Eighth (;_ommandment. ·currem;e ;fa Man's Life, but he m1y regulate bimfelf in ir according ro this Dire-, ilion, And indeed there is fcatce any need of any other. Whatfoevet thou ha(! to mofaEl with thy Brother, though perhaps thou may 'fl fpy Advantages upon him, and fuch as if thou fhould'fl take. poflibly be m•ghr never know, or never be able 10 · rcdrefs, 'yet then take thy Confcieoce a~de, and ferioufly ask .whtrher thou could'tt be content and think it honefl and ]Ufr to be fo dealt WHh rhy felf; and if nor . wharfoeve; the Temptation be, or how ~u.ch fbever tho~ mighreft _gain by hearknin8 unro ir, rejefl: it wirh Scorn, as that wb1ch would iladuce thee to vtolaJe the firfi Prin. ciple of commop Honef!y among Men, and contradiEls all the Laws both of Nature and Sr;riprure. Were this Rule but more generally obferved among Men rhe World would not have that Caufe to cry out of Hapine, Exrordon, Opprrffion, Fraud and Jnju!lice, that now it bath: The Rich would nor grinde rhe F"es of rhc Poor, nor the Poor caufldly clamour againfl: the Rich: Superiors would not tyrannize over their Inferiors, nor Inferion mu1mur or rebel againft their Supt:riors; bur an equ~l Peace and uniform Ju!tice would overfpr<ad the Face of the whole Earrh, and Rtghtmifntjr would nm d~ron our Struts a! o. mig./•ty StrtatJJ, A~d therefore let me once again recommend It to J'OU, (for mdeed I cannot prefs It coo often,) rhat 'ou would frequently fer this <:'olden Rulebefore your Eyes, ~o do ~orhing to any orher PetfOn, whicb, were you m hiS Capacity, you would think UOJUft to be done unto your felves, and wharfoever you would expe£1: from others, as your Due, were you in their Place, and they in yours, to perform the very fame to them: For other~ wife you cannot but condemn your felves in your Aaions, whilft you do that which upon this Suppofiti<'n you cannot bur be convinced is unjuft, and withhold that which you know to be due, and which your ll:lveswould expeil fhould be yielded you by others. This is a Dithte of Narure and right Reatoo; this is rho Sum of the Law and rhe Prophets, and all rbofe various Precepts which are given us in theScriprtncs for rbe ConduU of .our Lives are bUr as fo many Lines that meet all in this Centre; and if we apply ir 10 each particular Command of the Second Table we !hall find them all Founded upon tjlis, •nd to be loterproted by it. We are re:quired to honour Superiors, to abftain from Murrber, from Adultery, from Theli, liom falfe Accularions, from coveting what rightfully belongs to another. and all this attording to rht fame Meafures thar we would have orhers to per~ form thefc vory D?ties to us. So rha~ felf, which is no~ the gre~r Tempter to Wrong and InJure others, "ere tt governed accordmg w th1s untverHt.l Maxim, "ould be the greatefl Patron and Defender of other Mens Rights and Dues. 1 have the longer infif!ed on this, both becaufe it is of fucb general Influe"ce uhto the right o!dering of o~r Converfation, and a~fo l><caufe the _mofl vifible a~d apparent Vrolanon of rhu Natural Law lS by rhe ~In ofThefiforhtdden m this Commandment, of which 1 am oow treating. Now T7Jtft in rhe general is an unjuf! taking or keeping to our felves what is lawfully another Man's. He is a Thief who wirhholds what oughr ro be in 'his Neighbour's Poffeffion, as well as he who rakes from him whar he harh formerly poffefs'd. . ,All Tbeft prefuppoferh a Ri&ht and Propriety: For where nothing dotlt of R•ght apperratn unto me, nothtng can be UnJuf!ly taken or detained frotll me. Now .here, fi•JI, Certain it is. that.God is the great Lord and Proprietor both o{ Heaven and Earrh, andofall Tlungs m .them, Ffai. 24. r. The Earth ir tbe L ord'r· l1nd tbe F~~~~tfs thereof. Aod 5~· 10. Ev!r) ~eafi cfrbe Forrejf il mine, and the Gu~ tie upon a 11Joufand Htl/r, By hrm, andofh1m, are all Things· and for his Will and ' Pleafure's Sake they are and were Created. . ' S"ondly, This great and abfolure Lord bath granted unto Man a large Charter of the World; and when he bad taken an exact Inventory of rhofe Goods wirh which he had furni!bed this great Houfe, the Univerfe, (He fawtv<ry Thing tbat be bad Jfatfe, and behold tt wtu very Good, Gen. r. 3 1.) then he fets Man to live in ir ash is Tenant and freely gives him the U~e of, and Dominion over, all tbe Works of his Hands: Gen. r. 28. Repltlli/h tbe Earrb, and Subdue u, and have DominioN over a(J the fifo lj tbt Sea, and over tbr Fowls of the ~ir, and over every Thing tbat m(}1)tJb up 011 rhe Ettrtb, So lhe Pfalmifi, Pjal. I rs. 16. The Heavens tv:n the Htavent are the Lord's, but tbt Earth hatb he given to the Child,ren o/Men. A large and ;egal Glfc, where!iy
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