Secondly, The passion forbidden is diatred, ' Whosoever hateth his brother.'
1. Not to love him is a great crime ; that is the notion in the former verse ; and indeed it is hard to keep without hatred, if we do not love. The softest sort of carnal men do not love God's children ; but the venomous part of the world hate them, and seek their destruction. Not to will good to them is damnable in itself, much more when we will evil to them : 2 Tim. iii. 3, ' Despisers of those that are good,' not lovers ; these are in a fair way to hate when their lusts are crossed.
2. There is another degree, and that is, rash and unadvised anger : ' Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause,' Mat. v. 22 ; and that is within the prohibition, ' Thou shalt not kill,' as more anon.
VeR. 15.] SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. 127
Now if anger be murder, hatred is worse than anger, for this is anger inordinate or inveterate. The)'' were wont to distinguish of a threefold anger : sharp anger, soon raised and soon cahued ; a more bitter anger, hardly, and not without some respite, appeased ; and anger not allayed without some requital and retaliation of wrongs ; this is a great step towards hatred.
3. There is another affection and disposition of heart which is very natural to us, and yet is beneath malice and hatred, and that is envy, often joined with murder : Kom. i. 29, 'Full of envy, murders;' Gal. V. 29, ' Envyings, murders.' This is discontentedness at another man's good and prosperous estate, or the gifts wherein they equal or excel us, and showeth itself in rejoicing at their evils. There is a selfish desire in man to have all good things enclosed unto ourselves : James iv. 5, ' The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy.' We would shine alone, seek to jostle others oiit of the way ; tliis is bad, and hath a near affinity with murder, and therefore should be mortified by every good christian.
4. The passion here spoken of is hatred, which is a desire of hurt or evil to others, such a desire as wisheth evil to them, especially their destruction and ruin, that the object should not be : Ps. xxxv. 12, ' They rewarded me evil for good, to the spoiling of my soul.' Nothing less will content them that hate us ; as Esau, that ' hated Jacob, and said, I will slay him when the days of mourning for my father are come,' Gen. xxvii. 41. so that hatred or anger kept too long will be concocted and soared into revenge.
Thirdly, How is it murder ?
1. From the strictness of God's law. Man's law can only take notice of the overt act, but God's law of the thoughts, imaginations, pur- poses, and intents of tlie heart. It is said, Kom. vii. 14, ' The law is spiritual ; ' and Ps. xix. 7, ' The law of God is perfect, converting the soul.' It reacheth to the acts of the inward man, and forbids every evil motion of the heart. God is able to judge of their hearts ; and every degree of this sin is forbidden and condemned by his law : 1 Sara. xvi. 7, ' Man looketh upon the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.' And therefore it is not the hurting of our neighbour, but tlie hating of our neighbour, which his law condemneth. It doth not only concern the hands, and the outward actions, but the will and the thoughts.
2. From the intention of the party. The purpose or desire of doing a thing is connted in the law as done, either good or bad. As to good, Abraham's offering Isaac: Heb. xi. 11, 'By faith Abraham offered up Isaac' He did it only in purpose and vow. Bad : Mat. v. 28, ' He that looketh upon a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her in his heart.' So here, the intention of the heart to harm others, though the hands be tied and kept from execution, yet as much as in him lieth he hath murdered liis neighbour. If he abstain from killing, he will rejoice that the death of that man happeneth some other way. Well, then, the hating is, by interpretation, the killing of them, because such is the intention of the heart, did not some outward re- straint curb it, if their destruction be a pleasing thought to us.
3. God judgeth not only by the intention of the party, but the intent
128 SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. [SeR. XXI.
of the sin. There is finis opei'is, and finis operantis, the intendment of the sinner, and the intent of the sin, what it may bring us unto if it be allowed. It may be a man that hateth his brother doth not intend for the present his utter destruction ; but if he shall cherish this evil disposition of soul, where shall he stop? Now, that God judgeth by the intent of the sin, as well as the actual intention of the sinner, I shall make evident unto you by these instances. By Baruch's reproof : Jer. xlv. 5, ' Seekest thou great things for thyself ? Seek them not.' Baruch's sin was tergiversation, he had appeared confidently at first in delivering the roll to the king, which was Avritten by God's command ; but when the king burnt it, and gave order to apprehend Jeremiah and Baruch,but God hid them, afterwards God bids them write another roll, and Baruch begins to be discouraged, it was too hot service for him to meddle with ; upon which God telleth him, ' Seekest thou great things for thyself? ' When God was about to pluck up all things, alas ! what did the good man seek for himself, but only that he might have his life for a prey ? Baruch only sought his safety and the preservation of his life, which was in danger by reason of his zeal and activity for God ; and God calleth this a seeking great things for himself. The meaning is, that disposition of heart which prompted him to seek ease and security for himself in troublesome times would prompt him also to seek great things in the world ; for it argued a spirit wedded to its own worldly felicity, and that preferred the favour of kings before the favour of God. Every man thus affected seeketh his own things ; at first he aimeth only at things which are within his grasp and reach, but then still he enlargeth him- self, and would have more, and when that is obtained, he would have more, and fain be built a storey higher in the honour and greatness of the world. Thus doth God interpret the disposition of his heart, in seeking to save his life, by not displeasing the king. Another instance is Elisha's reproof to Gehazi : 2 Kings v. 26, ' Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and men-servants, and maid-servants ? ' Why this i-ebuke ? what is the sense of it ? He asked no such matter of Naaman, he asked but a talent of silver and two changes of raiment, 2 Kings v. 23. But the same covetousness and self-seeking would carry him further. The prophet dealeth upon the full end of the sin. He was weary of being the prophet's man, and must set up for himself; he must then enlarge himself into a family, and purchase heritages, and be a great man in Israel. The beginnings of sin are modest, and the issues not known or thought of by the sinner himself. Now apply this to the matter in hand ; a njan that beginneth to have an aversion of heart to another, he doth not love him ; in time he cometli to hate him, and there thinketh to rest ; but offences grow, and then he seeketh his destruction. Now God considereth the tendency of the sin, whatever be the actual intention of the sinner.