CHRISTIAN LAW OF RECIPROCITY.

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379. Does the law of love to our neighbor require that we shall love him as much as we love ourselves; and if this be its meaning, is not the precept impracticable? Self-love is a principle implanted in our breasts by the Creator himself, and though social love is also another affection which He has given us, yet there is no comparison between the strength of the two principles; and no man can, or does love all mankind as well as he does himself. With reference to these points, what answer should be returned?

SECTION III.-THE CHRISTIAN LAW OF RECIPROCITY.

380. THIS law is set forth in the following terms: "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, even so do ye unto them."

This is a reasonable, equitable, and practicable rule; for when we treat our neighbor exactly as we would expect and hope to be treated by him in the same circumstances, we give a clear and decisive proof that we love him as ourselves.

This rule is easy to be remembered as well as to be understood, and it is applicable to a thousand cases; in this manner: Put yourself in the place of your neighbor. Imagine yourself to be in all respects in his condition, and him to be in yours; and then ask yourself, How should I be likely to judge? How much should I be disposed to claim?

In doing this, we should enter into a variety of considerations. We should imagine ourselves, for instance, to have been educated under the same prejudices with our neighbor; to be under his temptations, subject to his natural infirmities, possessed of no more than his share of information, and accustomed to dwell in his circle of friends and acquaintance. We should imagine ourselves pressed by the same want, which perhaps he feels; or tempted by the same false friends, by whom he may possibly be deceived; we should fancy ourselves in his situation, altogether, and not in part only.

The Golden Rule applied to various Classes of Persons.

381. (1.) If men in power were often to place themselves in the situation of those whom they govern, how great would be the advantage to the latter. How criminal would that ambition then appear of which the object is, to make the ruler great and renowned at the expense of the happiness of the people. And if the people would

consider the temptations, as well as difficulties, which rulers experience; if they would reflect how hard it is to please the many, and how impossible to please all; how provoking is a spirit of insubordination and discontent, and how strong an incentive to new severities; surely they would have more candor in judging their superiors, as well as more acquiescence and submission.

(2.) If masters would put themselves in the place of their servants, and would contemplate the trials of that more low and dependent state: and if servants would ask themselves, what they, if they were masters, would be likely to require of a servant; if they would reflect how blamable would seem to them, if they were masters, either the insolence, or the unfaithfulness, or the duplicity, or the sloth, or even the forgetfulness of a servant : surely, then, each would be disposed to a more candid interpretation of the other's conduct, and to a stricter fulfillment of his own duty.

(3.) So also if parents and teachers would imagine themselves in the place of the children who are subject to them; if, instead of measuring the faults of every child by the degree of inconvenience brought upon themselves, they would divest themselves of this selfishness, and would make that allowance for the ignorance and heedlessness of youth, which they themselves would think reasonable, if they were in the place of the children; how different would be the judgment, respecting many of the errors of youth; and how much milder often would be the punishment. And if children could be persuaded to reflect how much pain a parent feels in seeing the stubbornness and disobedience, or the inattention and ingratitude, of his offspring; and how much pleasure in witnessing the contrary disposition; then children would learn to be more attentive and obedient.

(4.) If the buyer and the seller would put themselves in the place of each other; then the fraud and iniquity of trade would cease.

(5.) If all those who are disposed to quarrel with their neighbors, if all the complaining, and the censorious, and the prejudiced, would be careful to put themselves in the place of the party whom they blame, before they allow themselves to utter anything to his prejudice; how would peace and harmony be promoted! How extensive

PHILOSOPHY OF THE GOLDEN RULE.

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is this precept of Christ, and how favorable to the happiness of the world!

382. The philosophy of the rule, thus illustrated, is worthy of notice. Behaving properly depends on judging truly; and that, in cases of any doubt, depends on hearing with due attention both sides. To our own side we never fail of attending: the rule therefore is, give the other side the same attention by supposing it your own; and after considering carefully and fairly, what, if it were indeed your own, you should not only desire (for desires may be unreasonable), but think you had an equitable claim to, and well-grounded expectation from the other party, that do in regard to him. Would we but honestly take this method, our mistakes would be so exceedingly few, and slight, and innocent, that the Great Teacher might well add, "For this is the Law and the Prophets;" by which he may be understood to say, that this precept is an abstract of all that had been prescribed by the law and the prophets respecting our duty to man; that all they delivered on the subject is reducible to this, so that, were their writings lost, this summary might be expanded into all they uttered.

In the application of this rule, to make it a reasonable and useful one, reason must be exercised, and a regard observed to what is morally right, as well as agreeable. A selfish man may desire to have all his wishes gratified together. Does this lay him under obligation to gratify all the wishes of others? that would be to forget that the wishes of others, and their general state of mind may be as far wrong as his own. A wrong wish in himself can never oblige him to fulfill a wrong wish in another.

True it is, however, that, in proportion as a man's desires for himself are large and extravagant, he aggravates his condemnation, if he applies a stinted and penurious measure to the kindness or justice of his dealings with other men. "With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."

[Thornton; Wardlaw; Sir Matthew Hale.]

380. What rule of action was delivered by our Savior, that may be regarded as of nearly the same import with the law now under consideration?

381. How may this golden rule, delivered by our Savior, be applied to various classes of persons?

382. What is the philosophy of the rule, thus illustrated?

SECTION IV.-LOVE TO OUR NEIGHBOR DISTINGUISHED FROM A SPURIOUS PHILANTHROPY.

383. THERE is a school of modern infidels who resolve all virtue into a chimerical passion for the public good; and the characteristic feature of their system is, to build up general benevolence on the destruction of individual tenderness.

In opposition to this system, reason and revelation unite in teaching us, that in the development of the passions, we must advance from the private to public affections, and that extended benevolence is the last and most perfect fruit of individual regards.

While we have represented love to our neighbor as consisting in universal benevolence, it must be added, that instead of satisfying itself with mere speculations on the desirableness of the well-being of the whole, or with mere good wishes for the happiness of mankind in general, it will put forth its energies for those who are within its reach; it would, if it could, touch the extreme parts; but as this cannot be done, it will exert a beneficial influence on those who are near.

The persons with whom we daily converse and act, are those on whom our benevolence is first and most constantly to express itself, because these are the parts of the whole which give us the opportunity of calling into exercise our universal philanthropy. But to them it is not to be confined either in feeling or action; for, as we have opportunity, we are to do good to all men, and send abroad our beneficent regards to the great family of man. [James's Christian Charity; Dr. Dewar has a fine article on this subject, Mor. Phil. vol. ii. pp. 321-327.]

383. How is active and universal benevolence distinguished from a spurious philanthropy?

CHAPTER II.

THE APOSTLE PAUL'S DESCRIPTION OF LOVE TO OUR NEIGHBOR.

384. REFERENCE is here made particularly to that description of it which is found in the thirteenth chapter of his first Epistle to the Corinthians.

THE MEEKNESS OF LOVE.

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By a beautiful personification, the apostle has described this grace under the figure of an interesting female, who, like an angel of light, lifts her cherubic form amid the children of men; shedding, as she passes along, a healing influence on the wounds of society, hushing the notes of discord, driving before her the spirits of mischief, bringing the graces in her train, and converting earth into a resemblance of heaven. "Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself; is not puffed up; doth not behave itself unseemly; seeketh not her own; is not easily provoked; thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."

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385. There are other manifestations or operations of love, beside those which are here specified-such, for instance, as justice, and chastity; for it is impossible to love mankind, and violate the rules of either of these duties: the specification is here restricted to those properties of love which are comprehended in the word temper-a subject that has been treated in the chapter on Happiness.

386. It embraces the meekness of love, the kindness of love, the contentment of love, the humility of love, the decorum of love, the disinterestedness of love, the unsuspiciousness of love, the joy of love, the candor of love, and the self-denial of love.

Each of these properties will be briefly considered.

384. What description of love to our neighbor is here referred to? 385. Are these the only operations of charity, or love?

386. What properties of temper does this description embrace?

SECTION I.-THE MEEKNESS OF LOVE.

"Charity suffereth long-is not easily provoked."

387. In reference to the irascible passions, there are three things which love will prevent :

(1.) It will prevent an irritable and petulant disposition: for, it will make us willing to think the best of those with whom we have to do; it will disarm us of that suspicion and mistrust, which make us regard everybody as intending to injure us; will cause us to find out pleas for those who have done us harm, and when this is impossible, will lead us to pity their weakness, or forgive their wickedness..