a Inaſmuchas the transformative Efficacy of God's Love upon us depends upon our certain Apprehenſion of it, he doubles the Ex- preſſion of that Certainty : we have known and believed, 1. e. we are aflured of it, both by experimented Effet, and by Faith; implying, that by having this Conception of God throughly ſetled in our Souls, that He 3s Love ( as was alfo ſaid, verſe8. ) we ſhall be ſo throughly changed into this very Nature and Image, as to dwell in Love, as 10 our own Element, or a thing now become wholly con-natural to us. Which will indeed be( by Conſequence ) to be ſo intimately united with God, that he and we may truly ( though in a Senſe moſt re- mote from 7dentification, or being made the ſame, and horrid Notion ! not only not inferred by what is here ſaid, but incenſiſtent with it, and refuſed by it, for Things united, are thereby implyed to be d1- ſtin&) be ſaid to indwell one another.
17 Herein is * our love made perfe&t, that || we * Gr. love may have boldneſs in the day of Judgment 6b, becauſe
with #. 2s he is, ſo are we in this world.
[| Jam, 2. b And by this means, ( viz. of our inwardneſs with God ) doth i our Love grow to that perfe&ion, that we ſhall have the moſt fear- leſs Freedom and Liberty of Spirit in the Judgment-Day 3 our Hearts no way miſ-giving to appear before him as a Judge, whoſe very Image we find upon our ſelves, he having before-hand made us ſuch even in this World, though in an infinitely inferior degree, as he is, Compoſitions of Leve and Goodneſs. Or if the Day of Judg- ment ſhould mean, as ſome conceive, of our appearance before human Tribunals for his ſake ; ſuch a Temper of Spirit muſt give us the ſame Boldneſs in that Caſe alſo.
13 There is no fear in love, but perfeCQt love caſteth out fear c ; becauſe fear hath rorinent : hz that fe ar- eth is not made perfect in love. |
c That he proveth from the contrary Natures of . Fear and Love. The Fear which is of the baſer kind, viz. that is ſervile, and depreſ- ſes the Spirit, hath no place with Love, but is excluded by it, by the ſame degrees by which that Love grows up to Perfe&tion, and ſhall be quite excluded by that Love fully perfe&ted , Inaſmuch as Love is a pleaſant, Fear a tormenting Paſſion, which as ſuck, while 1t remains, ſhews the Tmperfe&ion of Love.
19 We love him, d becauſe he firſt loved us.
d His is the Fountain-Love, ours but the Stream : His Love the Inducement, the Pattern, and the effeftive Cauſe of ours. He that is firſt in Love, loves freely ; the other therefore Joves under Oligati- on
* Ch. 2.4. 20 * If aman ſay, I love God, and hateth his brs-
ther, he is a liar. Forhethat loveth not his brother whom he hath ſeen, how can he love God whom he
hath not-ſeen e ©
e Thegreater Difficulty here is implyed, through our preſent de- pendence upon Senſe, of loving the inviſible God, than Men that we daily ſee and converſe familiarly with, Hence conſidering the Comprehenſiveneſs of theſe two things, the Love of God and our Bro- ther, that they are the Roots of all that Duty we owe to God and Man, the fulfilling of the whole Law, Matth. 22. 37,938, 39. he lets us ſee the Falſhood and Abſurdity of their Pretence to eminent Piety and Sanity, who negle& the Duties of the ſecond Ta- ble. .
21 And * this commandment have we from him,
37, 39. that he who loveth God, loveth his brother alſo ||. John 13, | Bothought to be conjoined, being required both by the ſame Au-
.& 15. thority.
TH I CHAP. V.
Ch. 3-23. 7» that loveth God, loveth his Children and keepeth his Commandments, and by Faith in Chri$t overcometh the World, I—s5. Chris proved to be the Son of God and our Redeemer by the Teſtimony of the Holy Trinity in Heaven, and of the Spirit, Water and Blood on Earth, 6——8. If we refuſe theſe, we make God a Lyar: but if we receive them, we have eternal Life by Chriſt, 9——13. And a Confidence that by their Prayers they ſhall obtain all things from God that are neceſſary to their Salvation; and that not only for them- ſelves, but alſo for their Brother who ſinneth not unto Death , 14=—17. Into which Sin the Regenerate fall not : being in him who is true, even Feſus Chrift, who is the true God and eternal Life, i18-——20., He finally exhorts believers to keep themſelves from Idols, 21.
-Hoſoever believeth / that Jeſus is the Chriſt,
vv is* born of God: and every one that loveth
*Ch.2.22, him that begat, loveth him alſo that is begotten of 23 © 4+ him. | : 2, 15. f This is not meant of a meer profeſſed, orof a ſlight and ſuperfici- al. bat of a lively, efficacious, unitive, Soul-transforming, and” obedien-
tial Faith in Feſus as the Chriſt, which is elſewhere made the Effe&t
. of the regenerating Power and Grace of God, John 1. 12, 13. And
as nothing can be more con-natural to ſuch an Heaven-born Faith, than
* Mat. 22.
IFO AHN | Chap. V. |"
the loving of him that hath begotten us to it : So nothing can be | more certainly confequent and agreeable, than the loving of them tos, who are begotten allo of the ſame Father, viz. with a correſpondent Love to the more excellent CharaQters and Image of God upon them, than are upon other Men. ; 2 By * this we know that we love the children of + ;, God, when we love God g, and keep his Command- x5, 21,2. ments. 2 -
g It is not otherwiſe to be known that we truly Love the Children | | of God, ax ſuch : For if we do, we muſt love them upon God's account, : $4 in conformity to him, and obedience to his Commandments ; where- [