change your counfcl if you had for~fcen them. He is mofi Wife and Good, and knoweth what is fie for every perfon, and how to do good with as little hurt as may be in t~e doing of it ; But you arc ignorant of your felvcs, and blinded by interd\ and paffion, and are fo bad your {elves, that you are . inclined to do hurc to others. At leafl, for ought you k,.nDJV, you may mif,arry in your paffion, and come off with guilt and a woundc:d confciencc: but you may be fure that God will nor mifcar1y, bu.t will do all in perfect Wifdom, and Righreoufnefs, and Trurh. Canfitl. 1 c. ~· 16. Confid. 10. Do ) 'OH not underjf•nd that )9Ur paffion, malice and revenge, r. Do hurt )•our {elvts murh mort th.m tluy can hHrt another, and 2· Much mort than any other can hurt you. Would you be revenged on another ! And will you therefore hurr your fdves? The (\one of rrproach which you c.tH at him, doth fly back inro your face, and wound your fclves. Doyou not feel thi.t the tire of paf!innand malice, are like a fcorching f'eavor, which overthrow your healrh a.nd quietnefs, and lill yo~ lull of rdlldi1ds and pain? And will you do this againH your felves, becaufe another hath abufcct )'Ou ? D:d not he that offended you, do engugb aga.inH you ? If you would h.tve morr, why -re you offtndtd with him? If }'OU wowid nor have more, why do you inflict it on your fclves? Ifyou love difqaittncfs, why do you complain of him that durh di{Cjuiet you! If you do nor, why do you difquitt your Cdves? and that much more than he can do ? He that wrongcth you, toucheth but your ellatcs, or bodies or names: It may be it is but by a blafi of wind, the words of his mouth; And will you therefore wound your [elves at the. very beau ? God hath locf<t up your H~art from others : None can touch that but your fclves; Their words, thtir,wrongs caunot reach your Hearts, unldS you open d1Lm the door, yea, unlds it be your own doing! Wtll you rake the D,.gger which pidc~,:d bur your skin, and pierce your own hearts with ir, becaufe another fo much wwnged you ? lf you do, blJm no one for ir fo much as your felves ; Blame them for touching your dl.tres or names, but b\J.mc your fdvc:s for all that is at your hearts. And if you might ddirc anorhers burr, it is folly to hurt your fdvcs much more, and to do a greatc:r rnifchief eo your felves, that lo you may do a lds to him: [f you rail at him, or fhndc:r, or defame him, you fOllch hue his nputation! It you rroubk him at Law, you touch but his diate: If you beat him, it reacht:h but to his fldh ! But the p,~;ffiun and guilt is a tire i'n your own hc::aru; and the wrath of God which you procure, dmh f.tll upon your fouls for ever ! [ luve heard bur of a few that have r ... id opt:nly [I am conrtnred ro be d•mned, fo I m•y but be avenged J : Bur mmy thoufands fpeak ir by rhe.r deeds. And 0 how jult is tht.ir damnation, who will tun inro Hell that they may hur~ another! Evt:n as I ha.vc heard ot fome p~~.ffionlte Wives and Children, who have hanged themfdves, or cut their rhroa1s, to be revenged on their HusbJnds or Children by grieving them. Collfid· 11 • 9· 17• Contid. 11· Remembrr rbr m'lice ••a h•rrfulmfi are the fpecial fins and Image of rbeDevil. AU fin is trom him as the T(.mprer; but fmme lins are fo eminently his own, that they may becalled rhc Narure and Image of the Devil; and tho(e are principally, Rebellion againfl God; Maligniry or enmity to good; Pride or fCU·cxaltatiun; Lying and Calumny; and Malice, Hunfulnefs and Mur· der ; Thtfe are abE>vc the tins of mecr fenfuality or carnality, and mofl properly denominate men (in whom 1hey prevail) rhc Serprnrs [wJ. I fpeak bur as Chrifl himfdf harh fpoken,John S. 44• ro thofe that wue cfieemed the wifdt and moft ( cercmonioufly ) religious of rhofe times; Te art D[ yJUr father the Devil, and the lujls of your father ye wiUdo: He was amurderer from tbe brginning, and abode not in tbe truth, becaufe there is no tr11th in him: W'htn he{ptaJteth a Lye, he {peak.,tth of his own: for he Ua Lyar, and the fatlur of it. And what pity is it rhat a man that lhould bear the Image of God, fhouM be tramformtd as it were into an incarnate Devil, and by being like to SJ.tan, and bcuing his lrn•ge! G:onjid. u. 9· 18. Cunfid. 12. The ptr{un that youart angry with is eitiJtr a child of God, or of tbe Devi.L, a;zd one tbat mujllive either in Heaven or HeU. If he be a child of God, will nor his FHhtrs interef\ and image reconci 1 lc you 10 him? Will you hate and hurt a member ofChri(l! If you have any hope of being fav~.d your lf:lves, are you not afb.tmed to think of meeting hiRl in Heaven, whom you hated and perfecured here on earth ? [f there were any fhame and grief in Heaven, it would overwhelm you there with lh.ime and gnc:f> to meet thofc in the Union of thof~ bldT~d joyes, whom you hated and abufed. Bdievc unfeignedly that you mufl dwell with them for ever in the dearefl intimacy of Eternal Love, and you cannot poffibly rage againll them, nor play the Devils againfl thofe, with whom you mul11ive in Un!ry before God. But if rhey be wicked men and fuch as mufi be damned (as malice will make you eafily believe J, are they nor miferable enough already, in being the flaves of tin and Saran ? And willrhey not be mifeuble rime enough and long enough in Hdl ? Do you rhirfi to have them tormented before the time! 0 cruel men! 0 devilliili mali'e! Would you wiili them marc punilhmcnt than Hell fire? Can you not pacienrly endure to fee a pOor finner, have a little profperity and cafe, who mull lye in everlafting fl•mes ? Bur 1he truth is, malicious men are ordinarily Arhcilb, and never think of another world; and therefore ddire to be the avengers of themfelves, bc:caufe they believe not, that rftere is any God to do it, or at}y future Judgc:rnent and execmion to be expected. Co;Jjid 13 . ~· I9• Confid. I3· And remember harP near both ht and yoH are to deatb andjudgement, n.'hen God rviU judge rigbteoujly betwixt youboth. There are few fo crudly mahrious, but if rhc:y borh lay dying thc:y would abite their malice and be eafily rc:conciled, as remcmhring that their duli and bones will lye in quiernefs together, and malice is a miferablc cafe to app~ar in before the Lord! why then do you cherifh your vice, by putting away tbc day of dulh trum your remembrance? Do you not know that you are dying ? Is a few more dayes f. · -~at a matrer w1rh you, that you willrhmlorc do thar bccaufe you have a few more daycs ro live, which etle you durfi nor do or think
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