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But what is the Love here exhorted to? Now tho Love be a Paflion better felt than defcrib'd, yet the Love here recommended may be thus defin'd; 'Tis a Vertue or gracious Difpofition of Soul, that keeps Men from doing any harm, and puts them upon doing all the good they can to one another. Where,

First, I ftile it a Vertue, for fo it is both moral and theological as it is dictated by the natural Law of Reafon, 'tis a moral Virtue, and fo 'tis handled by the Heathen Philofophers; as 'tis reveal'd and requir'd by the written Law of God, 'tis a theological Grace or Vertue, and fo 'tis handled by Divines. Again,

Secondly, I ftile it a gracious Difpofition of Soul, to fig nify the Seat of it, which is within the Heart, where all true Love is feated, not outward only in the Lip or the Tongue, which is no better than Hypocrify and Diffimulation. Again,

Thirdly, Here are added the two effential Properties of Love, which are to do no manner of harm, and to do all poffible good to one another.

ift, I fay, true Love keeps Men from doing any the leaft harm to another; for Love worketh no Ill to his Neighbour, yea, it thinketh no Evil, faith the Apostle, and harbours not the leaft Thought of doing any bad turn. Now Men, you know, may receive much harm from another fundry ways; as in the Soul, by drawing them into Sin, or creating to them any unneceffary Grief or Trouble; in the Body, by Maiming, Murder, and any other Acts of Violence; in his Goods, by taking or withholding from him any thing that is his, in his good Name, by fpreading evil Reports, Backbiting and Detraction: From all which Evils the Love here requir'd will effectually reftrain us; for thefe being the com mon Effects of Envy, Hatred and Malice, are inconsistent with that Love we owe to one another.

2dly, True Love not only keeps Men from the leaft harm, but puts them upon doing all the good they can to each other; for Love wishes well to his Neighbour, and that will move to the doing all good Offices for him. Now as Men may receive much hurt, fo may they receive much good from.one another: as in their Soul, by keeping them from Sin, and lightning the Burden of their Sorrows; in their Bodies, by preferving them from Violence and ill Usage, by relieving their Neceffities, and healing their Distempers; in their Goods, by defending them from Fraud, Rapine

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and Oppreffion, and helping them to Right that fuffer Wrong. In their good Names, by vindicating them from all unjuft Calumnies, Cenfures and evil Reports, and giving them the juft Praifes due to their Merits and good Works. Thefe and many other good Offices may be done to Mankind, which the true Love we are to bear to one another will make us ever ready and willing to perform. This is briefly the Nature and Properties of that Brotherly Love which we are here exhorted to: To prefs and recommend which, the Apostle tells us,

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In the next words, the Rife, and Original of this Love, whence it comes, and how it may be attain'd; for Love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God: meaning, that Love is the moft Divine and God-like thing that can be found in us; by it we become most efpecially like unto God, and refemble him in that darling At tribute and Perfection, in which he most delighteth. Love is a Ray of the Divinity darted upon us, and where 'tis fix'd makes us in fome measure Partakers of the Divine Nature; for every one that loveth is born of God: He is of a heavenly Rife and Extraction, and comes from the Divine and Spiritual Seed; he is born not of the Will of Man, but of God, whom he resembles in his Nature and Perfection, as Children do their Parents in their Features and Coni plexion. Nothing makes us more the Children of God, or more nearly ally'd to the Divine Majefty, than this Grace of Love, which is our greatest Glory, and renders us most amiable and acceptable to him: for thereby God communicates himself to us, and gives us the most intimate Ac quaintance with, and Knowledg of his Mind; for he that loveth, is not only born of God, but knoweth God: that is, not with a bare notional Knowledg, fuch as evil Men_and Spirits have, which rather makes them tremble at, than rejoice at him; but with a faving experimental Knowledg, fuch as only good Men and Saints have, who are thereby made like unto God, and transform'd into the fame Image from Glory to Glory. Whereas,

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He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is Love: He is an utter Stranger to the Divine Nature, and never felt its Influence; he knoweth nothing of God as he ought to know, being deftitute of Love; he hath nothing of God in him, who is made up of Love and Kindness to Mankind he hath more of Envy and Enmity of the evil Spirits, to whom he conforms in his Nature, and with whom he fhall

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have his Portion. To know God aright, is to be Followers of him as dear Children, and to walk in Love; for his very Nature and Effence confifts in Love, and we cannot imitate or resemble him more than by the Acts of Kindness and Charity.

But wherein doth this tranfcendent Love of God to Mankind appear? Why, among other things the Apoftle gives us a high and eminent Inftance of it in the next Verfe; In this was manifefted the Love of God towards us, because that God fent his only-begotten Son into the World, that we might live thro him. When we were utterly loft and undone by the first Tranfgreffion, and thereby left in a helpless and hopeless Condition, God was pleas'd, out of his tender Mercy, to take pity upon us, and to fend his only Son out of his Bofom to recover us from this forlorn State: and Because nothing elfe could do it, he was content to die for us, that we might live thro him. When we were dead in Trefpaffes and Sins, he reftor'd us again to a Life of Grace, and by his Holy Spirit hath given us the affur'd Hopes of being rais'd to a Life of Glory. And what greater Expreffion of Love could be ever fhewn us, than the Father's in fending, the Son's in confenting, the Spirit's in affifting, and all of them in contriving and effecting these things for us?

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Herein is Love (faith our Apoftle) not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and fent his Son to be the Propitiation for our Sins; that is, herein will this Love of God appear the greater, that we did not begin with any Love to God, that might engage or encourage him to make this Return to us: for we, alas! had no fenfe of our Condition, no power to help our felves, no, nor yet Ability fo much as to ask any Relief; but he began with us, and was before-hand in his Love to us; yea, he was fo early as to prevent us with his Loving kindness, before we knew any thing of it, and fent his Son to propitiate his Wrath, and reconcile us to himfelf, when we were Enemies and Strangers to him: which muft enhance his Love above all Expreffion or Conception."

From hence the Apostle very rationally infers, Beloved, if God fo loved us, we ought alfo to love one another. Thefe inexpreflible and unrequitable Acts of the Divine Love fhould ftir up in os fomething of a like Love and Af fection to the Brethren; not that we can answer or come up to the Height of his unparallel'd Love towards us, but that we fhould imitate and return in all the good Offices

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that we can, not objecting Unkindness or Unworthiness in any; for he loved us without any Merit, or any other Motive but his own Goodness; he is kind to the Evil and the Unthankful, and caufes the Sun to fhine upon the Juft and the Unjuft and we are bid to be merciful, as our heavenly Father is merciful; that is, to imitate him in the undiftinguifh'd Acts of his Love and Bounty: but much more are we to exprefs our Affection to fuch as either need, defire or deserve our Kindness,

All the Requital that God expects for his Bounty and Goodness, is the Return of Acts of Love and Kindness to the Brethren as for himself, he is above our Beneficence; our Goodness extendeth not to him, we can present him with nothing, but what was his own before: all that we can do, is to express our Love, and extend our Kindness to one another; which if done for God's fake, and in obedience to his Command, will be an acceptable Oblation.

Befide, as we are not capable of giving any thing unto God, fo neither is he capable of receiving any thing from us; for no Man (faith our Apoftle) hath feen God at any time. All Acts of Love and Kindness pafs among fuch as fee and converse with each other; and the Objects of our Senfes are commonly the Objects of our Compaffion and Charity: whereas God is invifible, and above the Reach of our Eye or Converse; and fo no good Office of ours is able to come at him.

But tho we cannot fee God in his Perfon, yet we may daily behold him in his Members; and what we do to any of thefe, he reckons as done to himself: yea, if we love one another, he is not far from any of us; for he then dwelleth in us, and his Love is perfected in us: He takes up his Abode in a Heart that is fill'd with Love; he refides in it by his Holy Spirit, and raises its Love to the highest Perfection.

But by what Mark or Token may we know this dwelling of God in us, and we in him? Why, that we are told in the next Verfe: Hereby we know, that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. If we find the Influence of the Holy Spirit moving in us by the Fruits of Love, Joy, Peace, Long-fuffering, and the like, we may conclude that God is in us of a truth; for if God be Love, as he frequently ftiles himfelf, then where Love is, there is God; he is an Inhabitant in the Bofom where Love refides, and he is a Stranger to the Breaft where that is wanting. Vol. IV. Part 2

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By this Spirit (faith our Apostle) we have seen and do tef tify, that the Father fent the Son to be the Saviour of the World: which is fuch an Inftance of the Divine Love, as cannot but inflame our Hearts with Love to God, and to one another. Hereby know we the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error; Whosoever shall confefs that Jefus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. Such a Faith in the Son of God, working by Love, can proceed only from the Spirit of God dwelling in us, and by that we have known and believed the Love that God hath to us, that God is Love, and he that dwelleth in Love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. This is the Mark here given of our Relation to God, and his Refidence with us, viz. the Love we bear both to him and the Brethren; which the Apostle here doubles and repeats, that we may the better know and try our felves by it.

Now the Perfection of this Love confifts in a bold owning and confeffing of thefe Truths in times of greatest Danger; for fo the next words tell us, Herein is our Love made perfect, that we may have Boldness in the Day of Judgment, becaufe as he is, fo are we in this World: meaning, that when our Love comes to the Trial of the laft Day, it may be found conftant and fincere, that as Chrift is true and conftant to us, fo may we be to him in this World. The Love that Chrift bore to us did fet him above the Fear of Death, or any manner of Difcouragement that might hinder the Ef fects of his Kindnefs to us; and the Love we bear to him fhould not fuffer us to fhrink from our Faith and Confidence in him, for the Fear or Frowns of any.

There is no Fear in Love (faith the beloved Disciple) true Love is not daunted with the Appearance of any Diffi culties, but rather gladly embraces the Opportunity of fur mounting them. Perfect Love cafteth out Fear, it banisheth all Fear of Danger, yea, even of Death it felf, and declines not the hardest Proof or Trial of its Sincerity: it infpires Men with Courage enough to defpife Difficulties, and delights in what may beft exprefs its Conftancy. Fear bath Torment, and is evermore attended with Anxiety and Trou ble that weak Paffion creates Pain upon the leaft Profpect of Danger, and will not fuffer Men to go on in any Enterprize, that hath any Shew of it, but is apt to draw back upon every light Occafion; and therefore he that feareth, is not made perfect in Love: fuch a one will forfake his Friend upon the leaft Temptation, and refufe to own or

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