times, that "men should be lovers of their own selves," 2 Tim. ii. 2. it only means that unreasonable love of ourselves, which we call selfishness, or such a self-love as excludes the love of God and of our neighbour. But there is a love of ourselves, which is not only allowed, but it is the necessary foundation of all religion, and is here made the measure of our love to our neighbour.

2. When we are taught to love our neighbour as ourselves, it may intimate the reason upon which we should be well-affected to our neighbour. We should not consider others (as we are apt to do mankind at large, unless they are more nearly attached to us than by a participation of the same general nature,) as such in whom we have no concern, or who are altogether remote from us, but as in a moral sense ourselves as we say of a friend or a family-relation, he is to us as ourselves; or as it is said of Jonathan with respect to David, he "loved him as his own soul," 1 Sam. xviii. 1. In truth, every man should, in a sense, be so esteemed by us all. We stand in nearer relations, and under more special obligations, to some than to others; but we are so nearly related and allied to all, that it claims our love. This will be

more enlarged upon presently.

your

3. It may be considered as a direction to the proper ways of expressing our love to our neighbour. If it should be asked, How we are to express our love to our neighbour? there cannot be a more instructive answer in so few words than this Love him as yourselves. How does love to yourself work? You know the motions of your own heart, how the pulse of self-love beats, and what you are ready to do upon that impulse for your own welfare. Now, if you had no other instructor or monitor to teach your duty to your neighbour, you might have sufficient direction by attending to the acts and fruits of your love to yourselves. We know by feeling what it is to love ourselves, and what that carries us to do the precept before us prescribes this very thing for the rule of our temper and conduct to our neighbour; it leaves us, as it were to prescribe to ourselves, and to take the measure from ourselves as if it had been said, "Judge ye of your own selves," and by yourselves, "what is right" in this

matter.

Are we not tenacious of our own rights, and very sensible

of any injury or injustice done us by others? If we love them as we love ourselves, it will lead us to justice and righteousness; to be tender of their rights, as we are of our own; and to be careful that we do them no harm, any more than ourselves.

We are quick at discerning any thing valuable in ourselves, and apt enough to support our own character. If our love to others be like that which we bear to ourselves, it will teach us to observe any thing that is valuable in them, and to pay them the regard and respect due to them, according to what is amiable and commendable in them. And such an impartial view of the excellencies of others, as well as of our own, would be a strong argument to humility.

set.

We heartily desire our own welfare in every instance, according to the best apprehensions we can form of it; nor do we content ourselves with mere good wishes, but take pains to obtain the several good things upon which our hearts are And if we are in earnest religious, this is our temper and conduct for ourselves, with reference to spiritual and eternal blessings, as well as for other comforts desirable in their places. The same disposition extended to our neighbours, would form us to universal benevolence, and to be active and industrious in doing good to the souls and bodies of

men.

We apply to other people, who we think may be helpful to us in our difficulties, and in promoting our interests. Love to them will make us ready to help them according to our capacity. This would lead to a merciful disposition.

We are not prone to be soon angry with ourselves, or to put the worst construction upon our own actions, or to publish our own faults: but we are apt to complain of other people's indecent passions to us, of their censoriousness, and of their divulging reports unnecessarily to our disadvantage. We should take the hint from that, to exercise meekness and charity to our neighbours, and to "speak evil of no man" without just reason.

We take pleasure in our own welfare in any instance, and are tenderly affected with our own burthens and sorrows. Love to our neighbour will dispose us to bear a sensible part in his joys and afflictions; to rejoice with them that do rejoice, and to weep with them that weep.'

And we might carry on the same comparison through all the graces and virtues incumbent on us towards other people.

4. This bespeaks the high degree of love due from us to our neighbour. We are to love him as ourselves.

I cannot, indeed, apprehend that a strict equality is meant. Our charity, or love, is certainly to begin at home. That is, indeed, imported in its being made the measure of our love to others. And every man is to consider himself as charged, in the first place, with himself. We are neither to take the same pains for the souls, nor for the bodies of others, as for

our own.

We are not to extend an equal love to all others alike, but in proportion to what is lovely and amiable in them. Hence good men justly claim a more distinguishing share in our af fection than others. "The excellent of the earth, in whom is all my delight," Psal. xvi. 3.

Nor have all at large an equal right to the expressions of our love. Those under our immediate care and charge, in our families or otherwise, require our more special endeavours for the good of their souls; and our own families are first to be provided for in their temporal interest. Men are not to be beneficent to others, to the real detriment of their own families. And I believe many are unjustly censured of covetousness, because they do not as much for others as they expect, when really the circumstances of themselves and their families, which are unknown to the world, will not admit of it. Every man must judge for himself, as in the sight of God, what is fit for him to do; and other people should be very slow in censuring, where they have not sure grounds to go

upon.

But yet certainly, though this precept prescribes not an entire equality, yet it bespeaks a high degree of affection due to our neighbour.

That we should love him with equal sincerity as we do ourselves be as entirely free from all enmity and malice, and ill-will to him, as to ourselves; and no more allow ourselves to injure him.

We should as readily observe and own any thing truly commendable in another, as in ourselves; and as willingly make allowances for his imperfections as our own. In the matter

of estimation, we should endeavour to be impartial; not flattering ourselves, or underrating the excellencies of others, Rom. xiii. 10. "Be kindly-affectioned one to another, with brotherly love, in honour preferring one another."

There ought to be an alacrity and delight in doing any good offices we are capable of to others, as well as when we are serving ourselves, which is “ loving them fervently," 1

Pet. 1. 22.

Yea, there are cases wherein we are to prefer their interest to a loss of our own, or their spiritual and eternal welfare to our present advantage or safety. St John tells us, 1 John iii. 16. that in some cases "we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." Either be content to hazard them in martyrdom, when our flight and quitting the field of battle may be foreseen likely to expose some we are nearly concerned with to fall from their stedfastness. St. Paul could say, with reference to his beloved Philippians, chap. ii. 17. "If I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all." Or we may be called to venture our lives for the defence of the innocent, when they are injuriously assaulted; or to assist our neighbours in an imminent danger: or especially to hazard our own lives to secure and save much more valuable lives than our own. So Priscilla and Aquila had for Paul's "life laid down their own necks," that is, exposed themselves to screen Paul in some extreme danger he had been in, for which they had the "thanks of all the churches of the Gentiles," Rom. xvi. 4.

IV. I proceed to shew the special obligations which Christianity lays upon us to the love of our neighbour. To this end we may observe, that,

1. Christianity hath eminently provided to carry our love to this large extent, to consider every man as our neighbour. While it has laid a foundation for a more distinguishing affection to our brethren in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, it leads us to consider all men as near to us, and gives us many uniting views of them. For instance,

It represents the natural relation and alliance which there is between all men as such. The gospel calls us back to contemplate the common original of our natures, that "God hath made of one blood all nations of men, to dwell on all the face

of the earth," Acts xvii. 26. So that we are to consider ourselves and others as all descended from one common father; not only from Adam, the father of our flesh; but, as he was the son of God, we are all in common the offspring of our Father in heaven, ver. 29. When we look upon the meanest, or even the worst of men, we should make the reflection which Job did in reference to his servants, and for the sake of which he durst not despise them, Job xxxi. 13-15. "Did not he that made me in the womb, make them? and did not one fashion us in the womb ?" And this common Father is yet more eminently so, as he is the Father of spirits, as he has breathed into them and us living, reasonable, and immortal souls; which gives a dignity and rank to men in the order of beings above the visible creation: "There is a spirit in man,' in every man ;" and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding," Job. xxxii. 8. Now, this similitude of nature, especially of reasonable powers, is a just ground of universal love.

The gospel also acquaints us with the common state of apostacy and misery in which all mankind is involved: "All the world is become guilty before God," Rom. iii. 19. This, indeed, sullies the amiableness of the whole race; but, at the same time, represents us one to another, as in like circumstances of distress and danger, and therefore should induce to common compassion and sympathy, and mortify that pride, upon other accounts, which might tempt us to set ourselves unduly above others.

On the other hand, the good-will of God to men in general, is proclaimed in the gospel, and the kind aspect of redemption, not upon the Jewish inclosure only, but upon all without distinction. "Christ is the propitiation for our sins," says St. John, "and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world," 1 John ii. 2. By that he has broken down the wall of partition between Jew and Gentile, the Jewish covenant of peculiarity, and its appendages. Neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; for in Christ Jesus "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female;" there is no difference between them in their capacity of acceptance with God upon the terms of the gospel; "for they are all one in Christ Jesus," Gal. iii. 28. Therefore, Peter declares, that "God