The Light of Faith, Part 2 · Section 19 – Section 20
§. XIX. Of our duty to all men, as it concernes the right d…ſpoſition of the heart.
THe order of our conuerſationThy duty to man. to God-ward hath beene ſhewed: now wee come to lay line and l…uell to our hearts and liues, that they may be ordered aright to man ward; without which God himſel…e r…ckons of all duties of his ſeruice, but as imp…ety and vile hypocriſie; ſaying of theſe duties we owe to man, is not this to know me? Ier. 22. 15. 16. And againe, pure religion, and vndefiledIam 1. 27 before God and the Father, is this. Such is the abſolute neceſſity of diſcharging theſe duties one to another, that if your hearts deuoted to ſerue the Lord ſhould frame this queſtion; wherewith ſhall I come before the Lord, and how my ſelfe before the high God? the Lord himſelfe giueth this anſwere by his Prophet Micah: Hee hath ſhewed thee O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to doe iuſtly, and to louelove mercy? M…c. 6. 6. 7.
And here I beginne to ſet the Compaſſe, and lay the Plummet: for what euer wee owe to man, is either carried to all men, or to ſome certaine men, conſidered as nearer to God. Such are the regenerate, renewed in Chriſt after the image of him that created th…m, or as further off from God, as wicked men that liue in their ſinnes, and ſerue ſinne.
To all men vniuerſally conſidered, as men; the duty we owe, is comprized in this excellent ſpeech, Doe iuſtly, and louelove mercy. In theſe two, viz. Iuſtice and Mercy, the Lord hath a bridged them, and taught vsus how to fadome them.
That thou maieſt doe iuſtly,To doe iuſtly. and walke righteouſly towar…s all men, two things are to bee heeded.
1 The diſpoſition of thy heart towards men.
2 The frame of thy conuerſation with men.
Iuſtice would, that thy heartIn reſpect of the diſpoſition of thy heart. be thus diſpoſed to all.
1 To louelove them: naturally our hearts are void of this Phila…thropie, or louelove of man: ſelfeloue hath eaten out the louelove of others, yet this is a main ground of all holy conuerſing with m…n. How oft ſhould that precept come to our mindes? Thou ſhal… louelove thy neighbour as thy ſelfe. Obſerue the words, 1. thy neighbour muſt be loued, euen eueryevery man: for there is, Identitas originis, vinculum ſocietatis, impreſſio Dei imaginis. The ſelfeſame originall; hauehave we not all one Father? were not Adam and Eue the ro…ke out of which we were hewen, and the hole of the pit, out of which wee were digged? there is the bond of ſociety which nature inclines vsus all vntounto, and would hauehave kept inuiolable, and there is a ſparke of Gods owne image in all, ſome true ground of honour and reſpect: 2. all therefore thou muſt louelove; now louelove is affectionate, cheerefull, and ſpeedy, and is expreſſed with meekeneſſe, and ſoftneſſe, freed from wrath, enuy, pride, ſwelling, ſelfe-louelove; it is exerciſed in holy things▪ and is manifeſted in long-ſuffering, and all ſuffering, 1 Cor. 13. 4. 5. 3. thou muſt louelove them as thy ſelfe: is he not a kinde of otherſelfe? As thou wouldeſt others ſhould maintaine, and as thou thy ſelfe wilt, to thy vtmoſt, defend thy dignity, life, chaſtity, goods▪ and good name, wife and poſſeſſions, from the leaſt iniury; ſo muſt thou reſolue with thy ſelfe, and by all meanes faſhion thy heart to tender as dearely eueryevery other mans dignity, life, purity, goods, good name, wife, and poſſeſſions, from the leaſt dammage, euen in the thoughts of thy heart. The Lord keepe this in the imagination of the thought of eueryevery one of our hearts for euer. Labour and worke thy heart with all d… ligence to this thing. This is the ſumme of the ſixe laſt Commandements, the worke and labour of true louelove; the leaſt part whereof may not be denyed by any to the worſt of men. Name the man, whom thou maieſt iniure in the leaſt kinde, and yet …e blameleſſe. Little is this duty thought of, euen by the godly, and who is it but thinketh hee may both doe many an iniury, and neglect many an office of louelove to many men?
The …uties of the ſecond Table, are the ſeruice an … debt of louelove to eueryevery man, which wee muſt daily pay, and yet daily owe, Rom. 13. 8.
2 To pray for all men, men of all ſorts; not a man whom thou maiſt point out, and except, hartily deſiring their conuerſion: this good, the pooreſt may doe for the richeſt, 1 Tim. 2. 1.
3 To c…ſt our eſtates ſo, that our liuing in our places, may be inoffenſiue and harmeleſſe, 1 Cor. 10. 32. 33. Honeſt in the ſight of all men, and peaceable without contention with any, if it be poſſible, Heb. 12. 14. Rom. 12. 18. This were to purſue peace, Heb. 12. 14.
4 To caſt in our mindes what things are true, are venerable, are iuſt, are pure, are louely, are of good report, If any thing there be that is vertuous, if any thing that is praiſe worthy, to thinke on thoſe things: to pro…ect how we may expreſſe thoſe things in our conuerſing with men, Phil. 4. 8. Here is good employment for thy thoughts in thy priuacy and loneneſſe.
5 To beare reuerence and honour to all men in our hearts, without contempt or deſpiſing any, not ſuffering to lodge in our breaſts, thoughts of d…ſregard, or neglect of any, 1 Pet. 2. 17.
§. XX. Of the guides that direct the particular frame of righteous conuerſing with men.
In reſpect of the frame of thy conue…ſation.THe heart thus diſpoſed, is fit now to conuerſe with others that: he would expreſſe righteouſneſſe in his conuerſation with men, muſt heed theſe …ules in the generall, as guides in all particulers.
1 To doe to others as he would be done vntounto, is there any thing which he ſaith or doth to his neighbour of which queſtion is made in his own heart or by others: propoſe it then thu…, would I that he ſhould ſo ſpeak and doe to me? Mat. 7. 12. an admirable rule of iuſt dealing.
2 To giuegive to eueryevery man his due, honor to whom honour, feare to whom feare, cuſtom to whom cuſtome, tribute to whom tribute Rom. 13. 7.
3 EueryEvery man to ſubmit himſelfe to other, though he neuer ſo honorable and the other neuer ſo meane, knowing they are all members of one body Pol…tike▪ now as in the body the chei…eſt member hath need of the leaſt, ſo that the head cannot ſay I hauehave no neede of thee, and the cheifeſt careth for the leaſt; ſo the body of ſocieties the greateſt needeth, and the greateſt muſt ſtoope to do for the leaſt. And that in the feare of God, that is, euen of Conſcience to him that requires it, or, fearing him, who as he hath placed thee high…ſt and that other loweſt, ſo can, if he pleaſe pull thee downe to the dung hill, and ſet the other in the throne: For promotion cometh not from the Eaſt, nor weſt, it is God that ſetteth vp one and pulleth downe another. Epheſ. 5. 21.
4 Climbe not at all, no not into the deſires of thy heart, into the throne of iudgement, that thou ſhouldſt take to thee power to retaliate wrongs; remember him that ſaith vengeance is mine, I will repay. See that none render euill for euil to any man, but euer follow that which is good both among your ſelues that are Godly; yea to all men, thus ſhewing our patience towards all men, 1 Theſ. 5. 15. 14.