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other person, when considered as another self, or another

same.

From hence may appear our Lord's profound wisdom and deep penetration into the darkest recesses of man's heart; while to the precept of loving one's neighbour, he superadds this home consideration, "Thou shalt love thy "neighbour as thyself." Not so highly, or so dearly, as you love yourself, (for that is not expected,) but as highly and truly as you could reasonably desire of him, if his case and circumstances were yours, and yours were his. Judge from yourself, and your own just expectations from others, how you ought to behave towards them, in like cases and circumstances. There are many persons in the world, who make a practice of affronting or defaming, of insulting or ridiculing, of defrauding or overreaching, of molesting, oppressing, persecuting, without shame or remorse, and even without so much as any sense or feeling of what others endure: but if any one should but attempt in like manner to affront, or defame, or molest, or any way injure them, they have then their sense of feeling to an exquisite degree, and are impatient to fill the ears of as many as they can apply to, with loud clamours and complaints. Such is the manner of selflovers; and if any thing can ever cure them of that sad disease, it must be self-reflection, accompanied with Divine grace; that, by considering their own pains and uneasinesses, as often as they are themselves injured, they may learn to be compassionate and tender-hearted in their dealings with others, so as never to do them an injury of any kind, either as to their persons or property, estate or good name. If they can once learn to be as tender and as sensible in their neighbour's case, as they are in their own; and if they can be content to take no greater liberties with others, than they are willing that others in like circumstances should take with them; then may they be truly said, and not till then, to "love their neighbours as "themselves," according to our Lord's commandment.

III.

Having thus competently explained the precept of the text, it remains now only, that, in the third and last place, I lay down some, considerations proper to enforce it.

1. First, Let it be considered, that this second commandment, relating to the love of our neighbour, is so like the first, relating to the love of God, and so near akin to it, and so wrapped up in it, that they are both, in a manner, but one commandment. He that truly, sincerely, consistently loves God, must of course love his neighbour also or if he does not really love his neighbour, he cannot, with any consistency or truth, be said to love God. For, if we truly love God, we must of consequence be supposed to love what God loves: and since God is a lover of mankind, the love of God, rightly understood, must inevitably include and imply the love of man. It is very natural, for persons of corrupt minds, to form to themselves some imaginary notion of a love of God, separate from a love of man. They are tempted to it by their passions, by their humours, and by their interests; being very desirous of God's favour at a cheap and easy rate, and willing to express their love of him by caresses, compliments, and endearments to him, rather than by real and painful services done to mankind for his sake. They will be religious and devout; will offer up their prayers, praises, and thanksgivings; will be hearers of his word, but not doers of it; will wait upon him at his altar, perhaps with a warm devotion, and yet not remember or not consider, that they are all the while greatly defective in point of love and charity towards their brethren. But, after all, religion without righteousness, or devotion and godliness without brotherly kindness, is an inconsistent, romantic notion, a contradiction in terms. For,

as St. James says, "If any man seem to be religious, and "bridleth not his tongue-this man's religion is vaini:"

i James i. 26.

so it may be justly, and by parity of reason, said in general, that if any man "seem to be religious," and bridleth not his resentments, his malice, his rancour, his ambition, his pride, and in short his selfishness, that man's religion is: vain. St. John is very express to this purpose, where he teaches thus: "If any man say, I love God, and hateth "his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his bro"ther whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom " he hath not seenk?" As much as to say, If men do not their kind offices to God's appointed receivers, who are visibly present with them; how can they be presumed to have any true love or good-will towards God, who is absent and invisible, and can receive no kindness from us but in and by his receivers so present with us? So our blessed Lord, elsewhere, interprets this matter, showing by what marks and tokens, chiefly, he judges of our love towards him. "Inasmuch as ye have done a kind office unto "one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it "unto me;" and again; "Inasmuch as ye did it not "to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me." Sơ then, for the enforcing the love of our neighbours, let it be duly considered, that it is the proof and the perfection of our love to God. He that really has the first, has the second also: and he that has not the second, has neither. His disaffection towards his neighbour shows, that he has no true affection towards God: for " this commandment "have we from him, that he who loveth God, love his "brother also m." What God hath so joined and made inseparable, let not man put asunder.

2. It may further be considered, (which indeed is but the consequence of the former,) that by this very rule will the righteous Judge of all men proceed at the last day; as our Lord himself has sufficiently intimated in the twenty-fifth of St. Matthew. It will be in vain to plead at that day, how holy, how religious, how devout we have been; how frequent or constant in our attendance upon

k 1 John iv. 20. VOL. IX.

Matt. xxv. 40, 45.
D

m 1 John iv. 21.

God in his house or in our closets; how zealous for the honour of his name, or how unwearied in contending for the faith once delivered unto the saints: all these things are good and commendable, if accompanied with true brotherly love and Christian charity: but without it, they are nothing in God's sight, not so much as deserving the names of devotion, or piety, or godly zeal; because godliness without charity is not really godliness, but a semblance only, or a shadow of it. The duties of the first table must take in with them the duties of the second also otherwise, they will be construed, by an all-seeing God, as compliments only, or empty ceremonies, rather than as acts of love towards him. Therefore, if ever we hope to steer our Christian course aright here, and to be accepted at the mercy-seat hereafter, let us "give all dili66 gence to add to our faith virtue; and to virtue know"ledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temper66 ance patience; and to patience godliness; and to god"liness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness "charity","

n 2 Pet. i. 5, 6, 7.

SERMON III.

The Nature and Kinds of Self-love explained and distinguished; and the Boundaries of an innocent and culpable Self-love limited and ascertained.

2 TIM. iii. 1, 2.

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come: for men shall be lovers of their own selves.

THE great Apostle, in these words, reminds his disciple

Timothy of the danger and difficulty of the times into which he was fallen. "In the last days," saith he, that is, at the conclusion of the Jewish state, and upon the commencing of the last and best dispensation, the age of the Messias," perilous times shall come," perilous especially to good men; "for men shall be lovers of their ❝own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers," &c. "From such" he advises Timothy." to turn awaya;" which makes it evident that the persons there characterised by St. Paul were the men of the then present age.

It is observable, that the phrase of "lovers of their "own selves," which may sometimes bear a good sense, is here plainly intended in a bad one. It stands first among the many black characters recited by the Apostle: probably because it is the root and principle of other vices,

a 2 Tim. iii. 5.

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