CHAP.a. upon-the-Epifilt of JAM! s. VE R 5.8. provoke us to more aels and exprefsions of love : And as they are .more or lefs neer unto us; fo are we to proportion our love to them. Thofe that dwdl with us before !hangers: Thus the He- 1 brews' preFerr'd the men of their own Natios. before the Cjreciaru, / t"n the dcl)/y miniftration, Aft. 6. And then our kindred, and thofe of our FamiPy, before acommon N eighbor; as the Apofile faith, 1 Ti'm. 5, 8. If any manprovidethnotfor his own, he hathdcnyed 1· the faith) and is "Worfe thm ,m Infidel: He fpeaks upon the cafe of fuewing pity at home. And then our Children are in the next rank before them ; and the \vife of the hofombefore them all : And ac– cordingly mufi all arls of bounty and proviGon be difpe~ced. Third- ) Jy, There areJPiritual neighbors, and they are thofe who are be– gotten by the fame fpirit eo the fame hopes, who are to have a fpecial preferment in our affe<.'lion ; I mean, in that kinde of affection J which is proper to Cbrifiianicy : and for all outward acts of bounty and love, they are to have the p.reeminence,children and our families onely excepted; which by the Law of Nature, in this cafe, are to be looked upon as a part of our felves. Ga/.6. ro. As \\'e have oppor~ tunity, let m do good to all men; efPeciafly to the hottjboldoff ai-th. Jnlhorc, in the lov eof bounty, thepoor and necefsitous man is the {pecial neighbor: In the love of delight, the godly man is to have the preferment; My delights are to theexcellent ofthe earth;P[.1. 16. z, Which alfo is Bernards determination, Meliori major afJeam,indigentiori major eff,Bm, tribumduuft; The beft maff he~ve moft of our 11f[efJion, the poorefl moft of our bounty. Lulz:14. I a,'r 3,14. Whei;'J thou mak§ft afea(i',ca/1not thy richneighbors,&c. He cloth not condemn honefl courtejies, but reproveth the Phari– fees Error, who thought by thefe things to fatisfie the Command– ment ; jufi as thefe did here in the Texc, who would feem to make that an a a of charitr' which was but ana a of covetoufnefs ; and called that lov€', which was bafe fervility and compliance ; And we ·frill fee;that many efreem th~t Chriflian communion,which is indeed. but acarnal vijit ; and pretend courtejie, to excu[e charity, Secondly, What kinde of love is required in this exprefsion, We are to ltJve them as our felves .? I anfwer, the exprefsion fueweth· the manner of· ourlove, not .the meafure of it: a parity and like.– n.efs for kjnde, not for proportion. It cannot be underfiood in– the fame degree ; partly becaufe in fome cafes a man is bound to love his Neighbor more then himfelf: as 1 John 3~ verf. 1 6~ ) Ll ~ We Z6I
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