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we would be done by, was never defign'd to make men lawless; or fuch an abfolute law to themselves, that whatsoever they can reciprocally defire or fubmit to, fhould be lawful. It ought to be first known that the thing is lawful, before the rule can be applied, which, ftrictly speaking, is not so much a law it felf as a measure of performing other duties to our neighbour.

(2.) WE must confine it to things that are reafonable, or fit to be done. Some things are lawful, which are not expedient: It is lawful for me to give away a good part of my eftate, or any particular valuable poffeffion that I have, to whomfoever I think fit; but if a neighbour of mine fhould come to me, and with a serious face fhould defire me to fettle fuch a Lordship upon him, &c. I dare fay all the world would agree, it was a very impudent and unreasonable requeft; and though he fhould prefs me an hundred times over with the rule of doing as I would be done by (for it is not to be deny'd that I should gladly receive fuch a favour and benefaction my felf from any other perfon) he would be as often told, it was a thing undecent to be afk'd, impertinent to be expected, and unfit to be done. To inftance in another thing not reducible to this rule, no judge or magiftrate is obliged thereby to pardon a notorious offender against the laws, upon thinking with himself, that truly was he in the malefactor's place, he would be very defirous to be pardoned. The rule breaks here, because though 'tis natural to an offender to deprecate the punishment due to his offence, it is not fit or reafonable the magiftrate fhould hearken to him; for he acts in a public capacity, and muft confider the reverence due to the laws, the peace and good order of the public, more than the benefit of any private perfon. Again, a perfon who is in very indifferent circumftances, defires me to be bound

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CHAP. XXI. with him for a confiderable fum, which he is not likely to pay, and if I pay it my felf, it will be a great detriment and wrong to my family; I am not by this rule obliged to answer his defire, tho' I fhould be glad, if the cafe were my own, as it is his, that another would do the fame for me; because it is reasonable I fhould confider my own family and circumstances in the first place; I am to love my neighbour as my self, but I am not obliged to love him better, and to do my felf a great injury for the doing him a benefit. Many other inftances might be given, but there is no need to enlarge. Religion and prudence muft govern us in this, as well as in every other duty. I will therefore take a fhort and general view of what is indeed the proper application of this rule. Let a child, a subject, or a fervant, but afk himself without partiality, what honour, what fubmiffion, what obedience he would think was due to him, were he himself a father, magiftrate, or master, and his answer to this would be a rule for his own behaviour towards those that are fo related to him. The fame will hold in all other relative duties; and hereby may be difcerned the equity of reverencing fuperiors, of being civil and courteous to equals, gentle to inferiors, and juft and charitable to all mankind. It would keep us from an infolent and furly carriage towards any one, from defpifing and ridiculing, from upbraiding and provoking, if we do but ferioufly confider how ill we our felves could bear this from another. It would teach us to forbear and forgive, because we defire in our turns to be forborn and forgiven. It would make us candid and good-natured, in putting the best interpretation upon the words and actions of others, if we reflect but how reasonable we think it, that another fhould deal fo candidly with us. The poor may be convinced by it, of the unreasonableness of maligning

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and envying the rich the advantage of their riches: And these would alfo fee the unreasonableness of refufing relief and affiftance to the poor, because each of them would in the others circumftances expect a contrary behaviour. Let but the rich and the poor change places, and then they who before cry'd out of the pride and arrogance of great men, will think it hard to be call'd proud, only for keeping up the neceffary port and grandeur of their ftations: And they who before condemn'd the laziness of the poor, and thought themselves to have a right of doing wholly what they pleas'd with their own, will then think it hard, when neceffitous, not to be pitied, fupported, and relieved, by those who are able. A reasonable kindness requir'd by any one, will be readily done, when we confider that we our felves ftand in need of the kindness of others, and would think it very ill-natured to have a neighbourly office refused us. Those that are now fo fond of running up and down from company to company, with fcandalous ftories, and venomous reflections upon a neighbour, would find a better employment, if they would confider how they would refent it, to be fo used and traduced themselves. Let us be exactly just in all our dealings with others, as we would affuredly have others juft in all their dealings with us. These are the chief general inftances wherein this rule of doing as we would be done by muft take place. Particulars are reducible thereto by every man's private confcience, as circumftances arife, to bring them under confideration. I will now only in a few words confider, what is meant by our Saviour, in faying that this rule is the law and the Prophets, and then conclude. His meaning, I conceive to be no more than this, "That it is the fum or fub

stance of all that the Prophets have laid down, "with refpect to the commandments of the second

table,

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"table, our duty towards our neighbour. 'Tis no new precept in the sense of it, whatever it may "be in terms: For the law and the Prophets, in "all particular directions they have given for our "conduct one to another, have faid thus much al"ready in effect, and in effect no more than this, "that we should use others as we would be used "our felves. But to carry the meaning of it higher, fo as to fuppofe it to comprehend the whole duty of a Chriftian, is an impious pretence to deftroy the commandments of the firft table. And the pretence is as unreasonable as it is impious: For the reafon whereupon this rule is grounded, cannot poffibly extend it farther than our duty to mankind, who though they differ in fome circumstances, yet being made of the fame materials, coming all from the fame stock, and going all to the fame place, the grave, they may be faid in nature to be equal; and this equality is the foundation of the right of reciprocal love, and of the which is confequent thereupon, of doing as we would be done by. It is enough that we love our neighbour as our felves; because he is of the fame kind with us, and to love him more, would be as unjust as to love him lefs than our felves. But God being infinite in all perfection, we ought to love him infinitely better than our felves; there ought to be no measure of our love to him, but to love him with all our heart, with all our foul, and with all our ftrength; there can be no turning of the tables, and therefore no place for this rule betwixt him and us. Since then this rule will carry us no farther than our duty to men, 'tis certainly but one half, and not the whole of what a Chriftian has to do; for without difpute, he owes a duty to God, as well as to man: And to the one, as well as to the other, is this fame expreffion, The law and the Prophets, elsewhere apply'd by our Saviour, Thou shalt love the Lord thy

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God with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy mind; this is the first and great commandment. The fecond is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy felf. On these two commandments hang all the law and the Prophets.

CHAP. XXII.

Of the Difficulties of the CHRISTIAN

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LIFE.

MATTH. vii. 13, 14.

Enter in at the ftrait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that lead eth to deftruction, and many there be that go in thereat.

Becaufe ftrait is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

UR Saviour having explain'd the precepts of the moral law to a degree of ftrictness and perfection, far beyond what had been ever taught by the fewifh doctors, it was natural to fuppofe his audience would be ftartled at it; fome perhaps, would think him too fevere and rigid in his notions; that furely one might get to heaven without fo much ado about it; that it could not be fuppofed

fo

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