A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

But seeing our Saviour hath comprised both these duties of righteousness and sobriety under charity, and hath made love the whole sum of ¹the Law, our love towards God, of the first Table, and our love towards our selves and our neighbours, of the second Table: I will consider of them both under this one, first generally, and afterward more specially in every several Commandment. For charity and true love towards our selves, moveth us out of a sound and right mind, to perform, in thought, word, and deed, all good duties which tend to our safety and salvation; and charity towards our neighbours, as it moveth us to love them as our selves, so to perform all duties of righteousness and mercy, which we do unto our selves, or would have others do unto us. Now this charity is a gift or grace of God, infused into our hearts by his holy Spirit, which out of the sense of Gods love towards us in Christ, working true and fervent love towards them again, doth move us to love our selves, and all men as our selves, and as Christ hath loved us for Gods sake, and in obedience to his Commandment. It is a gift of God, and no natural habit; for naturally, as we are haters of God and men, so even of our selves, neither is any hatred of an enemy so hurtful and pernicious unto our souls and bodies, as carnal self-love, which is a chief cause and means of depriving us here of all grace, and of glory and happiness in the life to come. And therefore the Apostle exhorting us to love one another, telleth us where we must have this gift; Let us (saith he) love one another, ²for love is of God. Neither is it a common gift of God, but a sanctifying and saving grace of his holy Spirit: for as the love of God towards us, as the cause, so our love towards God, as the effect of it, is shed abroad