have built him a Temple, and received him into the Number of the Heathen Gods. And well might the Emperor have fo good an Opinion of its Author, fince this, of all others, is a Rule fo plain and clear, fo near at Hand, and accommodated to all the common Cafes of human Life, that nothing more excellent can be devised for the Regulation of our Intercourfe with one another only there may be fome Doubt concerning the Extent of the Matter contained in it, which we will first endeavour to explain, and then fhew the manifold Usefulness of it.

3

Now, though this Rule be of excellent Ufe towards the Direction of our Behaviour in general, yet there are several Cafes wherein it will not hold; wherein we are obliged not to grant that to others which we ourselves perhaps, were we in their Cir-cumftances, and they in ours, might be willing enough, unreasonably willing, to obtain from them. A Benefactor, for Instance, is not bound to comply with the Demands of fuch as afk unmerited Favours, though conscious that he himself might be apt to make as extravagant Requests, were it his Turn to be the Object of another Man's Beneficence: Nor is a Magiftrate at Liberty, much lefs under an Obligation, to turn the Edge of Juftice from an importunate Offender, because, if he himself were the Criminal, he fhould certainly and equally defire to escape unpunished. The Rule therefore, which makes what we defire of other Men the Measure of our Dealings toward them, is to be understood, not of vicious or exceffive Defires, but of fuch only as are fit and reafonable; fuch Requests as we can, in our calmeft Thoughts, juftify to ourselves; fuch as 'we are fure may be made with Decency, and cannot be refufed without Inhumanity.

This is the neceffary Limitation of the Rule: And, were it but duly obferved, the Seller would

not take Advantage of the Ignorance of the Buyer, nor the Buyer make an Advantage of the Neceffity. of the Seller; becaufe his own Confcience would tell him, that, if he were the Buyer, and another should take fuch Advantage of his Ignorance, if he were the Seller, and another should make fuch Advantage of his Neceffity, he fhould have Reafon enough to complain of his being cheated or oppreffed. If this Rule were duly obferved, the Borrower would reckon himself strictly bound to restore what was lent him, in due Time; and the Lender would be far from exacting any extravagant Conditions for the Loan of his Money or Goods, because he knows, that, when he lends, he expects the Borrower to be punctual, and, when himself is forced to borrow, he should be very loth to fall into the Hands of an Extortioner. Were this Rule well remembered and obferved, there would be no Need of ever binding Men in Obligations, or fuing them at Law, to perform their Bargains or execute their Trufts; because whoever ftrikes a Bargain, or accepts a Truft, cannot but know what he would account another, that fhould falfify in either of these Particulars; and therefore, fhould he himself do fo, he must be convicted and condemned by his own Confcience. In fine, (for to run through all Particulars would be endless) who is there that does not call that Man a Knave, or an unjust Person, who robs him, who cheats him, who keeps from him his own, or who any Ways abuses him in Word or Deed? Every Man has a quick Senfe, and is ready to make loud Complaints of the Injuries and Affronts that are put upon him; and therefore, if he would but make another Man's Cafe his own, he would have the fame Refentment of the Injuries that are done to another, and, confequently, be reftrained from doing any himself.

This

This Commandment (fays Mofes, to engage the People to the Observance of the Moral Law) is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in Heaven, that thou shouldft fay, Who shall go up for us to Heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it and do it? Neither is it beyond the Sea, that thou fhouldft fay, Who shall go over the Sea for us, that we may bear it, and do it? But the Word is very nigh unto thee, in thy Mouth and in thy Heart, that thou mayft do it: And, if this might be faid of the Law in general, much more is it true of thofe eternal Rules of Righteousness, which lie open to common Ufe, are obvious to all Sizes of Apprehenfion, and ready at all Times for prefent Application. The greater therefore, and more inexcufable must the Violation of these Precepts be, fince, however other Sins may be excused by our Ignorance, and in fome Measure alleviated upon Account of the natural Defects of our Understanding, this can admit of no Cloak or Extenuation; because, whenever a Man deals unjustly by another, his Conscience (if he puts but the Queftion to his Confcience) will be fure to tell him, that he would not be fo dealt with, were the Cafe and Circumstances his own; and therefore, if he refolves to deal unjuftly, notwithstanding fuch Conviction, he can claim no Indulgence, deferves no Pity, and cam pretend to no Mitigation of his Stripes, fince be knew his Master's Will, and did it not.

It may be confidered farther, that, however the unjuft Man may make Profit and Advantage his ultimate End, yet, one Way or other, he is generally disappointed; because, how fecretly foever he may carry on his Mystery, yet it will not be long before fome unforeseen Accident will draw back the Curtain, and bring to Light the Fraud and Villainy which he practises behind it; and, when thefe are once detected, farewel Credit and Repu

tation for ever. The Man that has fuffered by his Dishonesty, either out of Charity to others, or out of Refentment of the Injury, will divulge his Knavery, and caution others against him; and what Expectance can he then have of thriving in his Trade or Calling, when his House becomes haunted, as it were, and his Frauds and Cozenages appear like Spectres at his Door, to frighten áll Men from his Conversation? But fuppofe the beft, and (what fometimes,comes to pass) that the Man thrives, and grows great in the World by his Frauds and Injuftice; yet, alas! what Comfort can he take in his ill-gotten Wealth, when every Part of it throws Guilt in his Face, and awakens fome dire Reflection in his Confcience? By a continued Tumult of Excefs and Riot he may make a fhift perhaps to drown these Remonftrances; but, in all Probability, when Death, in fome Difeafe or other, begins to approach him, and to place him within the Sight of a dreadful Eternity, his Confcience will then begin to rouse and awake, and raise an hideous Outcry against him. And what a wretched and deplorable Condition muft he then be in, when his laft Will and Teftament fets before him a woeful Catalogue of uncancelled Guilts, and every illgotten Penny puts him in Mind of his approaching Damnation? Under these Circumstances, he has but these two Things to chufe, either to refund his unjust Acquifitions, or to venture to perifh eternally for them. If his Refolution is to live and die with the Spoils of his Injuftice about him, he thereby exposes himself to the Wrath of God, which is revealed from Heaven against all Unrighteousness of Men, and furrenders his immortal Soul, which the Gain of the whole World can never compenfate, to the Pangs and Agonies of everlasting Death. But, if he is not fo defperate as to intend this, he must then make Reftitution of what he hath wrongfully ta

ken from his Neighbour, and in doing fo, perhaps, ftrip himself of all. And now, what Folly and Madness is this, for a Man to take a great deal of Pains only to create himself more Trouble and Vexation? To fpin a Thread, which he knows himself muft unravel? And to load and cumber himself, as it were, with bringing home to his own Houfe his Neighbour's Goods, which he must afterwards carry back again upon his own Shoulders, and, when that is done, leave his own House more naked and unfurnished than it was at firft? He certainly is the wifer, as well as the honefter Man; wifer, I fay, for this World, as well as the next, who, though he has but little, can call that little his own, as being the Fruit of God's Bleffing upon his honeft Industry, and may therefore (as the primitive Manner was) eat his Meat with Gladness and Singleness of Heart, praifing God, and having Favour with all the People.

SECT. II.

Of Relative Justice.

ESIDES the general Juftice, which is common to all Men, there is a special Kind of Juftice, arifing from the Refpects and Relations wherein we ftand, as Superiors and Inferiors, to each other. Now Superiors, with their respective Inferiors, are fuch, either with Regard to their Authority, or their Excellency. 1. Superiors in Authority are thofe, who, by God's Ordinance, have Power over us, and a Right to rule and govern us; and thefe are either in the State, in the Church, or in private Families. In the State, the Superiors are the Princes, or chief Magiftrates, who are the fecular Fathers of the Country, and God's Vicegerents