of the wild beaft, his own brutish appetite and passion; which hurries him on, first to revenge, and then to repentance for the folly which he hath been guilty of in gratifying fo unreasonable a passion. For it very feldom happens, that any man executes an act of revenge, the very next moment after he hath done it, he is forry for it, and wifheth he had not done it: whereas patience and forgiveness do wifely prevent both the mischief to others, and the trouble to ourselves, which is ufually confequent upon revenge.

but

IV. If we confider the perfection and prevalency of the examples which the gofpel propofeth to us, to allure and engage us to the practice of this duty. And they are the examples of God himself, and of the Son of God in the nature of man.

1. The example of God himself. The fcripture doth frequently fet before us the goodness of God's common providence to finners for our pattern. And this is the argument whereby our bleffed Saviour preffeth the duty in the text upon us, in the verfe immediately after it: That ye may be the children of your heavenly Father, who maketh his fun to rife on the evil and the good, and his rain to fail on the juft and the unjuft. The fame argument Seneca alfo urgeth to the fame purpose: "How many (fays

he) are unworthy of the light, and yet the day vifits "them?" And, fpeaking of the gods, "They bestow "(fays he) their benefits upon the unthankful, and are "ready to help those who make a bad conftruction and "ufe of their kindness." And almoft in the very words of our Saviour: Etiam fceleratis fol oritur, &c. "The fun rifeth even upon the moft vile and profligate per"fons, and the feas are open to pirates.'

Thus is God affected towards those who are guilty of the greatest provocations towards him. He beftows upon them the gifts of his common providence; and not only fo, but is ready to forgive innumerable offences to them for Christ's fake. This pattern the Apostle propofeth to our imitation, Eph. iv. 32. Be ye kind, tenderhearted, forbearing one another, forgiving one another, even as God for Chrift's fake hath forgiven you. Chap. v. 1. Be ye therefore imitators of God, as dear children. This temper and difpofition of mind is the prime excellency

cellency and perfection of the divine nature; and who would not be ambitious to be like the most perfect and best of beings? And fo our bleffed Saviour concludes this argument in the last verse of this chapter, Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father which is in heaven is perfect; which St. Luke renders, Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father which is in heaven is merciful. So that, in that very thing which we think to be fo hard and difficult, you fee that we have perfection itself for our pattern. And this example ought to be of fo much greater force with us, by how much greater reafon there is, why we should do thus to one another, than why God fhould do thus to us. Our offences against God are more and greater than any man ever was or could be guilty of towards us befides that there are many confiderations which ought to tie up our hands, and may reafonably restrain us from falling furiously upon one another, which can have no place at all in God. We may justly fear, that the confequence of our revenge may return upon ourfelves, and that it may come to be our own cafe to ftand in need of mercy and forgiveness from others: and therefore, out of neceffary caution and prudence, we should take heed not to fet any bad example in this kind, left it fhould recoil upon ourselves. We who ftand fo much in need of forgiveness ourselves, ought in all reason to be very easy to forgive others. But now the divine nature is infinitely above any real injury or fuffering; God can never stand in need of pity or forgiveness; and yet of his own mere goodness, without any intereft or defign, how flow is he to anger, and how ready to forgive?

2. And, which comes yet nearer to us, there is alfo the example of the Son of God, our bleffed Saviour; who in our nature, and in cafe of the greatest injuries and provocations imaginable, did practife this virtue to the height; and all this for our fakes, as well as for our example. So that he requires nothing of us, but what he himself fubmitted to with the greatest patience and conftancy of mind in our stead, and wholly for our advantage.

He rendered good for evil to all mankind, and fhewed

greater

greater love to us whilft we were enemies to him, than ever any man did to his friend.

He prayed for thofe that despitefully used him, and per fecuted him. And this, not upon cool confideration, after the injury was done, and the pain of his fufferings was over; but whilft the fenfe and fmart of them was upon him, and in the very agony and bitterness of death in the height of all his anguifh, he poured out his foul an offering for the fins of men, and his blood a facrifice to God, for the expiation of the guilt of that very fin whereby they fhed it; pleading with God in the behalf of his murderers, the only excufe that was poffible to be made for their malice; that is, their ignorance; and spending his last breath in that most charitable prayer for them, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

The laft declaration which he made of his mind, was love to his enemies; and the laft legacy he bequeathed, was an earnest request to God for the forgiveness of his perfecutors and murderers.

So that, if any example ought to be dear to us, and effectually to engage us to the imitation of it, this of our bleffed Saviour fhould; fince the injuries which he fuffered, have faved us from fuffering, and the greatest bleffing and happiness that ever befel mankind, is due to this excellent example: and then, with what confidence, nay, with what confcience, can we pretend to fhare in the benefits of this example, without imitating

the virtues of it?

Can we seriously contemplate the exceffive kindness and charity of the Son of God to the finful fons of men, after all our bittereft enmity towards him, and most cruel and injurious ufage of him; and all this charity exercised towards us, whilft he was under the actual sense and fuffering of these things; and yet not be provoked by an example fo admirable in itself, and of fuch mighty advantage to us, to go and do likewife?

But notwithstanding the power of thefe arguments to perfuade to this duty, I must not diffemble fome objections, which are, I believe, in many of your minds against it; and to which, for the full clearing of this

matter,

matter, it will be fit to give fome fatisfaction. And they. are thefe.

I. That this precept in the text does not feem fo well to agree with another of our bleffed Saviour's in another evangelift, Luke xvii. 3. 4. If thy brother trefpafs against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him: and if he trefpafs against thee feven times in a day, and feven times in a day turn again to thee, Jaying, I repent; thou fhalt forgive him. Here our bleffed Saviour feems not to require forgivenefs, unlefs he that hath done the injury declare his repentance for it. But the text plainly requires us to forgive thofe who are fo far from repenting of their enmity, that they still purfue it, and exercife it Thus our Lord teacheth us, and thus he himfelf practifed towards his perfecutors.

upon us.

But this appearance of contradiction will quickly vanith, if we confider that forgiveness is fometimes taken chiefly for abstaining from revenge. And fo far we are to forgive our enemies, even whilst they continue fo, and though they do not repent: and not only fo, but we are alfo to pray for them, and to do good offices to them; efpecially of common humanity: and this is the meaning of the precept in the text. But fometimes forgivenefs does fignify a perfect reconciliation to thofe that have offended us, fo as to take them again into our friendship; which they are by no means fit for, till they have repented of their enmity, and laid it afide. And this is plainly the meaning of the other text.

II. It is further objected, That this feems to be a very imprudent thing, and of dangerous confequence to ourfelves; becaufe by bearing one injury fo patiently, and forgiving it fo eafily, we invite more; and not only tempt our enemy to go on, but others alfo by his example to do the like: which will make ill-natured men to provoke us on purpose, with a crafty design to wrest benefits from us: for what better trade can a man drive, than to gain benefits in exchange for injuries?

To this I anfwer three things.

1. It is to be feared, that there are but few fo very good, as to make this kind return for injuries; perhaps, of thofe that call themselves Christians, not one in a hun→ dred. And he is not a cunning man that will venture

to make an enemy, when there is the odds of a hundredto one against him, that this enemy of his will take the first opportunity to take his revenge upon him.

2. It is alfo on the other hand to be hoped, that but very few are fo prodigiously bad, as to make fo barbarous a return for the unexpected kindness of a generous enemy. And this is encouragement enough to the practice of this duty, if there be a probable hope that it will have a good effect; and however, if it fhould fall out otherwife, yet this would not be reafon enough to difcourage our goodness; especially fince the kindness which we do to our friends, is liable almost to an equal objection, that they may prove ungrateful, and become our enemies; it having been often feen that great benefits, and fuch as are beyond requital, instead of making a man more a friend, have made him an enemy.

3. Our Saviour never intended, by this precept, that our goodness fhould be blind, and void of all prudence and difcretion; but that it fhould be fo managed, as to make our enemy fenfible both of his own fault, and of our favour; and fo as to give him as little encourage→ ment, as there is reafon for it, to hope to find the like favour again upon the like provocation. Our Saviour commands us to do the thing; but hath left it to our prudence, to do it in fuch a manner, as may be moft effectual, both to reclaim the offender, and likewife to fecure ourselves against future and further injuries.

III. Laftly, It is objected, What can we do more to our best friends, than to love them and bless them, than to do good to them and to pray for them? And are we then to make no difference betwixt our enemies and our friends?

Yes, furely and fo we may, notwithstanding this precept; for there are degrees of love, and there are benefits of feveral rates and fizes. Thofe of the first rate we may with reason bestow upon our friends; and with thofe of a fecond or third rate there is all the reason in the world why our enemies fhould be very well contented. Befides that we may abstain from revenge, yea, and love our enemy, and with him and do him good; and yet it will not presently be neceffary, that we should take him into our bofom, and treat and truft him as

our