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ness shall be exposed to the view and the contempt of saints and angels; who shall subscribe to the righteous doom of their condemnation. Think, whither canst thou hide thy shame, when men and angels shall point at thee with scorn; and thy folly shall be proclaimed, loud as the last trumpet of the great Archangel, which heaven and earth, and all the world shall hear?

What is it, then, that makes thee consider sin a thing so trifling, when death and eternal wrath are so certainly entailed on it? Consider how cutting will be the reflection, when, writhing amid insufferable torments, thou shalt curse thyself as a wretched fool, that ever thou shouldst have made ight of those sins which could not fail to bring thee to destruction.

Be persuaded, therefore, O my brethren, to be wise betimes, even whilst it is called to-day, in securing the salvation of your souls; lest you also, when there is no redress, should curse your own folly, for bringing upon you all those fearful extremities of eternal and unmitigated anguish.

SERMON XXVII.

FROM TILLOTSON *.

MATTHEW V. 44.

But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.

THE Gospel promises us forgiveness of sins on two conditions that we sincerely repent of the sins which we have committed against God; and, that we heartily forgive to men the injuries and offences of which they have been guilty towards us.

The latter of these, from the words which I have recited to you, (being part of our Saviour's Sermon upon the Mount,) shall be the subject of the following discourse.

The duty here required of us is, that we bear a

* John Tillotson, Archbishop of Canterbury, was born 1630, and died 1694.

sincere affection to our most malicious and implacable enemies, and be ready, upon occasion, to give proofs of it. But since it may seem a hard duty, and not so easy to be reconciled either to our inclination or our reason; I shall endeavour to show, that this law is not only reasonable, but more easy, and upon all accounts of much greater benefit and advantage, than the contrary: and that upon four considerations; which, I think, will not only convince our judgment of the reasonableness of this precept, but likewise bend our will to the obedience and practice of it.

I. Consider the act required of us, which is to love. Love, under the government of reason, is the most natural and delightful of all the affections which God has planted in human nature; whereas hatred and revenge are troublesome and vexatious passions. That revenge is sweet, is a common saying but to a calm and considerate mind, patience and forgiveness are far sweeter, and afford a more rational and more lasting pleasure. Besides, the consequences of this passion are commonly prejudicial to ourselves. For the revenge of one injury naturally draws on more; and whoever thinks to transfer the injury which he has received upon him that did it, doubles it upon himself. So if not for their sakes, yet for our own, we should love our enemies, and do good to them that hate us; because this is as great a kindness to ourselves, as it is charity to others.

II. Consider the object; it being our enemy whom we are required to love. If we persist in our kindness to him, notwithstanding his enmity to us, the enmity may wear off, and perhaps be changed into a sincere and lasting friendship. If we could be impartial and lay aside prejudice, we might discern, perhaps, many good qualities in him who hates us and virtue is to be owned, and praised, and loved, even in an enemy. Perhaps his enmity to us is not so great and inexcusable a fault, as we imagine. Possibly we have provoked him; or, by his own mistake, or through the malicious representation of others, he may be induced to think so. And even at the worst, we should recollect that he has the same nature with us; which we cannot hate or despise, without the hatred and contempt of ourselves. Some unhappy accident may make men enemies, but, naturally, every man is a friend to another.

Consider farther, that an enemy, even whilst he is exercising his enmity towards us, may do us many acts of real advantage; which, though they do not proceed from kindness, yet in truth are benefits. The malicious censures of our enemies, if we make a right use of them, may prove of more advantage to us, than the civilities of our greatest friends.

We can hardly forbear to love a flatterer, to embrace him, and to take him into our bosom; and yet a professed and open enemy is a thousand times less dangerous. It is fortunate for many that they

have had enemies, who have frequently been the happy occasion of their reforming those faults, which none but an enemy would have taken the freedom, I had almost said, would have had the friendship, to have told them. Love and kindness will conquer even the worst of men. And, after a

man has done the greatest injury to another; not only to find no revenge following it, but the first opportunity taken to oblige him, is so unexpected and surprising, that it can hardly fail to gain upon the very worst disposition, and to melt the hardest temper. So that we should love our enemies, if not for what they are at present, yet for what they may be, and in hope that by these means, they may, in time, become our friends.

III. Consider the excellence and generosity of the thing itself. To love our enemies, and to do good to them thai hate us, is the perfection of goodness. It is the most excellent and perfect act of the greatest and most perfect of all virtues-charity; which, by St. Paul, is called the bond of perfection. So that to return good for evil, and love for hatred, is one of the greatest arguments of a great mind, of deep wisdom and consideration; for naturally our first inclinations and thoughts towards our enemies, are full of anger and revenge; but our second, and wiser thoughts, will tell us, that FORGIVENESS is much more generous. Nor can a more glorious victory be gained over another, than that when

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