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imperfe& grace is in the beft. Alas! how ftrange are many Chriftians to the extent of this duty, and how far are we all from pratifing it in any eminent degree?

3. Wherein it is that natures corruption moft confifteth; and what is the chief part of the nature and work of fanctifying grace and reformation.

4. Whence come all the oppreffions, injuries, perfecutions, frauds and cruelties on the earth: For want of loving mens neighbours as themfelves: Otherw fe how tenderly would they handle one another? How cafily would they pardon wrongs? How patiently would they bear the diffent of honeft, upright Chriftians, who cannot force their judgments to be of other mens mould and fize? How apt would men be to fufpe&t their own understandings, of weakness, prefumption or errour, rather than to rave with the fay of the Dragon against all others, who think them to be miftaken? How fafely and quietly might we live by them in the world, if they loved their neighbours as themselves? I do not fay now, How plentiful would men be in doing good to others? I am but pleading a lower caufe, How feldom they would be in doing hurt? But, alas, miferable Brittain! It was in thee that one extraordinary Emperour, Alexander Sever was betrayed and murdered, who made that Chriftian precept his Motto, and wrote it on his doors, and books, and goods [Do as you would be done by.] In thee it is that Love bath been bebeaded, while nothing hath been more acknowledged and profeffed. If Love be treacherous, hurtful, envious, fcandalous, enfaring and plotting for mens deftruction: If Love teach proud and vicious fots, to take themselves for Deities, and Oracles, and all for Vermine that must be hunted unto death, who bow not to their carnal erroneous conceits, and do not with the readieft proftitute confciences, ferve their carnal interefts and ends: If Love be known by reviling thofe that are much better than our felves; and ftigmatizing the faithfulleft fervants of Chuft with the moft odious character that lyes can utter: If it was Love that called Paul a peftilent fellow, and a mover of fedition among the people, and reprefented Chrift as an enemy to Cafar and his followers, as the filth and off-fcouring of the earth; then happy age in which we live; and happy they

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that are poffeffed with the proud and factions spirit. But ifall be otherwise, alas, where be they, and bow few that love their neighbours, or betters, as themselves?

5. You fee here what a plague fin is to the earth, and how great (a punishment may I call it, or rather) a mifery to the finner, and to the world.

6. And you fee how joyful and heavenly a life we should live, if we did but follow Gods commands: And what a fclicity Love it felf is to the foul.

7. And you fee by what measure to try mens fpirits, and to know who are the best among all the pretenders to goodness in the world. Certainly not the moft cenforious, contemptu ous, backbiters and cruel, that feek to make all odious that are not for their intereft: But thofe that most abound in Love, which Faith it felf is given to produce.

Object. All this is true; but ftil we find it a thing impoffible to love our neighbour equally with our felves: Can you teach us bow to do it?

Anfw. It is that I have been teaching you in the ten Direations before fet down: But it is this which I have referved to the close that muft do the work indeed, and without it nothing elfe will do it.

Dire&. 11. Make it the work of all your lives, by Faith in Chrift, to bring up your fouls to the unfeigned Love of God,and then it will be done. For then you will love God above all, and love God in all; and love your felves and your neighbours principally for God: Then Gods Image, and Glory, and Wil, will be Goodness or Amiableness in your eyes; and not carnal pleasure, honour or commodity. And then it will be cafie to you to love that moft, which hath moft of God. You will then eafily fee the reafon of this feeming Paradox, and that the contrary is most unreasonable. You will then be as Timothy, who had a natural Love to others, as others have to themfelves, and who fought the things of Jefus Chrift, when all others (even the beft Minifters too much) fought their own, Phil. 2, 20, 21. You will understand Pauls charge, Phil. 2.3,4. In lowliness of mind, let each efteem others better than themselves. Look not every man on his own, but every man alfo on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Chrift Jefus, Aaaa You

You will learn of Chrift to take your neerett friend for a Satan, that would perfwade you to fave or fpare your felf (yea your life) when you ought to lay it down for the Glory of God, and the good of many, Matth. 16. 22, 23. SELF and OWN are words which would then be better understood, and be more fufpected: And the reafon of the great Gofpel duty of SELF-DENTAL would be better difcerned.

Therefore fet your felves to the study of God, especially in his Goodness; ftudy him in his Works, and in his Word, and in his Son, and in the Glory where you hope everlastingly to fee him: And if you once love God as God indeed, it will teach you to love your Brethren, and in what fort, and in what degree to do it. For many waies are we taught of God to love one another: Even 1. By the great and heavenly teacher of Love, Jefus Chrift: 2. And by Gods own example, Matth. 5.44.45. 3. And by the shedding abroad of his love in our hearts by the Spirit of Love, Rom. 5. 5. 4. And by this actual loving God, and fo loving all of God in the world.

Object. But by this docrine you will prepare for the Levellers and Fryers, to caft down, or cry`down Propriety.

Anf. 1. There is a propriety of food, rayment,&c. which individuation hath made neceffary. 2. There is a propriety of Stewardship, which God caufeth by the various difpofal of his talents, and which is the juft reward of humane industry, and the neceffary encouragement of wit, and labour in the world: None of thefe would we caft down, or preach down. 3. But there is a common abuse of propriety to the maintenance of mens own lufts, and to the burt of others, and of all Societies: This we would preach down if we could: But it is Love only which must be the Leveller: In the Primitive Church, Love thewed its power by fuch a voluntary community, Aŭs 4. And all Politicians, who have drawn the Idea of a perfect Common-wealth, have been fumbling at other waies of accomplishing it: But it is Chriftian Love alone that must do it. Unfeignedly love God as God, and love your neighbours really as your felves, and then keep your proprieties as far as this will give you leave.

I will conclude with this confiderable observation; that though it is false which fome affirm, that individuation is a

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punishment for fome former fin (for how could a foul not individuate fin?) And though fenfitive felf-love, which is the principle of felf-prefervation, be ne fin it felf; nor doth grace deftroy it; yet the inordinary of it is the fumm and root of all pofitive fin, and an incresfer of privative fin: And this infeparable fenfitive felf-love, was made to be more under the power of reafon, and to be ruled by it, than now we find it in any the most fan&tified perfon; even as Abrahams love of the life of his only Son, was to be subje✪ to his Faith.

And holiness lyeth more in this fubjection, than most men well understand. And the inordinacy of this perfonal selflove, hath so ftrangely perverted the mind it felf, that it is not only very hard to convince men of the evil of any felfish principles or fins; but it greatly blindeth them, as to all duties of publick intereft, and focial nature: Yea and maketh them afraid of Heaven it felf; where the union of fouls will be as much neerer than now it is, as their Love will be greater and more perfect: And though it will not be by any ceffation of personal individuation, and by falling into one univerfal foul; yet perfe Love will make the union neerer than we who have no experience of it, can poffibly now comprehend. (And when we feel the ftrongest Love to a friend, defiring the necrest union, we have the beft help to understand it.) But men that feel nes the divine and holy love; are by inordinate felf-love, and abuse of individuation, afraid of the life to come, left the union fhould be fo great as to lofe their individuation, or prejudice their perfonal divided interefts. Yea true believers, fo far as their holy Love is weak, and their inordinate fenfitive felf-love is yet too ftrong, are from hence afraid of another world, when they scarce know why; but indeed it is much from this difcafe; which maketh men fill defire their perfonal felicity, too partially, and in a divided way, and to be afraid of lofing their perfonality or propriety, by too neer a union and communion of fouls.

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CHAP. XXVI.

How by Faith to be folowers of the Saints, and to look with profit to their examples, and to their end.

HE great work of living in Heaven by Faith, I have faid fo much of as to the principal part in my [Saints Reft] that no more of that must be expected here. Only this fubjec which is not fo ufually and fully treated of, to the people as it it ought (being one part of our heavenly converfation) I think meet to speak to more diftinctly at this time.

As we are commanded first, to look to Jefus the Author and perfecter of our faith, Heb. 12. 2, 3. fo are we commanded to remember our guides, and to follow their faith, and confider the end of their converfation, Heb. 13. 7. And not to be flatbful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promifes, Heb. 6. 12. To which end we have a cloud of witnesses fet before us, in Heb. 11. that next to Jefus whom they followed, we thould look to them, and follow them, Jam. 5. 10. My Brethren, take the Prophets for an example

The Reafons of this duty are theft.

1. God hath made them our examples two waies: 1. By bi graces, making them boly and fit for our imitation. H: give them their gifts, not only for themselves, nor only for that prefent generation, but for us alfo, and all that muft furvive,to the end of the world. As it is faid of Abrahams Juftification,Rom. 4:23, 24. It was faid that Faith was imputed to him for righteousneß, not for bu fake alone, but for us alfo to whom it shall be imputed if we believe-Sɔ I may lay in this cafe; their faith, their piety, their patience was given them, and is recorded, not for their falvation, or their honour only; but also to further the falvation of their pofterity, by encouragement and imitation. If all things are for our fakes, 2 Cor. 4. 15. then the graces of Gods Saints were for our fakes: For the Churches edification it is that Chrift giveth both offices, gifts and graces to his Minifters, Ephef. 4. 5, 12, 14, 15, 16. yea and fufferings too, Phil. 1. 12,20. 2 Cor. 1.4, 6. 2 Tim. 2. 10. I endure all things for the eles fake.

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