in him 1 Jo. 2. 4. So may be also said He that saith he loves God and keeps not his Commandment is a Lyar and the Truth is not in him according as the same Apostle saith I Jo. 5. 3. For this is the Love of God that we keep his Commandements Hence it is apparent that Love without Purity is but a false pretence and that whatsoever hinders from the practice of this Love of God or with draws from the obedience of the least of his Commands is to be denyed and no ways to be entertained as being either the love of the Devil the love of the World or the love of Self and not the love of the Father and as from the true love of God having taken place both upon the Understanding and Will there ariseth a great fervency and desire of Mind that it may be wholly united with the Lord and made conformable unto his Will in all things So from hence ariseth also a certain Aversion from Indignation of and even Hatred to whatsoever is contrary thereunto or has a tendency to lead from it which is commonly called Zeal which Zeal having a right bottom and foundation and proceeding purely from the Love of God is a great Virtue greatly to be commended and pressed after and the defect thereof is justly reproveable in a Christian That Zeal then thus considered is a thing excellent pure and holy of it self appears in that it is ascribed to God himself 2 King 19. 13. Isa. 9. 7. Where the performance of the Blessed Evangelical promises is to be performed by the Zeal of the Lord Isa. 19. 17. He is said to be Cloathed with Zeal as with a Cloak and 63. 15. His Zeal is numbred with his Bowels and Mercies next David recommends himself to God for that the Zeal of his House had eaten him up Psal. 69. 9. and 119. 139. And Paul commends the Corinthians for their Zeal 2 Cor. 7. 11. 1 Cor. 14. 12. and for this end has the Grace of God appeared unto all that there might be a People gathered Zealous of good Works Tit 2. 14. And as this is commended and recommended on the one hand so is the contrary thereof to wit Indifferency and Lukewarmness reproved and rebuked as a thing displeasing to the Lord of many instances whereof that might be given that unto the Church of Laodicea may serve at present Rev. 13. 15. 16. Because for a Remedy against this Evil she is Exhorted v. 19. to be Zealous and Repent But as there is a true Zeal so is there a false one and it is not more needful to have the one then iâ— is to avoid the other Now as the true Zeal proceedeth only from the pure Love of God and single Regard to his Honour and Glory so the false Zeal proceedeth from the Love of something else and the regard to other things And of this false Zeal there are several kinds as well as degrees all of which though they ought to be shunned yet some are far more hurtful and pernitious than others the worst and highest of these is when as Men through the height of Pride Lust Ambition or Envy shew themselves furious and Zealous to satisfie and fulfill their desires and affections this is the highest Zeal for self From this Zeal did Cain flay Abel Ishmael mocked Isaac and Esau hated Jacob Pharoah Persecuted the Children of Israel Saul David and Jezabel the true Prophets of the Lord. A second kind is when as Men that are not true and faithful even to those principles of Religion they profess themselves to acknowledge as true as being Conscious to themselves and also publickly known to be such as are Vitious and Profligate yet do violently persecute and oppress others that differs from them though they be not only equal to them but even by their own acknowledgment exceed them in Temperance and Virtue having nothing to charge them with but that they agree not with them in judgment and practice in matters of Religion This apparently is a false Zeal and not of God for if it proceeded from the true Love of God it would first operate in themselves to the removing of all those things which they acknowledge to be contrary to this Love of God before it exerted it self towards others seeing as the Proverb is Charity begins at home And like unto this was the Zeal of the Scribes and Pharisees who Persecuted Christ for a breaker of the Law which themselves did not fulfil As is also the Zeal both of the Papists and Protestants in their Persecutions at this day A third sort is of such who do indeed walk strictly and closely to their own Principles making Conscience of their way but yet being blinded in their understanding do Persecute Truth supposing it to be Error Of this number was Paul before his Conversion Being as to the Law blameless and Persecuting the Saints out of Zeal Act. 22. 3. Gal. 1. 14. And therefore in this Class he numbers his Country-men saying They have a Zeal for God but not according to knowledge Rom. 10. 2. And perhaps among these such may be numbred of whom Christ speaketh saying to his Disciples and when they kill you they shall think to do God good Service A fourth or last sort is when as Men being truly enlightned in their Understanding but their Will Heart and Affections not being throughly leavened with the Love of God do condemn things justly reproveable but not out of the pure drawings of Divine Love but even from a mixture of self in the forwardness of their own will as not suffering any to be contrary unto them This is the most innocent kind of wrong Zeal yet not so that it ought to be watched against and of those few that are guilty of it it were fit they waited to be Redeemed from it but the pure undefiled Zeal that is acceptable to God is that which proceeds not only from a pure and clear understanding but also from a renewed and sanctified Will which moves not of nor from Self but from and for the Lord. SECT III. The Controversie stated with respect to the different sort of Christians how it is to be fetched from the nature of their Principles and not from the practice of particular persons THe sun of what is said is that true Christian Love and Charity is the most excellent of Virtues most needful to be sought after and attained that it is never joyned but with purity which it naturally leads to and there-from doth consequentially arise an Indignation and Zeal against Unrighteousness which true Zeal is justly commendable and really distinguishable from all false and ignorant Zeal For the more clear stating of the Controversie in proceeding in this matter these following assertions relating thereto may be proposed and affirmed I. That whatsoever Love is consistent with the pure Love of God may be safely exercised towards all sorts as well of Men as Christians II. That whatsoever Love or Charity
are deficient Albeit some exceed others in a particular respect as shall be hereafter observed That wherein they are generally wanting is by affirming that there can be no Salvation without the explicit knowledge of Christ and benefit of the Scriptures This is held both by Lutherans Calvenists and Arminians I mean by these Churches whatever may be the private Sentiments of particular persons among them Now whereas all these do acknowledge that many thousands yea whole Nations have been and are excluded from the benefit of this knowledge they must necessarily conclude Salvation impossible to them and so they can have no Charity for them so as to suppose a possibility of Salvation to them And this goes directly against and destroys the nature of Universal Love which cannot be entertained towards any but upon the supposition that they are under a possibility of being saved or that those circumstances they are under not being in themselves simply considered sinful as being such as is not in them to help do not absolutely exclude them from it I confess that I cannot have Charity to a wicked Man that he can be saved so long as he continues wicked and if thence any should seek to infer that so likewise we cannot have Charity to those men that want the Scriptures and the outward knowledge of Christ that they can be saved so long as they want that Therefore as the one is not contrary to Universal Love neither is the other I Answer The Comparison holds not at all because the ground of my not having Chaty to him is his continuing in a thing which himself knows to be displeasing to God by the Law of God which he has revealed to him and acknowledges to be good and therefore the ground of my hopes of him that he may be saved if he Repents is because he knows the means how to Repent and be Converted so my Universal Love reaches to him not only in that I believe 't is possible for God to bring him out of his Wickedness but in that I acknowledge that God in order thereto has actually made manifest to him the way how he may be Converted and so I exclude him not from the Universal Love of God which I suppose in that manifestation of his will to have already really touched and reached him But the other case has no parity with this for first that defect of the Scriptures and outward knowledge of Christ in an Indian or American c. is no wilful malitious act of them against any Law known to them but is the meer providence of God by them inevitable neither is it unto them any moral evil that they are born or brought up in these parts or come not to those places where they may learn and find that knowledge If I then judge that God's Love reaches not any such whom by this Providence he has permitted to be thus Born and Educated in order to save them my Universal Love can no ways reach to them so as to suppose Salvation possible to them not because they refuse or resist the means of Knowledge and Salvation appointed to them of God but because they want it by the will of God who thought not meet to give it to them I look not upon it as my work in this Treatise to refute this Doctrine and shew its Contrariety to Truth and Scripture having done that largely else-where as in my Apology Expl. of the 5th and 6th Proposition it is enough here that I shew that such as hold this Opinion cannot justly pretend to Universal Love as doth evidently appear by what is said and needs no further Question Perhaps the Socinians may step in here or others of more general Principles who will affirm they do not believe that the want of this explicit knowledge doth necessarily exclude Men from Salvation It is true there are some of that mind but it were hard to rank them under any particular denomination it being rather a Notion of these Men of whom I made mention before that are uncertain in their Principles and joyn with no people absolutely then acknowledged by a people or any publick Confession of any united or gathered Church and People The Socinians generally lay very great stress upon the outward knowledge of Christ do believe the outward knowledge of Christ or of the Resurrection at least to be absolutely needful holding the sufficiency of that alone upon Rom. 10. 9. But passing that and taking it for granted that the generality of Socinians and several others with them who being all taken in Cumulo may pass for as much as a whole body of people do believe and affirm Salvation even possible to such as are by an inevitable Fate excluded from the benefit of that external knowledge in that they say that such as will improve that light of Nature which all Men have given them of God and exercise that common Principle of Reason may from the works of Creation and Providence certainly conclude that there is a God forsake many evils and do much good and that such as do thus improve this natural and common light do obtain of God to send them miraculously either some Man or Angel to signifie to them the outward knowledge or Resurrection of Christ that they may believe it and be saved I Answer This doth not reach the full extent of Universal Love because it still limiteth it to this external knowledge and supposeth no means of Salvation without it And next because it supposeth somewhat Miraculous which as has been before observed is a limitation not to be admitted in this case But if any would affirm that the improving of this Natural Light proved to them a means of Salvation without supposing any necessity of having the outward knowledge of Christ at all Albeit it would seeâ— by the extent of their Charity that their Love were very universal yet they do not establish true Universal Love more than the other because nothing is true Universal Love but that which naturally proceedeth from the true Love of God and is founded upon good and sound Principles deduced there-from and which hath not its rise from the love of Self or from a selfish principle which though it may have a shew of Universal Love is not really such else he that would affirm he believed that all men as well the Wicked as the Godly the Unbelieving as the Believing should be saved and that no wickedness can hinder a Man from being saved might be said to be a truer Preacher of Universal Love than any and most Charitable of all Men and yet how would this be justly condemned by all Christians There can then be no true Universal Love but that which is built upon the love of God and is pure and of the nature of it So then those that affirm that men may be saved even without the outward knowledge of Christ and of the Scriptures if they improve the light of Nature whether it be that
come to deal with a Heathen or any such against whom they cannot urge any thing from Scripture or Tradition as being Principles not acknowledged by them then they are always forced to recur to an inward innate light in the soul to which they labour to make manifest their Principles albeit they differ about the nature and sufficiency of it yet they are forced to concede that this is God's Love to Man-kind and that in this the Universal Love of God is extended to all so that to every one to whom they come to Preach they may find something by which they may urge or commend their Doctrine of which I shall give one singular example out of the words of Franciscus Xaverius a Jesuit whom that Tribe for the high esteem they have of him term the Apostle of the Indies as it is Recorded in Bernhardus Varenus his Descriptio Regni Japoniae p. 195. cap. 8. where he puts down the words of Francis Xaviers Letter thus p. 247. The Amargurians before they received Baptisme were straitned with an odious and troublesome scruple to wit That God seemed not unto them merciful and benigne who had condemned all the Japonians before our coming to Eternal Punishment especially who ever did not Worship God according as we Preached and therefore they said that He to wit God had wholly neglected the Salvation of all their Predecessors in permitting that these miserable souls should altogether be destitute to their utter ruin of the knowledge of saving Truth This most odious thought did much draw them back from the Worship of the true God but by the help of God this error and scruple was taken from them for we first did demonstrate unto them that the Divine Law was the oldest of all yea before any Law was made by the Antients the Japans knew by the teaching of Nature that it was unlawful to Kill Steal Forswear and other things contained in the ten Divine Laws as was evident in that when any of them committed these Crimes they were tormented by the Pricks of their Consciences that hence Reason it self doth teach to flee the Evil and follow the Good and therefore was implanted in the minds of all Men by Nature so that all have the knowledge of the Divine Law from Nature and of God the Author of Nature before Discipline be added of which were it doubted tryal might be made in some body altogether void of Discipline who has been educated in some Mountain or Wilderness without any knowledge of the Laws of his Country For if such an one thus altogether ignorant and unacquainted with Humane Discipline were asked Whether to Kill a Man to Steal and these other things which the Law of God forbids were sinful or not or if they were not right to forbear these things Truly I say such an one utterly ignorant of Humane Discipline would so answer that it would easily appear that he were not void of the Law of God From whence then shall we judge he has drawn his Notion unless from God himself the Author of Nature If then this be manifest in Barbarous Men how much more in Men civiliz'd and well Educated which being so it necessarily follows that the Divine Law was implanted in Mans heart before all Laws made by Man This Reason was so manifest to them that they were fully satisfied and so being delivered form these snares did easily subject themselves to the sweet Yoak of Christ. Thus far Xaverius Thus it may seem that to satisfie these Japonians that their Fore-fathers were not all necessarily Damned and to shew that the Universal Love of God reached unto them to put them in a capacity of Salvation This cunning Jesuite could not find another way then by asserting this Principle albeit it be no ways Congruous to the Doctrine of the Church of Rome for these Antient Japonians could not be esteemed Members of the Church of Rome and as not being such according to the Romish Principle who say there is no Salvation without the Church that is without the Church of Rome must needs have been Damned Secondly That Notion and definition of a Church which naturally arises from this Principle and is accordingly believed by the Assertors of it doth also both very well agree to and establish this Doctrine of Universal Love for where by vertue of this Seed and Light purchased and extended by Christ unto the hearts of all it being supposed that Men may be truly Converted and consequentially united to Christ it naturally follows that such become Members of the Church else none of Old but the Families of the Patriarchs and of the Jews could have been judged to be saved nor yet any during all the time of the Apostacy which as it is false in it self will be hardly affirmed by any and therefore since such might be saved they must be esteemed Members of the Church without which in this large sence there can be no Salvation as including the whole Body of Christ of which Body who are not are certainly excluded and therefore it is that the Church Catholick or Universal is not so confined to any Sect Form or external Profession as that those that are not initiated in those forms are excluded absolutely from being Members of the Church unless it be upon refusal or resistance of the will of God really manifest to them as drawing them to the practice of particular things for it hath pleased God at several times to require several things both of particular Churches and Persons which he has not of others As to the Jewish Converts to abstain from things Strangled and Blood and to the Churches of the Gentiles not to Circumcise which was permitted to the Christian-Jews for a time and from particular Persons many particular things have been required which albeit they were not general Obligations upon all Christians yet in so far as manifested to and required of them were sufficiently obligatory and their disobedience to them should have been in them a breach of their general obligation of Obedience which we owe to God in all things He requires and consequently pernicious how-ever others to whom they have never been revealed nor required might have been saved without them Thirdly As the asserting of Principles which commend the Love of God and shew the great extent of it to Mankind do most agree with Universal Love so this People in another chief Principle of theirs do greatly shew it for as by the Preaching of this Universal Principle of the Light they shew the extension of God's Love to all so by Preaching that God both doth and is willing to reveal his Will immediately by his own Spirit in the hearts of all those that receive his Light that so they may be guided acted and lead thereby and know the Mind of God thus inwardly immediately in themselves they hold forth the intension of God's Love to all those that follow and obey him so that they neither bind up this being lead
by the Spirit of God only to themselves nor stint it to singular and extraordinary occasions but hold it forth as a common and Universal priviledge to all true Christians and Members of the Church Now this Doctrine greatly commends the Love of God and establisheth the Principle of Universal Love in that it shew how Universally God hath offered this blessed Priviledge to all in that He hath given his Light unto all upon the receiving of which this immediate guidance of the Spirit followeth as a necessary Concomitant for such as deny this immediate Revelation of God's Will by his Spirit in the hearts of his Children to be a common and Universal Priviledge to all true Christians and Members of the Church must needs suppose the knowledge of his Will necessary for them to be communicated to them by some other external means as by outward Writings and Precepts in so much that all such as are robbed of this Benefit are necessarily excluded from partaking of the Universal Love of God in order to the Salvation of their Souls Fourthly As the confining of the Gifts and Graces of God to certain external formes and Ceremonies are directly opposite and contrary to Universal Love such as the limiting of the work of the Ministry to outward Ordination and to a particular Tribe of Persons the making humane Parts and Arts more necessary thereto than the Grace of God so that the Grace of God is not judged sufficient to make a Man a Minister or to priviledge him to Preach without those other Artificial and Ceremonial things So I say on the other hand those People to the commending of the Universal Love of God to all but especially in the visible Church do affirm that as this Light and Grace of God is given to all in order to save them so whoever find himself truly called in his heart thereby and fitted to Minister to others may lawfully Preach and Declare to Others the good things that God has done for his soul and direct and instruct them as by the same Grace he is enabled how they may come to the experience and attainment of the same things albeit he have no outward Ordination or Call from Men be not initiated in their Ceremonies and Orders nor yet furnished with their Learning and School-education This greatly commends and holds forth the Love of God because it does not confine the Ministry unto such a narrow compass as by the several Sects it is done but supposeth that among those that had not the Scriptures and outward knowledge there might have been Ministers or Preachers of Righteousness as it was said of Noah that he was one who was ere the Scriptures were writ and Job was another besides Socrates amongst the Greeks Pythagoras amongst the Latines and several others that might be named among the Arabians Indians and Ethiopians and this Doctrine doth very much hold forth the Universal Love of God in the visible Church in that it excludeth none from Ministring his Gift as he hath it albeit a poor Trades-man or Mechanick Men as is done among the far greater parts of the Sects of Christendom by the presumptuous Usurpation of them Fifthly This People do greatly commend and hold forth the Universal Love of God to all in denying the use of outward carnal things which perish in the using such as Washing or Sprinkling with Water or eating of Bread and Wine to be the Seals of Gods Covenant with Man or to be the means or Channels by which Grace and Spiritual refreshment is Ministred to the soul for thereby they confine not Gods Love in the communicating of his Gifts and Graces to the application or not using of Elementary things which may be as truly as to the matter of them performed by the most wicked and greatest Hypocrite of the World as by the most Godly and sincere as do the greatest part of the Sects among Christians who make such a noise of the Sacraments and Ordinances and do so quarrel and jangle about their matter and manner of performance but do affirm and believe that increase of Grace and refreshment in and by the Life of Christ is conveyed unto the souls of all those that are Faithful as this Seed receives a place and grows up in their hearts Without these outward Ceremonies this cannot be performed but by such as are sincere and Godly indeed for such can only be truly Faithful and wait in that place where Grace and Refreshment Strength and Power Wisdom and Courage Patience and all other good gifts are received Sixthly These People do much establish Universal Love in that they affirm Persecution of Men for the matter of their Consciences to be Unchristian and Unlawful believing that as God can only inform and enlighten the Conscience so it is contrary to the Universal Love of God for Men to seek to force and restrain it as hath hitherto been sufficiently shewn Lastly They do very truly and observably establish Universal Love in that they Preach Love to Enemies and the necessity of bearing and suffering Injuries without Revenge holding it Unlawful for Christians to fight or use carnal Weapons even to resist such as oppose them and wrongfully prejudice them As this is most agreeable to the Doctrine and Practice of Christ so is it to the Universal Love of God whose long-suffering-Patience even towards the Wicked Stiff-necked and Rebellious after many provocations doth above all declare his Love in which they cannot pretend to be Followers of him who believe it Lawful for them to Revenge every Injury to give Blow for Blow and Knock for Knock and so know not what it is patiently to receive and suffer an Injury if they have any opportunity of revenging themselves and so consequently cannot have Universal Love which necessarily supposeth and includes Love to Enemies and he that will Beat Kill and every way he can destroy his Enemy does but foolishly contradict himself if he pretend to Love him and those that do not Preach and Practice Love to Enemies but that which is quite contrary cannot justly pretend either to the Doctrine or Practice of Universal Love Wherefore I desire the Reader may make Application hereof as to the several Sects of Christians and examine whose Principles and Practices do most agree herewith and seriously consider whether there be any intire united Body of Christians except these here mentioned who do unanimously hold forth so many Doctrines so directly establishing and agreeing to true Universal Love Writ in Aberdeen Prison the first Month 1677. THE END * Which external Agreement as well in Doctrines as in the Practices necessarily following thereupon became as one External bond tye of their outward and visible Fellowship obvious to the VVorld whereby they are distinguished even to the observation of Man from the several Sects professing the Name of Christ as the true Christians of old were by their Adherence to the Orthodox Principles from other Hereticks that laid claim likewise to be Christians Let not the Reader think strange that I assert this Principle and enter not upon the probation of it having done that largely else-where as in my Apology it not being my business here so to do but only to shew how such and suâ—h Principles do not agree with Universal Love as on the other hand when I make mention of other Principles I do not offer to refute them it being enough here to demonstrate that they are contrary to Universal Love