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48
THE
UNIVERSAL RULE OF
EQUITY.
[SERM.
XXXIII.
selves,
"
If
I
had
been a
negligent child,
and
guilty
of
some trifling
offence,
could
I
think
it
just
my
father
should
be
in
such a passion
with, me
?"
And the
son.
should enquire,,
"
If
I
.were
a
father, would
I
not
think
it
reasonable
my
child.should
obey
me in
such
particu-
lar
instances
or
commands
?"
Thus
the
landlord
and te-
nant,
thus.
the master
and servant,
thus
the father and
the
son may come to
an adjustment
of their mutual
obli-
gations.
The merchant
should
say
to himself,
"
If
I
were an
artificer, should
1
think
it
reasonable-
that
the
labour of
my
hands, and
the
sweat
Of
my_
brows,
should
be
screwed
clown
to
so
cheap
a price
?"
The
seller
of
goods should
say,
"
If
I
were
the
buyer, would
I
think
it
just
to
have
such
corrupt
or faulty
wares
put
into
my
hands.?
Am'I
willing to have
'.my
necessity, my ignorance,.
or un-
wariness thus imposed upon
r"
And the buyer
should.
ask
himself,
"
If
I
were
the seller,
should
I
bear
to have
my
goods thus
run
down
and
depreciated
below
their
just
value
?"
The
learned
professions
may-also
learn their duty from
this rule.
The
lawyer should
say to himself,
" What if
I
were
the client should
I
think it
equitable
to have my
cause
so
long delayed,
by
so
many shiftings
and escapes,
from
a determination
?"
The
physicians and the surgeons
should
put
themselves in the places
of
their
sick
or
wounded patients, and
say,
"
Do
we
prescribe never
a
potion, or
use never a
plaister
more
than
we
would
think
proper
for
ourselves,
if
we
were
languishing
under
the
same sickness
or
wounds
?
Do
we
take the
same,
safe
and
speedy methods
of relief
for others
that
we
would have
-
applied
to
ourselves
?"
And the
preachers of
the
gospel
should
place themselves
in
the
room
of
their hearers,
and
say,
"
Do
we
labour
in
our
closets, in
our secret hours
of retirement, and
in
our public ministrations, for the
conversion and salvation
of
those who
hear
us, as
we
would
have
ministers do for
us,
if
we
were perishing
in
our
sins,
and
in
danger of eternal death
?
Do
we
take
such pains
to
awaken the slumberers upon the borders
of
hell, as
we
ourselves would have
others
take,
in
order
to
awaken
us
out
of
such
fatal slumbers?
Do
We
study
and
contrive
with
what divine cordials
we
shall refresh and
comfort
the
mourners
in
Zion, even as
we
should
desire