help him ^." Thus by the law of Moses the secret alienation of heart was to be counteracted by the exercise of actual kind- ness and benevolence. But the words of our text are stronger still, and especially as they ai-e cited by the Apostle Paul. The idea conveyed by him is, that we must not merely give oui- enemy bread and water when he needs it, but must feed hhn ivith the tenderness of a mother toumrds her little infant'^. O what a victory does this suppose over all the vindictive feelings of our hearts !
We have a beautiful instance of this recorded in the history of Elisha. The prophet was surrounded by an army of Syrians, determined to apjjrehend and destroy him. By a power communicated to him from above, he smote them all with blindness, and then conducted them into the heart of Samaria. The king of Israel having gained this advantage over them, would have slain them : but the prophet said, "Thou shalt not smite them ; but shalt set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master '." Such is the disposition which we also are called to exercise towards our most inveterate enemies. We must " bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them that despitefully use us and persecute us'^." If they should have offended against us ever so often, even seventy times seven, we are still to retain the same disposition towards them, and to manifest it the very instant they express regret for the unkindness they have shewn us'. Nor are there to be any other bounds to our forgiveness, than those which the Lord Jesus Christ has affixed to his : we are to forgive others " even as Christ has forgiven us"^ :" and, if we refuse to do so, our doom is sealed : " So also shall the Lord do unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses"."]
Such is the duty which we are called to perform : but, that we may not be deterred by the arduousiiess of it, let us consider,
IT. The encouragement given us to perform it — If we act thus, we have reason to hope, 1. That we shall overcome the hatred of our
enemy —
[Certain it is, that no enemy was ever yet won by a vin- dictive conduct. We may, it is true, silence him by power ; but we never can gain his affections by any thing but love. And this will, if not always, yet sometimes, prevail; as St. Paul
g Exod. xxiii. 4, 5. '' ^'V«4^ uvtov. Rom. xii. 20.
i 2 Kings vi. 21, 22. ^ ]\jatt. v. 44. i Matt, xviii. 22.
m Eph. iv. 32. " Matt, xviii. 35,