to Law.

Sunday Twill be a ready reply in every man's mouth, XVII. Thou hypocrite, caft out firft the beam out of thine own eye, Matt. vii. 5. And therefore, be fure thou qualify thy felf for the work. There is one point of Peaceableness, which feems to be little regarded among men, and Of going that is in the cafe of legal trefpaffes; men think it nothing to go to Law about every petty trifle, and as long as they have but Law on their fide, never think they are to blame; but fure, had we that true Peaceableness of spirit, which we ought, we should be unwilling, for fuch light matters,to trouble and difquiet our neighbours. Not that all going to Law is utterly unchriftian, but fuch kind of fuits efpecially, as are upon contentiousness and ftoutness of humour, to defend fuch an inconfiderable right, as the parting with will do us little or no harm, or, which is yet worfe, to avenge fuch a tref país. And even in great matters, he that Thall part with fomewhat of his right for love of Peace, does furely the moft Chriftianly, and most agreeably to the advice of the Apofle, 1 Cor. vi. 7. Rather to take wrong, and fuffer our felves to be defrauded. But if the damage be fo unfupportable, that it is neceffary for us to go to Law, yet even then we muft take care of preferving Peace; firft, by car rying ftill a friendly and Chriftian temper wards the party, not fuffering our hearts to be at all eftranged from him; fecondly, by being willing to yield to any reasonable terms of agree

4

to

agreement, whenever they fhall be offered; Sunday and truly, if we carry not this temper of mind XVII. in our fuits, I fee not how they can be reconcilable with that Peaceableness so strictly required of all Chriftians. Let thofe confider this, who make it their pleasure themselves to difquiet their neighbour, or their trade to stir up others to do it. This tender regard of Peace, both in our felves and others, is abfolutely neceffary to be entertained of all thofe, who own themselves to be the servants of him, whose title it is to be the Prince of Peace, Ifa. ix. 6.

actions

to enemies.

17. All that remains to be touched on con- This Chacerning this Charity of the actions, is the ex-rity of the tent of it, which must be as large as the for- mutreach mer of the affections, even to the taking in, not only strangers, and thofe of no relation to us, but even of our bitterest enemies. I have already spoken fo much of the obligation we are under to forgive them, that I fhall not here fay any thing of that; but that being fuppofed a duty, 'twill fure then appear no unreafonable thing to proceed one step further, by doing them good turns; for when we have once forgiven them, we can then no longer account them enemies, and fo it will be no hard matter, even to flesh and blood, to do all kind things to them. And indeed, this is the way, by which we must try the fincerity of our forgiveness. 'Tis eafy to fay, I forgive fuch a man, but if, when an opportunity of doing him good is offered, thou declineft it, 'tis ap

parent

Bunday parent there yet lurks the old malice in thy XVII. heart; where there is a thorough forgiveness,

there will be as great a readiness to benefit an Enemy, as a Friend, nay, perhaps in some refpects, a greater, a true charitable perfon looking upon it as an especial prize, when he has an opportunity of evidencing the truth of his reconciliation, and obeying the precept of his Saviour, by doing good to them that hate him, Matt. v. 44. Let us therefore refolve, that all actions of kindness are to be performed to our Enemies ;for which we have not only the command, but also the example of Christ, who had not only fome inward relentings towards us, his obftinate and most provoking Enemies, but fhewed it in acts, and those no cheap or eafy ones, but fuch as coft him his dearest blood. And furely we can never pretend to be either obeyers of his command, or followers of his example, if we grudge to testify our loves to our Enemies, by those so much cheaper ways of feeding them in hunger, and the like, recommended to us by the Apostle, Rom. xii. 20. But if we could perform thefe acts of kindness to Enemies in fuch manner, as might draw them from their enmity, and win them to peace, the Charity would be doubled, and this we should aim at ; for that we fee the Apostle fets as the end of the forementioned acts of feeding, &c. that we may heap coals of fire on their heads; not coals to bum, but to melt them into all love and tenderness

towards

XVII.

towards us; and this were indeed the most Dunday compleat way of imitating Chrift's example, who, in all he did and suffered for us, defigned the reconciling of us to himself.

an hin

rity.

18. I have now fhewed you the feveral self-love parts of our duty to our neighbour, towards drance ta the performance whereof I know nothing this Cha more neceffary, than the turning out of our hearts that Self-love which fo often poffeffes them, and that fo wholly, that it leaves no room for Charity, nay, nor Justice neither, to our neighbour. By this Self-love I mean not that true love of our felves, which is the love and care of our fouls (for that would certainly help, not hinder us in this duty) but I mean that immoderate love of our own worldly interests and advantages, which is apparently the root of all both injustice and uncharitablenefs towards others. We find this fin of Selflove fet by the Apostle in the head of a whole troop of fins, 2 Tim. iii. 2. as if it were fome principal officer in Satan's camp; and certainly not without reafon; for it never goes without an accursed train of many other fins, which, like the Dragon's tail, Rev. xii. 4. sweeps away all care of duty to others. We are by it made fo vehement and intent upon the pleafing our felves, that we have no regard to any body elfe, contrary to the direction of St. Paul, Rom. xv. 2. which is not to please our felves, but every man to please his neighbour for his good to edification, which he backs with the example

of

Sunday of Chrift, ver. 3. For even Chrift pleafed not XVII. imfelf. If therefore we have any fincere de

Prayer a

means to

fire to have this virtue of Charity rooted in our hearts, we must be careful to weed out this fin of Self-love; for 'tis impoffible they can profper together.

19. But when we have removed this hinprocure it drance, we must remember, that this, as all other graces, proceeds not from our selves, it is the gift of God; and therefore we must earneftly pray to him to work it in us, to fend his Holy Spirit, which once appeared in the form of a Dove, a meek and gall-lefs creature, to frame our hearts to the fame temper, and enable us rightly to perform this duty.

Chriftian

Duties

both poffi

20.

I' Have now past through those feveral branches I at first propofed, and fhewble and ed you what is our duty to God, our selves, pleafant. and our neighbour: Of which I may fay, as

it is, Luke x. 28. This do, and thou shalt live. And furely, 'tis no impoffible task to perform this in fuch a measure, as God will graciously accept, that is, in fincerity, tho' not in perfection; for God is not that auftere master, Luke xix. 20. that reaps where he has not fown: He requires nothing of us, which he is not ready by his grace to enable us to perform, if we be not wanting to our felves, either in asking it by prayer, or in ufing it by diligence. And as 'tis not impoffible, fo neither is it such a fad melancholy task, as men are apt to