Now the natural Effect of this Esteem of our Brethren must be a courteous and civil Treatment of them. As Love brings into our Minds, worthy Opinions of others, fo 'twill make our Speech, and Actions agree thereunto: Our Language will be foft and kind; our Looks fmiling and pleasant, and our whole Carriage towards them, will be winning, humble, and obliging. A morofe and furly Temper, an imperious, haughty, and fcornful Behaviour, are utterly inconfiftent with the Duty of Chriftian Love, for Love vaunteth itself, is not puffed up; doth not bebare itself unfeemly. It will not allow us to deport ourselves difdainfully towards any one: 'Twill make us affable and condefcending to all Degrees of Men from the highest to the loweft; as well to him who dwelleth in a Cottage, as to him that inhabiteth a Palace; as well to him that wears the vilest Garments, and lives upon the coarsest Diet, as to him that is cloathed with Purple and fine Linnen, and fareth fumptuously every Day.

Secondly, ANOTHER Part of this Chriftian Duty, is to do and wifh one ano. ther no Evil. Love, faith St. Paul in one Place, worketh no Evil to his Neigh

Rom. xiii. 10.

bour

bour; and in eth no E il.

another Place, Love thinkNothing is more contrary to the Spirit of Christian Love, than the Leven of Rage, of Envy, of Malice, and Ill-nature. When these hellifh Qualities are predominant, they Sowre the Minds of Men, and prompt them to wrong their Brethren upon every Opportunity: They render us impatient under Injuries, and Affronts; and hafty to return Evil for Evil: They make us repine at the Fayours which Providence hath beftowed upon others; and incline us to wish, contrive, work, and be glad at the Lols, or Abatement of them.

But if the Spirit of Christian Love doth enter into the Soul, and refide there, it will eternally banish all these monstrous Properties, and introduce into their Room the most inoffenfive and agreeable. Then we fhall endure the Contradictions, the Reproaches, the Abufes of Sinners without flying into Fury; without retaliating without permiting our Refentments to carry us to the Commiffion of any Thing that is finful. Then we fhall not murmur, and look alquint at the Bleffings which others are encircled with; nor taste any Sweetness in seeing them drink of the bit

• 1 Cor. xiii. 5•

ter

ter Cup of Affliction: We fhall rather be forward to fympathize with them in their feveral Conditions, rejoice with those whom the Smiles of God have given Occafion to rejoice, and weep with thofe whom Frowns have caufed to Weep.

If we love our Brethren in fuch a fincere Manner as we ought, no Temptations will prevail with us to bring any natural Evil upon their Bodies, by open, or fecret Mifchief. Neither fhall we be inftrumental in bringing any moral Evil upon their Souls, by perfuading them to Sin, or arguing them into Error. So far will Chriftian Love keep us from work. ing any Evil to our Neighbours, that we thall never devise any against them. So far will it keep us from devifing any Evil against them, that we fhall not fo much as wish them any: And so far will it keep us from wishing them any Evil, that we fhall with no Evil may happen unto them, nor any Plague come nigh their Dwelling. And fo far will it raise us above wishing them no Evil, that we fhall become humble Interceffors to God for them, and earnestly intreat the Preferver of Mankind to deliver THEM, as well as OUR SELVES, from Evil.

Evil as fuch, is what all Men have an inbred

bred Prejudice againft: This makes us always refuse it,and endeavour to fence it off. Very true indeed it is, that we frequently follow, and embrace that which is really Evil: But then it must alfo be confeffed, that we neither follow nor embrace it under the Notion of Evil: No, we are mifled by a falfe Judgment; we are fmitten with a fair Appearance of Good ; and 'tis That which we propofe to ourselves in our Purfuit and Embraces: 'Tis the Bait that we fo eagerly chop at; the Hook, or the Snare, we have not any Appetite to.

For any one to feek Evil for itself, for its own Sake, abftracted from the Confi deration of all kind of Advantage, is no lefs impoffible than for a Stone naturally to move upwards: As fuch a Motion is contrary to the Principle of Heaviness lodged in that Body, or to the attractive Force of the Earth, which has an Influence upon it; fo to feek Evil as Evil, is in effect to hate ourselves, and therefore contrary to the Principle of Self-love, which God has engraven upon every Man's Heart, as with the Point of a Diamond. This Principle of Self-love will not fuffer us to Wish; or knowingly and willfully to Do ourselves Hurt: It puts us upon arming againft, and deprecating whatfoever we count Evil or Mifchievous.

Now

Now both Mofes and CHRIST, both Law and Golpel have made the Love of ourfelves, the Rule by which we are to be guided in loving our Neighbour: For thus it is written, Lev. xix. 18. Thou fhalt Love thy Neighbour as thyself: And Matth. xxii. 39. Our Saviour reinforces this Precept, faying, Thou shalt Love thy Neighbour as thyself.

Since therefore Self-love caufeth us to hate that which is Evil; fince it will not allow us to defign our felves Mifchief; fince it makes us watch against; and defire it may never befal us; 'tis plain, that the Love of our Neighbours muft oblige us to ab ftain from doing them any Evil; and also to wish them none; because we are commanded to love them with the fame kind of Love, as that wherewith we love ourJelves.

Doth it then go much against the Grain, to have any Thing we fay or do, conftrued in the worfe Senfe? Are we not apt to take it ill, that our best Actions fhould be imputed to bad Causes? or that we fhould be fufpected of having evil Intentions, when our outward Behaviour is confefledly praife worthy? Doth Self-love render us unwilling to have that Honour with-held from us, which is due to our

Cha