but that also its intrinfic fitnefs and beauty will come to be per, ceived, and awaken fuitable affections. Or, if this be already the cafe, and yet vehement temptations hurry men on to fin; (a very common and very pitiable condition) fear may be fo imprefled on the heart from above, as to overbalance thefe; free the rational principle from the oppreflion under which it labours, and enable it to refume its rightful dominion. Then the conduct will be reformed, the view of things gradually brighten, and the mo:e ingenuous affections of hope and grati tude, and unmixed love, fpring up and flourish; till at length our duty and our Maker, which at firft we regarded unwillingly on mere compulfion, will no longer have need of any other force than their own native attraction, to regulate every thought of our fouls, and every action of our lives. Thus then appears the wifdom and the goodness of thofe various me hds which God hath taken to unite us finally to himself. He hath planted in our hearts that pure and difinterefted efteem and love of moral perfection, which leads directly to the esteem and love of him above all; and without which we fhould not have been fufceptible of genuine piety and virtue. But having placed us, with a nature prone to go wrong, in a world full of inticements, he hath not left us to the guidance of this one principle, which, though the best in itfelf, would have proved infufficient for our direction; but hath kindly put us under the tutorage of fubordinate affec tions, to train us up in the way wherein we should go *, till we become enlightened enough to approve the things that are excellent, and animated enough to purfue them for their own fakes. Let us therefore give up ourfelves without fcruple to the influence of every motive to our duty, which reafon or fcripture fets before us, of pleasure or terror, of this world or the next, and by reading, meditation and prayer, imprint them ftrongly on our minds: nor be at all dejected, though perhaps as yet the leaft worthy of them hath the largest share in our obedience; as probably it hath for a time in that which moft children pay to their earthly parents, for whofe perfons and precepts, notwithstanding, they acquire, by infenfible fteps, the most dutiful and tender efteem. But whoever would Arengthen within himself this bleffed difpofition towards Ged mut must requently recollect and inculcate the conviction, that other incitements are but the means, and love the end of the commandment that we improve and grow inwardly better under the heavenly difcipline, only in proportion as we advance in unfeigned affection, and are transformed by it into real likene's to the fupreme good. Open your hearts therefore to feel his goodness towards yourfelves, and imitate it towards your brethren. For God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwel eth in God, and God in him. 1 Tim. i. 5. ↑ John iv. 16. VOL. II. SER. SERMON LVI. OF THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOUR. MATTH. xxii. 39. And the fecond is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyfelf. THIS is the latter part of our Saviour's answer to the queftion, which is the great commandment in the law? He had already answered fufficiently, by faying, it was the love of God. But most of the Jews, before whom he fpoke, thought the best proof of their fulfilling that duty, was a scrupulous exactnefs in fome, or all, of the ceremonial precepts that God had enjoined them. And on the merit of this, they indulged themfelves in great hardness of heart, even towards their brethren of the fame religion; and in utter difregard, if not implacable hatred, of all who were of a different religion, perhaps of 2 different fect only. So that, if he had carried his reply no further, his hearers, who had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge, would in all probability have understood him according to their own preconceived notions and never have fufpected him of defigning to condemn their fuperftition and uncharitableness. Therefore he immediately fubjoins, from the exprefs words of Mofest, another commandment, which, if they misinterpreted the firft, might fhew them their mistake; and if they did not, would plainly appear, to any confiderate perfon, like unto it in its nature, and fecond in its dignity and ufe: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But this alfo the Jews contrived to explain in a wrong manner, that they might gratify wrong inclinations. For which reafon he took an opportunity to fet them right. And, befides the Jewi multitudes of others, both before and ever fince, have done the fame thing. Nay fome, not content with perverting, and fo disobeying, have directly found fault with it. Yet whoever believes in a wife and good ruler of the world, must believe it to be his will, that humanity fhould be practifed amongst men: and whoever feels in himself kind affections, muft think the exercife of them his duty. But then doubts are raised, who are entitled to our kindness, and in what degree both which points therefore the precept, now before us, briefly determines. And I fhall explain and vindicate its determinations, by fhewing you the meaning, fuft, of the word neighbour; feconlly, of the expreffion, loving him as ourselves: and proving in fome measure all the way, but principally at the conclufion, the reasonablenefs and neceflity of having fo much regard for fo many as the text requires. I. Our neighbour then commonly fignifies in fcripture, and not feldom in heathen writers, every perfon who is placed within our reach and influence. Accordingly St. Paul, instead of faying, he that loveth his neighbour, faith, be that loveth another, bath fulfilled the law*. We have ufually the most frequent opportunities of doing good to thefe who live with us, or near us. But if any one, however diftant from us, or unknown to us, particularly wants our help, he is, in effect, by that very thing, brought near us for the time, and put under our care. God's benevolence is abfolutely univerfal: ours should be extended as far as it can: and the extent of mens power being extremely various and uncertain; (for the meaneft fubject may fometimes, by one fingle difcovery, do more general fervice to mankind, than the greatest monarch is capable of) the word neighbour hath this peculiar advantage, and therefore propriety, that it contracts or enlarges its fignification, just as the cafe demands; and either takes in the extremities of the globe, or confines itself to our own home. Some have carried their public-fpiritednefs too far: and piqued themselves on manifefting good-will to their fellowcreatures, by undertakings out of their province, and even beyond their abilities; while their proper neighbours, those with whom they had clofe connections, and their proper bufinefs, that which their circumftances bound them to mind, were dif garded: an injudicious conduct, when it proceeds from the Y 2 Rom. xiii 8. beft best intentions; but highly blameable, if vanity, or a meddling temper, be the fource of it: on which head thefe perfons would do well to examine themselves. But the far more ordinary fault is the oppofite one: narrowing the bounds of our friendly difpofitions; and excluding those from the benefit of being our neighbours, who have a right to it. The principal caufes of this are three: Hatred, pride and felfishness. 1. One chief ground of hatred long hath been, and is, diverfity of faith or worship: of which cafe we have a moft remarkable infance, Luke x. 25, &c. There a certain lawyer flanding up, and tempting our Saviour with the question, What fall I do to inherit eternal life? he draws from his own mouth the answer, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyfelf: then tells him, thou haft answered right this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing, as the evangelist obfervcs, to justify himself, faid unto Jefus, and who is my neighbour? imagining, no doubt, as the fequel thewed, and as most of his countrymen thought at that time, and many ages after*, if they do not ftill, that none but the members of his own communion deferved the name; and that all others were to be deemed unrelated to him, and held in abhorrence. This abominable notion our bleffed Lord might have confuted by numerous paffages of the Old Testament: but he thought it more useful to humble the vain man, by convicting him from the teflimony of his confcience, and making him confefs, without perceiving it, how unjuft his interpretation was. this end he tells him the moving ftory, that you all know, of the Jew and the Samaritan; of which two nations the former detefted the latter beyond all others: and having eafily brought him to declare, that the Samaritan had acted the neighbourly part, as he ought, to the Jew; it evidently followed, that a few, upon occafion, fhould act the fame part to a Samdritan. Which thinkeft thou was neighbour to him that fell amongst the thieves? And he said, he that fhewed mercy on him. Then faid Jefus unto him, go and do thou likewife. O that all chriftians of all denominations had learned, or would yet learn, from hence and from the whole tenour of the gofpel, what fome of them in particular are lamentably ig norant of, or worfe: that kindness and tenderness, and much more juftice and equity, are due to thofe of every fect and • See Lightfoot's Harm. of New Teft. and on this history. For party, |