to the E P H E S I AN S. ::!39 [I llo\;fl 1ip with them all a~ they all fpeak well of him. Now fullow, faith the~ l oflle this Example of your Lordand Mafler. And according to this his ExStrmon h%rtati~n, in the 51h verfe,he frameth bis Prayer for them; The God of Patie?ta XVII!. and Confolation, grm 1 t;·ort to 6e llkr-mmde~o11e towards anot!Jtr, accordmg to~ Chrif11rfus. He mentions fuch Attributes m God, as were fmtable to the thmg prayed.for; To 6e like-minded, (whe.n dtffenng thus ;n Judgment,) and needed patimce. therefore he prays to God, as the God of Paltence, to gtve and beflow on 'you the Grace of P atima towa~ds yo~r Diffenting Brethren, who himfelf is aGodof P111ience towards you, m beanng Wtth you that d1ffer from him in infinitely more things, than you from your Brethren. And alfo to be a Godof Conjolation to you, and that w!II help you to bear the Infirmmes of the Saints, and to love and cherifh them; for if once the_ heart be filled with the Comforts of the Almighty, If thtrr 6e 1111)' ·comfort w Love, as the Apo!lle {peaks, Phtl.z.I. they will bel1ke-nti11drd, and then _they will bear with their Brethren. He adds, Accordi11!}to Jefus Chrtfl; that Is, the Example of ]efus Chri!l of which you heard out of Rom. 15. and alfo accordmg to the Lawof Jefus Chri!l; tor upon that groond, (if now you return again toGal.6.2, and to what immediately follows there, Bear 011r allothers 6urthms, fays he, m1d{o fi•lfil the Law of Chrtjf. And thus to love, and Iov~ All the Samrs,1s commended ro us by Chri!l, by that great and fpec1al Lawof Ius, wluch you find enacted by h im, 7oh.IJ·H· A new Comma11demmt I give unto you, thtzt ) 'e love ove a11other :'as I btfVr loved you, that ye alfo love one another;) you will find he urgeth it under the Old Law ; they were to love every one, becaufe they had one and the fame God their Creator. Mojes commanded to love every one at their Neighbour, whether they were Samaritans or Jews; but Chri!l hath brought up a new Law, and new Motives thereto, and a new way of loving, by his Example; A lttW Commandement I write to yort, fays John, 1 Epijf. 2, S. which u tme, (and fo holds good in him, who began to fer us the Copy of it,) a11d i11you, the Followers of him. And when he was on Earth, all his del1ght wtJJ in the Sai11ts, Pfal.t~-l- A new Motive we have alfo for it, namely our participation and communion together in Chri!l's blood. Men were before united in one God, their Creator, and in being made of ont 6/ood, Afls 1 7· and upon that ought to have loved one another as Men, or if of the fame Nation : But the Saints are all made of Chrifl's Blood, and in that refpect are a Royal gmeration, a Chojm Nati011, having of his Blood all of them running in their Veins. And accordingly he hath chalked our a new way of lovi•zg alfo; he~ave his Life for us, yea, Himfelf, and a{l his Glory; and fo it follows in that John '5· 12. Love one a11otlur, tJJ I bave loved you: .And greater love th.1n this bath no man, th1111 to Jay t!own hu !tfefor hu friend, ver. '3~ and fo thouId we do,as 1 _7oh.z,t6. for the Spiritual good of our Brethren. And as Chri!l fingled out the Saints thus to love them, and that with a fpeciallove, and all and every of the Saints, fo fhould we. The la!\ thing I obferve, '(which gives lightto the Text, and In!lrwction to u;,) is from the !lyle the Apo!lle ufeth; Love to [All] Stzi1Jis. That this was the Primitive language; and tl1is then made the great outward lign of a man's be– ing i~ Chri!l in thofe times, as may appear both by this Apo!lle's fo frequent rnentton of tt m Ius Ep1!\les, as ColofT.I-4, Philrm.4. fo alfo in that our Savi· our Chri!l himfelf made it his bad&e, in that fore-named .Joh,I 3-35.By this (h,•IJ aiJ men know thatyott are m) 'D1[crples, ifyou love one another. The D ifctp!es were known by fome pecuhar b~dge; as Joh!J Baptifl's Difciples, by attiierity of h_fe; and thofe that were t~e Difcir.Ies of the Phari(us, by their h.16it and Tra· dlf:o11s; and thereupon fatth Chnfl to his Difcip)es, I will give you a badge whereby ye f)lall be known, and ~oat by all meo; it /hall not be Miracles, I will gtve you a greater fign; what IS that? Love one mrother. Let that love be amongit you Saints, t)13t is not amongfl any Generation in the w9rld elfe; and fo flJall not I only know you that you are mine, and own you, nor you your felves only know that you are mine but All 1/1f11 fhall know. The Love of thofe fir!\ Times to Saints was fuch, ac~ording to this Prophecy of Chri!l's, that the very Heathen takmg notice of their mutual love, did di!linguifh and decipher them
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