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We have here, 1. The due qualifications of it: 2. A Chriftian's obligation to it.

I. The qualifications are three; namely, Sincerity, Purity, and Fervency. The fincerity is expreffed in the former claufe of the verse, unfeigned love; and repeated again in the latter part, that it be with a pure beart; and the purity is included in fervency.

1. Love must be unfeigned. It appears that diffimulation is a disease that is very incident in this particular. The Apostle St Paul hath the fame word, Rom. xii. 9. and the Apoftle St John to the fame, fenfe, 1 John iii. 18. that it have that double reality which is oppofed to double diffembled love; that it be cordial and effectual; that the profeffing of it arife from truth of affection, and, as much as may be, `be feconded with action; that both the heart and the hand may be rather the feal of it than the tongue : Not court holy-water, an empty noife of fervice and affection, that fears nothing more than to be put upon trial. Although thy brother with whom thou converfest cannot, it may be, fee through thy false appearances, He that commands this love, looks chiefly within, feeks it there, and if he find it not there, hates them moft that moft pretend it: So that the art of diffembling, though never fo well ftudied, cannot pass in this King's court, to whom all hearts are open, and all defires known. When, after variances, men are brought to an agreement, they are much fubject to this, rather to cover their remaining malices with fuperficial verbal forgiveness, than to dislodge them, and free the heart of them. This is a poor felf-deceit; as the philofopher faid to him, that being afhamed that he was efpied by him in a tavern in the outer-room, withdrew himfelf to the inner,-he called after him, "That is not the way out; the "more you go that way, you will be the further with

in it." When hatreds upon admonition are not thrown out, but retire inward to hide themselves, they grow deeper and ftronger than before; and VOL. I.

Y

thofe

thofe conftrained femblances of reconcilement are but a falfe healing, do but skin the wound over, and therefore it ufually breaks forth worse again,

How few are there that have truly maliceless hearts, and find this entire upright affection towards their brethren attending them in their whole converfation, this law of love deeply impreffed on their hearts, and from thence expreffed in their words and actions! and that is unfeigned love, as real to their brethren as to themselves.

2. It must be pure, from a pure heart; this is not all one with the former, as fome take it. It is true, doubleness and hypocrify is an impurity, and a great one; but all impurity is not doublenefs; one may really mean that friendship and affection he expreffes, and yet it may be moft contrary to that which is here required, because impure; fuch a brotherly love as that of Simeon and Levi, brethren in iniquity, as the expreffing them brethren, Gen. xlix. is taken to mean. When hearts are cemented together by impurity itfelf, by ungodly converfation and fociety in fin, as in uncleannefs or drunkenness, &c. this is a fwinifh fraternity and friendship, that is contracted, as it were, by wallowing in the fame mire. Call it good fellowfhip, or what you will, all the fruit that in the end can be expected out of unholy friendlinefs and fellowship in finning together, is to be tormented together, and to add each to the torment of another.

The mutual love of Chriftians must be pure, arifing from fuch caufes as are pure and fpiritual, from the fenfe of our Saviour's command and of his example; for he himself joins that with it, A new commandment give I you, faith he, that as I have loved you, fo you also love one another, John xiii. 34. They that are indeed. lovers of God are united; by that their hearts meet in him as in one centre. They cannot but love one another: Where a godly man fees his Father's image, he is forced to love it; he loves thofe he perceives godly, fo as to delight in them, becaufe that image

171 is in them; and thofe that appear deftitute of it, he loves them fo, as to with them partakers of that image. And this is all for God; he loves amicum in Deo, et inimicum propter Deum: That is, he loves a friend in God, and an enemy for God. And as the Christian's love is pure in its cause, so in its effects and exercise; his fociety and converfe with any, tends mainly to this, that he may mutually help, and be helped, in the knowledge and love of God; he defires moft, that he and his brethren may jointly mind their journey heavenwards, and further one another in their way to the full enjoyment of God. And this is truly the love of a pure heart, that both begins and ends in God.

3. We must love fervently, not after a cold indif ferent manner. Let the love of your brethren be as a fire within you, confuming that felfifhnefs that is fo contrary to it, and is fo natural to men; let it fet your thoughts on work to ftudy how to do others good; let your love be an active love, intense within you, and extending itself in doing good to the fouls and bodies of your brethren, as they need, and you are able; Alium re, alium confilio, alium gratiâ, as Sen. de benef. lib. i. cap. 2.

It is felf-love that contracts the heart, and fhuts out all other love, both of God and man, fave only fo far as our own intereft carries, and that is ftill felflove: But the love of God dilates the heart, purifies love, and extends it to all men, but after a special manner directs it to thofe that are more peculiarly beloved of Him; and that is the particular love here required.

II. The Chriftian's obligation to this love, intimated in the words, love of the brethren. In this is implied our obligation to it after a fpecial manner, in loving those of the household of faith, because they are our brethren. This concludes not only, as Ahraham faid, that there ought to be no ftrife, Gen. xiii. 8. but it binds moft ftrongly to this fincere and pure and fervent love; and therefore the Apostle, in the next

verfe,

verfe, repeats exprefsly the doctrine of the myfterious new birth, and explains it more fully, which he hath mentioned in the entrance of the epiftle, and again referred to, ver. 14, 17.

There is in this fervent love, fympathy with the griefs of our brethren, defire and endeavour to help them, bearing their infirmities, and recovering them too, if it may be; raifing them when they fall, admonishing and reproving them as is needful, fometimes fharply, and yet ftill in love; rejoicing in their good, in their gifts and graces; fo far from envying them, that we be glad as if they were our own: There is the fame blood running in their veins: You have the fame Father, and the fame Spirit within you, and the fame Jefus Chrift, the Head of that glorious fraternity, the first-born among many brethren, Rom. viii. 29.; of whom the Apostle faith, Eph. i. 10. that he bath recollected into one, all things in heaven and in earth. The word is, gathered them into one head; and fo fuits very fitly to exprefs our union in him. In whom, fays he in that fame epiftle, chap. iv. ver. 16. the whole body is fitly compacted together; and adds, that which agrees to our purpose, that this body grows up and edifies itself in love. All the members receive fpirits from the fame Head, and are useful and ferviceable one to another, and to the whole body. Thus these brethren, receiving of the fame Spirit from their head Chrift, are most strongly bent to the good one of another. If there be but a thorn in the foot, the back boweth, the head ftoops down, the eyes look, the hands reach to it, and endeavour its help and ease. In a word, all the members partake of the good and evil one of another. Now, by how much this body is more spiritual and lively, fo much the ftronger muft the union and love of the parts of it be each to other. You are brethren by the fame new birth, and born to the fame inheritance, and fuch an one as fhall not be an apple of ftrife amongst you, to beget debates and contentions: No, it is enough for

all,

all, and none fhall prejudge another; but you shall have joy in the happiness one of another, seeing you fhall then be perfect in love; all harmony, no difference in judgment or affection, all your harps tuned to the fame new fong, which you fhall fing for ever. Let that love begin here, which shall never end.

And this fame union, I conceive, is likewife expreffed in the firft words of the verfe: Seeing you are partakers of that work of fanctification by the fame word, and the fame Spirit, that works it in all the faithful, and by that, are called and incorporated into that fraternity; therefore live in it, and like it. You are purified to it, therefore love one another after that fame manner purely. Let the profane world scoff that name of brethren, you will not be fo foolish as to be scorned out of it, being fo honourable and happy; and the day is at hand wherein those that fcoff you, would give much more than all that the beft of them ever poffeffed in the world, to be admitted into your number.

Seeing you have purified your fouls in obeying the truth through the Spirit.] Here is, 1. The chief feat or fubject of the work of fanctification, the foul. 2. The fubordinate means, truth. 3. The nature of it, obeying of truth. 4. The chief worker of it, the Holy Spirit.

For the first, The chief feat of fanctification, the foul: It is no doubt a work that goes through the whole man, renews and purifies all, Heb. x. 22. 2 Cor. vii. 1. But because it purifies the foul, therefore it is that it does purify all. There impurity begins, Mat. xv. 18. not only evil thoughts, but all evil actions come forth from the heart, which is there all one with the foul; and therefore this purifying begins there, makes the tree good that the fruit may be good. It is not fo much external performances that make the difference between men, as their inward temper. We meet here in the fame place, and all partake of the fame word and prayer: But how wide a differ

ence

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