A37046:1123
The law unsealed
The law unsealed: or, A practical exposition of the Ten Commandments With a resolution of several momentous questions and cases of conscience. By the learned, laborious, faithful servant of Jesus Christ, Mr. James Durham, late minister of the Gospel at Glasgow.
Glasgow: printed by Robert Sanders, 1676
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Quest. 6. If it be asked, how one can fulfil that part of the command, enjoining us to prefer another to our selves? Answ. 1. This is not to be universally and simply: ⟨image 118⟩understood, as if we were called in every thing to do so, and to every person, for we may know that some are more ignorant and more profane than we are in many practises, guilty of things we may be free of, and so we are not obliged to judge contrary to truth: Yet 2. in some one respect or other we may prefer them, as 1. In that they may have something beyond us, they are possibly more humble, more single, zealous, diligent, &c. though inferior to us in other things. 2. They may have much good we know not. 3. We certainly know, or at least may know, more evil in our selves than in them, and therefore are to prefer them to our selves. 4. We know more aggravations of our own evils then of theirs; and therefore simply we may without hypocrisy prefer men generally to our selves, though we in particulars could not do so, nor give unto every one in every thing the precedency.
Quest. 6. If it be asked, how one can fulfill that part of the command, enjoyning us to prefer another to our selves? Answ. 1. This is not to be universally and simply: ⟨image 118⟩understood, as if we were called in every thing to do so, and to every person, for we may know that some are more ignorant and more prophane than we are in many practises, guilty of things we may be free of, and so we are not obliged to judge contrary to truth: Yet 2. in some one respect or other we may prefer them, as 1. In that they may have something beyond us, they are possibly more humble, more single, zealous, diligent, &c. though inferiour to us in other things. 2. They may have much good we know not. 3. We certainly know, or at least may know, more evil in our selves than in them, and therefore are to prefere them to our selves. 4. We know more aggravations of our own evils then of theirs; and therefore simply we may without hypocrisie prefer men generally to our selves, though we in particulars could not do so, nor give unto every one in every thing the precedency.