Having thus explained the law, let me vindicate this rule.
1. It seems not to be so perfect a rule. Because many desire and wish much evil to themselves, should they desire evil to others ? As he that would be drunk, should he make another drunk ? and he that commits filthiness, should he entice others ? Ans. The meaning is not what we do in a passion, which works not the righteousness of God, but it is meant of a regular will ; not that we do with evil desires, as that we do in right reason, that which you do well informed, well advised, free from discomposed passion ; what is according to the law of nature engraven upon your hearts, which is most legible in our own case ; what the law of nature would judge to be the duty of other men to do. It is not meant of inordinate sinful desires.
2. But doth not this rule make all men equal, and destroy all order and superiority, if every man must do as he would be done unto ? What, shall a master require of a servant no more than he will do to him ? Would a poor man have a rich man give him relief ? Should he give him no more than he expects back again from this poor man ? No ; the meaning is, that for that time we should suppose ourselves in the condition of servants, and of that poor man. You should put yourselves in their stead, and suppose if I were a servant, if I were poor. We should put ourselves in the same equality with them, and by the law of proportion the same things that would seem reasonable to you if you were in their condition you should cheerfully do to them. For instance, if I were a servant, and did obey, would not I judge such exaction burthensome and unreasonable ? If I were poor, and driven to seek relief, would not I judge a denial harsh ? If I were a master, should not I judge such an offence injurious to my authority?
3. Doth not this establish revenge and retaliation of injuries to do to him as he hath done to me ? Ans. No, rather much to the con- trary ; for it is not what they have done to us ; Christ doth not say so, but what we would have to be done to us that do to them. See Prov. xxiv. 29, ' Say not I will do so to him as he hath done to me ; I will render to the man according to his work.' That is an ill reasoning within ourselves, and takes God's work out of his hands, whose pre- rogative it is to give to every man according to his work. The rule is not look backward, but forward. It doth not look to what they have
378 THE EIGIITEENTn SERMON. [MaT. YII. 12.
(lone lo HP, but what we should do to them. To think to do the same would certainly break this rule of Christ, and make us be burthensome to others b}- such actions, and burthensome to ourselves, and so sin not only ag^ainst our own conscience but against sense and feelinp: of the thing committed. Injury and revenge ditfer only in order. He that returns injury for injury doth but imitate the adversary ; and he that imitates that which is evil in another sins twice, both against the law and his own conscience.
4. If all the world were contented to observe this rule, then we should liave a quiet world ; but others are very oi)pressive, unjust, and very hard to me, this is to live by the loss, and to bring a restiaint upon myself from which others are free. A us. Do your duty to them though they do not theirs to you. Others' sins will not exempt you from the law of Gk)d, which is your rule, and not their actions. What- ever they do to you, yet carry it Christianly and meekly towards them. You are accountable to God for your own actions, not for the actions of another man. Therefore if you be able to guide j'our own spirit to them, how perverse soever they be to you, you will have the comfort that you have endeavoured to do your duty.
Having vindicated the rule, let me show you the grounds and the equity of it. What are the intrinsic grounds and reasons why Christ hath given such a rule to us ? No question it is founded not in his bare authority, but in great equity. There are two grounds: —
1. The actual equality of all men by nature.
"2. The possible equality of all men as to their condition and state of life.
1. The actual equality of all men by nature : Mai. ii.40, ' Have we not all one Father ? hath not one God created us ? ' Were we rot all created by the same God ? Ay ! and mark the equality goes further ; we were all ' made of one blood,' Acts xvii. 26, all descended from Adam. Unequal diversity of rank doth not take away identity of nature. There is a diversity of rank indeed. Some are high, some low, some rich, some poor, some governors, some governed, some teachei-s, and some obey; but we are all made of one blood. So Neh. V. 5, 'Our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children.' Some are highly advanced above others, yet the poorest creature and you is one flesh, and by nature hath an equal right with you; therefore it is said, Isa. Iviii. 7, 'Tliou shalt not hide thyself from thine own flesh.' Thy j)Oor, pined, starved brother is thine own flesh.