A treatise of miscellany questions wherein many useful questions and cases of conscience are…A treatise of miscellany questions wherein many usefull questions and cases of conscience are…

To that I say, thou mayest know it by these tokens. First, if thou lovest the Saints as Saints, and because they are Saints, not for their excellent Gifts or parts so much as for their Graces, not for any relation to thy self so much as for relation to Christ. Tis true repentance when we sorrow for sin as sin: Tis true love when we love the Saints as Saints, that is, for this cause and consideration chiefly, because the Image of God appears in them. Papists pretend that with one act of adoration they worship Christ and his image. But we say with more truth and reason, with one affection and one act of love we love both Christ himself and those who bear his Image, both God and his Children. I mean, tis Christ himself whom we love in his Saints.

To that I say, thou mayest know it by these tokens. First, if thou lovest the Saints as Saints, and because they are Saints, not for their excellent Gifts or parts so much as for their Graces, not for any relation to thy self so much as for relation to Christ. Tis true repentance when we sorrow for sinne as sinne: Tis true love when we love the Saints as Saints, that is, for this cause and consideration chiefly, because the Image of God appears in them. Papists pretend that with one act of adoration they worship Christ and his image. But we say with more truth and reason, with one affection and one act of love we love both Christ himself and those who bear his Image, both God and his Children. I mean, tis Christ himself whom we love in his Saints.

Secondly, thy love, when thou lovest all Saints, Col: 1. 4. epist: to Philemon v. 5. And this followeth necessarily from the first mark. For a quatenus ad omne. If as Saints, then all saints. Lovest thou all the saints in general praying for them all? Lovest thou all the Saints in particular whom thou knowest, that is, thou darest not confine or limit this love to those Saints only who are altogether of thy opinion (which, it appears from the objection before mentioned, the Antinomians have dared to do) or who have some intimacy of friendship with thee, nay nor to these who never wronged thee, never strov•with thee, who never spake evil of thee; but all whom thou hast reason to judge to be saints, thou lovest them, wishest well to them, art ready to do them good according to thy power, and if thou be at variance or difference with any of them, tho prayest God to make them and thy self of one heart, and of one mind, and it is an affliction of spirit to thee to be at variance with any that are Christs: Canst thou thus clear thy self in thy conscience, and darest thou say these things before the searcher of hearts? Then is thy love a true Love.