them, and cry them up as wise and excellent men,) than the unholy, worldy, fleshly clergy?

8. And in every case that themselves are much concerned in, their learning will not keep them from the most blind injustice. Let the case be but such as their honour, or profit, or relations and friends are much concerned in, and they presently take all right to be on their side; and all these to be honest men that are for them, and all those to be wicked hypocrites, heretics, schismatics, factious, or liars, that are against them; and dare print to the world that most notorious truths in matters of fact are lies, and lies are truths, and corrupt all history where they are but concerned: so that experience hath taught me to give little credit to any history written by men, in whom I can perceive this double character, 1. That they are worldly and unconscionable : 2. And concerned by a personal interest; especially when they revile their adversaries. And money, friends or honour will make any cause true and just with them, and can confute all evidences of truth and innocency. Learned judges are too often corrupt.

9. And in cases of great temptation, how insufficient is learning to repel the tempter, when it is easily done by the holy love of God and goodness! How easily is a man's judgment tempted to think well of that which he loveth, and ill of that which his heart is against?

Many such instances I might give you, but these fully shew the misery and folly of ungodly scholars, that are but blinded by dead notions, and words of art, to think they know something, when they know nothing as they ought to know; and to hate truth and goodness, and speak evil of the things they know not, while for want of holy love, these tinkling cymbals do but deceive themselves, and ascertain their own damnation.

II. I should next have said as much of the vanity and snare of the knowledge of such Gnostics, as in an overvaluing of their own religious skill and gifts, cry out as the Pharisees, "This people that know not the law are cursed." But what is said is applicable to them.

CHAP. XVI.

Exhort. 2. Love best the Christians that have most Love to God and Man.

IF God love those most that have most love, and not those that have most barren knowledge; then so must we, even all that take God's wisdom as infallible: of whom can we know better, whom to love and value, than of him that is wisdom and love itself? There is more savoury worth in the experience, affections and heavenly tendency of holy souls, than in all the subtleties of learned wits. When a man cometh to die, who savoureth not more wisdom in the sacred Scripture, and in holy treatises, than in all Aristotle's learned works? And who had not then rather hear the talk and prayers of a holy person, than the most accurate logic and mathematics? Alas! what are these but trifles to a dying man! And what they will be to a dying man, they should be much to us all our life; unless we would never be wise till it is too late.

And among men seeming religious, it is not the religious wrangler or disputer, nor the zealous reviler of his brethren, that can hotly cry down on one side, 'These men are heretical;' or on the other, 'These are antichristian,' that are the lovely persons: not they that on one side cry out, 'Away with these from the ministry and church as disobedient to us:' or on the other, 'Away with these from our communion as not holy enough to join with us.' It is not they that proudly persecute to prove their zeal, nor they that proudly separate from others to prove it; but it is they that live in the love of God and man, that are beloved of God and man. Nature teacheth all men to love those that love them. And the Divine nature teacheth us to love those much more that love God and goodness. Though love be an act of obedience as commanded, yet hath it a nature also above mere obedience; and bare commanding will not cause it. No man loveth God or man, only because he is commanded so to do; but because he perceiveth them to be good and amiable. And the most loving are the most lovely, so be it their love be rightly guided. Doth it not kindle love in you to others, more, to hear their breathings

after God, and grace, and glory, and to see them loving and kind to all, and delighting to do all the good they can, and covering tenderly the infirmities of others, and practising 1 Cor. xiii, and living at peace among themselves, and as much as is possible with all men, and loving their enemies, and blessing those that curse them, and patiently bearing, and forgiving wrongs; than to come into one congregation and hear a priest teach the people to hate their brethren as schismatics or heretics; or in another, and hear a man teach his followers to hate others as antichristian or ceremonious? Or to hear silly men and women talk against things that are quite beyond their reach, and shaking the head to talk against Dissenters, and say, 'Such an one is an erroneous or dangerous man, take heed of hearing him! Such an one is for or against reprobation, free-will, universal redemption, man's power, and such like, which they little understand.' In a word, the proudly tyrannical, and the proudly schismatical, with all their pretence of learning on one side, or of the Spirit and holiness, and gifts on the other, are no whit so amiable as the single-hearted, honest, peaceable Christian, who preacheth love, and prayeth love, and liveth, and breatheth, and practiseth love. Paul saith, that all the law is fulfilled in love; and fulfilling is more than knowing it. And Christ himself did not in vain sum up all the commandments in the love of God and man; nor in vain ask Peter thrice," Lovest thou me?" nor in vain so often charge it on them, as his new, that is his last commandment, that they love one another! Nor doth his beloved apostle John in vain so earnestly write for love.

CHAP. XVII.

Exhort. 3. Plead not against Love or Works of Love, upon Pretence of a Cross Interest of Learning, Knowledge, Gifts, Church-order, Discipline, &c. or any other Thing.

IF Love be that which is most amiable in us to the God of Love, then as nothing in the world can excuse him that is without it, nor render him lovely indeed to God and man, so nothing must be made a pretence against it: and no pre

tence will excuse that man, or that society that is against it. Even corrections and severities, when they must be used, must come from love, and be wholly ordered to the ends and interest of love. And when necessity calls for destructive executions, which tend not to the good of him that is executed, yet must they tend to the good of the community or of many, and come from a greater love than is due to one, or else that which otherwise would be laudable justice, is but cruelty for the punishment of offenders is good and just, because tending to the common good, Debentur Reipublicæ,' the community have 'jus,' a right to them as a means to their good so that it is love that is the amiableness of justice itself.

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If any think that God's justice is a cross instance; let him consider, 1. That though the most public or common good be our end next the ultimate, yet the true ultimate end of all things, is God himself: and the love of God is the highest love; and God's justice is not without that love of himself, and tendeth to that good which he is capable of receiving; which is but the fulfilling or complacency of his own will, which is, but improperly, called his receiving. 2. And we little know how many in another world, or in the renewed earth, are to be profited by his justice on the damned, as angels and men are, by his justice on the devils.

1. LOVE is the life of religion, and of the soul, and of the church and what can be a just pretence for any to destroy or oppose the very life of religion, the life of souls, and the life of the church of Christ? Physic, blood-letting and dismembering may be used for life; but to take away life, except necessarily for a good that is better than that life, is murder. And what is it that is better than the life of religion, in all matters of religion? Or than the life of the church, in all church-affairs? Or than the life of men's souls, in all matters of soul-concernment?

2. LOVE is the great command and summary of all the law and what can be a just pretence for breaking the greatest command, yea, and the whole law?

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3. LOVE is God's image; and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, who is LOVE, and God in him and what can be a pretence sufficient for destroying the image of God, which is called by his name?

4. There is nothing in man that God himself loveth better

than our love and therefore nothing that as better can be set against it.

And yet, alas, what enmity is used in the world against the Love of God and man! and many things alleged as pretences to justify it! Let us considèr of some few of them.

1. The great tyrants of the world, such as in several ages have been the plagues of their own and neighbour-nations, care not what havoc they make of religion, and of men's lives, by bloody wars, and cruel persecutions! Destroying many thousands, and undoing far more thousands of the countryfamilies where their armies come; and sacrificing the lives of the best of their subjects by butcheries or flames! And what is the pretence for all this? Perhaps they would be lords of more of the world, and would have larger kingdoms, or more honour. Perhaps some prince hath spoken a hard word of them, or done them some wrong. Perhaps some subjects believe not, as they bid them believe; or forbear not to worship God, in a manner which they forbid them. Perhaps Daniel will not give over praying for a time; or the apostles will not give over preaching; or the three confessors will not fall down to the golden image; and so Nebuchadnezzar or the other rulers seem despised: and their wills and honour are an interest that with them seemeth to warrant all this. But how long will it seem so? 1 had rather any friend of mine had the sins of a thief or drunkard, or the most infamous sinner among us to answer for, than the sins of a bloody Alexander, Cæsar or Tamerlane.

2. The Roman clergy set up inquisitions, force men by cruelties to submit to their church-keys, whose very nature is to be used without force; and they silence, yea, torment the faithful ministers of Christ, and have murdered thousands of his faithful people, raised rebellions against princes, and wars in kingdoms: and taught men to hate God's servants, as heretics, schismatics, rebels, factious, and what not? And what pretence must justify all this? Why, the interest of the pope and clergy: called in ignorance, or craft, by the name of the Holy Church, Religion, Unity, and such other honourable names! But must their church live on blood, and holy blood; and be built or preserved by the destruction of Christ's church? Must their doctrine be kept up, by silencing faithful ministers; and their worship by destroying or undoing the true worshippers of Christ?