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So that as every Man in this Cafe is taught of God, fo he is taught of his own Mind and Confcience. Nay, fhall I fay more? he is taught of his own Partiality and Self-Love, (which the wickedeft Man alive has good Store of,) how he ought to behave himself to his Neighbour upon all Occafions; nor is he only taught thefe Dictates of Self-love in a dry, fpeculative Way, as, alas, we learn a great many other Things; but in a lively fenfible Way, Self-love being very ready and preffing with it's Dictates.

Thus now I have explained to you this noble Rule, the Measure of all Juftice and Charity among Men. Ifhould, by Way of Application, both fhew you how widely Men deviate from this Rule; and affift you with fome few Advices to facilitate the Practice of it. But these will make a good Subject of another Discourse.

Now God of his infinite Mercy grant that, laying afide the wicked Principles of Self-love, we may treat our Neighbour as lovingly and kindly, as juftly and mercifully, as we think it reasonable that he fhould treat us. Now to this great God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, &c.

SERMON

SERM ON XIII.

MAT. VII. 12.

Therefore all Things whatsoever ye would that Men Should do to you, de ye even fo to them : for this is the Law and the Prophets.

H

The Second Sermon on this Text.

AVING explained thefe Words at the laft Occafion, I might content myself, as I often do in other Cafes, to leave the Application to every one's Care, according to the feveral Occafions and Circumftances of Life. But because I have fome Reafon to apprehend that the greatest Difficulty, as to this Subject, lies in the right Application of this noble Rule, and that we want fome good Directions for that Purpose, I thought it might well anfwer the Labour, if I endeavoured to enquire into the Caufes why fo excellent a Rule (which feems to be an eafy Expedient to fuggeft and to facilitate all Duty) is fo far from anfwering the End, that the far greatest Part of Men are governed still by the Principles of Self-love, and have little Confideration of other Men in their Dealings and Tranfactions with them, and fo by fome proper Ad

vices to attempt the Redress of this fo univerfal an Evil.

In fome, this proceeds from Ignorance and Want of Skill how to apply the Rule; in others, from Negligence and Inconfideration; and in a third Sort, from a wilful Blindness, Partiality, and Biafs of their own Side, which occafions their using one Measure for their own Actions, and another for other Mens. I fhall confider them all three, and offer fome Advice for the Cure of them.

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1. First, There are fome, who really know not how to apply this Rule. For the Rule is, that they are to fuppofe themselves in their Neighbour's Circumftances, and whatever they think would be due to them in thofe Circumftances, that they should do the fame to their Neighbour. But now there are a great many, who cannot justly tell what Opinion or what Mind they fhould be of, or what they would think due to them, if they were in their Neighbour's Circumftances. And indeed it must be confeffed in general, that it is no eafy Matter for a Man, who is now fixed in any certain Sort of Circumftances, to be able to tell truly what Mind he fhould be of, if his Circumftances were altered. For there is nothing more common than for an Alteration of Eftate and Circumftances, to beget likewife an Alteration of Mind and Manners, Is not this a Thing we fee confirmed by every Day's Experience? The fame Perfon, e. g. who, while a Servant, thinks his Mafter and Mistress can never ufe him kindly enough, and who is continually exclaiming against them for their Stinginess

Stinginefs and Penurioufnefs, and for their exacting fo much Work and Labour; no fooner comes to be Mafter of Servants himself, but he takes to the very fame Ways of exacting as much Work, and faving as much Victuals and Cloaths from his Servants as he can. The fame Man,

who, while a private Soldier by Sea or Land, was apt to complain of any ufual Gains his Of ficer makes by their Cloaths or Provisions, and thinks it a very unjuft Thing, no fooner comes to be an Officer himself, but, as if he had fome new Light infufed into his Mind, he thinks all thefe Things juft Perquifites. And fo it is almost in all Ranks and Relations of Men; Self-love and Self-intereft do fo blind us, that we are very unequal Judges of every Thing wherein we our felves are to partake of any Benefit, or by which we are to receive any Difadvantage. It was a true faying of the Comedian, Tu fi hic fis, aliter fentias. If you were in my Place, you would be of another Mind. And this is one Reafon, amongst a great many other, that we are all fo rafh and uncharitable in our Judgments and Cenfures of one another, because we fee not with the fame Eyes, but judge of all Perfons and Things with thofe partial Sentiments, as they make for or against our own Inclinations or Interefts. Young Men think their old Fathers too fevere and too ftingy; and old Men think their Sons too careless and too prodigal. Subjects think their Rulers too encroaching and arbitrary; and Rulers think their Subjects too fawcy and ftubborn. Buyers think the Sellers too dear and exacting; and the Sellers think the Buyers very unreafonable Judges of their Skill, and Hazards, VOL. IV. O

and

and Time, and Stocks. So that the So that the great Difficulty is, how to direct Men to a right Way of applying this noble Rule of my Text, to the feveral Cafes and Circumftances of Life. In order to this, I shall endeavour to offer fome good Advice, which, if duly observed, will much facilitate the Practice of this Rule of dealing by others, as we would think it juft they should deal by us in the like Circumstances.

1. First then, let us confider, though now we are in other Circumftances, whether in fome Time of our Life we have not been either in the very fame Circumftances our Neighbour is now in, or elfe in Circumstances so very like them, that from the Remembrance thereof, we may be able to answer the Question to ourselves, what we then thought juft and reafonable to be done to one in that Condition, e. g. Would a Mafter know what is the most fitting Behaviour for him to use to his Servants? If he can remember the Time when he himself was a Servant, or an Apprentice, or an Orphan, but used as a Servant, the Senfe and Remembrance of the Sentiments he had at that Time, together with the Application of this Rule, will afford him the best Refolution of his Queftion; namely, now that he is a Master, that he ought carefully to forbear all fuch Ufage, as his own Judgment, and Reason, and Experience, then told him was harsh and oppreffive; and, on the other Hand, that he ought to do those Things to his Servant, which he was then fenfible were fair and just towards him. For no abstracted Confiderations of those Things, will furnish us with so just and true a Senfe of them, as the real Feeling and Experience

we

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