thefe are as oppofite as light and darkness. And it is as fure that every man and woman is acting in this life to the promoting of one of these two in the world, as that every perfon and thing will act agreeable to its own nature, Micah iv. 5. For all people will walk every one in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. And therefore those that are of God are in a state of oppofition to the world lying in wickedness.

Fifthly, There is a bond of brotherly love, whereby they are knit together among themfelves, as children of one family. By this one may know himfelf to belong to the family of God, 1 John iii. 14. "We know that we have paffed from death unto life, because we love the brethren;" and by it as a badge on-lookers may know they belong to it, John xiii. 35. "By this fhall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." So that it is a fign that cafts its light both inward and outward. The certainty hereof appears from several confiderations.

1. They all love God their common Father, love his image, preffing to be like him as their main aim. Hence, fince all the regenerate do bear God's image as begotten of him, they must love them also, 1 John v. 1. "Every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him." The love of God natively draws after it the Chriftian love of those that are of God.

2. They have forfaken the world for the fociety of the faints; and as the married woman forfakes her father's house, and joins herself into the house of her husband, thenceforth to look upon the intereft thereof as her intereft; fo in the fpiritual marriage with Chrift and regeneration, the foul comes home to the fociety of the faints for good and all, in oppofition to the world, cordially falling in with the call given, Pfal. xlv. 1o. "Hearken, O daughter, and confider, and incline thine ear, forget alfo thine own people, and thy father's house."

3. The natural enmity against the feed of the woman that is infeparable from the feed of the ferpent, evinceth this, Gen. iii. 15. In every unregenerate man there is a natural enmity against a holy God, his holy Chrift, and his holy feed; their natures being as contrary as fire and water, that it is impoffible ever they should be, as fuch, lovely in one another's eyes. And in regeneration, the ferpentine nature is changed, the enmity removed, and confequently this love to the faints is fixed in its room, as a neceffary confequent of the new nature.

4. As God is love, and the devil is a mass of hatred and malice againft God and man, fo the two parties partake of their natures refpectively. God bears a common love to his creatures, fo as to do them good, and a special love to the faints; and those that are of God, accordingly have implanted in them a principle of love, of good will and beneficence to mankind, Luke vi. 35. but a fpecial love of delight in the faints, Pfal. xvi. 3. Gal. vi. 10. Satan bears a hatred against men, especially holy men; but most of all he hates God; fo his feed hate one another, Tit. iii. 3, and more keenly hate the heavenly feed, and that because of their hatred wherewith moft of all they are irreconcileable to God, John xv. 18.

Object. Where are there greater heats and oppofitions, than among the different parties in the church? where then is the brotherly love by which all are pretended to be knit? Anfw. There is a difference betwixt the vifible church, and those that are of God. In the vifible church are many who are still of the world lying in wickedness, and they bring with them into the church, their natural enmity, hatred, and unchristian spirit, and exercise it in the things of God, to the marring of the purity, beauty, and peace of it. But this hellish fire belongs to the fpirit of the world, and the blame of kindling it lies at the door of the world. And if the church, though imperfect were freely feparated from the world ly

ing

ing in wickednefs, it would be a lovely and loving fociety far beyond what it is. I own that these things also are incident to those that are of God, as in the contention between Paul and Barnabas, Acts xv. 39. and the reason is, the remains of the spirit of the world in them are not yet purged away; but the cause of the quarrel is not what they conceive to be likenefs, but unlikenefs to God; and notwithstanding all their jarrings, they will ftill love them as they appear to have the image of God on them; for whatever they differ in, they agree in that. Wherefore we may. lay down these conclufions,

The

1. They that are of God love the fociety of the regenerate, confidered as a holy fociety, separated from the world lying in wickednefs, Heb. xii. 22. picture of that fociety drawn in the Bible, is beautiful in their eyes, more alluring to them than the richest, moft powerful, and most gay and fplendid society in the world; and therefore they defire more to be of it, than of any other whatfoever. The grace in it glif ters more in their eyes than gold in the world; and fo it is not with others. 1 John ii. 15. Cant. i. 7.

2. They love particular faints of their acquaintance for what likeness to God appears in them, 2 John i.

2.

There are many things about the children of God, that may move love to them in a child of the devil, their relation, usefulness, and agreeableness in feveral things to them; but their fpiritual beauty in conformity to the holy Jefus, is a motive and ground of love to them, not in the unregenerate, but in the regenerate partakers of the fame divine nature. Upon that score the ferpentine enmity rifes in the one, and love in the other.

3. They love all the faints without exception, fo far as they can take them up to be fo, Eph. i. 15. They will never confine their love to a party, to whom God has not confined his grace, nor to fuch as are attended with worldly advantages, defpifing the reft on whom the world particularly frowns, Pfal.

cxix. 63.

exix. 63. If they should do fo, they would evidence that it is not God they love in them, but themselves; that it is not the advantages they have as the darlings of heaven, but of the world. But whatever defects are about them, the appearance of God's grace in them will fupply them all, to the rendering them lovely in the eyes of those that are of God, though not to others, whereby they are tried and caft.

4. The more gracious and holy any are, the more will they be loved of them. For the more of the cause there is in any, the more there must be of the effect. And hence it is, that the most tender and holy Chriftians are at once the objects of the greatest love of the regenerate, and the world's greatest hatred. Many can endure holinefs while it remains dim and obfcure in men, that spit venom against it, where it fhines clear; fo formal hypocrites are like the owl that can come abroad in the twilight, but cannot endure the light of the fun: an eminent inftance were the Pharifees to Christ.

5. Laftly, The more any have of the world's hatred for their oppofition to it, they will love them the more. As fire burns keenest in the fharpeft froft, fo it has always been obferved, that the love of the godly to one another was strongest, when the world's hatred of them was moft keen. So dangerous it is to be found joining the torrent of the world against ferious godly ones.

Sixthly, Their hearts are kindly difpofed towards the holy law. As the old corrupt nature reigning in the unregenerate fills them with enmity against it, Rom. viii. 7. fo the new nature in them kindly plies and bends towards it, Pfal. cxix. 97. The reason is, the image of God expressed in the law is begun to be drawn on their fouls, fo that their new nature and the holy law point both one way, Heb. viii. 10. It is true, there is a refiftance and averfion of the unrenewed part; but that is not total, and there is a gracious principle that condemns it, Rom. vii. 22, 23. Hence,

C

1. They

1. They willingly take on the yoke of obedience and go under it, because it is agreeable to their new nature, I John v. 3. "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous." Chrift's yoke is a galling yoke to the necks of the men of the world, because there is no fuitableness of their nature to it; they spurn it, their hearts rise against it; fain would they be quit of it, that they might take their fwing according to their luft. But it is not fo to thofe that are of God, Matth. xi. 29, 30. Fain would they be rid of their lufts, but not of the law, Rom. vii. 24.

2. They are universal in their obedience to their knowledge, Pfal. cxix. 6. "Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have refpect unto all thy commandments.” When there is an artificial bending towards the law, upon a particular defign, there is a picking and choofing of the parts thereof moft agreeable to one's circumflances; hence fome fall in with duty to God, but make no confcience of their duty to men; others fall in with perfonal duty, but make no confcience of relative duties; they comply with duties of commanding, but make no confcience of duties of fubjection; for the one they can digeft, but not the other. But where the bent is new natural, there will be a falling in with the whole, fince the whole is agreeable to the new nature, and is of a piece, and laid on by the fame authority, James ii. 10, 11.

Lafly, They overcome the world, 1 John v. 4. "Whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." Having feparated from the world, it will pursue them, as the Egyptians did Ifrael, and it will have a war with them, encountering them with its fmiles and frowns; but whatever way it attacks them they overcome; though they may lose in particular battles, yet ftill they are the overcomers in the main, by faith. And,

1. They