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. V.

IV. MAlice and Hatred makes men most contrary to God, and most like unto the Devil. It makes a man most contrary to God, for God is Love, 1 Joh. 4.16. It is the Nature of God to love men; He is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, he is of a most glorious, lovely, and loving Na∣ture, and is the Author of all Love in us. This sheweth what a God he is to us, and every Crea∣ture findeth him to be a loving God, a loving Father. As the Sun is Light, and the Foun∣tain of Light, and gives Light to the Stars of Heaven, and to all sublunary things; so God is Love it self, and the Fountain of all Love: he filleth the Angels in Heaven with Love, he filleth the Saints on earth with mutual and spiritual Love; and the natural Love and Affection that are in men one to another, are sparks and rays of Gods Love: all the Crea∣tures are objects of his Love, every Creature of God is good, therefore beloved of God. Do ye think God would vouchsafe to call himself by the Name of Love, if there were not a won∣derful excellency in Love? now, he that dwelleth in Love, dwelleth in God, and God in him: he that embraceth the Love of God by Faith, and there∣upon unfeignedly loveth God and his Brethren,

dwelling, continuing, or abiding in this Love, he continueth or abideth in God, and God in him. If in any Love it be true, That the Soul is where it loveth, it is most true in this Love of a Child of God to his heavenly Father, and to all the Saints: his Soul is with God, with Christ, his Beloved in Heaven, and abideth in him. This our Saviour knew full well, when he taught us, Mat. 6. Lay not up for your selves Trea∣sures on earth, but lay up for your selves Treasures in Heaven: for where your Treasures are, there will your hearts be also. His delight also is in the Saints that are on the earth in those that excel in Grace and Holiness. One that was full of holy Love was wont to answer all questions therewith. Whence camest thou? from Love: Whither goest thou? to Love: Where dwellest thou? in Love. God is such a ones dwelling-place, his home, his resting-place, and Christ is the Door by which he entreth into this dwel∣ling, by Christ he entreth and dwelleth in God. Now malice makes men most like unto the Devil, whose continual exercise is malice, and malicious practices against God and man. Such was his hellish malice, that seeing man in happiness, and the favour of God, he entised the woman, and by her the man, to that sin and rebellion, which brought all mankind in∣to a most miserable Condition: and what is his continual practice, but to sin, and to draw men

and women into sin? Now those that harbour malice in their hearts, they are in a special sort like to Satan, when it is against the persons, not the sins of others only. Malice is properly a setled Hatred, a rancour of heart, by which men are provoked to deal spitefu••ly and mis∣chievously with those whom they love not, ei∣ther wishing them ill, or doing them ill. Wick∣ked Shimei railed upon David, when he was in an heavy strait, and cursed him, Come up thou bloody man, thou son of Belial: and when a god∣ly man is brought into misery, malicious per∣sons say, Aha, aha, so would we have it. God∣ly men walk in the narrow way, their lives are strict and holy; the wicked are in the broad way, walking in all excess of riot. Repugnans quâ repugnans, est causa odij: When one crosseth another in his Happiness, in his pleasures, he is counted an enemy. Can a wicked man (as a wicked man) have a greater enemy than such as will not give them Elbow room in their sins, but cross them in their Prophaness? When the water-courses are stopt, the waters swell high; so when the godly man laboureth to dam up the courses of ungodliness, the wicked swell with hatred against such. It is true what Lactantius said, Veritas ideo semper invisa est, eò quod is qui p••ccat, vult habere liberum peccandi locum; Wick∣ed men hate godliness for no other cause, but that it will not afford them room to sin freely

without control. Now the Devil is ever stir∣ring up the wicked to hate the godly; that Prince of malice is ever filling the hearts of the wicked with malice. It is one of the Devils main plots, to raise evil surmises in wicked mens hearts against the godly, and to disgrace the way of Holiness as a thing, that tendeth to nothing else, but to curb men from their plea∣sures, and to be an hook in their Nostrils. Now as God is Love, so Satan is full of malice: and as they that cherish in their hearts true Christian Love, and walk in the Spirit of Love, are of God, and do bear his Image; so they that do not purge their hearts of Hatred, Malice, and bitterness, are of the Devil.