And yet one would think that a man needed no other cure for this temper, than this one reflection:
That if this had been the spirit of the Son of God, if he had hated sin in this manner, there had been no redemption of the world: if God had hated sinners in this manner, the world itself had ceased long ago.
This therefore we may take for a certain rule, that the more we partake of the divine nature, and the higher our sense of virtue is, the more we shall compassionate those that want it. The sight of such people will then, instead of raising in us a haughty contempt, or peevish indignation towards them, fill us with such bowels of compassion, as when we see the miseries of an hospital.
16. That the follies therefore, and ill-behaviour of our fellow creatures, may not lessen that love which we are to have for all mankind, we should often consider the reasons on which this duty of love is founded.
Now we are to love our neighbour, that is, all mankind, not because they are wise, holy or virtuous; for all mankind never was, nor ever will be so.
Again, if their goodness were the reason of our being obliged to love people, we should have no rule to proceed by; because tho’ some people’s virtues or vices are notorious, yet, generally speaking, we are but ill judges of the virtue of other people.
Thirdly, We are sure that the virtue of persons, is not the reason of our being obliged to love them, because we are commanded to pay the highest instances of love to our worst enemies; we are to love, and bless, and pray for those that most injuriously treat us. This therefore is demonstration, that the merit of persons is not the reason on which our obligation to love them is founded.
Let us farther consider what that love is which we owe to our neighbour; it is to love him as ourselves, that is, to wish him every thing that we may lawfully wish to ourselves; to be glad of every good, and sorry for every evil that happens to him: and to be ready to do him all such acts of kindness, as we are always ready to do ourselves.
This love therefore, you see, is nothing but a love of benevolence; it requires nothing of us, but good wishes, tender affections, and such acts of kindness, as we shew to ourselves.
17. Now we are obliged to this love, in imitation of God’s goodness, that we may be children of our Father which is in heaven, who willeth the happiness of all his creatures, and maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good.