Next he loves his creatures freely; the cause why he loves them, is in himself, not in them; he loves some with a special love, and some with a general, freely; that appears by the Scriptures, John 3:16. God so loves the world. 1 John 1:3. Herein is the love of God manifest, that he hath given us his son. 1 John 4:19. God loves us first; if first, then freely; and no love in us, procured his love; again he loves them not equally, for he loves men more than other creatures: Titus 3:9. The love he bears to man is manifest; yet further, he loves some men more than others; Exod. 19:5. You shall be my peculiar people; as if he should say, though all the Nations be mine in general, yet ye shall be my chief treasure; Titus 2:14. A peculiar treasure; these are as treasures that men lock up; he loves those that are elected, and those that are called; those that are elected, he loved them when they were enemies; Eph. 1:4. He loved them before the foundation of the world; But he loves them better whom he hath called, than those he hath not called: Prov. 8:17. I love them that love me, those whom he hath endued with his spirit: Psa. 146:8. The Lord loves the righteous, &c. To conclude this with that of Saint Austine, God loves all that he hath made; he loves especially men, and Angels; and among men, he loves those especially, that are the members of his Son; and most of all, he loves his Son, &c. and so we have made manifest this description. …Richard Stock, A Stock of Divine Knowledge. Being a lively description of the Divine Nature. Or, The Divine Essence, Attributes, and Trinity particularly explaned [sic] and profitably applied. The first, shewing us what God is: the second, what we ought to be. (London: Printed by T. H. for Philip Nevil, and are to be sold at his shop in Ivie Lane, at the signe of the Gun, 1641), 159–60, 162. Some spelling updated.
Quest. Why is it said, he loves them not equally?
Answ. Because they are not all alike to him. Some creatures only, others servants only; some children, and among his children, he loves those that are called, better than those that are not called: I say, they are not all alike to God: man loves the work of his own hands well, but he loves his servants better, and his child best of all: if it be so with man, much more is it so with God; some are his creatures, some his servants, some his sons; so that he loves them not all alike; some are his children, but not all begotten again, he loves those with a good will and purpose to call them; those that he hath called, he hath justified, sanctified, and hath bestowed upon them faith, repentance, and grace; and he delights in these, especially that he hath bestowed his grace upon.
Quest. Why conclude you, that he doth specially show mercy to some, rather than to others?Ibid., 192–93. Some spelling updated.
Answ. Because mercy is from free love: he loves some more than others, therefore he shows mercy to some more than others: it is very natural to God to show mercy; and where we love most, there we labour to show most mercy: therefore we are delighted to help our children, and friends in their misery. God loves all his creatures, yeah, he loves the wicked, but they specially his own: he is merciful to the wicked, but he is much more merciful to his own. To express this: He is merciful to the wicked, but in one thing; but he is merciful to the godly in many things; he shows mercy to the wicked in their punishments, and sins: we do confess indeed he doth show mercy to the wicked in their sins, in being patient towards them, Rom. 9:32. He is merciful to them in suffering them to enjoy many outward blessings, that they are unworthy of; nay, he is merciful to them, when he layeth any evil upon them; he never lays so much as they deserve (as good Divines think) no not in hell: so that he is merciful to them. To his own he shows mercy, both in their punishments and sins: in their punishments, Hab. 3:2. the Lord in wrath remembereth mercy, Lam. 3:21. Though he afflict for a while, yet he will not forsake for ever: so that same Heb. 12:7. If we endure chastising, he offers himself as father: he deals mercifully with his own, as a father to his children, Psa. 103:13.
I have loved thee [Mal. 1:2]. This is understood, not of his general love, but his special, and that after a special manner; not such as he loves whole mankind by, but such as he loves his church by. The love of a whole family, of his spouse and children, is different, one more excellent than another, and so both more special and more excellent.Richard Stock, A Commentary Upon the Prophesy of Malachi […] (Edinburgh: James Nichol; London: James Nisbet & Co.; Dublin: G. Herbert, 1865), 17–18.
Doct. God, he loves his church with a more special and excellent love than he loves either all creatures or all mankind. So here, Amos iii. 2, Exod. xix. 5, ‘Now therefore, if ye will hear my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be my chief treasures above all people: though all the earth be mine;’ where the learned take the word to signify, a people of a precious treasure. The Septuagint read λαὸς περιούσιος, ‘a peculiar people,’ Titus ii. 14. Now περιούσιος, est thesaurus præ aliis electus, and so it is more excellent, and more dear and precious in God’s sight. These were for themselves, and the type of others. Hence it is that, 1 Peter ii. 9, ‘ye are a chosen generation, a peculiar people.’ Things elected are more specially loved, hence are those comparisons to set forth this love, that he is the head of his members, the father of his children, the husband of his wife. The members are better affected than excrements, the children than servants, the wife without comparison, as himself, is one flesh.
Reason 1. Because love, precious and excellent love, is discerned by the things which proceed from love, that are given and bestowed upon the beloved; for he loves who bestows meat, and drink, and apparel, but he more that provides land, inheritance, and more lays up treasure, and gives knowledge and education. The servant is provided for, the child much more, so the things God gives being more excellent, spiritual, salvation, things belonging to it, but to others earthly things only [Non tam à veris rebus somnia superantur, quàm hæc terrenta ab æternis illis absunt.—Chrysost. de virg.], 1 Cor ix. 11. There is a threefold state of man, as divines speak of him: esse, bene esse, optimum esse: first naturæ; secondly, gratiæ; thirdly, gloriæ. The first of general love, the two last of special love, which being those God gives his, and his only, then is it with a more special love he loves them.
Reason 2. Because it is more constant and perpetual; for the general love of mankind is terminated not with the sun and moon only, but with their breaths; they part with their lives and his love together, but theirs is forever, and then specially is manifested when life is ended. That in life was but a pledge and earnest of the other, a penny to one hundred pound, or an angel to a thousand pound, a bargain of it.
Reason 3. Because in general love, only sua dat, his blessings and outward benefits; but in special, se dat, he gives himself, Hosea ii. 19. Now as that of Samuel is true, 1 Sam. xv. 22, obedience is better than sacrifice, because in obedience a man gives himself to God, but in sacrifice he gives but of his, as Cain of the fruit of the ground, Abel of the first of his sheep, and of the fattest of them, so in this.
Use 1. This should provoke every one to labour for this love, being so special and excellent. Rare things are dear and desired; the more rare, the more dear and more desired; but when they are rare and excellent, very precious, then most of all. Such is this love. But how may we get this? Labour to be his, and his children, and church. So we all are. But he is not a Jew that is one outward. But how may we know that we are his, and have love? How do commonly men know they have the general love, and whence is their general brag of it? If they have the fruits of his love, peace, prosperity, riches, &c. So in this, if they have spiritual graces, as true saving knowledge, faith, sanctification, love, meekness, zeal, which are the fruits of his special love: Eccles. ix. 1, ‘No man knows either love or hatred by all that is before us.’ They are things within us which must manifest that to us; for these then must we labour, that we may know we have it.
Use 2. This must teach every one to be more thankful for this than he or others would be for the general. The thankfulness is to answer his love with obedience, to hear and obey: Exod. xix. 5. ‘Now therefore if ye will hear my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be my chief treasures above all people, though all the earth be mine.’ The fruits of the general love of God will require this, and the more fruits the more obedience. He that hath received something, though with the least, owes the most he can do; how much more he that hath more honour, credit, riches, &c., ought to perform more obedience, be more zealous, religious, holy, as August. surgunt indocti et cœlum rapint, &c. If for these common blessings and love, how much more for the fruits of special love and it? If to whom much, of them much in the former, how much more in this? And of such as have his special love, he looks for obedience and honour, wherein is their thankfulness. The courtier that is advanced above others ought to be more respective of the prince and his will, and with more care and cheerfulness perform all obedience, and the duty of his place than others. He that hath his life, liberty, and living given unto him when all was lost, if he shall not, if he should not respect him, every tongue would be ready to condemn him. But if he should be made heir to the crown, if his issue fail, or he have no child, then more. So in this; and this not being, nothing will more prove that they are not that they would seem to be, and that they have not that they brag on.
Use 3. This is matter of comfort to as many as are indeed his, beloved of him. They may be sure they shall lack nothing that is needful and good for them; for if he love them thus specially as his own, God is faithful to provide for his own, for, as Rom. viii. 32, ‘Who spared not his own Son, but gave him for us all to death, how shall he not with him give us all things also?’ How much more readily will he give us other things, when he hath given us himself, and hath married us to himself? Will a father see his child to want? Will a husband let his wife want when he is rich and able? If they should, yet will not God. Isa. xlix. 15, ‘Can a woman forget her child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? though they should forget, yet will I not forget thee.’ Therefore they may best have their conversation without care or covetousness; they need not swear or deceive for gain, oppress or offer injury to provide for themselves; they need not profane the Lord’s day, nor use unlawful means to lay up for another time to come; for he that doth so specially love them, and hath laid up so great things for them, and given them the pledges of them already, and the earnest of such infinite things, how will not he take care of them to provide necessaries for them? He that is in his general love feeds the ravens, the lions, and leopards; makes his rain to fall, and his sun to shine upon the wicked, and fills their bellies with his hid treasures; what will his special love make him to his own? But many of his are oftentimes scanted. So the physician keeps his patient at a strait diet, when full dishes are hurtful unto him. And God oftentimes gives not riches, because when they be humanæ miseriæ remedia, the remedies of human misery, they will make them instrumenta voluptatis aut superbiæ, the instruments of pleasure or pride, and he knows their hearts better than themselves. But they often want much, and have scarce to satisfy nature, when the wicked have abundance; but their water and brown bread makes them look as well as all the full dishes of the wicked, as it was with Daniel and his fellows. And the prodigal son had little to refresh him, when his father’s servants had bread enough, because he abused his former portion, and run from under the protection, and out of his father’s house; so with them. At his return he had the fat calf killed for him, and apparel and ornaments given him fit for a son.
Use 4. To admonish everyone that is his, to look for more correction than others if they provoke him; for more love, more of the rod, more affection, more affliction, the more special love, more special and more speedy correction. This use made Amos of it: chap. iii. 2, ‘You only have I known of all the families of the earth, therefore I will visit you for all your iniquities.’ Heads of families of the earth, therefore I will visit you for all your iniquities.’ Heads of families correct all, and most where they love: children before servants, and of them those they love, if their love be with judgment, and not blinded with affection.
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