SECTION IV. Forgiveness of Injuries a necessary Part of Preparation to the holy Sacrament. but as THIS duty is expressed, not only as obligatory to us, relative to the holy sacrament, in the words of our blessed Saviour"; "When thou bringest thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee, leave there thy gift; and go, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer." This precept was indeed instanced in the Levitical sacrifices, and Jewish altars; but because, as St. Irenæus observes; "the precepts of Christ, however expressed, relate to Moses' law but less principally, and chiefly design an evangelical duty;" and, therefore, he refers these words to the celebration of the Christian eucharistical sacrifice and oblation; concerning which he hath these excellent words: "From the beginning God respected Abel's offering, because he offered in righteousness and singleness of heart. But God regarded not the sacrifice of Cain, because he had a heart divided from his brother, full of zeal and malice: and, therefore, God, who knoweth all secrets, thus reproves him; If thou dost rightly offer, but not rightly divide, be quiet; God will not be appeased with thy sacrifice. For if any one, in outward appearance, offers a clean, a right, and a pure sacrifice; but, in his soul, does not truly apportion his communion to his neighbour, he hath sin within, and by his external sacrifice does not bring God unto him; neither will the oblation profit him at all, unless the malice that he hath conceived within, does cease; but that sin will make him every day more and more a murderer."-In pursuance of this, St. Cyril tells, that the ancient Christians were wont, before the communion, to kiss each other, as a symbol of reconciled minds and forgotten injuries; and, in confirmation of this practice, brings the preceptive words of our Lord now recited. a Matt. v. 23, 24. d b See this discoursed and proved, Rule of Conscience, Book ii. chap. iii. rule 15. d St. Cyril. Hier. Mystag. Cat. 5. Irenæ, lib. iv. c. 34. And our blessed Savioure himself adds a parallel to the first precept, which gives light and explication to it: "When you stand praying, if you have any thing against any man, forgive him, that your Father which is in heaven, may forgive you your trespasses." And so Christ taught us to pray, "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us." Let us consider what we do, and consider what we say do we desire to be forgiven no otherwise? Do not we exact every little ignorance, and grow warm at every mistake? And are not we angry at an unavoidable chance? Would we have God to do so to us, and forgive us in no other manner, than as we do, that is, turn his anger into every shape, and smite us in every part? Or would we have God pardon us only for little things, for a rash word, or an idle hour spent less severely? If we do so to our brother, it is a great matter: but if he reviles us to our head, if he blasphemes, and dishonours us, if he robs us, if he smites us on the face, what then? We rob God of his honour, his priests, of their reverence, his houses, of their beauty, his churches, of their maintenance: we talk vile things of his holy name, we despise religion, we oppose his honour, and care not for his service. It is certain we do not usually forgive things of this nature to our brother; what then will become of our prayer? and what will be the effect of our communion? and yet it is certain, there is nothing in the world easier than to forgive an injury. It costs us nothing, after it is once suffered: and if our passions and foolish principles would give us leave to understand it, the precise duty of forgiveness is a perfect negative; it is a letting things alone as they are, and making no more evils in the world, in which already there was one too many, even that which thou didst suffer. And, indeed, that forgiveness is the best, which is the most perfect negative, that is, "in malice, be children;" whose petty quarrels, though they be fierce as a sudden spark, yet they are as innocent as the softest part of their own flesh, and as soon out as that sudden spark, and forgotten perfectly as their first dream: and that is true forgiveness: and without this, we can never pray with just and perfect confidence and expectations. e Mark, xi. 25. f Ignoramus sine pace Communionem.-S. Hieron. Epist. 62. ad Theophilum. St. Peter gives this precept in a considerable instance; "Give honour unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel, that your prayers be not hindered;" that is, consider that they are weak and tender, easily moved, and soon disordered; their understanding is less, and their passions more; and if it happens to be so, bear their burdens, comply with their innocent passions, pity their infirmities, supply the breaches made by their indiscretions, take no notice of little inconveniences: counsel sweetly, reprove tenderly, strike no fires, and enkindle no flames; that is, do all that you can for peace, without peevish quarrels, and little commencements of a domestic war: for if you give way to any thing of this nature, it will hinder your prayers: for how shall the husband and wife pray together, if they be angry at each other? For, without love, and without peace, it is to no purpose to pray. The devotion of a man, that is not in actual peace and kindness with his wife, is like a hot dead coal, it will burn his fingers that touches it, but it is wholly useless: but he that lives in peace with her, in love and prudent conduct, his devotion is a flaming fire; it kindles all that is round about it; it warms and shines; it is beauteous in itself, and it is useful to others; it is fit for the house, and fit for the altar; it will set the incense on smoking, and put the sacrifice on fire. And so it is in every instance of society and conversation; but I instanced in this the rather, because charity at home, and a peaceable society in a family, is the first of all public unions. When Philip of Macedon persuaded the Greek ambassadors, that they should invite their cities to peace and concord, Demaratus, of Corinth, began to laugh at him for his counsel, and thought it a thing ridiculous for him to speak of peace among the Greek republics, who was always wrangling at home with his wife Olympias. But as to the present matter. The fourth council of Carthage refused to accept the 1 Pet. iii. 7. b Greek ambassadors.] Plutarch, from whom Bishop Taylor seems to have taken this anecdote, does not make mention of Greek ambassadors:— Ἐπεὶ δὲ διενεχθέντος αὐτοῦ (Φιλίππου) πρὸς Ὀλυμπιάδα τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν, ἧκε Δημάρατος ὁ Κορίνθιος, ἐπυνθάνετο πῶς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔχουσιν οἱ Ἕλληνες· καὶ ὁ Δημάρατος, Πάνυ γοῦν (ἔφη) σοὶ περὶ τῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ὁμονοίας ὁ λόγος ἐστὶν, οὕτω πρός σε τῶν οἰκειοτάτων ἐχόντων· ὁ δὲ συμφρονήσας ἐπαύσατο τῆς ὀργῆς, καὶ διηλλάγη πρὸς αὐτούς. Apophth. Xyland. T. ii. p. 179. C. (J. R. P.) oblations of quarrelling and angry persons; it is like that of the high priests, in the case of Judas's restitution of the money, they would not put it into the treasury, because it was the price of blood. Now, because our blessed Master in his law hath handled all great angers and uncharitableness under the title of murder, the church thought it reasonable1 not to receive the offerings, that is, to reject from the communion all those persons that were in mutual feuds, enmities, and fierce angers. "I wonder," saith St. Cyprian*, “what peace they can look for, that are at war with their brethren ?". -"These men may be compelled, by their injunction of severe fastings, to be reconciled;" said Fabianus', the martyr. And, in the decree of P. Victor", it was expressly commanded, "That they should be driven from the communion of all faithful people, who are not in peace, and have no charity to all their brethren." This decree was renewed, and earnestly pressed in the council of Agatho"; "They that will not, by the grace of God working within them, lay aside the hatred, and long suits, and dissensions, first let them be reproved by the priests of the city: but if they will not, at their reproof, lay aside their enmity, let them, by a most just excommunication, be driven from the congregations of the church." Which decree the church of England hath inserted into the second rubric, before her office of communion, of which I shall afterwards give account. But, for the present, we may consider, that it is infinitely reasonable, that he that needs, and comes for a great pardon, should not Cap. 93. Concil. Carth. 4. Oblationes dissidentium fratrum, neque in Sacrario, neque in Gazophylacio Episcopi recipiant.— Nunquam mihi contingat turbatum ad pacis accedere sacrificium; cum ira et disceptatione accedere ad sacramentum, in quo Deus indubitanter est, reconcilians mundum sibi. Certe non recipitur munus, quodcunque meum quod defero ad altare, nisi ante placato fratre, quem me forte læsisse meminero.-S. Bernard. de precept. et dispens. * Quam sibi pacem promittunt inimici fratrum? I Possunt tales acerrimis inediis macerari, donec reconcilientur.-Fabian. dist. 90. cap. si quis. Epist. 2. ad Afros. n Placuit ut (sicut plerunque fit) quicunque odio aut longinqua inter se lite dissenserint, et ad pacem revocari divina intentione nequiverint, a sacerdotibus civitatis primitus arguantur : quod si inimicitias deponere perniciosa intentione noluerint, de ecclesiæ cœtu justissima excommunicatione pellantur.-Concil. Agath. cap. 31. stick at the giving a little; and he that desires to be like God, and comes to be united to him, should do like him; that is, rejoice in remitting offences, rather than in punishing them. In this, as in all other things, we must follow God's example; for in this alone he else will follow ours. In imitating him, it is certain, we are innocent; and if in this he follows us, though we be wicked, yet he is holy; because revenge is his, and he alone is to pay it. If, therefore, we will forgive, he will; if we will not, neither will he: for he makes his spear as long, and his angers as lasting, as we do ours. But this duty, and the great reasonableness and necessity, I shall represent in the excellent words of the Talmudists, recorded also by the famous Bensirach'; "He that revengeth, shall find vengeance of the Lord, and he will surely keep his sins in remembrance. Forgive thy neighbour the hurt, that he hath done unto thee; so shall thy sins also be forgiven, when thou prayest. One man keepeth anger against another; and doth he seek healing from the Lord? He showeth no mercy to any man that is like himself; and doth he ask forgiveness for his own sins? If he that is but flesh, nourish hatred, who will entreat for pardon of his sins?" The duty is plain, and the reason urgent, and the commandment express, and the threatening terrible, and the promise excellent. There is in this no more to be said, but that we consider concerning the manner of reducing it to practice, in order to our preparation to a worthy communion and consider the special cases of conscience relating to this great duty. 1. Therefore we are bound to forgive every man that offends us. For concerning every one of our brethren it is equally true, that he is an excellent creation, that he is thy • Det ille veniam facile, cui venia est opus. ν Ὅστις οὖν ἐοικέναι βούλεται θεοῖς, ἀφιεὶς τιμωρίας χαιρέτω μᾶλλον, ἢ λαμβάνων. Libanius. ille rogantem a Si repetes, repetet; si durus es, In reliquis exempla tibi namque omnibus ille Præbet; at hic sequitur quod prior ipse facis : r Eccles. xxviii. 1, 2, 3. Antholog. Bill. |