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.

Object. BUt some will say perhaps, It were not strange for the world without the Church to hate it, but for men within the visible Church to hate the people of God, is ve∣ry Strange!

Sol. I answer not a whit, for the world is but a world still, whether it be within or with∣out the Church. Coelum non animum, &c. they change the air, not their hearts by joyning with the people of God; they draw breath in the ordinances of God, but their hearts are still the Devil's Chappels, even while themselves are in the Temple or Church of God. And why should it be thought new or strange? was not Cain within the Church, when he slew his bro∣ther? and Ishmael when he persecuted Isaac? and Esau, when he breathed blood and mur∣ther? and the Jews, when they conspired to smite Jeremy with the Tongue, and Pashur, when he put him in the Stocks? If a man en∣close some bad ground, it is apt for nothing but briers and thorns within his garden-pale, or wast; it will bring forth such kind of evil plants still, unless some further means be used to alter and better the nature and manure of it. So let part of the world, and some children

of Satan and the World be enclosed within th•• Lord's Garden, within the compass of h•• Church, they will be as bad or worse than be∣fore, and as full of enmity against the people of God, unless the Lord be pleased to change and renew their hearts. Tares will be tares still, though they grow among the wheat; thorns will be thorns, although they spring up among the Lillies. Therefore it is great weakness to be astonished at the malice of the wicked against the godly within the Church it self. What? Religion, and the power of godliness opposed and hated in a Land or Kingdom, where Laws and Statutes maintain the Gospel? yea, why not? unless we think that these have power to conver•• all the subjects of the same Kingdom, which none can do but the power of God's grace and spirit. It were a new and strange thing indeed, if the World should grow so un∣like it self in these days, as not to hate the people of God. This were to be marvelled at, and men might ask, hath the old Serpent lost his sting, his poyson? Is the world turn'd up∣side down? Therefore (Readers) if it happen to be any of your cases (as it may be very well) to tast of the world's malice and bitter enmity, not only in the ordinary way of scoffes, slanders, &c. but in a more furious and violent manner, marvel not, it is no news, this was the old course, Antiquum obtinet, the world doth but

keep its old wont. Be not dismayed, thus it dealt with your Master, your Saviour, your Head, your King, your Captain; thus with his Servants, Soldiers, Subjects, Members of former and later times.

Is not this a common thing among us? who have sewer friends than the godly? who are more distasted and disliked generally? Do not men look upon them usually as upon Strangers; yea, rather as upon Adversaries? they are coun∣ted signes and wonders. Oh that God would convince men of their dangerous Estate, who love not the Children of God, who like men the worse for fearing God, and walking in his ways, who like a Father, or Mother, an Hus∣band or Wi••e, a Child, or Servant, Neighbour, or Kinsman the worse, because he feareth the Lord; such persons are in a dangerous estate, they are in the gall of bitterness, and bond of iniquity.

Object. But thou wilt say perhaps, I do not hate the Children of God, I do not meddle not make with them.

Sol. Oh but this will not serve thy turn, if thou dost love them the less, delight in them the less because they are godly, it is enough to prove thee to be an enemy to them. If thou couldest love another better if he were not re∣ligious, or if he were not so religious, it is an ar∣gument thou art not a child of God. How

common is this case? Many see something or other in some of the godly, for which they could love them if they were not religious, or if they were (at least) less forward in religion then they are: whatever such pretend, they love not the generation of the Righteous.

Now the want of love, where love is due, is hatred in the sight of God; and it appeareth thus.

1. Love doth joyn and encline the heart to those whom it loveth, and ought to love; now then the want of Love disjoyneth the heart from such; it is an aversion, and morning the heart from them; and this aversion of the heart through want of love towards those to whom love is due is an hatred of them; as the aversion and turning the heart away from God through want of love to him, to: whom the highest pitch and perfection of love is due, is hatred of him, so it is in this case I am speak∣ing of touching the want of love to the Chil∣dren of God.

2. We may see this by the light of nature in natural things; for as the want of sight in those Creatures to whom the faculty of sight or see∣ing belongeth, is blindness, as the want of sight in Men, Beasts, Birds, &c. so the want of love in those that ought to love, towards those that ought to be beloved, is hatred.

3. We may also see it by comparing the ge∣neral sum of the second table of the law, with the particular Commandments of that Law; and there yo•• shall see, that all the six Com∣mandments except the first of them (Honour thy father and thy mother, &c.) are negative, for∣bidding such and such sins. Thou shalt do no murder: Thou shalt not commit Adultery, &c. Now our Saviour, and the Apostle do shew, that the sum of this Law is this, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self. So then the want of true Christian and holy Love, is hatred, which is the ••oot of murther, and whor••dom, and theft, and slanders, and coveting, &c. The sum of obedi∣ence to those Commandments is Love; the sum of disobed••ence is hatred, or want of Love. Now it is true, that the particular and direct bending of the heart in bitterness of affection against some certain persons, is a greater de∣gree of hatred than meer want of love is.

4. Compare affections and outward actions together: not to save life, when a man may by lawful means, is to murther; not to provide for a man's family, is to take from them their due; ••onor to love is to hate.

5. Comp••re it with the nature of sin in ge∣neral; the want of holiness is sin; the want of righteousness is unrighteousness, the want of purity is impurity; so the want of love is hatred.

6. The want of love is the deficient cause (as it were) of all the fruits and effects of ma∣lice and hatred. Where the heart is empty of true Christian love, there that evil and malici∣ous Spirit hath a free entrance, and may take possession, and breed all bitterness of affections and bring forth in the practice all actions and fruits of malice and ill-will; and this want of Love layeth open the heart unto all these. So then, either ye must love out of a pure heart un∣feignedly, or else the Lord will account you as haters of your Brethren. Our Saviour made no middle-way between love and hatred in the ordering of our hearts and affections towards enemies; but when he corrected the Pharisees gloss, which was this, [Thou shalt love thy neigh∣bour, and hate thine enemy.] He saith, But I say unto you, love your enemies, &c. Some man might have expected, that he should rather have said, concerning loving or hating of enemies, as Bal••k speak to Balaam, of blessing or cursing of Israel; neither bless them at all, nor curse them at all, carry thy self indifferently between me and them, so some out of carnal reason might have looked, that our Saviour should have pointed out a middle way, and said, Neither love your enemies, nor hate them, but carry your selves indifferently towards them. But our Saviour saith expresly, Love your enemies, and do good unto them, and that as they will

approve themselves to be the children of their heavenly father. So that not to love those whom we ought to love, is to hate: So then, as we will avoid the damnable sin of hatred, we must labour to be possessed of the grace of love, and that principally to the Children of God, and to all the Children of God, high and low, rich and poor, of better or of meaner gifts and parts; and on the other side to be possessed with hearty love towards all men in general, and in particular toward those that have done us injuries and unkindnesses, otherwise we are haters of them.