A Well Tempered Self-Love

A well tempered Self-Love a Rule of Conduct towards others.

THEREFORE, ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER YE WOULD THAT MEN SHOULD DO TO YOU, DO YE EVEN SO TO THEM: FOR THIS IS THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS.

THE illative particle therefore, leads us back to verse 1 and 2, Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. q. d. Do not judge and censure others, further than you would think it reasonable and just for you in a like case to be judged and censured. Give no worse measure to a neighbour, than you would think it fit and just to receive from him, could you exchange sides, and you be in his case and he in your's. Or the reference may be to verse 7, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find, &c. Then it intimates, that, if in answer to our prayers, we would receive good things from God, we must do things fair, just, and of good report one towards another. Zech. 7. p. 69, 10, & 13. Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassion every man to his brother. And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor: and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried and they would not hear, so they cried and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts. Isa. 1. 15. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. God heareth not sinners acting in contempt of his moral law, and especially the law of the second table, respecting our duty one to another.

BUT this golden rule, uttered by our Judge and Lawgiver, Prince and Saviour, in the sermon on the mount, is suited to all the circumstances and conditions of human life: very proper on the present important occasion; for it is fit for all occasions, and suitable for every relation; good for all communities and orders of men, in this evil world. The very work of righteousness, by this rule, is peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.

p. 6THE whole of our duty, to God and man, is briefly summed up, Mat. 22. 37 on. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. They are the substance of all that Moses and the Prophets have written, as rules of duty to God and men. Rom 13. 8, on. He that loveth another, hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet, and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

p. 7THE rule in the text is the same in effect as loving our neighbour as ourselves, or a branch from that sacred root: or it is that excellent law reduced to practice, and comprehends the whole law of Moses, and writings of the prophets, so far as they have taught us our duty, in our several relations one to another.

THIS divine law, for regulating our moral conduct, is very plain and easy to be understood; it is concise, and easy to be remembered. Any man that has the faculty of reason, and a will to do his duty to his fellow creatures, by the aid of self-love, may soon discern it in the glass of this rule. Self-love is first, or it could not be a rule of loving our neighbour. By a natural and innocent self-love, we first look within, and consider what we would in reason have done to us, in the like case, and proceed to conduct in like manner towards others.

AWAY then with all the metaphysical jargon of the schools, or of our mystical divines, that pretend in that way to teach us our duty; and attend to the wise instructor, who used great plainness of speech, and taught the way of God in truth. Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, &c.

p. 7I. EXPLAIN and illustrate this excellent rule.

II. THE reason to enforce it.

III. POINT out duty in some special cases by this unerring rule.

IV. THE application.

I. EXPLAIN and illustrate this excellent rule.

A VICIOUS self-love and hatred of others, will render us incapable of entering into the spirit of the text. It doth not mean that we should do to others, as an heart leavened with malice and wickedness, and hatred of God's law, would in that temper wish to have done to us. The wicked join hand in hand; aid a sinful companion to perpetrate, and cover sin, p. 8hoping for the like deceitful favours from him again. But this is a conspiracy against the whole moral law, and making it void: yea it is an impious, and daring attempt to jostle the Almighty Ruler from his throne, and repeal the sacred decalogue, and cancel all our bonds of duty to the supreme king. An unjust judge that neither fears GOD nor regards man, may thus think with himself, If I was in the case of this poor criminal at the bar, I should wish to be discharged, however unjust it might be; I will therefore acquit him, and do as I would be done by. But the judge ought to ask himself thus, if I was in the case of this prisoner, what could I in reason ask of a judge, consistent with his office, the honor of law and rights of justice? The answer would be, so much mercy as is consistent with justice, the honor of government, and faithfulness of his office, and no more. Whatsoever in a consistency with truth, with reason and justice, we would that men should do to us, so should we do to them. We must not counteract our sense of justice, the honor of law, or majesty of conscience, under a mistaken notion of this rule. Him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away, sounds as obliging us in all cases whatsoever. But let common sense bring the words to this infallible test, thus. My neighbour asks such a favour: if I grant it I shall disoblige myself, five times as much as I shall oblige him. Could I in honor and reason, ask him to injure himself so much to oblige me so little? Surely no.