together for his people's good :" our faith has failed, and we are overcome.
Suppose the injury done to us has irritated and inflamed our minds, so that we give way to anger and impatience : then also we are overcome ; because we ought to " possess our souls in patience0," and to " let patience have its perfect work, that we may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing d."
Suppose, though no particular vehemence shew itself at the time, we yet are induced to harbour secret resentment in our minds against our enemy : then we are overcome ; because we should love our enemies e, and be more concerned for the evil which they do to their own souls, than for any thing which they do, or can do, to us.
Suppose, either through the fear of evil, or through actual distress, we are induced to relax our zeal in the Lord's service, or to make any sinful concessions, then also we are vanquished : for we submit to sin rather than to suffering ; we have failed in our integrity ; we are overcome. We should value a good con- science more than life itself f; and when we make shipwreck of it, we shew that our enemy has gained the victory over us.
If we bold fast our faith, our patience, our love, our integrity, then are we conquerors, even though we die in the conflict : but if in any of these respects we fail, then are we overcome, even though we crush our adversary, and defeat his more immediate projects.]
2. How are we to overcome it —
[We gain a victory over it in part, when we do not suffer it to injure our souls. But we must not be contented with such a negative triumph ; we should endeavour to overcome the hostility of our enemy ; and this can be effected only by returns of good. " If he curse, we must bless ; if he despite- fully use us and persecute us, we must pity him and pray for himg." " If he hunger, we must feed him; if he thirst, we must give him drink ;" with all the tenderness and compassion that we would to a querulous and untoward infanth. We shall in this way " heap coals of fire upon his head," to melt him into love1. It is true, many are so obdurate, that no returns of good can ever dissolve their hearts : yet the effect of such persevering kindness, is inconceivably great, and will sometimes extort confessions of our innocence, even from the most infuriated enemies. We can scarcely find in the annals of the world a more cruel or inverate enemy than Saul ; yet
c Luke xxi. 19. d Jam. i. 4. e Luke vi. 35.
f John xii. 25. e Matt. v. 44.
h ^w/i(£e means, ' Feed him as an infant.' Rom. xii. 20. 1 Rom. xii. 20.