A practicall commentary, or an exposition with observations, reasons, and vses upon the first Epistle generall of John by ... John Cotton ...

Doct. Not onely the hatred of our Brother, but the want of love to our Bre∣thren is a signe (not of a childe of God, but) of the devill, John 13.35. 1 Kings 18.17, 18:

Reas. 1. From the constant practise of God. Is there any one of them which he hath adopted, whom he loves not? Mat. 10. ult. And observe the con∣trary practice of Satan; there is no childe of God but he is estranged from, and sits loose from.

2. From the want of knowledge of God, 1 John 4.8. He knows not, &c.

Here is a double reason.

• 1. He hath not experience of Gods love.
• 2. God is love.

When the Sun shines upon a stone wall, though it be cold, yet it reflects the heat back again upon every person. So there is none that hath felt the warmth of Gods love upon his soul, but though his heart were cold before, yet he re∣flects it upon all.

2. God is love; It is a property inseparable from the nature of God, he love•• to communicate good.

3. From the like condition of all Brethren. He that loves not his Brother, because he is a Brother, he loves none at all. He that loves not one of a mans children, because he is born of such a man, loves none of them. A man may hate a Brother for some sinister respect, as Joseph's Brethren; it was a certain signe they were not born of God, though afterward they came to good. And they that did not love Joseph for his goodnesse sake, could not love Jacob nor Abraham. A man may hate and distaste some injury offered, but if once the corruption of any childe of God shall prevaile with me to hate him, more then his goodnesse to love him, it is a sign there is a distemper in my heart.

Ʋse 1 See a manifest difference between the children of God and of the Devil. If there be any Brother thou lovest not, from whom thy heart is girded up, whom thou canst not affect, thou art not born of God. I know provocations may be such as may weaken affections, and turn the streams, as that it shall not run so fully, nor strongly, yet a childe of God dares not allow himselfe, but he doth take a course to remove matters of enmity, and he takes himselfe as much bound to hate himselfe for neglect of his Brother, as he found cause to neglect his Brother. A man may be angry towards those he

loves, without sin. But this want of love will do more injury to your spirit, then the injury that is done to you. A man may be angry, but when his passi∣on is over, his love returns again,

What is it not to love any brother?

There are two things in love.

• 1. A Communion with them.
• 2. A communication of good to them. In some things a man desires communion with others; other things there be, wherein though a man de∣sires not communion with them, yet he desires communication of good to them.

Ʋse 1. This should exhort us to stretch our love universally to every soul. You were better bestow your love upon some base hypocrite, then restraine your love from some poor Christian. You cannot neglect one Christian, but it will hazard your whole generall estate; In judgement of Charity, if they abstain from grosse sins, and do good duties, we think well of them, and we had better lose our love upon them; then neglect a childe of God, Psal. 35.12, 14. And indeed it is not lost, for it shall return into his bosome. It is a signe I love a man, if I love his picture; so though a man should be an hy∣pocrite, yet if we love the shew of grace, it is a signe we love grace indeed. Never say thou lovest a Christian, unlesse thou lovest the picture of a Christian. What a miserable thing is the want of this? such a man is not born of God, but of the Devill. And what a poor case is a man in, that makes his spirit the spirit of Satan?