Vol 01 - Chapter 11 - Of the Love of God and our Neighbor.

Chapter 11 Of the Love of God and our Neighbor
" Now the end of the commandment is charity, out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned," 1 Timothy 1:5. IN this assertion, the apostle setteth before us the high and noble virtue of love, and certifieth us, concerning it, these four things.
I First, that love is the end of all the commandments, and the fulfilling of the law that therein are comprehended and fulfilled, all the precepts of GOD, both under the first and the. second covenant; and without which, all gifts and virtues are fruitless and unprofitable.
II. The second is this, that true love cometh "out of a pure heart," that is cleansed from the love of the world. Wherefore St. John warneth us a not to love the world, neither the things that are'in the world;" under which he specifieth the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life;" because the mixture of any of these is absolutely inconsistent with the pure love of God. For, " If any man," says he, " love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
III. The apostle, in the third place, teacheth, that love must be "out of a good conscience." Now this properly concerneth the love of our neighbor, and instructetll us, That man ought to love his neighbor, not for the sake of interest or worldly advantage, which is a false love, and out of a had conscience; but for the sake of GOD, and of his commandments, and out of a consciousness of our duty.
IV. The last thing by the apostle here asserted, is this, That love must be "out of faith unfeigned." This is the sum of what is contained in this short saying of the apostle; of which we shall now speak more particularly.
1. In the first place, " love is the end of the commandment;" it is a fulfilling of the whole law; it is a summary of all the precepts of Jesus CHRIST; it is both the beginning and motive, and the end and perfection of all virtue. That love which is out of a right faith, is the noblest, the best, the highest fruit of faith. God has changed the heavy yoke of the Old Testament service, and the many commandments and ordinances of that dispensation, into faith and love: and this commandment is not grievous. It is not so to an enlightened Christian; for the Holy Ghost maketh a free, willing, and ready heart; and he is the inspirer of courage which faileth not, but surmounteth all difficulties.
2. Neither does God require of us great skill or great ability; it is only love which he will have from us. And so this be but hearty, without dissimulation, God is more delighted therein than in all the knowledge and wisdom that any man upon earth, in his best works, can ever express. Arid where love is not, all wisdom, all knowledge, all works, and all gifts, are altogether unprofitable: yea, he is dead, whosoever liveth without love. Though you speakest with the eloquence of angels, concerning heavenly and Divine matters, yet if you have not love, you art but " sounding brass," and thy seraphical oratory is but a " tinkling cymbal."
And though you has the revelation of all futurities in the church, and the understanding of all mysteries, Divine and natural, and the interpretation of all languages, dead and living, and an universal knowledge of all that either men or angels can know, whether in the heights above, or in the depths beneath; and though you has also therewith a wonderworking faith, so as by it to " remove mountains," yet if you has not this love of GOD, all verily will profit thee nothing; all shall cease, all shall vanish away; and every thing shall come to -,in end, but love. This then is the distinguishing mark of a true Christian. Great abilities are common to heathens and Christians great works are common to believers and unbelievers; great natural parts, great moral accoinplishments, great acquirements, of several kinds, are alike common to the one and to the other; only love is the right test of a right Christian, and cdoes separate between the counterfeit and the true.
3. without it, every work is of no moment; and with it there is nothing but what is accepted of God. It is far dearer than the arts, and more precious than,the wisdom of the whole world. It is the Christian's badge, and the seal of the Holy Ghost. It is love alone which uniteth us to God. For we know that " God is love; and he that dwells in love, dwells in GOD, and God in him." Where love is not, God is not there; and he that abideth not in love, has no portion in GOD, in CHRIST, or in heaven, which is the kingdom of love. So then, where love is wanting, there is no good; and where that is present there no evil can abide; for God himself is there. Love is pleasant and acceptable with GOD, because it is of his own nature; and so is every man that exerciseth it, and bringeth forth the fruit thereof. There is no work without it but is a dead work: and there can be no work with it, but it is a living one. For in this love, there is air endless "spring of life; it is the communication of the Divine life itself, and an essential ray of the Infinite Goodness.
4. And whereas the arts and sciences, and all the knowledge and wisdom which man graspeth after, are not gotten but with great labor and study, with much care and solicitude,-this heaven-born love cheers and strengthens both the body and mind. Neither is it loss to any, but bringeth most ample fruit; for love is the reward of the lover; this virtue is a reward to itself. Love arises stronger and stronger, exulting under all difficultiesfinds, in the hardest trials, a most sweet refreshment; and in the very lion's belly discovereth honey. When the other faculties of the body and mind are faint and wearied, love fainteth not-love is never weary, nor ever ceases. Howsoever prophecy may pass away, and tongues may cease, and sciences may be destroyed, and arts may be lost, and the knowledge of mysteries may vanish away: yea, and faith itself may also fail; this never faileth. For when all that is imperfect is done away, this abideth for evermore.
5. This should be the spring of all our prayers; and without this, all is but lip-service. He that loves GOD, prays well, and praiseth well. But he that loves not GOD, neither prays or praiseth as he ought; because he neither prays unto him, nor praiseth him from the heart. The true prayer consisteth in spirit, in faith, in love. It consisteth not in bare words. Think upon CHRIST, and how he prayed. Think out of what a tender merciful heart he cried, " Father, forgive them," Luke 23:34. He that loves not GOD, that man prays not. But he that heartily loves GOD, knows how to pray, and for him to pray, it is both easy and comfortable. In his heart is the prayer of peace, and from his lips goes forth a burning stream of charity, as having been touched with a coal from the heavenly altar. His inward eye is fixed continually upon GOD, and unto him does he send up a pure and living sacrifice from a fire within him, which is never quenched. Consequently he esteenieth nothing so sweet as communion with him, or so refreshing as the worship of him, which is performed in truth, by the Spirit of holy love.
6. Faith should do all things in a Christian through love; and all the things that are done in him, ought thus to be wrought by faith united with love; even as the soul worketh through the body. As the soul sees, hears, tastes, smells, and speaks. through the body, and does all things in and through the body, to which it is united; so should the love of GOD, as the soul of thy soul, do all things in and through thee. Whether you dost eat or drink, whether you dost hear or speak, whether you dost commend or reprove any one, let all be done in love. If you beholdest thy neighbor, behold you him with the eyes of love; if you hcarest him, hear him with all love and tenderness; and if you speakest with him, let thy speech be with the meekness of wisdom, and the merciful bowels of Christian affection.
7. Preserve the root of love always in thee by faith, that so nothing but what is good,, may grow up. So shall you fulfill the commandments of God; seeing that they are all comprehended in love. Wherefore a certain holy doctor spoke after this manner ` O love of God in the Holy Ghost! which art the ravishing sweetness of souls, and the Divine life of men, whosoever has not thee, is dead even while he liveth; and whosoever has thee, never dieth before God. Where you art not, there the life of man is nought but a restless dying. Where you art, there man's life is' made a foretaste of eternal life.
8. The love of man to GOD, must be ozet of a pure heart. The heart of man, that desireth to love GOD, should be cleansed from all worldly love; so shall God be to him the highest good; anti he shall be able to say, "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup: you maintainest my lot."
9. God therefore should be.the most beloved of our souls, and our hearts should rest in him; because he is our highest and best good, the good of all goods. He is all goodness, and all virtue. All that is, or can be called good, he is in the truest and most supereminent sense. God is the only good, and there is none besides him. He is purely and merely good, purely and merely love. And if it be asked, what God is we may well answer, that God is mere grace, love, clemency, truth, consolation, peace, joy, life, and salvation. Now all these has he laid up in CHRIST; and whosoever has CHRIST, the same has all these. And if any man have the love of GOD, he has also the truth of GOD, with his mercy, his goodness, and the whole body of the virtues; for seeing that he loves GOD, thereby loves he not one, but all the virtues, even as they are in God.
10. The right lover of God then has a love to all that God loves; and an aversion to all that God has an aversion for. Ile liketll and disliketh all things, even as God liketh and disliketh them. Hence if any man love GOD, he must love righteousness. And therefore also should he have a love for truth, seeing God is truth. Moreover Iran ought to love mercy; seeing that God is mercy. For the same reason ought he to love meekness and humility; in conformity to the neck and humble will of CHRIST. And on the contrary, God's true lover cannot but hate all ungodliness, and all the works of unrighteousness. For that which is unrighteous, is against GOD, and is the work of the devil. Therefore also the lover of God hateth a lie; forasmuch as the devil is the father of lies. Moreover he must needs hate unmercifulness, pride, and all other sins; because they arc part of the. devil.
11. But you must remember that you pray to GOD, for this love, which is out of a pure heart, who through the grace of CHRIST, will most freely enkindle the flames thereof in thine heart; if you pray onto him for it, and cease not to importune him, by offering- tip to him thine heart every day, yea, every hour, and every moment, in a constant habitual resignation of thy will to him. And if it happen, that thy love wax cold and weak at any timd, rouse up thy heart, faint not, but stir up the gift of Divine grace within thee, and never be discouraged. Yea, should You, through the weakness of thy love, sometimes fall; get thee up in the name of GOD, rise again, and go to work, and renew the acts of thy love.
For inasmuch as you art sensible of this thy coldness and weakness, be you sure that the eternal light of Divine love is not extinguished, though it be eclipsed; and therefore never doubt, but that God thy most gracious and tender Savior, will enlighten thee again, and fire thy heart with his love, as in the. days of thy first espousals to him, so that you may sit down under his shadow, and rejoice in the light of his countenance. Yet howsoever it may be with thee, you must be sure to abide humble; and whensoever he shall visit thee. again with his gracious consolation, and shall enflame thy heart with his love, you oughtest to pray unto his holy Majesty incessantly, that he may never at any time hereafter, suffer the most bright fire of Divine love in thee to be quenched. Thus much of.the love out of a heart, which is purfled from the love of the world and of the creatures. Thirdly,
12. The love of man to his neighbor, must be out of a good conscience. The love of God and of our neighbor, cannot be separated.’But he that loves GOD, will love his brother, who was made after the image of God. For the love of God cannot abide in an heart that is leavened with hatred and uncharitableness. And if you have no pity on thy brother, whom you knows to stand in need of thy help, how can thou.love GOD, who needeth not any thing that is'--thine, and has commanded thee to express thy love towards him by the marks thereof to thy brother
13. Faith uniteth to GOD, love uniteth to our neighbor. It is the property of love to bewail and compassionate the infirmities of others; forasmuch as they represent to us, as in a glass, our own condition. Wherefore when you seest another overtaken in a fault, consider that you also thyself art a man; and endeavor, if possible, to restore him in the spirit of meekness. And inasmuch as you bearest his burthen, you by so doing dost full the law of CHRIST, which is the perfect law of love; whereby we are obliged to " receive one another," and to bear one with another, as CHRIST also received us, and bore with us, to the glory of God; in all patience, humility, and gentleness, with brotherly kindness,, as considering ourselves, lest we also should be tempted. Fourthly,
14. Love must be out of faith unfeigned. and being so, it puts no difference, for the sake of GOD, between what is bitter and sweet, painful and joyous, for the present; but loves them and embraces them alike. It rejoices in adversity, even as in prosperity, and fainteth not when it is tried. The man that heartily loves GOD, is well pleased with every thing wherewith God is well pleased. He that has a love for GOD, cannot but have a love for his cross, which he has given him to bear. Let us look unto our Lord, and behold how willing he was to take his cross upon him, because it was God's will. have a baptism, (says he) to be baptized with; And oh! how am I straitened (and in pain) till it be accomplished." In like manner have all the holy martyrs carried after him their cross with joy. For to them that unfeignedly love GOD, out of a sincere faith, it. is not hard to bear their cross. The loadstone draws to it heavy iron; and shall not the heavenly loadstone, the love of GOD, draw that which is heavy to it Shall it not lift up after it the burden of our cross, as if it were most light and easy Shall not the sweetness of Divine love make the cross sweet, let it be in its own nature never so bitter to the flesh
15. This love is a beautiful image; and lovely foretaste of eternal life; wherein the saints do mutually love each other sincerely, do receive singular delight one from another, and do converse together in a wonderful and ineffable concord, and inexpressible sweetness and affection. Whoso therefore does desire to have an antepast of the Eternal beatitude, let him study love, wherewith he shall be delighted with singular pleasure, in the most inward ground of his soul.
16. And how much purer, and more frequent your charity is, so much the nearer it approaches the Divine nature; forasmuch as in GOD, in CHRIST, and in the Holy Ghost, charity is most pure, and most fervent. Now love is Pure when we love not for private profit, but only for the cause of God alone; who we know in like manner loved us, for no good of his own; but ours. The Christian loves his neighbor, God and CHRIST, without any ignoble or selfish ends; and thus is his love preserved pure and sincere, which is the true love. And this love; as it is pure; so it is also fruitful; yeas nothing is more fruitful than love. Hence is love fitly called the fruitful mother of all the births both in heaven and earth. It bringeth forth by the Holy Ghost; all the fruits of righteousness from the heart; which is divinely impregnated with this seminal principle. Lastly, love is fervent, when it vehemently drives on the lover' to act vigorously for the good of the beloved; when it is accompanied with abundant mercy and compassion; and when the affairs of our neighbor go as near to our heart as our own, so that we be ready even to lay down our life for him.’
17. Yea, we ought even to love our enemies5 according to our Lord's commandment: " Love your enemies, do good to those that hate your and pray for them that persecute you; and revile you, that you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven. For if you love (only) them which love you; what reward have you, (or shall you have,) do not the Publicans the same" In this therefore consisteth the excellency and dignity of a true Christian; namely, in subjecting nature to this Divine principle, in taming his flesh and blood, and overcoming the world, with the evil that is therein, by goodness. Therefore, " If thine enemy hunger, give him meat" though he be thine enemy; treat him as thy friend; and endeavor to make him so by all possible means, heaping as it were coals of love upon his head. Lest we might think it sufficient not to hurt him, we are commanded to do good unto him, to support him, relieve him, and clierish him with food and helps convenient for him. Which if any man refuse, he cannot be the child of GOD, or a member of CHRIST, because he loves not his neighbor; be he friend or enemy.
18. And whom would not the patience and meekness of the Son of God himself, move to love his enemies To this end our blessed Redeemer has set his example before our eyes, that it might be an ever-living mark to us in our whole life; by which, whatsoever was proud or lofty in us, might be abased; whatsoever was weak, should be strengthened; whatsoever was crooked, should be made straight; whatsoever was defective, should be supplied. This blessed example let us constantly behold, that so we may be conformed to it. For what pride of man may not be healed with the extreme humility of the Son of God What wrath, that this meekness cannot mollify What desire of revenge, that his patience cannot assuage What inhumanity so great, which CHRIST with his charity and benefits, shall not expel Lastly, what heart so hard, that is not softened with the tears of Jesus CHRIST
19. Now who would not wish to be made like to him, and to represent him in humility, patience and charity Oh! who would not bear his most lovely image, who loved his enemies to so high a degree Or, who would not wish from the bottom of his heart, to be like God the Father, and his Son, and the Holy Ghost, and to carry within Mm the excellent image of the holy Trinity, which chiefly consisteth in love and forgiveness For it is the highest of all the Divine properties, to have mercy, to spare, to pardon, and to be gracious. And doubtless, that is the highest of all virtues, by which we become most like unto the Most High God.
20. On this consideration God was made man, that he might set before our eyes, a living and breathing image of his own love'; and that he might manifest by his image, his love which was before hid in the inscrutable abyssal, incomprehensible essence, that so men should be transformed through charity into this image of God.
21 O happy mankind, if we could all live together in love Then frauds would cease, then injuries would not be known; neither would there be a man found to vex another. And that we might think of this, God in the beginning, when he had brought forth many beasts and plants, created but one man; from him a little afterwards, producing Eve; to the end that human kind being thus all derived from one stock, might conspire all in love, and unite in mutual affection one towards another. For how good and how pleasant, would it have been for all men, like brethren, to have dwelt together in unity! This would indeed have been like precious ointment distilling from the head of the everlasting High-Priest, and descending to the very utmost skirts of his garments, in an holy generation of sons and daughters. This would have brought down heaven, as it were, upon earth; and would even now turn our wilderness into paradise. O happy and blessed life of loving souls, upon whom God has commanded a blessing for evermore! Oh charity; how amiable art thou! and how joyous is thy yoke to them that find thee! What is there hard in it! Love is the easiest thing in the world, and beareth all things without feeling the burthen. It is love that quencheth the fire of hell in the soul: but by enmity it is blown up, and wrath fanneth the sparks thereof. Love maketh our minds quiet and easy; hatred and revenge grievously torment them. Wherefore in order to attain true tranquility of mind, if you has acted contrary to love, that -method of reconciliation must be taken which God has appointed himself by his word.
22. How reconciliation is to be made with an offended neighbor, we are taught by Scripture; which commandeth the offender to be reconciled to his neighbor, and,
1, to ask pardon of him;
2, to restore the thing. taken from him, whom he has defrauded o offended; and,
3, if there be none to receive it, to give it to the Lord. This restitution of things unlawfully taken away, is a part of repentance. Whereupon St. Augustin says, "The sin is not remitted, unless the thing taken be restored." And presently he addeth, "When the thing taken away, may be restored; and is not, - there is no repentance." Because it is the property of true repentance, to contemn all earthly goods, and to esteem all things as dung in respect of the grace of GOD,