and Benefactors, if they fhould come to be in want, but likewife to gain and recover our Adverfaries. But, 2. Secondly, the next Impediment I mentioned, is, from remainders of Covetousness, which is a greater Enemy to Charity than the other. For our Occafions, though a little extravagant, may be all anfwered and fatisfied at laft; but Covetoufnefs will never be fatisfied, it is an unquenchable Thirft after the World; and what comes from the Covetous Man, comes fo aukwardly and unwillingly, that the leaft fhew of an Impediment obftructs it, and therefore it will hardly amount to Charity to Friends, far lefs to this noble Degree of Charity to Enemies. But as to this Principle of Covetoufnefs, I fhall only say this, that whoever is in the leaft acquainted with the Chriftian Religion, as it is taught in the Gospel, muft fee the abfolute neceffity of Conquering and Overcoming it, before he can hope to get to Heaven. Our Saviour argues this excellently in this fame Sermon on the Mount, in which he has many touches at it; but particularly it is handled at large in the vi. Chapter of this Gospel, from the 19. Verfe to the End of the Chapter, to which I refer you, as being full of excellent Arguments against this Vice, and so I leave it. 3. But laftly, among the Impediments of this Duty in my Text, I reckoned the remainders of Malice and Refentment, which often lie hid in the Bottom of the Heart, and are not easy to be discovered, till we find this back wardness to relieve him that has injured us, in his Distress. For it is a much more eafy thing, verbally to forgive an Injury, and, for our own eafe, to forbear Revenging of it, than it is by any coftly Acts of Charity, to fhew our Adverfary

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[SERM. Adverfary that we are perfectly reconciled to him. But then is the proper Time, and these are the fureft Circumstances, in which we can both fatisfy our felves and the World, that we have no Malice and Refentment; namely, when our Adverfary wants our Affiftance, and we are in a Condition to afford it, if we fhew our felves then to be of a generous bountiful Difpofition to him, and eafily exorable to all his juft Requests of that Nature.

2. These are the ufual Impediments of this bounty, on the part of the injured Perfon from whom this Bounty in the Text is required. There are fome other Impediments of it likewife on the part of the injurious Perfon who wants this Relief; my Text fays, give to him when he asks thee. Now fome there are fo ftout, that they would fooner starve, than either afk or accept of a favour from one they have difobliged. It is often obferved, that they who have done the Injury, are the hardest to be reconciled, and are so far from being gained by the offer of a kindness, that it doth but renew the Enmity; and while they continue in that irreconcileable Temper, perhaps it is better to let them alone, till they come a little to themselves, and the fury of the Storm is fpent: With these Men we must choose the eafy Times of Accefs; the Mollia tempora fandi, before we offer them so much as a Gift or Courtefy. It would feem, by my Text, there must be fome advances on their Part, they muft, by them felves, or their Friends in their Name, defire favours, before they can expect they will be bestowed on them by their Adverfary whom they have injured. Give to him when he afketh thee, or defireth

defireth a favour of thee. So much for the giving or defiring part.

III. I come now in the third and laft Place, to fhew, that though our Adverfary is not properly in fuch indigent Circumftances as to want our Charity to fupply him by the way of Gift, he may perhaps want our help by way of Loan, or other fuch like Courtefy; and in that Cafe, we are not to turn away from him, that is, we are not to treat him in a Scornful, Hard-hearted, Inexorable, or unfriendly Manner, but in a Courteous and Friendly way, readily to afford him our Relief. Give him when he afketh thee, and when he would borrow of thee, turn not away from him. For ftill, as I obferved before, I am of Opinion that our Saviour is pursuing the fame Subject of Difcourse concerning the way of behaving our felves to one that has injured us. For befides downright giving, there are many ways by which Men deal in good Offices one with another, affording their mutual Help and Affiftance by lending Money to one another, and laying out their Credit, Authority, Countenance, and Intereft for one another'sBenefit. Now in all this fort of traffick of good Offices, our Saviour wills us to be ready to affift the Man who has injured us, and by that means to perfect the Friendship and Reconciliation. The Expreffion too of not turning away, when we are addreffed to upon thefe Occafions, points at the Manner in which fuch Services are to be done. For fometimes Men turn away in a Paffion from those who defire favours of them; the contrary of which is here enjoined; namely, that in a kind, gentle, courteous Way, fuch Perfons and their Addreffes fhould be received. Again, turning a

way

[SERM. way implies a Stiffnefs, and Inexorablenefs, a Refolution not to yield or grant one's Requeft; the contrary of which is here recommended, namely, that our favours to them who have injured us be real in good Deeds, as well as in good Words; thus to distinguish them from the kindness of the World, which evaporates in Complement, but there is nothing real under it. Thirdly, turning away implies at least a Backwardnefs and Unreadiness to grant, an off-put and want of Determination; which often spoils the Gracefulness of a Grant; in oppofition to which, a Readiness and good Grace in granting is recommended; which is often more taking and obliging than the Grant itfelf, and tends exceedingly to gaining the Heart of the Adversary.

I have now explained what I take to be the true Scope and Defign of the Text: My next Bufinefs fhall be briefly to exhort you to a ftudy of this excellent Temper, that inftead of revenging Injuries, ye reward Good for Evil. I shall offer you a few Arguments to this purpose, and fo have done.

1. First, We have the Example of Almighty God, who, notwithstanding our great Provocations, treats us with a marvellous Kindness, in heaping upon us all forts of Mercies and Favours. But I fhall not infift upon this Argument at prefent, because it will properly fall in to be confidered shortly, at the 45th Verfe, where it is brought in by our Saviour, as an Argument for the Love of Enemies.

2. A Second Argument I shall use to the fame purpose, is the Efficacy of this Method towards the reconciling an Adverfary. The not revenging

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of Injuries is a good Beginning of this Work, but the following it with a conftant Train of other good Offices, carries it on to perfection. If the Adversary is ever fo obdured, this melts him down to Repentance and Reconciliation: Whereas, by neglect, the old Enmities fprout out like Weeds in a neglected Garden; or by the least Repetition of Injuries, all old Quarrels are revived.

3. This kind treating of an Adversary in his Want or Diftrefs, is reconcileable enough with the Cuftoms and Maxims of the more generous Sort of Combatants in the World; who so foon as they have fubdued their Adversary, and brought him to any Terms of Submiffion, immediately forgive him, and afterwards fhew him what favour and kindness lies in their Power. What is this but extending Charity to him if he is in want, and other good Offices, as he has Occafion for them?

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4. This is one of the beft Signs of the good Temper of our own Souls, and that we are in a right State of Grace, efpecially if we do it with a fingle Eye to God, in Obedience to his Laws, and not from a Profpect of any worldly Benefit or emolument it will fetch in to ourselves, St James tells us plainly, that without Works of Charity, Faith is dead, being alone, James ii. And the Works he is there fpeaking of, are the very fame Works I have been defcribing. If a Brother, or Sifter, says he, be naked and deftitute of daily Food; and one of you fay unto them, depart in Peace, be warmed and filled; notwithftanding ye give them not thofe Things which are needful to the Body; what doth it profit? Even fo Faith, if it hath not Works, is dead, being alone.