But I know you
Being the omniscient God, he knew not only their persons, but
their hearts, the thoughts of their hearts; what was in them, and
what was wanting in them: particularly,
that ye have not the love of God in you;
and which is not in any man's heart naturally; for the carnal
mind is enmity to God; and men, by nature, are haters of him, and
enemies in their minds to him, till this grace, which is a fruit
of the Spirit, is implanted in them, in regeneration: love to
God, is one of the weightier matters of the law, the Jews passed
over; without which, all the actions of men signify nothing: this
they made great pretensions to, and would have had it thought,
that it was from love to God, that they sought to kill Jesus, for
his violation of the sabbath, and making himself equal with God;
but it was not from a delight in the sabbath, or from love to the
Lord of it, but out of ill will to Christ, that they expressed
such dissembled piety and false zeal: they were lovers of
themselves, and not God; they were covetous men, and loved the
world, and the things in it, which is inconsistent with the love
of the Father; and besides, if they had loved him, they would
have loved him that was begotten of him, and not sought to have
killed him.