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SERMON XV.

Preached November 29, 1676.

I JOHN IV. 20..

He that loveth not his Brother, whom he bath feen; how can he love GOD, whom he hath not feen?

T

HE truth which we have in hand from

these words, I mean the last of those which have been propofed from them, is to this purpose; That their pretence to the love of GOD is both falfe and abfurd, who join not therewith love to their brother. And here

I. We have already fhewn, in speaking to this propofition, how we are to understand love to our brother; with what latitude, and with what limitations.

II. We have fhewn you whence it is that some may pretend to love GOD, who do not love their brother. And

III. WE have fhewn both the falfhood and absurdity of such a pretence: the former from plain words of Scripture; and the latter from fuch confiderations, as do plainly demonftrate it to be a most unreasonable pretence, and therefore fuch as carries the most manifeft abfurdity with it.

THE

VOL.

I.

THE ufe doth yet remain. And that which I more principally intend is to put you upon reflection to engage you to reflect upon your felves, and the common practice, but more especially upon your own; to confider how disagreeable it is to that love, which we owe to our brother; that so we may lament the great miscarriage that is to be seen in the common practice of the world, and reform it in our felves.

AND confider as to both, fince we all of us profefs love to GOD (as all implicitly do who profefs any thing of religion, of which love to Go D is the very life and foul) whether want of love to our brother doth not too generally carry with it a plain confutation of that profeffion. And that I may the more diftinctly pursue this ufe, and more comprehenfively, as to the cafes and perfons concerned, I fhall, according to the double notion of the duty in the text, take notice how little love there is to be seen towards men as men, or towards Chriftians as Chriftians.

FIRST Towards men as men: whom we may confider either univerfaliy, that is all men in general; or indefinitely, that is any man in particular with whom we have to do, or have occafion to converfe withal.

I. How little love is there to be feen towards men univerfally confider'd! To love men as men, is to love them upon an universal reason, that extendeth or fhould make our love extend unto

all men. As you know all the commandments

of

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15

of the fecond table are all founded in love, refolved SER M.
into that duty, and gathered up into that one fum. XV.
And we find that this or that particular command
being reduced thither doth oblige us to duty
even to men as men, and that upon an univerfal
reafon common to all men. As we inftanced be-
fore in that one negative precept, Thou shalt not
kill, inforced by that univerfal reason, For in the
image of GOD made be man. The obligation of
this in reference to the object, extends as far even

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as that natural image of GOD does; "Which as
an Ancient speaks, every Man bears whether
" he will or no, and can no more part with it
than with himself." It is indeed his very na-
ture. But how little of fuch love is there to be
found among us! How few true lovers are there
even of their own fpecies, who have a real and
fervent affection (such as the object claims and
challenges) for fuch as partake of the human na-
ture with themselves! For I pray confider

i. How little is our refentment of the com-
mon calamities of the world, whether in refe-
rence to their eternal, or temporal concernments!
How few regret it, or take it deeply to heart,
that men are fo generally without GoD in the
world, and without Chrift! That the knowledge
is fo imperfect among men of their own original,
and of the end of their being; of him who made
them, and what they were made for! That the
knowledge of a Redeemer (the sweet favour of
which the Apostle tells us it was fo much his am-
VOL. I.
bition

S

.I.

VOL. bition to have manifefted in every place) is yet fo little among men! Who regrets or lays it to heart, that the world is fo filled with violence, barbarifm and blood? That a deluge, and inundation of mifery is with fin fpread over the world, and tranfmitted and propagated from age to age, and from generation to generation? When we hear of wars and devastations, and garments rolled in blood here and there, how few are there who concern themselves for it, as long as they are quiet and at peace in their own habitations! And again,

2. How cold and faint are our fupplications on the behalf of men fo generally confidered! though we are exprefly directed by that exhortation of the Apostle to make prayer and fupplication for all men. How little comprehenfive are our fpirits to take in the common concerns of the world with seriousness as the cafe requires! How little do we imitate the Bleffed GoD in this! for a general philanthropy, or kindness to men is even a moft godlike quality, and that wherein he hath reprefented himfelf as a pattern to us. And

II. WE may confider men indefinitely, that is, any with whom we have to do or converfe with. And though there may be, as there ought to be the inward workings of love towards men confidered under that formal and extenfive notion, yet there may not be fo much as the external expreffions and exercises of love to men confidered

this

a 2 Cor. 11. 14.

► 1 Tim. 11. 1.

Gal. vi. 10.

this latter way. This external exercife of love SER M. requires a prefent object, determined by fuch XV. circumstances, and fuch particular occurrences and occafions as render it liable to the exercise of our love. So the Apoftle limits particularly our benefaction; As we have opportunity let us do good unto all men, but especially to those who are of the boushold of faith. The poor, lays our Saviour, ye have always with you, but me you have not. A present object fo circumstanced, is required for the exercise of such love as goes forth into external acts. We cannot our felves actually do good unto all. We cannot reach all, for our fphere is not fo large. The most we can do in that kind is by prayer to our utmost to ingage an univerfal Agent, who can adapt himself to every one's cafe and exigence. But within our fphere; I fay, and in reference to those we have to do with and where we have op portunity, how little does there appear of love to

men!

THE rule according to which we are to exercife our love, is that royal law, as the Apostle James calls it, to love our neighbour as our felves. Or as our Saviour elsewhere expreffes it, Whatfoever ye would that men fhould do to you, do ye fo to them. A rule that hath been very highly magnified even among fome of the heathen; and the author of it alfo, our Lord Jefus Chrift himfelf, upon the account of it. That is a known

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