[afes about Lo1Jing our·Neighbour.. your felf, who is not or fccrneth not to have 3i much lovclinefs, thu is, as' much goodnefs, or as much of God, as your fclf. !f<!!cJI• 5• Ql_efi. 5· Muft llovt a•ry one more than my[elf?. ' Anfw. Yrs; every one that is and apptareth better that your fdf. Your {tn{itivr Lovl to another can. not be: as much as to your felf: And your bcnrficence (ordinarily ) mufi be moll ro your fdf~ . becaufe . God in namre and his Laws harh fo appoinrtd it: And your benevolence to your fclf and to others mufl: be alike: But your rati011sl cjlimatiou) and Love or complacence ( with the honour and praife attend– ing it ) mut\ be more to every one that is bener than your fclf; for that which is bejl is moll amia– ble: and that which hath mojl of God. ~eft.6. Qgd\.6. Tf'WitnotthcnfoUow tbtJtlmuft lovtaJtother mans wife and childrm bttttr tban my own) fJ'btn thty are rtaUy better? . , Anfw. Ycs, no doubt ; but it is only with that ratian~tl ejlimative Lovt! But there IS befides a Love to Wife and Children, which is in fame meafure fenfitive, which you are not obliged lO give ro others: And roticmaL'y they are more amiable· to you, in their peculiar relations and rcfpeCts, though others arc more amiable in other refpeCh : And bcfides, though you value and rationally l0ve another more yet the exprtffimu mufi not be the fame: For thofe muH follow the Reb.tion according to Gods cam: mand. You may not cohabitc nor embrace, nor maintain and provide for others as your own, even when you rationally love them more: The commoit good nquires this order in the exprdlivc pan; as well as Godi command. fi0efl. 7• Q>_ell. 7· Wh• is my neighbour wbJm I m•ft love as my felf? Anfw. Not Devils nor damned fo.uls, who are under ju!Hce and from under mercy, and are none of ourfociery: Bur, I• EveryntJIHr.Jlman in via being a member of Gods Kingdom in the fame world, is to be loved as my natur.'Jl {elf : And everyJPiritual man as a member of the fame Kingdom of Chrill, mull be loved as my Jpiritllal {elf: And everyJPiritllal man as fuch, above my n4tural fllf as fuch; And no n~tural man J.s fuch, fo much as my fPiritual {elf as fuch : fo that no man on earth is excluded from your love, which mufi be Impartial to all as to your {elf, but proportioned to their goodnefi. ~eft. 8. Ql_efl. 8. Is not Antichrifl and thofe tbat fm againfl the Holy Gh•fl txcepttd out of this our Love, and out of aur prayers and endeavours of 1heir good l Anfw. Thofe that (with Zanclry) thin Mahomet to be Antichrifi, may fa conclude, becaufe he is dead and out of our CommUilion. Thofe that take the Papacy to be Antichrifi ( as moll Prorellants do) Cannot fo conclude: Becau{c as there is but one 'Ant1chnil, that ts, one PapaCy, though an hun– dred Popes be in that feat, (a every one of thofe Popes IS in via and undc:r mercy, and recovera– ble out of that condition: And therefme is to be loved and prayed for accmdingly. And as for thofe that blafpheam theHDly Ghot1, it is a fin that one man cannot certainly know in another 1 ordi– narily at Jeafi ; and therdore canner charaCterize a perfon unfit for our love, and prayers, and en– deavours. ~cjl. 9 , ~efl. ll• May we ~01 hate tiJt <nemits of G•d l Hvw thtn muff r>e love them M our[elves .> Anfw. We may and mull hate fin in every one : And where it is predominant, as God is faid to hate the finner for his fin,fa mufi we : And yet fiilllove him as our felves: For you mull hate fin inyour [elves as much or more than in any other: And ifyou are wicked you mull hareyour felvo,as fuch :Yea if you arc Godly, you mull {tcundum quid, or in that meafurc as you arc finful, abhor and loath and hate your felvcs as fuch: And yet you mufi Love your felves according to the me:afure of all that Natural and Moral Goodnefs which is in you : And you mull ddire and endeavour all the good to your felves thar you <an. Jull fa mufi you hate and love another: Love them and hate them impartially as you mufi do your felvu. ~dt. 10. May I not wijh hurt fometimu to another, more tkan to my[elf? ~·fl· 10. Anfw. You may wifh a mediate hurt which tendeth to his good, or to the good of others; but you mu£! never wifh anyfinal hurt and mifery to him. You may wifh your friend a vomit or blood-letting fbr his cure: And you may wilh him fame afRiCtion, when it is needful and apt to humble him and do hinJ good, or to refirain him from doing hurt to 01hers : And on the fame accounts, and for the pub– lick good, yo~ "'•Ydelire penal Jufiice to be done upon him; yea fometimes unto death : But fiill wi • a dcfire of t:1e fwing of hia foul. And fuch hurt you may alfo wifh your f.<lf as is neceffary to your goor! : Bu[ yen are not to wi(h the fame penalties to your fclf, 1. Hecaufe you have fomewhat dfe firfi to with nd do, even to repent and prevent it. 2. Bccaufe you are not bound ordinarily to do executiori upon youi- fclf. lt is more in your power to repent your fdf, and make penalty lefs ne– ccfrliiry by 1umblc confc11ion and amendment, than to bring another to repentance. Yet I may add ailo, that hypethencaUyyou may wifh that dellrucrion to the enemies of God in this life, which abfo– lutrly you may not .vifh. That is, you mufi defirefirfi that they may repent, and fccondly that they may be 1cfitained from hurting others: But if neither of thefc may be attained, that they may be <ut off; Tit.2.
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