SECT. I.

THe Words are part of those excellent Discourses which dropp'd from our Blessed Lord and Saviour, in his Ser­mon upon the Mount; where in imita­tion of Moses, as a Prophet like unto [Page 2] him, he delivered with authority such wholesom Laws as were to oblige the Christian World, and rescued the Mo­rality of those before delivered from all the corrupt Interpretations and Glosses of the Scribes and Pharisees; in all which most certainly he spake, as never man spake.

Super Matth. Hom. 18.In this Verse, as S. Chrysostom notes, Praeceptorum suorum fecit grande compen­dium, He drew up all his Precepts into a remarkable summary; and therefore he subjoyns, For this is the Law and the Pro­phets: i. e. in that learned Fathers Pa­raphrase,Quaecun (que) lex & prophetae sparsim in o­mnibus praece­perunt scriptu­ris in hoc com­pendioso con­tinentur prae­cepto, quasi in­numerabiles arborum rami in unâ radice, ibid. Whatsoever things the Law and Prophets have commanded here and there in all the Scriptures, are virtually contained in this compendious Precept, as the innumerable Branches of Trees in one Root.

But, before we can consider the words entirely in themselves, it must be noted, that the Illative Particle in the beginning [therefore] puts us in mind of their de­pendence, making them plainly an Infe­rence from somewhat that went before. For I am not of their mind, who think [Page 3] it most probable, illucionis particulam esse supervacuam, Vide Eccles. Expos. that this word of inference is here redundant, superfluous, in vain, and to no purpose. The only question to me is, what particularly we should refer it to.

(1.) Some, I find, look back as far as the Precepts of Charity and Mercy de­livered Chap. 5. forbidding of Revenge, commanding all the expressions of Love, and that even to our Enemies, from ver. 39. to the end. To countenance this, they tell us, that S. Matthew seems not so punctual an observer of Method, as S. Luke may be thought to be, who undertakes in his Preface to Theophilus, ‘Having understood all things from the beginning [...] exactly,S. Luke 1.3. [...] to write in order,’ distinctè & distriba­tivè, as those who write an History with judgment. So Beza. The word may be rendred, consequentially, serie perpetuâ, in continued rank, as one thing follows another. Yet the Learned Grotius thinks it no more than sigillatim, in particulars, and one by one; observing that S. Luke, as well as the other Evangelists, hath more than once ob rerum cohaerentiam, for the affinity and coherence of things, and [Page 4] their near relation to each other, knit and conjoyned together such matters, as were temporibus discreta, differenced in the times of speaking of them. Not to engage my self in a decision of this cri­tical difference, most certain it is, that S. Luke gives us this comprehensive Pre­cept of the Text among those of Chri­stian Charity, which S. Matthew relates Chap. 5. placing it in the middle between them.S. Luke 6.27. He had said before, ‘Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you,30, 31, 32, 33. &c. give to every man that ask­eth of thee,’ (i. e. without respect of his quality, be he friend or foe, so he be a subject needful of thy charity) ‘and from him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again:’ It should be ren­dred, ‘and from him that taketh thy goods exact not,’ i. e. exercise not a pinching Usury upon such as take thy Goods on Loan, (Charity and Liberali­ty consisting especially in these two things, giving and lending freely.) Then it follows, ‘And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.’ Whereupon he proceeds further in the same subject: ‘For if ye love them which love you, what [Page 5] thank have you?Quam merce­dem habebitis? quasi dicat nul­lam; ne (que) e­nim istud face­re virtus est, sed non facere sce­lus est: neutri debetur quic­quam, ubi par relatum est pa­ri. Erasm. En­chir. mil. Chri­stiani. p. 149. i. e. what reward can ye expect? for sinners also love those who love them. And if ye do good to them that do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, (or borrow) what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners to receive as much again, or that they may borrow as much again;’ i. e. that they may at another time borrow as great a sum. ‘But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again (or distrusting nothing) and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the Children of the Highest, for he is kind to the unthankful and to the evil, &c.’

Now 'tis very useful for us to observe here, that this Rule, [As ye would men should do unto you, likewise do ye also unto them] enforceth upon us true Christian Charity, and that to our very enemies, the Rule being not [What others do to you,] but [What ye would others should do to you;] of which moreSect. 3. Sect. 12. afterwards: And upon this ac­count it is not unfitly ranked among these Precepts.

Nevertheless it may well be questi­oned, whether S. Luke's relation respects the same time with that of S. Matthew: (1.) Because we find him not so pre­cisely mentioning our Blessed Saviours Sermon in the Mount; and (2.) Because the words of this Precept are somewhat varied, and the later Clause, as well as the Particle of Inference, omitted. It may therefore be conjectured, that these two Evangelists have not respect to what was deliver'd at one and the same time, it being very likely, that as our Blessed Saviour did more than once in­culcate the Precepts of Christian Cha­rity upon his Disciples, so he might in like manner more than once deliver the sum of them in this Golden and Com­prehensive Rule. Nor is it at all pro­bable, that S. Matthew's Inference in this seventh Chapter should extend as far back as to the later end of the fifth Chapter, the other Chapter that comes between treating of other Subjects: And therefore,

(2.) I shall rather chuse to refer it to what is compriz'd in the foregoing Ver­ses of this seventh Chapter.

Two things there are especially, [Page 7] which our Blessed Saviour instructs them about.

(1.) He cautions them against rash censures of others. ‘Judge not,Ch. 7.1, 2, 3. that you be not judged; for with what Judgment ye judge, ye shall be judg­ed; and with what Measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy Brothers eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? &c.’ Whereto it may seem a conclusion not altogether imper­tinent, ‘Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.’ He be­fore calls off their thoughts from others to themselves; and in this conclusion he warns them to afford the same mea­sure to others wherewith they serve themselves: q. d. None of you are willing to be censured and judged rashly of by other men; what therefore you would not have others do to you, do not ye offer unto them; and so judge them not without cause, censure them not unadvisedly. This I conceive to be good sense; but cannot say, 'tis proper­ly [Page 8] meant and intended by our Blessed Saviour, or his Evangelist, in this Infe­rence. For,

(2.) Between that and the Text there follows another Discourse, wherein our Blessed Saviour urgeth his Disciples to the great Duty of Prayer, and confirms their hopes of receiving from God what they pray for, if not always in kind, at least always for their good, from the 7 verse to this 12. ‘Ask, saith he, and it shall be given you;Ver. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be open­ed unto you: for every one that ask­eth, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his Son ask Bread, will he give him a Stone? or if he ask a Fish, will he give him a Serpent? If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts to your Chil­dren, how much more shall your Fa­ther which is in Heaven give good things to them that ask him?— And now immediately upon this it is added, Therefore all things, &c.’

With this coherence then it may be considered by us, as a necessary Condi­tion [Page 9] to be carefully heeded and observed by us, that our Prayers to God may be effectual: As if he had said more at large, You may be sure of speeding with God in your Prayers, if you be not your own hindrances: There will be no de­fect in his goodness, which is far beyond that of any earthly Parent to his Chil­dren. The onely obstacle will prove in your selves, viz. if you are not rightly disposed to receive good things from him; and therefore, that you may be thus rightly qualified for speeding with God, ‘all things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.’ Or, as some read it by an Hebraism, (of whichSect. 4. here­after) Whatsoever ye would to be done unto you, (even by God himself, as well as men) be ye prepared according to your power to do unto others.Non solummo­do nolite judi­care, sed & o­mnia quaecun (que) vultis — & tunc impetra­biliter pote­ritis orare. Su­per Matt. Hom. 18. —Not onely, judge not others rashly; but also whatsoever ye would, &c. and then you may be sure to ask and have, to pray and obtain. So S. Chrys. That they might pray successfully, Christ puts them upon pious endeavours; for these two must go together, as Hierocles well admonish­eth: [Page 10] [...].Hierocles. What we work and endea­vour, we should also pray for; and what we pray for, we should also work and endeavour that it may speed. Our Lord would demonstrate,Vide Citat, in Catenâ D. Thornae. saith S. Chrysostom, that men ought both superiùs inquirere auxilium, to seek help from above; & quae à seipsis sunt simul inferre, and to contribute in like manner what they can themselves: and therefore after that he had said, Ask, seek, knock, he plainly teacheth men themselves to be studious and diligent, and therefore subjoyns, All things whatsoever— And again, saith he, Non simpliciter dicit omnia, sed addidit ergo: He saith not barely, All things whatsoever; but he adds a There­fore to it: q. d. Si vultis audiri, cum illis quae dixi & haec facite; If you would be heard of God, mind this with the rest that I have spoken of, All things what­soever —

A good Disposition and Life must accompany our Prayers, to render them acceptable and successful. ‘The Sacri­fice of the wicked,Prov. 15.8. saith the Wise man, is an abomination to the Lord; but the Prayer of the upright is his [Page 11] delight: and,Chap. 28.9. "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law, his Prayer shall be abomination.’ Impedi­tur orationis effectus per impiam conversa­tionem; The effect and success of Pray­er is hindred by a wicked life and con­versation.S. Jam. 5.16. ‘The effectual fervent Pray­er of a righteous man, saith S. James, availeth much.’ It must not only be fervent and importunate, (such as is in­timated by our Saviours Phrases of ask­ing, seeking, and knocking) but it must be also of a righteous man, that it may avail much.Isa. 1.15, 16, 17, 18, 19. ‘When ye spread forth your hands, saith God unto the wic­ked, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many Prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.’ And therefore that such may pray successfully, the direction is, ‘Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from be­fore mine eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow: Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord.’— Particularly, there must be a disposition of goodness and charity towards others, [Page 12] that we may our selves obtain good things from God.Prov. 21.13. ‘Whoso stoppeth his ears, saith Solomon, at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.’ To this sense S. Augustine enlargeth upon the Text. God,Vide Citat. in Caten. D. Tho. saith he, had promised that he would give good things to them that ask: But that he may own us his Beg­gars, let us in like manner look upon ours; and that we may know what we ought to bestow on our Neighbour ask­ing of us, (begging Alms of us) to the intent that we in like manner may be heard in what we crave of God, we may consider from this, what we would that others in a like case should bestow upon us, & ideò dixit, omnia ergo— And for this cause our Blessed Saviour said, Therefore all things—

One thing more I find suggested by the ordinary Gloss upon that of the precedent Verse: ‘How much more will your Heavenly Father give good things to them that ask.’ For which S. Luke reads,S. Luke 11.13. "The Holy Spirit. Whereupon, saith the Gloss, Omnium bonorum spiritualium distributor est Spi­ritus Sanctus, ut opera charitatis implean­tur: [Page 13] unde subdit, Omnia ergo quaecun (que)— The Holy Ghost is the distributer of all spiritual goods, to the end that the works of Charity may be fulfilled; and thence he subjoyns, ‘All things therefore whatsoever’—

The Holy Spirit given by God is with­in us a Principle of Goodness, a Princi­ple of Good Works: Wherefore, since God is so ready to bestow on us his Ho­ly Spirit, and therewith all spiritual Goods, upon our Prayers unto him, we should for that very reason shew forth the fruits of that good Spirit in all good­ness our selves, in such good Works as are the result of this General Rule here prescribed, "Therefore all things—

Therefore, viz. that you may not pray without success, that you may shew your selves rightly disposed and quali­fied for prevailing with God in your Prayers, and that you may bring forth fruit becoming of that great gift of the Holy Ghost obtained of God by Prayer.—

But so much shall suffice to have spo­ken of that Illative Particle, and the de­pendent Sense of the Words on the ac­count thereof.

SECT. II.

WE will now look upon them as absolute and compleat in them­selves, as an entire Map of Christian Duty, without that Fragment of bor­dering Vertues decyphered in the word of Inference, Therefore. And, setting aside that Particle, we have considerable in the words,

(1.) A General and Comprehensive Rule of Life; ‘All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them.’ And,

(2.) The enforcement of this Rule or Precept; ‘For this is the Law and the Prophets.’

Of both which I shall treat by Gods help in their order.

I begin with the General and Com­prehensive Rule of Life, as it is here laid down.

Wherein we may observe more di­stinctly,

(1.) Regulatum or Regulandum; the Actions ruled or to be ruled hereby, viz. our own Actions, and our own Actions towards other men, i. e. our [Page 15] Neighbours: [Do ye even so to them.]

(2.) Regulam, the Rule it self; and that is, [All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you,—]

Concerning the former I have onely two or three things briefly to suggest.

(1.) We are prone enough to pre­scribe to other men, to oversee, and or­der, and appoint their Actions: We are generally willing enough they should act by Rule towards us: But our Bles­sed Saviour here calls his Disciples thoughts home to themselves, and gives them every one the special charge of directing and managing their own Acti­ons aright: Quae dicis aliis, dic tibi ipsi, ut audias. We are principally concern­ed to regulate our own Actions: We are every one to amend our own ways, to sweep before our own doors, as we are wont to speak. And,

(2.) The Actions here ruled are such as concern our Neighbour, such as have respect and reference to our Neighbour, i.e. to all other men with whom we live and converse; for so we are taught in Holy Writ to reckon every man our Neighbour. S. Paul significantly puts [...] for [...].Rom. 13.5. He that loveth ano­ther [Page 16] hath fulfilled the Law of loving his Neighbour. In our Actions towards one another we are not left without Law and Rule; we may not do as we list, as it seemeth good in our own eyes. Nay,

(3.) Together with our outward Actions, our Will it self is to be order­ed by the Rule here prescribed; for it must be always remembred, that the Laws of Christ are spiritual, and reach also to the inward man. —Scelus intra se tacitus qui cogitat ullum, facti crimen habet.— To will, covet, resolve, and intend, is, in the account of our supreme Law-maker and Judge, to do. The Thoughts, Desires, and Affections of our Souls (i. e. our inner man) are re­puted and censured by him as our Acti­ons: So that, what we may not do, we may not will to do, we may not design or resolve to do, we may not approve or allow of, we may not joy or delight in.— But I proceed now to the later and principal Point, the Rule it self whereby we are to square both our Choice and Practice: ‘All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye unto them.’ [...], even so in all things, as ye would [Page 17] that men should do unto you; or, as S. Luke hath it, [...], likewise, in like manner do ye unto them.— This Po­sitive plainly includes in it a severe Pro­hibition of doing that to others, which we would not they should do unto us. So pious Tobit instructed his Son;Tobit 4.15. Quod ab alio oderis fieri ti­bi, vide ne tu aliquando al­teri facias. [...], ‘Do that to no man which thou hatest.’ See that thou do not that to another, which thou art un­willing another should do unto thee. Admit not of that in thy self,Quod damna­turus sis in ali­is, in te ne ad­miseris. which thou condemnest and reprovest in another. This Prohibition, I say, is included in our Blessed Saviour's Precept. Abstinen­tiam mali ponit per operationem boni, Hom. 13. ad Pop, Antioch. saith S. Chrysostom. He expresseth the Nega­tive by the Affirmative; the abstinence from Evil, by the doing of Good. So do ye, —so, and not otherwise, —so, and not the contrary. Fac quod vis pati, as S. Augustine abbreviates it: Do as thou wouldest suffer; i. e. as thou wouldest be done by or to. Quod vis tibi fieri, fac alteri: Whereto the Negative should ever-more be added for illustration sake, Quod tibi fieri non vis, alteri ne feceris: Do not to another what thou wouldest not have done unto thy self.

A double saying there is of the Son of Sirach, pertinent to be here remem­bred. The one Ecclus 31.15. Judge of thy neighbour by thy self: The other ch. 4.31. Let not thine hand be stretched out to receive, and shut when thou shouldest give.

Aelius Lampr. in Alex. Sever.'Tis, recorded of the good Emperor Alexander Severus, though no Christi­an, that when he saw any of his Soldiers trespassing and committing spoil in the Fields of others, he would take them up smartly, to this purpose; Visne hoc in agro tuo fieri, quod alteri facis? Would­est thou have this done in thine own Field, which thou hast done to another? Proclaiming that he had often heard of the Christians, and commanding it to be published by the voice of a Cryer, when he corrected or punished any, Quod tibi fieri non vis, alteri ne feceris; Do not that to another, which thou would­est not have done to thy self. A Sen­tence which he is said to have been so much in love withal, that he caused it to be written in his own Chamber, and over the Seats of Judicature, as most worthy to be continually studied by himself, and read by others.

It were certainly to be wished that it were written on the Tables of all our Hearts, or rather revived as much in our frequent thoughts, memories, af­fections, and practice, as it is clearly written and engraven naturally on the Tables of our Hearts. For, to say the truth of it, this Precept of our Blessed Saviour is no more than a plain Law of Nature, obliterated by evil habits and custom, revived and brought to light again by Christ. A Law of Nature, I say, it is undoubtedly, whereof we may find clear foot-steps among the Hea­thens, and which takes hold immediate­ly on the conscience of every one that duly considereth of it. I will give you some Instances to this purpose out of the Gentile-writings.

Diogenes Laertius tells us in the Life of Aristotle, that he, being asked,Diog. Laert. in Vita Aristot. [...]; How we should demean our selves towards our Friends? made answer, [...], As we would desire and wish them to demean themselves towards us. And a like Resolution thereunto I find given by Simplicius upon Epictetus, That we then do right, if we so use our [Page 20] Friends, [...]. Simplic. in cap. 37. Epictet. as we are willing they should use us.

The Athenian Isocrates, that most ex­cellent and ancient Rhetorician and Phi­losopher frequently glanceth upon this Rule. Among his Admonitions to young men, in that worthy Oration of his [...], he gives this for one: Manage thy anger towards those that offend, [...]. — [...]. Isoc ad Dem [...]n. in like manner as thou wouldest judge becoming in others towards thy self offending. And again, Be thou such towards thy Parents, as thou wouldest wish thy Children should be towards thee. And again, Hereby wilt thou very much inhance thy Reputation, if it shall appear that thou dost not those things thy self, which thou wouldest re­prehend in others doing of the same.

And in his Royal Guide, his Writing I mean to King Nicocles: [...]. Ad Nicocl. So carry thy self, saith he, in thy familiar converse towards thy Inferiors, as thou wouldest [Page 21] judge fitting and worthy in thy betters towards thy self. And elsewhere, [...]. Id. saith he, Do not ye those things to others, which ye are angry when you suffer or receive from others.

Homer in his 23 Iliad brings in Achil­les thus taking up of Ajax and the King of the Cretians, who fell to evil and harsh words each against the other, for­bidding them to use such uncivil and re­proachful Language, by this Argument,

Because, saith he, it is no ways becom­ing; for you your selves would repre­hend and blame another, whosoever he be, that should do the like.

Stobaeus quotes this memorable Pas­sage from Hierocles, which indeed is a rare Paraphrase on our Blessed Saviour's Rule; Sic cum unoquoque agas, Stob. Serm. 84. tanquam tu illius, ille tuam personam induerit: So deal with every one, as if your Persons were exchanged, he in your place, you in his.

'Tis the determination of the Venusi­an Poet,

[Page 22] It is but equal, that he who craves par­don at anothers hand, should himsel [...] be ready to give the like to another.

Seneca in his grave Books De Irâ hat [...] many Passages looking this way. Th [...] chief that I have observed are these tha [...] follow.

Non est pru­dentis erran­tes odisse: a­lioquin ipse sibi odio erit. Cogitet quam multa contra bonum morem faciat, quam multa ex his quae egit ve­niam deside­rent. Jam i­rascetur eti­am sibi. Ne (que) enim aequus judex aliam de suâ aliam de alienâ cau­sâ sententiam fert. Nemo, inquam, inve­nitur qui se possit absol­vere, & inno­centem quis­que se dicit respiciens te­stem non conscientiam. Quanto humanius mitem ac patrium ani­mum praestare peccantibus & illos non persequi sed revocare Sen. de Irâ, l. 1. c. 14.It is not the part of a prudent man saith he, to hate those that do erre an [...] do amiss: Otherwise he must be hatefu [...] to himself. For, let him think how many things he hath committed again [...] good manners; how many of thos [...] things he hath done himself need pardon. Now then he must be angry als [...] with himself; for, no equal Judge pronounceth one Sentence in his own Cause and a contrary in another Mans. None I say, is to be found that can altogethe [...] absolve himself; and whoever pronounceth himself innocent, speaks more wit [...] respect to other Witnesses, than his ow [...] Conscience. How much more human [...] is it therefore to shew a meek and fatherly mind towards those that offend and not to persecute, but to recal [...] them?— Thus in his first Book [Page 23] And he brings to my mind that of the Apostle, Gal. 6.1. Brethren, if a Man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiri­tual restore such a one with the spirit of meekness, considering thy self, lest thou al­so be tempted. To the same effect also he discourseth much in his second Book. —If we would, saith he,Si volumus ae­qui omnium rerum judices esse, hoc pri­mum nobis suadeamus, neminem no­strum esse sine culpâ: hinc enim maxima indignatfo oritur. Nihil peccavi, nihil feci. imò ni­hil fateris. In­dignamur ali­quâ admoni­tione aut co­ercitione nos castigatos; cum illo ipso tempore pec­cemus quo adjicimus malefactis ar­rogantiam & contumaciam. Quis est ille qui se profitetur omnibus legibus innocentem? Ut hoc ità sit quam angusta innocentia est ad Le­gem bonum esse? Quanto latius officiorum patet quam juris re­gula? Quam multa pietas, humanitas, liberalitas, justitia, fides exigunt quae omnia extra publi­cas tabulas sunt? Sed ne ad illam qui­dam arctissi­mam inno­centiae formu­lam praestare nos possumus: alia fecimus, alia cogitavi­mus: alia op­tavimus, aliis favimus: in qui busdam in­nocentes su­mus, quia non successit. Hoc cogitantes ae­quiores simus delinquenti­bus, cedamus objurgantibus, utique nobis ne iras­camur — Di­cetur aliquis male de te lo­cutus. Cogita an prior fece­ris, cogita de quam multis loquaris. Co­gitemus, in­quam, alios non facere injuriam sed reponere: alios pronos facere, alios coactos facere, alios ignorantes: etiam eos qui volentes sci­entesque faciunt ex injuriâ nostrâ non ipsam injuriam petere. Aut dulcedi­ne urbanitatis prolapsus est, aut fecit ali­quid non ut nobis obesset, sed quia con­sequi ipse non poterat, nisi nos repulisset. Saepe adulatio dum blandi­tur offendit. Quisquis ad se retulerit, quotiens ipse in suspicio­nem falsam inciderit, quam multis officiis suis fortuna speci­em injuriae induerit, quam multos post odium amare caepe­rit, poterit non statim irasci, utique si sibi tacitus ad singula, quibus offen­ditur, dixerit: Haec & ipse commisi. Sed ubi tam aequum judicem invenies? Is qui nullius non uxorem concupiscit, & satis justam causam putat amandi, quod aliena est, idem uxorem suam aspici non vult: & fidei acerrimus exactor, est perfidus: & mendacia persequitur ipse perjurus: & litem sibi inferri aeger­rimè calum­niator pati­tur. Pudiciti­am suorum servulorum attentari non vult, qui non pepercit suae. Aliena vitia in oculis ha­bemus: à ter­go nostra sunt. Inde est quod tempestiva filii convivia pater deterior filio castigat. Nihil alienae luxuriae igno­scit, qui nihil suae negarit: & homicidae tyrannus ira­scitur: & pu­nit furta sa­crilegus. Ma­gna pars ho­minum est quae non pec­catis irascitur sed peccanti­bus. Faciet nos moderatiores respectus nostri, si consuluerimus nos; Nunquid & ipsi aliquid tale commisimus? nunquid sic erra­vimus? expedítne nobis ista damnari? L. 2. de Irâ. c. 27. & 28. become Equal Judges of all things, let us perswade our selves this in the first place, that there is none of us without fault. For hence ariseth our greatest indignation. Thou saist, I have sinn'd in nothing, I have done nothing amiss: nay, Thou confessest nothing. We are angry that we are chastised with any admonition or re­straint, when at that very time we sin by adding arrogance and contumacy to our evil deeds. Who is he that can profess himself innocent as to all Laws? Or though it be so, how narrow an in­nocence is it to be good as far as the Law of Man reacheth? How much wider is the rule of our Duties, than that of the Law? How many things do Piety, Humanity, Liberality, Justice, [Page 24] Fidelity require, which are not in the publick Tables? But yet we cannot so much as clear our selves according to that most narrow form of innocence: We have done otherwise, we have thought otherwise, we have desired otherwise, we have favour'd otherwise, (or, as his words may possibly be ren­dred, We have done one thing and thought another, we have desired one thing and favour'd another:) in some things we are innocent for want of suc­cess. While we think on This, let us be more equal to those that offend; let us yield to those that chide and reprove us; to wit, that we may not be angry with our selves.— It will be said, some one hath spoken evil of thee, defamed thee. Think with thy self whether thou hast not done the like before; think of how many thou art wont to speak. Let us think, I say, that some do not do an in­jury so much as return it; that some do it willingly, others constrainedly, others ignorantly: or that even those who do it wittingly, may not aim at the [Page 25] injury it self in our injury: He either failed out of excess of Courtship, or did somewhat not to hurt us, but be­cause he could not speed himself unless he had repelled us. Oftentimes Adula­tion, whilst it flatters, offends. Who­soever shall consider with himself and recal to his mind, how often himself hath fallen into a false suspicion, how many of his well-meant services Fortune hath clothed with the appearance of injury, how many he hath begun to love after his ha­tred, he will be able to refrain his anger; to wit, if he shall thus silently discourse to himself, as to the particulars where­with he is offended; Even I my self al­so have committed the like. But where wilt thou find so equal and impartial a Judge? He that covets every mans wife, and thinks it ground enough to love her because she is anothers, the same man yet will not suffer his own wife to be look'd upon. He is a most severe exacter of faithfulness in others, who is himself per­fidious. He punisheth other mens lies, who [Page 26] is himself guilty of Perjury, &c. We have other mens vices before our eyes, whilst our own are behind our back. Thence it is that the Father, who is himself worse than his Son, doth yet chastize the Son's seasonable Banquets. He will give no pardon to anothers Luxury,, who denies none to his own. The Tyrant is angry at the Murtherer; and he that is himself sacrilegious, punisheth Thefts in others. A great part of Men there is, who are not angry so much at the Sins as the Sinners. Now a respect to our own selves will make us more moderate to others; if we shall debate the Case with our selves to this purpose, Have not we also our selves sometimes committed a like offence? Have not we so erred? Is it expedient for our selves that these things should be condemned and punished in others? —His discourse all along turns upon this hinge, ‘That we ought not to afford that measure to others, which we our selves will not admit of.’

He speaks yet more expresly in the [Page 27] third Book: Let us, saith he,Eo loco nos constituamus, quo ille est cui irascimur: nunc facit ira­cundos iniqua nostri aestima­tio: & quae facere velle­mus pati no­lumus. Lib. 3. c. 12. Omnes in­consulti & im­providi su­mus, omnes incerti, que­ruli, ambitio­si. Quid le­nioribus hul­cus publicum abscondo? Omnes mali sumus. Quic­quid itaque in alio repre­henditur, id unusquisque in suo sinu inveniet. Quid illius pallorem, illius maciem notas? Pestilentia est. Placidiores itaque invicem simu Mali inter malos vivimus. cap. 26. suppose our selves in his place and stead, whom we are angry at: Whereas now an unequal esteem of our selves makes us wrathful against others; and those things which we would do, we will not suffer. And to the same purpose he adds afterwards, We are all heady and improvident, all fickle, querulous, ambitious. Why do I hide a Publick Sore with too gentle Words? We are all bad. Whatsoever therefore is reprehended in another, that may eve­ry one find in his own bosom. Why dost thou set a mark on this mans paleness, and the others leanness? 'Tis a common Plague. Let us therefore be more fa­vourable one to another upon this ac­count. We are bad our selves, living among bad Neighbours.

Yet once more the same Seneca, in his 47 Epistle, commending Luci­lius for using of his Servants in a fa­miliar manner, enlargeth on that oc­casion to this effect:

Servi sunt? imò homines. Servi sunt? imò contu­bernales. Ser­vi sunt? imò humiles ami­ci. Servi sunt? imò conservi. Si cogitaveris tantundem in utros (que) licere fortunae.— Vis tu cogita­re istum, quem servum tuum vocas, ex iis­dem semini­bus ortum, eo­dem frui coe­lo, aequè spi­rare, aequè vivere, aequè mori? Tam tu illum inge­nuum videre potes quam ille te servum. Marianâ cla­de quam mul­tos splendidissimè natos Senatorium per militiam auspicantes gra­dum fortuna depressit? Alium ex illis pastorem, alium custodem casae fecit. Contemne nunc ejus fortunae hominem, in quam trans­ire, dum contemnis, potes. —Haec praecepti mei summa est, sic cum inferiore vivas, quemadmodum tecum superiorem velles vi­vere. Quoties in mentem venerit, quantum tibi in servum liceat, veniat in mentem tantundem in te Domino tuo licere. —At Ego, inquis, nullum habeo Dominum. Bona aetas est; forsitan habebis. Senec. Epist. 47.Servants do we call them? yea, they are Men, Companions, humble Friends, Fellow-servants; if we bethink our selves that we are alike exposed to the power of Fortune.— Do but consider that he, whom thou stylest thy Servant or Slave, hath the same Original with thy self, lives and breathes under the same Heaven, and at last dies like thy self; and thou mayst change Names and Titles with him. How many Noble Persons hath the fortune of the Wars depress'd, and turn'd into Shepherds and Cotta­gers? Go now, and despise a man of that Rank and Condition, which thou thy self maist pass into, even while thou art despising of him. The sum of my Instructions is this, That thou so live with thy Inferior, as thou wouldest thy Superior should live with thee; and as often as thou shalt thinkVide Eccles. chap. 7. ver. 21, 22. what power [Page 29] thou hast over thy Servant, think also that thy Lord and Master hath the same power over thee.— But thou replyest, it may be, I have no Lord or Master. 'Tis well: but thou know­est not how soon thou maist have one.—

The Reader may see more to this pur­pose, Epistle 95. where he delivers this as the Summary of our mutual duty each to other [formula humani officii] to consider, that we are all Members of one great Body, akin by Nature, having the same Rise and End, and therefore obliged to mutual love and sociable de­meanour, to all equity, and innocence, and helpfulness, and to retain that Gol­den Saying in our Hearts as well as Mouths, Homo sum, humani nihil à me alienum puto: i. e. I am a Man, and therefore neither think my self free from any accident that befalls other men, nor desire to be excused in any duty which becomes humanity.

The Stoicks indeed generally in their Writings have many things of this nature, and determine it to be proper unto man from his heart to love other men, and wish them well, [Page 30] as allied to him by Nature both in Bo­dy and Soul, [...], &c. Vide quae Gatakerus noster in suo ad M. Antoninum praeloquio é Stoicis congessit; & ipsum An­toninum passim. and made for a mutual subserviency each to other.

And take this farther tast out of some others.

Pliny in the 12 Epistle of his 9 Book, Heus tu, nunquámne fecisti quod à patre corripi possit? fecisti, dico. Non inter­dum facis, quod filius tuus, si repente pa­ter ille, Tu filius, pari gravitate repre­hendat?

Cato in his excellent Precepts De Mo­ribus, which are learnt commonly by Children, but worthy the most serious consideration of Men, hath these re­markable Sayings that touch upon the Point in hand.

In his short Precepts this; Patere le­gem quam ipse tuleris; i. e. as Erasmus Scholles upon it, Whatever Condition thou prescribest to others, use the same thy self towards others. And in his Disticks, these.

i. e. By no means do the thing thou art wont to blame: 'Tis a disgrace to a Teacher to reprove himself by a contra­ry practice.

i. e. Carp not at anothers words or do­ings, lest thou instruct him to deride thy self by a like example.

i. e. When thou hast bought Servants for thy own use, and callest them thy Slaves, yet remember that they are Men: and so (as Erasmus notes) in this equal with thy self.

And among the Sentences of the fa­med Sages of Greece, I have noted these, ascribed to Pittacus and Cleobulus.

Pareto legi, quisquis legem sanxeris: i. e. Obey the Law which thou thy self establishest.

Quae feceris parentibus, eadem a liberis expecta: i. e. Expect the same from thy Children, which thou dost to thy Pa­rents.

Ne geras imperium, priusquam parere didiceris. Pittacus. i. e. Rule not, till thou have first learned to obey.

Res amici diligas & perinde serves, ut tuas: i. e. Love and preserve the Con­cerns of thy Friend, as thy own. And,

Quod oderis alteri ne feceris. Cleobu­lus. i. e. Do not to another what thou hatest.

And then (to search out no more) in­ter Mimos Publii, these seven.

Ab alio expectes, alteri quod feceris: i. e. Expect from another what thou shalt do to another.

Beneficium dare qui nescit, injustè petit: i. e. He unjustly craves a Courtesie, who knows not how to do one.

Etiam qui faciunt, odio habent injuri­am: i. e. Those very Persons hate an injury to themselves, who do it to others.

Homo qui in homine calamitoso est mi­sericors, meminit sui: i. e. The Man who compassionates anothers calamity, re­members himself.

Habet in adversis auxilia, qui in secun­dis commodat: i. e. He finds help in his adversity, who affords it to another in his prosperity.

Homo semper in sese aliud fert, in al­terum aliud cogitat: i. e. 'Tis the guise of men to give different judgments for themselves, and for others.

Illo nocens se damnat, quo peccat, die. Publius. i. e. The injurious man is at the same time self-condemned.

Which how they appertain to this Argument, will appear more evidently and fully upon the perusal of the sixth Section.

Divers other Sayings might be quoted from the Heathen Writers, by those that have been more diligent in their obser­vation; but from those inserted it suffi­ciently appears, that this Rule of our Blessed Saviour's is a clear Branch of the Law of Nature, and among those Prin­ciples which every one reflecting on, as he ought, may read in his own breast and conscience, if it be not strangely corrupted and defaced by gross igno­rance and stupidity, sensuality, or some other wicked and perverse habit and custom of sinning. So that in this case Christ might well say to his Disciples, as elsewhere he doth to the Pharisees, ‘Yea,S. Luke 12.57. and why even of your selves judge ye not what is right?’ Our Sa­viour, [Page 34] as S. Chrysostom observes,Hom. 13. ad Pop. Antioch. super ista ver­ba, Quae cun­que volueri­tis— teacheth here, Nihil nostram transcendens Natu­ram, nothing beyond our Nature, but what he had long before imprinted on our Conscience: Ex nobis ipsis scimus quid facto opus sit; We know from our selves what we should do unto others. Nemo sanus sibi non benè cupit; There is no man in his right wits, but wisheth himself well: and therefore, Nemo non habet domi regulam; There is no man but hath a Domestick Chaplain preach­ing of his duty, a Rule within himself for his demeanour towards others. Vo­luntas tua sit lex; Let thy own will, saith he, be the law of thy actions, even thy own will of receiving from others. Wouldest thou have courtesies done thy self? do them to another. Wouldest thou obtain mercy? have mercy on thy neighbour. Wouldest thou be com­mended? commend another. Would­est thou be loved? love thy neighbour. Wouldest thou have the precedency? yield it first to another. Tu sis judex: Tu sis vitae tuae legislator: Be thou thus thy own Judge; be thou the Legislator for thy own Life and Conversation. And again, Quod odisti, alii ne facias; [Page 35] Do not that to another, which thou ha­test: for this later Rule will enable thee to avoid that which is evil, as the former to do that which is good. Dost thou hate contumelious usage thy self? offer it not to another. Dost thou hate to be deceived thy self? deceive not thou another. And generally in all ca­ses, saith he, if we retain in memory these few words, Voluntas tua sit Lex; that we make our choice for our selves the Law of our Actions towards others, we shall need no other discipline or in­struction.— To this effect S. Chrysostom. Loco suprà citat.

And Salvian having quoted this Pre­cept of our Blessed Saviour, ‘Whatso­ever ye would that men should do un­to you, do ye also the same to them in like manner;’ proceeds thus upon it:Hujus senten­tiae partem tam benè no­vimus, ut nunquam praetereamus: partem sic praetermitti­mus, quasi pe­nitùs nescia­mus. Nam quid ab aliis praestari nobis velimus, opti­me novimus; quid autem ipsi aliis de­beamus prae­stare nesci­mus. Atque utinam nesci­remus! minor esset ignoran­tiae reatus — Nunc autem in hoc major offensa est, quod partem sententiae sacrae pro commodorum nostrorum utilitate diligimus, partem pro Dei injurià praeterimus.— Tantum abest ut aliorum commodis aliquid cum propriâ incommoditate praestemus, ut omnes vel ma­xime nostris commodis cum aliorum incommodo consulamus. Salvian. lib. 3. De Prov. — One part of this Sentence we know so well, as never to pass it by; the other part we so pass by, as if we were altogether ignorant: for we know very well what we would others should do unto us; but what we our selves ought to do unto others, we know not: And I would to God we knew not! the guilt of our ignorance would be the less. — But now in this our offence [Page 36] is the greater, that we love part of this holy Sentence for our own profit, but omit the other part injuriously towards God. So far are we from benefit­ing others with our own loss, that we do all chiefly consult our own benefit with the damage of others.—

Add hereunto This of the Learned Grosted Bishop of Lincoln above 400 years since, in his Treatise De Cessatione Legalium. — Manu formatoris nostri in ipsis cordibus nostris veritas scripsit, Quod tibi fieri non vis, alteri non sa­cies. Hoc antequam lex scriberetur ne­mo ignorare permissus est, unde judicaren­tur & quibus non est data lex. Sed, ne sibi homines aliquid defuisse quererentur, scriptum est & tabulis quod in cordibus non legebant. Non enim scriptum non habe­bant, sed legere nolebant. Oppositum est oculis eorum, quod in conscientiâ videre cogerentur, & quasi forinsecùs admotâ voce Dei ad interiora sua homo compul­sus est.— In cogitationibus enim impii [Page 37] interrogatio erit, & ubi interrogatio ibi lex. Sed quia homines appetentes ea quae foris sunt etiam à scipsis exules facti sunt, data & conscripta lex, non quia in cordi­bus scripta non erat, sed, quia tu fugiti­vus eras cordis tui, ab illo qui ubique est apprehenderis, & ad teipsum intra te vo­caris. Propterea scripta est lex, quae cla­mat eis qui deseruerunt legem scriptam in cordibus, Redite praevaricatores ad cor. p. 100, 101.

Hitherto in the general: Now for the more full and perspicuous handling of this Excellent and Comprehensive Rule, I shall follow this plain method.

First, To state and explain the true and genuine meaning of it.

Secondly, To examine and search in­to the Grounds and Foundations of Equity upon which it is built. And,

Thirdly, To make an Induction of those special acts of Vertue which it prompts us to, and those Sins and Vi­ces hereby most properly forbidden and reproved. But,

SECT. III.

FIrst, It is requisite that we under­stand this Rule of ours aright, be­ing liable unto some mistakes, if we are not duly cautioned against them. In order therefore to the explaining of it, and that so as the meanest Capacity may truly comprehend it, I shall proceed,

(1.) Per remotionem, negatively, and by way of removal of those false Rules which men are apt enough to substitute in the room of this. And,

(2.) Per positionem, to declare posi­tively what this Rule of ours imports, and what we are to observe in order to the right understanding of it.

By the first I shall shew, what it is not; by the second, what it is.

Most men in the world observe either no Rule at all, or else some false and crooked Rules, in their Actions towards others: And therefore it will not be amiss here to glance at some Particulars which are too frequently put in the room of the Prescription in the Text.

(1.) Then the Rule is not thus laid down, [All things whatsoever other [Page 39] men would have you do to them, let them do even so to you.] We are wil­ling enough to hear of other mens du­ties, as I before also intimated, even whilst we most neglect our own. We are apt enough to exact our right of other men, whilst we refuse our selves to do what is right and just unto them. We are prone enough to say to others, Do as you would be done by; we like it very well in the practise of others; but the Law here runs not in that form, Quaecunque sibi fieri voluerint— Let others do as they would be dealt withal: but it calls upon every one of us especially to regulate our own Acti­ons, and to mind our own duty. Much less is it,

(2.) [All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, let them do unto you.] Our Wills and Pleasures are not the rule and measure of other mens duties towards us. It doth not follow that other men do us wrong and injury nakedly because they displease and offend us, because they do unto us what we would not have them. This indeed is more or less the corrupt hu­mour of us all: We are too prone and [Page 40] willing to make our Wills and Plea­sures the Law and Rule of other mens Actions; and every thing that offends us, that is contrary to our humour or fancy, is censured forthwith as unjust and unlawful in our Neighbours, upon the same account.

(3.) The Rule is not, [Do ye unto others all things whatsoever they would have done unto them.] Men are very apt to covet more than what is their share, more than belongs to them: And were we bound to do unto every man as he wills and desires, we should quickly undo our selves, and turn all things into confusion.

(4.) The Rule is not, [All things whatsoever ye will, do ye unto others.] 'Tis not Omnia quaecunque vultis, and there a stop; follow the sway of your own inclinations and lusts. That were to license all manner of iniquity, and to set open such a floodgate to sin and in­juries, as would quickly overwhelm and drown the World. Quod libet, li­cet. And, ‘Sic volo sic jubeo, stat pro ratione vo­luntas,’ will not be admitted of here. Our own [Page 41] Will absolutely is not the measure of our Actions towards others; but it is it self to be ruled by somewhat else. An Action is not therefore just and war­rantable, because we will it; but our Will must have some Reason or Rule to justifie its choice and determination by.

(5.) The Rule is not, Omnia quae­cunque potestis, [Do all that ye can to others,] all things that ye are able or have power to do, all things you have an opportunity to do. Power of it self justifies nothing, but must be ever in conjunction with Justice and Goodness, that all the acts and effects of it may be warranted. Men may not wrong the weak, because they are stronger; nor the poor, because they are richer; nor the ignorant and simple, because they are more learned and cunning; nor any that are under them, because they are in Authority above them, and have a Sword able to defend their Injustice against all Disputers. Nay,

(6.) 'Tis not Omnia quaecunque jure potestis, [Do all that you can do with a specious pretence of Law to counte­nance what you do.] Summum jus sum­ma injuria. The rigour of the Law [Page 42] proves often great injustice; and a man may wrong his own Conscience by prosecuting of the Law to the height and utmost upon his Neighbour. Such is theQuod si po­pulorum jus­sis, si princi­pum decretis, si sententiis judicum jura constitueren­tur, jus esset latrocinari, jus adultera­re, jus testa­menta falsa supponere, si haec suffragiis vel scitis mul­titudinis pro­barentur. — Cicero de Leg. l. 1. imperfection sometimes of Hu­mane Laws, and such the many Arts and Tricks in the execution of them, the shifting of Courts, the Demurs, the te­dious manner of Process, and the like, that it is in the power of many legally to undo others, sometimes in the reco­very of their own right and due: And the poorer sort, though they should certainly in the issue be protected from the violence and wrong intended them by others, yet are sure, like the silly Sheep running in a Storm for shelter to an Hedge of Thorns and Brambles, to leave their Fleece for that Protection. We must nor do all to others which we may by Law possibly defend the doing of. Every one should keep a Court of Chancery in his own Breast, to mitigate the rigor and severity of the Law, which cannot provide against all particular in­conveniences and abuses. They are not Humane Laws which are the immedi­ate and adequate Rule of our Consci­ence and Practice; but a good Consci­ence [Page 43] should evermore regulate us in the prosecution of the Law upon others.

(7.) And lastly, The Rule is not, Omnia quaecunque fecerint vobis, [All things whatsoever other men have done unto you, do ye even so unto them;] requite others according to their do­ings: By no means. Say not,Prov. 20.22.24.29. I will do to him as he hath done to me: Say not thou, I will recompence evil, I will ren­der to the man according to his work. Thus Solomon adviseth, agreeably to the Pre­cepts S. Paul gives us, having learnt them first of his and our Master Christ: Recompence to no man evil for evil. Rom. 12. Dear­ly beloved, avenge not your selves: Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. We cannot justifie the doing others an injury, because they have done us one first; the grieving of others, be­cause they have grieved us: Whereof Seneca pronounceth, Qui dolorem regerit, tantum excusatiùs peccat; He that re­turns grief for grief, sins only the more excusably; i. e. he sins, though he hath some pretence for it. But Maximus Tyrius the Platonist goes higher,Dissert. 2. [...]: If to do an injury be an enormity, to return [Page 44] one is the like. Nay, he riseth yet a step higher, [...]: He that avengeth himself, seems guilty of the greater injustice: for, saith he, the former (viz. that did first the wrong) incurr'd a reprehension as his only reward; which this avenger by imitation of him, doing of the like, takes away upon himself; [...], he bears away his reproach. The like Argument Lactantius makes use of to prove,Lactant. l. 6. that it is not less evil [referre injuriam quam inferre] to return an in­jury, than to do one: For, saith he, whosoever labours to return an injury, eum ipsum à quo laesus est gestit imitari, glories in imitating his evil doings by whom he was injur'd. 'Tis not what others have done to thee, but what thou wouldest have them do unto thee. Ask thy self then, when thou wast wronged and injured by another, whether thoughtest thou him to have done well or ill in so wronging or injuring of thee? And if ill, why shouldest thou attempt the like? Why shouldest thou be ambitious of his guilt, seeing especi­ally thou hast had a more real savour and tast, if I may so speak, a more feel­ing [Page 45] sense of the evil of such an injury, than one that hath not received it? It is therefore well determined by a Reve­rend Divine,Dr. Jackson on the Creed. That whoever harh been most hardly dealt with himself, sins most in dealing so with others, doing what he is most unwilling to have done to himself, and the evil of which doing he is himself most sensible of.— Ano­thers fault therefore cannot be our ju­stification for doing of the like: nay, we are so much the more condemned, as we judge and censure it a fault in others so to have done unto us.

But, some may object, is there not a visible Justice in the Law of Requital? for any man to suffer quod prior ipse fece­rit, the same which he hath done? Doth not Nature it self dictate that this is equal, for a man to be rewarded ac­cording to his doings?

There cannot be any thing more just than this, that one should be taken him­self in the snares which he hath laid for others.

All this is yielded, as most certainly true and unquestionable; and no man [Page 46] can deservedly complain for undergoing himself what he hath first done to o­thers. But then it must be considered, that private persons are not made Judg­es by God in their own concerns, have no commission to execute Vengeance. We know who hath said, ‘Vengeance is mine: I will repay it, saith the Lord.’ And he hath appointed his peculiar Ministers and Avengers under himself, to execute wrath upon him that doth evil. The injury of requital of injuries is not in him that suffers, but in him that doth it without warrant and commission from God, only to satisfie his own grieved mind, and make another smart as he hath done him already.

The Jews themselves, though in their Publick Judgments a Lex talionis were allowed,Exod. 21.24, 25. viz. ‘Eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, stripe for stripe:’ yet in their private conversa­tion and deportment each towards other, revenge was plainly forbidden them;Levit. 19.18. ‘Thou shalt not avenge nor bear any grudge against the children of thy People; but thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self: I am the [Page 47] Lord.’ Mutual revenge is forbidden, as a Branch deducible from this Law of Nature, ‘Thou shalt love thy neigh­bour as thy self:’ of which more by and by. The Prohibition here is clear and positive,, ‘Thou shalt not avenge nor bear any grudge against the chil­dren of thy People:’ i. e. Thou shalt not be mindful of wrong, to requite it: For that is properly to avenge, to do to others as they have done to us. So we find it express'd in the Vengeance God commissioned them to take of Babylon, ‘Take vengeance upon her,Jer. 50.15. as she hath done do unto her.’ And that none might mistake this for any rule of self-revenge, or private revenge, 'tis call'd in the words immediately before, ‘the vengeance of the Lord, that Lord to whom vengeance belongeth, to whom vengeance belongeth,’ as the Psalmist reduplicates. Whereas the Law, as we have seen, is express to the Jews, in reference to their private rela­tion and converse each with other, ‘Thou shalt not avenge nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people:’ i. e. Thou shalt not return injuries, nor keep them in mind. The [Page 48] Hebrew Doctors expound it to this purpose. To avenge, say they, is to de­ny a good turn to one who hath former­ly denied it to him; and to be mindful of a wrong, is to do a good turn to one who formerly would not do so much for him; but at the doing thereof, to upbraid with his former unkindness, in such like words as these, I will not deal with thee as thou hast dealt with me. And both, say they, were here forbid­den: And according to this explication their Law required them both to forgive and forget injuries.— Now look what was thus the mutual duty of the Jews each to other, our Blessed Saviour re­quires from us to all men, having taught us to esteem every man as our Neigh­bour, whom we are to love as our selves. He requires, I say, the same good disposition in us towards all men, which among the Jews was restrained more to their own Countrey-men, the Children of their People. ‘See, saith S. Paul, 1 Thes. 5.15. that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among your selves, and to all men.’ Thus had he learned Christ, having been instructed [Page 49] in the Truth, as it was in Jesus.S. Mat. 5.39, 40, 41. ‘I say unto you, saith Christ, that ye resist not evil, or that ye avenge not evil: But whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also, (an expression of patience) and if any man will sue thee at the Law, and take away thy Coat, let him have thy Cloke also; and whosoever shall compel thee to go with him a mile, go with him twain.’ So far would Christ have his Disciples from the Prin­ciples of Retaliation, that he enjoyns them patience under supportable and tolerable injuries (such as those here mentioned) if they cannot right them­selves without revenge, rather than to oppose violence to injustice. It was well advised by Seneca, Percussit te? recede: refe­riendo enim & occasionem saepiùs feriendi dabis & excu­sationem. Sen. de Irâ, l. 2. S. Hieron. citat. in Cat. D. Tho. in S. Mat. 5. Hath another stricken thee? Give place: for by stri­king him again thou wilt both admini­ster occasion of, and excuse for his stri­king often, his repeated blows. And therefore, as S. Hierom notes, Dominus noster vicissitudinem tollens truncat ini­tia peccatorum; Our Lord and Saviour in taking away the return of contume­lies and ill turns, cuts off the beginnings and occasions of sin. It was never que­stionless [Page 50] his design to license the injuries of others,Si potes ma­lum sine tuo malo vel eff [...] ­gere vel de [...]el­lere, nemo te vetat facere: sin minùs, cave dixeris, facere sarius est quam pati: si potes, emenda, vel beneficiis ob­ruens vel man­suetudine vin­cens: sin ali­ter, praestat al­terum perire, quam utrum (que) praestat te pa­tientiae lucro ditescere quam mutuâ talione mali malos ambos fieri. Erasm. Enchir. Militis Christiani, p. 150. & similia p. 206. or to forbid his Disciples the innocent defence of themselves, or re­covery of their right and due; much less to take away from Magistrates, and those in Authority, the power of se­curing the good by the punishment of evil doers: but only to root out all prin­ciples of Revenge, by a strict injunction of Christian Patience. The Rule then we are to be guided by, is not, What others have done to us; but rather, What they ought to have done to us.

It concerns indeed Publick Persons to see Justice executed upon Offenders, such as should make them as unwilling to do wrong, as others are to suffer it, the better to discipline them to the pra­ctice of this Rule in the Text: and in so doing, they are so far from breaking, that they well observe that Rule themselves, doing that for the good, welfare, and security of the Society and Community wherein they live, which they would desire to be done for themselves in the like case. A Judge or Magistrate must [Page 51] not look on himself as a private person, but,Rom. 13. ‘a Minister of God for the punish­ment of evil doers, and the praise of them that do well,’ yea bearing and representing the person of the Commu­nity whose good he is obliged to seek and serve; and therefore he is to do that for the benefit of the Community, whose great interest it is to have the Laws observed, and Offenders punish­ed, which he understands in such a case might be reasonably required of him. Private revenge indeed should not be sa­tisfied, under the cloke and colour of doing Justice; but neither must the Offi­ces of Justice be overturned and dis­claimed by us, whilst we speak against Revenge. The correction of notorious Offenders is both an office of charity un­to them, to bring them to repentance; and of goodness and justice to the Soci­ety wherein they live, for the warning of others not to do the like, and for the securing of the innocent: Yet this is no warrant for private persons to snatch the Magistrates Sword to avenge their own quarrel, or to appeal unto the Magistrate out of any principle of Malice or Re­venge, to wreak their spleen upon such [Page 52] as have done them wrong, in order to a requital.

In good turns indeed, and benefits, gratitude suggests a retribution;Quid retribu­am? Psal. 116.12. Na­ture teacheth the very Publicans and Sinners to return love for love, good will for good will, courtesie for courte­sie: And thus far to observe the Rule of doing to others as they have done to us, would reform the World, by the remo­val of that horrid Vice of unthankful­ness from men, whereby they are ready sometimes to requite good with evil, or prove forgetful and neglective of the good turns others have done unto them. To these therefore it is seasonable to say, Do to others the same good you have received from them; be not evil to those who have been exceeding good and beneficial unto you; return not ha­tred to them for their good will and love to you. — But then in injuries and evils, curses and imprecations, ill words and actions, we must take heed how we retaliate, and do to others as we suffer from them: ‘Say not thou, I will do to him as he hath done to me, I will render to the man according to his work.’

SECT. IV.

THus much in the Negative, what the Rule is not: I proceed, se­condly, to a more positive declaration of what it is: [All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them.]

That we may understand and con­ceive of this Rule as we ought,

(1.) We may compare it with that other Summary of the Second Table, which acquaints us with the genuine and inward Principle of it, ‘Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self.’ And therefore we are wisely instructed in our Church-Catechism, in an­swer to that Question, What is thy duty towards thy Neighbour? to joyn both these together; My duty towards my Neighbour is, to love him as my self, and to do to all men as I would they should do to me. The former of these is styled by S. James, S. Jam. 2.8. the Royal Law according to the Scriptures. Lex Regia, the Royal Law, that is, say some,Vide Drusium in loc. & Prov. sacra. the Law of Christ our King; to which purpose the Syriack reads it Legem Dei, the Law of God: [Page 54] The Royal Law, say others, for its emi­nency, a most excellent Law: The Roy­al Law, say others, because, like the King's High-way, 'tis plain, without windings and turnings, rubs and hinde­rances, common to all, and belongs to every one in particular as well as to all: The Royal Law, lastly, say others, be­cause of its latitude and extent, upon which all other Laws depend, which takes in and comprehends all other Laws in it self. This is the Royal Law, the Law of Laws, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self: And this pre­scribes affectum eundem, the same affecti­on and disposition to our Neighbour as to our selves; as the other we are con­sidering of prescribes officia eadem, the same offices towards our Neighbour as we desire in him towards our selves, i. e. the same fruits of Love towards our Neighbour, as the love we bear to our selves suggests to us to wish, expect, and look for from him. [...]. Arist. Rhet. lib. 2. The Philoso­pher's definition of Love is, To will such things to another as we conceive good, without self-ends; and to pro­mote and do the same according to our power. Whereby if we measure the [Page 55] loving of our Neighbour as our selves, it must needs run into this we are upon, All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so unto them. Amoris tui er­ga proximum mensura es tu ipse: singulos sic dilige, quo­modo tu ab iis diligi velles, si esses illorum loco. Camero. Thou art thy self become the measure of thy love towards thy Neighbour, as Camero hath it: so love thou others, as thou wouldest be loved by them if thou wert in their place and stead: i. e. Love thou others with the same sincerity wherewith thou lovest thy self, and give proof of this love by doing the same to them as thou would­est desire they should do to thee in the like condition. The Law refers us to our selves, because we are naturally in­clined to self-love, and in our own in­terest and concerns plerun (que) rectiùs vi­demus quid aequum sit, Grot. in loc. we do for the most part see more rightly what is equal; at least, we are not apt to wrong our selves.Salust. Nemini suae injuriae leves videntur; No man thinks his own inju­ries light.Camerarius. Sua quis (que) maxima esse ju­dicat mala; Every one judgeth his own evils greatest; every one is concluded truest to his own interest and concerns.

So then to love our Neighbour as our selves, is the soul and life of this Pre­cept, [Page 56] to do to our Neighbour as we would be done by our selves: And thus the Rule before us prescribes, not only to our outward actions, but to our in­ward affections also. There must be an agreement between our heart and practice, our will and doings. What we are to do to our Neighbours, the same we are to wish, intend, love, de­sire, chuse, resolve upon; and what we ought not to effect, we may not inward­ly covet or delight in without transgres­sion.Quid refert mala non fa­cere quae affe­ctu concupis­cis? Quid refert bona foris agere, quibus diver­sa fiant intus? Erasm. Euchir. Mil. Christ. p. 119. The Laws of Christ reach to the Principles of our Actions, as well as to the Actions themselves; to the hidden and invisible, as well as to the open and visible part of them; to the fountain, as well as to the streams; to the cause, as well as to the effects. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self; and, All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them, have the same reference each to other as the cause and the effect, as the fountain and the strram, as the inside and outside of one and the same Duty.

(2.) We may farther enlarge our conceptions by viewing together this Affirmative Precept, and the Negative [Page 57] that is deducible from it, and (as hath been said before) to be referr'd unto it: for every positive Precept includes a double Prohibition in it. (1.) Of the omission of the duty required: And, (2.) Of the commission of the contrary evil. Whoever commands the doing of any good, forbids at the same time the neglect of that good, and the evil opposite unto it. He that injoyns us to do well, doth as certainly bid us cease to do evil, and includes withal some­what more in his Injunctions, than if he had nakedly bid us cease to do evil. A negative Religion only will not serve our turns; we must be also positively good: and yet so we can­not be, without ceasing first to be evil, this being the beginning of our wisdom, stultitiâ caruisse. The positive Precept then is the more perfect and intire, as including both the Prohibition and Command in it self: And thus we are to interpret the Rule of the Text, by supplying it with its Negative, that is, the advice of Tobit to young Tobias, ‘Do that to no man which thou hatest; what thou wouldest not that men should do unto thee, do not thou thy self that unto them.’

[Page 58](3.) To prevent all mistakes and misapplications of this Rule to Practice, there are two or three things farther to be noted by way of caution about it.

(1.) In the general we must remem­ber, that this Rule may never be so un­derstood or applied as to contradict or subvert any other of the more particular Laws and Appointments of Christ,Quod tibi bonum prae­stari velles, idem debes ipse alteri praestare in eisdem cir­cumstantiis, quoad fieri potest citra tertii alicujus injuriam. Quod malum tibi fieri nol­les à faciendo illud alteri ipse debes abstinere quoad fieri potest absque tertii alicujus injuriâ. Dr. More Enchir. Eth. p. 22. or the Order established and approved by him. We are to conclude, that it is not at odds with any particular Laws of Charity and Justice, being indeed de­signed only for a brief and universal comprehension of them, and as a fence and security to them; that we transgress not at any time through inordinate love of our selves; but since we are every one presumed to be hearty prosecutors of our interest and concerns, we make this our pattern, example, and square in our dealings with others, as sincerely to have respect unto their good as our own, that we have not a measure and a measure, unjust balances, one for our selves and another for our neighbours; it having been generally observed in the World,Homo in se aliud fert, in alterum aliud cogitat. Labe­rius. that men have one judgement for them­selves, and another for their neighbours, [Page 59] so as to condemn others at the same time, and in the same things, wherein they acquit and justifie themselves; and deem that evil in others towards them, which they continually practice them­selves towards others; and that good in others towards them, which they de­ny continually unto others. To prevent now this undue bias of self-love and self-seeking, Christ requires us to use the same measure to others as to our selves, as sincerely to love others as our selves, and do for them as we desire they should do for us: To sell as we would buy: for,Prov. 20.10. ‘Divers weights and divers measures are both of them alike an abomination unto the Lord.’ This now being the purpose of the Rule, to prevent or remove that grand prejudice which makes us swerve and decline from the particular Precepts of Order, Justice, and Charity towards our Neighbour, we cannot, we must not at any time so understand or apply it as to cross and oppose any of those Precepts.

(2.) Therefore when our Blessed Sa­viour saith, All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, he must be understood only de voluntate [Page 60] regulatâ & ordinatâ, of a well-ordered and regulate Will, a Will following the dictates of right Reason and Religi­on, and consequently onely conversant about things truly good and meet to be done; and therefore whether we add the word [bona] or no, as some Latin Versions have done, [quaecunque bona— Whatsoever good things ye would that men should do unto you] 'tis most cer­tain that we are so to understand and conceive of it, as to exclude omne male­ficium, every evil work or thing from being the object of our will. 'Tis S. Au­gustines Observation,De Civ. Dei, l. 14. c. 8. that Voluntas non est propriè nisi in bonis, in malis cupiditas dicitur; Will is proper to good ob­jects, but we call it Lust in evils. And, Hoc loco modo quodam proprio voluntas po­sita est, quae in mal [...] accipi non potest: In this place (saith he) Will is to be taken in that proper manner as not to be con­ceived of that which is evil. None in his right mind wisheth to himself what is evil and inconvenient: we must not imagine that our Saviour refers us to our corrupted and vitiated Wills; but he supposeth them according to their natural and true state and temper, not [Page 61] according to what they may prove by degeneracy, evil habits and customs; as they should be, as they were made by God and appointed to be, and not as they are through our default and corruption; as they are in the best of men, and not in the worst: for, specimen naturae— capi­endum ex optimâ naturâ; and as Bishop Andrews somewhere observes, the Scri­pture often speaks of things, not as they are corrupted, but as they ought to be. The sense of the Rule then is clearly this, ut aliis praestemus ea, Grot. in S. Mat. 7. quae ratio dictat non iniquè nos ab aliis postulaturos; That we do unto others such things as reason dictates we should not unjustly desire from others our selves. Whatsoever ye would,] i. e. reasonably and regularly.

(3.) There must be considerata perso­narum mutatio, a considerate change of persons; that is, we must suppose other men in our condition, rank, and place, and our selves in theirs; and so deal with every one, as if we had exchanged persons and conditions with them: Ʋt rectè judicemus persona mutanda est, idem­que statuendum in altero quod in nobis aequum simus existimaturi, Id. ibid. as Grotius speaks: That we may judge aright, the [Page 62] Person must be changed, and we must determine the same for another which we would judge equal for our selves were we in his room. If 'tis bitter un­to thee to bear an injury (saith Lactan­tius) and he that does it seems unjust in thy account,Lactant. l. 6. transfer in alterius personam quod in te sentis, & in tuam quod de al­tero judicas; remove that by way of supposition to another person which thou feelest in thy self, and that to thy own person which thou judgest of ano­ther, and thou wilt presently understand tam Te injustè facere si alteri noceas, quam Alterum, si tibi; That thou thy self dost as much unjustly in injuring of another, as another in hurting thee. We should therefore, as he speaks, in aliis hominibus nos ipsos cogitare, cap. 10. in nobis alios, think of our selves in other men, and of others in our selves, a due re­spect being had to the several circum­stances and distinctions of our qualities and conditions: That is, So obedient should we be to our Governours, as we desire and expect those under our Go­vernment should be unto us; so are we to honour our Parents, as we would desire our Children should honour us; [Page 63] be so respective to our Inferiours, as we desire our Superiours should be to us. Of which, with many other Instances, hereafter.

Lastly, The scope and meaning of the Rule will be as clear and full as may be, if we add one Observation more to what hath been said. The learned Dr. Hammond notes,Pract. Cat. p. 299. That [Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you] by an Hebraism imports [Whatsoever ye would have done to you] i. e. by whomsoever, and so by God or Christ as well as Man. We may observe indeed many instances in the New Testament, wherein the third person Plural is put to express a passive sense: Thus S. Luke 6.38.S. Luk. 6.38. ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken togerher shall men give into your bosom;’ [...], shall they give into your bosom, is all one with [...], shall be given unto you. Again, ch. 12.20.ch. 12.20. where we read not amiss in the Eng­lish, ‘Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee,’ 'tis in the Greek [...], this night do they require thy soul of thee. Again ch. 16.9.ch. 16.9. where it is said, ‘Make to your selves friends [Page 62] [...] [Page 63] [...] [Page 64] of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations;’ 'tis pro­bably no more than, that ye may be re­ceived into everlasting habitations. And to name but one place more, ch. 23.31.ch. 23.31. when 'tis said, ‘If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?’ [...] is no more in sense than, If these things be done in a green tree. — And thus now if we read also the third person Plural in the Text in a passive sense, the words will run thus, [All things whatsoever ye would have done to your selves, or to be done to your selves:] And accord­ingly the Latin Style of this Precept generally runs, Quod tibi fieri vis; which, if we follow it, extends, as hath been said, to whatsoever we desire or wish to our selves from God or Christ as well as from Men, that to the utmost of our power we be ready also to do the same unto others. Whether the Hebraism will enforce it here, or no (the word [...], men, being expressed before the Verb Plural, which I find not in the ori­ginal of any of the other Instances) sure I am, the Illative Particle ushering in the [Page 65] Text, whereof I have before discoursed, fairly suggests this sense unto us, infer­ring this our duty towards men from our expectation of good things from God, as hath been shewed. The gene­ral Inforcement of those particular Precepts of Charity and Mercy where­with S. Luke conjoyns this of the Text, and which are easily to be deduced from this, is the Divine Pattern towards us, ‘Be ye therefore merciful even as your Father is merciful:S. Luk. 6.36.’ And 'tis the Peti­tion of our daily Prayers, ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us:’ And of all Petitions in the Lords Prayer, our Bles­sed Saviour bestows a Comment upon none but that, to fix and engage our thoughts the rather upon it; ‘For,S. Mat. 6.14, 15. (saith he) if ye forgive men their tre­spasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’ And we are given more than once to under­stand, that we must expect the same measure from God our selves, as we mete to others: Of which more here­after. This sense we may the rather [Page 66] embrace,Optimè hoc exemplum Principi con­stituam, ad quod forme­tur, ut se ta­lem esse civi­bus quales sibi Deos velit. Expedit ergo habere inexo­rabilia pecca­tis at (que) erro­ribus numi­na? Expedit us (que) ad ulti­mam infesta perniciem? Ecquis regum erit tutus? Cu­jus non mem­bra Aruspi­ces colligant? Quod si Dii placabiles & aequi delicta potentium non statim fulminibus persequuntur, quanto aequi­us est homi­nem homini­bus praeposi­tum miti animo exercere imperium & cogitare utrum mundi sta­tus gratior oculis pulchrior (que) sit sereno & puro die, an cum fra­goribus crebris omnia quatiuntur & ignes hinc atque illinc mi­cant? Atqui non alia facies est quieti moderatí (que) imperii, quam sereni coeli & nitentis. Crudele regnum turbidum tenebrís (que) ob­scurum est inter trementes & ad repentinum sonitum expavescen­tes, nec eo quidem, qui omnia turbat, inconcusso. Sen. de Clem l. 1. c. 7. because even the Heathen Se­neca hath mounted to this pitch also: Speaking of that mercy which becomes a Prince, he thus proceeds. I may very well set this Example before a Prince to imitate, viz. That he shew himself such to his Citizens, as he would have the Gods to be unto himself. Is it therefore desi­rable or expedient, saith he, for him to have the Deities inexorable, as to his sins and errors, and so provoked to, and resolved upon the utmost destruction? Who among Kings would then be safe? If therefore the Gods are placable and equal, and do not presently persecute the faults of those in Power with Thun­derbolts, how much more is it reasona­ble that a man set over men should ex­ercise his power with a meek mind, and think with himself whether the state of the world be not more grateful to the eyes, and beautiful, in a serene and clear day, than in Thunder, Storms, and Tem­pests? &c.—

Thus that Morallist excellently. And there is a Proverb that hath much in it, expressing the good temper that ought to be in men towards others of their own kind; Homo homini Deus, such a man is a God to another. We should all study then to be such our selves towards others, as we desire to find God to our selves.

The result of all is this, That our de­sires of doing good and not evil unto others, be such as may fitly become an equipoise to our desires of receiving good and not evil from God or others: That we be disposed to wish and do the same good unto other men, which we piously desire from God, or reasonably expect from other men in a like condi­tion our selves.Calvin. cit. in Expos. Ec­cles. in S. Mat. 7. Regnaret perfecta aequi­tas, si activae charitatis tam fideles esse­mus discipuli, quam acuti sumus passivae doctores, as Calvin well phraseth it; Perfect equity would obtain in the World, were we once as faithful Disci­ples of active Charity, as we are acute Teachers of the Passive: i. e. Were we as ready to do good as we are to re­ceive it, and as unwilling to wrong others as we are to suffer injuries our selves.

I have said what may suffice for the explaining of this Rule. I am engaged,

SECT. V.

SEcondly, To an Inquiry into those Grounds and Foundations which sup­port it: Those Truths, I mean, which it presupposeth and relies upon. And them I shall refer to the following Heads.

(1.) Every man is here presupposed to have an entire love and regard to him­self. He must needs first love himself, who is obliged to love his Neighbour as himself; and 'tis a man's love to himself that makes him to will good and not evil from others to himself, which is here made the pattern and measure of his demeanour towards others. We need not any Precept from God for the loving of our selves, which is a Prin­ciple that Nature hath taught every Creature, viz. a self-love and desire of its own preservation and happiness, and thereupon an inclination and appe­tite towards what is good, agreeable, and convenient, with an aversation and declination from whatsoever appears [Page 69] otherwise. And yet so it is, that man oftentimes mistaking himself, hates him­self indeed instead of loving himself. Men look upon their Bodies as them­selves, which are little more than the case and outside of themselves; and these they love inordinately, and here­by prove real haters of, and enemies to their Souls, the better and chiefest part of themselves: for 'tis the Mind, and Soul, and Spirit which is principally the Man, and whosoever loves not that, loves not himself:Eph. 5.29. ‘No man ever ha­ted his own flesh, (saith the Apostle) but nourisheth and cherisheth it.’ No man, to be sure, in his right wits; no man, unless he were mad and distracted, alienated and estranged from himself: And yet 'tis too common a sight (which we have every where almost before our eyes) to behold men that hate their own Souls, instead of nourishing and che­rishing of them: though, the truth is, of these persons too we must say, they are not themselves;Gal. 3.1. they are [...], fools and besotted; they are [...], bewitched; and whenever they do return to themselves, when they do resipiscere, grow wise again, they will [Page 70] lament and exclaim against their own madness. Who, understanding and loving of himself, would continually stab and wound and injure himself? Yet so doth every sinner by his trans­gressions:Prov. 8.36. ‘He that sinneth against me, saith the Divine Wisdom, wrong­eth his own soul; all they that hate me love death.’ There is no such in­jury and hurt to a mans self as sin.

True it is, Christ commands all his Disciples [...],S. Mat. 16.24. to deny them­selves, to abandon and disown them­selves in some cases as Parents are wont to serve their ungracious Children; and, ‘they that are Christ's,Gal. 5.24. saith S. Paul, [...], have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.’ Nay, saith our Saviour,S. Luk. 14.26. ‘If any man come after me, and do not [...], hate his own soul, i. e. his own life, he cannot be my Disciple.’

But all these and the like expressions import no more than not to sin, to mor­tifie sin, to abandon the occasions and temptations of sinning, to lay down our lives and part with our temporal con­veniencies, rather than to sin: And this is enjoyned us, that we may not, in the [Page 71] truest sense, [...],S. Mat. 16.26. dam­nifie and injure our souls, lose our own souls, wrong our own souls; so that no more is here call'd for but what the most real love of our selves engageth us to. He that submits to some pre­sent pain and grief, in order to the re­covery and continuance of a long health and pleasure, doth certainly therein discover not an hatred, but a love of himself: And he that is willing to un­dergo some temporal damage, yea, and the loss of his own life, in order to an eternal and glorious happiness, keeps most undeniably constant and true to this principle of self-love. Whoever then is a lover, chuser, and embracer of sin, though set off with the greatest out­ward allurements and conveniences, is really an hater and wronger of himself: And whoever hates, abandons, and for­sakes his sins, though never so much to his outward loss and damage, is in truth a lover of himself. He that is unwil­ling to leave his sins, to be disturbed in his sins, to be reproved for his sins, so far wants love to himself. He that is willing to be tempted to sin, to be flat­tered in sin, to be gratified and farthered [Page 72] in a course of sinning, is in like manner so far wanting in a true love to himself: And he that loves not himself, is not yet prepared for doing unto others what he would have others do unto him; be­cause he wills such things from others, which are indeed prejudicial and hurt­ful to himself.— Some there are who take pleasure in the corrupting and de­bauching of each other, se invicem tur­pitudine illicitae voluptatis oblectare, as S. Augustine speaks;De Civ. Dei, l. 14. c. 8. to gratifie each other in some base aund unlawful de­lights.— Now the Rule before us can­not be so understood as to warrant their wickedness, because they do unto each other as they would be done by them­selves, inasmuch as their Wills are not set upon such things as are truly good and reasonable, but really prejudicial and hurtful to themselves. Corrupted man may not thus reason, I desire not my self to be check'd for my sins, and therefore I will not blame or reprove any others; I desire my self to be ser­ved and accommodated with all means and opportunities for the accomplish­ing of my lusts, and therefore I will also farther others in the like; I love my [Page 73] self to drink to excess, and therefore I will make others drunken also, &c. Remarkable is that Precept in the Law, ‘Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy heart,Levit. 19.17. thou shalt in any wise re­buke thy Neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.’ Vide Ains­worth in loc. Some of the Jewish Writers, 'tis true, expound it to this purpose; That when one man sinneth against another, he should not inwardly hate him hereupon, but make it known to the Offender, and say, Why hast thou done thus to me? tell him freely, plain­ly, and roundly of it: And so 'tis much-what the same with that of our Blessed Saviour,S. Luk. 17.3. ‘If thy Brother sin against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.’ But then others as warrantably take the words in a greater extent; He that seeth his Neigh­bour sin, saith Maimonides, or walk in a way not good, is commanded to ad­monish him to do better, and to certi­fie him, that he sinneth against himself by his evil deeds, as it is written, ‘Re­buking thou shalt rebuke thy Neigh­bour,’ which is the Original of this Law in Leviticus. The Hebrew word is noted to signifie, to rebuke with con­viction [Page 74] of argument, by words to shew what is right, and refel the contrary. But that which I chiefly observe here, is, that this is injoyned as an Office of Love to our Neighbour; ‘Thou shalt not hate thy neighbour in thy heart; thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him:’ or, as it may be rendred, ‘lest thou bear sin for him,’ i. e. become guilty of his sin, and so partake of his punishment.— To keep others from sin, is to keep them from doing the greatest mischief to themselves, and so an undoubted office of the truest love: and on the other side, to sollicite per­sons unto sin, or to sooth them up in their sins, is to do them the greatest in­jury, and so to hate them in our hearts. Thus therefore we may not do to others, though we should vitiously covet that others should do so unto us, because this will of ours ariseth not from a true love to our selves, but from a perverted love, a blind and mistaken love, a love which is really and effectually the great­est hatred: Such a false love as this de­ceiveth many, and is too common in the world.

Erasmus intending to shew how men abuse the words of Love and Hatred, Jam amoris & odii voca­bulis vide quam mundus abutatur. Cum adoles­cens insanus puellam de­perit, id vul­gus amorem appellat, cum nullum verius sit odium. Ve­rus amor vel suo dispendio commodis a­lienis consu­lere cupit. Il­le quo nisi ad suam volupta­tem spectat? Igitur non il­lam sed semet­ipsum amat, quanquam ne se quidem a­mat: nemo enim alium amare potest, nisi se prius amarit, sed rectè: nemo quenquam o­disse potest, nisi se prius oderit: verum bene amare nonnunquam bene odisse est & rectè odisse amasse est, &c. Erasm. Enchirid. Mil. Christiani, p. 135, 136. discourseth thus: —When a Youth is mad of a young Maid, that the common people call Love, when as there is not a truer hatred. True love consults ano­thers benefit, though with his own loss. But what doth this fond Youth look at, save his own pleasure? He loves not her therefore, but himself: nay, he loves not indeed himself; for none can love another, unless he first love himself, and that aright: none can hate another, unless he first hate himself. But then to love well is sometimes to hate well, and to hate well is to love well: Therefore he that for so small an advantage by his flatteries and gifts lays snares for the Maid, that he may deprive her of that which is her best, to wit, her integrity, her modesty, her simplicity, her good mind, her fame, does this man, think you, hate or love her? Certainly there can be no hatred more cruel than this. So when foolish Parents indulge their Childrens Vices, men say com­monly, How tenderly do these Persons [Page 76] love their Children! But rather, how cruelly do they hate them, who whilst they give way to their own affections, neglect their Childrens salvation? For what other thing doth our most envious enemy the Devil wish us, than that here sinning with impunity, we should fall into eternal punishment? Again, Men call him a gentle Master, and a merciful Prince, who either connives at, or fa­vours certain wickednesses, that they may sin the more licentiously, being left without the dread of punishment. But what else doth the Lord threaten by his Prophet to those whom he thinketh un­worthy of his mercy? ‘And I will not visit upon your daughters, saith he, when they commit fornication, &c.’ And what did he promise to David? ‘I will visit, saith he, with the rod their iniquities, and with stripes their sins; but my mercy will I not take away from them.’— In Christ all things are made new, and the names of things are changed. He that loves himself amiss, doth bear a deadly hatred to himself. He that misplaceth his mercy is cruel. Well to take care of a mans self, is to neglect himself. Well to hurt [Page 77] himself, is to profit himself. Well to destroy himself, is to preserve himself. Thou wilt then shew a care to thy self, if thou shalt contemn the desires of the flesh. Thou wilt do that man a cour­tesie, whose vices thou shalt be cruel against; if thou shalt slay the sinner, thou shalt save the man; if thou shalt destroy what Man hath done amiss, thou shalt restore what God made.— Thus far Erasmus, whose words I have translated hither, as a pertinent illustra­tion both of that pretended love which is so common among men, and that ge­nuine and sincere love to our selves, which the Rule I am speaking of pre­supposeth and is built upon.

(2.) This Rule presupposeth farther a continual converse with our selves, a living in the daily exercise of considera­tion and self-reflection, that we may not act towards others rashly and unadvi­sedly, but upon a true understanding and compare of anothers condition with our own; that we may know what we should expect from other men, and so what they in like manner may reasona­bly challenge and require of us. The Rule is wholly and altogether in vain, [Page 78] if men never give themselves to consi­der, or live at such a rate that they are indisposed for the exercise of self-refle­ction. It is in vain, as I said, to pre­scribe to any, that they would do unto others as they would others should do unto them, if they never reflect upon their own thoughts and desires, if they never take time impartially to suppose themselves in anothers state, and make anothers case their own. This Prescri­ption therefore of our Blessed Saviour supposeth men to live a sober and tem­perate life, in the free exercise of their reasonable and deliberate thoughts; not so to immerse themselves in the cares of the world, or a multitude of imploy­ments; not so to drown and besot themselves with sensual entertainments, to make their souls heavy with drunken­ness and excess; not so to transport themselves with passion and lust, as to indispose themselves wholly for consi­deration, or the unbyassed and unpreju­dicate application of it, for the squaring and direction of their actions. God having made us reasonable Creatures, and written certain Laws of equity up­on the Tables of our Conscience, expects [Page 79] from us that we should find time to re­flect and consider with our selves, and keep our selves in a temper capable of inferring from our own thoughts the Principles of our doings, that we may even of our selves judge that which is right: and we shall never act according to this Rule of doing as we would be done by, unless our thoughts continu­ally hold a looking-glass before our eyes, or present a balance to our hands, for the due pondering and weighing of our own state and condition and other mens together, that so our own ratio­nal desires and expectations from others, may regulate our actions to­wards them. This Law of Christ, you see, clearly presupposeth much of self-converse, and such a way of life as may dispose us thereunto; that we never so devote our selves to any drudging Im­ployment, as to hinder the making of a pause now and then with our own thoughts; and that we lead not such a brutish course, as to be left uncapable of consideration to any good effect or purpose, never to understand what is fitting for our selves to desire of others, never to mind and observe the case of [Page 80] others, or never to be like Men or Chri­stians affected therewith; like those mentioned in the Prophet Amos, Amos 6.1, 3, 4, 5, 6. ‘who are at ease in Sion, and secure in the Mountain of Samaria; who put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch them­selves upon their couches, and eat lambs out of the flock, and calves out of the midst of the stall; that chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick like David; that drink wine in bowls, and annoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph:’ That is, Who lay to heart no more the troubles of the Posterity of Joseph, than his Bre­thren did his in particular, when they cast him into the Pit, and sold him to the Merchants, never minding or care­ing what became of him; but indulge themselves in the mean while to all ex­cess of riot, even whilst other of their Brethren languish under want and op­pression. Such persons as these, who live in jollity, and spend their time in pleasure, to the satisfaction of the flesh, [Page 81] do usually cast off all thoughtfulness about others, who are in misery and ad­versity: that is, they never consider the hardships and calamities that others un­dergo, and so what they would look for at others hands were they in their case.

These two are the more general Sup­positions which the Rule of the Text buildeth upon, to wit, our natural and genuine love to our selves, and our li­ving in the due exercise of thoughtful­ness and consideration, self-converse and reflection, that we may know upon eve­ry occasion what we should reasonably desire of others for our selves.

SECT. VI.

THere are yet three things farther, which do more particularly de­clare the Foundation and reasonableness of this Precept to us, viz.

1.See Dr. Jack­son's excellent Sermons on the Text, l. 11. c. 32. 33. The actual equality of all Men by Nature, and of Christians by Grace.

2. The possible equality of Conditi­on in all: And,

3. The immovable Standard and Rule of Justice, which gives all to ex­pect [Page 82] from God and Men here, or at least from God hereafter, accordingly as they have measured unto others.

We all stand upon equal terms by Nature, as we are Men of the same kind; and by Grace, as Christians.

Possible it is, we may our selves be in the very same condition with others: And,

Certain it is, that we shall our selves either here or hereafter receive the same measure we mete to others with: And therefore,

In all these laid together we have a firm ground for the Precept now consi­dered of, that whatsoever we would should be done to us, we do the same to others. Of each of these Heads briefly.

(1.) All men have an equality by Nature.Nihil est u­num uni tam simile tam par, quam omnes inter nosmet su­mus. Cicero de Leg. l. 1. Though they differ much from each other in their places and sta­tions in the world, yet 'tis but as so many Figures of the same denomination would do in different places, one sup­pose in the Unites, another in the Tens, another in the Hundreds, another in the Thousands, &c. We are all of the [Page 83] same kind, partakers of the same rea­sonable and religious nature: We are all consanguinei, descended from one common Parent: We are all originally of the same dust, and shall be resolved into the same again: We are all made and preserved by one and the same God. —Omnibus ille idem pater est. I may here well demand with the Prophet, ‘Have we not all one Father?Mal. 2.10. Hath not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother?’ q. d. Partial and treache­rous dealing is unaccountable between them who stand related each to other as fellow-creatures of the same God, as fellow-brethren of one and the same Father.Job 31.13, 14, 15. ‘If I did despise the cause of my man-servant, or of my maid-ser­vant, when they contended with me, (saith Job) what then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him? Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb? or, as the margin reads, Did he not fashion us in one womb? The rich and the poor meet together,Prov. 22. [...] (saith Solomon) the Lord is the Maker [Page 84] of them all.Prov. 29.13.’ And again, ‘The Lord enlightneth both their eyes. "God (saith the Apostle Paul) that made the world,Act. 17.26. and all things therein, hath made of one blood all Nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth.’ And, saith the Psalmist of these Inhabi­tants of the earth, ‘The Lord fashio­neth their hearts alike.Psal. 33.15.’ So that we may well conceive what others would desire of us,Alterius ani­mum de tuo metiaris. Lactant. by what we our selves de­sire of others; and there is great reason we should be to others such as we would have them be towards our selves,Prov. 27.19. As in water face answer­eth to face, so the heart of man to man. Wisd. 7.6. All men have one entrance into life, and the like going out. even upon this account I am speaking of; in as much as we are partakers of one and the same humane Nature, joynt possessors of the same Earth, Fellow-Citizens of the same World, Brethren of the same Descent, Branches sprout­ing from one and the same Stock. All men are valuable to us, in that they are homines, Lactant. & idem quod nos sumus, men, and the same that we our selves are. When God injoyns us to love one ano­ther, 'tis, as S. Chrysostom somewhere observes,Ecclus 13.15. Every beast loveth his like. little more than that natural Law, quam Leones & Lupi servant, which even Lions and Wolves keep to, [Page 85] not to devour Creatures of the same kind with themselves: ‘—saevis inter se convenit Ʋrsis.’ The savage Bears do yet agree with each other. [...].—Theocr. Idyl. 9. Where there is nothing else to tye and oblige us unto others, their communion and participation of the same nature with our selves is sufficient. Humanitas summum inter se hominum vinculum, as Lactantius speaks.Est aliquid quod in ho­minem licere commune jus animantium vetet, quia ejusdem na­turae est cu­jus tu.—Sen. de Clem. li. 1. c. 18. To this purpose Seneca well notes, that there is somewhat unlawful towards man upon this common right with other living Creatures, even because he is of the same nature with our selves. And there­fore Aristotle, when he was accused for relieving a notoriously wicked man, made this rational Appology for him­self, [...]. That he had not respect to the manners, but to the man: And again, [...]. That he gave not to the man as so qualified; but relieved Humanity in him, considered the Nature more than the Person. Thus far we have an actual equality with each other as men, in as much as we are all of one and the same kind, fashioned alike as to the frame of our Bodies and [Page 86] the general inclinations of our hearts, partakers, as of the same flesh and blood, so of the same reasonable souls; descended from the same Adam, ha­ving one and the same Creator, and bearing the same Divine Image; born alike into the world, [...] Phocyl. Poem. admon. and passing alike out of it, and to be raised alike again af­ter Death to Judgment.

But then beyond this the Christian Religion equals us much more, in as much as we are thereby made capable of the same happiness, and redeemed and purchased by the same Saviour, who tasted death alike for every man, and gave himself a ransom for all.Tantum hoc cogita, frater est in Domi­no, cohaeres in Christo, e­jusdem cor­poris mem­brum, eodem redemptus sanguine, fidei communis so­cius, ad ean­dem gratiam & felicitatem futurae vitae vocatus: quemadmodum Apostolus dixit, Unum corpus & unus spiritus, sicut vocati estis in unâ spe vocationis ve­strae, unus Dominus & una Fides, unum Baptisma, unus Deus & Pater omnium. Alienus esse qui potest quicum tibi tam multiplex intercedit unitatis copula? Erasm. Enchir. Mil. Christ. p. 143, 144. And we, as Christians, are farther equal, in that we are united in the same Sacra­ments, in the same Faith and Hope, Dis­ciples of the same Lord and Master, Be­lievers of the same Gospel, Baptized with the same Water, Participants of that one Loaf and one Cup, which is the Body and Blood of Christ, sancti­fied with one and the same Spirit, en­riched [Page 87] with the same Grace, Fellow-members of the same mystical Body, one only holy and Catholick Church, and Joynt-heirs of the same Promises and Glory.—Who now art thou, whe­ther Man or Christian, that vauntest and preferrest thy self above others, or re­fusest to walk by the same Rule towards them, which thou art ready to prescribe them towards thy self?

This is the first Particular, The Actu­al Equality of all Men by Nature, and of Christians by Grace: Upon the ac­count of which we should, as S. Paul adviseth, ‘be of the same mind one towards another, and be kindly affe­ctioned one to another, with brotherly love, in honour preferring one ano­ther, Rom. 12.’

(2.) Possible it is for every man to be in the same state and condition with any other. ‘As with the People,Isa. 24.2. so with the Priest, or Prince; as with the Ser­vant, so with his Master; as with the Maid, so with her Mistress; as with the Buyer, so with the Seller; as with the Lender, so with the Borrower; as with the taker of Usury, so with the [Page 88] giver of Usury to him,’ saith the Pro­phet. Quod cuiquam contigit, cuivis po­test; That which hath hapned to ano­ther, may happen unto thee. We should all thus reckon with our selves, that be­ing Men, we may possibly undergo whatsoever other Men have undergone, or do undergo. We are liable to the same imfirmities, and the same afflicti­ons, and the same temptations with others.1 Cor. 10.12, 13. ‘Let him that thinketh he standeth, saith the Apostle, take heed lest he fall: There hath no tempta­tion taken you, [...], but such as is vulgaris & frequens inter homines, common unto men.’ And again, in his Epistle to the Galatians, (which I before occasionally mentioned) ‘Brethren,Gal 6.1. if any man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering thy self, lest thou also be tempted.’ Det ille veniam facile, cui venia est opus, as Seneca hath it; Let him be ready to pardon, who himself stands in need of pardon:vers. 2. ‘Bear ye one anothers burdens, and so fulfil the Law of Christ.’ Again, when S. Paul presseth unto Christian Charity, ‘I [Page 89] mean not, saith he,2 Cor. 8.13, 14. that other men should be eased, and you burthened: but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want, that there may be equality:’ Putting them in mind in the time of their ful­ness, that a time of want might come unto them also, wherein it would be as desirable for them to partake of the abundance of others, as it was now seasonable for others to partake of theirs.— ‘Remember,Hebr. 13.3. saith the Au­thor to the Hebrews, them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being your selves also in the body:’ In cor­pore iisdem malis obnoxio; as being your selves clothed with the same frail and mortal flesh, and subject to the same evil and sad accidents, liable to the same bonds and adversity which they suffer under. This is a natural Princi­ple of compassion and sympathy with others, whatever their condition be, that ours may be the same.Rom. 12.15. ‘Rejoyce therefore with them that rejoyce, and weep with them that weep.’ — 'Tis [Page 90] possible, [...]. Hesiod. He that re­quiteth good turns is mind­ful of what may come hereafter, and when he fall­eth he shall find a stay, Ecclus 3.31. Dishonor not a man in his old age, for e­ven some of us wax old, ch. 8.6. Help thy neighbor according to thy power, & beware that thou fall not into the same, ch. 29.20. Many Kings have sate on the ground, &c. ch. 11.5, 6. When thou hast enough remember the time of hun­ger, and when thou art rich think upon poverty and need, &c. ch. 18.25, 26. Remember my judgment, for thine also shall be so: yesterday for me, and to day for thee, ch. 38.22. [...]. Phocyl. I say, that the condition of another may be the same hereafter with ours, and ours the same with anothers; and therefore we are in every state of life so to carry it towards others, as we would desire them, when the case is altered, to do towards us. Thou who art a Servant, maist be a Master: Thou whou who art a Master, also a Servant: Thou who art a Parent, hast been a Child; and thou who art a Child, mayst be a Parent: Thou who art rich, mayst become poor; and thou who art poor, mayst, by God's blessing, become rich: Thou who art well in health and ease, mayst be sick and pained; Thou who art young, mayst be old and decre­pit; Thou who art beautiful, mayst be deformed, &c.

We are all liable to variety of chan­ges in the world, and may possibly ex­change relations and conditions with other men; and therefore should now do to others as we would then have them do to us. That is the second Par­ticular.

[Page 91](3.) And lastly, 'Tis the dictate both of Nature and Scripture, That we are to look for the same measure from God and Men, either here or hereafter, where­with we mete unto others. The Hea­then Cicero quotes it from an ancient Poet,

He that prepares destruction for ano­ther, should know that a like Plague is prepared for himself to partake of: And Seneca asks the Question, Quae in­juria est pati quod prior ipse feceris? Wherein art thou injured, if thou suf­ferest but what thou hast first done thy self? A guilty Conscience naturally suggests unto the sinner to expect evil in the same manner and measure wherein he hath done it; and 'tis a peculiar Attribute whereby Almighty God is known unto us, ‘The God to whom vengeance belongeth, to whom ven­geance belongeth, reduplicativè;’ and he will certainly repay it, in making the evil of punishment commensurate to [Page 92] that of sinning, and doing to men as they have dealt to others. How readily did the guilty minds of Joseph's Bre­thren acquit God for a just retribution upon themselves, revenging their carri­age towards their Brother:Gen. 42.21. ‘We are verily guilty, say they, concerning our brother, in that we saw the an­guish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear: there­fore is this distress come upon us.’ Adonibezeck in like manner, when his thumbs and great toes were cut off, ‘Seventy Kings,Judg. 1.6, 7. saith he, having their thumbs and great toes cut off, gather­ed their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me.’ Instances of this kind there are very ma­ny, had I time now to collect them. ‘He made a pit and digged it,Psal. 7.15, 16. See Ecclus 27.26. saith the Psalmist of the wicked man, and is fallen into the ditch which he made; his mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.’ And Solomon hath forewarned sinners what they must expect;Prov. 1.21. ‘They shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.’ And [Page 93] again,Prov. 5.22. ‘His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. Wo to thee that spoilest,Isa. 33.1. saith the Prophet, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee: when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.’ To the same effect the Prophet Micah, Micah. 3.4. ‘Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them; he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved them­selves ill in their doings.S. Mat. 7.1, 2. "Judge not, saith our Blessed Saviour, that ye be not judged: for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.’ And in the foregoing Chapter,ch. 6.14, 15. ‘If ye for­give men their trespasses,Compare this with Ecclus 28.1, 2, 3, 4. He that re­vengeth shall find venge­ance from the Lord. — He sheweth no mercy to a man which is like himself, and doth he ask forgiveness of his own sins? your hea­venly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their tres­passes, neither will your heavenly Fa­ther [Page 94] forgive your trespasses.’ To which purpose you may peruse at leisure that excellent Parable of the Lords recalling his Pardon upon the Servants severity towards his Fellow-servants, S. Mat. 18. But instead of many Texts, I may well refer you to that general Admonition of S. Paul to his Galatians, Gal. 6.7. ‘Be not decei­ved, God is not mocked; for what­soever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ 'Tis a frequent Proverb among all Nations: Cicero hath it in his second Book de Oratore; Prout sementem fece­ris, ità & metes; Men shall reap for quantity and quality as they have sown, of the same kind, and in the same mea­sure.Job 4.8. ‘They that plow iniquity and sow wickedness reap the same, saith Eliphaz: Prov. 11.18. "But to him that soweth righteousness, saith Solomon, shall be a sure reward.2 Cor. 9.6. "He which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully, saith the Apostle.’ 'Tis very remarkable that S. James having mentioned the Royal Law, ‘Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self,’ as comprehensive of all particular Du­ties towards our Neighbour, thus en­forceth [Page 95] it, ‘So speak ye, and so do,S. Jam. 2.12, 13. as they that shall be judged by the Law of Liberty,’ (i. e. the above-mentio­ned Law of Christ, who hath made us free,See Prov. 21.13. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mer­cy, S. Mat. 5. Rev. 14.13. 2 Cor. 5.10. and the Law which is given to us as Free-men equally respecting all:) ‘For he shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy;’ that is, He shall reap as he hath sown. The Works of good men are said to follow them; and, ‘We must all ap­pear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, saith the Apostle, that every one may receive the things done in his Body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad.’ A pat Example to illustrate this, we have in the Parable of Dives and Lazarus, S. Luk. 16.19, 20, &c. where the rich man, who denied Laza­rus the crums of his Table, begs in vain for a cooling drop from Lazarus his finger; and Father Abraham gives him this then unwelcom Memento, Wherewith a man sinneth, by the same also shall he be punished. Wisd. 11.16. ‘Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things, and La­zarus likewise evil things: but now (the Tide is turned) "he is comforted, and thou art tormented.’

Nothing but an hearty and Evangeli­cal [Page 96] Repentance can interpose between us and the due recompence of our sins: [...]. nothing, I say, but that Gospel-Repen­tance, which may engage the Mercy and Grace of God to mitigate the rigor of his Justice for us, by pleading the Me­rits of a dying Saviour as abundant sa­tisfaction.

We are then to do the same things to others, which upon substantial and Scri­pture grounds we hope to receive our selves: And if we do otherwise, ‘Quam temerè in nobis legem sancimus iniquam!Horat.’ How rashly and unadvisedly do we our selves make a Law to punish our selves, and prepare Scourges for our own Backs?

These now I conceive to be the chief Grounds which the Equity of the Prin­ciple before us is supported by, in so much as,

(1.) We stand upon so equal terms by Nature and Grace with each other: And,

(2.) 'Tis very possible for us to change Relations and Conditions with others: And,

(3.) We have all the reason in the [Page 97] World to expect and look for the same measure we mete unto others, to be paid home in our own Coin.

We should therefore do unto others in all things even so as we would desire our selves to be dealt withal.

SECT. VII.

THat which now remains, is by retail to give in the chief Parti­culars that are comprized under this General Rule,Dolus latet in universalibus. Generalia non punguut. the better to reduce it into practice: For 'tis as a Fountain from whence our particular Duties to­wards our Neighbours,Epictetus notes it as the cause of all evils unto men, [...], not to skill the adapting of common and general Notions to particular cases. Epictet. Enchirid. as so many Streams, are derived; or as a common Root, from whence, as so many Branch­es, they naturally sprout forth.

The Principal Heads I shall here di­scourse upon are these seven.

(1.) This Rule obligeth us to all sincerity, uprightness, and integrity of behaviour each to other.

(2.) To unplume and divest our [Page 98] selves of pride, arrogance, and haughti­ness, and to be clothed with humility.

(3.) To an universal innocency and harmlesness.

(4.) In case of offence committed, or wrong and injury done, to make re­stitution or amends.

(5.) To a respective obedience, sub­mission, and reverence to our Superiors and Governors.

(6.) To all the positive acts of Ju­stice: And,

(7.) To all the dispositions and Pra­ctices of Love and Charity.

In all which Points now I shall only be as a Remembrancer to the Reader's Conscience, in what that naturally speaks and suggests unto him.

First then, I say, this Rule challengeth from us all uprightness, sincerity, and integrity in our behaviour and dealings. S. Augustine well refers it ad simplicita­tem cordis, Cit. in Cate­na D. Thomae super Evang. to singleness of heart; for, as he adds, nemo velit quenquam duplici corde secum agere, there is none that would have another deal with a double heart towards himself. We are all for sincerity in other mens dealings and [Page 99] converse with our selves. The Hypo­crite is a Creature hateful not only to God but Man; so that he spake the ge­neral sense of Mankind, who said,

That he hated him like Hell, who spake one thing and did another. Smooth speeches, demure looks, humble ge­stures and courtships, are not Oratory sufficient to procure our love and liking unto any, whom we know thereby only to serve his own ends upon us, and seek our ruine and mischief.

Who would welcom a treacherous Judas, though approaching with an Hail Master, and kissing him? Who would welcom a dissembling Joab, speaking friendly on purpose that he may smite the more unsuspectedly under the fifth rib? Every one detests and abo­minates a known Liar and Hypocrite: ‘He that worketh deceit, saith David, Psal. 101.7. shall not dwell in my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.’ Agreeable whereto was the practice of Constantius the Father of Constantine the Great.Lib. 1. de vitâ. Const c. 16. Eusebius relates it with a memo­rable Preface; [...]. [Page 100] The story this: Con­stantius, though himself no Christian, propounded this Experiment among his Courtiers and Judges, That if they would sacrifice to Idols, they should abide in his Palace, and enjoy their Ho­nours and Preferments: but if they re­fused, they should be excluded and ba­nished from his Presence and Imploy­ment. His Court hereupon was divi­ded, some rather chusing to forsake all than to sacrifice unto Idols; others pre­ferring their Offices and Honours before their Christianity. But he in the issue having made the discovery which he chiefly aimed at, commended the sin­cere and resolute Christians, but con­demned the hypocritical, as persons un­worthy and unfit to be admitted by him unto a place of Honour and Trust, who would be so unfaithful to their God: For how, saith he, will they be ever faithful to their Prince, [...]; Euseb. ibid. who have been found so persidious and unconstant to their God, whom they ought to esteem much better and above their Prince?

Of these Hypocrites therefore he [Page 101] cleared his Court, and advanced the other Confessors to places of the highest consequence. There is no gilding or varnish which can make treacherousness and perfidiousness appear lovely. Now 'tis easie to infer hence, that we should not be that in this particular unto others, which we can by no means ap­prove they should be to us.Rom. 12.9. [...]. ‘Let love be without dissimulation,’ saith S. Paul: And S. Peter to the same purpose, ‘See­ing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth,1 S. Pet. 1.22. [...]. through the Spi­rit, unto unfeigned love of the Bre­thren; see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently, or du­rably.’

That which is counterfeit is not at all valuable; nay, when once it appears (as Cheats seldom deceive long, Shews and Colours will wear off, Lies are but for a short continuance) most detestable and odious.

The love we bear to our selves is un­counterfeit and sincere; such therefore should be that we bear to others. We do unfeignedly prosecute our own inte­rest and concerns; so therefore should we do other mens. That was the com­mendation [Page 102] S. Paul gave Timothy, in his Epistle to the Philippians; Phil. 2.20, 21. ‘I have no man like-minded, saith he, who will naturally care for your state; for all seek their own, none the things that are Christs.’ They seek their own heartily and sincerely, the things of Christ and Christians in pretence and shew only: but good men, such as Ti­mothy was, do naturally care for the concerns of Christ's Members, as for their own; [...], genuinely, and with­out dissimulation.

True indeed, men do sometimes, through their folly, and ignorance, and depraved affections, flatter and de­ceive themselves, impose upon and de­lude themselves: but who would do so upon design, and wittingly? who con­sonantly and agreeably to the Principle of Self-love? — We desire others should be to us really what they seem to be; so therefore should we our selves be to others.

This sincerity I am speaking of, is not so much any single Vertue, as the ground-work and life of all, without which they are not that they are taken for. Counterfeit Gold is not Gold: [Page 103] Counterfeit Pearl is not Pearl. In like manner, counterfeit Goodness is not Goodness: but Vice becomes the more vicious, by hiding of her self under the garment of Piety. Simulata sanctitas duplex iniquitas.

We have no love to our Neighbour at all, if it be not sincere: yea, saith Solomon, ‘He that hateth,Prov. 26.24, 25, 26, 28. dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him: when he speaketh fair, believe him not; for there are seven abominations in his heart. Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wick­edness shall be shewed before the whole Congregation. A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it, and a flattering mouth worketh ruine.’

Salvian gives us this pertinent descri­ption of false Friends and dissembling Mourners,Ad Eccles. Cathol. l. 3. that often surround the Beds of dying Persons, waiting like Eagles for a Carcass to prey upon. Thou seest, saith he, their forced Tears, their coun­terfeit Sighs, their feigned Trouble, not inwardly desiring thy recovery, but ex­pecting when thou wilt be gone: Vide defixos in te & quasi accusantes tui obitus tarditatem omnium vultus; See all their [Page 104] Countenances fixed upon thee, and ac­cusing, as it were, the slowness of thy departure: Non te sed patrimonium tuum diligunt; 'Tis not thee, but thine Inheritance which they love. And there­fore he cautions us well against the flat­teries and blandishments of such: Gla­dii sunt, jugulatores tui, & quidem ferreis atque hostilibus gladiis tetriores; They are, saith he, killing swords, and worse by far than the iron weapons of Ene­mies: For these are open, and seen by every one; but unwary ones see not the other: These being seen are more easily avoided; but the other slay by their trea­cherous secrecy: These none are willing to be hurt by; but many are ambitious of the other, loving to be flattered: These whoever is assaulted with, suffers both fear and grief; the other kill men with delight, and do in a manner tickle them to death; They die, as 'tis said of some, laughing.

But most certain it is, That all deceit and flattery and hypocrisie would soon vanish out of the world, did men ob­serve this Golden Rule, to do to others as they should chuse to be done by; did they once love their Neighbour as them­selves.

Secondly, The same Rule reads us a Lecture of Humility, and gives a fair occasion to declaim against Pride and Arrogance: For who is there that al­lows and approves of the proud mans carriage towards himself? Who is there to whom high looks, insolent answers, contemptuous neglects, a lofty and scornful carriage in other men, are not burthensom and grievous? Who is there to whom the humanity, courte­sie, and respect of the humble, is not grateful and acceptable? Pride is a most unsociable Vice: No man cares for bearing the proud man company. He must set Laws to all he converseth with: He must be pleased, and obser­ved, and humoured, or 'tis impossible to preserve quiet; and no man loves to be confin'd to so much observance. He can be content to abuse and deride others, to make a mock and jest of them; but will not endure the least re­flection upon himself. He will contra­dict every one, but none may gainsay him: And if any cross or offend him, he becomes inexorable; nothing will suffice but revenge, and that in the high­est [Page 106] degree: A word misplaced shall forfeit the mans life. Pride is made up of self-admiration, and despising or dis­daining of others; an over-weening esteem of a mans own excellency, and a supercilious undervaluing of others: And both these dispositions are at great odds with that temper which is fitted for comfortable and delightful Society with other men. So far is every one in love with himself, that he cannot endure to be trodden under foot, nor will he patiently suffer another to insult over him. 'Tis irksom unto every body to converse with such who are continually boasting of themselves, and disparaging or detracting from others:Terent. Qui nisi quod ipsi faciunt nihil rectum putant, who like nothing but what they do them­selves, and are continually blaming or finding fault with other men.

The proudest man that lives is yet a professed enemy to his Brother Pride, treads on Pride with greater pride, and cannot endure his darling and beloved sin in another.Vide Casaub. ad Theoph. Charact. p. 353. Pride, I find, was a vice of so odious and ignominious a name of old, that Tarquin for many Vices together received the Title of Superbus, [Page 107] as comprehensive of all; Tarquin the Proud. This was their execratio postre­ma, the greatest Curse they could load his Memory with. Hominem, libidine praecipitem, avaritiâ caecum, immanem cru­delitate, fruore vaecordem, vocaverunt Superbum, & putaverunt sufficere con­vitium: They call'd him Proud, and thought this a Reproach big enough to take in his other ill qualities of notori­ous Lust, and Avarice, and Cruelty, and Rage. We Christians have not a word including more of malignity in it, than that of Devil; and yet Pride, we know, made him such, transform'd him, of an Angel of Light, into a Devil: So S. Chrysostom speaks;Homil. quo­modo fratrum peccata re­prehend. [...].

How many, nevertheless, be there herein ambitious of the Devils Likeness and Image? ‘There is a Generation,Prov. 30.13. O how lofty are their eyes! and their eye-lids are lifted up:’ They seem to forget the dust out of which they were raised, and into which they must return: They forget that they are Members of a Community with others, and that other men are of the same kind and make with themselves: They are apt to reckon [Page 108] themselves made on purpose to domi­neer over others, and others made on purpose to be their Slaves and Vassals: They dote on themselves as Gods, and are angry at every one that will not fall down and worship them: If there be a Mordecai in the Gates, that will not bow and do humble reverence, he shall be devoted to the Gallows, and his Kindred to destruction. If the poor and mean man have a Request to prefer, he must wait all opportunities, from time to time dance attendance, and at length, it may be, be discountenanced with a surly look, or peevish reply, or re­ceive possibly his own just Dues with a Curse and Rebuke, if not a Blow, for being so sawcie and presumptuous as to seek the maintenance of his Charge and Family, from those who have rioted with his Moneys. Let such men think of themselves as they please, we must needs resolve with Solomon, That ‘Proud and haughty Scorner is his name,Prov. 21.24.’ who dealeth in proud wrath, or the wrath of Pride. —But what a blessed Reformation would the Rule I am upon introduce in this point? How soon would humility, meekness, friend­liness, [Page 109] affability, humanity, take the room of pride, and haughtiness, and moroseness, those most unsociable dis­positions? Men would respect the Dig­nities of Humane Nature and Divine Grace in the meanest: Nothing would ‘be done through strife or vain glory,Phil. 2.3. but in lowliness of mind men would esteem others better than themselves:’ They would live and love together as Brethren, being pitiful and courteous.1 S. Pet. 3.8. There is not a more obliging quality than this in the world. We all desire others should approve themselves hum­ble, and lowly, and respective in their words, and actions, and gestures towards our selves; and therefore we are enga­ged to divest our selves of arrogance, to put off pride and insolence towards others, to be "clothed with humility,1 S. Pet. 5.5. and wear it as our Badge, by which we may be known; for so the Apostle's word [...] is thought to import: Nothing certainly more becomes us, as Men, or Christians, than this Garb.

This inclination is so much and so commonly taken notice of in men, viz. a love and desire to be respected, that the best Politicians are wont to make [Page 110] their advantage of it, gaining upon the affections of the People by crouching, and humbling themselves in their de­portments to them. And Rehoboam the Son of Solomon lost ten Tribes irrecove­rably, by his neglect of this piece of Policy: He hearned not to the advice of the Old men, who spake to him, saying, ‘If thou wilt be a servant to this peo­ple this day,1 Kings 12.6, 7, &c. and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words unto them, then they will be thy Ser­vants for ever.’ But he closed with the rash and heady Counsel of the Young men that grew up with him, who spake unto him, saying, ‘Thus shalt thou speak unto this People, who spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter to us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my fathers loyns; and now whereas my father did lade you with an heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: My father hath chastened you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’

This Counsel now took with him, and he answered the people roughly after [Page 111] this fashion: Whereupon the incensed people, headed by Jeroboam, make a re­volt from him, and rebellion against him, saying, ‘What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the Son Jesse: To your tents, O Israel.’ Now see to thine house, David. Had this King listned to the aged, whose passions were tamer, and their judg­ments better instructed by long observa­tion; or had he duly weighed his Fa­thers Maxime,Prov. 15.1. ‘A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up strife:’ Had he condescended a little to these discontented people; had he shewed himself humble and courte­ous, and relieved at least their heavy burdens and grievances with mild and gentle words; he had prevented this Revolt: But his rough Answers raised those Winds and Tempests, which all his Power could never after charm down or allay again. So deeply is that Principle rooted in men, they cannot endure to be slighted, and trampled on with the foot of Pride. That Traytor Jeroboam took hold of this advantage of disgust given by the King to the People, and easily tempted them by his smoother [Page 112] Promises into an open and unappeasable Mutiny and Rebellion; in like manner, we may presume,2 Sam. 15.1, 2, 3, &c. as Absolom insinuated himself into the Peoples favour, by courteous speeches, and salutations, and flatteries, complaints of others misgo­vernment and abuses, and declarations of what relief he would afford them were he but once in power: ‘O, saith he, that I were made Judge in the Land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him Justice! And it was so, that when any man came nigh him to do him obeysance, he put forth his hand and took him and kis­sed him. So Absolom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. Psal. 10.10. "He crouch- and humbleth himself, as the Psalmist speaks, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.’ The like Observations to which have occasioned our Proverb, Full of Courtesie, full of Craft: and we have seen enough of this kind of Pra­ctice, with the Effects of it, in the De­magogues and Popular Orators of later Times, who have scorned no servile fawnings in order to the compassing of their own Designs.

But my aim is not here to counte­nance the Arts of Flattery and Craft, ‘Words smoother than butter,Psal. 55.21. and softer than Oyl,’ whilst War is in the heart: No, these are already banish'd by the former Particular, which re­quir'd all sincerity, uprightness, and in­tegrity in our behaviour towards others. I have given these Instances only to shew how much people are in love with Hu­mility in the carriage of others towards themselves, since the very shadows and resemblances of it have been of so noted influence; and how much, on the other side, they hate Pride and Insolency in others to themselves, since a few rough and harsh words and answers have been able to effect so much mischief. So that if we will deal with others as we desire they should deal with us, 'tis certain, we shall learn from hence the Practice of Humility.

SECT. VIII.

THirdly, This Rule trains us up to an universal Innocency, that we do wrong to no man, but in the Lan­guage of the Apostle,Phil. 2.15. ‘Be blameless and harmless, the Sons of God with­out rebuke, though in the midst of a crooked and perverse Generation.’

Now wrong we may do to others ei­ther in their Persons, or Relations, or Possessions, or Good Names and Repu­tation; and in reference to each of these we are taught Innocency: that Inno­cency, or Negative Justice, Pythagorean Justice, which, as Hierocles Hierocl. defines it, consists [...]. In abstaining from what is anothers, and not hurting of another, nor raising ones own Profit and Gains from anothers Misery and Calamities.

First, We must not wrong or injure the Person of our Neighbour, because we would not that any other should wrong or injure ours. Now a Mans Person, you know, consists of these two parts, Soul and Body; in either of [Page 115] which he is capable of receiving wrong and injury: and therefore, in reference unto both, we are obliged by this Rule before us, to preserve and maintain In­nocency.

(1.) Then we may not wrong and injure the Soul of another: And that we do aither in the natural sense, as often as we grieve and offend anothers mind, occasion the trouble of his thoughts, and the disquiet and discomposure of his spirit, that sorrow of heart, ‘where­by, as Solomon speaks,Prov. 15.13. the spirit is broken;’ or in the spiritual sense, as often as we make others to sin, whereby they wrong their own Souls in the high­est degree, and hazard their eternal loss and punishment.

We must not, where we may avoid it, vex and disturb the mind of our Neighbour, give our selves to cross and displease others; for we would not that others should do so to us. Thus to do, is an apparent wrong and injury; for when once the mind is broken with grief, and vexed with disquiet, the man is ex­posed to great temptations, and unfitted for the chearful serving of God, or en­joyment of himself. 'Tis a chief part [Page 116] of our happiness to be at ease within our selves, contented and pleased in our own minds, tranquil and calm in our thoughts; and this we rob another of by wilful offences. 'Tis a devilish piece of malice and spite, of which we can give no tolerable account, to delight our selves in the affliction and trouble of anothers Soul. We are not willing others should provoke us, we should not therefore, as the Apostle speaks, "provoke one another.Gal. 5.26.

But the chiefest sort of Offences is, when we cause others to sin: This is that scandal which the Holy Scripture denounceth so heavy and severe a Woe against the Authors of; ‘Wo be to that man by whom such offences come!’ Sin is indeed the greatest inju­ry of the Soul, the disease and the death of the Soul; the spiritual death and torment of that, which can never un­dergo a natural death or destruction; the eternal undoing of that, which can never cease to be. 'Tis sin only which separates the Soul from God the Foun­tain of Life and Happiness: 'Tis sin on­ly which breeds the Worm that dieth not, and kindles the Fire which cannot [Page 117] be quenched: And therefore the great­est hatred we can shew to another, is to be a means either of his committing sin, or continuing in it unrepented of, as I noted also before from Leviticus 19.17.

True it is, in propriety of speech we cannot make another man to sin, we cannot force any man to sin. Sin, as it is the greatest wrong unto the Soul, so it is also at the sinners choice, whether he will admit of it or no. Voluntas non cogitur: And so in this case, Nemo laedi­tur nisi à seipso. Every sinner stands ac­countable for the injury he doth himself.

But yet we may be capable of doing very much towards the determining of his choice, towards the tempting of him into sin, or the encouraging of him in it: And whenever we do that willingly, upon the occasion whereof our Neigh­bour is drawn and moved to consent unto sin, or continue in it, we are so far guilty of his sin: We bring the guilt of anothers sin, and of the wrong re­dounding to him by it, so far upon our selves, as we are Authors or Accessa­ries; for here, as in case of High-trea­son, both Principal and Accessary are deemed alike guilty. Now many are [Page 118] the ways Divines reckon up, whereby we may become accessary to the sins of others, reputed authors and occasions of their sins.

If we are Superiours in Authority over them, by commanding them to sin; by "decreeing of unrighteous Decrees,Isa. 10.1. in the language of the Prophet Isaiah. Thus was Nebuchadnezzar guilty of the Peoples Idolatry,Dan. 3.4, 5, 6. by ‘commanding that a Golden Image should be set up, and that all at the sound of a Trumpet should fall down and wor­ship it.1 Sam. 22.18.’ Thus was Saul guilty of kil­ling the Priests, whom Doeg slew at his command.3 Sam. 11.15.12.9. Thus David of Ʋriah's death, by commanding Joab on purpose to put him in the front of the Battel. Or else by toleration, permission, or con­nivence at others sins, not restraining of them when we may.1 Sam. 3. Thus Eli became guilty of his Sons wickedness, ‘because he restrained them not:’ And the wicked Kings we read of in the Old Te­stament, of the Peoples Idolatry, who destroyed not their High-places, those Nests of their Idols.

But all men may become partakers, instruments, and means of others sins, [Page 119] by counselling, advising, provoking, urging, perswading, alluring, or enticing them to sin; by assisting and helping them in their sins; by giving their consent and furthe­rance; by going before them with a bad example; by undue silence, and not re­proving men for sin, as we have oppor­tunity; by commending and pleading for their sin; by justifying of, or flattering them up in their sin; by bringing up an evil report on the ways of Religion, and affrighting others from Goodness and Ver­tue, by threats or reproaches.

I should be over-large in giving you particular Instances of all those Heads and Methods whereby directly or indi­rectly we may become the causes of other mens sins, of their profaneness and irreligion, of their drunkenness and uncleanness, of their Sacrilege and Ido­latry, of their Schism and Disorder, &c. of all those sins whereby our Neigh­bours Soul, as well as our own, may be eternally ruined.

Yet how often, alas! do men offer this greatest of wrongs and injuries to others, under pretence of Good-fellow­ship, Love, and Kindness?

Nor will it boot any here to alledge, [Page 120] that they are willing others should do as much by them. I have before pre­vented this Exception; and they have certainly neither a right Judgment, nor a regular Will, nor any true love for themselves, who profess themselves willing to sin, and unwilling to leave sin, i. e. willing to damn themselves.

(2.) We may not wrong or injure the Body of our Neighbour; viz. ei­ther by Stripes or Wounds maiming of it, or hurting of its Senses; by draw­ing men to such courses as are prejudi­cial to their Health and Strength; and in the highest degree of all, by Mur­der, that crying sin of dispatching our Neighbour by violent hands our selves, or the employment of bloody Assassi­nates, or some more secret means and conveyances. Now in all these cases we may take a true and impartial estimate of the wrong and injury accruing to another, by supposing our selves in his place, rank, and condition. We are here capable, to be sure, of judging un­corruptly; for we seldom fail in loving of our Bodies, or in valuing the injuries inflicted upon them. What a rate do we set upon our bodily health and ease? [Page 121] upon any of our Limbs and Senses? How much are we readily willing to part with, either to secure or to recover them? But then we stake all to save our Lives: ‘Skin for skin,Job 2.4. yea all that a man hath will he give for his life.’— Who is there willing to be put to pain himself? to lose an Eye, an Hand, a Leg, &c. himself? to be mangled or murdered himself? And therefore in all these and the like cases, we have a Principle with­in us rebuking us for the wrongs of this nature which we offer to our Neigh­bour, and telling us plainly, that we ought not so to do.

Secondly, We are farther instructed hence, not to wrong or injure another in his near Relations, which are indeed a part of himself; suppose the Husband or Wife of another, and the Children of another.

Apparent wrong and injury is done to the Husband or Wife of another by Adultery, bringing of them thereby to the guilt of that horrid sin of Perjury, and breach of their Marriage Vow and Covenant; taking away that which Husband or Wife concern'd do or should esteem most precious, viz. the [Page 122] Love and Faithfulness of each other; and it may be robbing of the right Heirs of their due by a Bastard and unlawful Brood, the Children of the Adulterer or Adulteress, besides many other in­conveniences.

Nor will it here excuse the adulte­rous Wife, that possibly her Husband might be consenting; or the adulterous Husband, that his Wife possibly might yield thereto, and so they do no more than they are willing to suffer: for in this case their Wills are irregular: This their willing speaks their corruption the more, but the wrong and injury no whit the less. No man disposed as he should be, is willing that another should wrong him in assaulting the Chastity of his Wife: no man rherefore should at­tempt anothers in that kind. No Wo­man disposed as she should be, is wil­ling that another should draw aside her Husband to unlawful Embraces; and therefore she should not entice or al­lure or admit of the Husband of ano­ther.

Next, as to the Children of others, I will instance in two Particulars.

The former respects those who have [Page 123] the care and charge of the Nursing and Education of Children committed to them; they are to take great heed that they wrong not those committed to their care, by denying or withholding from them any thing fit or convenient, Food or Lodging, Instruction, Correcti­on, or Encouragement; by negligence or indiscretion. These should ask them­selves what care and conscience they would desire and expect in others to­wards their own Issue? and so deal with the Children of others left to them. Believe it, 'tis a great and considerable wrong, that is often done both to Chil­dren, and Parents in those Children, by the ignorance, or sloth, or baseness and dishonesty of Nurses, Guardians, School-masters, and others that over-look them in their Infancy and younger years, who are concerned in their Edu­cation, and the forming of their Minds and Manners, or training them up to some Trade and way of Life.

The later shall be of the Children of others grown up, and ripe for Marriage; I mean, the stealing or forcing away of such, without the privity and consent of their Parents. Musculus in his Com­ment [Page 124] upon S. Matthew's Gospel makes this very application of the Rule: 'Tis, saith he,Muscul. in S. Mat. c. 7. 12. disputed sometimes about clandestine and stoln Marriages, such, to wit, as are made without the knowledge and against the will of Parents, whether they be just and valid; and here some demand a clear word of God, whereby they are forbidden, and that out of the New Testament: for neither the Law of Moses, nor the Law of Caesar will sa­tisfie them. Now therefore, for their resolution, interrogent illi seipsos, num velint sibi tale quid fieri; Let them ask themselves impartially, whether they would have any such thing done to themselves; whether they are willing their own Daughter should be fraudu­lently, and against their liking, taken away by one whom they would by no means admit of for their Son-in-Law: Certè nequaquam hoc volunt; Assuredly, saith he, they would in no wise. Why therefore do they not see, according to our Saviours Rule, that it is unlawful for them to do so to others? Why do they not see that here is a Word of the Lord, a Law of the Lord, the sum to wit of the Law and Prophets, whereby [Page 125] such a thing is forbidden? Is not this plain Scripture? Is not this the Word of God, which Christ here avoucheth to be the Law and the Prophets, That we should do unto others as we would our selves in a like case be dealt with?

Thirdly, By the same Rule we must not wrong or injure our Neighbour in his Goods and Possessions, either openly by force, or covertly by fraud, being our selves unwilling to be so served. We should neither rob nor defraud our Neighbour,Levit. 19.13. if we observed this Pre­cept. We all censure this wickedness in other men: we say to our Neighbour, "Thou shalt not steal; and give the name of Thief as an Epithet of re­proach. Nathan therefore took this wise course with King David, to make him in the issue accuse, condemn, and sentence himself in the person of ano­ther, whose case he had first propound­ed in a Parable:2 Sam. 12.1, 2, 3, &c. ‘There were two men, saith he, in one City, the one rich, and the other poor; the rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing save a little Ew-lamb, which he had bought and nourished up, and it grew [Page 126] up together with him and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drink of his own cup, and lie in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter: And there came a Travel­ler to the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd to dress for the wayfaring man that was come to him, but took the poor mans Lamb, and dress'd it for the man that was come to him: Whereupon, saith the Text, David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said unto Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing is worthy to die, and he shall restore the Lamb four-fold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.’ Now after this, Na­than needed no more to satisfie and con­vince David of the wrong done in taking the Wife of Ʋriah, than to wish him to suppose the case he had already judged his own: "Thou art the man, saith he, ‘—mutato nomine,Horat. de te Fabula narratur.—’ And David readily acknowledgeth upon it, "I have sinned against the Lord. There cannot be a more effectual course [Page 127] to make a true estimate of the evil of those wrongs we do at any time to o­thers, than thus to consider of the case as represented to us in a Parable of other men, that we may in the issue and re­sult apply the same Sentence unto our selves, which we should readily pro­nounce upon a like offender.

'Tis plain and evident, that those malicious spirits, who delight in mis­chief and spite, who give themselves to the prejudicing of their Neighbours without any regard to their own benefit, nay, and sometimes to their own damage also, act not by this Rule I am speaking of. He that lets his Cattel into his Neighbours Field of Corn, to spoil it, by devouring or trampling of it; He that sets fire to his Neighbour's House or Barn; He that wilfully hurts his Neighbours Beasts or Goods, is yet un­willing that another should do so by him. Did men act as they would chuse for themselves, all these malicious wrongs, to be sure, would cease, yea, and all the oppressions, and cozenage, and usurpations, and extortions in the World, which men are tempted to, in order, as they imagine, to some private [Page 128] gain.1 Kings 21. Honest Naboth might have kept his Vineyard and Life together, had his neighbouring Prince Ahab, or Jezebel his Queen, dealt thus with him. Abra­ham's Servants might have kept their Masters Well,Gen. 21.25. which was violently ta­ken from them, had the Servants of Abi­melech walked by this Law towards them. There would be no room left for such complaints and charges as fre­quently abound in the Writings of the Prophets:Isa. 1.23. ‘Thy Princes are compani­ons of thieves: every one loveth gifts and followeth after rewards; they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the Widow come before them.Isa. 3.14, 15.— "The Lord will enter into judgment with the Ancients of his People, and the Princes thereof, (such as he had before spoken of) for ye have eaten up the Vineyard, and the spoil of the Poor is in your Houses. What mean ye that ye beat my People to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor, saith the Lord God of Hosts?’ And again,ch. 5.7, 8. ‘The Lord looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. Wo unto them that joyn house to [Page 129] house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!’ i. e. Who care not what desolations they make, or how many they ruine, so they may raise themselves. To the same purpose another Prophet;Ezek. 22.27, 28, 29. ‘Her Prin­ces in the midst thereof are like Wolves ravening the Prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain; and her Prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them; and the people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy; yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.’ — And another Prophet;Mich. 3.1, 2, 3. ‘Hear I pray you, O Heads of Jacob, and ye Prin­ces of the House of Israel; Is it not for you to know Judgment? who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones: who also eat the flesh of my People, and flay their skin from off them, and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces as for the pot, and as flesh [Page 130] within the Cauldron. And another, Her Princes within her are roaring Lions;Zeph. 3.3. her Judges are evening Wolves (waiting for, and greedily catching at and devouring of their prey) they gnaw not the bones till the mor­row:’ i. e. Their onely mercy is, that they devour not all at once, that they make not a full and utter consumption of them, that they swallow not flesh and bones together. And yet another; ‘Ye who turn Judgment into Worm­wood,Amos 5.7. and leave off Righteousness in the earth.6.12. And again; "Ye have turned Judgment into gall, and the fruit of Righteousness into hemlock:’ that is, as I conceive, the Law, which should have been the remedy of injustice and wrong, a comfort and relief to the oppressed, into the greatest instrument of bitterness, of doing them wrong and injury. — But this Rule would leave no more room for these and the like complaints: There would be ground no longer for the taunting Proverb men­tioned by Habakkuk, Hab. 2.6. ‘He encreaseth that which is not his:’ Congregat non sua: He gathers from his Neighbours heaps. None would invade anothers [Page 131] property by usurpation: None would exact beyond right and due, by colour of their Places and Offices: None would take advantage of their Neighbours pre­sent necessities, to pinch and undo them by a griping Usury: The Traveller might pass securely on the High-way, without fear of Robbers: The Merchant might fail securely on the Seas, without dread of Pyrates: Every one might sleep securely at his own home, without dreaming of Thieves: The laborious Tenant would no more be ruined by over-rack'd Rents under an unreasonable Landlord: The Poor would be no more cheated by their rich and potent Neigh­bours, removing the ancient Land­marks, enclosing their Common from them, and excluding them from their right and due: Tradesmen would no more be bankrupt by the Engrossers of Monopolies: We should hear no more of Sycophantizing Publicans,S. Luk. 19.8. who drive a trade of Injuries, and under the cloak of Publick Authority and Commission, enrich their private Coffers with the spoil of the Needy: We should hear no more of those who ‘falsifie the Ba­lances by deceit,Amos 8.5, 6. that they may buy [Page 132] the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes, yea, and sell the refuse of wheat:’ — i. e. who raise their own Estates purely out of the necessities and miseries of others: The Shop-keeper would cast away his divers Weights and Measures, and no longer vend his cor­rupted Wares for sound, or take an un­conscionable Rate for the Buyers igno­rance and simplicity: No man would go beyond,1 Thes. 4.6. or defraud his Brother in any matter: The common Instrument of Merchandise and Traffick, our Coin and Money, would be no more corrupt­ed by Counterfeits and Clippers, to the general prejudice: The painful Labou­rer would not famish for want of his Hire, withholden by those from whom it is due; nor any be cast in Prison them­selves for Debt, whilst others withhold that unjustly from them which would enable them to pay: We might safely commit our richest Treasure, even un­told Gold, as we speak, to the custody of any Neighbour, without a jealousie of the hazard or impairing of it: There would be none to steal and pilfer, nor any Receivers of Goods known to be stoln: for in this case, The Receiver (as [Page 133] we say) is as bad as the Thief, and is also a Theef; to hold the Sack, and to fill it, being, a like crime: There would be no Family pestered with domestici fures, false and unfaithful Servants, who pur­loin and waste their Masters Goods, turning them to their own, in stead of their Masters gain; or those Sons of sloth and idleness, who, as Solomon notes, "are brethren unto great wasters:Prov. 18.9. The Goods of the Church would be secure from Sacrilege; the Parsons Tythes, from stealth or plunder; and every mans Estate from being diminished by craft or power: The poor and rich, the weak and mighty, the ignorant and learned, might dwell together at case and quiet, without the least suspicion of a wrong or injury from each other.

SECT. IX.

FOurthly, The same Rule engageth us not to wrong or injure another in his Good Name and Reputation; for that we value above all worldly Trea­sure: ‘'Tis better, saith Solomon, Eccles. 7.1. Prov. 22.1. than precious Oyntment, and rather to be [Page 134] chosen than great Riches.’ What will not men venture on for the sake of Fame, and Glory, and Reputation? How high­ly do they resent whatever seems to in­trench upon their Honour? And who would willingly forfeit the good thoughts and opinions of others, the good words and reports of others, the favour and friendship of others, the re­pute of his Place and Dignity?

A mans Credit and Good Name is eminently valuable upon this account among others, because it is the chiefest means of his doing good in the World. None much cares for that which comes from one of an ill Name: His counsel and advice is not regarded, his checks and reproofs little heeded. 'Tis no mean prejudice therefore, to those espe­cially who are in any Publick Office of Trust or Authority, to have their Good Names bespattered or taken from them. And if once we esteemed of our Neigh­bours Credit as of our own, we should be extremely wary of detracting from his Reputation, by any of those ways of defamation which are too ordinary in the World.

1. We should not bear false witness [Page 135] against him, if called thereunto. ‘A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour, saith Solomon, Prov. 25.18. is a Maul, and a Sword, and a sharp Ar­row:’ i. e. He doth him as much mischief as if he struck his Head with a Maul, wounded him with a Sword, or pierced his Heart with a sharp Ar­row. Whom would it not grieve to have his Good Name, and Life, it may be, with it, taken from him by a subor­ned or malicious False-witness?

2. We should not slander and back­bite our absent Neighbour by false accu­sations and detractions: That is the fa­miliar practice of too many, who are (as Plautus his Phrase is) mures nominis alieni, as Mice to other mens Good Names, who do corrodere famam alie­nam, nibble continually at, and take away from the Reputation of others. Sometimes they do this out of ill-will and revenge, sometimes out of envy, sometimes out of ambition to appear themselves more beautiful, by repre­senting others as deformed; sometimes out of vanity. At some times you shall have them publishing the private and secret faults of others, amplifying and [Page 136] aggravating of them with many a black circumstance; and not contented, it may be, with doing once so, repeating the matter, and going over again and again with it. Sometimes they will do the feat more undiscernedly, by Libels; which are not unfitly defined to be Lies with Bells added to them to ring them up and down the Countrey.Lord Verulam. Some­times they will preface the matter with some shews of sorrow, and good affe­ction to the Party they are speaking of; such as S. Bernard thus describes: You may observe, saith he, great sighs intro­ducing the Relation; the man speaks tanquam contusus & cum quâdam tardi­tate, dimissis superciliis, voce plangenti,— as if he were confounded, and ashamed of the matter, and loth to deliver it, making some stops, casting down his eyes, with a mournful tone he tells you, Vehementèr doleo, quia vehementèr diligo, I am very sorry for him, because I very much love and honour him: Et sic egreditur maledictio; so he prepares the way for his designed Reproaches, and makes them enter the deeper in the be­lief of those that hear him. Sometimes you shall have them commending a Per­son [Page 137] with a spiteful But after it, which shall cut the throat of their Commen­dation, and prove it to be nothing else but a politick cloak for their own mali­ciousness. Sometimes they will have a more secret conveyance still, which yet shall be no less effectual to their Neighbours discredit, by whispering and tale-bearing, and insinuating evil suspicions and surmizes, first to one and then to another, concerning him. These and the like are the common tricks of slandering tongues, wherewith they smite and wound their Neighbours Good Name, and thereby, as the Psal­mist hath it, "cut like a sharp Razour.Psal. 52.2. But who would chuse to be dealt with thus himself? to have all his secret lapses and infirmities proclaimed abroad upon the house top, heightned and ag­gravated to the utmost? to have many tales and forgeries spoken of him behind his back; and the good he hath at any time done undervalued, perversely in­terpreted, and misrepresented?

3. We should not disgrace our Neighbours to their faces, by contume­lious and opprobrious speeches, clamo­rous out-cries, railing accusations, que­rulous [Page 138] expostulations before others, cruel mockings, taunts, and derisions, laughing them to scorn, and shewing that we undervalue and slight them, (whether by words, or gestures, or actions, it matters not) as if they were fools, or unworthy of any regard or honour from us. We cannot endure this practice in others towards our selves.

4. We should not countenance any who make it their imployment to go about with odd reports, and rumors, and whispers, to undermine the credit of other men; for in this case, as was intimated before, No Receivers, no Thieves. Were there none that had itching ears to hear with delight of other mens imperfections, faults, and miscarriages, there would be fewer re­porters of them, and we our selves, I am sure, would not like that other men should cherish and countenance any who so injure us.

5. We should not harbor evil sur­mizes and suspicions of others, without cause; much less judge rashly of them, and pronounce unadvisedly upon them, determine of their thoughts and intenti­ons, [Page 139] which we know not; construe doubtful matters to the worst, without regard had of circumstances; or be ready and forward to believe our selves, and hand down to others, every slande­rous accusation we have at any time heard concerning them: For we would not have other men think evil of us with­out ground or reason; we would not have them judge boldly and severely of our thoughts and intentions; we would not have them make the worst of all our actions; we would not have them believe every flying report con­cerning us; we would not have them report with confidence what they chance to hear at any time of us, whereby our interest in others good opinions, our Good Name and Reputation may be en­damaged. We are therefore in all these cases indispensibly obliged to pre­serve the same innocency towards other men.

Were this Rule practised as it ought to be, there would be no prophane Chams, Gen. 9. taking pleasure in the disclosing of their Fathers nakedness: There would be no blaspheming Shimeis, railing at,2 Sam. 16. and cursing others to their face: There [Page 140] would be no traducing Hamans, Esther 3.8. accusing others falsly behind their backs: There would be no informing Zibas, 2 Sam. 16. to steal away the good affections and esteem of any from their truest friends, by sinister and unworthy suggestions.: There would be no slandering Sanballats, to di­sperse abroad defamatory Letters con­cerning the innocent:Neh. 6.6. There would be no cursed Doegs, Psal. 52. whose tongue deviseth mischief, and loveth words that may do hurt: There would be no libelling Jehoashes, 2 Kings 14.9. to lessen the worth and repute of others by Parables and Compari­sons.

Had this Rule been observed, John the Baptist for his Abstinence had never been censured to have a melancholy De­vil within him;S. Mat. 11.19. nor our Blessed Saviour, for his eating and drinking,S. Luke 7.34. to be a wine­bibber, and friend to Publicans and sin­ners:Act. 28.4. S. Paul had not been thought a murderer, because the Viper cleaved to his hands; nor yet the suffering Ga­lileans, S. Luke 13.1. or those on whom the Tower in Siloe fell, upon that score onely sinners above the rest.

In a word, There cannot be a better protection against the injuries of a false [Page 141] or malicious Heart or Tongue, than this.

And thus now I have declared the third Particular somewhat largely, that we are trained up by this Rule to an uni­versal Innocency towards others, not to do them any wrong or injury in any capacity, in their Persons, Souls, and Bodies; in their Relations, in their Goods and Possessions, or in their Cre­dit and Good Name. Thus he that lo­veth another as himself, and consequent­ly doth to another as he would be done by himself, hath fulfill'd the Laws that require this Innocence from us: For, ‘this, saith S. Paul, Rom. 13.9, 10. Thou shalt not com­mit Adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not co­vet; and if there be any other Com­mandment, it is briefly comprehend­ed in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self. Love worketh no ill unto his Neighbour; therefore Love is the fulfilling of the Law.’

Fourthly, In case of wrong and inju­ry done unto another (as who is there [Page 142] that in all points, and at all times pre­serves innocency?) this Rule enjoyns us to make, as we are able, Restitution or Reparation, Amends and Recompence for the wrong and injury we have done; for so we all desire and expect that others should do to us. Where the Party is disabled to make a real satisfa­ction, there is yet a reparation due by humble and penitent confessions and ac­knowledgments: but where the Resti­tution may be in kind or value, these alone will not suffice. Zacheus his re­solution is fit for our imitation, ‘If I have wronged any man by cozenage,S. Luke 19.8. forgery, and falshood, I will restore four-fold;’ at least I will restore ac­cording to what I have wronged him of. It were not difficult to shew, that there is no true repentance without this, and consquently no forgiveness of the wrong and injury done, to be look'd for at Gods hand, according to S. Au­gustine's saying, Non remittitur peccatum nisi restituatur ablatum: But the Motive I have now to urge is, because every one looks and desires that this restituti­on be made unto himself, that there be a satisfaction and amends for the wrong [Page 143] and injury done him; and this satisfa­ction must be according to the wrong done.

If therefore thou have wronged thy Neighbours spirit by wilful vexation and grieving of him, thou art bound to make him the amends of an acknow­ledgment, and the supplies of what comfort thou art able to administer.— If thou have wronged his soul by en­ticing him to sin, or being a means of his continuance in sin, thou art obliged to make him reparation according to thy power, by provoking him to re­pentance, and using all those good me­thods of inviting him to Vertue and Goodness, which are fittest to counter­mine the ill methods and arts of sinning thou hast formerly prescrib'd him.— If thou hast prejudiced him in his Body, or any part or member thereof, thou art obliged to make him satisfaction ac­cording to the value of that loss he hath thereby sustained.—If thou hast taken away his Goods, thou art obliged to restore them. — If the spoil of the Church, the Inheritance of Widows and Orphans, the Hire of Labourers be in thine hand, thou art obliged to [Page 144] part with it. — If thou hast spread false reports of thy Neighbour, thou art bound to unsay them. — If thou hast blasted his reputation, thou art engaged to do what thou canst to set him right again in the esteem of others, &c.

He that hath wronged and injured another, and makes him not some a­mends for the wrong done, declares that he is still of the same disposition, and likes and approves well enough of the wrong and injury that he hath done him. He that withholds any thing that is anothers from the right Owner there­of, which he had unjustly gotten and procured from him, justifies himself in his unrighteous usurpation and theft: and whoever doth any of these things, deals not with others as he is desirous to be dealt with.

Some injuries there are which admit not of a restitution, which cannot be undone again: Sometimes also the Of­fender is utterly disabled for making any competent and real satisfaction; and there the wrong doer stands obliged to a supply of confessions and acknow­ledgments, repentance and godly sor­row. Sometimes the person wronged [Page 145] is not in being, and then the restitution is due to the Heirs of his Body and Fortunes, or, if he have none, to the common Heirs of every good mans Charity and Abundance, the Poor, I mean, and Indigent. But whoever he be that have wronged his Neighbour, is unquestionably engaged to make him some amends, by the profession of his sorrow for the injury done, and his re­solutions of doing so no more, and wit­nessing to the reality of that good pro­fession by a present return of what he hath unjustly taken away, and making reparations, as he is able, for the dama­ges another hath sustained through his injustice.

Innocence in the first place is to be preserved, and no wrong done; but in case of a miscarriage, there lies a neces­sity of repentance, restitution, compen­sation, and amends upon him that hath done the injury: for this is that which we every one desire from others.

SECT. X.

FIfthly, This Rule obligeth us to a respective obedience and submissi­on to all our Superiours, because this is the temper that we like, and wish, and commend in all that are under our selves.

Notwithstanding the great equality between us all by Nature, as we are Men, and by Grace, as we are Christi­ans, before spoken of; we are yet by the Will and Providence of God, in com­pliance with the necessities and conve­nience of Society, ranked, disposed, and ordered into several degrees and stati­ons, some above others. Order can never be in Families and Kingdoms, Church or State, without Government; and Government is in vain, and impos­sible indeed, without Obedience and Subjection. Now this Vertue, which is so necessary to the well-being of the World, I am to recommend from the Rule discoursed on; & the more effectu­ally to do it, I will briefly run through the several sorts and degrees of Superi­ority and Authority which we are by [Page 147] this Precept engaged in our several pla­ces to be submissive and obedient to. And,

(1.) I begin with that which is first in Nature, the Authority of Parents over their Children. Many are the complaints and lamentations we have heard from Parents about the obstinacy and rebellion of their Children. Many heart-breaking sighs, many cutting thoughts, many tears of sorrow have had this original. The most ungraci­ous Children themselves, when they af­terwards live to become Parents, de­mand and expect reverence and obedi­ence from the Fruit of their own Loins; loath, and execrate, and punish, what in them lies, the undutifulness and dis­obedience of their own Children, when they will not be ruled by them, when they refuse their lawful Commands, re­sist and rebel against their corrections, or dispose of themselves in the World without and against their consent and liking. How many, otherwise dear enough in the estimation and affections of their Parents, have yet upon this last account only been abandoned and cast off in utter displeasure, so as never to [Page 148] be owned and regarded more, because they took not their advice along with them, or made them not privy to their matching in the world? I will not de­ny, but the extremities and rigours of some Parents in this case may seem a little to intrench upon Humanity; but yet these are undeniable documents that every one approveth, wisheth, and look­eth for the obedience and submission of his Children in all respects. Let those therefore who are Children remember their obligations unto this obedience, dutifulness, and submission to their Pa­rents; because, if ever they live to be Parents, they would desire the same from their Children: Let them be as dutiful, submissive, and obedient to their Parents now, as were they Parents themselves, they would wish their Children should be to them. Hadst thou Children thy self, thou wouldest expect they should go and come at thy bidding, they should observe thy beck, they should be awed with thy presence, they should humbly ask thy Blessing, and in case of a default they should beg thy pardon, and kiss the rod wherewith thou chastisest their folly; that whilst [Page 149] they are at thy provision, they should rest contented with what Cloathing, Food, and Maintenance thou judgest to be fittest for them; and when they are entring themselves into the World, they should take thy consent and counsel with them, in the choice of that way and course of life they design, or that Consort they intend a Marriage with: and therefore thou art beyond dispute concerned in these Particulars to give proof thy self of thy obedience to thy Parents.

The undutifulness of Children to­wards their Parents is oftentimes requi­ted by God in kind by the heavy Plague of undutiful Children.

(2.) I will next instance in the Au­thority of Masters over their Servants. What, I pray, is the good quality that every Master wisheth and looketh for in his Servant, but Obedience? Servo­rum hic contemptus maximus est, Salvian, l. 2. si non faciant quod jubetur: This is the great­est contempt Servants are capable of, not to do what is commanded them; for the very notion of a Servant speaks dependence upon the will and pleasure of another. Let Servants therefore sup­pose [Page 150] themselves a while in their Masters place, and put the question home to their own Conscience, what kind of Ser­vants they would then wish to them­selves; and such let them be to their own Masters. This would speak out to them as fully as the express command of the Apostle,Eph. 6.5, 6, 7. ‘Servants, be obedi­ent to them that are your Masters ac­cording to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as unto Christ: not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will doing ser­vice as to the Lord, and not to men.’— For who would allow of such a Servant, the motions of whose labour, and indu­stry, and obedience kept pace and time only with his Masters eye; whose duty and diligence are ruled wholly and alto­gether by his Masters observance, who doth not his work out of love and con­science, but fears more to be taken idle and negligent, than to be so indeed?— This would speak out as much as the Exhortation S. Paul commissions Titus to give Servants,Tit. 2.9, 10. ‘That they be obedi­ent to their own Masters, and please [Page 151] them well in all things, not answering again, not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.’ — For who is there but abominates unfaithfulness, crosness, sawcy replies and answering again in Servants; when in stead of doing their duty chearfully and conscionably, they parly, and mutter, and debate upon the Commands given them, or echo back the last words of their Masters Admoni­tions and Reproofs, as if they intended to fling them in his face again?

(3.) Come we next to the Authori­ty of Princes over their Subjects, and Magistrates over those who are under their respective Jurisdictions; where indeed the case is so much the same as between Father and Children, Lord or Master and Servants, that both the same Names are communicated to them, and the same Commands interpreted of them.

Could Subjects but once impartially suppose themselves in the place of their Princes, having a charge from God to provide for the welfare and security of the People, and that charge clogg'd [Page 152] with many difficulties in the perfor­mance of it, with many an interruption to their private ease and quiet, with many an hazard of their Life and Per­sons, they would certainly learn to think the Obedience of Subjects highly reasonable: and, whereas an upstart Generation hath been very eager to snatch from their Prince all manner of Power about the ordering of Religion, they would questionless be of another mind.

Religion is the chiefest Policy in order to a Kingdoms happiness; Religion is the chiefest means of God's Honour in the World; Nothing moves men so violently as Religion doth: Nothing therefore can do more harm and mis­chief than false perswasions about Reli­gion, false Doctrines spread abroad un­der the colour and pretence of Religion. How then can any Prince give account of himself to God, whose Minister he is in the World; or how can he secure the Honour of God, and the Interest of his People, yea the Crown upon his own Head, where the Power of Com­manding and forbidding in Matters of Religion is denied him, or taken from [Page 153] him? Certainly no considering Subject would be willing to this, were he in his Princes place. What good Parent would not take it ill to be abridged of the Power of Religiously Educating his own Children? What good Master would not take it ill to be restrained from this in his Family? And yet the furious Zealot will deprive his Prince of that poor degree of Authority, which himself is willing to usurp as a Father or Master, nay, it may be, where him­self is neither Father nor Master, in his Princes Dominions. The conscientious Rebel (such I mean who pleads Consci­ence for his Obstinacy and Rebellion) labours to salve all by the distinction of Civil and Religious Obedience: Obey his Prince he will in Civil Matters, (though here too sometimes 'twere well if he were more civil in his Obedience) but in the Matters of Religion, saith he, what hath the Prince to do to com­mand? Every one must follow the light of his own Conscience. A most dange­rous Principle, that tends to the under­mining and subversion of all Order in Societies. And 'tis very observable, that the most eager Asserters of this [Page 154] universal and unbridled Liberty to Pri­vate Spirits in Matters of Religion, whensoever themselves have mounted into Authority, have seen a plain neces­sity of curbing and restraining it by Laws and Power.

If then Subjects were once disposed to do to their Princes as themselves, were they in their room and stead, would desire to be done unto, they would questionless approve themselves most ready and dutiful, not only in Civil Obedience, as 'tis call'd, to the expence both of their Blood and For­tunes for the Publick welfare, upon their Princes commands; but in a Religious Obedience also, welcoming and ob­serving the Publick Orders for God's Worship and Honour, which are not plainly contrary to some Divine Com­mand, they would stick at the doing nothing enjoyned them, but that the doing whereof were apparently sinful, the transgression of some known Law of God: and were the matter it self doubtful, they would judge it equal for the weight of Publick Authority to turn the Scale; they would determine, that in such matters where they must [Page 155] venture to err on the one side or on the other, 'twere best for them to take the surer side; that side, I mean, which, besides the equality and probability of Reasons to counterbalance such as are laid against them, hath the overweight of Authority, requiring Obedience, by vertue of God's general Command, in all things that are not manifestly sinful: For certainly the Publick Peace and Quiet cannot be upheld and provided for with a more limiting determination.

The same Rule obligeth inferior Ma­gistrates to be as truly obedient to the Supreme, as they expect the meanest Subject should be to them. Inferior Magistrates stand in a double capacity, the one of Governours, the other of Sub­jects. Governours they are, according to the extent of Power communicated to them over those that are under their Charge and Jurisdiction: but Subjects they are themselves still, in reference to the Higher Powers by whom they were sent, and from whom they receive their Commission and Authority. 'Tis in an Army no less a Crime for any Officers to oppose and disobey their General, than for Common Souldiers to oppose [Page 156] and disobey their respective Officers; and 'tis no less a Crime for the General himself to oppose and disobey his Prince, from whom he hath his Com­mission, than for any of his Officers to oppose and disobey him: Nay, the crime of disobedience is still the higher, according to the eminency of the Au­thority disobeyed and opposed. And the truth is, that which aggravates the contempt shewn to the meanest Officer in a Kingdom, is the violation of some or other degree of Authority commu­nicated from the highest, though through divers hands, unto him. There is no man but expects as much to be obeyed himself by the Officers whom he commissions and employs, as they can do by any over whom some measure of Authority is delegated to them. A Noble-man justly looks for as true ob­servance from the Steward of his Hous­hold, as he doth from the meanest Ser­vant under him.

Were this Lesson therefore of doing as we would be done by, inwardly di­gested, there would be no danger at all of the Rebellion of Subordinate Powers against the Supreme and Sovereign, nor [Page 157] indeed of any Subjects against the Sub­ordinate Powers sent and placed by the Supreme over them.

(4.) My next instance shall be in the Authority of Priests and Ministers over their People, Spiritual Pastors over their Flocks, the Congregations com­mitted to their care, inspection, and go­vernment. And here I will not med­dle with that share of Authority which is derived purely from the Supreme Ma­gistrate to them; wherein yet they are as dutifully to be obeyed, as any other Officers commissioned and employed by the Prince: but with that spiritual Obe­dience which is due unto them, by ver­tue of their spiritual Authority derived from Christ himself. Such as that which S. Paul commends in his Corinthians to­wards Titus, and which endeared Titus his affections unto them:2 Cor. 7.15. ‘His inward affection, saith he, is abundant towards you, whilst he remembreth the obedi­ence of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him;’ viz. out of reverence to his spiritual Functi­on, Power, and Authority.

'Tis not now an external Reverence I am pleading for, the Cap and Knee, [Page 156] [...] [Page 157] [...] [Page 158] courteous Salutations, good words, an outwardly respectful demeanour to­wards Gods Clergy. 'Tis usual with People to suspect such Pleas as the issue of their Author's pride and ambition; and he is of a poor, mean, and un­worthy spirit, who sets any great value upon those trifles and formalities. Bu [...] the thing I aim at is more substantial and weighty; something without which our Office loseth much of its proper effects and success in the World; some­what, by the denial of which our Peo­ple offend God, and wrong their own Souls, transgressing these and the like plain Commands and Exhortations of Holy Writ;1 Thes. 5.12, 13. ‘We beseech you, bre­thren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to e­steem them very highly in love for their works sake.Hebr. 1 [...].17. "Obey them which have the rule over you, and submit your selves; for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief; for that is unprofitable for you.Mal. 2.7. "The Priests lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the [Page 159] Law at his mouth; for he is the mes­senger of the Lord of Hosts.1 Cor. 4.1. "Let a man so account of us as of the Mini­sters of Christ, and Stewards of the Mysteries of God:’ I might add, as Embassadors of Christ; for so the Apo­stle elsewhere,2 Cor. 5.20. ‘Now then we are Em­bassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christs stead.’— Be the person of the Minister what it will, his Authority is to be considered and reverenced: That of our B. Saviour extends to the very worst;S. Mat. 23.2, 3. ‘The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses Seat, all therefore what­soever they bid you observe, that ob­serve and do; but do not ye after their works, for they say and do not.’ The Vices of their Persons you must be­ware of; but the Authority of their Place and Function is still to be heeded by you.

It hath been almost the ruine of the Protestant Church, upon a deadly dis­like of Popish Tyranny, to cast off this yoke of Ch [...]istian Obedience; and it was several years since considerately pronounced by a grave and reverend Divine, now with God, That an open,Dr. Jackson, l. 2. c. 9. [Page 160] malapert, scoffing disobedience to all Ecclesiastick Power, professed by the meanest, and countenanced by many great ones of the Laity, is a sin that to all that know Gods Judgments, or have been observant to look into the days of our Visitation, cries loudest in the Al­mighties ears for vengeance on this Land.— We, I confess, of the Cler­gy do sometimes, by our vain and sinful lives, too much forfeit our credit and Reputation among the People, and ex­pose our Authority to the contempt and despising of the disobedient, when we live in such sort as he on whom Sir Tho­mas More jested, That he would not for any good hear him say the Creed, lest he should take it for a lie coming out of his mouth. But whatever be, as hath been said, our personal miscarriage, that will not absolve our People and Hearers from the guilt of their disobedience, in contemning or disobeying that Authori­ty from whence we have our Commis­sion, and in the Name whereof we pro­pound Divine Truths to them. Thus ‘far at least they ought to obey, to be­lieve what he delivers in the Name of God for a Divine Truth, as such, un­less [Page 161] they know the contrary, or till they have taken the pains to examine it; to set about the Duties which he calls them to, and to shun and avoid the Sins he warns them of; remem­bring that he is to them the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts, the Embassador of the living God, speaking in Christ's stead;’ and so the contempt of their slighting of, and disobedience unto him, will be interpreted as done unto Christ himself; for so he hath said of and to his Ministers,S. Luk. 10.16. ‘He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despi­seth me, despiseth him that sent me.’

'Tis ordinary for People here to make the Exception against their Teachers Life; or to pretend, that he may go be­yond his Commission; or to alledge, that they are not convinc'd there is any express command from God for such things as he delivers, and presseth on them in God's Name, &c.

But 'tis well replied here,Vide D. Jack­son ut ante, l. 2. c. 9. That al­though a man should know a Consta­ble, or some greater Officer, pretending Commission from the King, to be a no­torious lying Knave, or treacherous [Page 162] Companion, yet were it not the safest way to tell him that he lied, when he charged him to obey him in the King's Name, nor to make a scoff of his Au­thority, or to reply he would not be­lieve he had any, because he might abuse himself and it at other times: If so he do at this time, he may answer it before his Betters hereafter; but in the mean while it were best for the Party commanded to obey him, till he be cer­tain that he did either feign Authority where he had none, or else abuse it in this particular. And if Officers should not be obeyed in the King's Name, until men sought out the truth, whether they had a lawful Commission, or but a coun­terfeit one; or whether they did not exceed and go beyond their Commissi­on, the King's Majesty would want a great deal of necessary Service, and the Common-weal be at an ill pass for the continuance of Publick Peace.

Now, as my Author excellently adds, did most men fear God as much as men, or the Son of Man, the Judge of quick and dead, as much as earthly Judges, they would not so often withdraw their neck from the yoke of Christian Obedi­ence [Page 163] (being charged to undertake it in Christs Name, and as they will answer it at that dreadful day) upon such silly ex­ceptions as they do. Be the Minister as they list to make him for his life, it hath pleased God to make him his Messenger, his Officer to demand Obedience of them; and shall it serve their turn to say, We will not believe that God sent him with this Message; or sure he goes beyond his Commission; when they know nothing to the contrary, but only will take occasion from his Person to discredit his Doctrine, if it controul them in the pursuit of worldly affairs, or cross and gainsay their humours and pleasures.

Thou repliest, it may be, thou seest no evidence that Christ commands thee. But dost thou absolutely and infallibly know that he doth not call thee at this time to try thy Obedience in this particular? If not, how wilt thou an­swer thy Judge, when thou shalt appear before him, why thou out of the stub­bornness of thy heart didst more respect thy private gain or humour, than his heaviest displeasure? Should thy answer stand for good, when thou shalt say to [Page 164] his Messenger, 'tis more than I know that Christ commands me, then should the damned be justified at the day of Judgment, when they shall truly reply, they knew not that ever Christ did sup­plicate to them sub formâ pauperis, ‘Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or a thirst, or a stranger, &c.’ Most of them questionless had less probabilities to believe this in their life time, then thou hast now to perswade thee of this particular: For thou mightest have known that God had commanded thee by thy Pastor, unless thy bad desires and corrupt affections had made thee blind. But neither shall theirs nor thy igno­rance herein help; for ignorance, which is bred of bad desires, corrupt affecti­ons, or greedy appetites, brings forth hardness of heart and infidelity; so that ‘seeing thou shalt not see, and hearing thou shalt not hear,’ nor understand the warnings for thy peace, because thou hast formerly shut thine ears at thy Pa­stor's Admonitions, or raged at his just Reproof; and the Law of God binds thy Soul, upon greater penalties and better hopes than all the Laws in the World beside could bind thy Body [Page 165] (even upon the hope of everlasting life, and the penalty of everlasting death) to lay aside all carnal self-love, and all worldly desires, for the finding out of the true sense and meaning of it, as well as to obey it when thou hast known it; and when any point of Doctrine or Pra­ctice in general or particular is com­mended to thee by thy Pastor, God's Word doth bind thee to search with all sobriety and modesty the truth and force of all the motives and inducements which he shall suggest unto thee, all private respect laid aside, lest thou be­come a partial Judge of evil thoughts: and if thou canst not find better Reso­lution, it binds thee to rely upon his Authority, and that so much the more, as thou hast more perswasion of his fi­delity and sincerity also.

I have digressed the rather in this point, because I look on this as a chief and principal reason why we so much beat the air, why the Labourers in Gods Harvest do gather the wind, why Paul doth plant and Apollo water to no pur­pose, viz. We are not believed and received as the Stewards and Dispensers of the Mysteries of God, as the Mes­sengers [Page 166] and Embassadors of God, sent and appointed by him to teach his Will and press his Commands, to reprove, and admonish, and exhort in his Name. No more is allowed to a Minister by the generality of People, than what they would to a stranger, to any inconsidera­ble person in the World, who ought to be believed and observed by them, in whatever carries the express face and stamp of a Divine Command visible in its Countenance.

But that whereby I am to press this Obedience here, is the Rule of our Bles­sed Saviour. Were you in our stead, had you, as we have, the care of instru­cting, informing, and admonishing o­thers committed to you; did you watch for their souls, as they that must give account; were you appointed the Ministers and Vicars of Christ among them, you would certainly expect they should reverence your Authority, they should hearken obediently to your Do­ctrine, they should never dare to reject or slight it, but upon clear evidence to the contrary; they should set themselves about the doing those good things in particular, which in the Name of God [Page 167] you recommend to them in order to their eternal Good, and decline those evil and vicious courses in particular, which you reprove them for, and ad­monish them to leave and forsake. You would not take it well, that ignorant Persons should give you the lie in Points whereof they are no capable Judges. 'Tis true both of Scholars and Christians, Oportet discentem credere, Learners must at first believe and receive on trust what is delivered to them, till they are able themselves to gainsay upon knowledge, and evince the con­trary. What School-master would not severely rebuke and chastise the sawci­ness of that Child who should oppose the Rules he understands not, in stead of receiving and admitting of them on his Teachers Authority? What Pilot would not condemn and chide those pragmatique Passengers, who having themselves no skill in Wind and Wea­ther, in Stars or Compass, should yet boldly intrude into his place, and teach him how to steer the Ship.

Men do not certainly as themselves would be done by were they in their Ministers stead, when in a doubtful and [Page 168] ambiguous matter, which themselves are not able to examine or look into, his Authority may not determine, or at least move them to an impartial weigh­ing of those Arguments, and Motives, and Considerations which in Gods Name he propounds to them; when his Reproofs and Counsels can find no entrance; when they will not so much as draw near to the place appointed for their instruction by him, or if they are there, trifle away their time in other matters than a diligent attention to what is spoken to them by the Messenger and Embassador of the Living God.

Prov. 25.12. ‘As an ear-ring of gold, and an or­nament of fine gold, so is a wise re­prover upon an obedient ear,’ saith Solomon: But 'tis the disobedient ear that renders all Reproofs impertinent and misplaced, makes them lose their grace and efficacy.

Why do we preach, if not to be be­lieved and obeyed by our Hearers? And wo is to us if we preach such things as are not fit to be believed and obeyed by you. But obeyed we cannot be, unless we are first believed, and believed we cannot be understandingly, unless we [Page 169] are first heard and attended to. So then you must give proof of your Obedience, first by coming to Gods House, where you may be instructed; and when you are there, by reverent attending on the Teacher, and not rejecting what he of­fers to you from God, without full and clear evidence to the contrary; and when you are gone home, by an impar­tial examination of that which seemed at the hearing of it most doubtful to you, and a practice according to what­ever goodness you have been perswaded and directed to. And all this is no more than what is most just and equita­ble in order to your own good and sal­vation, a due you owe to the Authority of your Ministers Place and Office, and what, if you could once suppose your selves but in his room and stead, you would judge most fitting to be done.

Were the Ministers of God obeyed and reverenced by us, as by vertue of this Rule they ought to be, the disorders and exorbitances of private spirits would soon be reduced to an humble compliance with all good, useful, or innocent Appointments; and the highest Censures of the Church would strike [Page 170] more dread on People than they now do: Men would be afraid of being sen­tenced by the Ministers of Christ as cut off from the Communion of Saints, and so all visible Title unto Heaven.

(5.) I will instance a little in the Su­periority and preeminence of the Anci­ent above the Younger, according to that Law of God given to the Israelites, ‘Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head,Levit. 19.32. and honour the face of the old man.’ These are in a special manner the Image of God, as he is the Ancient of Days; their long life hath learnt them much experience, and that ex­perience is the way to wisdom: ‘There is wisdom with the Ancient,Job 12.12. and in multitude of years is under­standing:’ And therefore some vene­ration, the signs and tokens of reve­rence, are a natural due to old men. 'Tis a woful degeneracy which the Pro­phet Isaiah points at, when he saith, ‘The child shall behave himself proud­ly against the ancient,Isa. 3.5. and the base against the honourable:’ A degenera­cy 'twere happy the World had never been acquainted with. There is no aged person but thinks he deserves some [Page 171] reverence from the younger; we our selves, when we come to be old, shall expect as much, and therefore most shameful 'tis we should need to learn this piece of good manners: But most of all abominable, that any should de­spise and mock at the ordinary infirmi­ties which attend upon Age, especially in their own Parents. 'Tis extremely unworthy, when they will not give the Ancient leave to speak, or sport at their useful Admonitions, till they come by years to see their own folly; but more odious still, when they revile them for the weaknesses incident to their Age; and most inhumane and barbarous, when they will not bear and relieve, as they are able, the infirmities of those aged Parents who brought them into the World, pitied and provided for them when they were weak and unable to pro­vide for themselves, and gave, it may be, that Staff out of their hands, where­by they are at last, in the decay of their Age, beaten themselves.

Whoever they are that deal thus with the Ancient, may look themselves hereafter to be so dealt with by Youth of an insolent and rude behaviour; and [Page 172] then they will remember sadly this wickedness of their youth; this sin of their youth will take hold of them. ‘Hearken to thy Father that begat thee,Prov. 23.22. saith Solomon, and despise not thy Mother when she is old.’ This we should learn of our selves, if we con­sidered what we our selves, after so long a life in the World, should expect from Youth, our own Children more especially.

But whilst I speak of this, what must we conclude of such Novellists both in Church and State, who despise and disparage, oppose and rise up against whatever Constitutions the Wisdom of the Ancients have made, for Decency and Order, Peace and Devotion, the pro­motion of Piety, and the security of the Common Welfare and Happiness? This is Pride notorious, and beyond all Appology.

I might proceed farther to urge the respect of reverence which we owe to any others that are above us in the gifts of Mind, or the outward good things and Riches of the World; but it shall suffice to have instanced thus far, by way of declaration of the fifth Particular.

SECT. XI.

SIxthly, The same Rule obligeth us to all the positive Acts of Justice towards others since we desire and ex­pect that others should be so just to us.

The Negative part of Justice, i. e. To do no wrong or injury unto any, hath been already spoken to under the notion of Innocency. The Positive Acts of it come here to be considered of, whereby we do suum cuique tribuere, render unto others that which is right and due; ac­cording to that of the Apostle,Rom. 13.7, 8. ‘Ren­der unto all their dues, tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour; owe no man any thing, but to love one another.’

I will instance,

First, In the distributive part of Ju­stice, that which concerns chiefly such as are in Authority and Eminency over others, in the distribution of Rewards and Punishments where they are need­ful.

(1.) This Rule will train them up to the Rewarding part of Justice. 'Tis the [Page 174] great defect in Distributive Justice,Charron of Wisdom, p. 399. as it is commonly practiced in the World, that it punisheth only, and rewardeth not: 'Tis lame of this Right hand, and enclineth only to Punishment. The greatest favour men usually receive from it is Indemnity, a Pay too short for them that deserve well. But this is that which every one naturally desires and expects, that his good works to­wards the Publick, his usefulness and subserviency to the Common Good, be answerably acknowledged and reward­ed. Gratitude is an undoubted branch of Justice; and Seneca Seneca. brands the con­trary Vice for intolerable and unsocia­ble: Grave vitium intolerabile, quod dissociat homines. Now men in Place and Authority are the Dispensers of the Publick Thanks and Gratitude for Good offices and Deserts, and therefore stand obliged accordingly to distribute Ho­nours and Rewards for the encourage­ment of Well-doers. There is none that deserveth well, but, though he act not purposely and only for Reward, and can be content to do well though he miss of it, yet he reasonably hopes and expects some grateful return pro­portionable [Page 175] to the degrees of his Me­rits.

(2.) This Rule leads also to the Pu­nishing part of Justice, when there is need for it. At the first view indeed it may seem otherwise; for what Male­factor is there who desires to be punish­ed, who would be punished if he could help it? And therefore one would think, if the Judge dealt by him as he would be done by himself in his case, he should spare and acquit him, in stead of con­demning and punishing of him. But here we must call to mind what was premised in the explication of our Rule, to wit, that we are to understand it of no other Will but that which is regular and well-ordered, and complies with the Dictates of religious and sober Rea­son. Now if the desires and expectati­ons of the Malefactor were such, he could not but will the Corrections and Punishments which are for his own amendment, or for the Publick good, the warning and safety of others. Pu­nitive Justice is really a Branch of Goodness, aiming at the Offenders re­formation where the case will allow it, and the Common Good, to caution [Page 176] and terrifie others from imitating so bad an example, lest they share in the like shame and punishment. It may be so, I confess, that the Common Good may prove inconsistent with the Private and Particular Good of the Offender. A Murderer or Traytor, for instance, that hath forfeited his Life to Justice; the Common Good requires that Justice smite him with her Sword; his Parti­cular Good, that he have a longer time of Repentance vouchsafed him; and were the Judge in his case, he would no question wish the later for himself. What therefore must he do here? I an­swer, What he can, to promote the real good and repentance of the Offender; but yet the Common Good is far more valuable and desirable than any Private and Particular Interest; and Publick Persons, men in Authority, are to look on themselves as Representatives of the Society, whose Good they are to serve, and must consequently do for it whatso­ever they should reasonably expect to be done for their own security. Now 'tis unquestionably for the good and benefit of the whole Community, that insolent, stubborn, and notorious Of­fenders [Page 177] be put to open shame and pu­nishment. A private and personal pity in this case is the publick wrong and da­mage. Magistrates therefore are not to weigh so much what they would desire themselves were they in the Offender's room, as what they should reasonably desire and expect, were they in the place of the whole Community and Society whose good their Office is de­signed to serve. He that spares a noto­rious Offender, gives him liberty to do more wrong and injury, and counte­nanceth many to follow his example, in hopes of the like impunity, to the great prejudice of the common welfare. He that spares a Murderer, entails Gods Curse upon the Land; and he that spares a Traytor, winks at a notorious Murderer, and declares but little value for the Publick Safety, bound up in the Life and Welfare of a King or Sove­reign.— But then, besides this, the ex­ecution of Justice is the best means to secure the common practice of this ex­cellent Rule, which hath so great an in­fluence upon the Publick welfare; and 'tis the Magistrates charge and duty, in order to the Common Good, to teach [Page 178] Offenders, who have certainly broken the Rule by doing wrong and injury, how ill they have done, by making them to suffer and smart for it, and so to warn others not to follow them in so doing. As no body therefore is willing to be wronged, so he is to discipline others not to be willing to do wrong, by inflicting those Punishments which the Offender is as unwilling to undergo, as the Party offended was to suffer the wrong done. It were better, no que­stion, for Offenders, if such Punish­ments and Corrections were more con­stantly inflicted, whereby they might be brought in time to repentance and amendment; and 'twere better for the whole Community, if the punitive acts of Justice were more impartially applied than they are. Certainly, could a Child chuse reasonably, he would rather ask the wholesom severi­ties of Discipline from his Parents, than a fond indulgence of that Liberty which is like to prove his bane and undoing: And therefore when Children are grown up to years of maturity and understanding, they find reason to be­stow thanks both on their Parents and [Page 179] Masters for this part of Nurture as well as any other. And there is as little que­stion but, would Mastistrates, and those who are in Authority, listen to the cry of the Community, to the cry of Church and State, they would be more vigilant and diligent in the inflicting of punishment upon the Transgressors of the Laws than they are, for the security and promotion of the Common Good and Welfare.— I proceed,

Secondly, to the Commutative part of Justice; those Offices, I mean, which concern Commutations, Contracts, and Agreements, with the like Instruments of Humane Converse. And here I will declare in like manner by Instances how the several Branches of Justice are deducible from the Rule before us. And,

(1.) 'Tis a common due we owe to all men with whom we are linked to­gether in Society, to speak the truth; ‘Putting away lying,Eph. 4.25. to speak every man truth with his Neighbour,’ as the Apostle hath it. Speech is the Key which unlocks and opens our Minds and Thoughts to each other, the chief means of all our converse and inter­course each with other: but lying alto­gether [Page 180] frustrates and disappoints the ends of Speech: In stead of acquainting others with our mind and thoughts, it deceives and misinforms them; and si­lence is more sociable than untrue speech. We desire other men should speak the truth to us, to inform and satisfie, and not to cheat and delude us; and therefore we are obliged our selves to speak the truth, and not to lie unto others.

(2.) The same Rule trains us up to all Justice in Buying and Selling, so that the Tradesman shall neither by an un­der-price, below what the rest of his Occupation can live by, gain away their Custom from them, nor yet in­hance the price of any Commodity above the value of it, that I mean for which it may be sold, and which is the ordinary Rate of it; so that the Buyer shall have a valuable matter for the Money which he gives, and the Seller also a valuable Price for that which he parts with, but neither of them make their Gains out of each others Losses. Every honest man would so buy as the Seller might live by him, and have a moderate and ratable consideration for [Page 181] his Art, and Pains, and Hazards; and every one that sells justly can desire no more.

The Rule of Justice in all Commerce and Traffick in the World is aequalitas accepti & redditi, an equality of pro­portion between what is received and what is returned, that there be a valua­ble given for a valuable, which cannot be secured more effectually than by the Rule we are upon; The Buyer to sup­pose himself in the Sellers place, and the Seller again in the Buyers, the dif­ference of circumstances allowed for. The one is to sell, not as himself buys, for he cannot live without some gains; but as he would reasonably desire to buy were he in his Customers room, i. e. for moderate and conscionable gains: And the Buyer again should willingly give those moderate and con­scionable Allowances which the thing he purchaseth, rated together with the Pains, and Hazard, and Art of the Sel­ler is valuable for; i. e. such as were he himself in the Sellers room he would desire from another.

(3.) The same Rule obligeth us to all Justice in the performance of our [Page 182] Words, Promises, Covenants, Con­tracts, or Oaths. He that promiseth to another (be it by word of mouth or writing, it matters not) conveys away a Right and Title unto that which he promiseth; but is deeper still engaged to the performance, if he have called God in as a Witness to the Contract and Promise made by him. The good mans character is,Psal. 15.4. that ‘though he sweareth to his own hurt and damage, he changeth not:’ So regardful is he of those Promises he hath sealed by Oath, that he will perform them, though it be to his own prejudice. And cer­tainly this Rule will train us up to make Conscience of the same, to keep our Promises, to perform our Covenants, to make good our Words and Oathes; for this we desire and expect from other men: we build upon their Words, we trust to and rely on their Engagements, Bonds, and Covenants; we look they should stand to their Agreements; we brand it for the highest injury and wick­edness, for any that have given us the greatest security upon earth, I mean an Oath, to shew themselves persidious and perjured together. But 'tis a shame to [Page 183] speak how much the Christian World degenerates in this Point: Famous was the instance of that eminent Heathen the Roman Regulus, who being taken Prisoner of his Enemies the Carthagini­ans, and obtaining leave of them to go home to Rome, to treat with the Senate for a Commutation, or exchange of Captives, with promise if he sped not, to return again; first gave weighty Rea­sons to the Senate to disswade them from the Commutation, and then return'd back himself unto cruel usage, rather than he would falsifie and violate his Faith and Promise.— But we must renew the Psalmists complaint,Psal. 12.1, 2. ‘Help Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, the faithful fail from among the Children of men; they speak vanity every one with his Neighbour, with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.’— They lie in their hearts, when they promise, and after their pro­mise made lie again to men in their per­formance; they esteem their words but as wind, and their Covenants in writing little more than scribbled Papers, where­in they are not concerned. In the ex­acting of their Debts from others they [Page 184] are like the Servant in the Parable, ‘who finding his fellow-servant that ought him an hundred pence,S. Mat. 18. laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what thou owest,’ despising his submission, slight­ing his entreaties, stopping his ears to his Requests, using no forbearance, but casting him forthwith into Prison till he should pay the Debt.— But when they should come to discharge their own to others, good words at best are their present payment, ‘Sir, have pati­ence with me, and I will pay you all;’ Forbearance is the thing they intentio­nally drive at, but the payment of all goes slowly on. Now, did men as they would be done by, they would not only in cases of apparent necessity forbear others upon their requests, as themselves in the like cases would desire to be for­born; but would as faithfully and sea­sonably pay their Debts to others, as they desire other men should discharge theirs to themselves. Every one would look upon the violation of his own Word, Promise, or Oath, with as evil and censorious an eye, as he doth on the unfaithfulness of others.

Here let me drop a Remarque upon the notorious injustice of such who have plighted their Faith to each other in the solemn Promises and Precontracts of Matrimony. For either of them to fail, without a mutual Release, is an injury the Heathens would blush at: And they need no more to excite them to be honest and punctual each with other, than the consideration of what the one Party expects and desires from the other. How ill would he that breaks his Faith have taken it, should she have broken hers first? And the same may be said of the Woman. Besides that in this case the injury is valuable not only according to the prejudice result­ing from this unfaithfulness, but ac­cording to that degree of affection which the Party is engaged in with whom the Faith is broken.—To this I will yet add one other. I would to God it were especially laid to heart by men, how indispensibly they stand ob­liged to their Sovereign by vertue of the Oaths of Supremacy and Allegiance sworn by them; and that all Officers would impartially consider how strong­ly they are engaged by the respective [Page 186] Oaths taken by them at their entrance upon their Offices, and then, I am sure, a discharge of the same would be look'd upon as an undeniable Branch of Justice, which they would as readily set themselves about, as they require and expect any others should do about the performance of what they swear to. But because of the monstrous breach of Oaths, this horrid dishonesty, injustice, and perjury, the Land mourneth.

(4.) The same Rule teacheth us to be true and faithful in all our Trusts; for that we desire and expect from others our selves. Now,

(1.) Every mans Calling and Office is his Trust. We expect men should be both skilful and faithful in their Callings and Imployments; and therefore such should we approve our selves to be.

(2.) He that leaves another a pledge of his Fidelity in the performance of his Contract, as a Trust to be returned again upon the performance, may after that performance challenge the same in the nature of a Depositum, to be rendred and restored again without hurt or im­pairing; for thus we expect other men should deal with us.

[Page 187](3.) He that commits his Secrets to another to be concealed, admits him to a Trust which he is not to violate. "Discover not the secret of another,Prov. 25.9. saith Solomon. This disclosing of Secrets, however common it be in the babbling Age wherein we live, is the highest af­front and injury to Friendship imagina­ble, the bane of Amity, and no man is willing to be served so himself. 'Tis supposed always, that nothing is to be communicated by way of Secret, which tends to Treason and Conspiracy; for in this case to conceal is to partake of the Guilt, and become a Partner in the Iniquity.

(4.) The Executors and Admini­strators of the Goods of the Deceased have a great Trust lying upon them, by vertue of the Will of the Deceased; and the Will of the Deceased hath al­ways been esteemed a most sacred Band of Fidelity. The last Trust we can leave with any, is the Execution of our Will and Pleasure when we are gone hence; and though the Parties that have left the Trust are in no capacity, it may be, of taking cognizance of the performance, yet we may reckon with our selves, that [Page 188] God takes so much the more notice of it, and will exact so much a stricter ac­count at the hands of those who are concerned: And they who presume to rob the Dead, or thwart their last Will and Pleasure, should, methinks, have the Ghosts of their departed Friends continually haunting of their Phansies, and upbraiding them with their inju­stice, unfaithfulness, and breach of trust? Who would be thus dealt with him­self? Nay, it would add to the dissatis­faction of our Spirits at our decease did we not confidently rely upon the faith­fulness of others in the observing of our last Appointments.

Of the same nature are Feoffees in­trusted with the Conveyance of Lands unto Pious uses; only their injustice is the more aggravated by the injury they do the Poor, and their impiety towards God, as well as their contempt and un­faithfulness to the Wills of the Dead.

(5.) To these might be added Tu­tors and Guardians, who are intrusted with the Persons and Estates of others during their Minority. Governors and Protectors in like manner with their In­fant Prince; and they who become [Page 189] Sponsors and Sureties to the Church at the Baptizing of Infants, to see to their Instruction and Education in order to a Vertuous and Christian Life.

The violation and breach of Trusts is an inexcusable Branch of Injustice, which we our selves would be most ready to exclaim against in others; and therefore Fidelity in every Trust com­mitted to us, is a piece of Justice we are by this Rule to charge our selves withal.

Lastly, to mention no more, 'Tis a point of Justice to render Tribute and Custom to our Governours, in order to their Honourable Maintenance, and for the defraying of the great Expences of their Place, and the supplies of the emergent necessities of their Govern­ment; to render Tribute and Custom, as well as Fear, Honour, and Obedience; and this we should expect and look for our selves, were we in their room.

But this may possibly be referr'd to the peformance of our Contracts and Oaths, or the payment of our Debts, or that Obedience I spake before of as due to our Superiors: And therefore I will add no more of it.

SECT. XII.

SEventhly, To draw towards a Con­clusion, We are by this Rule obli­ged to all the acts of Love and Charity unto others; & this I shall demonstrate, as I have done the foregoing, by several Instances that are most properly to be referr'd unto, and ranked under this Head. And,

(1.) I will begin with the common act of Love and Charity, I mean, Pity and compassion towards, sympathy and fellow-feeling with the afflicted and di­stressed; a due consideration of, and be­ing affected with the sufferings and ca­lamities of others.Heb. 13.3. ‘Remember them who are in bonds, saith the Apostle, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being your selves also in the body;’ i. e. as being your selves Members of the same Body, and dwelling in like manner in a Body sub­ject to the very same evils and calami­ties: So remember them therefore in their bonds and adversity, as you would desire your selves in a like case to be remembred. 'Tis natural for us in the [Page 191] time of affliction to covet and be pleased with the pity and commiseration of others; the yearning of their bowels and expression of their compassion to­wards us, is as a Cordial to our spirits, and easeth us in a great measure and de­gree of our burden: But on the con­trary, 'tis a vexation and trouble, some­times beyond other troubles, not to be regarded and sympathized with. In such cases we are ready to sigh forth the Churches Lamentation,Lam. 1.12. ‘Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by the way? Behold, and see if there be any sor­row like to my sorrow, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.’ We are apt to cry out with Job, Jod 19.21. ‘Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.’ Nothing cuts and wounds more, than when others, in stead of condoling our state, add affliction to our affliction, by their cruel hard-heartedness; neglects, disdains, and de­risions: We then complain with the Psalmist,Psa. 69.20, 21 ‘Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness, and I looked for some to take pity, but [Page 192] there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. They gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink;’ i. e. vexation where I expected comfort. That was the great aggravation of Job's tryals,Job 19.13, 14, 15. ‘He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me; my kinsfolk have failed me, and my fa­miliar friends have forgotten me: they that dwell in mine house count me for a stranger, I am an alien in their sight.’ —We bear those com­mon desires of being pitied by others in our calamities and sufferings, about us, which will upbraid and reprove us, if we do not in like manner take pity upon others.

Such was the sympathy of S. Paul's spirit with all the Churches of Christ, that he said of himself, ‘Who is weak,2 Cor. 11.29. and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not.’ Quae Eccle­sia adfligitur & ego non adfligar? Grot. in loc. Quis est cui offensa objicitur in viâ pietatis, ut non ego urar? What Church is afflicted so, as I am not afflicted for and with it? Who is there scandalized in the way of [Page 193] Piety, and I am not extremely troubled for it? for so the word [burn] is taken figuratively pro animi cruciatu, for vexa­tion of spirit. Ʋro hominem, in Terence is as much as, I vex or nettle the man.

The good Courtier Nehemiah was very inquisitive after the state of his Brethren the Jews left in Captivity,Neh. c. 1. and of Jerusalem; c. 2. and however he was him­self of a chearful temper (for he had not been before-time sad in the King's presence, as he saith of himself) yet, when he heard of their great afflicti­on, reproach, and misery, ‘his heart was sorrowful, and his countenance changed, and he sate down and wept and mourned certain days, and fasted and prayed before the God of Hea­ven.’ These were the manifestations of his compassionate disposition.

But they are inhumane with a wit­ness, who, in stead of sympathizing and condoling with, deride and make a mock of others sufferings, as if it were an accession to their joy that others were troubled. ‘Rejoyce not,Prov. 24.17, 18. saith Solomon, when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth, lest the Lord see it, and it displease him.’

[Page 194](2.) The Apostle saith, ‘Rejoyce with them that rejoyce,Rom. 12.15. as well as Weep with them that weep:’ And the same Rule will train us up to both, as well to delight in,Bonis proxi­mi congau­dere & de tri­stibus dolere. and be glad of the happiness of others, as to commiserate them in their afflictions: for we there­fore condole the misery of others sin­cerely, because we wish them well; and whom we wish well unto, we shall take pleasure proportionably in the well-doing of, we shall be glad to hear the tidings of their felicity. Thus most certainly we would have other men to do to us.S. Luk. 15. The man in the Parable that found his lost Sheep, not only laid it on his shoulders rejoycing, but, when he came home, ‘call'd together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoyce with me, for I have found my Sheep which was lost.’ The woman also that had found her lost piece of Sil­ver, called together her friends and neighbours, saying, ‘Rejoyce with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost.’ The Father, in like man­ner, of the Prodigal, after his return commands his servants to bring the fat­ted Calf and kill it; and, ‘Let us eat, [Page 195] saith he, and be merry; for this my Son was dead and is alive again, was lost and is found.’

So far would we have others from envying and repining at our happiness, that we desire they should congratulate and rejoyce together with us for it. Did we therefore regard other men as our selves, their happiness would be esteemed by us as part of our own, af­ter the same sort as each Member shares in the health and welfare of any one in the Body.1 Cor. 12.25, 26. Unius corpo­poris mem­bra- ut intel­ligamus nos ipsos accepis­se beneficium cum benefici­um praestiti­mus proximo, nos laesos cum nocitum est fratri. Erasm. Enchir. Mil. Christ p. 145. That's S. Paul's observati­on, ‘The members should have the same care one for another, and whe­ther one member suffer, all the mem­bers suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with him.’ The practice of this Rule would put out the envious eye, and rid the world of those many discontents and murmurings which Persons of an inferiour rank, degree, and desert are too apt oftentimes to entertain against those that excel them, or are preferr'd before them. This would be a rare expedi­ent to add to the happiness of every one, by all the accessions of happiness which accrue unto any; because it [Page 196] would discipline every one to rejoyce and take pleasure in the happiness of another, which many now wax lean and pale with discontent at. It would instruct men,Erasm. Ench. Mil. Christ. p 14 [...]. as hath been said, Omnium commodis perinde ut suis aggratulari, omnium incommodis non secus quam suis indolere; to congratulate the good for­tunes of others as their own, and lay to heart their calamities no otherwise than their own.

(3.) The same Rule obligeth us to the Charity of an hearty forgiveness of all those injuries and wrongs which others, through infirmity and passion, have done unto us, or for which they profess themselves sorrowful. This is that we all desire and hope for from God Almighty our selves, and misera­ble were we without the assurance of it; and yet we are given to understand, that there is no grounded expectation of this from God, unless we forgive others al­so;S. Mat. 18.35. ‘Our Heavenly Father will never forgive us, if we from our hearts for­give not every one his brother their trespasses.’ Nor is this limited to once, or twice, or thrice, or seven times; but,ver. 21, 22. as Christ said unto Peter, ‘Till se­venty [Page 197] times seven,’ i. e. toties quoties, as often as he shall chance to offend, and ask forgiveness at thine hands. And this is the measure we not only hope for from God, but wish our selves from other men also. We often through in­firmity, passion, and humane frailty, of­fend others; and in these cases we would not have them implacable and unap­peasable upon our acknowledgments: We would not have them over-severe and rigorous in exacting satisfaction at our hands; and therefore we should pardon others upon easie terms, who of­ten need it our selves. These two should always go in conjunction, ‘—hanc veniam petimus, dabimusque vicissim,’ That we be as ready our selves to for­give others, and be reconciled to them, upon the same considerations of equity we would desire our selves to be ac­cepted on in their condition: And therefore,

(4.) As a good step and means to this forgiveness, the same Rule will lead us to all charitable censures of other mens failings, and whatever qualifying interpretations their actions and offences [Page 198] are capable of.S. Luke 6.37. ‘Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; for­give, and ye shall be forgiven.’ Let equity evermore hold the balance wherein you weigh other mens trans­gressions, and cast in all the grains of allowance that a charitable mind will admit of. I mean not that we should at any time call evil good, more than we may call good evil; but where the fault is most censurable,Adjuvant & haec, ne dolo­ri mentis ob­sequare, si commodè collectis rhe­torum cir­cumstantiis paritèr & tu­um incommo­dum extenues & alienam e­leves injuri­am, his fermè modis. Laesit, sed facilè resarcietur, tum puer est, rerum imperitus, adoles­cens, mulier est; alieno fecit instinctu, imprudens, probè potus, aequum est ignoscere. At contrà, gravitèr quidam laesit, sed pater est, frater, praeceptor, amicus, uxor. Par est hoc doloris illius vel charitati vel authoritati condonari. Aut paria faciens injuri­am cum aliis illius in te beneficiis compensabis, vel cum tuis in illum offensis exaequabis. Hic quidem laesit, sed aliâs quam saepe profuit? Illiberalis est animi benefactorum oblivisci, injuriolae meminisse. Nunc me offendit sed quoties à me offensus? Ignoscam illi, ut mihi meo exemplo ignoscat & ipse delinquenti. Erasm. Enchir. Mil. Christ p. 204. let the com­mitter of it have all the just excuses that the circumstances of his state will allow of: Let his ignorance, his unwa­riness, his mistakes, his passions, his age, his good meanings, be all considered: Let Charity thus interpose on his be­half; The matter, it may be, is not so bad as report speaks it; the mans heart and tongue kept not pace together; [Page 199] passion and earnestness transported his language beyond the bounds of his thoughts and meaning; or he meant well, possibly, in that which hath now in the issue proved otherwise; or he knew not well what he did, and he te­stifies as much by his after-sorrow for the miscarriage, that he designed not the wrong out of any spite or malice.

These, and the like, are the mitigati­ons wherewith we desire others should lessen our offences: We would not have them judge rashly of the thoughts and purposes of our minds, which they know not; and as favourably as may be of our miscarriages, which they know: And therefore thus should we be mind­ed and disposed towards others. We should ‘put on bowels of mercies,Col. 3.12, 13. kindness, humbleness of mind, meek­ness, long-suffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any,’ expressing that Charity which is not suspicious, but apt to believe the best,1 Cor. 13. and hope the best; not Eagle-eyed in others faults, but ready to over-look and cover a multitude of infirmities and imperfections; that Charity which the [Page 200] Members of the Body bear to each other:See Ecclus 19.13, 14, 15, 16. It may be he hath not done it.— It may be he hath not said it.— Many times it is a slander. —There is one that slippeth in his speech, but not from his heart. —And who is he that hath not offended with his tongue? for if one Member chance to hurt or wound the other, all care is taken presently for the cure of that hurt or wound, but no man delights to vex that Part or Member which occasioned the sore.

(5.) The same Rule commands from us all expressions of kindness and good will one to another, friendly and amica­ble words and salutations.Eph. 4.31, 32. ‘Let all bitterness, and wrath, and clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, saith the Apostle, with all ma­lice; and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christs sake hath for­given you.Prov. 16.24. "Pleasant words, saith Solomon, are as an Honey-comb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.’ Courteous and loving salutations, the expressions of mutual good wishes, take away the jealousies and suspicions that are apt otherwise to grow in the minds of men each touching other; and pro­duce, strengthen, and increase mutual [Page 201] benevolence.Prov. 15.1. ‘A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger.’

The affected silence, and scrupling at the ordinary Salutations, Good-mor­rows, and forms of well-wishing among us, which some vail over with the pretences of Religion, look too like a clownish, proud, phantastick and un­sociable surliness. 'Tis strange that any should boggle at such wholesom forms of Speech as are commonly used by good Christians to shew their mutual Love and Piety together: God be with you, God speed your work, God bless you, God give you a good morrow, &c. They forget the Curse pronounced by the Psalmist upon the enemies of Sion, ‘Neither do they which go by say,Psal. 129.8. The blessing of the Lord be upon you, We bless you in the Name of the Lord.’ They forget that of Boaz to his Reap­ers, "The Lord be with you;Ruth. 2.4. who an­swered him again, ‘The Lord bless thee.’ They forget also the command of Christ to his Disciples,S. Luke 10.5. ‘When ye come into an house, first say, Peace be unto this house;’ the usual form of the Jewish Salutations.

But look, as this friendliness of words is opposed to a dogged, surly, clownish, and unsociable silence; so also to that cursing and evil speaking which is too commonly heard in the world.Rom. 12.14. ‘Bless, saith the Apostle, and curse not.’ A good word, we say tru­ly, is as cheap as a bad one; and, to be sure, to the hearer 'tis always more ac­ceptable, and to the speaker more ac­countable. Who is there that desires not, that likes not well of the friendly wishes, and kind words, and courteous salutations of others? Who is there that loves to be railed at or cursed him­self?

As for the Imprecations frequently to be observed in the Psalms, that of Venerable Bede is fit to be remembred by us;Citat. in Cat. D. Tho. Luc. 6. Prophetae per imprecationem quid esset futurum cecinerunt, non optantis vo­to sed spiritu praevidentis, The Prophets of God by their Imprecations declared what was to be, not with the wish of their private desires, but with the Spirit of Prophecy, foreseeing what God had appointed for his enemies. They are not so much the Prophets Curses, as their Predictions, foretelling what [Page 203] Curses shall befal the ungodly, in the form of Imprecations:See Dr. H. Pref. to Ps. § 32. And most of them might be qualified by reading them in the Future-tense, rather than the Imperative-Mood.

But there is a generation of Vipers, whose mouths are upon all occasions, upon every slight provocation, full of Curses; the poison of Asps is vented from their lips: To these it is seasona­ble to apply that of S. Chrysostom, Citat. in Cat. D. Thomae, S. Luc. 6. Homo es, aspidum venena non evomas, nec ver­taris in belluam: est tibi datum os, non ut mordeas, sed ut aliorum vulnera sanes. Remember that thou art a Man: Belch not forth the poison of Asps, neither be thou turned into a Beast: Thy mouth is given thee not to bite and devour others with, but to heal their wounds. —There is no man but entertains the uncharitable wishes and imprecations of others towards himself with a great disgust and aversation; and therefore he should not use or reply the like to others.

(6.) The same Rule obligeth us to pray unto God on the behalf of others; for if we are disposed as we should be, we cannot chuse but will and like well [Page 204] of the Prayers of others unto God for us, in such cases especially wherein we stand most in need of the Divine help and aid. Prayer is, as Bishop Andrews calls it, radius charitatis, the ray or beam of charity. There is none so poor and unprovided in the world, but he can pray for others; and that is the chiefest way oftentimes wherein we are capable of benefiting others, by engage­ing of God by Prayer for his Blessing on them. This is the common Charity we may and ought to expect each from other. Christ hath taught us to say, Pater noster, Our Father, that we might include others with our selves. Parents should pray for a Blessing on their Chil­dren, and Children again for a Reward and Blessing upon their Parents. Mini­sters should pray for a Blessing on their People, and People again for a Blessing on their Ministers. We are all engaged to pray one for another; and then claim a peculiar right to the Prayers of each other, when we are surrounded with temptations and difficulties, or fallen into trouble and distress. None that understands himself, and how necessary and beneficial a practice Prayer is, and [Page 205] what a treasury of Blessings it procures from God, but would desire the Pray­ers of others on his own behalf, and therefore is engaged upon the same ac­count to pray for others.—But then,

Lastly, True Love and Charity rests not in good Words, and Wishes, and Prayers; but constrains men to do the best they can for the benefit of others; not only bene loqui, and bene velle, but benefacere: And indeed without this we do but feign and dissemble, when we pretend good-will to others.

Who would chuse to be served and put off with fair speeches and good words only, when 'tis in the power of the speaker at the same time really to help and relieve his case?S. James 2.15, 16. ‘If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say to them, Depart in peace, be ye warm­ed and filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are need­ful to the body, what doth it profit?’ saith S. James. This Rule therefore engageth us, as we have opportunity, to do good and communicate, as we are able, for the relief and supply of others; that as we desire the abundance [Page 206] of others may be be a supply for our want,2 Cor. 8.14. so our abundance may be a sup­ply for the wants of others. And thus we are trained up to all the acts of Li­berality, Almsgiving, and Beneficence, and that according to our Neighbours necessity both in Soul and Body, in the inward and outward Man. 'Tis a Gol­den Rule of Chrysologus, Petr. Chrysol. Quomodo vis, quantum vis, quam citò vis misericordiam tibi fieri, tam citò aliis, tantum, talitèr ipse miserere; Look how thou wouldest have mercy shewn to thy self, after what manner, in what measure, with what speed and dispatch; do it in the same manner, and with the same measure and speed to others.

Shew thy self merciful to the Soul of thy Brother, in order to his eternal hap­piness, by reproving his sins; but with the reproofs of Charity, not the re­proaches of Pride; by admonishing him to leave and forsake his evil cour­ses; by restoring him in the spirit of meekness; by relieving his ignorance, convincing him of his errors, resolving his doubts, counselling and advising him in the way which he should chuse, con­firming and strengthning of him in the [Page 207] ways of well-doing, and comforting of him in all his troubles and distresses.

Shew thy self merciful to the Body and outward Man of thy Brother, by relieving his wants, giving drink to the thirsty, food to the hungry, clothes to the naked, lodging to the stranger and destitute; by purchasing liberty for the captive, and the means of health for the sick or maimed; by giving money to the poor, or lending freely to those who are reduced to extremities; by stand­ing up on the behalf of the Orphan and Widow: for these are the things thou wouldest desire of others in a like case; these are the good turns thou wouldest wish for from other men.

And see thou do them with the same chearfulness and bounty, proportiona­bly to thy condition, as thou wouldest wish, like well of, and commend in any other towards thy self.

'Tis an excellent admonition of La­ctantius touching Charity,Lactant. l. 6. Quoties ro­garis, tentari te à Deo crede, an sis dignus exaudiri; As often as thou art asked and entreated of others, believe that thou art tried, whether or no thou art worthy thy self to be heard of God, [Page 208] nay, and of others also in a like estate.

The through practice of this Rule would make us all in our places as fa­mous for the works of Mercy as Job's Character, who was able to speak thus of himself;Job 29.12, &c. ‘I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I caused the widows heart to sing for joy. I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the poor, and the cause which I knew not I searched out; and I brake the jaws of the wicked, and pluck'd the spoil out of his teeth.’

He that could do the least, would yet help somewhat, as I said before, by his comfortable Words and Prayers, the afflicted and necessitous: To be sure he would by no means add to their bur­then sorrow and vexation; like Job too in this particular, whose reply to his miserable Comforters was,Job 16.4, 5. ‘I also could speak as you do, if your soul were in my soul's stead: I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you. But I would [Page 209] strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should asswage your grief.’

The poor and afflicted would need no other Advocate than this in the breasts of those whom they apply to for relief, to answer all their Objections against Charity, and to draw forth the chearful Contributions of their Liberality and Bounty. Do but to us as you would desire your selves to be dealt with in our condition; and make no other excuses for the withholding or maiming your Charity towards us, than you would have others make to you in a like estate.

There can be no question but this Precept enjoyns us all the acts of Love, Charity, Benevolence, Mercy, and Li­berality towards others.

The only doubt to be resolved further is, Whether it exact our love also to our Enemies? For that you know is the Gospel-Command, That we should love our Enemies; that is an Instructi­on S. Paul takes out of Solomon, ‘If thine enemy hunger feed him,Rom. 12.20. Prov. 25.21. if he thirst give him drink:’ That was a Precept also in the Law,Exod. 23.4, 5. ‘to bring back an enemies ox going astray, and to [Page 110] help up his ass lying under a burthen.’

Now many are so nobly resolved, as we are apt to speak, that they disdain to receive a Courtesie from an Enemy; they will rather starve, than be fed by an Enemy; rather die, than be preser­ved by an Enemy. It may therefore seem questionable whether this Rule will oblige to Love, and Goodness, and Charity towards an Enemy, doing to him as we would our selves receive from him.

But the resolution is easie and clear enough: For who doth not commend the nobleness and generosity of an Ene­mies kindness? who doth not praise and extol this in an Enemy? and there­fore must needs adjudge himself obliged to imitate what he admires the excel­lency and loveliness of. To do good to others, as Men, is good and commen­dable in it self; and so to whomsoever the good be done, friend or foe: But to do good to ones Enemy heightens the degrees of Charity; for if it be ‘a more blessed thing to give than to receive,’ according to our Saviours Axiom, our Reason must needs infer, that it is still the more blessed and praise-worthy [Page 111] to do good to those from whom we have received evil our selves.—And as for what was principal in the Objecti­on, the unwillingness of some to receive kindnesses from their Enemies, I que­stion not but some deep degrees of suf­fering and extremity would quickly tame and subdue that pride and haughti­ness of their Spirits.

Besides, the Rule of our Blessed Sa­viour (as Reverend Dr. Jackson well observes) is, That we do that for every man, which we would have any man do for us; and not only that to this or that man, which we expect from them alone.

Nor yet merely so; but, (as was no­ted in the Explication) That we do that to every man, according to our Abili­ties, which we desire to receive our selves at God's hands; and wo were our case, if he had not loved us whilst we were Enemies; loved us so then, as to preserve us in our Being till by his Grace we were made friends, and so admitted unto greater Blessings.—It is not therefore to be wondred that S. Luke S. Luke 6. placeth this Golden Rule amidst the other Commands of Love (as I sug­gested in the beginning) and that Love [Page 212] to Enemies, whereby we may become ‘merciful, as our Father also is merci­ful.’

And thus now, as briefly as the copi­ousness of such a Subject would well allow, I have run through the chief Heads of those Vertues we are engaged by this Rule to be zealous followers of; and intimated by the way those contrary Vices we are to shun and abhor: And, I think, I may well conclude this Inducti­on with S. Paul's heap of Universals, ‘Finally,Phil. 4.8. Brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest or venerable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, what­soever things are of good report, if there be any vertue, and if there be any praise, think of these things.’ [...], reason your selves into these things, and that from the Premises already laid down.

SECT. XIII.

I Pass to the second part of the Words, where my stay will be much shorter, the Enforcement of this [Page 213] Golden Rule, of this General and Com­prehensive Precept, ‘For this, saith Christ, is the Law and the Prophets.’

Hoc lex vatésque docent, Castalio in loc. haec legis va­túmque summa; This is that which the Law and Prophets teach, and this is the sum of the Law and Prophets. This Rule is established by the Authority of the Law and the Prophets, and it is in it self a fruitful Epitome of the several Precepts delivered in the Law and Pro­phets. Quae in illâ aut ab istis dicta; The things contained in the Law, or spoken by the Prophets, are summarily comprised in this Saying.

The Law and the Prophets stand for all the Old Testament, for which also sometimes is put Moses and the Pro­phets: Thus S. Luke speaks of our Bles­sed Saviour,S. Luke 24.27 that ‘beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.’ Where we have express mention of all the Scri­ptures, and them divided into these two parts, Moses and the Prophets. To this purpose Abraham replies unto the Rich man in torments, concerning the provision made for his Brethrens esca­ping [Page 114] of them,S. Luke 16.29. ‘They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them.’ And when S. Paul would clear himself from Heresie and Irreligion to the Jews, he proffesseth his belief of ‘all things written in the Law and the Prophets.Act. 24.14.’ The Scribes and Pharisees had much in their mouths the Law and the Prophets; the Law and the Prophets were read daily in their Synagogues:Act. 13.15. and yet so blind were they in their practice, as to overlook that which was most considera­ble in the Law and the Prophets. The better therefore to infore this excellent Rule of Life, our Blessed Lord and Sa­viour tells his Disciples, That this is the Law and the Prophets: i. e. This (1.) is that which they undeniably call for: This is indeed (2.) the sum of that Duty they require: And this (3.) they put a special Emphasis upon, above all exter­nal and ceremonial Observances what­soever.

Under this three-fold Gloss I shall endeavour to give you an account of our Blessed Saviours Argument, ‘For this is the Law and the Prophets.’

First, This is that which the Law and the Prophets do unquestionably and [Page 115] undeniably call for. The foundations and grounds of this Rule are there clearly expressed; the Branches to which it extends self are there com­manded and enjoyned. This Rule hath the Authority of the Holy Scriptures to back and enforce it. So far is Christ from disparaging the Law and Prophets, that he establiseth his Precepts by them:S. Mat. 5.17. ‘Think not, saith he, that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil;’ q. d. I came not to abrogate or take away the binding power of the Law and Prophets, but my self to fulfil what they prescribed; and not only to injoyn it upon my Disciples, but to fill up and explain the true sense and meaning of that in my Ministry, which was more darkly shadowed and adumbrated only by them. The Jewish Laws are usu­ally distinguished into Moral, Judicial, and Ceremonial.

The Moral Law is the Law of Na­ture revived, the Law leaning on eternal and never-failing Principle and Rules of Equity: And this is so far from be­ing destroyed by Christ, that he hath ratified and improved it.

The Judicial or Civil Law is that which respecteth them as a particular State, Body, and Society, separate and distinct from the rest of the World; this stood in force so long as their Com­monwealth and Government remained: but appertaining unto them in particu­lar, cannot reasonably be thought to oblige others, further than the natural and real equity of its Precepts agrees with the Circumstances of other Go­vernments.

The Ceremonial or Ecclesiastical Law is that which prescribes the Reli­gious Rites and Ceremonies of their Church, which were but Types and Shadows of something more perfect to succeed them; and Types and Shadows do of their own accord cease and va­nish, when the Substance or Body is in­troduced: So that the nature of these Laws set a bound and limit to their ob­liging Power; and Christ hath not so much dissolved and destroyed, as ful­filled them.

The Law and Prophets are as authen­tick and divine as ever, and as fit to oblige us to those Laws, which are built on eternal Principles of Equity; [Page 217] and so extend themselves as really to us, as ever they did to the Jews. But as for those other Laws which respected their peculiar Polity in Church and State, and so were for a certain People, Place, and Time, they are to have their Obli­ging Power determined according to those mutable Circumstances.

We must reverence and receive the Holy Scriptures as well of the Old as the New Testament, for the infallible Word of God, speaking to us with a Divine Authority, and commanding both our belief and obedience. Si scire vis quid tenendum sit (saith Salvian ex­cellently well,Salvian. l. 3. speaking particularly of providence) habes sacras literas: per­fecta ratio est hoc tenere quod legeris; If thou wouldest know what is to be hol­den and embraced, thou hast the Holy Writings for thy direction; and 'tis perfect reason to hold and embrace that which thou shalt there read. Plus est Deus quam omnis humana ratio: humana dicta argumentis ac testibus egent, Dei autem sermo ipse sibi testis est; quia ne­cesse est quicquid incorrupta veritas loqui­tur incorruptum sit testimonium veritatis; God is more to thee than all Humane [Page 218] Reason: Mens words want Arguments and Witnesses; but the Word of God is it self sufficient Witness to it self: for it is necessary that whatsoever uncor­rupted Truth hath spoken, should be an uncorrupted Testimony of Truth.

'Tis S. Augustine's Prescription, ne­ver to be forgotten by us,S. Aug. contra Faustum Ma­nich. l. 11. c. 5. Canonicae Scri­pturae serviat omnis fidelis & pius intel­lectus; Let every faithful and pious Understanding submit it self to the Ca­nonical Scripture; and therein if any thing shall at any time appear like an absurdity, non licet dicere, author hujus libri non tenuit veritatem, we may not say, the Author of this Book missed the Truth, but aut codex mendosus est, aut interpres erravit, aut tu non intelligis, either the Print or Writing is faulty, or the Translator and Interpreter mistaken, or thou understandest not: and though we find the same Truths in other mens Writings as in these, longe tamen est impar authoritas, the Authority is infi­nitely greater here.Contra Cres­con. And again, speak­ing elsewhere of the Canonical Books of the Bible, he adds, Quos omninò ju­dicare non audeamus & secundum quos de caeteris literis vel fidelium vel infidelium [Page 219] judicamus; These we may not presume or dare at all to judge; but according unto these we judge of other Writings, whether of Believers or Infidels. And yet again,Ep. 19. ad Hieron. in an Epistle of his to S. Hie­rom; I for my part, saith he, have learned to yield this reverence and ho­nour to those Books only which are cal­led Canonical, most firmly to believe none of their Authors scribendo aliquid errâsse, to have erred any thing in their writing; but I so read others, that, be they never so eminent for Piety or Learning, I do not therefore think it true which they write quia ipsi ità sen­serunt, because they have so thought and judged, but because they are able to perswade me of the truth of it vel per illos authores canonicos vel probabili ratione, either by those Canonical Au­thors, or some probable Reason.

A Scripture should be more to us than any Reason; provided only, that we mistake it not, that we misunder­stand it not, that we misapply it not: for we can have no greater confirmation than Divine Authority. We must there­fore take heed lest at any time we prove irreverent Rejecters of the Word of [Page 220] God, or any thing propounded to us out of the Holy Scriptures.

Abraham prefers the voice of Moses and the Prophets before the testimony of one arising purposely from the dead, for the warning of the living.S. Luk. 16.31. ‘If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, saith he, neither will they be perswaded though one arose from the dead.’ But if once the Law and the Prophets, Mo­ses and the Prophets find credit, the Old Testament will usher in the belief of the New, as well as the New confirm and strengthen the belief of the Old. ‘Had you believed Moses sayings,S. John 5.46. you would have believed me, saith Christ, for he wrote of me.’ Why! what wrote he of Christ? This expresly, ‘God shall raise up unto thee a Pro­phet like unto me,Deut. 18.15. of thy Brethren, according to thy desire; and I will put my words into his mouth, and whosoever will not hearken unto the words which he shall speak in my Name, I will require it of him.’

I urge the venerable estimation and reception of the Holy Scriptures, from the force of our Blessed Saviour's Argu­ment, ‘For this is the Law and the [Page 221] Prophets.’ He backs his Golden Rule and Precept with that Divine and Infal­lible Authority, which whoever are found despisers and contemners of, will be sentenced as rejecters of the Testimo­ny and Commands of God himself; for the Holy Scripture is no other than his Voice, who hath the most absolute Authority over both our Faith and Obe­dience. And were there no other Rea­son or Account to be given of this Pre­scription of Christs, it were abundant proof, That it is Gods peremptory Command, made known in the Law and Prophets. But then,

Secondly, We may further para­phrase the meaning of our Blessed Savi­our's Argument thus; This is the sum of all that the Law and the Prophets re­quire at our hands. To that purpose S. Chrysostom, See Sect. 1. p. 1. as I noted in the begin­ning; ‘The whole Law, in S. Paul's language, [...],Rom. 13.9. is sum'd up into this Sentence, as into an Head, Thou shalt love thy Neigh­bour as thy self.’ To this Head he refers expresly all the Commands of the Second Table that respect our duty to others. ‘For this, saith he, Thou shalt [Page 222] not commit Adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other Commandment it is briefly compre­hended in this saying, [...], in this namely, Thou shalt love thy neigh­bour as thy self;’ which I have shewed before to be the inward and vital Princi­ple of our Saviour's Rule.Sect. 4. To this Se­cond Table therefore some limit and con­fine the Text.Intelligen­dum est de lege & moni­tis spectanti­bus mutua in­ter se homi­num officia. Grot. in loc. Videtur au­tem hoc prae­ceptum ad dilectionem proximi per­tinere non autem ad Dei: cum in alio loco duo esse praecepta di­cat, in quibus tota lex pen­det & pro­phetae: cum autem hic non addit tota lex, quod ibi addidit, fervavit locum alteri praecepto quod est de dilectione Dei. S. Aug. de Serm. Dom. cit. in Cat. D. Tho. 'Tis to be understood, saith Grotius, of the Law, and those Monitions in the Prophets which con­cern the mutual Offices of men one to­wards another. S. Augustine in like manner: This Precept seems to belong to the Love of our Neighbour only, and not the Love we owe to God; since that in another place Christ saith, that there are two Commandments upon which hang all the Law and the Prophets. Now since he addeth not here the whole Law, or all the Law, which he addeth there expresly, he hath left room for the other Precept of the Love of God to be sup­plied.

The Text he refers to is that of S. Mat. chap. 22. where our Saviour being ask­ed,S. Matth. 22.36.—40. ‘Which is the great Command­ment of the Law? answers, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind: This is the first and great Commandment: And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self. On these Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’ [...]. They conspire and meet together in these two; to these two they are reducible. The Jews themselves called these Summas magnas, Ʋniversalia magna; the great Sums, and the great Universals. The first, of the Love of God, can by no means be omit­ted; for our Obligations to him are an­tecedent to all other, and most conside­rable. We must therefore have a spe­cial respect to the first and great Com­mandment: But yet the second too, saith Christ, is like unto it, being as universal and extensive as the former,Quia actus non externos tantum sed in ternos praeci­pit & vim su­am quam la­tissime exten­dit, & priori necessario ne­xu cohaeret; propter quam cohaerentiam à Paulo dici­tur, de poste­riori, quod Christus de duobus dixit. Grot. in loc. reaching both the inward and outward man, and inseparably connected with the former; for which coherence or con­nexion sake, saith Grotius, that is spoken [Page 224] by Paul of this later, which Christ said of them both. For so far may that Phrase of his reach in his Epistle to the Romans, chap. 13. ["And if there be any other Commandment,] viz. not only of the Second, but of the First Table.

—Ut sit vivum ac sensibile corpus, & ag­nitio Dei ne­cessaria est quasi caput, & omnes vir­tutes quasi corpus.—Vide Lactant. l. 6.It must needs be granted, that these two great Commandments have that mutual dependence and tye each to other, that the one necessarily, as it were, includeth, and carrieth the other along with it. The love of God inclu­deth the love of our Neighbour, and the love of our Neighbour presupposeth the love of God.1 S. John 4.20. ‘If a man say, I love God, and hateth his Brother, he is a liar, saith S. John; for he that loveth not his Brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?ch. 3.17. How dwelleth the Love of God in him?’ The love of God then includes the love of Man; and the love of Man is used by the same Apostle as a plain demonstration of our love to God; ‘Beloved,ch. 4. v. 7, 8. let us love one another; for Love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God: He that loveth not, knoweth [Page 225] not God, for God is Love.’ —S. Au­gustine therefore in another place gives a Comment upon the Text different from his former; (and indeed in his former we may observe that he spake but dubi­ously, and by way of conjecture, with a Videtur only) Therefore, saith he,Ideò Scriptu­ra tantum delectionem proximi com­memorat, cum dicit, Omnia quae­cun (que) —quia qui proxi­mum diligit consequens est ut & ip­sam praecipuè dilectionem diligat. Deus autem dilectio est; consequens est ergo, ut praecipuè diligat Deum. S. Aug de Trin. cit. in Cat. D. Tho sup. Evang. the Scripture commemorates only the love of our Neighbour, when it saith, ‘All things whatsoever ye would,’ — be­cause he that loveth his Neighbour, by consequence must love especially Love it self. But God is Love: And therefore 'tis consequent from hence, that he love God especially.

‘All the Law,Gal. 5.14. [...]— saith S. Paul to the Galatians, is fulfilled in one word, even in this, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self.’ Here is tota Lex, all the Law, in answer to S. Au­gustine's former scruple: The whole Law, and that fulfilled in this one word or sentence, ‘Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self.’

To this Precept then of the Text we may in a sort refer all the Commands [Page 226] of the Law and Prophets, even totum hominis, the whole Duty of Man.

The Precepts in the Law and Pro­phets concern either our Duty to our Neighbours, to our selves, or unto God.

Now the Offices which respect our Neighbours are here most expresly in­joyned, as hath been declared in Parti­culars. And then,

The Duties respecting our selves are here necessarily presupposed, in as much as we are presumed to love our selves aright, to be rightly disposed our selves, that so we may become fit measures of Love and Duty towards others. And then,

The Duties we owe to God must needs be in like manner included, be­cause we can neither love our selves nor our Neighbour aright without the love of God.

But besides this, the disposition which this Rule calls for, and works us up to, naturally leads to the Duties of the First, as well as the Second Table. For,

(1.) The scope and intendment of it is, that we be as ready to do good, as we are desirous to receive good; and con­sequently, [Page 227] we must needs be as ready to do that for God which he requires of us, as we desire God should be ready to do for us that which we expect from him; as ready to obey his commands, as we are to desire a blessing from him.

(2.) The meaning of the Rule is, that we would do to others whatsoever we would judge reasonable our selves to be done to us were we in their place, what­soever we judge befitting their state, quality, and condition; and consequent­ly, we are necessarily obliged from hence to do all that towards God, which our Reason and Understanding, rectified by Divine Light, judgeth becoming Creatures towards their Creator, Preser­ver, Redeemer, and continual Benefactor; Creatures so related unto God as we are, according unto every relation wherein we stand, whatsoever becomes us as Subjects to our Heavenly Sovereign, as Servants to our Heavenly Master, as Children to our Heavenly Father.

'Tis reasonable, all men being Judg­es, that the chiefest Good have our chiefest love and delight; that Truth it self have our firm belief; that Omni­potence have our chiefest fear and trust; [Page 228] that he from whom we are, and upon whom we depend, be glorified by us in every capacity, in Body and Soul, which are his; and that we offer not any such lazy, unbecoming, and irre­verent Devotions and Services to him, which we would blush to bring before our Earthly Governour.

The Prophet Malachi argues upon this foundation:Mal. 1.6, 8, 14. Deus quoni­am utramque personam su­stinet & Pa­tris & Domi­ni; & amare eum debemus quia filii su­mus, & time­re quia servi. Lactant. l. 4. ‘A Son honoureth his Father, and a Servant his Ma­ster: If then I be a Father, where is mine Honour? and if I be a Master, where is my Fear, saith the Lord of Hosts? And if ye offer the blind for Sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now to thy Governour, will he be pleas'd with thee, or ac­cept thy person, saith the Lord of Hosts? And then he concludes, But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his Flock a Male, but vow­eth and sacrificeth to the Lord a cor­rupt thing; for I am a great King, saith the Lord, &c.’

He that sits down and considers with himself, what God is, and how he is related unto God; what God hath [Page 229] done for him, and what he expects from God, will forthwith find within himself an indispensible obligation to all the acts of Love and Religion towards God, as unquestionably due by the common and natural Laws of Justice and Gratitude to that excellent Being and Majesty, from which he hath received so much, and expects so much.

This Rule then will plainly oblige us to hate all hypocrisie and double dealing towards God, which we abo­minate in men towards our selves; and to be sincere and upright, before him especially, to whose all-seeing eye all things are dissected, naked, and open.

To humble our selves in the presence of so Glorious a Majesty, and not to be vainly puffed up in our minds, since we loath Pride in others, and in those chiefly whom we have raised to that degree of excellency which they par­take of, when they exalt themselves against us.

To detest in our selves, that diso­bedience towards God, which we can­not our selves endure in our Servants and Inferiors. If we weak men, saith [Page 230] devout Salvian, Si nos, qui ho­munculi im­becilli sumus, contemni ta­men à servis nostris omni­nò nolumus, quos etsi no­bis servitutis conditio in­feriores, hu­mana tamen sors reddit ae­quales: quam iniquè uti (que) coelestem Do­minum con­temnimus, qui cum homines ipsi simus contemnen­dos tamen nos à nostrae conditionis hominibus non putamus? Nisi tanti fortasse consilii ac tam profundae intelligentiae sumus, ut qui pati injurias servorum nolumus, subditum injuriis nostris Deum esse velimus, & quae ipsi toleratu humano indigna credimus, Deum à nobis digna haec tolerare credamus. Salv. p. 79. will not suffer our selves to be despised by our Servants, who, though inferiour to us in their condition, are yet in a sort equal with us by Nature; how unjustly do we de­spise our Heavenly Lord, who being men, do yet think, that we ought not to be contemn'd by men of our own nature? Unless it may be we are of so profound an understanding, that we, who will not suffer the injuries of our Servants, would yet have God sub­ject unto ours; and can believe that God will take that well of us, which we think unworthy and unfit to be born with among men.

And then, since God is before-hand with us in doing of us good, and we are not able to make him any amends, to benefit him by ought we do, we must needs be trained up to all possible ways of grateful acknowledgment, thanksgiving and praise, for his good­ness, chearfulness in his Service, and [Page 231] doing good to others, the poor and needy, whom God hath appointed as his Receivers of that real good and ad­vantage from us, which he by reason of his All-sufficiency is not capable of, but yet reputes and accepts of as offered and done to himself.Prov. 19.17. S. Mat. 25.

There is no danger, you see, of ex­tending the Rule to the utmost. This is the Law and the Prophets; upon this hang all the Law and the Prophets; in this they conspire and meet together; to this they may be reduced; in this one saying they may be comprised and summed up, as in a Comprehensive Head; this is their quintessence.Micah 6.8. ‘He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord re­quire of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’ And this thou wilt be sure to do, if thou dost that unto God and Men, which thou desirest to be done unto thy self.

Thirdly, One Gloss more may yet be added. This is the Law and the Prophets; i. e. This Rule of Moral and Eternal Righteousness is that which they principally urge, and in reference [Page 232] unto which, in compare with which, they slight and undervalue all Rites and Ceremonies of Religion, all External Devotions and Performances whatsoe­ves. Thus whereas the question was proposed in the Prophet Micah, ‘Wherewith shall I come before the Lord,vers. 6, 7. and bow my self before the High God? Shall I come before him with Burnt-offerings, with Calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams, or with ten thousands of Rivers of Oil? Shall I give my First-born for my transgressi­on, and the fruit of my Body for the sin of my Soul?’ The Answer is that before-mentioned, ‘He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good,’ — what is eternally good, good in it self and for its own sake, more eminently good than all outward Oblations and Performan­ces, even the most costly and precious of them. When this is wanting, God abhors and loaths all the Pomps and Formalities of Religion: ‘To what purpose is the multitude of your Sa­crifices unto me,Isa. 1.11. to 18. saith the Lord? I am full of the Burnt-offerings of Rams, and the Fat of fed Beasts; and I [Page 233] delight not in the blood of Bullocks, or of Lambs, or of He-goats. When ye appear before me, who hath re­quired this at your hands, to tread my Courts? Bring no more vain Ob­lations, Incense is an abomination unto me. The New Moons and the Sabbaths, the calling of Assemblies, I cannot away with it: It is iniquity, even the Solemn Meeting. Your New-Moons and your appointed Feasts my Soul hateth; they are a trouble unto me, I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make ma­ny Prayers I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes: Cease to do evil, learn to do well; relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason toge­ther, saith the Lord.’ — q. d. Other­wise than upon these terms I will have nothing to do with you, I will not ac­cept of any Offering or Service at your hands.

Jer. 6.20. ‘To what purpose cometh there to me Incense from Sheba, and the sweet Cane from a far Countrey? Your Burnt-offerings are not acceptable, nor your Sacrifices sweet unto me.’ They are God's own Words to a Peo­ple that rejected the Moralities, which are the chiefest part of his Law, and sought to make a Compensation by their Ceremonial Worship.

So he speaks by another Prophet; ‘I hate,Amos 5.21, 22, 23, 24. I despise your Feast-days, and I will not smell in your Solemn As­semblies. Though you offer me Burnt-offerings and your Meat-offer­ings, I will not accept them, neither will I regard the Peace-offerings of your fat Beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy Songs, for I will not hear the melody of thy Vi­ols. But let Judgment run down as waters, and Righteousness as a mighty stream.’

Jer. 7.22, 23. ‘I spake not to your Fathers, saith he by the Prophet Jeremiah, nor com­manded them in the day when I brought them out of the Land of Egypt, concerning Burnt-offerings and Sacrifices; but this thing com­manded [Page 235] I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my People.’ The thing God first and principally call'd for was their Obedience;1 Sam. 15.22. ‘Behold to obey is better than Sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of Rams.Hos. 6.6. "I desired Mercy, and not Sacrifice, saith the Lord; and the knowledge of God more than Burnt-offerings:’ A Lesson which our Blessed Saviour set the Pha­risees to con over; ‘But go ye,S. Mat. 9.13. saith he, and learn what that meaneth, I will have Mercy, and not Sacrifice.’

The same thing is most significantly expressed by the Prophet Isaiah, in his description of a true and counterfeit Fast:Isa. 18.5, 6, 7. ‘Is it such a Fast that I have cho­sen, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a Fast, and an acceptable day un­to the Lord? Is not this the Fast that I have chosen, to lose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy bur­dens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal, thy bread to the hun­gry, [Page 236] and that thou bring the poor that are cast out into thy house? when thou seest the naked that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thy self from thine own flesh.’

As for those who satisfie themselves in certain Religious Duties externally performed, and yet delight in their abominations, doing that which is evil and unrighteous, God saith farther by that Prophet,Isa. 66.3. ‘He that killeth an Ox, is as if he slew a man; he that sacri­ficeth a Lamb, as if he cut off a Dogs neck; he that burneth Incense, as if he blessed an Idol.’

I will close these Quotations with that of S. James; S. Jam. 1.27. ‘Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the Fatherless and Wi­dow in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.’ Those that savour'd of Judaism placed their Religion in Vestures,Vide Erasm. Par. in loc. and Phylacte­ries, and choice of Meats, and Wash­ings, and long Prayers, and other Ce­remonies (not to be despised as monito­ry signs of Religion only.) But that true Piety and Religion which God calls for, and best approves of, is to be placed [Page 237] in somewhat else: 'Tis rooted in the heart, and to be otherwise than thus expressed in the Life, in the worthy Of­fices of Charity, and a Conversation untainted with worldly lusts.

Here must be the proof of a pure and undefiled Religion; and this the Law and Prophets command and call for, before and above all external Rites and ceremonial Observances, That we preserve Innocency, do Justice, walk in Love, and act to others as we would be done by our selves. This signantèr and emphatically is the Law and the Prophets. And,

Thus much the Scribe wisely noted upon our Blessed Saviour's rehersal of the two great Commandments: ‘Well,S. Mark 12.31, 32. To do justice and judge­ment is more acceptable to the Lord than Sacrifice, Prov. 21.3. See Ecclus 31.1, 2, 3. Master, thou hast said the truth; for there is one God, and there is none other but he: and to love him with all the heart, and with all the under­standing, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his Neighbour as himself, is more than all whole Burnt-offerings and Sacrifices.’

By all these Sacred Bands then we are to look on our selves as indispensably obliged to the obedience of this Law in [Page 238] all the Branches of it: And we can none of us henceforward plead ignorance of our duty, since we are instructed from within our selves, what things it will become us to do. Those who cannot read the Law and the Prophets, who want Learning, or leisure, as they pre­tend, for it, have yet this Summary of them in their own Consciences; and, if they live not conformably to it, are left without all apology, and cannot chuse but be their own Condemners; in that ‘knowing the judgment of God,Rom. 1.32. as the Apostle speaks, (that they which commit such things are worthy of death) they not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.Rom. 2.1, 3. Therefore, as he proceeds, thou art inexcusable, O man, whoso­ever thou art, that judgest; for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thy self; for thou that judgest dost the same things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judg­est them which do such things, and dost the same, that thou shalt escape the Judgment of God?ver. 21.22. Thou which teachest another, teachest thou not thy self? Thou that preachest a man [Page 239] should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that saist a man should not com­mit Adultery, dost thou commit Adultery? Thou that abhorrest Idols, dost thou commit Sacrilege?’—Ex ore tuo; out of thine own mouth shalt thou be condemned. I will end all wit [...] another sentence of S. Paul, Rom. 14.22. ‘Hap­py is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.’