Inf. 2. Is there pardon with God for enemies ? How inexcusable tlien are all they that persist and perish in their enmity to Christ'. sure their destruction is of themselves. Mercy is offered to them, if they will receive it, Isa. lv. 7. Proclamation is made in the gos- pel, that if there be any among the enemies of Christ, who repent of what they have been, and done against him, and are now un- feignedly willing to be reconciled, upon the word of a King, they shall find mercy : But " God shall wound the head of the enemies, " and the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his tres- " passes,11 Psal. lxviii. 21. " If he turn not, he will whet his sword ; " he hath bent his bow, and made it ready ; he hath also prepared " for him the instruments of death : He ordaineth his arrows against " the persecutors,11 Psal. vii. 12.
This lays the blood of every man that perishes in his enmity to Christ, at his own door ; and vindicates the righteousness of God, in the severest strokes of wrath upon them : This also will be a cutting thought to their hearts eternally : I might once have had pardon, and I refused it : the gospel trumpet sounded a parley : fair and gracious terms were offered, but I rejected them.
Inf. 3. Is there mercy with God and forgiveness, even for his worst enemies, upon their submission ; How unlike to God then are all implacable spirits ! Some there are that cannot bring their hearts to forgive an enemy ; " to whom revenge is sweeter than life *." 1 Sam. xxiv. 16. " If a man find his enemy, will he let him go?" This is hell-fire, a fire that never goeth out. How little do such poor creatures consider, if God should deal by them, as they do by others, what words could express the misery of their condition ! It is a sad sin, and a sad sign, a character of a wretched state, wherever it appears. Those that have found mercy, should be ready to shew mercy : and they that expect mercy themselves, should not deny it to others. This brings us upon the third and last observation, viz*
Est vindicta bonum vitajucundius ipsa.
THE FOUNTAIN OF LIF£. SERM. XXX.
Doct. 8. That to forgive enemies, and heg forgiveness for them, is the true character and property of the Christian spirit.
Thus did Christ : " Father forgive them/' And thus did Ste- phen, in imitation of Christ, Acts vii. 59, 60. " And they stoned " Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus receive my " spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, " Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." This suits with the rule of Christ, Mat. v. 44, 45. " But I say unto you, love your ene- " mies ; bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, " and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute " you ; that ye may be the children of God your Father which is ** in heaven."
Here I shall first open the nature of this duty, and shew you what a forgiving spirit is ; and then the excellency of it, how well it becomes all that call themselves Christians.
First, Let us enquire what this Christian forgiveness is. And that the nature of it may the better appear, I shall shew you both what it is not, and what it is.
First, It consists not in a Stoical insensibility of wrongs and in- juries. God hath not made men as insensible, stupid blocks, that have no sense or feeling of what is done to them. Nor hath he made a law inconsistent with their very natures that are to be go- verned by it : but allows us a tender sense of natural evils, though he will not allow us to revenge them by moral evils : nay, the more deep and tender our resentments of wrongs and injuries are, the more excellent is our forgiveness of them ; so that a forgiving spirit doth not exclude sense of injuries, but the sense of injuries graces the forgiveness of them.
Secondly, Christian forgiveness is not & politic concealment of our wrath and revenge, because it will be a reproach to discover it ; or, because we want opportunity to vent it. This is carnal policy, not Christian meekness. So far from being the mark of a gracious spirit, that it is apparently the sign of a vile nature. It is not Christianity to repose *, but depose injuries.
Thirdly, Nor is it that moral virtue, for which zee are beholden to an easier and better nature, and the help qf moral rules and docu- ments. There are certain virtues attainable without the change of nature, which they call homilitical virtues, because they greatly adorn and beautify nature ; such as temperance, patience, justice, &c. These are of singular use to conserve peace and order in the world : and without them, (as one aptly speaks) the world would soon break
* Manet aha mettfe rrpostum. Virg. Eneid. lib. I. Deep graven in her heart the doom remain'd, Dnjden.
SERM. XXX. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 379
up, and its civil societies disband. But yet, though these are the ornaments of nature, they do not argue the change of nature. All graces, in the exercises of them, involve a respect to God: And for the being of them, they are not by natural acquisition, but supernatural infusion.
Fourthly, and lastly, Christian forg'n vncss is not an 'injurious giv- ing up of our rights and properties to the lust of every one that hath a mind to invade them. No; these we may lawfully defend and preserve, and are bound so to do ; though, if we cannot defend them legally, we must not avenge our wrongs unchristianly : This is not Christian forgiveness. But, then positively,
It is a Christian lenity, or gentleness of mind, not retaining, but freely passing by the injuries done to us, in obedience to the command of God.
It is a lenity, or gentleness of mind. The grace of God demulces the angry stomach ; calms the tumultuous passions ; new-moulds our sour spirits, and makes them benign, gentle and easy to be entreated ; Gal. v. 22. " The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, " long-suffering, gentleness,'" &c.
This gracious lenity inclines the Christian to pass by injuries ; so to pass them by, as neither to retain them revengefully in the mind, or requite them when we have opportunity with the hand : Yea, and that freely, not by constraint, because we cannot avenge ourselves, but willingly. We abhor to do it when we can. So that as a carnal heart thinks revenge its glory, the gracious heart is content that forgiveness should be his glory. I will be even with him, saith na- ture : I will be above him, saith grace : it is his glory to pass over transgression, Pro v. xix. 11.