own example, in that he tenderly exhorted his enemies, rebuked the faults, and laboured to correct the errors of his oppofers; and when their malice and perverseness prevented reformation, yet still he prayed for them :-even for the bitterest and most barbarous, whom inftead of ever injuring or provoking, he was even fuffering to fave. Father forgive them, (fays he, under the torture of the vilest perfecution) for they know not what they do. Whereas in our cafe few of us have any enemies but what we have in fome degree offended, and we very well know what we do in harbouring refentment; we are doing the devil's works for him, at the hazard of

our own fouls.

Again, our Bleffed Master's example is fingulargly eminent, in what respects the ground of this moft chriftian precept; in that he first loved the Father above all things, fo much that he fought not his own glory in any thing he did, but the honor of the Father only. I feek not mine own will, (faith he, in John v. 30,) but the will of Him who fent me; and he could not prove it in a fronger manner, than that he refused not to die to fatisfy his Father's will. Attend to his own fubmiffive expreffions, even under the fevereft conflict of his trial, Matt. xxvi. 39. O my Father, if it be poffible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt. And it was from the force of this principle, that his conduct towards his enemies derived fuch a matchlefs character of compaffionate forbearance; (and it is impoffible to dwell too much upon it) for he demonstrated the pureft love for thofe, who in their hearts, bore him the fouleft hatred; who in their words, fpoke all manner of lying evil of him; and in their actions, perfecuted him with unrelenting malice, even to death. Still we perceive no flackening of his benevolence: He loved them to the end ; preached to them of love; made clear the error of their doctrine; reproached their wicked lives;

fore

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forewarned them of their danger, and did them every kind of good, even patiently receiving whatever they moft ungratefully spake, or did against him. When they reviled him, he answered not again. It is not thus we ufually act, by thofe who give us evil words. When they fmote him, he refifted not. An example we are little apt to follow. And when he suffered death, he did not punish his inveterate murderers as he had power to do: nay did not even threaten them, but with an excefs of pity, which alone establishes the divinity of his nature, he importunes his heavenly Father to fhew them mercy; and as the prophet most beautifully and affectingly expreffes it, Ifaiah liii. ver. 7. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the flaughter, and as a sheep before her fhearers is dumb, fo complaineth be not.

Here we have the moft glorious example in Him who is the way, and the life, how we should bear the fevereft trials, how we fhould conduct ourselves towards our very enemies. And though it is impoffible, we can do it perfectly, as He did, in whom was no fin, yet it is our pofitive duty to endeavour, and to pray for that fpirit to help, which was all-fufficient in Chrift, to uphold perfection; and particularly we must be cautious not to yield to tempers which will enfnare and hurry us into quite different behaviour, by reviling our enemies, expofing their faults, or fetting others against them.

We will now fhortly confider fome of the benefits which may neceffarily flow from this truly Chriftian virtue. This, then, is one grand and general advantage that every one will experience who fincerely examines his own heart; he will thereby difcover, without poffibility of miftake, what condition his foul is in, as to the poffeffion of this moft excellent of the Chriftian graces; whether be be in charity

charity with all men, and fo the child of God, or not: for although almost all people are apt to perfuade themselves they are in charity with the world, (efpecially when the prospect of a future ftate bringeth the neceffity of the condition nearer to them) yet in order that they may not deceive themselves, it will be highly expedient, before they arrive to the above extremity, to probe and search their heart, life, and converfation, that is, what they occafionally feel, act, and fay, concerning their neighbor, friend, or foe, by which they will quickly perceive whether they are in perfect charity, or not *. And fo in refpect to God, we may likewise obtain an unerring judgment of the measure of our charity or love towards Him, by the following teftimony. He who is not a flave to his own will, but devoteth himself fincerely to his Maker's service, he may be fure that he loveth God as becometh a dependant creature; but if he hath not this witness in himself, he loveth him not, whatever he may pretend, or fancy. And the certainty of this rule, to try the ftate of our heart, both toward God and man, is fully established by the declaration of our Lord himself, in John xiii. 35. In regard to men, he fays, By this fhall all men know that ye are my difciples, if ye have love one to another; as alfo in 1 John ii. 10. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light; 11. but he that hateth his brother is in darkness. Again, 1 Ep. v. 2, 3. By this we we know that we are the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments: and this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And in the 14th, 15th, and 21ft, Chrift, fpeaking of our love towards God, requireth this proof of our fincere affection for him: If ye love me, keep my commandments; for he that bath my commandments, and

* Whatever men may fay, or think, this, in refpect to enemies, is one of the hardest of all Chriftian duties to perform fincerely: but the value and neceffity of it, is fully fhewn in the act that crowned our Savior's virtue and fufferings, as before described.

VOL. I.

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keepeth

keepeth them, be it is that loveth me. If a man love me, be will keep my words, and my Father will love him; and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him : but he that loveth me not, keepeth not my fayings. These then are the infallible marks by which we must try ourselves. Our love towards God and our neighbour reciprocally prove each other: he who confcientiously regards God's laws; who poffeffes a kind heart and difpofition; and wifely directeth his words and actions towards all mankind, both friend and foe; he may be allured that he hath charity; that charity which covereth the multitude of fins. And he may fafely truft, that God will receive him as his own; for, as St. John fays, 1 John iii. 10. In this the children of God are manifeft, and the children of the devil: whosoever doth not righteousness is not of God, neither be that loveth not his brother. Now it is impossible to love a person, and fhew any manner of evil towards him; it is impoffible to love a man, (in a religious fenfe) and not with him as happy as we hope to be ourselves, through the help, and for the merit's fake of Jefus Chrift.

THE SECOND PART.

Ir is to be hoped you have duly attended to the above fhort, plain, and ufeful account of this Chrif tian virtue, fo highly magnified by the apoftle in the text: It will profit you to confider ferioufly what further remains to be offered upon the most difficult part of this important fubject.

The degenerated nature of mankind, corrupted as it is through fin, and void of God's word and

grace,

grace, is inclined to think it contrary to reafon that we should love our enemies, and hath multiplied arguments to prove it fo. Now against every falfe pretence of this kind, we must always oppose the doctrine and example of Jesus Christ; who having tef tified fuch care for us, even when in a ftate of defperate enmity to God, and all goodnefs, doth thereby naturally oblige us to love our enemies. For as for our fake he patiently endured fuch manifold and undeferved reproaches, the most cruel fcourgings, and the most shameful death, fo we cannot be reckoned his disciples unless we are willing to follow the leffon he hath taught us. Chrift (faith St. Peter, 1 Ep. ii. 21.) bath fuffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps.

But further, we must consider, that to love our friends only, or those who are partial to us, is no more than robbers, adulterers, and various wicked characters, have been known to do; fo that Jews, Turks, and Infidels may equal us in this; nay, the very beafts of the field difcover a fondnefs toward thofe from whom they receive fupport or kindness ; but to be tenderly difpofed towards an enemy, is the exalted character of thofe only, who are truly chil dren of God, and faithful difciples and followers of Chrift. Now this, we must confefs, is not the cha racter of man, when left to the dictates of his own. proud and froward nature, for under the influence of original depravity, he is too apt to ponder deeply, to aggravate, and repeat the offences and difpleafure fhewn him by his adverfary; he is too ready to con fider it an intolerable burden to cherish any degree of love towards thofe that are supposed to hate him. But this duty would not appear fo irkfome, if on the other hand, a man impartially reflected what thare of injury his enemy may have received from bim, or what poffible benefit he may have formerly experienced from thofe he now efteems his enemies. And if the mind cannot correct its rancor by either

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