Object. It is true, I must love my neighbour as myself ; but by this it seemeth I must love him above myself.
Ans. 1. I love myself when I only hazard temporal life to obtain eternal. It is not a hard law for them to keep that have an eternal life assured to them for the loss of a temporal one : John xi. 25, ' He that believeth on me shall live though he die.'
Ans. 2. Natural love is to be subservient to our spiritual love. Natural love, which is put into a man for self-preservation, no question will be stronger to itself than another ; and indeed we are to prefer, and first preserve and provide for, ourselves ; our neighbour is only re- garded as a second self. But this is to be directed and mastered by our spiritual love. As reason taught the heathens to prefer their countries before their life, so grace teacheth christians to prefer God's honour, Christ's kingdom, gospel church, neighbour's spiritual good, before our own life and liberty ; and we ought to lay down our lives for others, when the glory of God, edification of the church, and spiritual necessity of others requireth it. Our lives must not be dearer to us than Christ's was to him.
Use 1. If we are to lay down our lives for the brethren, then we should sincerely perform all lesser offices of love to them. See the next verse, ' But whoso hath this world's goods, and seeth his brother hath need.' If you cannot part with superfluities, can you part with life for their sake ? 2 Sam. xxiv. 17. If you will not hazard a frown or a check for them, how can you suffer death for them ? If not put your- selves to the trouble of a visit, how will you travel all the world, and put yourselves to all manner of hazards to convert souls ?
2. How much self-lovers and self-seekers are to be condemned. If I must not only love my neighbour as myself, but love him as Christ loved me, surely they have a temper most unsuitable to Christianity that only mind their own things, and please their own wills and desires, without seeking the welfare of others. Whether they be in a
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public or private capacity, tliey care not liow it goes with the clmrcU and people of God, so their particular interests may flourish. This is against nature and grace. By nature man is a sociable creature, that cannot live by himself, therefore should not live to himself; and grace hath cast us into the mystical body, there is a great aggregated self, and that is the society to which we do belong ; and that is the reason why we are so often said to be members of one another, Eom. xii. 5. It is but self still, the same mystical body ; and we should care one for another as for ourselves, especially the public state of Christ's cliurch. If it be ill with them and the church too, church-sorrow swalloweth up their j)rivate grief: 1 Sam. iv. 22, ' The glory is departed, for the ark of God is taken.' She doth not bewail the death of her husband, the death of a father and brother, so much as the ark's being taken, and the glory departed from Israel. If it go well with them and the church too, it doubleth the contentment : Ps. cxxviii. 5, ' Thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.' But if things go cross and ill with the church when it goeth well with them, the state of the church is a wound to their hearts : Ps. cxxxvii. 5, 6, ' They prefer Zion above their chief joy.' If it go well with the church when ill with them, it is a comfort ; as Paul in prison rejoiced in the progress of the gospel, Phil. i. 15-18.
3. That christian love is a more necessary and excellent grace than usually we take it to be. First, More necessary, for Christ died to set a pattern to our love ; as to teach us to love God, so with what fervour and affection to love one another. Of all duties and graces that re- spect our neighbour, this is most necessary ; it is indeed all the sum of the law : Kom. xiii. 8, ' He that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.' The fountain of all : 1 Cor. xvi. 24, ' My love be with you all in Christ Jesus.' Without it, though we have the greatest gifts, do the mostpomp- ous acts, it is nothing, 1 Cor. xiii. 1-3. Yea, it is the great means of making believers useful to one another. Secondly, The excellency ; here is the highest pattern, viz., Christ. We cannot come up to his heightand measure, yet some resemblance there must be between his love to souls and our love to the brethren. Thirdly, The highest act of his self-denial is instanced in his laying down his life, which Christ telleth us is the greatest act of friendship among men, scarce ever found, John xv. 13. Now we take love for a slight thing as practised among us ; but as it is taught in scripture, the law of charity is very strict, that we should forget our own highest interests for the profit of others ; and few chris- tians there are that have the due impressions of Christ's death upon them.