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.

SECT. II. Now I will shew, bow no Publicans or wicked men can love their enemies.

1. THey may speak fair to their enemies, but this is not Love: their words are smoother than oyl, yet then their hearts are full of gall and bitterness, and of mischievous devices. Joab spake friendly to Abner, while his heart was full of murderous intents.

2. They may salute their enemies, yet then, as Judas, they may seek an occasion to betray them, as he did, by a kiss and an embrace: and while they flatter them, they spread a net for their feet, making them a sure prey: and if their feet be entangled, they are fast enough for run∣ning away.

Yet no wicked man can, or doth Love his enemies, so as to wish well to them as often as they have opportunity: they cannot, they will not pray for them, but when occasion is given, they will curse such as bless them, and will deal despitefully with them. The reasons are these.

1. Because this Love is a fruit of the Spirit, and proceedeth from grace. And it is as possi∣ble

for Thorns to bring forth grapes, as for a wicked man to bring forth such fruits of the Spirit. This Love that I speak of, groweth no where out of Paradise, but in a gracious heart: there is no such flower to be found in Natures Garden. Though men naturally love their kinred, and their friends, yet they cannot love their enemies. Naturally men hate their enemies; Nature judgeth it seemly and ju•••• to to be revenged on enemies; to give the same measure that their enimies measure to them. Every natural man is of the Pharisee's judg∣ment, That we are bound to love them that love us, and hate our enemies. Hence it is, that men bring Arguments to justifie them∣selves in their malitious actings against their enemies, and satisfie themselves with their own fallacious argumentations.

That wicked men cannot love their enemies, will appear, if we consider what their hearts are filled with. Rom. 1.29. The Apostle saith, they are filled with all unrighteousness, wicked∣ness, malitiousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity. Did not God set a dam, and keep within the banks, those seas of malice in mens hearts, the whole world would soon be drowned in the flood of maliciousness. Now before it is possible for a wicked man to love his enemies, his heart must be emptied of that en∣vy, hatred and malice: the Spirit of regene∣ration

must in a wonderful manner dry up this Sea of wickedness, and they must be brought to cast out Envy, Hatred and Malice out of their Hearts, as they would Toads out of their Bosoms.

3. Because they must first deny themselves, and become patient and meek in Spirit, and be content to suffer injuries, affronts, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 much evil-dealings, before they can bring their hear•• to love them that acted all enm•••••• agai•••••• them. Oh What Grace is required to bri•••• the hearts of men to be meek, when provoked and to be content to suffer much evil.