CHAPTER LVII – Q.7: How must we love our neighbors as ourselves?
have frustrated all your counsels and means of their good education; and grace is supernatural: and therefore you must proceed upon grounds that are known.
And for remoter kindred, if they may be as serviceable to God with what I give them as others, nature teacheth me to prefer them before others; but otherwise grace teacheth me, both to love a godly stranger better than ungodly kindred, and to lay out all that I have, as may be most serviceable to God.
CHAPTER LVII
How we must love our Neighbours as ourselves Quest. 7. 'How is it that self-denial requireth us to love our neighbour as ourselves: is it with the same degree of love?'
Answ. I answered this on the by, before: Briefly, 1. The chief part of the precept is negative: thus q. d. "Set not up thyself against the welfare of thy neighbour: draw not from him, or covet not that which is his to thyself, and confine not thy love and care to thyself." 2. And it comprehendeth this positive, and that as to the kind of love, we should love both ourselves and neighbours as means to God, and for the interest of God; and in that respect there is an equality: we must
'appretiativè' or estimatively love a better and more serviceable man that hath more of God's Spirit in him, above ourselves; and an equal person equally with ourselves, with this rational love, which intendeth all for God. 3. But natural love which is put into man for self-preservation will be stronger to self than to another, and alloweth us, 'cæteris paribus,' to prefer, and first preserve and