2. Its not single weakness, but wicked and wilful impotency, that keeps men from Christ: as a beggar would be a king, §21he hath no positive hatred of the honour, riches, pleasures of a king; but he hath not legs, nor arms to climb so high, as to ascend to a throne. But the natural man neither will, nor can choose a kings life, and be a follower of Christ: nor is man any other then a natural hater of Christ, though many think they bear Christ at good will; Joh. 15.24. But now they have seen, and hated both me and my Father. The reason why men think they love Christ, is the lustre that education and common literal report, from the womb, hath put upon Christ; our fathers and teachers said ever, Christ is the Saviour of man, and a merciful God, and therefore we have that common esteem of him; but were we borne of Jewish parents, or among Jews, 2and taken from our parents, and heard nothing from the womb of Christ, but what the Jews say, and that is, that he is a false Prophet, that he rose not from the dead, but that his disciples, by night, stole him away out of the grave, we should from the womb hate Christ, as well as the Jews. And the like we may see in Indians, who love and adore the Devil from the womb; but with this difference, they love Satan truly, because both nature, now corrupt, and education carries them thereunto; but education can give no man a true love of Christ. (2.) Whence is it that the world hates the children of God? It is from instinct and nature, rather then from any imperated acts, Joh. 15.19. Because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Vers. 21. But all these things will they do unto you, for my Names sake. To be chosen out of the world, to carry any thing of Christ and his image and ⟨p. 230⟩nature, and to be borne again, and of another seed then the world is born of, is no ground of arbitrary and elective hatred; but of such hatred as comes from divers natural instincts, such as is the hatred between the Wolfe and the Lamb, the Raven and the Dove. If then the world hate the Saints, as they do, Rom. 1.30. and hate Christ, and hate the Saints upon this formal ground, Because they have in them the nature of God, the image of Christ,3 some of the excellency of Christ, then they must hate Christ far more; for, Propter quodunumquodque tale, id ipsum magis tale.
2. Its not single weaknesse, but wicked and wilfull impotency, that keeps men from Christ: as a beggar would be a king, §21hee hath no positive hatred of the honour, riches, pleasures of a king; but hee hath not legs, nor armes to climbe so high, as to ascend to a throne. But the naturall man neither will, nor can chuse a kings life, and be a follower of Christ: nor is man any other then a naturall hater of Christ, though many thinke they beare Christ at good will; Joh. 15.24. But now they have seen, and hated both me and my Father. The reason why men thinke they love Christ, is the luster that education and common literall report, from the womb, hath put upon Christ; our fathers and teachers said ever, Christ is the Saviour of man, and a mercifull God, and therefore we have that common esteeme of him; but were wee borne of Jewish parents, or among Jewes, 2and taken from our parents, and heard nothing from the womb of Christ, but what the Jewes say, and that is, that hee is a false Prophet, that hee rose not from the dead, but that his disciples, by night, stole him away out of the grave, wee should from the womb hate Christ, as well as the Jewes. And the like wee may see in Indians, who love and adore the Devill from the womb; but with this difference, they love Satan truly, because both nature, now corrupt, and education carries them thereunto; but education can give no man a true love of Christ. (2.) Whence is it that the world hates the children of God? It is from instinct and nature, rather then from any imperated acts, Joh. 15.19. Because yee are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Vers. 21. But all these things will they doe unto you, for my Names sake. To be chosen out of the world, to carry any thing of Christ and his image and ⟨p. 230⟩nature, and to be borne againe, and of another seed then the world is born of, is no ground of arbitrary and elective hatred; but of such hatred as comes from divers naturall instincts, such as is the hatred between the Wolfe and the Lambe, the Raven and the Dove. If then the world hate the Saints, as they doe, Rom. 1.30. and hate Christ, and hate the Saints upon this formall ground, Because they have in them the nature of God, the image of Christ,3
