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about their childish toys and trifles; and what the dissensions of the children of the church have done against themselves in these kingdoms I need not, I delight not, to record. 'And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat; for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able, for ye are yet carnal; for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men?'

3. The seeming Christian may have some love to real Christians, even for their goodness' sake; but it is a love subservient to his carnal self-love, and therefore it shall not cost him much. As he hath some love to Christ, so he may have some love to Christians; but he hath more to the world and fleshly pleasures, and therefore all his love to Christ or Christians will not make him leave his worldly happiness for them; and therefore Christ at the day of judgment will not inquire after empty barren love, but after that love which visited and relieved suffering saints. An hypocrite can allow both Christ and Christians such a cheap superficial kind of love as will cost him little: he will bid them lovingly, 'Depart in peace, be you warmed and filled.' But still the world is most beloved.

XLIV. 1. A Christian indeed doth love his enemies, and forgive those that injure him, and this out of a thankful sense of that grace which forgave him a far greater debt: not that he thinketh it unlawful to make use of the justice of the government

which he is under for his necessary protection, or for the restraint of men's abuse and violence; nor is he bound to love the malice or injury, though he must love the man; nor can he forgive a crime, as it is against God or the common good, or against another, though he can forgive an injury or debt that is his own; nor is he bound to forgive every debt, though he is bound so far to forgive every wrong as heartily to desire the good of him that did it. Even God's enemies he so far loveth as to desire God to convert and pardon them, while he hateth their sin, and hateth them as God's enemies, and desireth their restraint. But those that hate, and curse, and persecute himself, he can unfeignedly love, and bless, and pray for; for he knoweth that else he cannot be a child of God; and that to love those that love him is not much praiseworthy, being no more than heathens and wicked men can do. He is so deeply sensible of that wondrous love which so dearly redeemed him, and saved him from hell, and forgave him a thousandfold worse than the worst that ever was done against himself, that thankfulness, and imitation or conformity to Christ in his great compassions, do overcome his desires of revenge, and make him willing to do good to his most cruel enemies, and pray for them as Christ and Stephen did at their deaths. And he knoweth that he is so inconsiderable a worm, that a wrong done to him as such is the less considerable; and he knoweth that he daily wrongeth God more than any man can wrong him, and that he can hope for pardon but on condition that he

himself forgive, and that he is far more hurtful to himself than any other can be to him.

2. And the weakest Christian can truly love an enemy and forgive a wrong; but he doth it not so easily and so fully as the other; but it is with much striving, and some unwillingness and averseness, and there remaineth some grudge or strangeness upon the mind: he doth not sufficiently forget the wrong which he doth forgive; indeed, his forgiving is very imperfect, like himself, not with the freeness and readiness required. 'With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love.' 'Put on, therefore, (as the elect of God, holy and beloved) bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another and forgiving one another; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.' 'Avenge not yourselves,' &c.

3. As for the seeming Christian, he can seem to forgive wrongs for the sake of Christ; but if he do it indeed it is for his own sake, as because it is for his honour, or because the person hath humbled himself to him, or his commodity requireth it, or he can make use of his love and service for his advantage, or some one hath interposed for reconciliation who must not be denied, or the like: but to love an enemy indeed, and to love that man (be he never so good) who standeth in the way of his preferment, honour, or commodity in the world, he never doth it from his heart, whatever he may seem to do. The love of Christ doth not constrain him.

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XLV. 1. A Christian indeed is as precise in the justice of his dealings with men as in acts of piety to God; for he knoweth that God requireth this as strictly at his hands: That no man go beyond, or defraud his brother in any matter; for the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned and testified.' He is one that 'walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart, that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. If he swear to his own hurt, he changeth not; he putteth not out his money to (unjust or unmerciful) usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent.' He obeyeth that injunction, Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him; the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.' He can say, as Samuel, 'Whose ox or ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith, and I will restore it? And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken aught of any man's hand.' And if heretofore he was ever guilty of defrauding any, he is willing to his power to make restitution; and saith, as Zaccheus, If I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him four-fold.' Though flesh and blood persuade him to the contrary, and though it leave him in want, he will pay his debts, and make restitution of that which is ill-gotten, as being none of his own; he

will not sell for as much as he can get, but for as much as it is truly worth; he will not take advantage of the weakness, or ignorance, or necessity of his neighbour; he knoweth that a false balance is abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight;' he is afraid of believing ill-reports, and rebuketh the backbiter; he is apt to take part with any man behind his back who is not notoriously inexcusable, not to justify any evil, but to shew his charity and his hatred of evil speaking, especially where it can do no good; he will not believe evil of another till the evidence do compel him to believe it; if he have wronged any by incautious words, he readily confesseth his fault to him, and asketh him forgiveness, and is ready to make any just satisfaction for any wrong that he hath done; he borroweth not when he seeth not a great probability that he is like to pay it; nor will remain in debt, by retaining that which is another man's against his will, without an absolute necessity. 'Owe no man any thing, but to love one another.' For to borrow when he cannot pay is but to steal. Begging is better than borrowing for such. wicked borroweth and payeth not.'

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2. And the weak Christian maketh conscience of justice as well as acts of piety, as knowing that God hath no need of our sacrifices, but loveth to see us do that which is good for human society, and which we have need of from each other. But yet he hath more selfishness and partiality than the confirmed Christian hath, and therefore is often overcome by temptations to unrighteous things:

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