Christians were to love their Brethren; to love also those that differed from them; nay, to shew all gentleness even towards those that most fiercely opposed them; that, by this godlike behaviour, they might by degrees gain and win all men over to the acknowledgment of the Truth. It was to be their distinguishing Character, John xiii. 35; By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples, if ye have Love one to another. As imperiousness, and affectation of dominion, and persecution, is essentially the Spirit of Antichrist, so the Christian Spirit and Temper, is Meekness, Charity, Forbearance and Love. The True Disciples of Christ, are to be distinguished from false prophets, from wolves in sheeps clothing; not by mens crying, Lord, Lord; not by their fierceness for what they call the Temple of God, and which perhaps is nothing but some human Invention: But by their Fruits, says our Lord, ye shall know them. By their Fruits, that is, by those Christian Virtues, by those Good Works, which the Scripture elsewhere styles the Fruits of the Spirit. Our Saviour himself, desired to be judged of by the Goodness as well as by the Greatness of his Works: And therefore, in his Parable of a Kingdom divided against itself, the Reason he gives for asserting the unpardonableness of mens ascribing his mighty works to the assistance of the Evil One, is the Goodness and Beneficence of the Works. In another place, comparing together the Great and most important Duties of Religion; next to the Love of God, he makes Charity towards Men, the Grand Design of Religion: Thou shalt love tht Lord thy God with all thy Heart. This, saith he, is the first and great Commandment; And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thyself. The Apostle St. John, after his Masters example, lays the same stress upon this excellent Virtue, declaring, that without this Love towards Men, there can be no such thing as a sincere Love towards God. 1 John iv. 20, If a Man say, I love God, and hateth his Brother, he is a Liar; For—This commandment have we from Him, that he who loveth God, love his Brother also. His meaning is, All pretences of Love towards God, which produce not true Virtue, and particularly Love and Charity towards our Brethren; are nothing more than mere Enthusiasm. Again: he tells us, That without this universal Charity, no pretended zeal for Religion can be sincere; ch. ii. 10, He that loveth his Brother, abideth in the Light;—but he that hateth his Brother, is in darkness, and walketh in darkness; that is, he is altogether ignorant of the true Nature and Spirit of Christianity.~Samuel Clarke
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 06:14:49 +0000
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