to others. It must be love without diffimulation: love unfeigned: love, not in word, or in tongue only, but in deed, and in truth. Under colour of love, to contrive or help forward one another's misfortunes, is like the charity of him, who betrayed his Lord and Saviour with a kifs. People are not wont to be traytors to themselves after fuch a manner. Tho', in the confequence and event, they many times prove their own enemies, and the worft enemies they have; yet no man betrays himself with Judas's purpose. The inten tion on which we all act, is ftill levelled at that, which we believe or fuppofe to be good for us. And this is properly to love our neighbour as our felves; to be as really folicitous, for his welfare in all refpects as for our own; to have the fame reality and fincerity of purpofe; to be influenced and animated with the fame quality and truth of affection, tho' the cafe may admit of a difference as to proportion. The other property that attends all innocent love of our felves, is, that it is firm and conftant.Because it flows from an in nate nate principle of felf-prefervation, it must of neceffity hold and continue, as long as nature it self lafteth. Nor can any circumftances, events, or disappointments alter any man's temper fo, as to render him fickle and unfteady to himself; much less diffolve the ftrict band which ties his own heart to him, faster than that, which was between the fouls of Jonathan and David.* And thus alfo muft our brotherly love continue. Because the reasons of charity are ever the fame, to wit, the obedience we owe to the law of God, and the common wants among mankind, which always call for our mutual pity and affistance; there is therefore a conftant neceffity, for our minds, to be always benevolently and tenderly difpofed. And altho' resentments may, and oftentimes do unavoidably happen, by reason of the ignorances of fome, the paffions of others, and the hereditary infirmities of us all; yet no provocations or injuries muft affect men fo, as to harden their fpirits, or fill their bowels with gall and wormwood. Since the fixed rule is, that we must love our neighbours as our felves, we are no more permitted to be weary of our charity to other men, than we permit our felves to be weary, of doing good to our own fouls. BUT there is an higher and nobler rule of charity yet; and that is, to love one another (as I obferved) as our blessed Saviour hath loved us. Because the love even of one's felf may be defective, imperfect, and mixed with fome alloy; therefore the great lover of all our fouls, hath made his own charity, to be the standard and measure of ours. Upon which he calls it a new commandment: A new commandment (fays he) give I unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye alfo love one another. In refpect of the matter of it, the law of mutual charity is an old one; for it hath been written in the hearts of men, from the beginning; and it was expressly given by Mofes to the Jews. It is a new commandment, in respect of that high and eminent degree, to which our blessed Saviour hath raised it. Mens charity now must bear a resemblance of his :-Love one another as I have loved you. This is the thing which makes it a new commandment indeed. The fcripture fpeaks of three things efpecially, which were peculiarly remarkable in the love of Chrift: First, that he extended his love, to open and declared enemies. The old commandmént, which required the Jews to love their neighbour as themselves, permitted them to hate an enemy; nay, in fome cafes, bound them to exprefs all manner of enmity against such as were aliens to the faith, and to the commonwealth of Ifrael. But, faith the Apoftle, God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet finners, Chrift died for us; and when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God, by the death of his fon: And again he faith, when we were alienated, and enemies in our minds, by wicked works. That is to say; this was a ftupendous, a most amazing expreffion of Chrift's love, that he undertook the great work of redeeming a profligate world, wretched creatures, that had bidden God defiance, that were haters of all that is good and holy, and thereby had brought themselves into a loft and damnable condition. And yet this he did voluntarily, and of his T own own accord; when there was nothing in the world to move him to it, but his own infinite compaffion, and tenderness only. The Second thing that was peculiar and new in the love of Chrift, was, that he was beforehand with his enemies, in thefe expreffions of his goodness to them. Ye have not chofen me, (fays he,) but I have chofen you. And faith St. John, Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us: Meaning, that this is a clear and aftonishing demonstration of his goodness, that in tranfacting the myfterious bufinefs of reconciliation, he was pleased to have the first hand; that he prevented us with his own early offers; and furprised us with terms of peace and happiness, when no fuch thing was either defired, or expected, or fo much as thought of by the world. But, Thirdly, That which was most peculiar of all, moft eminent and wonderful in the love of Chrift, was his dying for his enemies. There is not, in the old commandment, a fyllable of any obligations to fuch an high degree of charity as this is, of laying down their lives, no not for their brethren. And |