man evil for evil, we are immediately call'd upon, to provide things honeft in the fight of all men.

Ver. 19.

2. The Second Rule is that, of not avenging our felves, but rather giving place unto wrath. By which is meant, that we should by. no means take the Caufe into our own Hands, and pretend to right our felves, by repaying Injuries and Affronts, with the fame, or greater. For which indeed it were an eafy matter to produce feveral Reasons unanswerable, would we but fubmit to consider them, as becomes Men and Chriftians: They are, Refentment and Paffion, and Partiality, and Phantaftical Notions of falfe Honour, which fuggeft the direct contrary to this Command; and would almoft perfuade Men, that they even do well to be angry, and take Revenge, and have recourse to Violence, and the private Sword. Against thefe vicious Motives I may the better content my felf to fet the few Arguments now before us, becaufe to Men of Chriftian Principles They will fuffice; and to Them who are not fo, None ever will. In the mean while, for the fetting these in a more convenient and distinct view, I fhall first observe, how high the Duty is carried, and then the Arguments made use of to enforce it.

3. The Next Pitch therefore of Virtue in this Point, I must carry you back for to the 14th Verfe, Bless them which perfecute you; blefs and curfe not. These are, in fignification the fame, with thofe Words of our Blef fed Lord himself, Pray for them that deSpitefully ufe you, and perfecute you. Sup

Matth. v. 44.

pofing then, that even the hotteft of our Paffions fhould not flame out fo fierce, as to devour all our Humanity, nor make us fatisfied with being the Executioners of Vengeance in our own Perfons; yet is not this enough. Not to revenge or punish may prove our Good-Nature; but fomewhat more is neceffary to prove our Chriftianity. We must not fo much as

F 4

with

wish that Calamity to come from any other Hand, which we decline inflicting with our own. We must not imprecate upon an Enemy the Wrath of God, for the gratifying a private Refentment. We muft not take any pleasure in the Judgments that befal him, without our wifhing; nay, we muft wish well to, and intercede with God for him. And, to put the Sincerity of fuch Wishes paft a doubt, we must our felves contribute our Affiftance, toward his Comfort under, and Relief from, any Diftreffes, that fhall overtake him.

4. For that's the laft Rule at the 20th Verfe: If thine Enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink. The partaking of the fame Nature, and the fame Paffions, being liable to the fame Wants, and feeling the fame Uneafineffes from them, induce an Engagement of a Date without our very Being; One, that begun with it, and cannot be diffolved, but with it too. Since then our Enemy, though an ill or a perverfe Man, is ftill a Man; no Act of His, which does not make him ceafe to be fo, can make that Obligation ceafe, which is founded in his being fuch. And therefore this Duty, as rare as the practice of it is, hath yet its ground-work laid in natural Equity; and we never fail in the performance of it, without violence done to that felf-evident Rule, of doing to others, whatsoever we would they should do to us. Nay, by proportion, we are bound to fuccour him in any imminent Danger or Extremity, as well as in those of Hunger and Thirst, fpecified here. To fuccour him, I fay, where our Affiftance may be of Service to keep him from perifhing; And, even with violence done to our own moft angry and moft juft Refentments, to let him fee, that it is not poffible to deferve fo ill at our Hands; that the heavy Hand of God upon his Perfon, or his Fortunes, fhould be matter of Triumph or barbarous Joy to us. I only add, in Confirmation of

what

what was even now faid, that the Paffage I am upon, is not the Apostle's originally; but cited Prov. xxv. 21. by him out of the Old Teftament, and

confequently, a Branch of that Moral Law, to which the Jews were able to difcern the fitnefs of complying. The greater ftill muft the Reproach needs be, upon those Christians, that shall ftand out against it; whofe Religion is intended, and excellently fitted, to foften their Hearts, and enlarge their Bowels; and, in all Inftances of Humanity and Goodnefs, of Compaffion and Mercy, far to exceed the Righteousness of those that went before them.

St. Paul was very fenfible, with what Difficulty these Commands were like to be received, which had a Paffion to encounter, as importunate and vehement, as any that Human Nature hath put into our Breafts. And therefore he takes care, not only to introduce and sweeten them, with that affectionate Compellation, Dearly beloved, avenge not your felves, &c. but likewife to back and ftrengthen them, with very powerful Arguments. The Force whereof is the Laft Thing to be confidered upon this Occafion.

Ver. 19.

The First of These relates to Almighty God, The Second to our Enemies, The Laft to our Selves. To Each I shall speak fomething very briefly.

Ver. 19.

That more immediately concerning Almighty God, we have in those Words, It is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, faith the Lord. Here we are put in mind, that God is the Judge and Governor of the World; that none of the Wrongs done to us, escape his Obfervation; that He hath referved to himself the Prerogative of calling to account, and making the Injurious fmart for them; that He will not be wanting in this Part of His Juftice and Power; that He hath appointed Methods, proper for the exercise of both thofe Attributes;

and

and that, for Us to go out of thofe Methods, by taking the Matter into our own Hands, and carving out to our felves fuch Satisfaction, as Rage and angry Refentments fuggeft, is to ufurp upon Him; and a prefuming to do that, which no private Man upon Earth hath Commiffion to do.

Now the Methods provided by God for this End, are, Either the Interpofition of Laws and Governors, Or elfe the Difpenfations of his own Providence, by which the Fortunes and Events of Men are all ordered and difpofed. From the Former we are allowed to feek for convenient Redress, where the Cafe is of weight to bear us out; Where the Confequence affects the Publick Good and Safety, Where the Impunity of the Offender would render his Wickedness infolent and infupportable. As often as any of these is the Cafe, we are permitted, and upon fome of thefe accounts we are even obliged, to fee, that Mens Injuftice be chaftised, and made an Example of, for the restraint of their own Sins, and for the prevention of the like in others. But here we must be very careful, that the Principle we go upon, be right; that the End we propofe from fuch Proceedings, be our own fit and neceffary Reparation, not the gratification of our fretted Spleen; that our Defire of fuch Punishment be determined, to the Amendment of the Tranfgreffor, the common Security, the Honour of Juftice, and Prefervation of Order; not to the Detriment or Shame, the Vexation or Mischief of the Sufferer, but only fo far forth, as thefe may contribute to fuch commendable Purposes.

The Latter, that of God's immediate Providence, is a Remedy for us to depend upon, where the ordinary one of Human Laws and Punishments have either made no provifion, or fuch, as cannot conveniently be had. But this dependance must be limited, by the Conditions juft now mentioned. It must not

be

be fuch, as takes actual fatisfaction, in contemplating and promifing to our felves, the Judgments of God, or the Miseries of our Brethren, confidered abstractedly as fuch. Rather indeed this Argument fhould center in a Confidence of our own Safety, and certain Protection from Above. For nothing can yield more fubstantial Comfort, to them who endure wrongfully, than that their being content fo to do, and to wait His Time and good Pleasure, rather than to feek for Relief irregularly, is a committing of their Cause to God; a making it from thenceforth His Caufe; and, that the doing fuch meek and patient Sufferers reason, is an Act of Juftice done to himself.

The Second Argument, brought here against Revenge, and even for Acts of Kindness to our Enemy, when his Calamities have reduced him to the need of them, is contained in those Words, For in fo doing thou fhalt heap Coals of fire upon his head.

A Phrase of doubtful Import, and capable of Two Significations. Both fupported by great Authorities, Both very appofite to the Defign of the Place. The One, That, by our Courtefy and Charity we are much more likely to reduce them that hate, and have dealt ill by us, to a Sense of their Fault; and by our Kindnefs melt them down effectually into deep Remorse, fincere Repentance, and fuitable Returns for fo generous a Compaffion. There are, it is to be hoped, but few Inftances, of Tempers fo inflexibly obftinate and perverse, as not to be won by Gentleness unmoved, and Pity undeserved; as not to feel, and improve upon, the Reproaches, of a Behaviour fo unlike their own, when preferved by thofe very Perfons, whofe Harm and Destruction themfelves had wifhed and laboured. Whereas, repaying Affront with Affront, and Force with Force, ferves only to inflame angry Minds the more, to fharpen the Contention, and perpetuate the Quarrel. And thus Some under

ftand,