not depose and fwear home to the Point, or the Jury cannot penetrate into the Mystery of the Business: But here quid prodeft non babere Confcium, habenti Confcientiam? There will want no Witneffes, no Inqueft, no Judge, bur a mans own felf; and he that is faulty, his own Heart fhall upbraid him, for debauching his own Principles, and his Countenance fhall fall, and his Spirit fink under the Sentence.

No man that Confults this Oracle will find in his heart to op prefs his Neighbour by Power and Intereft, or vex him with LawSuits, or undermine him by Fraud, or over-reach him by Tricks of Wit, or make advantage of the Weakness Simplicity, Neceffity, or Security of his Neighbour. No man's Table will be made a Snare to himno man will flat ter his Friend to circumyent him,

or make use of Summum Jus, and the rigour of Laws to Ruin his very Enemy; or if he do, this Court of Equity within him will reverse the Proceedings, and feverely revenge the Contempt of its Authority. This Principle (I fay) of Self-love which sticks clofe to our Natures, and is always before our Eyes, if it be but applyed to the Cafe of other men after the manner we have expreft, will determine us to just and righteous, to fair and candid, and ingenuous Dealings: For whatfoever I would not that others fhould do to me, that I must not do towards them. And fo much for that.

Fifthly, I come now in the laft place, and for a Conclufion of all, to Reprefent fome of the happy Advantages of purfuing this Rule, as so many Motives to the careful obser

vance

vance of it. And out of mas ny of this kind that lie obvious to my thoughts, I will only felect these three following.

.

1. Though it be true (as I have noted before) That this Maxim is not properly a Rule of Religion or Devotion towards God, but only the Measure of the Second Table, yet it is of fo great Re, putation and Authority, that it gives the Publick Stamp and Value to Piety and Devotion it felf, foraímuch as without there be a confpicuous regard to this Rule in our intercourse with men, the most glorious pretences of Piety to wards God, fignifie nothing either with God or Men. A mighty Zeal in difputing and contending about Opinions, without regard to Equity, and Justice, and Mer cy, is but a kind of Religious Knight Erranty, and Men encounter

only

only Windmills and Pageants, they neither Honour God, nor Profit the World, nor gain Reputation to themselves: Nay, L think fuch Zeal will not be much undervalued, if it be resembled to Solomon's doting Expeditions, when he made long Voiages for Apes and Peacocks. To be wonderfully devout in a peculiar Form or Mode of Worship, without Honesty and Ingenuity in our Dealings with Men, will be lookt upon as the Hypocritical acting of a Part, or at beft as being bigotted to a certain Mode without any true Notion or Senfe of Religion. In a word, To make the most glorious Profeffion, and to espouse the precifeft Sect and Party, without an equal regard to this, will at least be looked upon as an effect of Pride and Singularity, and be more than fufpected as a Cloke for Knavery. For of all Religions in the World,

F

Mat. 9. 13.

World, Christianity is that of all other which he can make the leaft pretence to, who Tythes Mint, and Annis, and Cummin, and

Mat.23.23. neglects the weightier Matters of Faith, Justice, and Mercy. Our Saviour himself hath told us,That God loves Mercy more than Sacrifice; and is better pleased with our equitable dealing with our Neighbour, than with the most coftly Oblations to himself. And

Jam.1.27. his Apoftle S. James declares,

cell.

That pure Religion, and undefiled before God and the Father, is to vifit the Fatherlefs and Widow in their Affliction, &c. Nay, an Heathen, but an ingenuous Obferver

Am. Mar of the Genius of the Christian Religion, gives this Account of it, Nil nifi juftum fuadet leve That there was nothing fo remarkable in that Inftitution, as the Juftice, Mildness, Clemency, and Equity it requires of all its Profelytes.

It