Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

As touching our Love to our Neighbour, it is also actuated by Faith. Reason and Humanity raise up a Love towards Man; the Barbarians kindly received St. Paul and his Shipwrecked Company, Act. 28.2. Titus Vespasian was called Amor & deliciae humani generis; the Love and delight of Mankind: Suffering none to go away sad from his Presence. Nay Herod himself in a Famine turned all his Plate and rich Household-stuff into Money, therewith to fetch Corn out of Egypt for the necessities of ⟨p. 301⟩the People. Only this Love for want of Supernatural rectitude squints at Vain-glory, or moves upon some other selfish Principles; or at best rises up out of a sympathy of the common nature. True Love towards our Neighbour, such as issues out of Faith unfeigned, 1 Tim. 1.5, is propter Deum, for Gods sake: And as the School-men say, There is but one root or habit of Love, whereby we love God and our Neighbour, because God as he is supreme Goodness is the formal reason of Love to our Neighbour; He only being to be loved for himself, and others but the material Objects of Love to be loved for him; hence also damned or irrational Creatures are not properly the Objects of Love, because not capable of Union with God in bliss. Unto this true Love Faith presses by some such Divine motives as these; is not Love a Command? nay, the sum of the second Table and must it not be obeyed? Can we wait for Promises, and not observe Commands? Or may we have the Love of the first Table without that of the second? Hath not God loved us in an incomparable unparalleled way, and shall we not love our Brother? Shall infinite bowels open, and finite ones be shut? If any shut them, how dwelleth the love of God in him? saith the Apostle, 1 Joh. 3.17. A touch, a sense of his Love let in by Faith will make ours flow out towards our Neighbour. Such a sweet pressure of it was on Mr. Fox, That he never denied any that asked for Jesus sake. A Believer acting as a Believer cannot be hard ⟨p. 300⟩to his Neighbour, or say, Go and come again, as long as the Mercy-seat is open: And what is thy Neighbour? is he not thine own flesh? Nay, doth he not in a sense bear Gods Image; and is he not capable of eternal Blessedness? And who that hath a hope of singing Hosanna's in Heaven would not love such an one? And will not God be glorified thereby?