2. That showing love to others should be the business of our lives,^ and whatever we do towards them, we should do it in love, being as diligent to promote their good as our own, and as tender of their interests as our own, and, in short, loving our neighbour as ourselves. It is a hard lesson, but we must frame ourselves to learn it, or else it will fare ill with us in the judgment ; for wilfully to break or neglect any one of Christ's known commands is not consistent with sincerity. Therefore we must live in this mutual love, and it must be a Christ- like love, patient and humble, and diligent to procure and promote the good of those whom we love. But moral things are best known by their opposites. They that sin against it are —
[1.] Self-seekers and self-pleasers, that are wholly taken up with their own things : Phil. ii. 21, ' For all seek their own, not the things, which are Jesus Christ's.' These cannot bear with others, because they wholly seek their own contentments, and not another's good ; whereas, if they did love others as themselves, as they would do no hurt to others, so they should bear with their infirmities ; for ' Charity beareth all things,' 1 Cor. xiii. 7. There is none of us but can bear with a great many faults in ourselves, and would be borne with in them by others also. Use the same measure in buying and selling.
[2.] Those that are proud and contentious, and full of strife for nothing ; whereas if we did cherish that humility and modesty which becometh people conscious to so many infirmities as we are, we should not break love for a little disrespect. A proud man sets too high a price and value upon himself, and is angry when others will not come up to his price, and value him so inordinately as he doth himself : Prov. xiii. 10, 'Only by pride cometh contention ; but with the well-advised is wisdom.' The modest and humble have no great expectations, are content that others go before them ; but the proud take it ill that all others entertain not their conceits of themselves ; they expect so much, that none about them can answer their expecta- tions ; therefore pride is the great incendiary of the world in societies,, churches, families, and neighbourhood.
[3.] Worldly men. Greedy dogs fall out about the carrion, which every one desireth to feed on, and would exclude others. The whole world is not wide enough for ambitious and covetous men ; they enlarge their desires, and would have what another hath ; and therefore fall
186 SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. [SeR. II.
out with tliem, because they would shine alone in the earth : Isa. v. 8, * Woe unto them that join house to house, and lay field to field, till thei'e be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth.'
[4.] Impatient men ; for passionate persons are like fine s^lasses, broken as soon as touched ; the least injury is enough to break them all in pieces. But is this to be like Christ, who was meek, and lowly, and endured the contradiction of sinners, and has bidden us to learn of him ? Mat. xi. 29, ' Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me ; for I iim meek and lowly in heart : and ye shall find rest to your souls.'
[5.] The lazy and backward to do good : 2 Thes. iii. 13, ' But ye, brethren, be not weary in well-doing.' A christian's daily business is to promote the good of others, and to seek out all occasions of useful- ness. If a heathen could say, Diem perdidi — I have lost a day, surely a christian should count that day lost in which he hath not done some good.
III. I come now to show you how we are bound to do so by the example of Christ's love. And here I shall show you that it is both u, motive and a pattern.
1. It is a motive to excite us to love him, because the great thing that is remarkable in Christ's giving himself as a sacrifice for us is love.
You may conceive it by these considerations —
[1.] To suffer for another is more than to do or act for him, for therein is more self-denial. In doing a good turn for another, we only bestow our labour ; but in suffering for them, we hazard our interest, yea, life and limb ; therefoie we more oblige others when we are will- ing to incur damage for them, than in doing an act of kindness for them. The soldier that held up to Augustus the stump of his arm, having lost his hand in battle for him, thought that action had much of merit and obligation in it ; and Peter thought he expressed great love to Christ when he told him, John xiii. 37, 'I will lay down my life for thy sake.' Oh, then what love hath Christ showed us, who would become not only a surety, but a sacrifice for our sake !
[2.] To suffer death for another is the greatest obligation that we can })ut upon him : John xv. 13, ' Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.' This is the greatest evidence that can be ; he speaketh this to make his exam{)le the more binding. This depriveth us of a capacity to enjoy those for whom we suff(^r.