2dly. The censure and charge pronounced on us, * Whosoever they be ; ' where mark —
(1.) The form of proposal ; it is by way of question or appeal to common reason. Can any man be so absurd as to imagine that this man can have the love of God in him ?
(2.) The heinousness of the crime or matter charged, ' The love of God dwelleth not in him ; ' that is, is not rooted in his heart, and so he must go for a hypocrite ; though not grossly dissembling Christianity, yet guilty of partial obedience. Mark, it is not said, How dwelleth the love of the brethren in him ? but 'How dwelleth the love of God in him ? ' Though they pretend to love God, yet indeed they neitlier love the brethren nor God.
Secondly, The exhortation to sincerity, ' My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.^ In this exhortation there is —
1. The compellation, 'My little children,' pressing love ; heshowetli love and tenderness towards them.
2. The matter of the exhortation, to sincerity of love, expressed — First, Negatively, 'Not in word and in tongue.' To show love in
word and tongue is not simply forbidden, but respectively ; not simply, for good words are useful in two cases —
[1.] To comfort the miserable, they have their use.
[2.] To maintain their innocency. Some cannot afford their biother a good word, either of him or to him. Others, their hands are withered, have not a heart to help him. But comparatively or respectively the meaning is, when it is in word and tongue only ; and real and actual doing good is neglected or excluded when we rest in good words.
Secondly, Positively, ' But in deed and in truth ; ' that is, so as the uprightness of our hearts may be manifested by real deeds, or doing good, when the needs of others require it. To love in ' deed and in truth,' is to love sincerely : 1 Peter i. 22. ' Seeing ye have purified
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your souls in obeyinoj the truth through the Spirit, unto unfeigned love of the brethren.' Which must be understood of ends and effects.
1. Ends, spoken of Mat. vi. 1, 2, ' Take heed that you do not your alms before men, to be seen of them ; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore, when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, to be seen of men.' All they did was hypocrisy, ' to be seen of men.'
2. Effects, when words are dissembled : Prov. xxiii. 7, ' Eat and drink, saith he, but his heart is not with thee.' When not seconded and verified with suitable acts, ' Be warmed and clothed ; ' as here many foolishly and causelessly boasted they loved the brethren, but they would do nothing for them. They boasted of love with their mouths, but would not show it by the effects.
Doct. That want of bowels of compassion, or denying relief to the needy and indigent, is the note of a man that loveth not God.
I shall make good the point by these considerations —
1. That it is the will of God that there should be a difference among men, that some should be rich, others poor, some high, some low : Deut. XV. 11, ' For the poor shall never cease out of the land : Therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to the poor and needy in the land.' Though God is able abundantly to supply all men's wants, yet he hath by his providence so appointed and ordered men's outward condition in the world, that all should not be rich and wealthy, but some poor and of mean estate ; as here in the text, one brother is supposed to have this world's goods, and the other to have want and need. So also Mark xiv. 7, ' Ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do good to them.' God's wisdom doth appear most in the different degrees and estates of men. As it is with respect to the world, for the beauty and service of the universe, that there should be in the world hills and valleys, so in the world of mankind there are superiors and inferiors, masters and servants, rich and poor, nobles and craftsmen. First, It is for the good of human society, the more firmly to tie men together. The poor need support, succour, and relief from the rich, and the rich need the labours and industry of the poor. Different degrees fit men for difterent callings, for service and command ; some things would be wanting to the good of mankind, if all were poor or all rich. Therefore God's way is not parity and levelling, but diversity of ranks and degrees. Secondly, Besides the necessities of man, God doth it with respect to his own government, in order to the world to come ; for the trial of men's obedi- ence is better made thereby.