Invisibles, realities, demonstrated in the holy life and triumphant death of Mr. John Janeway,…

Though he knew that they were taught of God to love one another, and that they did it towards all the Brethren, yet, even them he beseeched to abound more and more in that grace of love. The former principal out of which this love doth arise, (as I informed you in my former Letter) was the putting off our own interests and putting on Gods. Now I shall proceed in minding you of another Christian duty, which is effectual to the knitting us together in a firm operative love, and that is this; That a Christian is to walk as one that is a member of Christ Jesus. Into what near and close Union are those that are given him by the Father received▪ How hath the Holy-Ghost chosen out ⟨p. 82⟩all the nearest natural relations to express and shadow out the closeness of that spiritual relation that is between Christ and his! Christ is our King and we his People, he is our Master and we are his Servants, he is our Shepherd and we the Sheep of his Pasture, he is our friend and we his, he is our Husband and we are his Spouse; he is the Vine we the Branches, he our Head and we are his Members; he is in us and we in him, he is our Life. This duty will have influence upon our affections these ways. First, As Christ is our Head and we are his Members, so he hath an absolute command over us. And where this relation is real, obedience to the commands of Christ is sweet and without constraint and force; now this is Christs command that we should love one another; by this saith he shall all men know you are my Disciples if you love one another. Those relations into which Christ, receiveth his, speak and hold forth a willing cheerful full submission to the commands of Christ, and what duty is there in all the Gospel which is more frequently and earnestly pressed than this. A new commandment give I unto you that you love one another as I have loved you, so love one another. So full is the whole Scripture of obligations, both upon Conscience and Ingenuity to this duty, that the whole stream of it seems to run into this channel of Love. But Christs command is such an obligation as one that hath any spiritual sense to ⟨p. 83⟩feel the strength of it, cannot break. It is Christ hath commanded, and shall not we obey? Shall not the love of Christ constrain us? Shall we be so unkind to him who hath been so kind to us, as to stand it out with him in so equal a command?