The Life ofFaith. predominant in us, againft the Love of God and man. 8. The meaning ofthe Command is not that we fhall love ourneighgours as we inordinately ande» fully love our felves ; but as we ought to love our felves ; and as we regularly and jutily do love our felves. He that loveth himfelf too much and Gnfully, muff not therefore fo love his neighbour. 9, He that loveth his neighbour as himfelf (that is, with- out felfifb partiality, andfor the fante reaono as bemull: love him- felf, viz. for the Image and Intereff of God) is obliged by this very rule, to love himfelfmore than bis neighbour, when be is better, and morepleafing and ferviceable to God. (Therefore he that would warrantably love himfelf moll, mull; labour to be himfelf the heft, and then he may lawfully do it, fo far as his own goodnefs, and other mens defeEls are truly known to him. I o. As a Fathers Love may confita with the correEiion of his children, and felf-love with blood letting, purging, labour, and other unpleafing things ; fo we may love our neighbours as our felves, and yet carrell and punif7s evil doers : For fome- times their own good requireth it ; And Ordinarily the publick good requireth it (poenadebetur Keipublica) and elf() Gods com- mand requireth it ; fo that this is not loving our felves more than our neighbour ; but lovingbim more than his eaje, or his favour and loving God, and the Common-wealth, more that bins. r. Our love of our neighbours as our felves, doth not at all make our natural felftfb appetites and fenfes, or defire of food, health, eafe, rejt, &c. to be Gnful : Nor,oblige us tohave fueb mtataralfenfes and appetites for others ; but only rationary to equal them in eflimation and complacence, and to do them fo muchgood as God requireth us. 12. And it Both not oblige us to do as much for tbem as for our felves, for the roans before alledgcd; but to do them good without the binderanee of felfintereft : Thatjelfi}hnefs be not to us as a Bile or Impollhume, which draweth the humoursand fpirits unequally and difordcrly from the reft ofthe body to it felf. By all this it is evident, I. That no man hath an inequality inhis love,to himfelf and his.oseilbbsur, bcyonil the inequality Zzz 3 or, 549
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