Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v2

Chap, 6. An Expofatieñ report the Book of J O B. VerG 14. 495 lone without works, doth no t juflifie our faith , fuch empty pitty will go for little better than cruelty, andnot to help, will bein terpreted opprcflion. Wordpitty is but the leafof love, Deed-pit- ty is thefruit of it. As we fhould labour to be filled with all thefruits ofrighteoufnefs, which areby Chriff, fo with all the fruits oflove, of compaffion and of tendernefs, for thefe alfo are by Jefus Cbrifl, unto the glory andpraife of God, Phil. r. r i. Obferve fecondly, Tbát thefear ofGod is ever joynedwith love to our, brethren. True religion (that we mean by fear) hath a double bond in it, a bond ofobedience to God, and a bondof love to men. The Apo- file puts fo much of religion in the latter, that in one place he makes it all religion, the very definition of religion, Jam. r. r7m Pttre religion rind undefiledbefore God (what is it ?) It is this; to vifit thefatherlefsand the widows intheir afj iUion. This is re® ligion and pure religion, that is, this is a great branchof religion, and a fpecialfruit, which fprings from that goodly tree, religion. To vifit the fatherlefs is more than to look upon them, and ask them how they do : To vifit themis to help them t It is like that vifit (in its proportion) which Chrift made into the di- lireffed world. He vifited and redeemed his people; or he vifited his people to redeem them.And the fatherlefs,to whole vifit religi- on leads us,are not only poor children or Orphans,whofe parents are lately dead, and they not able to fhift for themfelves , but the fatherlefs are all the of iCted. who want our help, or patro- nage. Every'helplefs and comforticfs foul is as an Orphanwith- out parents, as a widowwithout a husband,To releivefuçb ispure Religion. In r John 4. 2o. the Apoflle makesthat an .everlafling convi%ion againfi any man, that he loves not God, if he loves not his brother; If any manfay be loveth God, and hateth bis bro- ther ( there is no medium in thispoint, between hating and not loving, or between hating, and not helping, , if it be inour pow- er) he is a lyar,for be that loveth not his brother whom hebathfeen, bow can be love God whombe bath notfeen?Job. puts it fo here, you fhould thewpitty to your friend inafflie ion, but you forfake the fearof the Almighty, and where4ear ofGod is not, the love of God is not Love to God is vïfible in love to-man, And in of idion, the loveofman to man, is made molt vifible. A true friend can hardly be difcovered in-profper'ity,and ä falfefriendcan hardly be hid itsadverfity.¡Wily, obferve, lt

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