I will be with him and glorifie him With long life will I satisfie him and shew him my saluation And Iohn 14. 21. Hee that loueth mee shall be loued of my Father and I will loue him and shew mine own self vnto him vers 23. Yea these are they to whom God hath promised his heauenly Kingdome Iames 1. 12. to them that loue him Thirdly it condemnes those that loue any thing more than they loue God as father mother wife childe profit pleasure friend yea or life it selfe which is no other than Idolatry and to make that our God which wee loue aboue God and spirituall Adultery as St. Iames cals it Iames 4. 4. as a man that loues a harlot more than his owne wife yet what is more common than this yea the trade of it with the common sort who for the sake of the things aboue named care not what dueties they omit or what sinnes they commit against God who yet ought to be loued aboue all and all things to be loued in and for him and vnder him and as may stand with our loue to him and not otherwise Yea the seruants of God because their loue is not perfect suffer many things to come in betweene God and vs and steale our heart and affection in part from him and that obedience that wee owe vnto him which we ought to bewaile deeply and labour euery day more and more that his loue may bee greater in vs than to any thing nay all things else that are in the world besides And so much of the Loue of God briefly hauing taken it but by the way CHAP. 3. Of Loue to our Neighbour and first what it is NOw I come to handle the duety of Loue to our Neighbour as that which necessarily floweth from the Loue of God And of this first What it is secondly of the Notes it 's knowne by thirdly of the Properties of true Loue and fourthly of the persons that we ought to loue 1 Loue is a sanctified affection of the heart whereby whosoeuer is indued withall endeuoureth to doe all the good he can to all but especially to them that be nearest vnto him 1. It s an affection seated as we say in the heart as all the other of hate hope feare ioy griefe c. as the vnderstanding is in the head These are in themselues good and not euill being giuen to Adam in his creation in whom they were all pure well ordered and in good tune louing the good and hating the contrarie and so in the rest But euer since the Fall they are vtterly corrupted the will and affections haue not onely lost all their purity but the will is become most rebellious and all the affections disordered and turned the contrary way As this of Loue is turned to the loue of euill to malice reuenge and selfe-loue 2. I say its a sanctified affection for ere a man can loue he must be regenerate sanctiffed throughout as in his vnderstanding and will so in his affections which is when a man is vnited to Christ by Faith he is sanctified by the Spirit that is the old and cursed disposition that is in vs by nature is put away and a new and contrary frame and disposition of soule wherein wee were at first created is brought into vs the vnderstanding enlightned the will made plyant and frameable to the will of God and so the affections purged and restored to their former integrity in some measure as to hate the euill so to loue the good to loue God and our brethren for Gods cause So that no vnregenerate or vnsanctified man can loue eyther God himselfe or any body else True Loue proceeds from a pure heart good conscience faith vnfained 1 Tim. 1. 5. from a soule purified by the spirit 1 Pet. 1. 22. And Gal. 5. it s reckoned among the fruits of the spirit And 2 Pet. 1. 7. its reckoned among other graces Faith Temperance Patience Godlinesse c. so that one is no more in vs naturally than the rest There be many things that the blinde world call Loue which are not this grace that we speake of nor come in any such account with God That betweene the fornicator and his harlot is no loue but lust as in Amnon which turned as soone into hatred Between drunkards and theeues is no loue but conspiracy for Loue reioyceth not in iniquity but in the truth that is in that that is good Nor that naturall loue of parents to their children This is in bruit creatures the Cowe loues nourisheth and defendeth her Calfe the Goose and Gander tend and brood their young Nor that ciuill loue that is between ordinary people in the world that stands only in eating and drinking prating and playing together which they count such loue and good fellowship as who so speakes against and cals for better spending of the time is cryed out vpon as an enemy to all loue and not to be suffered But our Sauiour Christ nor the Gospell comes not to bring such friendship but rather debate Such as that was among the Heathen and is only carnall whereas true loue respecteth the soule and that most of all which is no whit seene nor thought of among carnall men Vnregenerate men cannot loue their neighbours for while they be kinde to their bodies and haue no care of their soules is this worthy to be called Loue It s as ones friend or child should haue a hurt in the braine and another in the heele and he should carefully looke to the heele and let the braine putrifie Carnall Parents that pamper their childrens bodies and prank them vp braue and lay for great portions for them and suffer their soules to welter in sinne and dye and perish for want of instruction admonition prayer and holy example is this to bee called Loue what do they more than Turkish Parents The wicked Magistrate that is very friendly to all the Countrey and keepes a good house all the yeare and yet suffers sinne to reigne and houses of disorder to abound in his circuit the Sabbaths to be prophaned and like Gallio cares for none of those things call you this Loue The negligent Minister that sets on the great Pot and keeps good Hospitality among his neighbours and yet suffers their soules to famish for want of breaking to them the Bread of life The carnall neighbour that to the body of his neighbour is very kinde but suffers sinne to rest vpon his soule and rather nourisheth him therein than rebuketh him thereof this in the language of the holy Ghost is hatred and no loue Leuit. 19. 17. And what hold is there of vnsanctified mens loue one to another They may be very inward and great friends now and on the sodaine vpon a small occasion fall out and become deadly enemies They oft goe arme in arme to the Ale-house or Tauern embracing each other and stabbe one another ere they come forth See a liuely picture of this Iudges
cursed generation of idle and sinnefull Varlets which seeing God hath maruellously and mercifully rid vs of what encouragement should it be to vs to relieue our owne true poore And for lending where is this in vse but rather as if God had neuer giuen precept of it or as it were a Statute repealed and that is out of date so is this duety of lending That cursed and cruell trade of Vsury hath eaten vp and banisht out of the Country this Christian duety of free-lending Some rich men are so grim and so austere as a poore man dares not speake to them for such a thing And indeede how few be there that haue any thing to lend at any time Some lend out all so neare to Vsury as they haue not to lend but borrow rather Or if a poore man doe any worke for them they cannot pay them of a good while they be so bare For as soone as any money comes in it must out againe straight as if it would burne a hole in the Cupbord or would be halfe an vndoing to them if it lay there but a weeke or two Others are euer purchasing and so keep themselues bare and in debt and then they whine at euery charge and wrangle at rates and are neuer fit or ready to lend or to any good vse Such bring a curse vpon themselues making themselues borrowers when they might bee lenders Deut. 28. 44. Others be so miserable as though they haue it yet they will not lend So for the last duety of neighbourly dealing inuiting visiting these are decayed so that we may beleeue in all these respects these be the times foretold Matth. 24. 12. wherein Loue should waxe cold Yet indeede there is a great deale of counterfeit loue of fauning crouching and congeying of pot-companionship and ioyning together in euill A great deale of selfe-loue also making others faults great and our owne small or none nay sometimes making them vertues extenuating and making light of the vertues of others highly esteeming our owne seeking our selues in all our dealings and courses with little regard of our neighbours which selfe-loue the Apostle 2 Tim. 3. 2. foretels shall be in the last times and sets it in the fore-front as the cause of many other euils that follow Now let euery man examine himselfe in particular touching these things and so make vse to his owne soule for comfort or the contrary But who shall not finde himself failing in euery one of them whereby we haue much cause to be humbled and the courses of the common sort are wholly contrary to all these properties of true Loue whereby they may conclude fearfully against themselues CHAP. 5. Causes of the want of Loue to our Neighbour NOw to this end that euery man may the better see how to mend that that is amiss let vs a little look into the causes of this want of Loue and what are the hinderances of the fruits thereof The maine and generall cause is an euill heart pestered with selfe-loue and many lusts that be contraries to Loue. 1 More particularly Want or weaknesse of Faith is one great cause When our Sauiour Christ told his Apostles they must for giue till seuenty times seuen times what said they Luke 17. 4 5. Increase our Faith Assurance of Gods loue to vs in pardoning our many sins and giuing his Son Iesus Christ and assurance of eternall Life makes vs loue againe and both to giue and forgiue which are two principall dueries and fruits of Loue. Pride and the following Vices are hinderers of the exercise of Loue. 2 Pride whereby men thinke highly of themselues and meanly of others thinke they may speake or doe any thing but others may doe nothing to them Onely by pride doe men make contentien Prou. 13. 10. Humblenesse causeth loue Ephes. 4. 2. Pride makes men think themselues so wise and good as euery body should say as they say doe as they doe and after a sort doe homage to them if they doe not then the peace is broken straight Pride will not endure a reproofe therefore being told of a fault they fall out deeply as Ioash with Zechariah Ahab and Iezabel with Eliah Herod with Iohn 3 Couetousnesse is another this makes men contend for trifles the least dammage done him is thought so great looking on it in a false glasse as its sufficient to breake Loue and cause a suite It causeth men to oppresse to vse false weights sleights c. It hinders both mercy to the poore and all other neighbourly offices of inuiting and the like 4 Enuie hinders Loue exceedingly When one enuies at the prosperity of another in whatsoeuer kinde of temporall or spirituall good things As Labans sons did at Iacob which changed their countenances towards him and made him weary of his place Cain that enuied that Abels sacrifice was better accepted than his and Esau that Iacob was blessed Ismael that Isaac was the son of the Promise what breach of Loue and wofull fruits followed of all these 5 Frowardnesse shortnesse of spirit breakes Loue very oft for angry words stirre vp strife Prou. 15. 1. 6 These dayes of peace are an occasion through mens corruption that men grow hollow and strange and to set light by one another Troubles cause men to make much of each other and cling together as the sheep that out of danger and in a faire day scatter themselues ouer a field in a storme or when they see a dog come run all together These and such like be wofull causes of the want of Loue which also bring forth as lamentable effects euery where both in Church and Common-wealth What wofull breaches hideous contentions what hard measure and wrongs are offered what enmities and oppositions to the hazzard of the Church danger of the Common-wealth and ouerthrow of the prosperity of many Parishes What ruine brings this want of Loue vpon many Families And among particular persons what breakings out both in word and deed to the dishonour of God Religion the vndoing each other many times both in soule and state to the disgrace of the Gospell and ill example of the beholders and hurt to their own soules by keeping them from and disabling them for the right performance of holy dueties which cause cold prayers and those not heard and hereby eyther kept from the Sacrament as many times it is Oh fearfull thing to bee spoken or else slubber it ouer and come with festered hearts and so lose the benefit nay by such vnworthy comming they prouoke the wrath of God and eate their condemnation as much as in them lyeth but oft times they eate and drink their iudgement a sore sicknesse and may be their owne death or the death of wife or some childe that is deare to them to teach them and others by their example the price of such boldnesse Now seeing these things bee so the Lord giue vs euery one hearts where we finde our selues faulty to humble our selues
enough for themselues it s not all nor ten times so much that could keepe them from beggery and misery if God should set himselfe against them And to giue when they dye its little thankes for they cannot carry it with them Obiect 4. All is little enough for my selfe and my children for I meane to leaue my eldest sonne a good estate and I haue diuers daughters that I purpose to match well and therfore must get them good portions as it s expected in these daies and then they must haue education accordingly Answ. But who bids you flye such high pitches and set downe such portions and in the meane time neglect Gods commandement and your duty to the poor This is the high way to pull downe your children Do as you may all duties discharged and there an end for if you hoard vp the poores part in your childrens great portions God will draw it out of your or your childrens bellies Obiect 5. They bee neuer the better for all that is giuen them they draw all through their throat Answ. If some bee not yet some be thrifty and it s well seene and well bestowed of them If any abuse your liberalitie you may cut them the shorter but let not others fare the worse for them Ob. 6. They be ill tongued one may giue them neuer so much they will not giue one a good word Answ. It may be we spoyle our gift in the manner of bestowing it and so it loseth its grace and credit 2. Though some bee vnthankefull and ill tongued yet all are not so they that be yet giue them and ouercome them Ob. 7. They be so bad and so wicked as its pity to giue them Answ. We giue it not to their badnesse but to their pouertie and may be our goodness to them with good counsell may make them better But some blame not their badnesse for hatred of their sin but as an excuse to saue their purses but that is not a sufficient plea. Ob. 8. They be so theeuish one can keepe nothing for them almost abroade especially They break my hedges carry away my barres pluck vp my stiles I le giue them nothing not I. Answ. This is most what rich mens faults for if they would take order that euery family should doe what worke they are able according to the Law of God and the good Statutes of the Land and then what they cannot reach to by their labour to supply to them for necessaries euery one beeing held to worke most part of this would bee preuented And then if any were taken in such offence and were well punisht either by the whip or else their collection that week kept backe you should heare few such complaints But if they bee not as well looked to to follow their worke as to giue them a little collection a great many will begge or steale rather than get it by working Ob. 9. Some of them that make a great shew of Religion yet if they get money into their fingers that one hath lent them one cannot tel how to get it again for all their great precisenesse and running to sermons Ans. True some such offences there be more is the pity but this must not wholly take our minde from the duty of lending nor let all fare the worse for the fault of some few Or if wee should doe well for any that we thought wel of for soundnesse and after they proued but Hypocrites yet if our minds were vpright in that wee did we shall not lose our reward Ob. 10. There be such a number of charges euery way to the King and for Souldiers to the Ministers to the repairing the Church to Bread and Wine for the Communion and Briefes and one Collection or other that I can neuer a Sunday be quiet and now you come for the poore I think you will haue all I see no reason to be at all these charges Answ. For those that be to the King it s our bounden duty and they be abundantly recompensed in the peace and quietnesse that we enioy vnder his Gouernment And for the Church small cause to grudge at that seeing it is a trifle towards his seruice that giues all And that we giue for the good of our soules is the best bestowed mony that can be if the fault bee not in our selues For any thing we do in compassion to them that be in want God hath giuen his word himselfe to see that requited So that if it be well considered there is no such cause of this grumbling at any one or all of these charges Ob. 11. If you will not be quiet but follow mee thus with Giue giue and Pay pay I will make a shortcut of it I le break vp house and goe liue in a great Town and eat and drink and be merry with my friends and put out my mony to vsurie Answ. If you do you shall carry many curses with you and a guilty conscience and the hand of God will follow you and it may be you may haue as smal ioy of it as your Predecessor in the twelfth of Luke when he had thought to haue nestled himselfe in his wealth for many yeares and liued at ease he was suddenly arrested with O foole this night they shall fetch away thy soule and then whose shall these things be There is no flying from the duties that God requires therefore listen and learn obey and be blessed CHAP. 12. Of the Poores duties NOw for the Poores duties a word or two I speake to you from the Lord how you should behaue your selues in this your condition and it s very needfull know them and God giue you a heart to do them You must labour to be contented with your estate giue glory to God and know it to be the state that he seeth fittest for you if you were borne to it or hee hath brought you into it especially if you haue by any wicked courses brought it vpon your selues you can haue the lesse comfort in it But if you can be so wise as make it vnto you a spur to true repentance you shall be happy Keep your Church diligently though your clothing be meane Keep holy the Sabbath day and know nothing is lost by that Pray daily and labour to liue in the feare of God that though you be poore to the world-ward yet you may be as St. Iames saith Cap. 2. Rich in Faith and heires of the Kingdome which hee hath promised to them that loue him Follow your calling diligently that as much as may be you may eate your own bread that God may moue mens hearts to supply willingly that that is wanting Be not ouer clamorous Keep a good tongue though men deale not very well with you Carry your selues dutifully and humbly towards the rich and all your superiours not saucy surly ill-tongued patient and meeke when you receiue a reproofe and not swell or giue ill words Be thankfull for any kindnesse you receiue
bring them to Heauen and therefore vrge them to look further which they are not willing to doe and this makes them wish they were all out of the way for they onely trouble the world they should be quiet but for them And thus our Sauiour Christ and the Gospell bring variance not into the same Towne where before all went hand in hand to sinne but into the same Family because some will receiue the Gospell and the power of it some others will not therefore they are now at oddes that were all one before in euill This sinne hath most fearfully ouer-spread this Nation so that its more safe from the hatred and ill tongues of most to bee any thing rather than to be zealous and godly A fearfull thing Euery man loues a couragious souldier a diligent and resolute seruant for his Master a man forward in his businesse onely forwardnesse and zeale for God and in Religion that cannot bee endured These be they that be the troublers and a burthen to the places where they be and so to the Land and bee railed on as the vilest persons when as yet these are perhaps vpon their knees pleading with God for the Nation when multitudes are swilling and swearing and prouoking Gods wrath against it therefore we haue small cause to be weary of them the Land no doubt fares the better for them euery day Is this the fruit of aboue threescore yeares peace and plenty of the Gospell wherein it had been meet we had all beene such as I meane that is zealous and true hearted Christians that now those few that labour to shew forth the power of true godlinesse in an vniuersall obedience to the Word they professe that these should be had in derision and be a wonder in Israel As sure as we liue if all in this Land serued God as it is to be feared some doe in an idle and meere ceremonious cōming to Church hearing of Sermons and receiuing the Sacrament and yet liue as they list and keep their lusts still and the sinnes they haue a minde to God would soone ease himselfe of vs and vomit vp such a lukewarme Nation for how odious is this to God to haue people draw neare to him with their lips when their hearts are diuided from him and run after their sinnes to heare his Word and hate to be reformed or to mend a little in what they list and no further than they please to call vpon God and yet depart not from euill in receiuing the Lords Supper to professe Faith in Christ and obedience to all Gods commandements and in their liues to shew the clean contrary euery day what is this but to prouoke God against vs and to deceiue our owne soules And as for those particular persons that are haters of Gods true seruants they are no such themselues and their state is fearful For they are not led by the spirit that Dauid and Cornelius was and which I pray God I may euer be They be no true Members of the Church here nor shall bee heires of Gods Kingdome hereafter as Psal. 15. 4. None of Christs Disciples who are known by louing their Brethren Iohn 13. 35. nor are translated from death to life 1 Iohn 3. 14. but remaine vnder death to this houre Nor haue any loue to God in them 1 Iohn 5. 1. for if they loued him that begetteth they would loue those that are begotten of him But they are of the seed of the Serpent bearing enmity against the seed of the Woman against Christ in his members of Cains linage of the broode of Ismael worse than Balaam Numb 23. that said How shall I curse where God hath not cursed or detest where God hath not detested are led by Sathan who is an accuser of the Brethren Reuel 12 10. who prouide wofully for themselues for God said to Abraham and so to all that be of the seed of Abraham by true faith I will blesse them that blesse thee and curse them that curse thee Their ill will is indeed against Christ and reacheth to him as he said from heauen to Saul Why persecutest thou me and It s hard kicking against the pricks Looke throughout all the Scriptures and you shall see that fearefull iudgements haue ouertaken the haters and pursuers or opposers of the true seruants of God Later Histories of the Church and our owne daily experience affords abundance of very true sensible and fearfull examples in this kinde And if at the day of iudgement they that haue done them no good shall be set on the left hand and heare this dolefull sentence Goe yee cursed c. then what shall become of them that haue hated them and done them hurt Let euery one therefore that hath beene guilty in this thing repent deepely of it as there is cause and so shake off this blacke and fearefull Marke else the time will come when they shall wish and would thinke themselues happy to bee shadowed vnder their wing whom now they hate when they shall see them receiued and themselues refused Yet here againe let me put in this by the way that I count not those for Gods true seruants who are such onely in Profession and not in their Practice Some zealous Professors there are which yet are not so diligent in their callings as they ought to be Some not so carefull to keep out of debt or not to pay their debts but hang on euery bush and breake promises shamefully to the iust opening the mouthes of their Neighbours Some bee rash and indiscreete giuen to censure too deepely Some spend all their zeale in crying out against Ceremonies and neglect matters more belonging to edifying themselues and others Some forsake their owne Ministers when they preach very vncharitably and indiscreetly Some separate themselues from the Church and our Ministrie and Societie altogether Now if a Minister or any Christian shall shew his dislike of such courses in generall or rebuke any particular person for any of them hee is not to bee ill thought of for so doing nor to be reputed an hater of Gods seruants Fourthly there are diuers sorts of them that be no open enemies to Gods children that yet will bee found no other when God shall come to iudgement and therefore here to be discouered and reproued They bee not with them therefore they bee against them They can sit and heare them vniustly euill spoken of and yet be neuer greeued nor once open their mouthes in their behalfe That pry into their liues and if they can spy a hole in their coate they reproach them by it and tell it from one to another and that with no griefe Can cast out a scoffe against them That care not for their company Delight rather in those that spend the time in telling Newes or Tales of this or that body with these they can sit long but for other that will hold to any godly speech they take no pleasure in them They make matches with such