-- Tit. 3. The Reasons and Motives of love to our Neighbour.
causelessly vilifying others; aggravating their faults and extenuating their virtues.' For such proud, supercilious persons (religious or profane) are but the messengers of satan, by whom he entreateth you to hate your neighbour, or abate your love to him. And to hear them speak evil of others, is but to go hear a sermon against charity, which may take with such hearts as ours before we are aware.
Direct. IX. 'Keep still the motives and incentives of love upon your minds.' Which I shall here next set before you.
Tit. 3. The Reasons or Motives of Love to our Neighbour Mot. I. 'Consider well of the image and interest of God in man.' The worst man is his creature, and hath his natural image, though not his moral image; and you should love the work for the workman's sake.
There is something of God upon all human nature above the brutes; it is intelligent, and capable of knowing him, of loving him and of serving him; and possibly may be brought to do all this better than you can do it. Undervalue not the noble nature of man, nor overlook that of God which is upon them, nor the interest which he hath in them.
Mot. II. 'Consider well of God's own love to man.' He hateth their sins more than any of us; and yet he loveth his workmanship upon them: "And maketh his sun to shine and his rain to fall on the evil and on the good, on the just and on the unjust." And what should more stir us up to love, than to be like to God?
Mot. III. 'And think oft of the love of Christ unto mankind; yea, even unto his enemies.' Can you have a better example, a livelier incentive, or a surer guide?
Mot. IV. 'Consider of our unity of nature with all men;' suitableness breedeth and maintaineth love. Even birds and beasts do love their kind; and man should much more have a love to man, as being of the same specific form.
Mot. V. 'Love is the principle of doing good to others.' It inclineth men to beneficence: and all men call him good who is inclined to do good.
Mot. VI. 'Love is the bond of societies.' Of families, cities, kingdoms and churches; without love, they will be but enemies conjunct; who are so much the more hurtful and pernicious to each other, by how much they are nearer to each other. The soul of societies is gone when love is gone.
Mot. VII. 'Consider why it is that you love yourselves (rationally), and why it is that you would be beloved of others.' And you will see that the same reasons will be of equal force to call for love to others from you.
Mot. VIII. 'What abundance of duty is summarily, performed in love!
And what abundance of sin is avoided and prevented by it!' If it be the fulfilling of the law, it avoideth all the violations of the law
(proportionably). So far as you have love, you will neither dishonour superiors, nor oppress inferiors, nor injure equals: you will neither covet that which is your neighbour's, nor envy, nor malice them, nor defame, nor backbite, nor censure them unjustly; nor will you rob them, or defraud them, nor withhold any duty or kindness to them.
Mot. IX. 'Consider how much love pleaseth God; and why it is made so great a part of all your duty; and why the Gospel doth so highly commend it, and so strictly command it, and so terribly condemn the want of it!' And also how suitable a duty it is for you, who are obliged by so much love of God!' These things well studied will not be without effect.
Mot. X. Consider also that it is your own interest, as well as your great duty.' 1. It is the soundness and honesty of your hearts. 2. It is pleasing to that God on whom only you depend. 3. It is a condition of your receiving the saving benefits of his love. 4. It is an amiable virtue, and maketh you lovely to all sober men: all men love a loving
nature, and hate those that hate and hurt their neighbours. Love commandeth love, and hurtfulness is hatefulness. 5. It is a sweet, delightful duty: all love is essentiated with some complacence and delight. 6. It tendeth to the ease and quietness of your lives: what contentions and troubles will love avoid! What peace and pleasure doth it cause in families, neighbourhoods and all societies! And what brawling vexations come where it is wanting! It will make all your neighbours and relations to be a comfort and delight to you, which would be a burden and trouble, if love were absent. 7. It maketh all other men's felicity and comforts to be yours. If you love them as yourselves, their riches, their health, their honours, their lordships, their kingdoms, yea, more, their knowledge, and learning, and grace, and happiness, are partly to you as your own. As the comforts of wife and children, and your dearest friends are; and as our love to Christ, and the blessed angels and saints in heaven do make their joys to be partly ours. How excellent, and easy, and honest a way is this, of making all the world your own, and receiving that benefit and pleasure from all things both in heaven and earth, which no distance, no malice of enemies can deny you! If those whom you truly love have it, you have it. Why then do you complain that you have no more health, or wealth, or honour, or that others are preferred before you? Love your neighbour as yourselves, and then you will be comforted in his health, his wealth, and his preferment, and say,
'Those have it whom I love as myself, and therefore it is to me as mine own.' When you see your neighbour's houses, pastures, corn and cattle, love will make it as good and pleasant to you as if it were your own. Why else do you rejoice in the portions and estates of your children as if it were your own? The covetous man saith, 'O how glad should I be if this house, this land, this corn were mine:' but love will make you say, 'It is all to me as mine own.' What a sure and cheap way is this of making all the world your own! O what a mercy doth
God bestow on his servants souls, in the day that he sanctifieth them with unfeigned love! How much doth he give as in that one grace!
And O what a world of blessing and comforts do the ungodly, the malicious, the selfish and the censorious cast away, when they cast away or quench the love of their neighbours; and what abundance of