Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A30906
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Universal love considered and established upon its right foundation being a serious enquiry how far charity may and ought to be extended towards persons of different judgments in matters of religion and whose principles among the several sects of Christians do most naturally lead to that due moderation required ... / Robert Barclay.
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Barclay, Robert, 1648-1690.
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1677
(1677)
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Wing B741; ESTC R22018
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31,935
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48
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of this kind alledge the super-abundance thereof to proceed a fervido Scotorum Ingenio i. e. from the violent Complexion of our Country men I had scarce got out of my Child-hood when I was by the permission of Divine Providence cast among the Company of Papists and my tender years and immature Capacity not being able to withstand and resist the Insinuations that were used to Proselite me to that way I became quickly defiled with the Pollutions thereof and continued therein for a time until it pleased God through his rich Love and Mercy to deliver me out of those Snares and to give me a clear understanding of the evil of that way In both these Sects the Reader may easily conceive that I had abundant occasion to receive Impressions contrary to this principle of Love herein treated of seeing the straitness of several of their Doctrines as well as their practice of Persecution do abundantly declare how opposite they are to Universal Love as shall hereafter more at large be shown and Albeit the time it pleased God to deliver me out of these Snares I was so young that it may be presumed my Observations could be but weak and consequently my Experience inconsiderable yet for as much as from my very Child-hood I was very ambitious of Knowledge and by a certain felicity of Understanding I think I may say without Vanity successful beyond many of my Equals in Age though my Observations at that time were but weak yet since I have with more leisure and circumspection gathered thence so much experience as I am confident will serve for a sufficient foundation to any Superstructure I shall build upon it in this Treatise The time that intervened betwixt my forsaking of the Church of Rome and joyning with those with whom I stand now ingaged I kept my self free from joyning with any sort of People though I took liberty to hear several and my Converse was most with those that inveigh much against judging and such kind of severity seeming to complain greatly for want of this Christian Charity among all Sects which Latitude may perhaps be esteemed the other extream opposite to the preciseness of these other Sects whereby I also received an opportunity to know what usually is pretented on that side likewise and thence can say somewhat experimentally on that part also As for those I am now joyned to and whom I justly esteem to be the true followers and Servants of Jesus Christ the World speaks diversly of them as to this matter some highly accusing them of the want of Charity and quarrelling with them as such who peremptorily condemn all but themselves Others have a contrary conceit of them each according as they are prejudicated and informed What may be truly said in the case shall after appear I my self have been diversly censured in this matter being ingaged in Controversie which as they can be scarcely handled without something of sharpness so are seldom mannaged by any so successfully as not to bear the Censure of some or other in this respect Having then upon the whole matter observed that this want of Charity is that for the want of which each Sect accuses the other and yet are most averse to see this defect in themselves and that some do accuse all Sects as guilty of this Crime I have judged it meet to commit my sence hereof to writing according to the purpose signified in the Title afore-mentioned SECT II. The Nature of Christian Love and Charity demonstrated the Consistancy of true Zeal therewith it 's distinction from false Zeal THe Nature of Christian Love and Charity is fully and abundantly described in the Holy Scriptures where it is preferred before all other Virtues and properties whatsoever as that which comprehendeth in it all other perfections and is the root and spring of them for there can be no true Virtue but that which proceedeth from Love hence God himself is called Love I Jo. 4. 7. as being that under which all his innumerable and inutterable perfections are included By this Love we are Redeemed from the Corruption of our Nature and have received the benefit of a Mediator Joh. 16. This is the Banner wherewith God covereth his Children Cant. 2. 4. This is that which Constrained our Lord Jesus Christ to lay down his Life for us Joh. 15. 13. The exercise of this is given by Christ as the principal Token of his Disciples Joh. 13. 35. It is numbered as the first fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. It is called the fulfilling of the Law as that wherein all consisteth Rom. 13. 10. For to Love God above all things and our Neighbour as our selves is the sum not only of the Law but of the Gospel also 1 Cor. 13. 13. Therefore the Apostle Paul giveth to this Love or Charity the Precedency before either Faith or Hope in which Chapter he doth briefly but very emphatically describe it for having first shewn that the speaking with Tongues of Men and Angels that the gifts of Prophesying Understanding and Knowledge that the Faith that even could remove Mountains and the giving of all to the Poor yea and the Body to be burnt is nothing without it He proceeds to the description of it thus Charity suffers long is kind Charity envieth not Vaunteth not it self is not puffed up does not behave it self unseemly seeking not her own is not easily provoked thinketh no evil rejoyceth not in Iniquity but rejoyceth in the Truth beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things endureth all things never faileth Albeit other gifts have 1 Cor. 13. from the first Verse As by this the excellency of Love is shown so the necessity of pressing after it and living in it will be readily acknowledged by all but seeing the sum of this Love as well as the perfection thereof consists in loving God above all so whatever diverteth in any thing there-from is not to be accounted Love though the same word be used to express it and that in the Scripture it self such as the Love of Self the Love of the World the Love of any Creature Hence for the attaining of the true and excellent Love the Love of all these other things is not only to be laid aside and the Love of God preferred to them but they are to be hated as Christ himself Phraseth it He that hateth his life Jo. 12. 25. Yea he useth it so as to speaking of hating Father and Mother Luk. 14. 26. though when the Love to such is truly subordinate to the other it is both commended and commanded The Testimony which is required of our really being in the Love of God Christ himself signifieth to us If you Love me keep my Commandements And as the Beloved Disciple John said in the case of Knowledge shewing us the falshood of such as pretend to know God and yet do not so saying He that says he knows God and keeps not his Commandements is a Lyar and the Truth is not
propagate their way in the strength of their own Spirits reckoning the Preaching and publishing thereof by their own natural or acquired parts without the necessity of the inward motion of the Holy Spirit both lawful and commendable and not only so but the advancing and establishing of the same by outward force and violence For here is Man working without God or the guidance of his Spirit in his own meer strength and will to set up his own Images and Inventions under a pretence of Truths and pure Christianity but those that dare not seek to advance even that which they are perswaded is Truth in their own will and spirit far less by outward force and violence but in and by God's Spirit as he leads and moves to it by his Life and Power shew that such are not a Sect nor Followers of Man's inventions but of Christ alone waiting to follow Him as He acts and moves them by his own Spirit and Power and therefore are no Sectarians but meer Christians The chief and first Principle then held by those Christians which as I observed before naturally ariseth and was assented to by them from their inward sense that tyed them together is that there is somewhat of God some Light some Grace some Power some measure of the Spirit some Divine Spiritual Heavenly substantial Life and Vertue in all Men which is a faithful Witness against all Unrighteousness and Ungodliness in the heart of Man and leads draws moves and inclines the mind of Man to Righteousness and seeks to leaven him as he gives way thereunto into the nature of it self whereby an inward thorow and real Redemption may be wrought in the hearts of all Men of whatsoever Nation Country or Kindred they be notwithstanding whatsoever outward knowledge or benefit they be by the Providence of God necessarily deprived of Because whatsoever they want of that yet such a measure of this Light Seed Life and Word is communicated to all as is sufficient truly to convert them from the evil of their ways purifie and cleanse them and consequently bring them to Salvation And in the affirming of this they do not at all exalt Self or Nature as do the Socinians in that they freely acknowledge that Man's Nature is defiled and corrupted and unable to help him or further him one step in order to Salvation judging nothing more needful then the full and perfect denying and mortification of Self in order thereunto Now do they believe this Seed Light and Grace to be any part of Man's Nature or any thing that properly and essentially is of Man but that it is a free Grace and gift of God freely given to all Men in order to bring them out of the fall and lead them to Life Eternal Neither do they suppose this Seed Word and Grace which is sufficient to lead to Salvation to be given to Men without Christ for they believe it to be the purchase and benefit of Christ's death who tasted Death for every Man So that they confess all to be derived to them in and by Christ the Mediator to whom they ascribe all yea they believe this Light Grace and Seed to be no other but a measure of that Life and Spirit that was in Christ Jesus which being in Him who is the Head in the fulness of it is from Him in whom it recideth as He is ascended up unto and glorified in the Heavens extended to all Men in order to redeem them from sin and convert them to God Thus according to this Principle without attributing any thing to Self or to the Nature of Man or claiming any thing without Christ the Universal Love of God to all Men is exhibited whereby the means of Salvation by Christ and reconciliation unto God is so asserted that no Man is altogether excluded from it but each so reached as puts him in a capacity to be saved Such then as believe and Preach this Doctrine must of necessity be esteemed great advancers and asserters of Universal Love as those that truly establish it not through any uncertainty or doubtfulness in themselves but upon their own firm and acknowledged principle since that doth necessarily extend their Charity to the not only supposing but even concluding Salvation possible not only to the several sorts of Christians but even to such who by the disadvantage of Education and the remoteness of their Habitation are ignorant of the Name of Christ providing that this Seed Grace Word and Light which is in them all and the free gift of God to them all receive place in their hearts so as to work out the fruits and nature of Unrighteousness and to beget them unto Righteousness Purity and Holiness which according to this Principle is believed to be very possible where the external knowledge is thus unavoidably wanting for albeit those who hold this Principle do believe that the outward knowledge of Christ and these other advantages which from the use of the Scriptures are enjoyed among Christians are very comfortable and conducing to facilitate Salvation yet they reckon them not absolutely needful holding them only to be integral and no essential parts of Christianity for they place the essence or being of Christianity only in the in the true and real Conversion of the heart by vertue of the operation of this Light Seed and Grace there even as the essence and being of a Man consists in the unity of soul and body which is enough to denominate one a Man albeit he should want a Leg or an Arm an Eye or an Ear or have some other defect or even should be destitute of some of the faculties of the mind as of the memory c. that other Men have yet such a one would still and that truly be called a Man albeit not a compleat and entire Man yea those that live in the most Barbarous and Unciviliz'd places of the World where they are destitute and ignorant of all the liberal Arts and Sciences used among us and of all these conveniences which so much conduce to the facilitating of Humane society and accomodating of Man-kind in their living together I say those are still truly accounted Men as having that which is truly essential or constitutive of a Man as such In like manner this Principle supposeth the possibility of Salvation both to those commonly called Heathens and to many among the dark and erroneous Sects of Christianity in that this essential part of Christianity is extended to them albeit they want those other Integrals and comfortable parts which may in and with respect to the Spiritual Man be fitly compared to these defects that those Barbarous Nations want which we enjoy as to the Natural Man as none can deny but this Principle is most agreeing to Universal Love So the practice of all even of those that deny it doth evidence and shew how agreeable it is as well to the Love of God as to right reason where when ever any of the Sects