particulars of social duty; he knew that in the present depraved state, when our sinful prejudices and selfish biases are so many and so strong, all would be little enough to awaken men to the consideration of their duty. But it is much to the honour of this maxim, that it is the short contents of all the directions, left in the name of God by the law and the prophets, how one man should behave to another.

3. It is still more strongly enforced upon us by Christianity.

Our Lord and Master himself has left us this summary, and that at the close of his most instructive sermon, wherein he had so clearly and distinctly explained our duty in the most. important particulars of it.

The context enforces it by an additional motive, which is implied in the word that introduces the precept, Therefore. In the verses before, Christ encourages us to apply to God in our various wants, with an assurance of his gracious answer to our requests; and, to animate our hope, argues from the readiness of earthly parents to gratify the desires of their children, to the greater readiness of our common Father in heaven to fulfil the proper desires of us his children on earth; whereupon he adds, Therefore all things, whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them; making it an inference of God's benignity to us. And the deduction may be made, "in point of ingenuity and gratitude." Doth the great God, who is infinitely above us, and can never be capable of needing any thing from us, readily give to mankind whatever they can reasonably expect from a kind and loving Father? And is there not much more reason that we should deal so with one another? If we are obliged to be followers of God as dear children, we should readily afford others, after that bright and disinterested pattern, all needful aid, which they may desire of us as a matter of equity, or humanity, or charity. Or this duty to our neighbour may be proposed "as a necessary term of God's hearing our requests." Such is the benignity of his nature, that he is very ready to hear us; but he has fixed a constitution, which gives no foundation to hope that he will graciously answer prayers, if we are unjust or uncharitable to our neighbours. Therefore, that we may have the benefit of such an encouraging declaration, let us diligently attend to all the duties of civil

righteousness; for God will deal with us, as we deal with others. Declarations to this purpose are very express scripture, Isa. i. 15—18. "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. Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." Chap. lviii. 9, 10. "Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am: if thou take away from the midst of thee, the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul."

It may be added, that the gospel has more clearly put all men upon a level, than seemed to be done by the Jewish covenant of peculiarity, as was shewn in a former discourse; and, therefore strengthens our obligation to make this a rule of our conduct to all men.

III. I am to shew the vast usefulness and advantage of this measure of behaviour.

1. It is equally fit for the direction of all. It is, indeed, so simple and obvious a measure of acting, that the plainest and most illiterate people, who are not capable of long and intricate reasonings, in order to the discovery of their duty, may receive light from it, as well as those of the most enlarged capacities and attainments. Here is a short and easy way to come at the knowledge of their duty; namely, to turn inward, and catechise themselves in such a familiar manner as this: Should not I esteem it a hardship, to be treated myself as I am about to treat this person? Why then should I put that upon him, which I should account injurious from him? What should I think myself to have reason to expect from another, in the same circumstances or relation wherein I now stand, if I had occasion for his good offices? Should not I reckon the same expectations reasonable from me, and act accordingly?' This inward monitor may immediately and easily bring any man to the point of duty.

2. It will be of singular use in sudden emergencies. Many cases occur in life, wherein we have not time for long deliberation, but must speedily, and upon the spot, determine either to do or to forbear a thing. In such a case, the wisest, as well as the weakest, have sometimes need of a short rule, to which they may have recourse for present direction. This is one advantage of having the mind well stored with the express precepts of revelation, that we may immediately call them to mind in an hour of temptation, or upon a sudden incident, to point us to our duty, and engage us to the practice of it, upon the authority of God. Now, this one general rule will hardly fail to furnish us with sufficient light for our immediate conduct in any part of social duty. That may emphatically be said of this command, which Moses applies more generally: "It is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. But it is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it," Deut. xxx. 11-14.

3. It will contribute to impartiality in our judging concerning our duty to others. When we judge amiss in any case, to the prejudice of our neighbour's just claims from us, it is owing to an inordinate self-love, which gives us too strong a bias to that side of the question, that is most in our own favour. But if we will change persons, and suppose those concerned on the other side of the question to be our very selves, then a real hardship to them will appear in its native colours. In one sense, we shall put ourselves out of the reckoning, that is, as far as self-interest gave an irregular bias; by pulling ourselves into the reckoning in another sense, that is, by considering what judgment we should pass, if the case were our own. So that is the surest way to form an impartial judg

ment.

4. This will minister light both in what we ought to do, and in what we ought to forbear, toward other men. It is a rule that holds both negatively and positively, though the text, indeed, only expresses it in the positive form. To do to others, what we have reason to insist that they should not do to us, is unjust and injurious, and not to do what we might reasonably desire at their hands, is at least unequal and uncharitable.

5. This will contribute to make our duty easy and pleasant; when it is set in so advantageous a light, and recommended

by so near and moving an argument. This maxim, if we attend to it, will not only be full of light, but heat also. It will sweetly draw us to our duty by the most ingenuous motive, and make those very considerations from ourselves to push us on to a due behaviour to others, which, without such a change of persons, are the common impediments of it.

6. It will be of service to discover and enforce our duty to others in the whole compass of it. It will be an universal directory. Every obligation to other men, which either can be made out by other reasonings to be a dictate of nature, or which is inculcated by express revelation, may be deduced from this maxim. Our own minds, as far as we are justly apprised of our own interest, will give suffrage to the justice and goodness of it in our own case, and, therefore, ought to do the like in the case of others. For instance,

In common and general conversation, this maxim will be a proper monitor for decency and regularity of behaviour. Reason and scripture prescribe to us modesty and humility in our converse, without assuming and overbearing airs; courteousness, civility, and respect to all, according to their stations and characters; a care not to give offence by word or action; meekness and the government of our tempers, in opposition to indecent heats and outrageous passions. And this rule directs and strongly engages to just the same things. A reflection upon what we expect or censure in other people's conversation with us, will direct us to all that in our own conduct which is the beauty and pleasure of society, and warn us against those things which are the blemish and the bane of it.

In negociation and commerce, the same rule will prescribe the most exact justice and righteousness in all our dealings. We shall not take advantage of our own power, and another's poverty and helpless condition, or his necessary dependance upon us, to oppress him, or bear hard upon him in any instance; the rich will not "grind the faces of the poor, when this is made the rule of acting. What should I think of being so used, if I were in their condition? The strictest honesty and truth in trade would flow from the same principle. The apostle's precept, that "no man go beyond or defraud his brother in any matter," 1 Thess. iv. 6. would be the easiest thing in the world to practise; no man would find any tempta

tion to the contrary, if all would but agree to observe this rule; for who is not ready to complain and clamour when he finds himself over-reached and cheated by another? Would any man allow himself to have diverse weights and measures (in the Hebrew it is "a weight and a weight, a measure and a measure," that is, one to buy by, and another to sell by,) if he did but allow himself to consider, that it is not only "an abomination to the Lord," but even to himself, when men use him in that manner? Prov. xx. 10. Would you allow yourselves to make a false representation of the goodness and value of that which you expose to sale? or, on the other hand, to depreciate the value of a commodity, below what you esteem it to be intrinsically worth, when you are a buyer, if you made it a law to yourselves to do to others as you would be done unto? Would you take advantage of other people's unskilfulness, or of their necessity, to put ill things upon them for good, or at an exorbitant price, if this were your measure of acting? This principle would carry you honestly and honourably to the execution of every contract and engagement, to the utmost of your power; to the payment of your debts, to the performance of every trust you have undertaken, with exact fidelity; for would not you in justice expect the same yourselves? Abundance of practices, in the course of business, for which people think they can offer a plausible excuse, would not bear a trial by this standard, and would not sit easy upon their consciences, if they did but accustom themselves to appeal to it, however they may make a shift to justify themselves before men.

In cases where others need our compassion and kindness, this will be equally serviceable. How ready will a man be to do good offices to others, according to their necessity and his own ability, who consults his own heart; and what bowels of compassion he would think himself entitled to, if he were the needy person, if he would allow himself to think it very possible that this may come to be his own case, and especially if he must recollect, that this has already been his case in fact, and what his expectations then were? God touches the Israelites in this feeling strain, Exod. xxiii. 9. "Thou shalt not oppress a stranger for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." To know the heart of another in distress or want, or destitute of friends, either by