the most heinous offences, neglects, affronts, injuries, and SERM. outrages committed by us against our own intereft, XXV. honour, and welfare?-Hence may we derive leffons of meekness and patience, to be exercised toward our neighbour, in bearing his infirmities and mifcarriages, in remitting any wrongs or difcourtefies received from him.

Are we apt to be rude in our deportment, harsh in our language, or rigorous in our dealing toward ourselves? do we not rather in word and deed treat ourselves very foftly, very indulgently? Do we ufe to pry for faults, or to pick quarrels with ourselves, to carp at any thing said or done by us, rafhly or upon flight grounds to charge blame on ourselves, to lay heavy cenfures on our actions, to make foul conftructions of our words, to blazon our defects, or aggravate our failings? do we not rather connive at and conceal our blemishes? do we not excuse and extenuate our own crimes?

Can we find in our hearts to frame virulent invectives, or to dart bitter taunts and fcoffs against ourselves; to murder our own credit by flander, to blaft it by detraction, to maim it by reproach, to prostitute it to be deflowered by jeering and fcurrilous abufe? are we not rather very jealous of our reputation, and ftudious to preferve it, as a precious ornament, a main fence, an useful inftrument of our welfare?

Do we delight to report, or like to hear ill ftories of ourselves? do we not rather endeavour all we can to stifle them; to tie the tongues and stop the ears of men against them?-Hence may we be acquainted how civil and courteous in our behaviour, how fair and ingenuous in our dealing, how candid and mild in our judgment or cenfure, we should be toward our neighbour; how very tender and careful we should be of anywife wronging or hurting his fame.

Thus reflecting on ourselves, and making our practice toward ourselves the pattern of our dealing with others, we shall not fail to discharge what is prescribed to us in this law: and fo we have here a rule of charity. But farther,

SERM.

2. Loving our neighbour as ourselves doth also import XXV. the measure of our love toward him; that it fhould be

iv. 8.

commenfurate and equal in degree to that love which we bear and exercife toward ourselves. St. Peter once and 1 Pet. i. 22. again doth exhort us to love one another exTeves, with an outstretched affection: and how far that affection should be ftretched we are here informed; even that it should reach the fartheft that can be, or to a parity with that intense love, which we do bear in heart, and express in performance toward ourselves: fo that we do either bring down our felf-love to fuch a moderation, or raise up our charity to fuch a fervency, that both come to be adjusted in the fame even level. This is that pitch, at which we should aim and aspire; this is that perfection of charity, which Matt. v. 48.our Lord recommendeth to us in that injunction, Be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

That this fenfe of the words is included, yea chiefly intended, divers reafons will evince: For

1. The most natural fignification and common use of the phrase doth import thus much; and any one at first hearing would fo understand the words.

2. It appeareth by comparing this precept with that to which it is annexed, of loving God with all our heart and all our foul; which manifeftly defigneth the quantity and degree of that love: confequently the like determination is intended in this precept, which is expreffed to resemble that, or defigned in like manner to qualify and bound our duty toward our neighbour.

3. If the law doth not fignify thus much, it doth hardly fignify any thing; not at least any thing of direction or ufe to us: for no man is ignorant that he is obliged to love his neighbour, but how far that love muft extend is the point wherein moft of us do need to be refolved, and without fatisfaction in which we fhall hardly do any thing for as he that oweth money will not pay except he can tell how much it is; fo to know the duty will not avail toward effectual obfervance of it, if its measure be not fixed.

4. Indeed, the law otherwife understood will rather be

apt to misguide than to direct us; inducing us to appre- SERM. hend, that we shall fatisfy its intent, and fufficiently dif- XXV. charge our duty, by practifing charity in any low degree

5. The former fenfe, which is unquestionable, doth infer and establish this; becaufe fimilitude of love, morally fpeaking, cannot confift with inequality thereof: for if in confiderable degrees we love ourselves more than others, affuredly we shall fail both in exerting fuch internal acts of affection, and in performing fuch external offices of kindness toward them, as we do exert and perform in regard to ourselves; whence this law, taken merely as a rule, demanding a confufed and imperfect fimilitude of practice, will have no clear obligation or certain efficacy.

6. But farther to affure this expofition, I fhall declare that the duty thus interpreted is agreeable to reason, and may juftly be required of us upon confiderations, which together will serve to prefs the observance of it according to fuch measure.

1. It is reasonable that we should thus love our neighbour as ourselves, because he is as ourselves, or really in all confiderable refpects the fame with us: we concur with him in all that is neceffary, substantial, and stable; we differ from him only in things contingent, circumftantial, and variable; in the which, of course or by chance we are liable in a fmall time as much to differ from ourselves in fuch refpects we are not the fame today that we were yesterday, and shall be to-morrow; for we shift our circumftances as we do our clothes; our bodies are in continual flux, and our fouls do much conform to their alteration; our temper and complexion do vary with our air, our diet, our conversation, our fortunes, Our age; our parts grow and decay, our principles and judgments, our affections and defires are never fixed, and feldom reft long in the fame place; all our outward state doth eafily change face: fo that if we confider the fame perfon in youth and in age, in health and in sickness, in profperity and in distress, may we not say, quantum mu

XXV.

SERM. tatus ab illo; how quite another man is he grown! Yet fhall a man for such alterations furcease or abate his love to himself?-Why then in regard to the like differences fhall we lefs affect our neighbour, who is endowed with that common nature, which alone through all those viciffitudes fticketh faft in us; who is the most exprefs image of us, (or rather a copy, drawn by the fame hand, of the fame original,) another self, attired in a diverse garb of circumstances? Do we not, fo far as we defpife or difaffect him, by consequence flight or hate ourselves; seeing (except bare perfonality, or I know not what metaphyfical identity) there is nothing in him different from what is, or what may be in us?

2. It is juft that we should love our neighbour equally with ourselves, because he really no less deserveth love, or because upon a fair judgment he will appear equally amiable. Justice is impartial, and regardeth things as they are in themselves, abftracting from their relation to this or that perfon; whence, if our neighbour feem worthy of affection no less than we, it demandeth that accordingly we should love him no lefs.

And what ground can there be of loving ourselves, which may not as well be found in others? Is it endowments of nature, is it accomplishments of knowledge, is it ornaments of virtue, is it accoutrements of fortune? But is not our neighbour poffeffed of the fame? is he not at least capable of them, the collation and acquist of them 1 Cor. iv. depending on the fame arbitrary bounty of God, or upon faculties and means commonly difpenfed to all? May not any man at least be as wife and as good as we?-Why then should we not esteem, why not affect him as much? Doth relation to us alter the case? is felf as felf lovely or valuable? doth that refpect lend any worth or price to things?

6, 7.

Likewise, what more can justice find in our neighbour to obftruct or deprefs our love than it may obferve in ourfelves? hath he greater infirmities or defects, is he more liable to errors and miscarriages, is he guilty of worse faults than we? If without arrogance and vanity we can

not affirm this, then are we as unworthy of love as he SERM. can be; and refusing any degree thereof to him, we may XXV. as reasonably withdraw the fame from ourselves.

3. It is fit that we should be obliged to love our neighbour equally with ourselves, because all charity beneath felf-love is defective, and all felf-love above charity is exceffive.

It is an imperfect charity which doth not respect our neighbour according to his utmost merit and worth, which doth not heartily defire his good, which doth not earnestly promote his advantage in every kind, according to our ability and opportunity: and what beyond this can we do for ourselves?

If in kind or degree we tranfcend this, it is not virtuous love or true friendship to ourselves, but a vain fondness or perverfe dotage; proceeding from inordinate difpofitions of foul, grounded on foolish conceits, begetting foul qualities and practices; envy, ftrife, ambition, avarice, and the like.

4. Equity requireth that we should love our neighbour to this degree, because we are apt to claim the fame meafure of love from others. No mean respect or flight affection will fatisfy us; we cannot brook the leaft difregard or coldness; to love us a little is all one to us as not to love us at all: it is therefore equitable that we should be engaged to the fame height of charity toward others; otherwise we should be allowed in our dealings to use double weights and measures, which is plain iniquity : what indeed can be more ridiculously abfurd, than that Prov.xx.10. we should pretend to receive that from others, which we are not disposed to yield to them upon the fame ground and title?

5. It is needful that fo great a charity fhould be prefcribed, because none inferior thereto will reach divers weighty ends defigned in this law; namely, the general convenience and comfort of our lives in mutual fociety and intercourfe: for if in confiderable degree we do affect ourselves beyond others, we shall be continually bickering and clashing with them about points of interest and credit;