it is in the present Method in which God has put it. Sometimes the injured Perfon, by Reason of his Weakness of Body, and Want of Friends, would have no Reparation at all; and the Confequence of all this would be, that all the Strong and Rich of the World would be Oppreffors, and all the Weak and Poor oppreffed. Often the Injured having his Understanding blinded and his Judgment byaffed with Refentment, would be apt to fancy Injuries where there are none; and to magnify and aggravate them where they are, and to punish and avenge them far beyond what they deferve. Upon which the Affront and Injury would then come to lie on the other fide and that other Party would think himself obliged to retaliate as smartly as he could; and thus the Saw of Contention would be continually a drawing; Adverfaries and all their Friends would be engaged, and the whole World would for their mutual Support run into fo many Clans, that right or wrong would efpoufe each others Quarrels, and be the Minifters and Inftruments to execute one another's Revenge. (4.) As to the Quiet of the injured Perfons, if Revenge were put into their Hands, they would have no Quiet at all, but their Minds would be continually agitated with those devilish Paffions of Malice and Revenge, which would allow them no Quiet in their Confciences, or Peace in their Lives; whereas now they have nothing to do, but quietly to commit their Cause to God and his Vicegerents. (5.) Laftly, if we confider the Punishment of, or the doing of Juftice on the injurious Perfon, it could never fo furely, nor fo juftly overtake him, were it in private Hands, as now when it is left to the pub

lick Magiftrate, who is both better armed with Power, and better balanced with Justice than could be expected from the private Adversary.

3. This Duty of forgiving Men their Trespaffes obliges us, in the righting of our felves, to take care that we be still in Charity with our Adverfary; and that we harbour no Malice or Hatred in our Hearts against him. Under the former Head of not avenging our felves, the chief Thing aimed at was the regulating of our external Actions; but now this other Part of Forgivenefs goes a great deal further, and fecures the love of our Adversary, directing us purely to the doing of Justice, and the Reparation of Injuries, without any Thoughts of Hatred or Revenge against the Person of him who did us the Injury: So that though we are allowed to endeavour the righting of our felves, we are forbid all Manner of Revenge against him. And how to make this Distinction, and how to clear our Hearts of this Hatred, which commonly attends the feeking of Reparation, is what will require fome farther Explication. And indeed the Thing is not fo difficult but that a Diftinction may very easily be made between doing of Right, and hating the Perfon who did the Wrong; for suppose that Person one of our own dearest Friends, if he has wronged another Man, would not we have him to make Reparation to him that he has injured, if it were but for the good of his own Soul? And why may we not in like manner love the Person and yet hate the Injuftice, and endeavour a due Reparation of it? And as to the Sin and Injury, why we may not forgive it, and pray to God to forgive it; and continue to do all good Offices to him, as if he had never injured

us, is no hard Matter to conceive. It is this inward Love, cultivated by all good Offices, which we are to study, and to fhew our felves free from all Refentment, if ever we have that Perfon in our Power, not retaliating his Injuries, or rendring Evil for Evil, but doing him all the Good we have an Opportunity of doing.

Thus now I have explained the Duty of forgiving Men their Trefpaffes. It is a Duty which our Saviour failed not upon all Opportunities to inculcate; fo that there is no Duty more recommended either by his Doctrine or Example. Particularly, it is very confiderable that he made this Duty a part of that short Prayer which he taught his Difciples; and that now again, immediately after the Prayer, he comes and gives us the Reafon of it, that our own Forgiveness depends upon it; and this likewife he doubly recommends, fiift by way of Promise, that If we forgive Men their Trefpaffes, our heavenly Father will also forgive us: And then by way of Threatning, that if we forgive not Men their Trefpaffes, neither will our Father forgive our Trefpaffes. I have, I fay, given you a Description of the Duty; but Time not ferving to confider the Promife and Threatning annexed, I must refer them to another Opportunity.

God bless what we have heard, and give us a right Understanding in all Things.

To him be all Praife, Honour, and Glory, Might, Power, and Dominion, for ever and ever. Amen.

SER M.

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SERMON XVII.

MATT. VI. 14.

For if ye forgive Men their Trefpaffes, your heavenly Father will alfo forgive you.

Ver. 15. But if ye forgive not Men their Trefpaffes, neither will your Father forgive your Tref palles.

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The Second Sermon on this Text.

AVING, in a former Discourse on these Words, given you a Defcription of the merciful Temper and Difpofition, required by our Saviour in this Duty of Forgiveness of Injuries; I proceed now to the Promise here made to them who perform the Duty, and the Threatning to them who refuse or neglect to comply with it.

The Promise is, that God will forgive them who are of this merciful forgiving Temper: If ye forgive Men their Trefpaffes, your heavenly Father will alfo forgive you. And the Threatning is, that God will repay them in their own Coin, who are of a contrary Difpofition; for as they are hard-hearted to those who have injured them in this World, and execute their Revenge to the utmost,

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moft, they shall meet with the fame Treatment from Almighty God in the World to come. But if ye forgive not Men their Trefpaffes, neither will your Father forgive your Trefpaffes.

Before I confider this Promife and Threatning apart, there is one general Observation I fhall fpeak to, concerning the great Equity of God's Promises and Threatnings; I mean, how well adapted they are to the feveral Virtues and Vices to which they are annexed. It was an old Obfervation of the Pfalmift, that God, both in the way of Rewards and Punishments, fitted all Sorts of People in their feveral kinds, Pfal. xviii. 25. With the Merciful, thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright Man, thou wilt fhew thyself upright; with the Pure, thou wilt fhew thyself pure; and with the Froward, thou wilt fhew thy Jelf froward; Meaning this very Thing, that all Men fhall meet with Rewards and Punishments, exactly fuited to their several Tempers and Actions in this World. So in the New Teftament, particularly in this excellent Sermon on the Mount, we find a Kingdom promised to the Poor in Spirit, Comfort promised to the Mourners, quiet Poffeffion of the World to the Meek, a fufficient Competency to the Juft and Honeft, Mercy to the Merciful, a Sight of God to the Pure in Heart, who are not carried away with inferiour Objects, an Adoption into the State of the Sons of God to the Peacemakers, and an Advancement to an high Reward in Glory, to them who fuffer Perfecution for Righteoufnefs fake: In all which, if ye obferve it, there is not only a great Reward promised to every Virtue, but that Reward is excellently fuited and adapted to the Nature of the Virtue,

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