they go beyond us in grace, when they excell us in holineſs, when we love them the more we ſee them excell us in grace and in all ſpiritual gifts, whatever relation they have unto us, yea though their gifts and graces ſhould eclypſe ours, yet then if we can as truly rejoyce in their gifts, as if we our ſelves had them, and do more entirely love them, by how much the more we ſee thoſe gifts and graces ſhining in them, this is true Chriſtian love: like that of Moſes, Num. 11.29. when one came, and told them, that Eldad and Medad prophecyed, Moſes was glad to hear it: Would God (ſaith he) that all the Lord's people were Prophets! Are others as good, or better than I am, would God that he or they, and all others were better than I. Only he loveth the Saints truly, that can love them for their graces, and the more grace, the more to love them. Let it ſatisfie thee, that thou art a door-keeper in God's houſe, although thou art not made high Prieſt to enter into the holy of holies; it is well that thou art admitted into Chriſt's School, although thou art not placed in the higheſt form: it is well that thou art a beloved diſciple of Chriſt, although thou haſt not the ſame priviledg with St. John to lie always in the boſom of Chriſt.
4. When we can love the Saints conſtantly at all times, as well as at one time, when the Church of God is overwhelmed with troubles, and nothing but ſtormy clouds hang over the heads of God's people, then to love them as in the ſereneſt calm, when the Church enjoyeth peace and quiet round about, when there are no fears, troubles, nor perſecutions, this is the man that loveth the godly. Doth the ſtate of a Chriſtian alter and decay, yet thy charity doth not decay? Is a Chriſtian friend fallen into diſgrace with the world, yet thou doſt truly make much of him? Is he perſecuted every where, yet thy love followeth him? Is he fallen into poverty and neceſſity, yet thy love faileth not for all this: certainly thy love to the godly is a peculiar love. It is not affliction that ſhall divide the Soul of Jonathan from the Soul of David. True Chriſtian love owneth the people of God in all conditions; it uniteth and knitteth the heart to the children of God, and maketh a man one with them, and ſo maketh their caſe ours.
5. When we can heartily love godly men, when they moſt of all reprove us, check us,The Rebukes of friend are better than the Flatterings of a foe; and he that loveth with austerity is better than he that killeth with delicacy. admoniſh us, and as gladly receive an holy reproof as a kindneſs from them, Let the Righteous ſmite me, it ſhall be a kindneſs, let him r…prove me, it ſhall be an excellent oyl, which ſhall not break my head; but yet my prayer ſhall be in their calamities, Pſalm. 141.5. David had rather be quickened up with holy reproofs, then tickled with fond and flattering ſoothings; ſuch men he would pray for in their calamities, and love them beſt. This often times turneth the love of wicked men into hatred, who pretend love as long as the godly are ſilent at their evil ways, but if they begin to reprove, they will ceaſe to love. Thus Ahab dealt with Elijah, and H…rod with John Baptiſt, and the Galatians with St. Paul, men that did love St. Paul as dearly, that they could find in their hearts to pluck out their eyes for him, yet was he reputed as an enemy becauſe he told them the truth. Mutual reproof is a ſign of true Chriſtian love to each other; if thou loveſt a child of God, love him when he reproveth thee, as when he doth not.