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fummary of the whole divine law, as far as it refers to our conduct towards man. This excellency Chrift himself points out: This, fays he, is the law and the prophets; that is, it is the fubftance of both: do to others what you would have others do to you, and then you do to them all that the law and the prophets, and I may add, all that Chrift and the apoftles require you to do. Now it is a great advantage to have the whole of our duty collected into fuch narrow bounds, and presented to us at one view: we are not fent to pore over tedious volumes of laws and ftatutes, or to gather up fragments of precepts here and there in order to learn our duty to one another; it is all fummed up in this, Do to others what you would have them do to you. With this is connected another excellency of this precept; and that is,

2. Its concifenefs: it is what I may call a portable directory, which you may always carry about with you and eafily recollect; and therefore you need never be at a lofs to know your duty. You may always know your own expectations and defires; do to others then what you would expect and defire from them, and you are right; you do all that the law and the prophets require you to do. Tedious precepts and long difcourfes are not fo easily learned or remembered; but the shortest memory cannot fail to recollect this concife command.

3. Another excellency of this precept is, that it is univerfal, and extends to all mankind, in all circumftances; to fuperiors, inferiors, and equals. It is true there is a great diverfity in the characters and ftations of men, which it is not your business, nor is it in your power to alter; and there is a correfpondent variety in the duties you owe them. But you can eafily imagine them all in the fame circumftances; or you can easily fuppofe yourselves in their place, and they in yours; and then you can with equal eafe look into your own minds, and confider what treatment you would expect from them in fuch a change

of

of circumftances; and that will immediately difcover how you should treat them in their prefent circumftances. Thus the rule may be univerfally applied without impropriety.

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4. Another excellency of this precept is, that it is plain and convictive. Common minds may be bewildered, instead of being guided, by an intricate, tedious fyftem of laws; but a man of the weakest understanding may eafily perceive this rule. It is an appeal to his own fenfations. What would you expect or wish from others? How would you have them treat you? Surely you cannot but know this: 'well, treat them juft in the fame manner.' This is also a most convictive rule; every man that thinks a little, muft immediately own that it is highly reasonable; confult your own confciences, and they will tell you, you need no other adviser, and you are selfcondemned if you violate this precept. It is written upon your hearts in illuftrious indelible characters: it fhines and sparkles there, like the Urim and Thummim on the breaft of Aaron. I am,

IV. To mention fome important inftances of particular cafes to which this excellent rule ought to be applied. And here I fhall throw a great many things together without method, that my defcription may agree the nearer to real life, in which these things happen promifcuoufly without order.

Would you defire that another should love you, be ready to ferve you, and do you all the kind offices in his power? Do you expect your neighbour fhould rejoice in your prosperity, fympathize with you in affliction, promote your happiness, and relieve you in diftrefs? Would you have him obferve the rules of ftrict juftice in dealing with you? Would you have him tender of your reputation, ready to put the kindeft conftruction upon your actions, and unwilling to believe or fpread a bad report concerning you? Do you defire he should direct you when miftaken,

mistaken, and labour to reclaim you from a dangerous courfe? In fhort, do you think it reasonable he fhould do all in his power for your good, in foul, body, and eftate? Are these your expectations and defires with regard to the conduct of others towards you? Then in this manner fhould you behave towards them; you have fixed and determined the rule of your own conduct: * your expectations from others have the force of a law upon yourselves; and fince you know how they should behave towards you, you cannot be at a loss to know how to behave towards them.

If you were a fervant, how would you have your mafter to behave towards you? Confider and determine the matter; and you will know how you fhould behave towards your fervants. The fame thing may be applied to rulers and fubjects in general, to parents and children, hufbands and wives, neighbour and neighbour.

On the other hand, we may confider this rule negatively. Do you defire that another fhould not entertain angry and malicious paffions against you? that he should not envy your pofterity, nor infult over you in adversity? that he fhould not take the advantage of you in contracts? that he fhould not violate the laws of justice in commerce with you, nor defraud you of your property? that he fhould not injure your reputation, or put an unkind conftruction upon your conduct? Would you expect that if you were a fervant, your mafter should not tyrannize over you, and give you hard usage; or that if you were a mafter, your fervant fhould not be unfaithful, difobedient, and obftinate? Are these your expectations and defires with regard to the conduct of others? then you have prescribed a law for your own conduct: do not that to others which you would not have them to do to you: treat every man as another felf, as a part of the fame human nature with your

Tu tibi legem dixisti.

felf.

felf. How extravagant and ridiculous is it that you fhould be treated well by all mankind, and yet you be at liberty to treat them as you please? What are you? What a being of mighty importance are you? Is not another as dear to himself as you are to yourfelf? Are not his rights as facred and inviolable as yours? How come you to be entitled to an exemption from the common laws of human nature? Be it known to you, you are as firmly bound by them as any of your species.

By these few inftances you may learn how to apply this maxim of Christian morality to all the cases that may occur in the courfe of your lives.

Were I reading to you a lecture of moral philofophy in the school of Socrates or Seneca, what I have offered might be fufficient. But in order to adapt this discourse to the Chriftian difpenfation, and make it true Christian morality, it is neceffary I fhould fubjoin two evangelical peculiarities, which are the qualifications of that virtue which God will accept.

The first is, that all our good offices to mankind fhould proceed not only from benevolence to them, but from a regard to the divine authority, which obliges us to these duties. We should do these things not only as they are commanded, but because they are commanded. We cannot expect that God will accept of that as obedience to him, which we do not intend in that view. Let us apply that rule to every focial duty, which the apoftle particularly applies to the duty of fervants to their mafters: Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men. Col. iii. 23.

The fecond qualification of evangelical virtue or true chriftian morality, is, that you perform it in the name of Chrift, or that you depend not upon the merit of your obedience, but entirely upon his mediato rial righteousness to procure acceptance with God. Without this all your actions of charity and justice, however fair and fplendid they appear in the eyes of

VOL. II.

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men,

men, are but proud philofophic virtue, utterly abhorred by an holy God. But with this evangelical temper, you will be accepted as ferving God, even in ferving men. And O that with thefe qualifications this rule may regulate the conduct of each of us! I am fure there is reafon enough for it, if the greatest neceffity, or the greatest advantage can be a reason. Which confideration leads me,

V. and laftly, To fhew the neceffity and advantage of obferving this rule.

(1.) The obfervance of this rule is abfolutely neceffary to conftitute you real chriftians. I hinted at this in the beginning of my difcourfe; but it is of fuch vaft importance, that it merits a more thorough confideration. A chriftian not only prays, attends upon religious ordinances, difcourfes about religion, and the like, but he is also a strict moralift; he is just and charitable, and makes confcience of every duty to mankind; and morality is not only ornamental but effential to his character; and it is in vain for you to pretend to the chriftian character without morality. An unjuft, uncharitable christian is as great a contradiction as a prayerlefs, or a fwearing chriftian. You can no more be a good man without loving your neighbour, than without loving your God. He that faith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, and neglects the duties he owes to him, is really in darkness even until now (1 John ii. 9.) let him pretend what he will. Therefore if you count it of any importance to be chriftians indeed, you must do to others what you would have them do to you. No inward experience, no religious duties, no zeal in devotion can make you true chriftians, or entitle you to the charity of others as fuch, without a proper temper and behaviour towards mankind. I would have you, my dear brethren, to be complete finished chriftians; if there be any thing in the world that I have at heart, it is this: I would have christianity appear in you in its full glory, unmaimed and well-proportioned; and therefore

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