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speaketh, ' By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye love one another.' This nearness imports consanguinity. It is common, in the Scripture, to call the children of God brethren.
[l.J No man can love a saint, as a saint, but a saint. This is a sure sign of this sign. For this cause, the apostle to Philemon, he rejoiceth for his faith to God, and love to the brethren, ver. 5. And so again, ver. 7, it was his joy that the brethren were comforted. The reason hereof is, because, as there is a natural enmity among us by sin, to shew a difference, the children of God must rejoice in unity.
Further, a true trial of sociableness is, when men will joy to sort them- selves ivith those with ichom formerly they have been most unsociable, and whose company they most loathed : as, first, we see the wolf doth lie down with the lamb, which is a slow beast ; secondly, the leopard with the kid ; thirdly, the young lion and the calf, for these fat beasts are, for the most part, a prey to the lion ; fourthly, the cow and the bear, for the cow is a prey to the bear ; fifthly, the serpent is especially an enemy to mankind, as. Gen. iii, 15, God said, ' I will put enmity betwixt thy seed and that of the woman.' This, I confess, is chiefly meant of the devil, yet the extent thereof reacheth thus far unto us, who naturally loathe serpents, that so great shall this sociableness be, that even a little child shall play upon the hole of the asp, and receive no harm. Now, when all these are reconciled thus, where formerly was special envy, this is a true trial of sociableness. For further proof hereof, note an idolater when he is converted, none are so dear unto him as God's servants. The voluptuous man, having left his lust, loves none so well as Christ's people ; the riotous man, having left his excess, loveth none so well as the sober ; the atheistical, profane man delighteth, being changed, so much in none as the truest worshippers : so, ■we see, though before conversion men may roar like bears, as Isa. lix. 11, yet, being tamed, it is said, Jer. xxxi. 9, that then they shall come weep- ing, &c., and draw into sociableness with others formerly hated. When some men come to be of our religion, and yet keep such about them as are not sincere, this is no good sign. But, take this for a sure rule, that no man is truly turned unto God, but he that loveth the society he formerly hated.
[2.] A second sign of this sign is, to love every brother, yea, though it were to lay down our life for a brother. But how is this implied ? — ' The calf and the young lion shall He down together.' If the young lion can endure not to raven on the calf, then it can endure any other of that kind. Beloved, it is a special grace to love all the brethren, without respect of persons. So the prophet David, Ps. cxix. 63, says, ' I am a companion of all those that fear thee.' Here is implied, not to love some one brother, but the brethren. I confess, for some special cause a man may rejoice and delight more in the company of some, than of others ; as David, Ps. xvi. 2, * But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, all my delight is in them.' So that, I say, for some special grace, or graces, one may love one better than another. Thus Christ loved John best, being called the beloved disciple, which was not for any special grace in John, but from a kind of sympathy in natures, which many times, from a hidden cause, produceth much love. But, if we have respect of persons, as it is, James ii. 3, we are to blame. If we respect a great rich man, with a little grace, more than a poor man with a great deal ; or, if we respect not a poor man as a rich, with alike graces. We see, Acts viii. 14, et seq., when Philip preached at Samaria, Simon Magus did cleave also to him ; but it
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seems he did not stick so close to Philip for his graces, as it appeareth he did for somewhat in his person. Brethren, if partially we admire some for their persons, it is suspicious. It is dangerous too much to admire fleshly excellency, for those gifts of goodness in the same. If I do truly love goodness in rich apparel, why do I not also love it in rags ? Beloved, if we love not thus, we love with the parrot, our love is not true ; there ought ever to be the like love in kind, though not in measure.
Now I come to the third mark, which is,
8. Coustancij.
How is this' implied ? By dwelling and lying together. You shall have beasts meet together, by chance, yet part asunder quickly again ; but when they lie and dwell together in constant abode, this is a sure sign. You shall have many companions go with a man, for fashion's sake, to the church, and yet leave going ere it be long ; you shall have some men sick, and then, like a serpent frozen in winter, which casts his skin, you shall have them cast their skin a little, that is, send for a preacher, or such a man, make confession of their sins, saying, Oh, if God will spare me, I will become a new man, I will never do as I have done, I will never any more haunt such company ; but yet, when he is well, within a month after, where shall you find him ? Not with the lambs, bat with the bears, and wolves, and lions. Thus, when we can constantly hold on with an unmoved, constant affection, to the children of God, this is a sure sign.