Ver.14. the 17thChapter of St. J O H N. go t Wrongs, and Readinefs to give, and to forgive, to do good to all, to pars by Injuries, and to render good for evil. Why thould fuch an amiable Thing be hated? I anfwer 5 . a. The Devil's Inftigation is one great Caufe g he bath great Wrath againft the Saints, their Increafe prefageth his Ruine. Rev. t 2. 12. The Devil is come down unto yon, ha- ving great Wrath, becaufe he knoweth he hath but a little Time. And he bath great Power over wicked Men : EpheC 2. 2. The Prince of the Power of the Air, the Spirit that now worketh in the Children of Difobedience. As he worketh other Sins in them, fo this Sin of Hatred and Trouble to the Saints. John 8.44. Te are ofyour Father the Devil, and the Lulls of your Father ye will do he was a Murderer from the beginning. And Cain is laid to be of that wicked One, t John 3. 12. They are his Seed, and there is an old Enmity between the Seeds. The original Caufe is Malignity againft God; Rom. 1. 30. Haters of God. It is a part of Original Sin, they hate God, and hate his Saints : God fhould fpeed no better than his Saints, if he were in their Power. But the aftual Caufe is, 2. On Man's part ; and there feemeth to be a double Reafon, Pride and Envy: Pride is impatient of Reproof, and Envy looketh with an evil eye upon their Privileges and Advantages in Chrift. (t.) Pride, which is impatient of Reproof. Stridnefs is an Objeft reviving Guilt. Heb. t t.7. Noah, moved with fear, prepared an Ark to the flying of his Family, whereby, he condemned the World. Your Life is a Reproof, that maketh them afhamed. John 7. 7. The World hateth me, becaufe I teflify of it, that the Works thereof are evil. Every wicked Man loveth another, vela fautorenf, adjutatorem, e' excufatorem fui criminis. One wicked Man doth not put another to the Bluth. It is no (harm to be black in a Country of Negroes, where all are black. Their Converfation is a living Reproof Thy Guilt is upbraided by their righteous Works; their Converfation upbraideth thy Confcience 5 the fenfe of thy Guilt and Negligence is revived by their righteous Works, and ferious Diligence in Heaven's Way. We are impatient of a verbal Re- proof, much more of a real. Their holy Lives beget a Fear and Awe. Mark 6.20. Herodfeared John, knowing that he was a juff Man and holy, and obferved him. Chrifl faith here not only, I have given them thy Word, but, They are not of the World : They do not only teach things contrary to the World, but live contrary to theWorld. Ma- ny a ftrift Preacher may be a carnal Man, and the World and he may agree well e- nough. They look upon Sermons as Words fpoken of courfe ; . it is the holy Conver- fation that enrageth moil: as Elephants are enraged with gorgeous Apparel. They have no Vail and Cloak for their Sins : Thieves rob in the Night, they would fain ex- tinguifh the Light. The World cannot endure to be condemned from that Light that fhineth from the Godly ; as the Sun is burdenfom to the Owl, and other Night- Birds: John 3. 19, 20. This is the Condemnation, that Light is come into the World, and Men loved Darknef rather than Light, becaufe their Deeds were Evil. For every one that doth Evil, hateth the Light, neither cometh he tò the Light, left his Deeds fhould be reproved. (2.) Envy at God's Favours bellowed on them. John 15. 19. If ye were of the World, the World would love its own : but becauf ye are not of the World, but 1 have chafen you out of the World, therefore the World hateth you. Cain was not only upbraided by Abel's better Sacrifice, but envied God's acceptance of him ; Gen. 4. 4, 5. Jofeph's party-coloured Coat, and his Father's Favour, furred up envy in his Brethren. This is the difference between Envy and Emulation ; Envy is accompanied with Lazinefs, as Emulation with Induftry. There is between the Good, àye b tires, a good contenti- on, Heb. 10.24. who !hall be molt forward. Emulation is good, if feparated from Carnal Aims ; but Envy, which is accompanied with Sloth, maketh a Man malign that Good which is in others. Envy hath an evil Eye, it cannot look upon Goodnefi with- out grief. When others are at the top of the Hill, and they lie lazily at the bottom, they fret at thofe which are at the top; they will not put in for the Privileges of Chri- flianity, and therefore are troubled with thofe that do fo: Divine Grace bath made a .diftindion, and thofe whom Goct bleffeth to be Objefts of his Love, the World chufeth to be Obje is of Hatred. Vfe r. If the Children of God have the World's refpeft at any time, they have need to look to their Confciences. Do noteyou fymbolize with them in Carnal Pra- ¿lices. Luke 6.26. Curfed are you when all Men fpeak well of you, for fo they did to the tai Prophets. Phocion upon a general applaufe went home, and faid, y`uid mali feel ? Cccc Do
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