186 AN EXPOSITION [Mat. VI. 12.
hath a man a noble and brave spirit, not when he is overcome by evil (for that argueth weakness), but when he can overcome evil. And it is God's way to shame the party that did the wrong and to overcome him too : it is the best way to get the victory over him. When David had Saul at an advantage in the cave, and cut off the lap of his garment, and did forbear any act of revenge against him, Saul was melted, and said to David, ' Thou art more righteous than I,' 1 Sam. xxiv. 17. Though he had such a hostile mind against him, and chased and pursued him up and down, yet when David forebore revenge when it was in his power, it overcame him, and he falls a-weeping. So the captains of the Syrians, when the prophet had blinded them, and led them from Dothan to Samaria, what saith the king of Israel ? is he ready to kill them presently ? No : 2 Kings vi. 22, ' Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.' He was kind to them ; and what followeth ? ' They did no more annoy Israel.' This wrought upon the hearts of the Syrians, so that they would not come and trouble them any more. *
[2.] In forgiving, it is not only required of Christians to forbear the avenging of themselves, but also actually to forgive and pardon those that have done them wrongs. They must not only forbear acts of revenge, but all desires of revenge must be rooted out of their hearts. Men may tolerate or forbear others for want of a handsome opportunity of executing their purposes ; but the scripture saith, ' Forbearing one another, forgiving one another.' This forgiving im- plieth the laying down of all anger, and hatred, and all desire of revenge. iSTow this should be done, not only in word, but sincerely and univeisally.
(1.) Sincerely, and with the heart. In the conclusion of that parable, Christ doth not say, If ye do not forgive, thus it shall be done to you ; but, ' If ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses, so also shall my heavenly Father do to you.' We must not only do this, but do it from the heart. Joseph, when his brethren came to him and submitted themselves, did not only remit the offence, but his bowels yearned towards them, and his heart was towards them : Gen. 1. 17. Then,
(2.) It must be done universally, whatever the wrong be, be it to our persons, names, or estates. To our persons : Acts vii. 60, Stephen, when they stoned him, he said, ' Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.' Though they had done him so great an injury as to deprive him of his life and service, yet, ' Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.' So to our names: AVhen Shimei came barking against David — thepoor man was driven out of Jerusalem by a rebellious son, and this wicked wretch takes advantage against David and rails at him — yet David forgives him when restored to his crown : ' He shall not die,' 2 Sam. xix. 23. Nay, he sware to him. So his estate : When a debtor is not able to pay, and yet submits. So Paul bids Philemon to forgive the wrongs of Onesimus : ' Put it on my score,' Philem. 18, that is, for my sake forgive this wrong.
[3.] We must be ready to perform all offices of love to them : Luke vi. 27, ' Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you.' Mark,
jMaT. VI. 12.] THE lord's rilAYEK. 187
do not only forbear to execute your wrath and revenge npon them, but do good to them; yea, though they be enemies upon a religious ground ; tliough religion be made a party in the quarrel, and so engage us to the greater fury, when that which should bridle our passions is the fuel to them : ' Pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you,' Mat. v. 44. Miriam, when she had wronged Closes, yet he falls a-praying for her, Num. xii. 13, that the Lord would forgive the sin and heal her.
For the reasons why those that would rightly pray to be forgiven of God must forgive others — it should be so, it will be so — there is a congruency and a necessity.
1. The congruenpy, it should be so. It is fit that he that beggeth mercy should show mercy ; it is exceedingly congruous. For this is a general rule : that we should do as we would be done unto ; and, therefore, if we need mercy from God, we should show mercy to others, and without it we can never pray in faith. He that doth not exer- cise love can never pray in faith. Why ? His own revengeful dis- 2!)osition will still prejudice his mind, and make him conclude against the audience of his prayers ; for certainly we muse on others as we use ourselves. And that is one reason of our unbelief, why we are so hardly brought to believe all that tender mercy which is in God ; because it is so irksome to us to forgive seven times a day, we are apt to frame our conclusions according to the disposition of our own heart. Can we think God will forgive when we ourselves will not forgive ? A man's own prayers will be confuted. What is more equal than to do as we would be done unto ? And therefore it is but equal, if he entreat mercy for himself, he should show it unto others. Look, as the centurion reasoned of God's power, from the command that he had over his soldiers : Mat. viii. 9, ' I am a man under authority, and I say to one, Go, and he goeth ; and to another, Come, and he cometh.' Those things we are accustomed to, they are apt to run in our minds when we come to think of God. Now he that kept his soldiers under discipline that if he said, Go, they go, he reasons thus of God : Surely God hath power to chase away diseases. So accordingly should we reason of God's mercy according to the mercy that we find in our- selves. Therefore it is very notable that when Christ had spoken of forgiving our brethren, 'not only seven times, but seventy times seven,' the disciples said unto the Lord, ' Increase our faith,' Luke xvii. 5. How doth this come in ? In the 4th verse Christ had spoken that they should forgive not only seven times, but seventy times seven ; and they do not say. Lord, increase our charity, but our faith ; imply- ing that we cannot have such large thoughts of God when our own hearts are so straitened by revenge and our private passions.