wicked Servant, to whom his Lord forgave a Debt of ten thoufand Talents; but because upon his forgiveness, he dealt unmercifully with his Fellow-Servant, taking him by the Throat, and cafting him into Prifon for an hundred Pence, his Lord was very wroth with him, faying, O thou wicked Servant, fhouldeft not thou have had Compaffion on thy Fellow Servant, even as I had pity upon thee? And fo he delivered him to the Tormenters, till he should pay all that was due unto him. The Application of all wich is very plain, but very terrible; fo likewife fhall my Heaven ly Father do alfo unto you, if ye from your Hearts forgive not every one bis Brother their Trefpaffes, Mat..18, 35.

3. TO draw now to a Conclufion, and to bring down this whole Matter closer yet to our Chriftian Practice. Let Charity and perfect Love be at once both the Rule and the Tenor of our whole Life in all Inftances and Occurrences. Whatever Objections against our Religion are wont to be made by fome (who yet of all Mankind are moft to be blamed for their Uncharitableness) let us never give them occafion to lay this blame upon our Manners (though it doth not fo much as touch our Profeffion it felf) that a Spirit of Strife and Hatred is among us.

But

when

when we are about to Celebrate the bleffed Eucharift, then especially we should confider the Angels Doxology, and prepare our Minds do that we may ufe it with enlarged and devout Hearts, Glory be to God on high, on Earth Peace, good will towards Men. Then all undue Heats that by any Emergency may have been raised, fhould vanish away from us like Smoak; then we should put on, as the Elect of God, Holy and Beloved, Bowels of Mercy, Kindness, Humbleness of Mind, Meeknefs, Long Juffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any Man have a quarrel against any; even as Chrift forgave us, for fhould we; and above all things put on Charity, which is the bond of Perfectness; and let the Peace of God rule in our Hearts, to the which alfo we are called in one Body; as the Apostle himself speaks, Col. 3.

TO provoke you hereunto,many arguments might be drawn, not only from the sense of the best Heathens, who held it unlawful to revenge Injury with Injury, (upon which Subject Maximus Tyrius Spends a whole Difcourfe) but from the Noble Examples of many of them alfo, and particularly that of Phocion, who. 12.6. 49. after all the eminent Services for his Country-men, the Athenians, being at last condemned to be poifoned, before he drank

off

Elian.

Var. Hift.

off the deadly Potion, left this strict charge with his Son, that he fhould, never remember fo as to be revenged for the Injustice and Ingratitude of the Athe

nians.

BUT because Christianity is a Religion of a most elevated Nature, and that which fpeaks fo plain, and fo loud as to this point; and because that noble part of it, this Chriftian Solemnity, doth of it felf Minister arguments enough to command our Obedience as to this particular, I fhall not go out of my way to pick up Obfervations, that may be more curious than neceffary; but rather content my self with what hath been faid already, and so shut up this Subject with a few Confiderations which immediately relate to our Christian Practice.

I told you before, that all Acts of Revenge are quite contrary to the Laws of Chrift's Religion; meaning by Revenge all fpiteful acts, or purposes of hurting another for hurt-fake, without confideration had of a good end, whether of Charity or Justice: and then I diftingush pure Revenge from fuch acts as concern Difcipline or Reparation; which two last cases being fo incident to human life, and cases wherein the Confciences of Men ought to be well inftructed and govern'd, I fhall now

at the close of all speak fomething by way of direction as to these two cafes; and the rather, because I have found by frequent experience, that upon Injuries which too commonly happen between Man and Man, divers have been hindred from the use of the bleffed Sacrament, for want, as I am willing in Charity to fuppofe, of due Information.

1. FIRST then, as to acts of Difcipline, It is not at all inconfiftent with the great ends of this Sacred Ordinance, nor with our Duty in order to it, or at it, to use honest means of reprehending or correct ing an Offender, provided those means be used after a discreet and friendly manner, and for the Offender's good. So the Magiftrate may punish a diforderly Subject, a Father his Child, a Mafter his Servant, in all neceffary cafes. For this is not properly Revenge; because the Methods, though they may be fomewhat ftrict, are ftill for charitable ends, viz. For the amendment and Reformation of the Offender; which in fuch cafes every Man fhou'd carry in his Eye: for what St. Paul faid of his own Authority in the Church, is very applicable to all just Power whatsoever, the Lord hath given it for Edification, and not for Destruction, 2 Cor. 10. 8. 2. AS

N

2. AS to Cafes which concern Reparation for Injuries, they admit of great variety, according to the variety of particular Circumftances; but I think what is generally neceffary to be known, may be comprehended within thefe following Rules, or reduced to them.

1. WHERE an injury is Plain, Evident, and Palpable, Men are to seek for redress first, by fair and private applications. This is not Revenge, nor any breach of Duty, because it is a Cafe of Juftice purely, and the method is Friendly and Charitable. To this may be applied those words of our Saviour, Matth. 18. If thy Brother Trefpafs against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone; but if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, &c. And if any thing be needful to be added, certainly a more prudential Course cannot be taken, than what our Lord else where prescribes, Agree with thine Adverfary quickly, whilst thou art in the way with him, Matth. 5. 25. Such Timely and Pacifick means of accommodation are apt to preserve Charity; whereas other Methods that are rough may, like a wound that fefters, make a deep impreffion upon the Senfe, and corrupt Friendship, fo as to turn it into Rage, or a fetled hatred.