Philadelphia, or, a treatise of brotherly-love Shewing, that we must love all men: love the wicked in general: love our enemies: that the godly must especially love another: and the reasons of each particular love. The manner of our mutual love; the dignity, necessity, excellenc, and usefulness of brotherly-love. That the want of love, where love is due, is hatred, shewed in divers particulars. The greatness of the sin of malice and hatred; with the reasons why wicked men hate the saints: together with cautions against those sins that break the bond of love. Many weighty questions discussed, and divers cases cleared. By William Gearing, minister of the word.

CHAP. XI. I come in the second place, to shew, How we must manifest our Love in general to the wicked. Here consider, of what we must beware, and what we must do.

1. Of what we must beware.

1. WE must not approve of, or delight in their Sins. God loveth the wicked, but in no wise approveth of them in their sins: We must hate the Vice, but not the Person: God hates not the Persons of Devils, but their Sins: We must follow God in this: hence are those Phrases in Scripture of God's loathing, hating, abhorring the Sins of the wicked, they are an abomination to him; and we must by no means approve of their Sins, and delight in them. Their Sin must not be our joy: that which is God's dishonour, must be our grief, yea it must be our hatred, as it is Gods. Can a Child see his Father disgraced by men, and his Bowels not yearn? If God be as dear unto us as a Father, we cannot but rise against them that dishonour him. Gods Glory must be dea∣rer to us than all things.

2. We must not any way encourage them walking in their Sins. God loveth the unjust, yet he threatens them with all woes and curses, and with damnation. He tells the unclean person, that he will judg•• him: He tells the drunkard, that there is a wo unto him: He tells the proud, that they are an abomination to him: He tells all the wicked, that he will not hold them guiltless, that he will turn them all into Hell. The Lord gives them not the least hint of mercy, to cause them to walk presump∣tuously in their sins. We must say to our Friends and Neighbours that walk in sinful ways, how do ye hope to be saved? what grounds of con∣fidence have ye, while ye live in such sins? Cer∣tainly, ye will undo your Souls for ever, if you go on in such and such sins.

2. What we must do.

We must admonish and reprove them; in which duty we are too faulty. Christ did re∣prove wicked men to their faces. How tartly did he deal with the Scribes and Pharisees for their Hypocrisie, and with the Jews also? How boldly did the Prophets reprove the great Ones; they would spare none, if they were wicked. But ye will say, that Christ and the Prophets did reprove them as Ministers; and they were immediately sent from God to re∣prove

those particular persons. It is true; yet Ministers in publick may reprove the same sins in other persons as ever the Prophets did. But we rather speak of private reproof and admonition, which duty concerneth every man.

Therefore observe these things. Art thou a member of a Family and seest thou sin to grow there in any Person? thou art faithfully to re∣prove and admonish. Hast thou kinred or friends whom thou dearly lovest walking in evil ways? then reprove and admonish. Do any of thy Familiars sin in thy company, then reprove and admonish them. Art thou in the Compa∣ny of Strangers, that swear and curse, and pro∣phane the holy Name of God, give a loving check to them, Why do ye curse and swear?

Perhaps ye will say, they regard it not. It is no matter, Thou dost thy duty. Ye will re∣ply; We have done so and they do not reform. Yet still reprove them; God may make thy reproofs effectual one time or other: God is patient and long-suffering; so must we be also. — You will say, they scoff and scorn at re∣proof. — I answer, Then avoid their fel∣lowship as much as thou canst. We do express more Love to one another, by reproving one another, than by any thing; it is a sign we desire the good of one anothers Souls. True Love is mixed of sweetness and sharpness: It

is a kind of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a bitter-sweet: it hath not only sweet meats, but pills, corrosives, as well as healing plaisters: it can wound as well as heal; yea it must wound that it may heal. If a Christian see seculent matter that nouri∣sheth vice, cleave to any one, true love will cause him to strain a point of kindness to purge it out, albeit with more rough than pleasing Physick; faithful are the wounds of such a friend. Prov. 27.6. Melius est cum severitate dili∣gere, quàm cum lenitate decipere. Better is a severe kind of Love, than a deceitful Leni∣ty.

There are two reasons, why we must in Love to the wicked, thus behave our selves.

1. Because our Love to them must princi∣pally aim at their conversion, reformation and salvation. As God laboureth by his goodness to draw men to repentance, so must we by our Love; and what better course can we take than by reproving them, by telling them of the fearful danger they are in, and that such courses will undoubtedly bring them to Hell. When wicked men shall see we dislike their courses, and grieve at them, God may set it home upon them, to make them the more sen∣sible of their own sins. Should we not shew our dislike of such courses, we should harden and confirm them in their sins, and so to be an occasion of their desperate impenitency.

2. Because otherwise we shew neither Love to them, nor to our selves: we make our selves partakers of their sins: neglect of reproof is a tacit consent to them in their sins: should we any way encourage them, we should be abet∣tors of them: Should we any way delight in their sins, God would lay them to our score.