Serm. L o. ú required between Nan and Man ? 317 The Wert/mienwhich arifech from the words is this. The great ruleof equity in all our dealings with men, ra this, to do as we would be done unto ; Tnis Rule bath been otherwife expreti,but not more emphatically in any other form of words than this here in the Text ; Mat.3a.39. Love thy Neighbour as thy felf ; this requires that we thould bear the fame afeE ion to our Neighbour which we would have him bear to us, but the Rule in the Text exprefly requires that we thould do the fame offices co others, which we would have them do to us. Severna the Emperour ( as the Hifiorian tells us,) did learn this rule of Chriftians, Lamp idùts, and did much reverence Chrit, and Chriftianity for ic,but heexprett it negatively, Qucdtibi non vis, alter; ne feceris ; Nov! this forbids us to do injuries tqothers, but doth not foexprefly command us to do kind - neffes and cc efies. In fpeakiriib to this Rule, I (hall giveyou, I. The Explication of it. z. TheGrounds of ir. 3. The Irflances whereinweought principally to praaice it. i. For Explication, themeaning of it is this: Put thy fell into the Cafe and circumUances of every man, with whom thou haft to do, that is, fuppofe thou wert he and as he is, and he were thy fel£ and as thou art; that then which thou wouldtt delire he should do to thee, that do thou to him s and that which thouwouldett be unwilling he Qhould do to thee, do not thoudo to him. Now this is an exita rule , for we are very curiousin determining our own privi- ledges, and what duty others owe to us ; jutt fo much as we take to our felves, we mutt allow to others; what we expe6t from others when we are in fuch circumttances, we mutt do the fame to them in the like. And this is a plainand ealie rule, many men cannot tell, what is Law or Juttice, or right in fuch a Cafe, manycannot deduce the Laws of Nature one from another, but there is no man, but can tell what it is that he would have another man do to him ; every man can take his own a&ions, and put them into the other fcale, and fup- pole, if this that I do now to another, were to be done to me, thould I like it, thould I be pleated, and contented with it; And thus by changing the fcales, his own fell-love, and felf-intete1, and other paffions, will add nothing to the weight, for that felf-incerefl which makes a man covetous, and inclines him to wrong another man for his own advantage, makes him likewife ( when the fcales are chan- `ed) unwilling that another man thould wrong him; that felf-con- ceit which makes a man proud, and apt to fcorn, and defpifeothers, F f makes
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