SERM. By this fhall all men know that ye are my difciples, if ye XXVII. love one another.

John xiii. 35.

Prov. xiv.

21.

Prov. xi.12.

It being therefore a duty of fo grand importance, it is moft requifite that we should well understand it, and faithfully obferve it; to which purposes I fhall, by God's affiftance, endeavour to confer fomewhat, first by explaining its nature, then by preffing the observance of it by several inducements.

The nature of it will, as I conceive, be best understood by representing the several chief acts, which it compriseth or implieth as neceffary prerequifites, or effential ingredients, or infeparable adherents to it; fome internally refident in the foul, others difcharged in external performance; together with fome fpecial properties of it. And fuch are those which follow.

1. Loving our neighbour doth imply, that we should value and esteem him: this is neceffary, for affection doth follow opinion; fo that we cannot like any thing which we do not esteem, or wherein we do not apprehend some confiderable good, attractive of affection; that is not amiable, which is wholly contemptible; or fo far as it is fuch.

But in right judgment no man is fuch; for the Wife Man telleth us, that he that defpifeth his neighbour, finneth; and, He is void of understanding that despiseth his neighbour: but no man is guilty of fin or folly for defpifing that which is wholly despicable.

It is indeed true, that every man is fubject to defects, and to mifchances, apt to breed contempt, especially in the minds of vulgar and weak people; but no man is really defpicable. For,

Every man living hath ftamped on him the venerable image of his glorious Maker, which nothing incident to him can utterly deface.

Every man is of a divine extraction, and allied to Heaven by nature and by grace; as the fon of God, and broJob xxxi. ther of God incarnate. If I did defpife the cause of my man-fervant or of my maid-servant, when they contended with me; what then shall I do when God rifeth up? and

13, 14, 15.

when he vifiteth, what shall I answer him? Did not he that SERM. made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion XXVII. us in the womb ?

8.

Every man is endued with that celeftial faculty of reafon, infpired by the Almighty, (for, There is a spirit in Job xxxii. man, and the infpiration of the Almighty giveth them underftanding,) and hath an immortal spirit refiding in him; or rather is himself an angelical spirit dwelling in a visible tabernacle.

Every man was originally defigned and framed for a fruition of eternal happiness.

Every man hath an intereft in the common redemption, purchased by the blood of the Son of God, who tafted death for every one.

Every man is capable of fovereign blifs, and hath a crown of endless glory offered to him.

In fine, every man, and all men alike, antecedently to their own will and choice, are the objects of his love, of his care, of his mercy; who is loving unto every man, Pf. cxlv. 9. and whofe mercy is over all his works; who hath made the Job xxxiv. fmall and the great, and careth for all alike; who is rich, Wild. vi. 8. in bounty and mercy, toward all that call upon him.

19.

Rom. x. 12. iii. 22.

5.

How then can any man be deemed contemptible, having fo noble relations, capacities, and privileges? How a man ftandeth in esteem with God Elihu telleth us; God, Job xxxvi. faith he, is mighty, and defpifeth not any: although he be pf. Ixix. 33. fo mighty, so excellent in perfection, so infinitely in state exalted above all, yet doth not he flight any; and how can we contemn thofe, whom the certain voucher and infallible judge of worth deigneth to value? Indeed God fo valued every man as to take great care, to be at great coft and trouble, to ftoop down from heaven, to assume mortal flesh, to endure pinching wants and fore distresses, to tafte death for every one.

We may ask with St. Paul, Why doft thou fet at nought Rom. xiv. thy brother?

10.

Is it for the lowness of his condition, or for any miffortune that hath befallen him? But are not the best men, Jam. ii. 5. are not all men, art not thou thyfelf obnoxious to the Pl. xxxvii.

33. cxlvi. 9.

SERM. like? Hath not God declared that he hath a special reXXVII. gard to fuch? And are not fuch things commonly difpofed by his hand with a gracious intent?

Is it for meannefs of parts, or abilities, or endowments? But are not these the gifts of God, absolutely at his difposal, and arbitrarily distributed or preferved; so that thou who art fo wife in thy own conceit to-day, mayeft, by a disease, or from a judgment, deferved by thy pride, become an idiot to-morrow? Have not many good, and 1 Cor. i. 26. therefore many happy men, wanted those things?

Is it for moral imperfections or blemishes; for vicious habits, or actual misdemeanours? These indeed are the only debasements and difparagements of a man; yet do they not expunge the characters of Divinity impressed on his nature; and he may by God's mercy recover from them. And are not we ourselves, if grace do not uphold us, liable to the fame? Yea, may we not, if without partiality or flattery we examine ourselves, difcern the same within us, or other defects equivalent? And, however, is not pity rather due to them than contempt? Whofe chaLuke xviii.racter was it, that they trusted they were righteous, and 9. xvi. 15. defpifed others? That the most palpable offender should not be quite despised, God had a special care in his Law, for that end moderating punishment, and reftraining the Deut. xxv. number of ftripes; If, faith the Law, the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, the judge shall caufe him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number. Forty firipes he may give him, and not exceed left, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many ftripes, then thy brother fhould feem vile unto thee.

2, 8.

We may confider that the common things, both good and bad, wherein men agree, are far more confiderable than the peculiar things wherein they differ; to be a man is much beyond being a lord, or a wit, or a philofopher; to be a Christian doth infinitely furpass being an emperor, or a learned clerk; to be a finner is much worse than to be a beggar, or an idiot. The agreement of men is in the substance and body of things; the difference is in a cir

eumftance, a fringe, or a fhadow about them; fo that we SERM. cannot despise another man, without reflecting contempt XXVII. on ourselves, who are fo very like him, and not confiderably better than he, or hardly can without arrogance pretend to be fo.

We may therefore, and reafon doth require that we should value our neighbour; and it is no impoffible or unreasonable precept which St. Peter giveth us, to honour all 1 Pet. ii. 17. men; and with it a charitable mind will eafily comply: it ever will defcry fomething valuable, fomething honourable, fomething amiable in our neighbour; it will find somewhat of dignity in the meaneft, fomewhat of worth in the bafeft, fomewhat hopeful in the moft dege- 1Cor.xiii.7. nerate of men; it therefore will not abfolutely flight or scorn any man whatever, looking on him as an abject or forlorn wretch, unworthy of confideration.

It is indeed a point of charity to see more things eftimable in others than in ourselves; or to be apprehenfive of more defects meriting difesteem in ourselves than in others; and consequently in our opinion to prefer others before us, according to thofe apoftolical precepts, Be Rom. xii. kindly affected one toward another with brotherly love, in 10. honour preferring one another. In lowlinefs of mind let Phil. ii. 3. each esteem other better than themselves. Be fubject one to 1 Pet. v. 5. another.

II. Loving our neighbour doth imply a fincere and earneft defire of his welfare, and good of all kinds, in due proportion for it is a property of love, that it would have its object most worthy of itself, and confequently that it fhould attain the best state whereof it is capable, and perfift firm therein; to be fair and plump, to flourish and thrive without diminution or decay; this is plain to experience in refpect to any other thing (a horse, a flower, a building, or any fuch thing) which we pretend to love: wherefore charity should dispose us to be thus affected to our neighbour; fo that we do not look upon his condition or affairs with an indifferent eye or cold heart, but are much concerned for him, and put forth hearty wiches for his interefts: we fhould with him adorned with all

SERM. virtue, and accomplished with all worthy endowments of XXVII. foul; we should with him profperous success in all his defigns, and a comfortable fatisfaction of his defires; we fhould with him with alacrity of mind to reap the fruits of his industry, and to enjoy the best accommodations of his life. Not formally and in compliment, as the mode is, but really and with a cordial fenfe, upon his undertaking any enterprise, we should with him good speed; upon any profperous fuccefs of his endeavours, we should bid him joy; wherever he is going, whatever he is doing, we should with him peace and the prefence of God with him we should tender his health, his fafety, his quiet, his reputation, his wealth, his prosperity in all respects; but especially with peculiar ardency we should defire his final welfare, and the happiness of his foul, that being incomparably his chief concern.

Hence readily fhould we pour forth our prayers, which are the trueft expreffions of good defire, for the welfare of our neighbour, to him who is able to work and beftow it.

Such was the charity of St. Paul for his countrymen, Rom. x. 1. fignified in thofe words, Brethren, my heart's defire and prayer to God for Ifrael is, that they may be faved; fuch was his love to the Philippians, God is my record, how greatly I long after you all, in the bowels of Jefus Chrift: 2 Cor. xiii. and this I pray, that your love may abound more and more in knowledge, and in all judgment.

ὑμᾶς.

Phil. i. 8.

9.

Such was St. John's charity to his friend Gaius, to 3 John 2. whom he faid, Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayft profper and be in health, even as thy foul profpereth.

Such is the charity, which we are enjoined to express 1 Tim. ii. 3. toward all men, by praying for all men, in conformity to the charity of God, who will have all men to be faved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Luke xxiii.

Such is the charity we are commanded to use toward Matt. v. 44. Our enemies, bleffing those who curfe us, and praying for those who defpitefully use us, and perfecute us; the which Acts vii. 60. was exemplified by our Lord, by St. Stephen, by all the

34.

1 Cor.iv. 12.

holy Apostles.