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Are all these precious things which die with love, no better than to be sacrificed to the clergy's pride and worldly lusts?

3. Among many schismatics and sectaries, that are not miscalled so, but are such indeed; their discipline consisteth in separating from most other Christians, as too bad (and that is, too unlovely) to be of their communion; and their preaching is much to make those seem bad, (that is, unlovely) that are not of their way. And their worship is much such as relisheth of the same envy and strife, to add affliction or reproaches to their brethren; or to draw the people from the love of others unto them: And their ordinary talk is backbiting others for things that they understand not; and reporting any lie that is brought them; and telling the hearers something of this minister, or that person, or the other that is unlovely; as if Satan had hired them to preach down love, and prate and pray down love; and all this in the name of Christ. And the third chapter of James is harder than Hebrew to them; they do not understand it; but though they tear it not out of the Bible, they leave it out of the law in their hearts, as much as the Papists leave the second commandment out of their books. And it is one of the marks of a good man among them, to talk against other parties, and make others odious, to set up them. And what are the pretences for all this? Why, Truth and. Holiness. 1. Others have not the truth which they have. And 2. Others are not against the same doctrines and ceremonies, and bishops, and church-orders, and ways of worship, which they are against; and therefore are ungodly, antichristian, or men of no religion.

But Truth seldom dwelleth with the enemies of love and peace. They that are strangers and enemies to it, indeed, do often cry it up, and cry down those as enemies to it, that possess it. The wisdom that hath bitter envying and heartstrife, is from beneath, and is earthly, sensual and devilish. I admonish all that care for their salvation, that they set up nothing upon love-killing terms. If you are Christ's disciples, you are taught of God to love each other, you are taught it as Christ's last and great commandment; you are taught it by the wonderful example of his life; and especially (John xiii. 14,) by his washing his disciples' feet. You are taught it by the Holy Ghost's uniting the hearts of the disciples, and making them by charity to live as in commu

nity. (Acts iii; iv.) You are taught it by the effective operation of the Spirit on your own hearts: the new nature that is in you, inclineth you to it. And will you now pretend the necessity of your own interest, reputation, your canons, and things indifferent; your little church-orders of your own making, yea, or the positive institutions of Christ himself, as to the present exercise, against this love? Hath Christ commanded you any thing before it, except the love of God? You say, if such and such men be suffered, this and that disorder and inconvenience will follow: but is it a greater thing than love that you would maintain? Is it a greater evil than the destruction of love, that you would avoid? Did not Christ prefer mercy before Sabbath-rest, and before the avoiding familiarity with sinners? Pretend nothing against love, that is not better than love!

Object. But what is this to the love of God, which the text speaketh of?'

Answ. As God is here seen as in a glass, so is he loved. He that loveth not his brother whom he seeth daily, how shall he love God, whom he never saw? He that saith he loveth God, and hateth his brother, is a liar! What you do to his brethren you do as to Christ. If you can find as full a promise of salvation to those that observe your canons, ceremonies, orders, or are of your opinion and sect, as I can shew you for them that love Christ and his servants, then prefer the former before love.

I know that the love and good of church and state and of many must be preferred before the love and good of few. But take heed of their hypocrisy that make these also inconsistent when they are not; and make public good and peace a mere pretence for their persecutions on one side, or their schisms on the other. Love is so amiable to nature itself, that few of its enemies oppose it but under pretence of its own interest and name: it is as in love to the church and to men's souls that the Inquisition hath murdered so many, and the laws de hereticis comburendis' have been made and executed. But this burning, hanging, tormenting, and undoing kind of love, needeth very clear proof to make good its name and pretences, before impartial men will take it for love indeed. Whatever good you seem to do, by the detriment of love to God and man, you will find it will not bear your charges.

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CHAP. XVIII.

Exhort. 4. Bend all your Studies and Labours to the Exercise and Increase of Love, both of God and Man, and all good Works.

THE greatest, best and sweetest work should have the greatest diligence. This great commandment must be obeyed with the greatest care. The work of love must be the work of our whole life: if you cannot learn to pray and preach, no nor to follow a worldly trade, without study and much exercise, how think you to be proficients in the love of God without them? Do this well, and all is done. O happy souls that are habituated and daily exercised in this work: whose new nature, and life and study, and business, is holy love.

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1. How Divine, how high and noble is this life; to live in a humble friendship with God and all his holy ones! All animals naturally love their like, and converse according to their love and men as men have as much sociable love to men as the love of sin and inordinate self-love will allow them and they that truly love God and holiness and saints, do shew that they have some connatural suitableness to these excellent objects of their love. Nothing more aptly denominateth any man divine and holy, than divine and holy love. How else should souls have communion with God? His common influx all creatures receive: in him all live, and move, and have their being; but when his love kindleth in us a reflecting love, this is felicity itself. Yea it is much nobler than our felicity; for though our felicity consist in loving God, and being beloved of him, yet it is a far more excellent thing, by reason that God is the object of our love, than by reason that it is our felicity: God's interest advanceth it more than ours: And though they are not separable, yet being distinguishable, we should love God far more as God, and perfect goodness in himself, than as he or this love is our own felicity.

2. This life of love is the true improvement of all God's doctrines, ordinances, mercies, afflictions, and other providences whatsoever! For the use of them all is to lead us up to holy love, and to help us in the daily exercise of it. What

is the Bible else written for, but to teach us to love and to exercise the fruits of love? What came Christ from heaven for, but to demonstrate and reveal God's love and loveliness to man, by reconciling us to God, and freely pardoning all our sins, and promising us both grace and glory, to shew us those motives which should kindle love, and to shew us that God is most suitable and worthy of our love, and to fill us with the Spirit of love, which may give us that which he commandeth us. What is it that we read books for, and hear sermons for, but to kindle and exercise holy love? What join we for in the sacred worship of the assemblies, but that in an united flame of holy love, we might all mount up in praise to Jehovah? What is the Lord's-day separated to, but the tidings of love, the sufferings, victories, and triumphs of our Saviour's love, the tastes and prospects of God's love to us, and the lively and joyful exercise of ours to him, and to each other? What use are the sacraments of, but that being entertained at the most wonderful feast of love, we should taste its sweetness, and pour out the grateful sense of it in holy thanksgiving and praise, and the exercise of uniting love to one another? What are church societies or combination for, but the loving communion of saints? which the primitive Christians expressed by selling all, and living in a community of love, and steadfastly continuing in the apostles' doctrine, and fellowship, and breaking of bread and prayer? What are all God's mercies for but that as by love-tokens we should taste that he is love and good, and should by that taste be inclined to returns of love? Nay, what are civil societies, but loving communions, if used according to their natures? Did they not love each other, so many bees would never hive and work together, nor so many pigeons dwell peaceably in one dove-house, nor fly together in so great flocks. What is the whole Christian faith for, but the doctrine of holy love believed, for the kindling and exercise of our love? What is faith itself but the bellows of love? What is the excellency of all good works, and gifts and endowments, but to be the exercises of love to God and man, and the incentives of our brethren's love? Without love all these are dead carcases, and as nothing, and without it we ourselves' are as nothing; yea though we give all that we have to the poor, or give our bodies like martyrs to be burnt, or could speak with the

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tongue (the orthodoxy and elegancy) of angels, we were but "as sounding brass, and as a tinkling cymbal." James knew what he said, when he said that "Faith without works is dead," because without love it is dead, which those works are but the body or the fruit of.

3. This life of love is the perfection of man's faculties as to their intended end and use. As all the operations of the lower faculties, vegetative and sensitive, are subordinate to the use and operations of the intellectual part, which is the higher, so all the acts of the intellect itself, are but subservient and dirigent to the will, or love and practice. The understanding is but the eye by which the soul seeth what to love and choose or refuse, and what to do or to avoid. Love is the highest act of our highest faculty; and complacency in the highest infinite good, is the highest of all the acts of love. This is the state of the soul in its ripeness and mellow sweetness, when it is delightful, embracing its most desired object, and is blessed in the fruition of its ultimate end. All other graces and duties are servants unto this. They are the parts indeed of the same new creature, but the hands and feet are not the heart.

4. For love is the very foretaste of heaven; the beginning of that felicity which shall there be perfect. In heaven all saints shall be as one; and all united to their glorious Head, as he is united to the Father, disparities allowed. (John xvii. 24.) And what more uniteth souls than love? Heaven is a state of joyful complacence; and what is that but perfect love? The heavenly work is perfect obedience and praise: and what are these but the actions and breath of love?

5. Therefore they that live this life of love, are fitter to die, and readier for heaven, than any others. Belief is a foresight of it; but love is a foretaste: the firstfruits, and our earnest and pledge. He that loveth God, and Christ, and angels, and saints, and perfect holiness, and divine praise, is ready for heaven, as the infant in the womb is ready for birth, at the fulness of his time: But other Christians, whose love is true, but little to their fears, and damped by darkness, and too much love of the body and this world, do go as it were by untimely birth to heaven; and those in whom the love of the body is predominant, come not thither, in that state at all. The God of grace glory will meet that soul with his felicitating embracements,

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