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. XIII.

IN the fourth place I am to shew, That God∣ly men must especially love one another. True Love, saith St. Augustine, is, motus animi ad fruendum Deo propter ipsum; se, & proximum, propter Deum; A motion of the Soul to the en∣joying of God for himself, and himself and his Neighbour for Gods sake: Wherefore as God is the Saviour of all men, but especially of them that beleeve; So a Christian is to be a lover of all men, but especially those of the houshold of Faith. Every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him, 1 Job. 5.1. And this he doth, as being a better argument of true goodness, than his beleeving. For if the Question be, whether a man be good, it is not demanded (saith the same Father) what he beleeveth, but what he loveth.

This love is strictly required of all Christians. 1 Pet. 1.22. See that ye love one another with a pure heart, fervently; our Love to the Saints must be fervent Love, & then pure and unfeigned Love.

As the Angels are called Seraphims from bur∣ning (as some think) because they burn in Love to God and to his Saints, so there must be this Seraphical burning Love in the Godly, to the Godly. David saith, Psal. 16.3. All my delight is in the Saints. In the foregoing verse, he acknowledgeth he can bestow nothing upon God: My goodness extendeth not to thee; there∣fore he manifesteth his Love to God in loving his Saints that are in the earth; them he estee∣med the excellent of the earth: Godly men are the truly excellent; Grace is the truest dignity of a man. [In whom is all my delight] I take no delight in any Company, more than in the sweet and Godly fellowship and communion of Saints. Therefore Philemon is commended by St. Paul for his Love to all the Saints. Col. 3.14. Above all things put on Charity. The Apostle verse 12, presseth them to get and exercise sundry Graces: put on bowels of mercy, kindness, and humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing and forgiving one another; and above all things put on charity. The Apostle alludeth to Garments; the other Graces are the inward Graces of a Christian; Love is the glorious Raiment of Needle-work. Charity must be the vestis exterior, the outward Garment, the cloathing of Gold. But Calvin expoundeth the preposition 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 by propter, and not by super; for all these things put on Charity. This is the

Queen commandeth all other Graces. Love produceth the actions of all other Graces, non elicitivè sed imperativè, it is Love that makes men merciful, and full of pity and compassion to their distressed Brethren: Where no Love is, there is nothing but Fury, Wrath and Madness, Envy and Contentions. It is Love that makes men humble, preferring one anothers Gifts and Graces, rejoycing in one anothers Prosperity. Where this Godly Love is not, there is nothing but repining at one anothers Prosperity, re∣joycing in the Evils of each other.

It is Charity that makes men meek and long-suffering, it will make a man put up many re∣proaches, wrongs and injuries.

It is the want of this Love, that makes men account it cowardice to put up wrongs; Oh say they, it is not the true mark of a Gentleman to put up wrongs; but sure I am, it is the true mark of a Godly Christian. Will men prefer Gentility before Christianity; and carnal wis∣dom which is Devilish, and cometh from Hell, above that wisdom which cometh down from Heaven, and is Gentle and Peaceable?

Love will make us to forgive one another, even as God for Christs sake forgiveth us, as heartily, as freely, as fully as Christ doth par∣don our sins. It is the want of this Love that makes men so revengful; Hence Love is said to be the bond of perfectness, (in regard of

the Church) Love uniteth all the Members of Christ together; and makes them to perform their several duties to each other. 2. In regard of all the Graces of Gods Spirit; Love stirreth them up, and sets every Grace to do their se∣veral offices. Hence Love is stiled, the fulfilling of the Law: it keeps men from doing evil, it sets men upon doing all good.