in his ears. Vehement as Esau's anger was, it could not withstand all this kindness, humility, and gentleness. The submission of his brother perfectly disarmed him : and " the gift in his bosom pacified his strong wrath a."
Thus we may hope to " overcome evil with goodb." As stones are melted by being subjected to the action of intense heat, so are the hardest of men melted by love : it " heaps coals of fire upon their headc," and turns their rancorous hostilities into self-condemning accusations'1. We say not indeed that the victory shall be certain and uniform in all cases ; for even the Saviour's meekness did not prevail to assuage the malice of his enemies : but, as a means, we may reasonably expect it to conduce to that end. As. a proud, distant, and vindictive carriage serves to confirm the hatred of an adversary, so, on the other hand, a kind, gentle, and submissive deportment has a direct tendency to effect a reconciliation with him.]
Not that a short and transient care will suffice : on the contrary,
III. When once a reconciliation is effected, extreme caution is necessary to preserve and maintain it —
A wound that has been lately closed, may easily be rent open again: and friendship that has been dissolved by any means, does not speedily regain its former stability. To cement affection, much atten- tion is required. We must aim at it,
1. By mutual kindnesses and endearments —
[Exceeding tender was the interview between the bro- thers, after their long absence, and alienation from each other. Nor should we deem it beneath us to yield thus to the emo- tions of love, or to express our regards by salutations and tears. These may possibly be counterfeited by a consummate hypocrite : but, in general, they are the involuntary effusions of a loving heart. And as denoting cordiality, they have the strongest tendency to unite discordant minds, and to efface from the memory all painful recollections.]
2. By abstaining from all mention of past grie- vances—
[The revival of things which have been matters in dispute, generally revive the feelings which the dispute occasioned. And, as few are ever found to acknowledge that the fault or error has been wholly on their own side, recriminations will
a Prov. xxi. 14. b Rom. xii. 21.
c Rom. xii. 20. d 1 Sam. xxiv. 16, 17.