felves; what fatisfaction they take in their own welfare; how heartily they lament their own misfortunes; how folicitous they are to supply their own wants; how careful to hide their own defects and faults; how jealous of their own reputation; how ready to find excufes for their own weakneffes and overfights; and how apt to pardon themselves when they have done amifs.

Now any man, who lives in the fear of God, knows very well whether his heart ftands thus affected towards his neighbour; if not, he is felf-condemned, and cannot expect to be juftified before God, if he believes that God has made the fincere love we bear to ourfelves a rule of the love we should shew to others.

Thus much for the fincerity of our love. But then, for the manner of expreffing this love, we are to confider, how God has commanded us to fhew our love; how God himself treats thofe he loves. We know that God has appointed magiftrates to punish evil-doers; that he has commanded his minifters to rebuke the disobedient, and to caft out of his church fuch as fhall obftinately refuse to obey his laws: we know with what severity he himself deals with finners; but then this is because he loves them, and because he would love them eternally: he therefore bears with them, and when he punishes them, he does it with regret; he pities them, he gladly receives them when they return to their duty, and forgets

all

all their past offences: and fo do all his faithful fervants, who know very well that wicked men do neither love God nor their neighbour, and that if they are not reclaimed in time, they are certainly undone for ever; and therefore it is God's exprefs command, Thou shalt not hate thy brother, thou shalt not suffer fin upon bim, for that is indeed to hate him.

as a

Thus much for the meaning of these words. II. We shall now confider them as an exprefs, as an indifpenfable command of God, law by which we fhall be judged at the last day; and therefore it behoves us to obey it at our utmost peril.

We are not to queftion its reasonableness; for God cannot command what is otherwife. We are not to say it is hard to be understood; for then the greatest part of men could not know what they are bound to. We are not to fay it is impoffible to be obeyed; for God has not given a law to his creatures, which he would not enable them to obey, if they are not wanting to themselves: fo that obeyed it must be at the peril of our fouls.

St.

It is not a counsel, but a command. James calls it a royal law; St. John calls it the law of God; and our Lord calls it his law, by way of excellency.

What is all this for, but to make the ftrongeft impreffions upon our fouls; and that we may strive with all our might to understand and obey it in the whole course of our lives?

1

For no love is acceptable to God, but fuch as is paid in obedience to this command. And yet, God knows, this is generally the last thing we think of, when we place our affections. We refpect our betters, because it is in their power to favour us; we love others, because of their endowments; and others, because they are good neighbours, or agreeable company. But where is the command of God all this while thought of?

And this, good Chriftians, is the reason why there is fo little true love, and fo much uncharitableness in the world. Chriftians will not confider God as a lawgiver, who will reward and punish as men shall deserve; who, having given this pofitive command, Thou fhalt love thy neighbour as thyself; it is our duty to obey, whatever our biaffed reafon or corrupt wills fhall fay to the contrary.

If this be the command of God, why then I shall not fay, This man has not deserved it at my hands; that man has done me an injury, and I will have the pleasure of doing him another; fuch a man has faid or done too much to be forgiven; I have an averfion for fuch a man, and I will not fpeak to him. Why then you are not a Chriftian:-this is the language of unbelievers.

A Christian is to facrifice all his averfions to the good pleasure of God. And it is a facrifice most acceptable to God, when, for his fake, we will do our neighbour no wrong,

though

though we could propofe the greatest gain to ourfelves; when for his fake, and because he has commanded us not to do it, we dare not render evil for evil, though revenge is fweet to flesh and blood; when we will not bear malice in our hearts, though we could never fo well conceal it from the eyes of men; when, for his fake, we forgive injuries, though it is in our power to return them; when we will not fet at nought our brother, for the meannefs of his condition, or the misfortunes that have befallen him; when we fincerely defire our neighbour's welfare, and take delight in his profperity, whatever envy might prompt us to; when for God's fake, we are ready to do good, and glad to communicate of what he has given us, to comfort the afflicted, to vifit the fick, to inftruct the ignorant, to protect the oppreffed, to reconcile differences, to fuccour those that stand in need, notwithstanding the trouble and the expence of these duties. When a man will deny himself, as Jefus Chrift did, who, though he was rich, yet for our fakes became poor; when thofe that are strong will bear with the infirmities of the weak, whatever pride would fuggeft to the contrary:When these things are done in obedience to the command of God, they are then a most acceptable facrifice to the Divine Majefty.

And let us seriously confider, that God has forbidden all things contrary to charity, not because men can hurt him by their wicked

nefs,

nefs, but because the uncharitable man cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven.

If men live in envy or malice; if they bite and devour one another; if men hate their neighbours, and imagine mischief against them; if they will not fubmit to their governors in church and state; if they shall oppress or vex one another by fraud or violence, by corrupting their neighbour's wife or child, by bearing falfe witnefs, or coveting that which is another man's; why, it is fure, God has forbidden all these things: but for what reason? Why, because no man with these dispofitions can poffibly be happy, which God would have all his creatures to be.

III. I will now fet before you fuch inftances and expreffions of this command as are difperfed in God's Word, that at one fight you may fee your duty.

Now, the first degree of charity is, not to defpife any man living. He that defpifeth his neighbour, (faith Solomon) finneth. And truly there is no reafon for it. We are all a race of poor, vile, finful creatures at the best. And he that defpifeth his neighbour is fubject to the fame misfortunes, to the fame failings, to every thing that can make a man contemptible, if any thing ought to do fo. I fay ought to do fo; for fure St. Peter would not have bid us honour all men, but that there is fomething in every man, for which a charitable man ought to pay fome regard.