176 'Dire8ions about Trujh and Secrets and againft Seljijlmej?. Tf,e meaning oltiJe 1oCom.· Dirtli· I• Dire/1. z, Dirr/1. 3• Dire/1·4· Dire/1. 5· Dirc[/.6. Dirdi. 7• I ire/i. 8. thtt Love which wiJI prove your finccrity, and which no hypocrite doth perform. Hypocrites either love the Godly only as their benefallors with a felf-love ; or they love them as Godly to them• filvt!, bot would not be liJ:! them, and love not Godlinejl it {elf to make them Godly: or they love them for fame pares of Godlinefs, and not for all : or they IaYe them but in fubjection to their worldly love; with fuch a dry and batten Love as James rejecteth, Jam. 2. as will not be at any · great cofl upon them, to feed or cloa.th or vifit.or relieve them.. Tit. 1. 'Dire8io11s for Loving t/,e Children of God. Dirt&. r. o" Nee get the Love of God, andyou connot cboofe but love his Cl!ildren. Therefore firll fet your hearts to thar, and lludy the Directions for it, Tom. r. God mull be firllloved as God, before the Godly can be loved as fueh; Though perhaps this effect may fometime be !)'lore manifell than the cau[e: fortifie the caufe and the dfcCl: will follow. Direct. z. Get C!Jrijl to dweU i>t your hearts by faith, Eph. 3• '7· and then you will love his mem- · hers for his fake. The fludy of the love of God in Chrill, and the belief of all the benefits of his love and fuffcrings, will be the bellows continually to kindle your love to your Redeemer and to all thofe that are like him and beloved by him. D :rect. ;!· Cbcrijh the motion1 o[ Gods fpirit in y•ur [elves: For he is a fpirit of Love: And it is the fame fpirit which is in all the Saints: Therefore the more you have of the fpirit, the more Unify and the more Love you will have to all that are truly fpiritual. The decays of your own holimfs, containcth a decay of your love to the holy. Direct.+· Obfirve 1hri, Gracu more tba11 their infirmitiu. You c1nnot love them unlcfs you rake notit:e of tl)at good~r:~_.Which js tht;ir lovelinef~. Overlooking and extenuating the good that is in others, doth fhew yQur want of love to goodneji; and then no wonder if you want love to thofc that are good. Di~eCl:. 5· Be not te"'J'ttrs and prp.vo.km of them '10 any fin: For that is but to flir up the worfer part Whidi is in thtm, and to make it more apparent ; and fo to hide thtir arniablwefs, and hinder your o)Vn love. They, that will be ab~fiog them, and fiirring up their paffions, or opprelling wife men tO try jf they can Q'l~e them mad, or increafing their burdens and ped~utions to fee whether there lie any iinpa,riency l<fr in them, are but like the Hotfeman who Wa5 £\ill fpurring his l'lorfe, and then fold himbecaufe he was skitti{h and unquiet : or like the Gentleman that muft: needs come as a Suitor to a beautifull.,ady, jull 'Xhen fhe had taken a Vomit and Purge, and then difdaioed her as be- . ing unfaiioury and lothfome. Dired:. 6. Stir up,tbci.r.GractJ, aJJd cpnv(rfemuch with them in the exerci[es of grace. If Ariftotle or Socratu,Dcnwffhptes or Cictro, llood filen by you among other pcrfons, you ~ill :Perceive no diffe. rence be:wccn them and a fool or a.vulgar .vit : But when once they open the1r l1ps and pour out the H-ream~ o( witd?fD and eloquence, you will quickly perceive how far they excell the common World, and·wlll admire, lotrC and honourthem.So when you converfe with<Jodly men, about matters of trading or common. fmployrnents .only, you will fee no more but their blamelefncfs and jufiice: Bu~ if you will jovp 1 }Vi<h thcU'l in holy Conference or Prayer, gr oDferve them in good works, you will fee that the fpinit of Chrill is in tl)em. When you hear the longings of their fouls after God, and their Heavenly defires ~nd hopes \and joys, and their love to piety 1 charity and juflicc, exprefs thetnfelvts in their_holy difco~rfc and prayers, and fee the fruits ofthem in their lives, you will fee that thc.y are more than common men. Dire&. 7• Fv~efte ~he fl!ifeliirm o[ their Grac!J i;z their beginningJ. No man will Love a feed or ClOck of thofe plants or trees which bear the fweetefi and mofi beautiful flowers and fruits, unlefs in the feed he forcfce th~,fr,uit Qt flowlr which it tendeth to : No man loveth the egg aright, who doth nOt 'fOreknow what -a.p)tfl it will ~ringiorth. Arijfotlt or Cicero were no more amiable in their in– fancy than others, e.xreprrto him that 'Quid foretell what men they were like to prove. Think oft of Heaven, and what ~tl~ng a Saint will be in Glory, when he fhall fhine as the Stars, and be equal to rhe Angels ; and thtn yqu will q~ickly feecau(e to love them. · b lrt:Cl. 8. Frcqrmttly thinJt of t.he E<terlajling union and fwett agreement which )'OU muft have ~itb them in .Hea:_·m f ur n •cr: How pi!r~ectly you will love each other in the Love of God? How joyful– Jy you will content in the Love and Prilifes of your Creator and Redeemer? The more believinglyyoU for~fc~ rhat flate, an~ the more you conrcmpJatc thereon, and the more your Converfation is in Hea– Vcll; the more w1li you love your fellow Souldiers and Trav:ellers, with whom you mufi live in bleff~.:dm:fS for evn. l ~ \1 ,, . ·h l' !I Tit. 3·
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