tales and false imputations make you irreconciliable nay make you even ready to cut one anothers throates or by this division prepare you for your common adversaries to cut both yours and theirs too difference in judgement there will be untill love have a more powerfull working in our hearts wee should therefore like wise men at least beare with one anothers infirmities love will cover all that can bee called infirmity but resolved malice love it selfe will punish Such opinions as are not destructive to humane society nor blaspheme the worke of our Redemption may be peaceably endured and considered in love and in case of conspiracy against our common liberty what a madnesse is it for men to stand in strife about petty opinions for who are all those that are so much railed at by our common Preachers who are they say they why they are the most dangerous Anabaptists Brownists and Separatists that are enemies to all order and decency that cry down all learning and all government in the Church or Common-wealth Beloved to my knowledg these things are not true of any of them it is true they cannot do al things so orderly and decently as they would because they are hunted into corners and from one corner to another and are not free to exercise their consciences as had they liberty they might and would And as for learning as learning goes now adaies what can any judicious man make of it but as an Art to deceive and abuse the understandings of men and to mislead them to their ruine if it be not so whence comes it that the Universities and University men throughout the Kingdome in great numbers are opposers of the welfare of the Common-wealth and are pleaders for absurdities in government arguers for tyranny and corrupt the judgements of their neighbours no man can be so simple as to imagine that they conceive it not lawfull or not usefull for men to understand the Hebrew Greeke or Latine but withall if they conceive there is no more matter in one language then another nor no cause why men should be so proud for understanding of languages as therefore to challenge to themselves the sole dealing in all spirituall matters who I say can blame them for this judgement they desire that a mans ability of judgement should be proved by the cleare expression of necessary truths rather then by learning and since the Scriptures are now in English which at first were in Hebrew Greeke or Syriack or what other language why may not one that understands English onely both understand and dâ—clare the true meaning of them as well as an English Hebrician or Grecian or Roman whatsoever I but saies some politick learned man a man that doth not understand the Originall language cannot so perfectly give the sense of the Scripture as he that doth or as one that makes it his study for ten or twenty yeares together and hath no other employment every man being best skilled in his owne profession wherein he hath been bred and accustomed I did well to say some politicke learned man might thus object for indeed what is here but policie for if it be as such men would imply I pray what are you the better for having the Scripture in your owne language when it was lock'd up in the Latine tongue by the policie of Rome you might have had a learned Fryar for your money at any time to have interpreted the same and though now you have it in your owne language you are taught not to trust your owne understanding have a care of your purses you must have an University man to interpret the English or you are in as bad a case as before but not in worse for for your money you may have plenty at your service to interpret as best shall please your fancie Let me prevaile with you to free your selves from this bondage and to trust to your own considerations in any thing that is usefull for your understandings and consciences and judge more charitably of your brethren understand what learning is and to marke those that cause divisions among you and you shal finde that they are learned men not unlearned The learned man must live upon the unlearned and therfore when the unlearned shal presume to know as much as the learned hath not the learned man cause to bestir his wits and towrangle too when his Copy-hold is in such danger I pray what was the cause that Demetr and the Craftsmen cried out great is Diana of the Ephesians whom al Asia and the world worship was it the love to the goddesse or her worship no we find it was their covetousnesse and particular gaine What is it els to cry out great is learning great are the Universities who shall answer an adversary money answereth all things ambition covetousnesse disdaine pride and luxury are the things aimed at and if it be not so by the fruits you shall certainely know As for government those that are accused are not guilty for they are enemies onely to usurpations and innovations and exorbitances in government indeed they are haters of tyranny and all arbitrary power but no other and therefore those that falsely accuse them are they that cause and foment divisions amongst you therefore marke them and be not deceived by their dissembled insinuations to hold you in division whilst they have oportunity to make a prey of you You know there are Wolves in Sheepes cloathing be wise as Serpents able to discover them innocent as Doves gently bearing with the infirmities of the weake having nothing in more esteeme then love thus you will answer love with love that henceforwards your owne soulâ—s may constantly witnes to your selves what this Scripture expresseth That the love of God bringing salvation to all men hath appeared teaching you to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Now unto him that hath loved us and washed away ous sinnes in his owne bloud be praise and glory for ever Amen FINIS
whether the love of God doth more appeare unto you now then it hath done formerly surely it is impossible but you must be sensible of his love it is so full and absolute so free and unexpecting love How is it possible you should heare and not consider had it not beene for this unexpressible and unexampled love you had beene eternally wretched and miserable companions of Devils and damned spirits in Hell for ever where the Worme never dieth and the fire never goeth out me thinkes you should embrace this love with open armes and meditate thereupon day and night it deserveth to be entertained with the greatest respect and to be esteemed above ten thousand lives for beloved though it comes freely to you and costs you nothing no not so much as a sigh or teare yet if you read over the story of our Saviours passion and sufferings you will finde it was purchased at an excessive price excessive paines and excessive torments nay it is even past wonder that he that thought it no robbery to be equall to God should be in the forme of a servant and become obedient to death even the most bitter death of the Crosse for our sinnes that he should be made sinne for us that knew no sinne that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him me thinkes these and the like considerations should be powerfull in your minds that your spirits should even burne within you untill you found out some way to expresse your thankfulnesse for so great so infinite love I cannot suspect the most vitious man in the world but that hearing these things his heart will make strict enquiry what he shall render unto the Lord for all his benefits and his heart once moving in thoughts of thankfulnesse will instantly be inflamed with love which in an instant refines the whole man God is love and love makes man God-like and henceforth let me pray you to marke the workings of love in your owne soules and you shall finde that when your long accustomed corruptions by which you have wounded your owne consciences and brought dishonour to God and reproach to the holy name of Christians doe tempt to the like abominable actions your love to God that so freely hath loved you will be so prevalent with you that you will resolve rather to lose your lives then to show your selves so basely ungratefull the vanities you have delighted in will become odious unto you all your labour will be that your conversation be as becommeth the Gospel of Christ nay you will shunne the very appearance of evill and if your brother offend you in any kinde whatsoever you will finde no difficulty to forgive if you doe doe but thinke of the love wherewith Christ hath loved you and nothing can be imagined so abominably injurious but you will gladly forgive And if you have this worlds goods and that brother lacke you will rejoyce that you have an occasion and means to make known unto the world how powerfully the love of God dwelleth in you you will be able to doe all things through love that strengthens you Love will be as a new light in your understandings by which you will judge quite otherwise of all things then formerly you haved on the vanities and superfluities which in the beginning of my discourse I reckoned up unto you will seeme odious unto you and you will no longer fashion your selves like unto this world but will walk as becommeth the Gospel of Christ you will no longer minde high things but make your selves equall to men of low degree you will no longer value men and women according to their wealth or outward shewes but according to their vertue as the love of God appeareth in them nay if you be studious in this worke of love nothing will be more deare unto you then the glory of God who hath so infinitely loved you so as you will be most zealously opposite to whatsoever is opposite unto God you will sinde it nothing to hazzard your lives for God in defence of his truth from errour in defence of your brother or neighbour from oppression or tyranny love makes you no longer your owne but Gods servants and prompts you to doe his will in the punishment of all kinde of exorbitances whether it be breach of oathes breach of trust or any kinde of injustice in whomsoever and to be no respecter of persons nor will any ones greatnesse over-sway or daunt your resolutions but you will be bold as Lions not fearing the faces of men you will when neede requires that is when tyrants and oppressors endeavour by might and force to pervert all Lawes and compacts amongst men and to pervert the truth of God into a lie interpreting his sacred word as patron of their unjust power as if any unjust power were of God and were not to be resisted I say such insolencies as these will inflame your zeale and set you all on fire manfully to fight the Lords battell and to bring into subjection those abominable imaginations and ungodly courses of men your judgements will be so well informed as you will know these things are by God referred unto you and you will not resigne them up to him but willingly sacrifice your lives and fortunes and all that is neare and deare unto you rather then suffer his name to be so blasphemed or your innocent brethren or your wives and children to become a prey to wicked and bloud-thirsty men The politicians of this world would have religious men to be fooles not to resist no by no meanes lest you receive damnation urging Gods holy Word whilst they proceed in their damnable courses but beloved they will finde that true Christians are of all men the most valiant defenders of the just liberties of their Countrey and the most zealous preservers of true Religion vindicating the truths of God with their lives against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men making thereby the whole world to know that true Christianity hates and abhorres tyranny oppression perjury cruelty deceipt and all kinde of filthinesse and true Christians to be the most impartiall and most severe punishers thereof and of all kinde of wickednesse of any men whatsoever Great is the power of love for love makes men to bee of one mind and what can bee too strong for men united in love and therefore I shall warne you to marke and consider those that make divisions amongst you I pray mistake me not I doubt you are too apt in this case to make a wrong application I doe not meane that you should marke those that are different from you in judgement with any ridiculous or reproachfull names but my advice is that you marke those that make divisions amongst you and those are they that have invented a name of reproach for every particular difference in judgement and in their publike Sermons and private discourses endeavour might and maine to keep at the widest distance and by odious
THE POWER OF LOVE LONDON Printed by R. C. for John Sweeting at the signe of the Angell in Popes-head Alley 1643. To every Reader FOr there is no respect of persons with God and whosoever is possest with love judgeth no longer as a man but god-like as a true Christian What 's here towards sayes one sure one of the Family of love very well pray stand still and consider what family are you of I pray are you of Gods family no doubt you are why God is love and if you bee one of Gods children be not ashamed of your Father nor his family and bee assured that in his family he regards neither finâ— clothes nor gold rings nor stately houses nor abundance of wealth nor dignities and titles of honour nor any mans birth or calling indeed he regards nothing among his children but love Consider our Saviour saith He that hath this worlds goods and seeth his brother lack how dwelleth the love of God in him Judge then by this rule who are of Gods family looke about and you will finde in these woefull dayes thousands of miserable distressed starved imprisoned Christians see how pale and wan they looke how coldly raggedly unwholsomely they are cloathed live one weeke with them in their poore houses lodge as they lodge eate as they eate and no oftner and bee at the same passe to get that wretched food for a sickly wife and hunger-starved children if you dare doe this for feare of death or diseases then walke abroad and observe the generall plenty of all necessaries observe the gallant bravery of multitudes of men and women abounding in all things that can be imagined observe likewise the innumerable numbers of those that have more then sufficeth Neither will I limit you to observe the inconsiderate people of the world but the whole body of religious people themselves and in the very Churches and upon solemne dayes view them well and see whether they have not this worlds goods their silkes their beavers their rings and other divises will testifie they have I and the wants and distresses of the poore will testifie that the love of God they have not What is here aimed at sayes another would you have all things common for love seeketh not her owne good but the good of others You say very true it is the Apostles doctrine and you may remember the multitude of beleevers had all things common that was another of their opinions which many good people are afraid of But sayes another what would you have would you have no distinct on of men nor no government feare it not nor flye the truth because it suites not with your corrupt opinions or courses on Gods name distinguish of men and women too as you see the love of God abound in them towards their brethren but no otherwise And for that great mountaine in your understanding government 't is but a mole-hill if you would handle it familiarly and bee bold with it It is common agreement to bee so governed and by common agreement men chuse for governours such as their vertue and wisedome make sit to governe what a huge thing this matter of trust is made of and what cause is there that men that are chosen should keepe at such distance or those that have chosen them bee so sheepish in their presence Come you are mightily afraid of opinions is there no other that you feare not the Anabaptists Brownists or Antinomians Why doe you start man have a little patience would you truly understand what kinde of people these are and what opinions they hold If you would bee advised by some learned man and with him consult what hath learnedly beene written of the most weake and and vitious amongst any of them that could bee found and make your conclusion according to custome that they are all such but if you would free your selves from common mistakes concerning those your brethren then acquaint your selves with them observe their wayes and enquire into their doctrines your selfe and so make your conclusion or judge not of them visit them heare them out stand cleare from all prejudging and then see what dangerous people they are that are generally so called particulars being absurd rules of judging for so the Turke is misled in his judgment of Christianity and no marvaile since hee judgeth thereof by the doctrine and life of the most superstitious Idolatrous and vitious amongst them Well what next are you afraid of for some men take delight to be under the spirit of bondage and doe not think themselves in good estate except they be in feare but come feare nothing you are advised by the Apostle to try all things and to hold fast that which is good to prove the Spirits whether they bee of God or not 't is your selfe must doe it you are not to trust to the authority of any man or to any mans relation you will finde upon tryall that scarcely any opinion hath beene reported truly to you and though in every one of them you may finde some things that you cannot agree unto you will yet be a gainer by discovering many excellent things that you as yet may be unsatisfied in and by due consideration of them all perfect your owne judgement Reade the ensuing discourse impartially and you will finde the minde of him that hateth no man for his opinion nor would have any man troubled for any opinion except such as make the bloud of Christ ineffectuall or such as would destroy all that will not submit to their opinions hee seemes to bee of the Apostles minde that considered all other things in love and that in matters of moment too even where some observed a day unto the Lord others not observed He bids you walke in love as Christ hath loved you and gave himselfe for you an offering and a Sacrifice you that love your brother so poorely as that you cannot allow him the peaceable enjoyment of his mind and judgment would hardly lay downe your life for him let brotherly love continue and let every one freely speake his minde without molestation and so there may be hope that truth may come to light that otherwise may be obscured for particular ends plaine truth will prove all sufficient for vanquishing of the most artificiall sophisticall errour that ever was in the world give her but due and patient audience and her perswasions are ten thousand times more powerfull to worke upon the most dull refractory minde then all the adulterate allurements and deceivings of art What is here publisht is out of fervent love to the Communion of Christians that they might tast and see how good the Lord is In whose presence there is fulnesse of joy and at whose right hand there are pleasures for evermore Wherefore rejoyce in the Lord alwayes and againe I say rejoyce and let your song bee alwayes Glory be to God on high in earth peace good will towards men Let truth have her free
the sinne of your soules all this and more could be no satisfaction for the least sinne nor bring any peace to your mindes but you must of force cry out at last as Saint Paul did stating this sad condition of all mankind under the law Ob wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Justly is it called a body of death for man is of a fraile and weake condition at the best a considerate man hath death alwayes before him What joy or comfort then can hee take all his life long being in the hatred of God a vessell of wrath and liable to eternall death in hell fire for ever What can he looke upon that can give him content Present a man that walkes in the sense of his sinfull condition with all the pleasures the world afford and his sad heart turnes all into death his conscience continually afflicts him terrours and feares and eternall torments are ever in his thoughts and such a wounded Spirit who can beare My beloved I would not be mistaken in what I have said of this woefull condition as though I presented it to your thoughts as a meanes to terrifie you from any your sinfull courses I know full well it is not the way it is not Gods way nor doe I wish this sad condition to be any of yours though happily it may be thus with many of you many of you may through sense of sinne and of wrath due for sinne walke in a very disconsolate condition feares and terrours may abound in you to whom I doubt not though great heavinesse may indure for a night yet greater joy shall come in the morning which as much as in mee lyes I shall indeavour to produce in every one of you I have presented this woefull condition of all mankind under the law thus sadly and truly because I finde generally men doe not seriously consider the bottomlesse depth of the misery from the which they are redeemed I am not a preacher of the law but of the gospell nor are you under the law but under grace the law was given by Moses whose minister I am not but grace and truth came by Iesus Christ whose minister I am whose exceeding love hath appeared and because I would have you fully to see and consider his love therefore did I shew the woefull condition from which only by his love you are delivered Another principle I shall pray you to consider is that God loves nothing but what is pure and holy without spot or blemish so as it is a vaine and delusive doctrin to say that God passes by our daily infirmities accepting our wills for our performances our desire to be obedient to his Commandements for obedience for where there is the least defect God hates for that very defect and loves not but where there is perfect holinesse and righteousnesse which makes this truth appeare that by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be iustified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sinne It is a sad favour that the law ever did unto mankinde to make his sinne appeare out of measure sinfull stopping every mans mouth admitting no plea or excuse on mans behalfe And yet it is so naturall to thinke that he is still bound to doe something for obtaining the love and favour of God that you will finde it is the hardest thing in the world to free your selves from it though it be the grossest Antichristian errour that ever was for if righteousnesse come by the law then Christ died in vaine It it such an errour that untill it be removed out of your mindes it will be but labour lost to endeavour to worke any truth upon your mindes and I have much cause to feare your mindes are tainted therewith because our publicke catechismes bookes and Sermons are for the most part corrupted therewith so as we sucke this errour in even with our very milke and it becomes one substance with many of us even to our old age It was so in the Apostles times as may be seene in Acts the 15 from the 5. verse to the end of the chapter where you shall find that some that beleeved affirmâ—â— that it was necessary to circumcise and to keepe the law but you will finde by the story it was their errour Also in the second to the Corinthians the third to the end where you shall find the law stiled the ministration of death written in tables of stone which was the 10 Commandements and verse the 11. to be done away and a more glorious ministration to take place and remaine and yet the breeding of the Iewes being under the law though they did beleeve the comming of Christ yet still even to that day the Apostle wrote their minds were blinded and the vaile remained at the reading of the old Testament which vayle is done away in Christ These things beloved you are to consider seriously for that untill you doe undoubtedly see your selves not to be under the law no not in the least respect you cannot see your selves to be under grace that is in the favour and love of God untill when you cannot with sound judgment affirme that which my text affirmeth that is that the love of God hath appeared for he that in any measure conceiveth himselfe to be under the law doth not clearely discerne the love of god for that vayle is before his eyes you all give credit to the word of God let S. Paul then be your guide to leade you out of this sad Aegyptian bondage who knew all things that concerned the law yet cryes out I account all things as losse and dung that I may be found in Christ not having my owne or mans righteousnesse which is of the law but the righteousnesse which is of God in him make it your own cases by sound consideration for yee are all justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Iesus Christ your feares nor sinnes nor doubtings cannot alter that condition which Christ hath purchased for you for though the sting of death be sinne the strength of sin be the law yet thankes be unto God for he hath given us the victory through our Lord Iesus Christ so as you may all boldly say Oh death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory And that none of you may doubt of his exceeding love and your perfect reconciliation with God I wil reade unto you certaine passages in the 5 chapter to the Romans which if well weighed will leave you without all scruple verse,6 When we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly you see there that ungodlinesse did not hinder but that Christ died for thee that art ungodly dost thou stand amazed and canst not throwly beleeve the Apostle grants that to mans judgment it is incredible for amongst men scarcely for a righteous man will one dye yet peradventure for a good man one would even