Burgess - Houston-Packer Collection BT715 .B85 1652

yg .7"rue S"sgns ®f Grorcc.. S B CT. I I. (hipboth in kinde and dêgree, to be given unto the image of God, and God himfelf but in our inftance it is true, when we love God himfelf, and a godly man, becaufe ofGods image in him, this is the fameaft or motion of the foul, and arifethfrom the fame habit ofgrace, and therefore doth this Apoftle argue neceffarilyfrom thepotation ofthe one to the pofitionofthe other, and the ne- gationofone to the negationofthe other, he that Both not love hisbrother, lo- vethnot God, according to the rule ofthe Hebrews, ',;; amat epra amat infra. We arenot then fpeakingofa love, which cometh bythe power of free-will, but ofagrace infufed into usby Gods Spirit which as it's Iùpernatural in it's original, fo alfo in it's operationsand motives ; The effectsare :upernarural, bu- fyingand emptyingtbemfelvesin induiry about theirfouls and their ends alto, becaufe they fee Gods likenefCe in them. 2. Secondly, This love i1 notverbal or complemental, luth as that of the world, , it is pot verbal which bath great veins, but littleblond in them, but it is a moli inwarddeep a e- but an inward P ff deep affectio- Elionategrace, movingall the bowels within. ThusRorn,ra. Be kndely a eEtia- note grace, mated to one another in love, V'laoçoptoi i doth imply an inward root- ed inclination, fuch as is in mothers to their tender infants. Thereare thofe who feem to love godlymen, but it is when the times favour them, if there be any , benign conflellations for-fuch, then they refpetdthem, otherwife in their heart andinclinationsthey can nowales endure thofethat are godly. When therefore we(peak of lovinggodly men, we meannota fair lovingcarriage,akinde behavi- our towards them, which makes thee farre from all railingor oppofing of them, but inch anaffeétion as is rooted in thy heart. II. Secondly, In refjteel ofthe objeît, Brethren, this is included, The objeft of r. That this lovebe to them, becaufetheyare brethren. We may lovegodly men our love the for other refpeeis then theirgodlineffe, becaufe theymay be wife men, learned Brethren. men, potent men in theKingdom, or menthat have loved us , and (hewed us much kindneffe, but this is nothingof grace, here is onely nature all the while. Eecaufe they Hence theA poftle Peterfaith,Love the brotherhood in the Abftraét,becaufeit is the are Brethren. brotherhood.The etaft's feie about theTradefmans fhop,'notout of love to him,but the bony.and fruit that is there.The Crows and Vulturesfit bythe dying beaft,not becaufe they love ir, but for th,emfelves. Thus godly menmay be loved forcarnal ends and advantages,andnowonder at this,feeing fuch a mercenary and hypocriti- cal love may be profered to God himfelf, as we fee in the hypocritesofIfrael. z. As to thebrethren, becaufe godly, fo themere, godly the more O'e love them. ; The moregod- For as thecovetous man, the morewealth increafeth the morehe loveth it.; And ly themore we thevoluptuous man, themore fweetneffe and delight in lufts, themore greedy love them. is he of them; thus it is here; he loveth all the godly, but thofe that molt excelt in the purity, powerand pradice of it, he loveth them moft, Sierre fe habet fm- pliciter adfimpliciter, itamagic admagi,, ifgodlineffe be the reafon why we love, then the more godlineffe, the more love. And this is much to be obferved, be-. caufeitdifcovers much hypocrifiein many men, who fancy to themfelves that they lovegodlineffeinthe Idea, in thenation, but when it cometh to be praí. fed by wife, children or neighbours,then they cannot endure it. As alfo. thofe, who lovegodly men in low principles, not walking foexaftly and accurately as they ought, better then the godly withhigh principles,that are alwaies putting on to moregodlineffe. g. .3. lr implieth We love allgodly men, for fo that ph rare in the Abftraft, Love the We molilove Brotherhood,fnppofeth, that is, Take every godly man,rich aswell as poor, de- ad godly men. fpifed as well as honoured, low and bofe aswell as high and effeemed, thou dolt love all ofthem. It may be thy love is retrained to love godly men only, that are of thy conifitution, condition or opinion; but then there are others upon whom thou call &nofavourableafped at all. The Apoltle fames Both much condemn that prafticeofdifferencing thepoor godly from the rich, lam. z. r, a. where the Apofle Bothnot abfolutely prohibit a civil differencing of men in place

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