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.

II HE that loveth not his brother abideth in death; 1 Joh. 3.14. All by nature are in a state of death, and void of Christian love,

but all do not abide in death, some do not con∣tinue in the state of death, but those that love the brethren are passed from death to life: Now those who want this Christian and brotherly love, these are not only dead in sins by nature, but they abide in death. They abide in the death of guilt, the guilt of all their sins lieth upon them, they abide under the dominion and power of sin; they abide in a state of wrath; the wrath of God abideth on them, as long as they abide in the hatred of the brethren, they abide in a death of condemnation. As St. John saith, We know we are passed from death to life, because we love the brethren: So also we may know, that those are dead in sin & lie obnoxious every mo∣ment to eternal death, who hate the brethren.

Now I conceive, that the Apostle speaketh of a brother in the same sense, as he did before, viz. a brother by grace, a child of God.

Quest. But how can such be brethren to those who abide in death?

Resp. 1. That all men and women as they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 men and women, are brethren and sisters by a natural relation, all coming of one man, and one woman originally, viz. Adam and Eve. St. Paul taught this learning to the Scholars of Athens, Act 17.26. viz. that God hath made of one blood all Nations of men that dwell upon all the face of the earth. The Athenians (as proud as they were in despising other nations as barba∣rous,

yea other Cities of Greece in comparison of themselves, yet) were not of any better stock or blood originally than the meanest of them. The Athenians were not of one blood, and the Argives of another, and the B••aetians of another, &c. no, the very Scythians were of as good a stock originally as they, even of the same blood. So now, the greatest Potentate, and the poorest beggar; the most civil, and the most savage Nations, are of one blood originally; the English and the Muscovitae; the Laplanders, Tarta∣rians, yea the Beasilians and Canibals, are of one blood originally. God could have made a man, and woman for every province and part of the world, and so have given a several Original to every Nation; but he in his wisdom did rather please to make one man out of whose loyns, one woman out of whose womb, all the Nations of the earth should issue; that so all Nations might be made of one blood, and all might be of kin, and that so there might be a natural bond of union, brotherhood, and love between them: So then a child of God is a brother to a natural person; for th••y that are the children of God are the children of men too, and of the same blood with others; therefore when natural persons do not love the children of God, it is a sign they do abide in death. When the graces of the godly, and the fruits of grace in their conversation and practice are so distastful unto

men, that for this they cast off love and affecti∣on towards them, though they be their bre∣thren by nature and of the same blood with them originally, whereas this should encrease their love towards them; this sheweth, that such do abide in death.

2. He that liveth in the Church of God, and accounteth himself a child of God; if he be a child of God indeed, all the children of God are his brethren and sisters, both by Nature and Grace. If God be his father, the children of God are his brethren and sisters; but if he doth not love them as brethren, it sheweth that he abideth in death, and deceiveth himself, he is not born of God, nor passed from death to life.