Corn. 5. Of loving ofour Neighbour as ourfelf.Chap. i. 3 t7 4. Fourthly among thofe ofour own countrey, noftrir, toour own,to thole that havefome relation to us, for he that regardeth not his own, faith the Apoflle, is Ga1.6.2o: worfe than an infidel. 5. Fiftly of our own, to them that are of our own houfe Ffal.rzz.8 or kindred.6.Sixtly in the houfe,to the Wife or Husband,rather than to Father,Mo- eñ.2 ther, or Children,for a man mutt leave Father and Mother,and cleave to his Wife ;Gen. z.zq. and that the Husband ought tobe preferred before Children, appearsby Elkanah's r Sam.1.8. fpeech to Hannah, am not I better to thee than many Ions ? And therefore the Chil- dren are not to lay up for the Fathers , but the Fathers for the Children, as 2 Cor.rz,rç. the Apofile faith, yet every one fhould have refpeá both upwards anddown- wards. Now for Strangers, or thole that arenot noffri, ours ; either they be rich, or poor, ofwhich the poor are rather to be regarded than the rich ; and for the rich, they are either fuch as we have received benefits from, or to whom we have done good ; and becaufe opus eJi teffimonium dr maximum fignumof intia, the worlds the chief ftgn of the effence of any thing, and bellowingof good is f eculum virtutis, aglafs which makes our vertue confpicuous and vifible s and in that refpeá it is, that a man is apt to love hisOwn work, or his own creature, as we fay ; yet we ought toprefer himof whom we have received benefits, before him on whom we have bellowed any, becaufe a Benefactor is more like a Father to us,than the other like a Son. The. 2.24.26. a. t 2, Ex. Arif1.9. Eth. Butif( as Saint Augufine bath it ) there are two pérfons, who in all refpeásare equal, and we have fomething that would help either of them, and that it cannot be divided: What is then to be done? there being nothing in the one why I fhould pleafure him snore than the other, quid atfrutforte eligerem, nothing, but to cbofe one by lot. Thefame may be the cafe of every man that is to do good to another, who in refpeáall of finite nature, and therefore are not able to do good to all, or to fatisfie al. therefore when they are joyned in the like relation to us, or the degree of neernefs or propin- quity, if we mull help both, their remains nothing but elellio fortis, to determin it by lot. Further we are toknow, that in Love there is a double refpeá. a. Ofthe Objed or party loved.2. ofthe Subjeá,or party that loves. s. Ration dilelli, in refpel ofthe perfon loved. We are to refpeá excellentiam boni, and to love him more in whom the more excellent gifts ofGrace appear, fo as to take more complacency in him, and to with him the more excellent good, as the greater degree of glory s. becaufe the more excellent any thing is, the neerer it Tho.22.q. comes to God, and ifhe be better; we ought to with him better. Thus fpiritual a6.a.8. conjunction or neernefs is to be preferred ration objeli , in refpell of the ábjeh. 2. Ratione díligentis,fn refpell ofthe party loving.And here natural and carnal pro- pinquity or conjunctionmay be preferred before fpiritual, as founded in nature, and therefore more firmand immutable : and hence it is, that in temporal things, videdehijeo a man may prefer one that is neerer by nature, before one that is only conjoyned Filiucium in withus by grace. Thus ifaman have money or etlate togive; he is not boundto be- calconJc.eretl. flow it upon the bell man in the world, but may prefer one that's neerer in nature, 22.c.z.r.. z8. though not fo excellentin grace. And thus far de ordine charitatis, ofthe orderofour 224.c. love. The third general propofed is, The manner of this love, modus diligendi: As thy felt. This isfacet te, as thyfelf;not quantum te,as much as thyfelf, it fignifieth a refpeá, but not a quantity. The Hebrew CaZ lignifies not quantum but ftcut, as yob. 2.3. for as we Paid before,every man oughtto have a greater regard to his own foul,than tohis brothers. Now this modus or manner of love mull appear in four things. a. The end. 2. Themeans. 3. Themanner. 4. The order. a. The firti in ficut teipfum, is in refpeá of the end, for which thou loveft thy fell, or for the fame caufe. And thou !oven thy felt becaufe thou loveft God, _ and fo confequently all qua font Dei, that are Gods; becaufe thost thy felfart aliquid Dei, fomething of God; therefore thou ,loveft thy felt, and fo confequently thou mull love thy Neighbourpropter Deumfor God; and if for this caufe thou loveft thy Brother,
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