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. I.

THis then may shew unto us the woful con∣dition of those that are enemies to the chil∣dren of God, and of all others almost, that love them least, in whom there are most signes of

true godliness; yea, hate them because of their religious lives, hate them for those very pra∣ctises wherein the godly labour to be like their heavenly father, and to approve themselves his children; hate them because they hate sin, and fear to offend their Father which is in hea∣ven, not only in the greatest sins, but also in those which seem very light and small offences, or none at all in the eye of the world; they hate them because they shew their dislike of their courses, which tend to God's dishonour, and because they do not sooth them in an evil estate, and so become false witnesses of God, be∣cause they will not joyn with them in some of their sinful practices; they hate them because they go in a way contrary to them, and so they hate them because they are the children of God, 1 Job. 3.12. as Cain hated Abel, and slew him, because his own works were evil, and his brothers righteous. They are mine Adversaries, saith David, because I follow the thing that is good. Psal. 38.20. If ye were of the world (saith Christ to his Disciples) the world would love its own, but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Ye are enemies to the course of the wicked world, therefore the world hateth you. The hatred of the world against the godly is no new, nor strange thing; it is a thing not to be wondered or marvelled at, marvel not my brethren, if the

world hate you. It is not new; for presently af∣ter the Fall this enmity began: it is not strange, for God himself, who is the Lord of Hosts pro∣claimed War between the godly, the seed of the Woman; and the world, the seed of the Serpent.

The Lord himself hath sounded the Trum∣pet of War between the world and the godly, how then can they but take the Alarum, and prepare themselves to Battle? not, that the Lord hath either commanded the world to fight against his people, or that he hath infused any malice into the men of the world, but that he having put his Spirit into the hearts of the godly, & made them partakers of his divine Na∣ture, hath thereby made them contrary to the world, even as Light to Darkness; whereupon necessarily followeth the hatred and enmity of the world against them. We see the truth of this in the malice of Cain against Abel; Ishmael a∣gainst Isaac; Esau against Jacob; three pair of Brethren in several ages. We see it in the E∣gyptians and their King Pharaoh against Israel, for the sufferings of Israel are called the reproach of Christ, Heb. 11. This hath been the course of the world from age to age. Thus did the Caldeans shew their malice to Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego, accusing them to Nebuchadnezzar, that they might be thrown into the fiery Fur∣nace for shunning of Idolatry. Thus did the Courtiers of Darius shew their bitter and bloo∣dy

malice against righteous Daniel, for praying three times a day to his God, craftily circum∣venting the King himself (not privy to their drift) to sign an unlawful Decree, by which Daniel was ensnared, that he might be cast into the Lions Den. So Haman shewed his malice against Mordecai, and the whole Church of the Jews, seeking their utter ruin. Tobijah and Sanballat were carried with the like malicious spirit against the Church, and against the resto∣ring the worship of God at Jerusalem. Antio∣chus Epiphanes was full of malice and rage a∣gainst the Church. So Herod, the chief Priests, and the unbelieving Jews also in the Apostles times: the Roman Emperors, and after them the Roman Bishops have continued this enmi∣ty, and many other Popish Princes. But, be∣sides these, there are many Children of the world, mixed with the people of God, who are pricks in the eyes, and thorns in the sides of the godly; and upon many occasions shew their malice against them.