Enemy of 411 Society, Relations 40d Common rood. and the difturbance and deftruftion of order and govern- ment. 8. Yea SelfiAmefr makes men falfe and treacherous, fo that they are not to be united, and are unmeet materials for any fociety. For what ever they promife, pretend, or feem, they are all for themfelves, and will be no further true and faith- ful to the fociety or any member of it, then fuiteth with their own Ends : Never truft a felp perfon, if it be your own Brother, further then you can accomodate and pleafe him, and fo obligehim to you upon his Own account. It is the Com- plication of Interefts that makes Husband and Wife fo much agree and love each other : becaufe that which one bath the other bath : But if their Inlerefts fall out to be any whit di- vided, its too to onebut felfirkgefr will divide their affections. One would think that the bondof nature fhould be fo ftrong to conftrain a Son to lovehis Father, that nothing could dif- folve it : And yet fad experience telleth us that e% enhere, it is an unity of Intereft that doth more with many children then either nature or grace : and that when they have no more dependance upon their parents for their commodity. their af- fections and refpeas are gone ; and if they fball gain much by their death, they can bear it without much forrow, if not defire it. So potent is fafiliparts, that it makes not men un- faithful only to their friends, and treacherous to their Go- vernors,and falfe to all they have to do with,but alfo unnatural' to their neereft Relations. And therefore (next to true Piety which leads up all to an Unity in God, and therefore is the mai perfect Polity) the chief point of humane Polity, for the prefervation of Com- monwealths and all Societies, is, aComplication of Intereft when the Conftitution makes the Governor and the Go- verned as Husband and Wife , that have nothing dividedly as their own, but all in common, and take each other for better' or worfe, and know they muft ftand or fall together, and that the good hurt of one is the good or hurt of both, and that there is no manner of hope that either of them fhould thrive by the ruine of the other. If Politicians had the skill and will to make fuch an union of Interefts between the So- S f 2 veraign 315
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