Dear Sir,
The apostle having said,
"Marvel not my brethren, if the world hate you," immediately subjoins, "We
know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren."
By manner of his expression, he sufficiently intimates, that the want of this
love is so universal, till the Lord plants it in the heart, that if we possess
it, we may there-by be sure he has given us of his Spirit, and delivered us
from condemnation. But as the heart is deceitful, and people may be awfully
mistaken in the judgment they form of themselves, we have a need to be very
sure that we rightly understand, before we draw the apostle's conclusion from
it, and admit it as evidence in our own favour, that we passed death unto
life. Let me invite you, reader to attend a little to this subject.
There are some counterfeits
of this love to the brethren which is to be feared have often been mistaken
for it, and have led people to think themselves something, when indeed they
had nothing. For instance:
There is a nature love of the
brethren. People many sincerely love their relations, friends, and
benefactors, who are of the brethren, and yet be utter strangers to the
spiritual love the apostles speak of. So Orpah had a great affection for
Naomi though it was not strong enough to make her willing with Ruth to leave
her native country, and her idol gods. Natural affection can go no farther
than to a personal attachment; and they who thus love the brethren, and upon
no better ground, are often disgusted with those things in them, for which the
real brethren chiefly love one another.
This is likewise of love of
convenience. The Lord's people are gentle, peaceful, benevolent, swift to
hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. They are desirous of adorning the
doctrine of God their Saviour, and approving themselves followers of pleased
not himself, but spent his life doing good for others. Upon this account,
they who are full of themselves, and love to have their own way, may like
their company, because they find more compliances, and less opposition from
them, than from such as themselves. For a while Laban loved Jacob; he found
him diligent and trust-worthy, and perceived that the Lord had prospered him
upon Jacob's account; but when he saw Jacob flourished, and apprehended he was
likely to do without him, his love was soon at an end; for it was only founded
on self-interest.
A party-love is also common.
The objects of this are those who are of the same sentiment, worship in the
same way, or attached to the same minister. They who are united in such
narrow and separate associations, may express warm affections, without giving
any proof of true Christian love; for upon such grounds as these, not only
professed Christians, but Jews and Turks may be said to love one another:
though it must be allowed, that believers being renewed but in part, the love
which they bare to the brethren is too often debased and alloyed by the
mixture of selfish afflictions. The principle of true love to the
brethren, is the L O V E of GOD, that love which produceth obedience, I John,
v.2. "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and
keep his commandments." When people are free to form their connections
and friendships, the ground of their communion is in a sameness of
inclination.
The love spoken of is
spiritual. The children of God, who therefore stand in the relation of
brethren to each other, though they have too many unhappy differences in
points of smaller importance, agree in supreme love they bear to their
heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ their Saviour; of course they agree in
disliking and avoiding sin, which is contrary to the will and command of the
God whom they love and worship. Upon these accounts they love one
another, they are like-minded; and they live in a world where the bulk of
mankind are against them, have no regard to their Beloved, and live in the
sinful practices which his grace taught them to hate.
Their situation, therefore,
increases their affection to each other. They are washed by the same
blood, supplied by the same grace, opposed by the same enemies, and have the
same heaven in view: therefore they love one another with a pure heart
fervently. The properties of this love, where it exercise is not greatly
impeded by ignorance and bigotry, are such as prove its heavenly original.
It extends to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, cannot be
confined within the pale of a denomination, nor restrained to those with whom
it is more immediately connected. It is gentle, and not easily provoked;
hopes the best, makes allowances for infirmities and is easily entreated.
It is kind and compassionate; and this not in words only, but sympathizes with
the afflicted, and relieves the indigent, according to its ability; and as it
primarily respects the image of Christ in its objects, it feels a more
peculiar attachment to those whom it judges to be the most spiritual, though
without undervaluing or despising the weakest attainments in the true grace of
the Gospel.
They are happy who thus love
the brethren. They have passed unto death unto life; and may plead this
gracious disposition, though not before the Lord as the ground of their hope,
yet against Satan, when he would tempt them to question their right to
promises. But, alas! as I before hinted, the exercise of this love, when
it really is implanted, is greatly obstructed through the remaining depravity
which cleaves to believers. We cannot be too watchful against those
tempers which weaken the proper effects of brotherly love, and thereby have a
tendency to darken the evidence of our having passed from death unto life.
We live in a day when love the love of many of whom we would hope the best is
at least grown very cold. The effects of a narrow, a suspicious, a
censorious, and a selfish spirit, are but too evident amongst professors of
the Gospel. If we were to insist at large upon offences of this kind
which abound amongst us, I should seem almost reduced to the necessity, either
of retracting what I have advanced, or of maintaining that a great part (if
not the greatest part) of those form of godliness, destitute of the power: for
though they may abound in knowledge and gifts, and have much to say upon the
subject of Christian experience, they appear to want the great, the
inimitable, the indispensable criterion of the true Christianity, a love to
the brethren; without which all other seeming advantages and attainments are
of no avail, How is this disagreeable dilemma to be avoided?
I believe they who are most
under the influence of the divine love, will join with me in lamenting their
deficiency. It is well that we are not under the law, but under grace;
for on whatever point we try ourselves by the standard of the sanctuary, we
shall find reason to say, " Enter not into judgment with they servant O Lord."
There is an amazing and humbling difference between the convictions we have of
the beauty and excellence of divine truths, and our actual experience of their
power ruling in our hearts. In our happiest hours, when we are most
affected with the love of Jesus, we feel our love fervent towards his people.
We wish it were always so; but we are poor inconsistent creature, and find we
can do nothing as we ought, but as we are enabled by his grace. But we
trust we do not allow ourselves in what is wrong; and, notwithstanding we may
in particular instances be misled by ignorance and prejudice, we do in our
hearts love the brethren, account them the excellent of the earth, and desire
to have our lot and portion with them in time in eternity. We know that
the love we bear them is for his sake; and we consider his interest in them in
time and in eternity. We know that the love we bear them is for his
sake; and when we consider his interest in them, and our obligations to him we
are ashamed and grieved that we love them no better.
If we could not conscientiously say thus much
we should have just reason to question sincerity, and the safety of our state;
for the Scriptures cannot be broken, nor can the grace of God fail of
producing in some degree its proper fruits. Our Saviour, before whom we
must shortly appear as our judge, has made love the characteristic of his
disciples; and judge, has made love the characteristic of his disciples; and
without some evidence that this is the prevailing disposition of our hearts,
we could find little comfort in calling him God. Let not this be
accounted as legality, as if our dependence was upon something in ourselves.
The question is not concerning the fruits or tokens of an accepted
state. The most eminent of these, by our Lord's express declaration
is brotherly love. "By this all men know that you are my disciples, if
you love one another." No words can be plainer; and the consequence is
equally plain, however hard it may bear upon any professors that though they
could speak with the tongues of angels, had the knowledge of all mysteries, a
power of working miracles, and a zeal prompting them to give their bodies to
be burned in defense of the truth; yet if they love not the brethren, they are
but as sound brass or tinkling cymbals: they may make a great noise in the
church and in the world; they may be wise and able men, as the words are now
frequently understood; they may pray or preach with great fluency; but in the
sight of God their faith is dead, and their religion is vain.
