Ch. 3. Brotherly love I. J of the Devil, in whom Sin is predominant : Orthat liveth in the Iove and practice of any Sin, not confiftent with true hatred of it, and Repentance, and the predominant love and practice of holy Obedience. And Chrift will be no juftifying AdvocateorJudgeof the Ser- vants of the Devil (tho' he may, by making them jutt and holy, turn them from the power of Satan to God; and judge them juf, when he hath made them juf, both by Converfion and Pardon, but not before). For the Son of God came purpofely into the World todefroy the Works ofthe Devil, in all that he will fave, and not tocall thewicked righteous. 9. Whofoever is born of God, cloth not commit fin : for his feed remain- eth inhim, and he cannot fin, becaufe he is born of God. 9. He that is truly regenerate by the Spirit, is made a haterand forfaker of Sin, and there fore dothnot live in the rulinglove or practice of it, nor indeed commit any Sin in that ale - gree that he is fandified, much let's Iive in wil- ful grog Sin ; for God's Word and Spirit, by which he was regenerate, (till abide in him. And it is a contradiction to fay, that at once he is a holy perfon, bornof God, and yet liveth in reigning Sin. Note. [Cannot] here fignifieth a Hypothetical Impofibility, becaufe'ris a contradiction, and not a natural Impoflibility, much legs Impoten- cy ; for it is finning, and not forbearing fin, that fignifieth Impotency. And the contradicti- on is onlyon fitppofition that he continue fan- c`tified. io. In this the childrenof God are manifeff, and the children of the de- vil: whofoever Both not riglateouf- nefs,is not of God, neither he that ic- veth not his brother. to; It is not by proudBoafting, nor barren Opinions, that God's Children are known from the Childrenofthe Devil, but by the Imageof God, which Faith in Chrift doth caufe iu his true Difciples. He that doth notlive in the true love and practice ofRighteouthefs toward God and man, abhorring and avoiding ï7ngodlincf, Injuftice, and fleshly Lofts, is no Child ofGod, but ofthe Devil: Nor he that doth notunfeign- edly love all Chriftians as Chriftians, and Men as Men, and live in Charity to them accord- ingly. Note, Thatwicked Men arecall'd The Chil- dren of the Devil, becaufe they are like him, and do his Will. And the World fwarmeth with Men fo like to Devils, in lying,malignitt and mifchiefs, as maketh it eafie to believe that there are Devils and a Hell. ohn: recommended. Ch.3 I I. For this is the meffage that ye heard from the beginning, that we Mould love one another. r I. For rhia is the mefpage which Chriff,_ the Lord of Love, did commit to us, and from the firs} we have preach'd to you, that Love is the very Sum and End of Law and GofpeL 12. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and flew his brother and wherefore flew he him ? becaufe his own works were evil, and his bro- ther's righteous. Is. That we be not like wicked Cain, who -was ofthe Diabolical Difpofition and Practice, and kill'd his ownBrother. And why did he kill him ? Not for any ill deer nor for any harm that he nad done him, but becaufe he was bad himfelf, and his Works bad ; and his Brother's righteous, and by difference condem- ned him. Aore, Doubtlefs God permitted .Adam's firft Son to be wicked, and murder his righteous Brother, to chew the World what a frate we are firft in, fmce the Fall, bynatural Pravity , and that we are, as fuch, the'chiidrenof the Devil, till Grace recover us : Andro expound the Enmity put between the Seed of the Wo- man and of the Serpent, and to tell us, what a War will becontinu'd upon Earth, from the days of Cain and ...the! till the End, and that fuperiority and crueltywill ufually lae againft the Righteous, whole Victory is moftlyby pa- tient Suffering and Death. 13. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 13. If the ungodlyFatccefforsofenin, whole own Works are evil, do hate Godlinef and Cpnfcience, and hate you for them, take it for no flrange on nnexpefted thing: it hath teen fo lime Cain'sdays, and willlx fo, as Chrift fore. told. 14. We know that we have pafï'ed from death unto life, becaufe we love the brethren: he that loveth not his brother, abideth in death. u . Love being the great Work ofGod's Renewing Spirit on the Soul, it is by Love, efpecially to all true Clriftiant, that weknow that weare chang'd from the Carnifh corru frate of Death, into the fate of holy Life: Whatever elfe Men have, if they have net true love to others, efpecially to godly Ciritans, they are yet dead in Sin. 'Vote
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