The Portraiture of the Image of God in Man, Part 2 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. Of Hatred.
HAtred is a turning of the concupiſcible appetite from that which is evill, or eſteemed evill.Odiumeſt quo volunt as reſilit ab objecto diſconvenienti, vel ut diſconvenienti. A collation betwixt the innocent, and old Adam.
Man in his firſt eſtate loved God with all his heart: but ſince the fall, he is become, a hater of God, Rom. 1.30 and of his neighbour, 1 Ioh. 2.9. and of himſelfe, Pſal. 10.5. How can God (who is abſolutely good) be hated, Queſt. ſeeing there is no evill in him?
Anſw. God cannot be directly the object of our hatred: bonum in univerſali, cannot be hated; God is both truth and goodneſſe; therefore he cannot be hated. The underſtanding lookes to truth, and the will to goodneſſe; God is both truth and goodneſſe; therefore hee cannot be hated in himſelfe, but in ſome particular reſpect; as men hate him, becauſe he inflicteth the evill of puniſhment upon them, or becauſe hee commandeth them ſomething, which they thinke hard to doe; as reſtraining them in their pleaſure or profit.
So the wicked they hate not the word as the word, but as it croſſeth their lewd appetites, and curbes their deſires, Gal. 4.6. Am I become your enemie becauſe I tell you the truth? The ſheepe hates not the Wolfe, as it is a living creature; for then it ſhould hate the Oxe alſo; but the Sheepe hates the Wolfe as hurtfull to it; and in this ſenſe Men are ſaid to be haters of God.
Theſe who behold that infinite good, cannot hate him, but of neceſſity love him; therefore the ſin of the divels was, the turning away of their ſight from God, and the reflection of their underſtanding upon themſelves, admiring their owne ſublimity, remembring their ſubordination to God; this grieved them, wherby they were drowned with the conceite of their owne pride; whereupon their delection, adoration, and imitation of God and goodneſſe were interrupted. Diabolus tria amiſit in lapſu, delectationem in pulchritudine Dei: a dorationem majeſtat is: & imitatiouem exemplar is bonitatis.So long as they beheld the Majeſty of God, they had delectation in his beauty, adoration of his majeſty, and imitation of his exemplary goodneſſe.
Queſt. Whether is the hating of God, or the ignorance of God the greater ſinne? it may ſeeme that the hating of God is the greater ſinne; Namcujus oppoſitum eſt melius; Ariſt. ethic. 8. c. 6.ipſum eſt pejus, for that whoſe oppoſite is beſt, it muſt be worſe it ſelfe; but the love of God is better than the knowledge of God: therefore the hating of God is a greater ſinne, than the ignorance of God.
Anſ. The hatred of God, and the ignorance of God, are conſidered two wayes; either as hatred includes ignorance, or as they are ſeverally conſidered. As hatred includes ignorance, then hatred is a greater ſinne than ignorance, becauſe he that hates God muſt be ignorant of him.
But if we conſider them ſeverally; then ignorance is to be diſtinguiſhed into ignorantia purae negationis, and ignorantia pravae diſpoſitionis; and this latter ignorance, proceeding from a perverſe diſpoſition of the Soule which will not know God, as Pharaoh ſayd, Who is the Lord that I ſhould know him, and obey his voyce? Exod. 5.2. muſt be a greater ſin than hatred, for ſuch ignorance is the cauſe of hatred; and in vices the cauſe muſt bee worfe then the effect: but perverſe ignorance is the cauſe of the hatred of God. Therefore this ſort of ignorance, is a greater ſinne than the hating of God.
We muſt not then underſtand the axiome according to the firſt fence here; for there is no contrarietie betwixt hatred and ignorance; becauſe the one includes the other. But where they are ſeverally confidered, then the rule holds in theſe oppoſitions which are oppoſite in the ſame reſpect; as one contrary to another, one contradictory to another; if white bee the moſt bright colour, Duplex oppoſitio, contrarietatis & contradictionis.then blacke muſt be the moſt darke colour: here the axiome holds, becauſe there is a direct oppoſition in contrariety of the ſame kind. So, good is to be followed, good is not to be followed: this oppoſition holds in contradiction of the ſame thing.
But this rule will not hold betwixt a contrary and a contradictory joyned together, ſecundùm gradus perfectionis: as, love is a greater vertue than knowledge, therefore not to love is a greater vice than hatred: this doth not follow; for hatred is a greater vice, than not to love.
Now, when the hatred of God, and the ignorance of God are compared together, with their oppoſites love & knowledge, ſecundùm oppoſitionem et comparativè, love and hatred are oppoſed contrarily; but knowledge and ignorance are oppoſed privately and contradictory.
Now there is a greater oppoſition betwixt two contradictories, Quae opponuntur privativè vel contradictoriè magis opponuntur quàm quae contrariè; ſcire & ignorare contradictoriè opponuntur amare & odiſſe contrariè.than betwixt two contraries; therefore the ignorance of God muſt be a greater ſinne, then the hatred of God: and here the Axiome holds. The miſery of the damned (it is thought,) conſiſts not ſo much in the want of the love of God, as the want of the ſight of God.
The Lord Ieſus Chriſt his hatred was a perfect hatred of ſinne, A collation betwixt the ſecond and renued Adam.both in parts and degrees: hee hated ſinne to the full, Duplex perfectio, graduum & partium.both intenſively and extenſively; as he loved God with all his heart, ſtrength and might, ſo hee hated ſinne intenſively to the full with all his ſtrength and might, Duplexodium, ſecundùm intenſionem et extenſionem.and alſo extenſively; that is, hee hated all ſorts of ſinne with a perfect hatred, and cheifely thoſe ſinnes that were moſt oppoſite to the glory of God his father, as was idolatrie.
But the regenerate, hate ſinne with the perfection of parts, but not of degrees, Pſal. 139.22. Doe I not hate them with a perfect hatred who hate thee: that is onelyonly a perfection on parts, but not in degrees.
Againe, they hate not ſinne to the full intenſivè: for, the good that they would doe, that they doe not, Rom. 7.15. neither doe they hate ſinne to the full, extenſivè. David hated Idolatry, but yet not to the full, when hee brought home the Arke of God from Iearimoth in the houſe of Abinadab, and ſet it up in the houſe of Obed-Edom, 2 Sam. 2.10. he tooke away the Philiſtines golden Myce, and the Hemorrhoides, 1 Sam. 6.4. but yet hee ſet the Arke upon a new cart which he made himſelfe (for the men of Bethſhemeſh had cut the Philiſtines cart, 1 Sam. 6.14.) which he ought not to have done: for the Arke ſhould have beene carried upon the Prieſts ſhoulders, Numb. 7.9, and not upon a cart: heerin he followed the example of the Philiſtins: ſo Iunius expounds it.
Some of the good Kings of Iudah tooke away the Idolles, but yet the high places were not removed, 2 King. 12.4. the reaſon of this is, becauſe, Idolatrie is a worke of the fleſh, Gal. 5.20. And we hate not the workes of the fleſh perfectly.A collation betwixt the renued and old Adam.
The hatred of the regenerate is a perfect hatred in parts againſt ſinne, although not in degrees. But the hatred of the wicked is but a faint hatred againſt idolatry of this or that ſort.
The hatred of the wicked is not a perfect hatred againſt idolatry: Conſeq. therefore they labour to reconcile true & falfe religion: ſuch were theſe in Corinth, who were both partakers of the cuppe of the Lord, and the cuppe of Divels, 1 Cor. 10. and theſe who halted betwixt God and Baal, 1 King. 18.21. So theſe who would agree us and the Church of Rome, making no difference in the fundamentall points of our religion; but, what communion can there bee bttwixt light and darkeneſſe: 2 Cor. 6.14.
There were ſome who ſtudie to reconcile the Stoicks and Peripateticks: but Cicero ſayd, they cannot bee reconciled, quia nonagitur definibus, ſed de ipſa haere ditate: we controvert not with the church of Rome about landmarkes, but for the inheritance it ſelfe.A collation betwixt the ſecond and old Adam.
In Chriſt there was a twofold hatred. Firſt, the hatred of abhomination. Duplex odium, abomi nationis, & inimicitiae.Secondly the hatred of enmitie the hatred of abhomination was when Chriſt diſtaſted the evill done againſt his Father, himſelfe, or his members; hating this ſinne as contrary to his goodneſſe, and as hurtfull to his members. The hatred of enmitie is when Chriſt willeth the puniſhment of the perſon becauſe of the evill he is defiled with: hee will have a man to be puniſhed as a wicked man, but not as a man. As by the firſt ſort he hated the ſinne, ſo by the ſecond hee hated the ſinner.
But the unregenerate, ſometimes doe hate the perſon, but not the ſinne; Iudah bad bring foorth his daughter in law Thamar and burne her Gen. 38 24. when he was as guilty of the ſin himſelfe; in this he was not regenerate.
Some againe connive at the ſinne, for the perſon; as Eli, who bore with the ſinnes of his children becauſe he loved them ſo well, 1 Sam. 2.23.
Some againe hate the perſon for the good found in them; as, O di Michaiam, I hate him, 1 King. 22.8. Some care not, if both the ſinne and the perſon periſh together. Gobrias willed Darius to kill him and his enemy together; ſed non probamus illud, pereat amicus cum inimico, we approve not that, let a friend periſh with a foe; but we ſhould ſave the one, and kill the other. Levit. 19.17. Thou ſhalt not hate thy brother in thy heart, but reproue him; We ſhould hate his ſinne but louelove the perſon.
Hatred, Differunt, odium, ira, & in vidia.Anger and Envy, differ; firſt, anger is particular, as we are angry with Peter or Iohn for ſome offence they have done us; but hatred is generall againſt the ſinne it ſelfe.Iraeſt circa, indiv idua, odium circa ſpeciem.
Secondly, anger may bee cured by proceſſe of time, but hatred is incureable, for no time can cure it.
Thirdly, anger hath bounds, if one be angry at another, and ſee any calamity befall him, which exceedeth the limits of a common revenge, he hath pitie upon his enemy: but hatred is never ſatisfied.
Againe, hatred differeth from envy; for hatred ariſeth upon the conceit of the wrong done to us or ours, or generally to all mankind; whereas envy hath for the obiect, the felicities or proſperities of other men.
Secondly, hatred is alſo in bruite beaſts; but envy is onelyonly found in man.
The remedies to cure ſinfull hatred.
The remedies to cure this ſinfull hatred are: firſt, conſider that the man whom thou hateſt moſt, may be helpfull to thee againe. Ioſeph once moſt hated of his brethren, yet neceſſitie mooved them to love him againe. So the Elders of Gilead who did hate Iephteh and expelled him out of his fathers houſe, Iudg. 11.7. but when the time of tribulation came, he became their beloved head and Captaine.
Secondly, if we would make good uſe of our hatred, we muſt employ it againſt vice, and againſt theſe objects, the love and purſuite whereof may pollute the heart, and blemiſh the image of God which ſhineth in our ſoules.
Thirdly, if we ſhould cure hatred, we muſt repreſent the miſeries which doe commonly accompany the purſuites of envy; we muſt ſet before our eyes the ſhipwrack of ſo many famous perſons, that have loſt themſelves upon this ſhelfe, and wee muſt repreſent to our ſelves the croſſes, paines, and torments which this wretched paſſion doth cauſe.