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[SERM. with Kindneffes, by giving, or lending, or shewing any other Kindnefs in your Power, as his Circumftances fhall require.

In fpeaking to the Words, there are these three Things I fhall endeavour to fhew.

I. In general, from the Context, that it is the Duty of Chriftians to do Good for Evil.

II. That if our Adverfary is in Want, we ought to bestow our Bounty upon him, as upon other Objects of Charity and Beneficence.

III. That if he is not in fuch Want, as to need our Bounty by way of Charity, yet if his Circumftances are fuch, that he wants our Help out of any Straits and Difficulties, by lending, or any other Favour and Courtefy, we ought readily to afford it, and not fhew our felves hardhearted, difficult, or morofe, upon fuch Occafions.

I. In general, that it is the Duty of Chriftians to do Good for Evil. This is to be gathered chiefly from the Connexion and Purport of this Difcourfe; for all this is brought in upon the Law of Retaliation, in which the first thing recommended by our Saviour, is the not revenging or retaliating of the Injury, the not rendering Evil for Evil. But we are not to stop there, but to proceed to do Good for Evil; or as the Apostle St Paul excellently words it, Rom. xii. at the laft Verfe, to overcome Evil with Good.

This, no doubt, at firft fight, muft appear a very strange Doctrine to the unrenewed Nature of Man, which delights in nothing more than in contriving and executing all Mischief against an Adverfary. And indeed it feems a little hard and unreasonable,

unreasonable, that we should not only not retaliate Injuries, but likewife treat the injurious Perfon with all manner of good Offices. If this be the way of treating him that injures us, how must we treat our Friends and Benefactors? For clearing of this Difficulty, there are a few things I would offer to your Confideration.

1. That there are many good Offices we owe to all Mankind, from which the Injuries of others to us do not exempt us; and yet that these come far fhort of the more exalted Love which we owe to our Friends: For if it were a fufficient Excufe from Duty to our Neighbour, that he has injured us, it might be in the Power of the injurious Man to fufpend all the Laws of God, which teach us our Duty to one another. All then that we plead for, when we exhort you to render Good for Evil, comes to this, Not that you fhould immediately chuse the injurious Man into the Number of your Friends, till, by his after-Expreffions of Kindness, he fhews himself worthy of fuch a Truft; but only that ye do him thofe good Offices which we owe to all Men, or to that particular Station and Relation in which he is placed.

2. Let us confider when our Neighbour has injured us, that though the not retaliating the Injury, is a moft excellent Chriftian Duty, yet the Work of gaining and recovering him entirely, is not compleated, unless we go on to pay him all the good Offices which are due from one kind Neighbour to another. The bare negative part of good Neighbourhood, that is, the abftaining from doing Evil to the injurious Man, though it be a Cc 2 good

[SERM. good beginning, it will be apt to mifcarry, except it is purfued with following Acts of Beneficence: and therefore, as we reckon him an unwife Man who does his Work by halves, who begins his Building, but stops fhort in the middle, and never finishes; the fame may be applied to the bare not retaliating of Injuries, if we do not proceed to back that good beginning with farther Acts of Charity, Courtefy, and Kindness, fuch as are due from one Chriftian Man to another.

3. Let us confider that the regaining of an Adversary, being a Work of very great Difficulty, requires a steady diligent Hand to carry it on, till he is entirely recovered from his Enmity and ill Temper of Mind. Such a great and difficult Work as this is, muft not be stinted by the Punctilio's of Honour, falfly fo called, but muft wade through good Report, and bad Report, through many Affronts, Neglects, and Provocations, towards the finishing of it.

So much for the general Doctrine, That we are to render Good for Evil.

IL I proceed now to the Second, which relates more particularly to our Adversary in Want; Give to him that afketh thee; or rather, give to him when he afketh thee; for by the Connexion, I am induced to believe the Difcourfe goes on ftill of the injurious Man, concerning whom we are directed, firft, not to retaliate his Injuries, but rather to venture the receiving of a fecond Wrong, than avenge the firft. Then we are commanded not to neglect any Acts of Beneficence that he may want, and is willing to accept at our Hands. And thofe Wants are here defcribed to be of two forts, fuch as may be fupplied by giving, and by lending;

lending; and in both Cafes, our Duty to our Adverfary is directed: First, if he is in Want, and will vouchfafe to afk, or accept of any Supply from thee, give it him. But if his Circumftances are fuch, as put him rather upon borrowing than afking, fhew not thy felf averfe from his Relief in that fort of Courtefy or Obligation. But we are now upon the firft of thefe, give to him when he afketh thee; the Meaning I take to be, q. d. If he that has formerly injured thee, comes to be in Want, fo as to afk any Supply of thee, let not any Refentment of Injuries hinder thee from performing the fame Acts of Charity to him, as if he had not injured thee. It is no wonder that Charity is reckoned up in the first place, as a very proper thing to gain an Adverfary, there being no Duty whatsoever more endearing, than a Readiness to relieve our Neighbour in his Distress, especially fuch a Neighbour, who, by his former Behaviour, had Reafon to expect rather Differvices, than Acts of Kindness and Charity from us. But the great Difficulty is, to bring our corrupt Natures to perform this endearing Duty to our Adverfaries; for it meets with feveral Impediments, both on the part of him from whom this Charity is expected, and on the part of him on whom it fhould be bestowed; which therefore ought to be removed.

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1. First, on his part who fhould fhew this Charity, there are his own real or pretended Occafions; there are Remainders of Covetoufness and especially in this Cafe, there are Remainders of Malice and Refentment, all which do eafily step in to hinder this noble piece of Charity in relieving of Enemies, and fuch as have injured us, As

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As to the firft of these, our own real or pretended Occafions; this is a bottomlefs Gulph, which as it obftructs all Charity in general, fo more efpecially this to our Enemies, and those who have injured us, because it is an eafy thing for fuch Perfons to pretend, if they have any thing to fpare, which they seldom have, it must go to their Friends, and not to their Enemies. There is nothing more eafy than to find Reasons and Pretences for not parting with what we have. For either Mens Rank, and Quality, and Station in the World, or at least the Compliance with all the expenceful Fashions that are brought up, will require it for their prefent living, or fomething must be laid up for Sickness and Old Age, and other Accidents incident to Human Life; or their Children, or other Relations, muft be provided for, and that not Moderately, fo as by God's Bleffing on their own Industry, to procure them an honeft Livelihood; but Eftates must be purchased, or laid up for them, and nothing trufted to God's Providence. If these be good Reasons to keep what we have, then the Door is fhut to all Charity, not only to Enemies, but to all others whatsoever. But on the other Hand, if we can learn to confine our Wants within the Bounds of Nature and Grace; if we can truft Providence with the future, and in the mean time are defirous to do good to all, as we have Opportunity: If we can obferve the Rules of Frugality and Contentment, without aiming after the top of the Fashion, which will engage us deep in extravagant Expences; we need never want fomething more or lefs to give for the occafions of Charity, to help not only our Friends

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