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VO L. ferred into and impreffed upon our fouls, is of

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unfpeakably more worth than all the wealth of both the Indies. For a man to bear that temper of foul in himself, and to be able on reflection to conclude, though he be affaulted on all fides by the unjuft difpleasure of men, that there are yet no other but good propenfions of kindness and mercy, tenderness and compaffion, and a readiness to do them all the good he can, as foon as ever he has an opportunity; the pleasantness of such a temper, if known and experienced, no one would change for the greateft advantage this world could afford him. How happy is it to be able to fay with the Apostle, Being reviled, we blefs; being perfecuted, we fuffer it; being defamed, we intreat *. As if he had faid, he that looks into our ways, nay into our breafts, fhall be able to difcern nothing but calmnefs there; even an undisturbed compofure of fpirit, and benignity towards them who are full of malignity to us. And

(2) THIS is that temper of fpirit alfo to which the bleffed God hath particularly promifed a reward. If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: for thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his bead, and the Lord fhall reward thee'. It may be the perfon himself will not reward thee for fo much good done to him. Concern not thy felf for that; if he will not, GoD will. The Lord will reward thee for all that good which thou haft done, in lieu of the evil which he has done to thee. And I add, LASTLY,

* 1 Cor. 1v. 12, 13. Proy. xxv, 22, 23. Rom. x11. 20.

LASTLY, In this way you may quite conquer S £ R M. him at last, to whom you exercife love to that XVI. height. And how glorious a conqueft is this! The Apoftle fays in the forementioned place, which is quoted from the Proverbs, that you shall by this means, (by returning good for evil) heap coals of fire upon his head. I know there is a controverfy about these words; fome understand them in a good, others in an evil fenfe. Some fay thereby is meant, that you fhall ingage GOD on your fide, and his wrath and vengeance fhall vindicate your quarrel. Others think that we may understand by coals of fire, the melting warmth of love; which will diffolve and mollify the obdurate, malicious fpirit of the unjust adversary. And I for my part make little doubt but that is the meaning, and I am the more induced to believe it from what we find conjoined in both these Scriptures. It is in the Proverbs, The Lord fhall reward thee, as one that hast been a fubordinate benefactor to himfelf; who doth good to thofe, who carry it very ill towards him. But to this paffage quoted by the Apostle is fubjoined this exhortation; Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good". Your goodness makes you glorious conquerors, and will meltdown your enemy, and fubdue him to you at the long run.

AND there is no way wherein we can contribute fo much to the accomplishment of GOD'S promife, to wit, If a man's ways please the Lord, he will make his enemies be at peace with him". And

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VOL. And we have the most reason (though we are not

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to limit GoD as to the time or method of work-
ing things) to promise our selves an happy iffue
and success this way, that is, to make our enemies
at peace with us; when we in our whole deport-
ment express and hold forth nothing but benig-
nity, kindness, and sweetness to them, how-
ever harsh in their words and actions they are

to us.

AND we ought to bethink our felves too (with which I fhall conclude) that let us be put to forgive them never fo much, GOD has forgiven us more. It is impoffible they should ever offend us fo much as we have tranfgreffed against him. Therefore let us not grudge to extend our love to our enemies, for if Go D had not done fo to us, what had become of us? Miferable creatures had we been! When we were enemies Chrift died for us. It was for enemies he laid down his life, and exposed himself to those cruel fufferings which he underwent. And when we expect eternal life by him, who hath done fo much for enemies; will we not at his word, and upon the obligation of his own law, conform our fpirits and practice to our utmost herein? For it is impoffible we can have any enemies fo injurious to us, as we have been to Chrift; all which injury and wrong he is yet willing to bury in everlasting oblivion.

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SERMON XVII.

Preached December 13, 1676.

I JOHN IV. 20.

He that loveth not his Brother, whom he bath feen; how can be love GOD, whom be bath not feen?

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HE truth which we have more lately handled from these words is this; That their pretence to the love of GoD is both falfe and abfurd, who do not conjoin with it love to their brother.

We have infifted a little upon this doctrine, WE and have made fome progress in the use, which was mainly intended to be this: namely to animadvert upon the common practice of the world; and especially to put us upon animadverting on our own practice, wherein it is contrary to the law of that love, which we are required to exercife towards our brethren, confidered as men, and as Chriftians. We have already in the

FIRST place, fhewn and complained that there is but little of that love which ought to be exercised to men, as men, and we have particularly spoken to two cafes, wherein many would plead an exemption; namely the case of those

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who

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VOL. who are profligately wicked, and of those who are their particular enemies: And we have fhewed you how reasonable and neceffary it is that love fhould be exercifed to them as men, notwithstanding either of these circumstances. We are now to speak

SECONDLY, According to the other and more restrained notion of Brother, to that love which we fhould have for one another as Chriftians; or which fhould be generally exercifed by us upon a Christian account. And is it not worth our while to take notice, how the law of fuch love is moft commonly violated among them who bear the Chriftian name, and to give inftances hereof? We will do this in two kinds. That is, we fhall give you both privative and pofitive inftances, and let you fee by both, how the law of love is too frequently broken and intrenched upon, even as if it were not a facred thing.

I. WE fhall give you fome privative inftances of this, wherein perfons appear not to do what the law of love doth require. As

I. WHEN the object of this love is mistaken; that is, either ftated with too much latitude, or elfe is too much narrowed and limited.

(1) I SAY when it is ftated too largely, and men do give exorbitant meafures of Chriftianity. There is a love to be exercised to all, as you have heard before; but there is, many times, a very unwarrantable extenfion of the notion of Chri

tianity

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