1. It must be a real love, not pretended only, or showed in bare words; for so it is explained, ver. 18, 'My little children, let us not love in word, or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.' Verbal compliments may make up a love and friendshij) in the world, but christian love is u knitting of souls, or a communication of interests, as our mutual
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necessities do require : Kom. xii. 10, 'Be kindly affectioned one to another, in brotherly love.' If there be not a hearty real christian affection, what will words do? Alas! will you build your eternal state on such a weak foundation, or all your comfort and hope on so slight an evidence ? A cold compliinental love is soon worn off.
2. It must be a self-denying love, for it is hated brethren who are here spoken of as the objects : ' Marvel not if the world hate you ; ' and then, ' We know we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren,' If we can love them then when the world hateth them ; yea, if we can love them so as to lay down our lives for them when the glory of God and the public good calleth for it : ver. 16, ' Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he hath laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.' In what cases I shall show you afterwards. Now such a regular and fervent love will make an evidence. It is self-denying graces that have a voice in the conscience ; when we so love the brethren that we are at some cost about them, taking pains to instruct the ignorant, comforting the afflicted, exhorting the Obstinate, confirming the weak, relieving the necessitous, owning the persecuted, this showeth God's love hath made some impression upon us. The acts about which we shall be questioned at the day of judgment are self-denying acts. Have you visited, have you clothed, do you own the servants of God when the times frown upon them ? Lip-labour and tongue-service is a cheap thing, and a religion that costs nothing is worth nothing. When we apparently deny ourselves, and value God's interest and his people's interest above our own, then our sincerity is most manifest. A cheap course of serving God or loving the brethren will bring you none or little comfort ; and therefore, when you tell me you love the brethren, and do nothing for them, you may as well tell me that you have satisfied your creditors by shaking your purse, as if the noise of money would pay your debts.
3. A sincere love flowing from communion of nature, and because of the new nature, and because of the image of God in them whom ye love. Love is a fruit of the new nature, and none can sincerely love his brother with a supernatural sincerity but he that is renewed by the Spirit : 1 Peter i. 22, ' Seeing ye have purified your hearts in obeying the truth through the Spirit, unto unfeigned love of the brethren ; see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.' To love one because he is holy, and because he is sanctified, because he hath the same spirit, that is to love one another with a pure heart. We may love godly men for other respects than godliness, but we must love them as having a nature suited to this love.
4. It must not be understood as separated from other qualifications which prepare us for everlasting life ; we cannot make out our sincerity by one evidence alone, no, not faith itself: James ii. 14, 'Can faith save him ? ' that being alone, ver. 17. Still it will stick in our consciences : James ii. 10, ' He that keepeth the whole law, and yet offends in one point, is guilty of all.' It is a law maxim if interpreted of absolute perfection or unsinning obedience, but it is a gospel maxim if understood of allowed failings. Therefore, when you read such scriptures as ' Hereby we know that we are passed from death to life, because we love the brethren/ and ' He that calleth upon the name
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of the Lord shall be saved,' they must be understood positis omnibus ad hoc requisitis, if other things hold good. Certainly for this place you shall see 1 John v. 2, ' By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.' He proveth the love of God by the love of the brethren, and the love of the brethren by the love of God. There is a mighty conjunction between these two things, loving the brethren and loving God ; and therefore, if we would know if we love our brother sincerely, yea or no, we can- not better judge of it than by examining and knowing whether we love God ; and truly our love to God is not a fellow-like familiarity, but a dutiful subjection : ' If we love God we will keep his commandments.' So that, in the trial of our estate, we must take in all that is necessary for the decision of the case. I observe this, because, next to the grace of the gospel, men are apt to abuse this evidence. Some look to none at all, others pitch all upon this one. But you see plainly it must be interpreted so as that you love God first, and then the brethren for God's sake ; and the intent of these evidences is to show we must not in any point be lacking.