240 ne eighth Sign PART III, loveth is born ofGod, and knoweth God : He that loveth not,know- eth not God ; for God is Love'. Verfe 12, 13. ' No Man hath feen God at any Time : If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his Love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, becaufe he bath given us of his Spirit.' Verfe 16. ' God is Love : And he that dwelleth in Love, dwelleth in God, and God in him.' Verfe 20. ' If a Man fay, I love God, and hateth his Bro- ther, he is a Liar : For he that loveth not his Brother that he hath feen, how can he love. God whom he hath not feen ? ' And the Scripture is as plain as it is pofíible it fhould be, that none are true Saints, *but thofe whole true Character it is, that they are of a Difpofition to pity and relieve their Fellow-creatures, that are peer, indigent and afflicted ; Pfal. 37. 2r. ' The Righteous fhewethMer- cy, and giveth.' Ver. 26. ' He is ever merciful, and lendeth.' Pfal. 112. 5. ' A good Man fheweth Favour, and lendeth.' V. g. ' He bath difperfed abroad, and given to the Poor.' Prov. 14. 31. ' He that honoureth God, hath Mercy on the Poor.' Prov. 21. 26. The Righteous giveth, and fpareth not.' Jer. 22. 16. ' He judg- eth the Caufe of the Poor and Needy : Then it was well with him : Was not this to know me, faith theLord ? ' Jam. r. 27. ' Pure Re- ligion and undefiled before God and the Father, is this, To vifit the Fatherlefs and Widows in their Aflii6tion, &c.' Hof. 6. 6. ' For I detired Mercy, and not Sacrifice ; and the Knowledge of God, more than Burnt-Offerings.' Matth, 5. 7. ' Bleffed are the Mer- ciful, for they thalí obtain Mercy.' 2 Cor. 8. 8. ' I fpeak not by Commandment, but by Occafion of the Forwardnefs of others, and to prove the Sincerity of your Love.' Jam. 2. 13, 14, 15, 16. ' For he thall have Judgment without Mercy, that bath Chewed no Mercy. What Both it profit my Brethren. tho' a Man faith he bath Faith, and have not Works ? Can Faith fave hini ? If a Brother or Sifter be naked, and deftitute of daily Food, and one of you fay un- to them, depart in Peace, be you warmed and filled ; notwithftanding ye give them not thofe Things which are needful for the Body ; what doth it profit ? ' 1 John 3. 17. ' Whofo hath this Worlds Goods, and feeth his Brother have Need, and 'hutted-) up his Bowels of Corn- paffion fromhim, how dwelletla the Love of God in him ? Chrift in. that Defcription he gives us of the Day of Judgment, Matth. 25. (which is the molt particular that we have in all the Bible) reprefents that Judgment will be pafs'd at that Day, according as Men have been found to have been of a merciful Spirit and Praétice, or otherwife. Chritt's Defign in giving fuch a Defcription of the Procefs of that ,Day, is plainly to pollifs all his Followers with that Apprehenfion, that unlefs this was their Spirit and Practice, there was no Hope of their being accepted and own'd by him, at that Day. Therefore this is an Apprehenfion that we ought to be poíi'ufs'd with. We find in
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