God almightie in his most holy and wise providence hath soe disposed of the condicion of mankinde, as in all times some must be rich some poore, some highe and eminent in power and dignitie; others meane and in subjeccion.
Thirdly, That every man might have need of other, and from hence they might be all knitt more nearly together in the bond of brotherly affeccion […].
There are two rules whereby wee are to walke one towards another: JUSTICE and MERCY.
[…] but, if his meanes of repayeing thee be onely probably or possible then is hee an object of thy mercy though must lend him, though there be danger of looseing it […].
[…] as when wee bid one make the clocke strike he doth not lay hand on the hammer which is the immediate instrument of the sound but setts on worke the first mover or maine wheele, knoweing that will certainely produce the sound which hee intends; soe the way to drawe men to the works of mercy is not by force of argument from the goodness or necessity of the worke […].
[…] love is the bond of perfection. First it is a bond, or ligament. […] it makes the worke perfect. There is noe body but consists of partes and that which knitts these partes together gives the body its perfeccion, because it makes eache parte soe contiguous to other as thereby they doe mutually participate with eache other, both in strength and infirmity in pleasure and paine, to instance in the most perfect of all bodies, Christ and his church make one body […].
[…] simile simili gaudet […].
Now when the soule which is of a sociable nature findes any thing like to it selfe. It is like Adam when Eve was brought to him, shee must have it one with herselfe this is fleshe of my fleshe (saith shee) and bone of my bone shee conceives a greate delighte in it, therefore shee desires nearness and familiarity with it […].
In such cases as this the care of the publique must oversway all private respects, by which not onely conscience but meare civill pollicy doth binde us; for it is a true rule that perticuler estates cannott subsist in the ruine of the publique.
[…] in this duty of love wee must love brotherly without dissimulation, wee must love one another with a pure hearte fervently wee must beare one anothers burthens, wee must not looke onley on our owne things, but allsoe on the things of our brethren […] wee must entertain each other in brotherly affeccion, wee must be willing to abridge our selves of our superfluities, commerce together in all meekenes, gentleness, patience and liberallity, wee must delight in eache other, make others condicions and our owne rejoyce together, mourne together, labour, and suffer together […].
[…] for wee must consider that wee shall be as a citty upon a hill, the eies of all people are upon us; soe that if wee shall deale falsely with our god in this worke wee have undertaken and soe cause him to withdrawe his present help from us, wee shall be made a story and a by-word thought the world […].
