comment of St. Paul on this great law of his master. Bless them that perfecute you; blefs and curfe not. Recompence to no man evil for evil. If it be poffible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Revenge not yourself, but rather give place unto wrath. If your enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirst give him drink. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Be ye tender bearted forgiving one another, even as God, for Chrift's fake bath forgiven you. Walk worthy of the vocation, wherewith ye are called, with all lowlinefs and meekness, with long-fuffering, forbearing one another (no doubt, he means, when injuries arife) in love; and let your love be without diffimulation.

God is love, and his religion, flowing from him, as light from a luminous body, is of the fame nature with him, is love alfo. On the love of God and our neighbour bang all the law and the prophets, fo that love is the fulfilling of the law. Accordingly humility, meeknefs, forgiveness, love, as exemplified in the life of our bleffed Saviour here on earth, exhauft his whole history.

On the other hand, the religion, if I may fo exprefs it, of the devil, is of a piece with himself, and confifts of pride, malice, revenge, perfecution. There are other differences between the fruits of the good and the evil Spirit; but herein is found that peculiar diftinction, which Chrift himself hath pointed out, and whereby he would have his difciples known from those of the evil being. The followers of Chrift are marked in every feature, in their tongues, and in their hands, with love. The followers of fatan are marked in the fame places with hatred. You fee, you hear, you feel, the distinction, as foon as you nough to either.

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Now, let a man profefs as vehemently, and talk as eloquently, as he will, about religion, if he carries no the mark of Chrift, he is to be regarded but as founding brass, a mixture of impudence and noife, and should be heard only as a loud cymbal, proclaiming the triumphs of vanity.

If you, to whom I am fpeaking, are one of that numerous clafs, who never err, who are perfect, and faultlefs, Chrift came not to call you, either to repentance or forgiveness. You fit too high on your infallibility to be touched by the text or difcourfe of this day. Look down however with pity on the reft of mankind, who move in a fphere fo far beneath you; and as you cannot be affected with the worft they are able to do to you, to pass it over with the ferenity and fublimity, natural to a foul fo elevated as yours is, will be the eafieft thing in the world to you, who fuffer fools gladly because you yourself are wife.

But in cafe you are one of thofe poor weak mortals who often ftray from the path of true wifdom and holiness, you ought to know, that nothing can be fo wildly abfurd in you, as disobedience to the command of Chrift in my text, not only as a command (for who with impunity fhall difobey the Lord of all?) but as a propofal infinitely advantageous to you. Left paffion and prejudice fhould blind you in an affair, which hath already raised you to too great a degree of warmth, try the merits of this propofal in lower matters, and in other perfons. Forgive, faith a mafter to one of his fervants, in your hearing, forgive your fellow-fervant the guinea he owes you, and you fhall be forgiven the hundred you owe me. Forgive that other fellow-fervant the reproaches he hath flung at you, and you fhall be forgiven the theft you lately committed, when you

was

was discovered ftealing my goods. Forgive that third fellow-fervant the blow you juft now received from him, and you fhall be forgiven the affault you committed on me, your mafter, for which you are now under profecution. If you do not comply with me in this, you fhall be paid your guinea; but then I will exact my hundred guineas of you to the very laft farthing. You shall have fatisfaction too for the affront offered you; but fhall be publickly expofed to the infamy your theft hath deserved. I will punish the man who ftruck you, as juftice requires, but will execute on you the rigour of that juftice for your act of rebellion and violence against myself. As you measure from you, I will meafure to you, mercy for mercy, juftice for juftice, vengeance for vengeance. You demand an exact account, and fhall have it; but you shall also give it.

You think this fervant a perfect madman, when you hear him crying out, I infift on an account, I will be paid, I will have fatisfaction. Do you indeed? Well then, Chrift is the mafter, and thou art the man. What will you not forgive a trifle, to be forgiven that which is infinite? will you plunge to the bottom of the lake, for the pleafure of feeing your enemy fwim on the furface? How is it, that you judge fo clearly in things of little moment, which relate to others, while in a case of the fame nature, but of the laft confequence to yourself, you are wholly ftupid? Is it felf that shuts your eyes? felf! which, of all things, ought to open them, when your falvation is brought in question? Amazing! whom will you fee for, if you cannot fee for yourself? Whom will you be wife for, if you will not be advised by Solomon to be wise for yourself?

I have nothing further to fay, than only, in the most earnest manner, to beg, you would behold upon the whole of what hath been offered, the infinite excellence of the gospel-scheme in reference to the doctrine urged in this difcourfe, and to embrace it, with your whole understanding and heart, as divinely just and merciful throughout; just, inafmuch as it turns you over to your own law to be judged, for with what judgment ye judge, ye fall be judged, and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again; and merciful, inafmuch as you are graciously offered forgiveness of all your great, crying, and provoking fins against God, on the easy terms of forgiving the much smaller offences of men against you. Reject this propofal, and you are loft forever. Receive it, and you do the utmoft, that man can do, to enfure your own Salvation.

God give you understanding in all things, more particularly in this, to make a wife choice, and thereby to make sure your election and adoption, as the child of the merciful and forgiving God, through Chrift Jefus our Saviour, to whom, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all might, majefty, dignity, and dominion, now and for evermore. Amen,

DISCOURSE XIX.

The Pinnacle of Chrift's Church.

Matt. v. 43, 44.

Ye have heard that it hath been faid, thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

But I Say unto you, love your enemies; bless them that curfe you; do good to them that hate you; and pray for them which defpitefully ufe you and perfecute you.

T

HE law of God, more perfect than those

of men, having required it of his people to love one another as neighbours, which no human law ever did; the falfe interpreters of this divine law, as if a rule of contraries might here have place, did in obedience to an untoward nature, and to unaffifted reafon, give it as a law too, that an Ifraelite bould hate his enemy. Barbarous conclufion! but fo agreeable was it to the natural pride and refentments of mankind, that no ordinance of God was ever kept with equal ftrictnefs, as Chrift and his difciples, though far A a 4 from

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