12. He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life They that by faith receive the Lord Jesus are purified are regenerated and shall live for ever but as many as through unbelief reject him remain dead in sin and doom'd to Hell Union with Christ is a most necessary a most happy union The Churches life from this has its beginning and continuance unto consummation 2. The Head has a mighty influence upon the Body There is a powerful influence from Christ upon his Church and what good it does is done by vertue of this influence He is said to be exalted far above all Heavens that he might fill all things Eph. 4. 10. Whatever grace and strength and comfort is communicated to believers it is really and all from Christ He fills Ordinances with efficacy mercies with sweetness afflictions with light and usefulness and Souls with greater degrees of Grace and Holiness out of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all-fulness it has pleased the Father should dwell in him Col. 1. 19. Our Lord tells his Disciples they must abide in him for separated from him they can do nothing Joh. 15. 5. No wonder the Apostle professes That Christ is all and in all Col. 3. 11. Though the Body the Church should be never so much increased a deficiency in the Head Christ need not be feared neither is it indeed possible for in him there is all the fulness of the Godhead And consequently his Rightousness and Grace must needs be sufficient for the whole 3. The Body has many Members and these members have different Offices The Church likewise has various members and their different stations relations callings diversify their work and duties and yet the doing of these duties is both comely and advantageous and the more every one does his own work the more all are benefited Rom. 12. 45. the Apostle tells us That as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office so we being many are one body in Christ And from thence infers that All should use the gifts they have received which are differing according to the grace and good pleasure of God the Giver It would be unreasonable for the Ear to attempt to speak like the Tongue or the Hand to see like the Eye The several members have their uses and work proper to them All are not Apostles all are not Prophets all are not Teachers all are not Governours 1 Cor. 12. 29. There are many indeed most in the Church that have need to be taught and governed and those that think themselves wise enough to instruct and govern themselves and so despise their spiritual Guides usually are the most ignorant and unruly and hugely need the help and conduct of others The members must abide in their place and calling Masters Servants Parents Children Husbands Wives Magistrates Subjects Pastors People doing their duties which the Scripture in their several stations and relations calls for 4. The Body is fitly joyned and thus fitly joyned is the Church of Christ The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies that there is a congruous order among the members of Christ Without Order an Army would be a Rout and not an Army a Kingdom would become a confused self-destroying multitude The Churches God is the God of Order and not of confusion 1 Cor. 14. 33. There is a rule for Order and Government and a subordination in the Church 't is not a body of levellers if there were a perfect parity all would affect to rule none would care to be ruled The reproof of two or three is more than the reproof of one the Churches admonition and censure is still with greater authority The flock is to submit themselves â—o their Pastors who are over them in the Lord. Heb. 13. 17. and both Pastors and people are to submit especially unto Christian Magistrates who are prophetically promised in the Old Testament that they should be Nursing Fathers to the Church under the New A right Order in Churches and Families will have a mighty influence to make believers stedfast against temptations both to Error and Wickedness The Apostle rejoyced in the Colossians chap. 2. 5. when he beheld their order and the stedfastness of of their faith in Christ 5. The Body is compact together so is the Church of Christ the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shews that the Church is firmly knit unto Christ the Head and the members one unto another The hypostatical Vnion between the Natures of Christ shall never be dissolved neither shall the mystical union between him and his members and if so then his true members must needs remain closely knit together There are ligaments joynts bands whereby the Body of Christ is held together The Spirit of Grace and Love unites the body to Christ and members to members The Ministers of Christ are subservient unto this union and ought to be preaching and commending love which is a grace of an uniting nature The Apostle had a concernedness for the Colossians which he expresses by a great conflict and that which he wisht so vehemently for was this that their hearts might be comforted beingknit together in love Col. 2. 1 2. Where is the member of the natural Body that grows weary of its fellowship and is willing to be cut off The Arms the Hands the Leggs the Feet are desirous to keep their places and and nature makes them abhor to be severed True grace makes the members of the Church to dislike separation As they believe so they very well like and are desirous of the communion of Saints A very black mark is set upon them who are of a contrary inclination 1 Joh. 2. 19. They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest they were not all of us 6. God hath set the Members in the body as it pleased him the different gifts and graces which are in the Church of Christ and the members of it are according to Gods will and pleasure He bestowes larger gifts upon some and less upon others and yet those that have less are not unuseful Some Saints receive greater measures of Grace others smaller but all have that grace which is true and which at last will end in glory Some members of the Church are higher others lower and yet they should not envy or despise one another for God has assigned their place unto both the higher may direct the lower the lower may serve the higher The eye cannot say to the hand I have no need of thee nor the head to the feet I Have no need of you and those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary 1 Cor. 12. 21 22. By the grace of God the members of Christ are what they are They have nothing but what they have received and the more
whether in pretence or in truth Christ is preached and therein I do rejoyce yea and will rejoyce 4. The avoiding of Scandal is much for the Churches Increase The Scandalous and loose lives of Professors make the World conclude the Gospel but a cunningly devised Fable and harden the men of it in Irreligion and a profane contempt of God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent The evil works of such as are called Christians for many of these latter Ages has been a great impediment to the spreading of Christianity Our Lord sayes Woe to the World because of offences Mat. 18. 7. for the World hereby is confirmed in prejudice and Wickedness and at last more certainly ruined But when the Members of the Church do work out their own Salvation with fear and trembling and shew a vehement desire after the Worlds Salvation also this is the way to gain the World to Christ and to turn it unto righteousness 5. The Church is mightily increased by the exemplary conversation of her Members When Believers are zealous of good Works and without rebuke and blame When they are patterns of Piety Justice Mercy Meekness Patience Self-denial when they go about doing good and by the heavenliness of their discourse and carriage declare plainly that they seek a better countrey than is to be found in this World hereby they adorn the Gospel and render it more lovely in the Worlds eye and more likely to be entertained the ignorance of wicked and foolish men is silenced by well doing 1 Pet. 2. 15. nay they be forced to a confession that God is in his Church of a truth and may at length consent and desire to be Members of that Church where there is so much of God and of his presence visible and apparent 2. As the Church should increase in numbers so all the Members of the Church should strive to increase more and more in grace and goodness They should strongly be induced to this because of their own imperfection in Grace which imperfection fills them many times with inward trouble and tormenting doubts and fears and makes outward affliction but highly necessary Besides Holiness is of such an excellent nature and so perfective of the Nature of man that the strongest desires are to be justified the most diligent endeavours after it to be commended Grace is increased in the Members of Christ several wayes 1. By a Serious and frequent engaging in those Ordinances which he has instituted He that has instituted these has promised his blessing and adds the efficacy Prayer Fasting giving of thanks receiving the Supper of the Lord attending upon the Word preached and searching the Scriptures and the like means of Grace when seriously used do exceedingly promote the growth of a Christian making him to become strong in Spirit The Church is the Garden of God the Saints are planted there the Word and Ordinances of Christ are like the showers from Heaven and the Husbandmans pains which makes these Plants to thrive and flourish Psal 92. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God But still it must be remembred though means are to be used yet we must look beyond them unto him that has appointed them else they will never attain their end 1 Cor. 3. 7. So then neither is he that planteth any thing nor he that watereth but God that giveth the increase 2. Grace is increased by the improving of Providences The Dispensations of Providence were various towards David he was exercised with great Severity and likewise with great Goodness we read Psal 116. 3. That the sorrows of Death compassed him and the pains of Hell gat hold upon him he found trouble and sorrow and v. 10. He was greatly afflicted in this distress he calls upon that God who is merciful and gracious for deliverance and his calling is heard and his Soul is delivered from Death his Eyes from Tears and his Feet from Falling And now how is his Heart affected his Graces strengthned He is filled with Love he is resolved to give himself to Prayer as long as he lived his Soul is at rest in God who had dealt bountifully with him he offers the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving and he cryes out Oh Lord I am thy Servant truly I am thy Servant v. 16. as if he should say Lord thou art a Master beyond all comparison and as it is my firm resolution so 't is my Happiness and Honour as well as Duty to be a Servant to thee 3. The Covenant of Grace is to be Studied and the Promises applyed in order to a Christians increase God has assured his People that he will perfect that which concerns them and that he will not forsake the work of his own hands He has said that his Servants shall Spring up as among the Grass and as Willows by the Water-courses Isa 44. 4. That the Righteous shall hold on his way and they that have clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger Job 17. 9. That they shall bring forth fruit even in Old Age and even then be flourishing and this shall be to shew that the Lord is upright Psal 92. 14 15. Such Promises being prized and applyed will make the New Creature full of vigour and perseverance will be certain Heark to the Apostle Phil. r. 6 7. Being confident of this very thing that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ even as it is meet for me to think this of you all 4. Grace is increased by Having recourse unto that fulness which dwells in Christ Therefore growing in Grace and growing in the Knowledge of Christ are joyned together for Christ is full of Grace and Truth and out of his fulness sayes St. John We all have received and Grace for Grace Joh. 1. 14 16. that is Grace answerable to that Grace which is in him Grace is his purchase he has it in Possession he gives it to all that have it and every new degree is from the same hand He is the Object the Author and the Finisher of Faith Heb. 12. 2. They are the most growing and established Saints that are least taken with the World that have least confidence in themselves that do best understand and most look unto Jesus 5. All impediments of increase must be carefully shunn'd as Pride and sloth and earthliness carnal and corrupt affections if these or things of like nature prevail they will prove to the Soul what Diseases are to the Body and make the Members of Christ to be feeble and languish depriving them both of their Strength and Beauty These are like peccant humours which must be Purged if we would have our Souls healthy and prosperous These are like weights which must be laid aside if we will run the Race that is set before us so as to obtain the Prize Heb. 12. 1. In the third place I am to produce several reasons why the Church
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THE More Excellent Way TO Edifie the Church of CHRIST OR A DISCOURSE CONCERNING LOVE The Design of which is to Revive that Grace now under such decays among Protestants of ALL perswasions By NATHANAEL VINCENT M. A. Minister of the Gospel 1 Pet. 4. 8. And above all things have fervent Charity among your selves Phil. 4. 5. Let your Moderation be known unto all men the Lord is at hand Gal. 5. 15. But if ye bite and devour one another take heed ye be not consumed one of another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost in 1 Cor. London Printed by J. A. for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers Chappel and at the Bible on London-Bridge near the Gate 1684. TO THE READER READER ALthough my Name be in the mouths of many and Tongues have scourg'd it most severely and most false Reports have been spread concerning me both in City and Countrey yet I could more patiently have born the killing of my Reputation if the Honour of God had not been at all concerned A regard to his Name and his Gospel's Credit prevails with me to break silence and Love to others makes me fear their being scandalized to their prejudice There is a design driven on by Hell and Rome to introduce Atheism in order unto Propery to make men really of no Religion that they may not stick to profess themselves of the Romish when they shall apprehend 't is for their Secular Interest Now because some mens lives by the Grace of God have been unblameable and tended to convince the World that there is a reality and power in Godliness these upon this account are singled out and loaded with Calumnies and Reproaches that being represented as Hypocrites all Religion may the more easily be suspected as a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 1. 16. cunningly devised Fable Let not those who have stupified their own Consciences think that I have acted of late against Mine Though I think I ought not to keep at such a distance from the Church of England as I did yet I have no preferment in it neither can I submit to the terms of such preferment Nay I have exceedingly hindred my own secular advantage by my Moderation which is not the way to thrive in such a Violent Age as this A moderate man is like one that parts two which are fighting instead of being thank'd he is lik'd by neither he has blowes from both for wishing them no worse a thing than Peace From prophane tongues I expect lies and slanders That Master whom I serve met with no better usage He was called a Wine-bibber a Friend to Publicans and Sinners nay said to have a Devil But though the Slander be never so gross it shall not hinder me from praying for the Slanderer and I hope I shall be enabled to live so still as that no body shall believe him If Professors who are Non-conformists speak against me and censure me as a Temporizer My Answer is That with me 't is a small thing to be judged of them or of mans judgment My own Conscience speaks other kind of language and in that one I have Mille testes a thousand Witnesses of my Integrity God is convincing me of the vanity of popular Applause and how soon that kind of wind may turn and change And if a Conviction of this makes me more humble and low in my own eyes Dishonour will do me a far greater kindness than Praise I will say to Humility O praesidium dulce decus meum my safety and sweet Ornament and next unto Heaven expect the greatest rest to my Soul in the exercise of this lovely Vertue The fury of those who have been most enraged against me has but heightned my love to them I have poured out more prayers and tears for them than they are aware of and they will know what a true Friend I have been to them when they come into another World Those whose Heads are hotter than their Love shall not move my anger but my pity and sorrow And let them call me what they please I shall own what is good in them and requite their Censures with Supplications that their Light and Faith their Humility and Love may be encreased and that they may do nothing unbecoming the Children of the God of love and peace nothing prejudicial to the Church or to themselves I have preached heretofore to multitudes while I was permitted For all the Churches in London not being able to hold the tenth part of all the Inhabitants I thought they had better hear a Doctrine agreeable to the Articles of the Church of England from my mouth than not hear at all But it never was my practice to preach up a party and it troubles me to see how much of Religion is placed in smaller things as appears by mens eagerness about them As if some thought a Church others thought a Conventicle like the Ark of Noah out of which 't is impossible to escape drowning in Perdition My design all along was to bring men to God by Faith in Jesus and that their hearts might be purified and to perswade them to be holy in all manner of Conversation I confess I am somewhat altered from what I was but 't is in the extensiveness of my love But I am perswaded that this is an alteration for the better and makes me more to resemble Christ Who can justly blame me for imitating the blessed Jesus who loves all sincere Protestants of all perswasions and has Communion with them all I add no more but that of the Apostle Rom. 15. 7. Wherefore receive ye one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God EPH. IV. 16. latter part Maketh Increase of the Body unto the Edifying of it self in Love IF I had a voice as loud as Thunder I would cry Fire Fire with a wish that all England might hear A Flame is kindled much worse than that which burnt down London which threatens both Church and State with ruine and that is the Flame of fierce Contention Mens Hearts are as hot as Hell their Tongues do set on fire the course of Nature such wrath such bitterness such animosities every where appear as plainly shew the body Politick and Body Mystical are in a dangerous fermentation and Feaver which I wish may not issue in dissolution and destruction That Prediction of our Lord is fulfilled Iniquity shall abound and love shall wax cold Lust indeed breaks out into a flame mens Passions are hot unto the highest degree and fury makes them abound in transgression but a deadly damp has seiz'd on Love No wonder that the Churches pulse does beat disorderly no wonder that she is languishing and ready to dye for Love is the cause of her increase and Edification Is there no Balm in Gilead is there not a Physitian there are the spots and symptoms such as shew the disease is mortal and that
temperateness of the Climate the fruitfulness of the Soil the variety of Delights where can you find a better Land that might reasonably be wisht to have been the Land of your Nativity Be not I beseech you so unnatural as to fill and load me with sin and to make me desolate a Land not inhabited The Corn I bear the abundance of pleasant Fruit I produce the Beasts I nourish for your food the wholesome Air you breath in for all these it would be an unworthy requital to turn me into an Aceldama a Field of Blood I have been a Land of Light to you as well as fruitful The Sun of Righteousness has shined as clearly and gloriously in Me as in any Nation under Heaven Oh sin not quarrel not away that which is my truest glory that which is your greatest Priviledge Study and mind the things which concern your peace Make your peace with God by faith in his Son and that faith accompanied with Repentance and Reformation and be at peace among your selves and then you need not fear your forreign foes And I should again become a Land of Renown and be both feared and courted all Europe over 4. There is a Love which is Spiritual The grounds and attractives of this are Spiritual And this kind of love the Text speaks of Christians Hearts should be filled with it And the more this is expressed the more the Church must needs be edified The Nature of this Love I shall explain in these Particulars 1. Love is a Grace wrought by the God of all grace 1 John 4. 7. Let us love one another for love is of God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God That Spirit which brings a man to the knowledge of God and regenerates him and makes him a New Creaâ—â—re works in him this Grace of Love thereâ—â—re we read That the fruit of the Spirit is 〈◊〉 Gal. 5. 22. Though Good Nature be an cellent thing and the dispositions of many incline them to be full of loving-kindness yet this natural sweetness of temper does greatly differ from Christian Charity The best Nature is regardless of the Soul neither is it concerned for it self or others beyond the things of sense and of this present World The Apostle thus describes a state of Nature in which he sometimes was as well as others Tit. 3. 3. We our selves were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another So that true love to others is of an Heavenly Original 2. Love is in Obedience to the Divine Command Christians love one another because their Lord and Saviour has commanded them Joh. 15. 12. This is my Commandment that ye love one another as I have loved you Both Law and Gospel insist upon this The Summ of the second Table of the Law is this Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self And by the Gospel this Law is established Faith in Christ therefore and Love are joyned 1 Joh. 3. 23. And this is his Commandment that we should believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another as he gave us Commandment Obedience to the Command sanctifies our love to our Neighbour and renders it not only more profitable to him but acceptable to God himself When we love others that Gods will may be fulfilled and he may be pleased and because of the Image of God and Christ which we see in them then we love truly And this is the meaning of that 1 Joh. 5. 2. By this we know that we love the Children of God when we love God and keep his Commandments When love to God and a care to keep his Laws induce us to love his Children because he bids us and for his sake 3. Love implies a Mortification of contrary Passions The Poet sayes Virtus est vitium fugere Vertue is to fly from Vice So may I say Love is to fly from Anger Wrath Malice Bitterness Envy Revenge which are sins of such a nature that they carry their punishment in their bowels and make an Hell as well as deserve one The darkness of the night is chased away when the day returns and the Sun rises sickness is removed when health is restored and in like manner those sinful and corrupt passions which benight the Soul and are the diseases of it are purged out where this Grace of Love is indeed infused The Apostle plainly shews this Eph. 4. 31. compared with Chap. 5. 2. In the former place he sayes Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour be put away with all kind of malice In the latter he sayes Walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and gave himself for us Compare also Col. 3. 8. with v. 14. and you may perceive that we must put off anger wrath malice when we put on charity which is the bond of perfectness 4. Love implies an Inclination to Vnion The nature of it is to unite and knit things together Thus by the love of Friendship the Soul of Jonathan was knit with the Soul of David 1 Sam. 18. 1. and the Hearts of Christians are knit together by this excellent Grace of Love Col. 2. 2. Union is of God and is indeed the Churches strength The bundle of rods in the Fable while they remain'd bound together could not be broken whereas every single one might be snapt asunder with ease So far as the Church is divided so far 't is certainly and dangerously weakned There is an admirable Union in the Godhead Three distinct Persons are in one incomprehensibly glorious Nature A wonderful Union also in Christ himself two distinct Natures in one Person and Mediator and these two Natures infinitely more differing than Earth and Heaven than the Sun and a Mole-hill and yet behold them inseparably united The Churches Union is Mystical they are Many Members but love makes them one Body for it makes them of one heart and of one Soul Love alters the contentious and cruel nature and inclines to Union and Peace So that to use the Prophets Phrase The Wolf dwells peaceably with the Lamb the Leopard lyes down with the Kid the Calf and the young Lion and the Fatling together and a little Child may lead them the Cow and the Bear feed their young ones lye down together and the Lyon eats straw like the Oxe the sucking Child plays on the hole of the Asp and the weaned Child puts his hand on the Adders den so far as love prevails there is no hurting nor destroying one another in all Gods holy Mountain Isa 11. 6 7 8 9. Christ prayed for this Union as that which would be for the Churches benefit and for the Worids Conviction that he came forth from God John 17. 21. That they all may be one as thou Father art in Me and I in Thee that they also may be one in us that the World may believe that thou hast sent me How needful is
Love to unite Christians and to make them one since divisions strike at Christ himself and harden the World in its infidelity 5. Love enlarges the Heart and frees it from the bonds of selfishness and makes its desire others welfare as well as our own Love to our Neighbour breaths forth in servent wishes that it may be well with him both in Time and to Eternity We are in every respect to consider our Brethren and true love will make us long that every way they may be benefited that they may not want any needful fecular comfort and encouragement especially that they may be blessed with all Spiritual blessings And above all that they may attain Eternal Happiness and Salvation The Apostles love vents it self in a Prayer for the Corinthians temporal prosperity and increase 2. Cor. 9. 10. Now he that mimistereth seed to the Sower both Minister brend for your food and multiply your seed sown and increase the fruits of your Righteousness So St. John writing to his beloved Gaius wishes him health and prosperity 3 Joh. 2. Beloved I wish above all things that thou mayst prosper and be in health even as thy Soul prospereth But the Apostles wishes that Souls might be sanctified and saved were most vehement and most pathetically expressed Rom. 10. 1. Brethren my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved Phil. 1. 8. God is my record how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ Gal. 4. 19. My little Children of whom I travel in birth again until Christ be formed in you Behold how the Apostle loved Souls I don't wonder that he wishes his love as a blessing to the Church 1 Cor. 16. 24. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus Amen 6. Love is the fulfilling of the Law the doing of which is so much for our Neighbours benefit Rom. 13. 8. He that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law As love to God includes the whole first table of the Law so love to our Neighbour includes the second with reason 't is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fulfilling of the Law for it causes an affectionate and obediential respect unto every Commandment of the second table and there is not one of these precepts but 't is hugely for the good of Mankind 1. Love has a regard â—o the Honour and Authority of Others That honour which is due to Natural Parents love is ready to yield They that were instrumental in giving us our very Being and that nourished us with such tenderness and care when we were not ablâ— to shift for our selves may rightfully challenge obedience from us Upon a supposition that Parents are fallen into decay that piety that Children shew them in relieving them is called a Requiting them 1 Tim. 5. 4. so that Childrens disobedience as 't is unnatural so it has a great deal of ingratitude in it Love ascends higher than our Natural Parents and reaches the very Thrones where Kings and Princes are placed Kings are Patriae Patres Fathers of their Countrey all the inhabitants of a Kingdom are the Children of the King and as a Common Father their very hearts should love and reverence him It was not a Court complement or a strain of Rhetorick but an expression of religious Loyalty when the Prophet call'd the Anointed of the Lord the breath of the peoples nostrils Lam. 4. 20. and signifies how dear his life should be unto them all Love will cause tribute and custom to be willingly paid fear and honour to be rendred Rom. 13. 7. Christian Princes according as it was prophetically promised Isa 49. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are Ecclesiae Nutritij the Churches Nursing Fathers The Church of Christ in this world is not arrived to such matâ—uity but it stands in need of nursing the Magistrates care is needful and his Authority is a good fence unto the Christian faith And if the Doctrine of the Gospel has a legal establishment how should this endear the Supream Magistrate unto all inferiours Where Christian love reigns in the hearts of Subjects there Christian Kings will reign with greater security Love and rightly informed Conscience wherever found will do more than Rods and Axes though these are also necessary to support and defend the Civil Government 2. Love has a regard to the Lives of Others The guilt of blood is great the cry of blood is loud Murther how does it wound the Murtherers Conscience and defile the very land which receives the blood of him that is murthered Love utterly abhorrs cruelty and slaughter It considers the meekness and gentleness of Christ When James and John would by miraculous fire have consumed a Samaritan village that would not receive their Lord He rebukes them and sayes ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of for the Son of man is not come to destroy mens lives but to save them Luk. 9. 55 56. Love is so far from thirsting after blood that it will not allow of malice in the heart nay rash and causelefs anger it dislikes for that will make a man in danger of the judgment Mat. 5. 22. Were but love every where revived it would put an end to the Iron one and cause the Golden age to return Swords would be beaten into Plough-shares and Spears into Prâ—ning-Hooks and Nations would not learn Warr any more 3. Love will not violate others chastity Lust is strongly inclined to such a violation but the grace of love is of an holy and clean nature and abhorrs all obsceneness It is so far from consenting to defile anothers body that it will not allow the heart where 't is by a filthy thought or desire to be defiled for our Lord sayes Whosoever looketh on a Woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart Mat. 5. 28. Love looks upon the bodies of Christians as Members of Christ as temples of the Spirit now the Members of Christ are not to be polluted the temples of the Spirit are not to be profaned How little of true love is there in this lustful Age in this adulterous generation An affection that is indeed Christian is rarely to be found but a reprobate and brutish concupiscence is very rise both in City and Countrey though hereby both are ripening apace for vengeance Jer. 5. 7 8 9. They assembled themselves by troops in the harlots houses they were as fed Horses in the morning every one neighed after his Neighbours Wife Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nature as this 4. Love will not steal away the substance of another It abhors to be injurious to any it is for following that which is altogether just It is ready to distribute willing to communicate to the poor according to that charge 1 Tim. 6. 18. and the poorer any are it is so much the more communicative Love is liberal for he that