chance, our Hand be not upon him to Kill him, or do him Hurt; yet, if we cherish Angry and Revengeful Paflions against him; If we With him Harm, and Secretly Curse him; If we Triumph and Rejoyce at those Calamities which befall him; This in Scripture account is as real a Breach of the Law of Forgiveness, as if we had been the actual Executioners of Ep. Jo. our Revenge upon him. He that hateth his Brother is a Murderer, and ye know that no Murderer bath eternal Life abiding in him. 3. 15. But befides the Precepts of our Religion, this is the most generous and likely way to Reconciliation. Sure there are few fo averfe to Peace, but will in time be wrought upon by Kindness and Charity: Malice will of it felf, expire, if it have no Adversary to contend with. How much more, when Evil is repaid with Good? Rom. 12. And this is St. Paul's Argument. If thine Ene 20. my hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him Drink; for in fo doing thou shalt heap Coals of Fire on his Head. Heap Coals of Fire upon his Head! How's that? Does the Apoftle mean thou fhalt thereby add to his Guilt, kindle the Fire of Hell against him, and increase his Damnation? No, That indeed, (as we are wont to fpeak) would be Malice with a Vengeance. But, as I conceive, the Meaning is, by doing good to thy Enemy; by relieving his Wants, if he ftand in need of thy Charity; by forgiving him the Injuries he hath done unto thee; thou fhalt kindle in him that Flame of of Affection, that holy Fire of Love, which will gain him to thy Friendfhip; which will bring him to Repentance; which will make him afhamed of his Wickednefs. This, I take to be the moft Chriftian Senfe of heaping Coals of Fire upon his Head; and it is confirmed by the following Words. Be not overcome of Evil, but overcome Evil with Good. But 3dly, It is further required in Reconciliation, that we recompenfe Good unto our offending Brother, if he ftand in need of our Affiftance and Charity. It is not enough to forbear the Returns of Evils; to forgive him heartily, but we are obliged to exercife real and pofitive Acts of Mercy towards him, to feed him if he be hungry, to cloth him if he be naked, to comfort him if he be dejected, and in Affliction. But poffibly he needs no fuch Affiftance, his Condition in the World is Wealthy, and Profperous, or poffibly his Malice is fuch, that he is not to be won by any thing I can do; he will fcorn my Tenders of Love and Reconciliation: If so, the Sin lies at his Door, his Blood fhall be required, but thou haft delivered thy Soul. But ftill there is a Way left, whereby thou mayeft conquer his Obftinacy, whereby thou mayeft do him Good whether he will or no; thy Prayers are in thy own Power, he can't refuse the Affiftance of them, he cannot defeat that Charity. Heaven is always open to the Addreffes of the Faith G3 · ful ful; fend up thy Prayers thither, that the Wickednefs of his Heart may be forgiven, and that he may be endued with the Spirit of Peace and Charity. He is a very forry Chriftian that can't freely forgive, that can't heartily recommend the greatest Enemy he has in the World to the Divine Mercy. If this Spirit be not in us, we are none of Chrift's, we are not fit to have any thing to do with the Matters of his Religion. It is indeed a confiderable Objection against habitual Paffion and Revenge, that they cloud and ruffle our Reafon, difcompofe our Spirits, and caft our Minds into a violent Ferment and Intoxication; fo that we can neither fpeak advisedly, nor act confiftently, nor converfe friendly with Men; yet this is very little in Comparison of the Mischief they do us upon a Religious Account. What Acts of Pra&tical, or Devotional Piety are fuch capable of performing? They are abfolute Strangers to whatever looks like Affability, Condefcention, and Courtefy, and to all the Innocent Pleasures, and Virtues of the Social Life; they can never enjoy any Quiet at Home; they know not what it is to be fedate and compofed, to tafte the comfortable Reflections, to be refreshed with the calm and gentle Breezes, to feed continually upon the Voluptuous Feaft of a good Confcience; they can neither confider wifely, nor refolve fteadily, nor bring their Ways Ways to a diftinct Remembrance, nor bewail their Sins with a juft and true Repentance. And as to the Matters of Devotion, they are yet more indifpofed, and more unworthy. Can fuch be thought to be under any tolerable Difpofitions to Prayer and Thanksgi ving, to the making folemn Vows, and entering into Covenant with God; to engage in Sacraments, and the higheft Acts of Religious Communion and Love? No, though we do venture upon the external Performance of thefe; though we appear in the Ways of outward Worship; though we leave our Gift before the Altar; yet if our Hearts be full of Wrath and naughty Affections; if we go away without being reconciled to our Brother, our Prayers and Praises, our Vows and Promifes, our Sacraments and Oblations, are no better than a vain Piece of Pageantry, mere Deceit and Hypocrify. But here it may perhaps be demanded; If this be the Nature of Chriftian Reconciliation, how long are we to pray, how oft, and to what Degrees, fhall our Brother fin against us, and we be ftill bound to forgive him? till feven times, nay, till feventy times feven? Muft Men be for ever Paffive? Muft we always yield to Injuries and Reproaches? And as it was prophecy'd of our Saviour, muft we give our Back to the Smiters, and our Cheeks to them that plucked off the Hair? Can no Wounds of an Enemy be fo great, GA as |