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. III.

NOw we must love one another, even as Christ hath loved us. Now if Christ of his meer Love, hath laid down his Life for us, then we ought also to lay down our lives for the Brethren. 1 Joh. 3.16. This would have seemed an hard saying to us, if it had been nakedly proposed in such terms as these, we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren; but the Apostle ha∣ving before laid down such a strong Argument aforehand, doth in a most convincing manner infer this upon it, as an undeniable conclusion, which cannot with any shew of reason be gain∣sayed, or contradicted. Christ the eternal Son of God, hath manifested his singular Love, in laying down his Life for us; we must there∣fore follow the Captain of our Salvation in this incomparable act of Love. We were dearer to him than his blood, than his Life; so the Saints good must be dearer to us than our hearts blood, than our pretious Life. Here I will lay down this Proposition.

That Christians being called unto it, ought to shew so much Love to their Brethren, as to lay down their Lives for them. In this Propo∣sition, two things are to be considered.

• 1. The Thing required.
• 2. The Condition supposed.

The Thing required is this, That Christians should lay down their Lives for the Brethren. The Condition supposed is this, If they be cal∣led unto it. For the former we must know, that although Christians must not think their Lives too dear for the Brethren, yet it is in this as it is in other duties of Love and Mercy towards men; the first and greatest Commandment must give Life unto the second, which is like unto it. The first Table must have the chief∣est respect in our obedience to the second. That is, the Love of God, and our regard of his Glory, commanded in the first Table (which is called, The first and great Commandment) must have the chief sway in our hearts, to encline us to the duties of Love towards man, enjoyned in the second Table; for we must love our Neighbour in the Lord, and for the Lord, and so the Love of God must have a constraining and over-ruling power over us; the Love of God must first move us to lay down our Lives for the Brethren, and then the Love of our Brethren, being (as it were) comprehended in our Love of God, must move us thereunto. — The Glory of God must be the principal end, that we must aim at, in doing good to others. So

especially in this great fruit of Love, when we lay down our lives for them, then the good of our Brethren must be respected in the second place, in as much as God is glorified in that good which they receive by that means. So then, when any do in Christian Love lay down their Lives for their Brethren, they do not dye for them only, but for the Lord chiefly and principally. This the Apostle strong∣ly proveth to be required of Christians, because Christ hath shewed such wonderful Love in laying down his Life tor us. This indeed is an Argument unanswerable, but holdeth strongly à majori, from the greater to the less. If Christ did lay down his Life for us, then ought we much more to lay down our lives for the Bre∣thren.

1. Christ was infinitely above us in Glory and Majesty, yet laid he down his Life for us; much more ought we to lay down our Lives for the Brethren, who are of the same Mould with our selves by nature, and also partakers of the same pretious Faith by Grace.

2. Christ being greatly offended by our sins, laid down his Life for us being his enemies: much more ought we to lay down our Lives for those who are not enemies, but Brethren, and that by the best bond, viz. the bond of Re∣generation.

3. Christs Death for us, was a matter of Hu∣miliation and abasement to him who was the Prince of Life, and Lord of Glory: But our death for our Brethren is an advancement unto us. Some office and employment, which would be an abasement, and dishonour to a Prince, may be a great Honour and Preferment to a mean Subject. So in this case; Christ, though he were the Lord of Glory, the Prince of Life, yet was content to dye for us, though his Death were a great abasement to him in regard of his infinite excellency and divine Majesty. But for us, who are sinful, and so mortal, and must re∣turn to dust, it is an advancement and im∣provement of our death, when we are called to give our Lives for the Brethren.