A Little Cabinet, Section 25
Of love, the nature of it, ſeveral ſorts and kinds of it: How its wrought in the heart, tryals of it, and properties of it: means of attaining it, and impediments of it, and inducements to it.
OF the nature of this love.
Although Chriſtians do ſomewhat differ in their defining it, what it is, yet in the eſſence or body of it they agree; but before I can orderly come to ſpeak of the ſeveral definitions that Chriſtians give of it, I muſt acquaint the Reader of the ſeveral ſorts of love, viz. there is a love natural, &c. and a love ſinful, &c. and there is a love ſpiritual.
1. There is love of pitty, as in a Father to a ſick and vitious ſon, or one friend to another in miſery: or if you pleaſe there is,
2. A natural love planted in the heart of man to love himſelf, his children, wealth and acquaintance: Now the ſpiritual love that we ſhall ſpeak of by and by, doth ſet banks to the ſtream of natural love, that it run not over, either to over-love, or overgrieve.
3. There is a love of complacency: So the Father is well pleaſed with an obedient ſon, the husband with a vertuous wife, the School-maſter with a towardly Scholar.
4. There is a love of friendſhip, when a man doth both honour and reſpect ſuch and ſuch good people, and is ſo beloved of them again.
5. There is a love of dependance, when we love one upon whom all dependeth, namely God; whom alſo we love, with a love of complacency and friendſhip, being a full object, free from all mixture of evil, and altogether ſupernatural; this ſupernatural love is that I intend to ſpeak to, and firſt of the nature of this love; in which I ſhall take notice of the various judgements of many precious Chriſtians, in the definition of it, although in the main they all agree.
1. One ſaith, it is an holy diſpoſition of the heart ariſing from faith, whereby we cleave to the Lord, with a purpoſe of heart to ſerve him, and to pleaſe him in all things.
2. Another ſaith love is a grace wrought in the heart by the Spirit of God, in perſwading the party of Gods love to it; and ſo the ſoul comes to love God, becauſe he did firſt love him, 1 John 4. 19.
3. Others ſay, it is a ſupernatural grace flowing from Faith, inſtilled by God himſelf, whereby through the mercy of God we ſee the great excellency of him, and thereby are drawn to love and yield obedience to him.
4. Others ſay it is an holy affection, or act of the will, or diſpoſition of the heart, whereby it cleaves or makes forward to ſome good, that is agreeable to it ſelf.
5. Others ſay, it is a ſpark of heavenly fire, that puts all the affections into an holy flame. Cant. 1. 7. Tell me O thou whom my ſoul loveth. Iſa. 26. 9. With my ſoul have I deſired thee, yea with my ſpirit within me will I ſeek thee early. He that planted the affections of love in our hearts, may well call for his own, and expect to gather the grapes of his own Vineyard.
Several ſorts or kinds of Love.
BEſides what hath been ſpoken in the foregoing head, there are ſeveral ſorts and kinds of love; as, Firſt there is a fleſhly and carnal love, which is altogether ſinful. Secondly, there is a naturall ove, as in a Parent to a child, and one relation to another. Thirdly, there is a civil love, ſuch as one neighbour and friend hath to another. Fourthly, there is a religious love, and that is twofold, the one is ſubordinate to the other, viz. Firſt there is our love to God. Secondly to his people, as they bear his image. Firſt to God himſelf, who is the very eſſence of love, he is nothing elſe but love, God is love, neither ſhould there be any thing beloved by us, but as it either conveys love to us from him, or elſe deaws up our affections to him; there is alſo a love to our enemies required of us, which we ought to be found in the practiſe of, in obedience to the command of God, and in love and pitty to their poor ſouls, Mat. 5. 44.
But that love that I ſhall treat of is, that love ſpoken to in Scripture, which is ſhed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghoſt, Rom. 5. 5.
Of the ſprings of Love, how it is begotten and encreaſed in us.
THE Lord tells us by Paul, Rom. 5. 5. That the Love of God is ſhed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghoſt: he ſhews us that he loveth us that were of no worth, and whileſt we were in our ſins, that he dyed for us, and then he doth ſhed the ſenſe and feeling thereof abroad in our hearts, whereby we come to taſte and ſee how good and gracious the Lord is, Pſalm 34. 8.
1. Spring of love is this, the Lord doth unveil himſelf a little to the ſoul, whereby it ſees his excellency, viz. wiſdom, power, riches, beauty, glory, faithfulneſs and amiableneſs.
2. Spring of love is this, the ſoul having ſeen ſomething of his excellency, and ſo loves him, not only becauſe of that, although he be moſt worthy of love, but alſo becauſe he hath caſt his love upon us: and ſo in the ſecond place, the ſoul comes to love Chriſt, becauſe he firſt loved us, 1 John 4. 10, 19. as fire begets fire, ſo doth love beget love.
3. Spring of love is this, after the ſoul hath ſeen the worth of Chriſt, and the love of Chriſt, it comes in the next place to ſee that the love of all relations doth meet in the love of Chriſt: and this doth raiſe up a Chriſtian to love Chriſt with a ſupream love: Love is as a Load-ſtone, drawing the affections to love Chriſt, as to one that is aimable and lovely, famous and glorious, ſpotleſs and matchleſs, in his name, in his nature, in his offices, in his graces, in his gifts, in his diſcoveries, in his appearances; in his Ordinances, he is full of gravity, majeſty, and mercy, and glory, he is the chiefeſt among ten thouſand, Cant. 5. 10. So the ſoul loves Chriſt for that incomparable goodneſs and natural ſweetneſs that there is in him. But others that ſee it not, reject thoſe gracious invitations, reject the Kings Supper, and think it ſtrange that thou runneſt not with him to the ſame exceſs of riot.
4. Spring of love is this, the Lord preſents before the ſoul, Firſt his love in giving Chriſt. Secondly, the love of Chriſt in giving himſelf, and this many times takes with a ſoul, and makes it break forth in theſe or the like expreſſions; O the love of God to ſinners, to give his ſon, and not a ſervant, his own ſon and not another, his only ſon and not a ſecond, his only begotten ſon, and not an adopted ſon, that he ſhould ſend and give him, when he was not ſought by us, but freely given by him to us, not friends but enemies! &c. In the next place conſider, the love of Chriſt in giving himſelf; O how wonderful was his love to us, it was not a love to the fallen Angels, but to fallen man! Oh what hath he undergone for us! O that he that was equal with God ſhould come in the form of a ſervant! That he that the heaven of heavens could not contain, ſhould be cradled in a Manger, and from his cradle to his Croſs, his whole life was a life of ſorrows! Oh that the Judge of all fleſh ſhould be condemned, the Lord of Life put to death, that he that was crowned with honour and glory, ſhould be crowned with thorns! That that face that was white and ruddy, ſhould be ſpit upon by the beaſtly Jews! and that tongue that ſpake as never man ſpake, ſhould be accuſed of blaſphemy! That thoſe hands that ſwayed the Scepter, and feet that were as fine braſs, ſhould be nailed to the Croſs! He was tempted by the Devil, reviled by the High Prieſts, branded for a Babler, Wine-bibber, and Sabbath-breaker, and Blaſphemer! all this he ſuffered for us out of love to us, ſhall we not love him? his true love to us will be ſatisfied with nothing but love again—This is another Spring of love.
Of the Tryals of Love, how it may be known.
WE read, 2 Cor. 2. 8. And to prove the ſincerity of your love; if the Lord will, this ſhall be my work in few words, to lay down thoſe ſpiritual experimental ſigns of this ſincere, unfeigned, fervent love.
1. The firſt character of this grace of love is this; true love will be ſatisfied with nothing but love again; what doth all avail, as long as we may not ſee the Kings face.
2. Thoſe whom we love we often think upon, our thoughts faſten on them. Pſalm 139. 17, 18. How precious are the thoughts of thee unto me O God, how great is the ſum of them? when I awake I am ſtill with thee. So that ſleeping or waking, his mind runs upon him: try thy love of God by this; if thou think not often of God, thou loveſt him not; but if thou canſt not ſatisfie thy ſelf with profits, pleaſures, friends and other worldly objects, but thou muſt turn other buſineſſes aſide, that thou mayeſt daily think of God: then thou loveſt him.
3. Thoſe whom we love, we will not willingly offend; no bars are ſo ſtrong as love; Sooner will the ſervant offend his maſter, the ſon his father, the wife her husband, the ſubject his Protector, then him whom he ſpiritually loves. Friendſhip binds faſter then any authority; Jonathan will offend his natural Father, rather then his ſpiritual brother, David: Joſeph will offend his miſtreſs, rather then his God, &c.
4. Thoſe whom we love, we acquaint with our grievances, and lay open our miſeries to their boſoms; their counſel we ask, and from them we look for help. 2 Chron. 20. 12. Jehoſhaphat being oppoſed by his enemies, to whom comes he to complain? to none but to God whom he loved: to whom comes Hezekiah, 2 Kings 19. 14, 15. to complain againſt Rabſhakeh and Sennacherib? to none but to God: to whom went David to complain of the bitter words of Cuſh the Benjamite? to none but unto God whom he loves. Pſalm 7. 1. O Lord my God, in thee do I put my truſt, ſave me from all them that perſecute me, &c.
5. Thoſe we love, we take any ſmall token kindly from them; a pin from a friend is more eſteemed then a pound from an enemy.
6. Thoſe whom we love, we are willing to ſuffer or endure any thing for. Iacob, Gen. 29. 20. endured a tedious ſervice for Rachel, and it ſeemed but a few daies to him, becauſe he loved her: ſo Pauls love to Chriſt made him not care for the paſſionate ſpeeches, nor affectionate tears of his friends, he loved Chriſt more then either of them, Acts 21. 13. compared with Iohn 21. 15.
7. Thoſe whom we love, we can bear any thing that comes from them; we can endure their reproofs and their corrections; the child can be contented to be ſtruck by the Father, that would not not take a blow of another. Pſalm 39. 9. I was dumb, I opened not my mouth becauſe thou didſt it.
8. That love that we bear to the people of God, is a ſure token of our love to God, the image of God is graven in them, and they that love God, love thoſe images of him that himſelf hath ſtamped; and the more like they are to God, the more they love them: But not to love them, is delivered as a note of the children of the Devil. 1 John 3. 10. He that loveth not his brother, is not of God. 1 Iohn 4. 7. He that loveth not his Brother abideth in death. See 1 Iohn 4. 20.
9. Thoſe that we love, we ſhall be often ſpeaking of, and praiſing them. Pſalm 47. 6. As he abounded in love to God, ſo he abounded in praiſing him, Sing praiſes to God, ſing praiſes, ſing praiſes to our King: and ſee ver. 7.
What ſhall I ſay more, doth thy heart ſtir after Chriſt? art thou ſick of love, grieved if he be abſent, glad if preſent? art thou very diligent to obtain the thing beloved? love cannot abide delaies, but would preſently enjoy the thing loved: love deſires no wages but love again; true love will conſtrain you to pleaſe him, and put ſuch neceſſity upon you to obey him, that you cannot chuſe but do it in ſome good meaſure, 2 Cor. 5. 14.
10. And laſtly, with the love of God is alwaies joyned the hatred of ſin. Revelat. 2. 6. Thou hateſt the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I alſo hate.
The love of God, and the love of ſin cannot dwell intenſively at the ſame time in the ſame heart; for the love of the one will prove the hatred of the other, Mat. 6. 24. Jam. 4. 4. So love to God caſts out ſervile fear, 1 Iohn 4. 18, 19. there is no fear in love, but perfect love caſteth out fear, becauſe fear hath torment: he that feareth is not …de perfect in love: love caſteth out a ſinful, ſervile, ſlaviſh fear, whereby we ſlaviſhly fear either God or the creature, Rom. 8. 15. Mat. 10. 28. this is the fear that true love caſts out.
1. Is this love of God ſhed abroad in thine heart by the Holy Ghoſt? haſt thou an experimental taſte of Gods love? Rom. 5. 5.
2. Hath this love of God effectually regenerated and renewed thee by the Spirit? Titus 3. 4, 5, 6.
3. Hath this love of God adopted thee, that thou art numbered amongſt the ſons of God? 1 Iohn 3. 1, 2.
4. Hath this love of Chriſt ſatisfied thee, and made thee holy? Col. 3. 12.
5. Hath this love of Chriſt brought thee to live the life of Faith? Gal. 2. 20.
6. Doth this love of God and Chriſt ſweetly conſtrain, and even compell thee to be chea…ully ſerviceable to him in thy place and calling? 2 Cor. 5. 13, 14, 15, 16.
Of the Properties of this true Love.
1. WHere there is love to God, and faith in Chriſt, it makes the ſoul long for, and earneſtly deſire the appearing of Chriſt, 2 Tim. 4. 8. There is a Crown of righteouſneſs laid up for all them that love his appearing: as when we love any, we love their preſence. It is true, ſometimes good men are afraid to die, but it is becauſe they would be better fitted for their Bridegrooms coming: beſides the beſt have fleſh as well as Spirit, &c.
2. Another property of love is this: Love delighteth to ſpeak well of the party beloved. David abounded in love to God, and therefore could never ſatisfie himſelf in ſpeaking of, and praiſing him, Pſalm 105.
3. Love is bountiful and ſeeks not its own, as doth abundantly appear in this bleſſed portion of Scripture, 1 Cor. 13. 4, 5.
4. Another property of love is this, it will put the whole man to work for the party beloved: Memory, Will, Affections, Tongue and Hand, and all will fall to work, when others ſtand frozen and benummed: ſurely the heart that loves Chriſt is ſtill drawing nearer and nearer to him, aſpiring towards heaven, and thriving in the work of grace.
5. And laſtly, love commandeth the affections, of anger and fear, it moderates the one, and regulates the other.
What ſhall I ſay more of the properties of this love? he that hath this love of God ſhed abroad in his heart, doth look upon Chriſt as the chiefeſt among ten thouſand, and ſo ſpeaks good of his name, Pſal. 34. 8. O taſte and ſee that the Lord is good, &c. In a word, a ſoul comes to love him for himſelf, becauſe he is the object of love. And ſo this man grieves when he is either diſhonoured or ſlighted.
Of the motives or inducements to perſwade us to get into, and grow up in this Love.
THE motives to perſwade us to make out after this love, may be drawn from, either the benefits that we ſhall get by it; or from the hurt or danger in neglecting it. To begin then with the laſt firſt, 2 Cor. 16. 22. If any man love not the Lord Ieſus Chriſt, let him be curſed with a double curſe, &c. 1 Iohn 4. 8. He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love: and if we know him not. 2 Theſ. 1. 8. he will come in flaming fire taking vongeance on them that know him not. Iohn 5. 42. Theſe people have not the love of God in them. Ioh. 8. 42. Ieſus ſaid to them, if God were your father, ye would love me, &c. 1 Iohn 3. 10. In this the children of God are manifeſt, and the children of the Devil; whoſoever doth not righteouſneſs is not of God, neither he that loveth not his Brorher: in a word, there is nothing that we ſay or do that will be accepted of the Lord without this love, 1 Cor. 13. 1, 2, 3. Though I ſpeak with the tongue of men and Angels, and though I have the gift of prophecy, and underſtand all myſteries, and though I beſtow all my goods to feed the poor, and give my body to be burned, and have not this love, I am nothing, &c.
In the next place let us conſider the excellency of it, and the benefits we ſhall get thereby. Firſt, it is moſt like to God, 1 John 4. 16. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God. Again, it is called by David, a joyful, bleſſed and pleaſant thing: Again, it is recorded in Scripture as one of our evidences for heaven, 1 John 3. 14. By this we know we have paſſed from death to life, becauſe we love the brethren: and our love to our brethren is a ſign of our love to God, 1 John 4. 20. Laſtly, love will ſtand when all other graces will fail, 1 Cor. 13. 8. Love never faileth, ver. 13. now abideth Faith, Hope, Charity, theſe three, but the greateſt of theſe is Charity.
Of our love to the children of God, the nature of it, the tryals of it, the means of attaining it, and impediments that hinder it.
1. OF the nature of it: Chriſt is nothing elſe but love, and there ſhould not any thing be beloved by us, but as it either conveys love from him▪ or elſe draws up our affections unto him; and our loving of his body the Church, will effect both theſe. The nature then of this love, may be comprehended under theſe enſuing heads. When we love them, as ſuch in whom we ſee the Image of Chriſt, for their ſpiritual brother-hood, 1 Pet. 2. 17. The godly for godlineſs ſake, for God in them: Chriſtians for Chriſtianity, for Chriſt in them; the Saints for their Saint-ſhip, for their Sanctity of perſon and converſation; The ſpiritual children begotten, for their Heavenly Fathers ſake: when grace is the principal load-ſtone of our affection; when for this we love them, more then for beauty, ſweetneſs of diſpoſition, birth, breeding, learning, wi…, gifts, wealth, honour, &c. And ſo love all ſuch as we apprehend to be the children of God; for he that truly loves one child of God, as a child of God, loves every child of God, whether noble or ignoble, rich or poor, bond or free, male or female; for the ſame God, the ſame Chriſt, the ſame grace, is as truly amiable in one, as in another. See Col. 1. 4.
Hence we alſo come to love them moſt, that are moſt gracious, for where grace allures the affection, the more grace there is in any perſon, there is the ſtronger motive and allurement to love more. Jeſus loved all his Diſciples, John 13. 1. But John he loved eminently above all the reſt, John 21. 20. And ſo as grace grows in the ſame perſon, true love towards him will grow proportionably.
Of the Tryals of our love to the brethren.
THere is a two-fold tryal or evidence of our love to the Lords people, the one more internal, the other ext…rnal. …ſt, of the firſt, of the inward evidences. We …ad … J…hn 3. 14. By this we know we have paſſed from death to life, becauſe we love the Brethr…n. Now …r unfeigned love to them will appear by theſe enſuing things.
1. If I would know whether I love the Brethren▪ Let me exam… what my thoughts are of them, love thinketh no evil, 1 Cor. 13. 4, 5. Now I can certainly tell what I do think of another, although I cannot tell what he doth think of me. So, though I cannot certainly, and infallibly tell whether another loves me, yet I can certainly tell whether I love him or no; his love to me is in his heart, which I know not; my love to him is in my heart, which I know, and no creature elſe.
2. If I would indeed know if I love the brethren, let me examine how I do ſtand affected to them, in ſympathizing with them when they be in miſery, Heb. 13. 3. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them, and them which ſuffer adverſity, as being your ſelves alſo in the body.
3. When we are at diſtance from them, what deſires have we after them, Phil. 1. 8. God is my record, how greatly I long after y… all, in the bowels of Jeſus Chriſt. Now why doth Paul call God to record? to prove the truth of his love to theſe Saints, but becauſe this love in his heart, was known to none but to God and himſelf.
4. What delight do we take in their company; we are often in the company of thoſe that we take no delight in: Now do we indeed delight in the ſociety of the Saints: then we love them, Pſalm 16. 3, &c.
In a word, ſuch things as we love, we keep with care, poſſeſs with joy, and looſe with grief: ſo much of the inward tryals of our love to the Saints.
Next of the external tryals of this love, by which we may know, that others do love us, and by which they may know that we love them.
But theſe evidences are not ſo infallible as the other, we read John 13. 35. By this ſhall all men know that ye are my Diſciples, if ye have love one to another: and how doth our love unto another appear, but in theſe or the like things, viz.
1. He that doth love his brother, will be apt to reprove him when he doth ill, and praiſe him when he doth well; a friend can bear a ſharp reproof from a friend, &c.
2. Another evidence of love is this, we acquaint thoſe whom we love with our miſeries, lay open our griefs, and account it ſome eaſe to diſcharge ſome of our ſorrows into their boſoms; their advice we ask, and from them we look for aſſiſtance, 2 Cor. 8. 3.
3. Where love is in the heart, it will appear in the tongue, 1 Cor. 13. Love is kind, but there is a great deal of verbal and complementary love with men, forbidden in the Scriptures of truth, ſaying, love not in word and tongue, but in deed and in truth.
4. Another Character of love is this, when thou haſt ſome injuries offered thee, thou wilt not ſoon be angry, 1 Cor. 13. 4. love ſuffereth long.
5. Where there is love unto another, there will be endeavours to do good unto another; not only to the body, but alſo to the ſoul; they will be apt to ſay, as the woman of Samaria did to her neighbours, when ſhe had found Chriſt her ſelf, ſhe cals them to him, John 4. 29. Come ſee a man which told me all things that ever I did, is not this the Chriſt? Or as David, Pſal. 66. 16. I will tell you what God hath done for my ſoul.
Of the means of attaining a true love to the brethren.
1. COnſider the Lord loves them, and …ath received them; then ſay to thy ſelf, ſhall I hate and reject thoſe that he loves and receives, how unlike ſhall be to God?
2. Conſider that the Lord commands thee to love them, and it is thy duty ſo to do; and wilt thou rebel againſt God, in not doing thy duty, but the quite contrary?
3. Conſider they be members of the ſame body, children of the ſame Father, heirs of the ſame promiſes as thou art. Conſider I ſay, thy relation to them, 1 Cor. 12. 27. For relation is the ground of affection.
4. Labour daily to have a higher eſteem of all the Saints, and a lower eſteem of thy ſelf, ſo by degrees ſhalt thou come to love them indeed, Phil. 2. 3. Let nothing be done through ſtrife and vain glory, but in lowlineſs of mind: let each eſteem other better then themſelves.
5. Eye the work of God in them, the Image of Chriſt in them, and the gifts and graces of his Spirit adorning them, and then thou wilt quickly love them, and that with a pure heart fervently, 1 Pet. 1. 22.
Of the impediments, and hinderances of love.
1. THe firſt impediment that doth hinder love, which we ſhould do well to beware of, is this, beware of perſecuting them either with tongue, hand or pen, Acts 9. 4. Saul, Saul, why perſecuteſt thou me? Zach. 2. 8. He that toucheth them, toucheth the Apple of mine eye, ſaith the Lord.
2. Beware of pride, Prov. 13. 10. Only by pride cometh contention.
3. Beware of offending them, Mat. 18. 6.
4. Beware of giving credit to evil reports, for many times it is a lye; alſo take heed of evil ſurmiſings, and groundleſs jealouſies, and all other things that makes head againſt love, E…heſ. 4. 31. Let all bitterneſs, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil ſpeaking be put away from you, with all malice.