kat’ exochaen], love of God, and love of men. [4603]"The love of God begets the love of man; and by this love of our neighbour, the love of God is nourished and increased.”  By this happy union of love, [4604]"all well-governed families and cities are combined, the heavens annexed, and divine souls complicated, the world itself composed, and all that is in it conjoined in God, and reduced to one.” [4605]"This love causeth true and absolute virtues, the life, spirit, and root of every virtuous action, it finisheth prosperity, easeth adversity, corrects all natural encumbrances,” inconveniences, sustained by faith and hope, which with this our love make an indissoluble twist, a Gordian knot, an equilateral triangle, “and yet the greatest of them is love,” 1 Cor. xiii. 13, [4606]"which inflames our souls with a divine heat, and being so inflamed, purged, and so purgeth, elevates to God, makes an atonement, and reconciles us unto him.” [4607] “That other love infects the soul of man, this cleanseth; that depresses, this rears; that causeth cares and troubles, this quietness of mind; this informs, that deforms our life; that leads to repentance, this to heaven.”  For if once we be truly linked and touched with this charity, we shall love God above all, our neighbour as ourself, as we are enjoined, Mark xii. 31.  Matt. xix. 19. perform those duties and exercises, even all the operations of a good Christian.

“This love suffereth long, it is bountiful, envieth not, boasteth not itself, is not puffed up, it deceiveth not, it seeketh not his own things, is not provoked to anger, it thinketh not evil, it rejoiceth not in iniquity, but in truth.  It suffereth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,” 1 Cor. xiii. 4, 5, 6, 7; “it covereth all trespasses,” Prov, x. 12; “a multitude of sins,” 1 Pet. 4, as our Saviour told the woman in the Gospel, that washed his feet, “many sins were forgiven her, for she loved much,” Luke vii. 47; “it will defend the fatherless and the widow,” Isa. i. 17; “will seek no revenge, or be mindful of wrong,” Levit. xix. 18; “will bring home his brother’s ox if he go astray, as it is commanded,” Deut. xxii. 1; “will resist evil, give to him that asketh, and not turn from him that borroweth, bless them that curse him, love his enemy,” Matt. v; “bear his brother’s burthen,” Gal. vi. 7.  He that so loves will be hospitable, and distribute to the necessities of the saints; he will, if it be possible, have peace with all men, “feed his enemy if he be hungry, if he be athirst give him drink;” he will perform those seven works of mercy, “he will make himself equal to them of the lower sort, rejoice with them that rejoice, weep with them that weep,” Rom. xii; he will speak truth to his neighbour, be courteous and tender-hearted, “forgiving others for Christ’s sake, as God forgave him,” Eph. iv. 32; “he will be like minded,” Phil. ii. 2.  “Of one judgment; be humble, meek, long-suffering,” Colos. iii.  “Forbear, forget and forgive,”