Remains, Class 1 · Part 6
VI. Their Love to the Brethren
THere is but one thing more which I ſhall take notice of in relation to Babes attainments, and that is, Their Love to the Brethren, whereby they act like members of the Body of Chriſt, whoſe office it is to have the ſame care one for another, 1 Cor. 12.25. and not be like this world, every man for himſelf, or ſay like Cain, Am I my Brothers keeper? That they do love the Brethren (in their degree fervently as well as truly) is atteſted by Peter, who writing to Babes ſaith, Seeing ye have purified your hearts in obeying the truth by the Spirit unto unfeigned Love of the Brethren, ſee that ye (continue to) Love one another, with a pure heart fervently, 1 Pet. 1.22. he exhorts them to do that fully, which they already did in part, according to that, 1 Theſ. 5 11. Comfort your ſelves together, and edifie one another, as ye alſo do. 'Tis the great Character of Chriſts Diſciples that they Love one another, Joh. 13.35. and by this they are known to have part from death to life, becauſe they love the Brethren, 1 Joh. 3.15. Where give me leave to note this as to this Epiſtle of John, the great duty urged in it is to love one another (ſpoken to and of all the children of God) and the ſin ſo much declaimed againſt is hating or not loving of one another: and when he ſaith, Chap. 3.8. He that ſinneth is of the Devil, he meaneth this ſin in ſpecial, For, ſaith he, Verſ. 9. whoſoever is born of God doth not commit ſin, viz. this ſin, becauſe the ſeed of God (of whom he is born) remaineth in him (which is the ſame reaſon that is given by Peter preſſing to the ſame duty, 1 Pet. 1.22, 23.) and Verſ. 10. he diſtinguiſheth the Children of God from them of the Devil by this very thing: and Verſ. 12. inſtanceth in Cain who was of the wicked one, as he proves by his breaking this command of loving his Brother. And perhaps the ſin unto death ſpoken of, Chap. 5.16,—19. is meant of this ſin, for ſuch an one abideth in death, Chap. 3.14. compare Chap. 3.7,—16. with Chap. 5.16,—19. and this ſeems to be very clear.
But to proceed as to the thing in hand, viz, that Babes Love the Brethren, 'tis clearly man… feſted by this among other things, that they are ready to miniſter to their neceſſities, as occaſion, opportunity and ability gives them leave to do. The Apoſtle boaſts of his Corinthian-Babes, that he knew the forwardneſs of their mind, and boaſted of their readineſs to this thing, 2 Cor. 9.1, 2. and the Authour of the Epiſtle to the Hebrew-Babes, tells them, Chap. 6.10. that God was not unrighteous to forget their labour of Love, which they had ſhew'd to his name, in that they had miniſtred and did continue to miniſter to the Saints: and upon this ſcore he is perſwaded ſuch good things of them as accompanied and contained Salvation, Verſ. 9. of ſo great an eſteem is this grace of Love, warranted and adjuſted by miniſtring to the Saints. And indeed 'tis the great thing for which Jeſus Chriſt ſaith, Come ye bleſſed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you; why Lord? for I was hungry, &c. and you miniſtred to me in doing it to mine, Matth. 25.34,—40. This labour of Love is not in vain in the Lord.
I might inlarge on this Theam, but it ſhall ſuffice to have toucht it. And now that Babes may behold themſelves in this Glaſs, I ſhall ſumm up their attainments and characters briefly thus: They have the Foundation laid; they are new-born and do eat Milk in obeying the Principles of the Doctrine of Chriſt: they have all things neceſſary to the being of a Saint, and ſuch as accompany or contain Salvation; though not enough to a well-being here, or to have an entrance miniſtred to them abundantly in Heaven, as other Saints have: they have all conſtituting and eſſential Graces, as Repentance, Faith, Love, though not in ſo perfect a degree as the other Claſſes have, they preſs forward (after their manner, in deſires) to grow; though they cannot run the race, yet they walk in the way of Gods Commandments; they preſs after to follow the other Saints though ſlowly (as the Poet ſaid of Aſcanius,—ſequitur non paſſibus aequis) and are not able to keep pace with them. This is their picture, the draught of their attainment; the particular features and lineaments whereof are deſcribed before in their reſpective places, to which I reſer you. I muſt now proceed to ſhew them their deſectiveneſs in compariſon of other Saints, and wherein they are as carnal, that I may provoke them to jealouſie and emulation, and thereby to perfection.