Ch. 5. ?'beLawcontinued St. Matthew. to be expounded. Ch. s: prelervation of your Rights, or personal Re- preferr'd before our pleafuresan 3 unneceffaa;' venge : find therefore when it is not the ries. publick good that requires it, but your own 43. Ye have heard that it hath right, reift not injuries, by any means which been Paid, Thou íhalt love thy violateth Love or Patience. Ifwhen you are neighbour and hate thine enemy : ftricken,you ftrike again, you do but ltir you, I fay unto ll Loveyour up the Perlon to more wrath, to hure you 44 more, when as Love and Patience may make enemies,blefs them that curfe you, him afhamed that he hath wronged you : do good to them that hate you, and Revenge will but enrage him, and youwill pray for them which defpitefully fuller more, when Love and Patience may ufe you, and nerfecute you ; 4S- win him. Yea, ifhe abufe the Law to in- jure you,prefernot therightingofyour felve s That ye may be the children of before the winning of him by Love r And your Father which is in heaven ; patience may colt you left, than a Law-fait, for he maketh his fun to rife on the or Revenge. If he injurioufly force you to evil, and on the good, and fendeth. any fervice, bear that and more, rather than by (hiving to violate Charity. rain on the juff,and on the unjuft. Nate, that the Rule here intended by 43, 44 God did Iet out the ICraelites eq Chrilt is, thatwe prefer the winning of a execute fo great flaughters on their Rea- man s Soul byLove, and the exercife of Pa., then Enemies, thatoccafioned many of old tience before our Right, and that we bear to relirain Love to too narrowan obje&, and tolerable wrongs rather than alienate men to incline to hatred and hurtfulnefs to ene byexafperation, and increafe our own Cud- mies, too much But I tell you that you feringsby revenge; ufually the patient fuf- muli love all your enemiesaccording to the ferlealt, and win Enemies moR But t.- degreeofamiablenefs in them; that is, All this extendeth not to Magiltrates ftrengthen- men as men ; All lober moral men as filch s ingfin by impunity. 2. Nor to privatemen s All vifible members of the Church as inch: pardoning fins againli God, which is not in And all notably frncere, eminent, excellent our power. 3. Nor to negle& the fafety of and ufeful Chriftians as filch ; And let not the Common-wealth by favouring evil. 4, enmity to you, fufpend this Love; (Tho' you Nor by forbearing the neceffary defence of be notbound to love all alike, nor to truf4 our own or others lives or welfare againft in- any mortal man too far.) And it is not e- (offerable affaults : Nor may we give away nough that you do your enemies no hurt s that which is due to Wives and Children, nor will their hating, turfing, or fpiglttfui or the Poor, which is not in our power. ufage and perfecution of you, excufe you 42. Give to him that asketh from your dory : But notwithßanding all thee : and from him that would this, you mutt love them that hate you, and borrow of thee, turn not thou a- pray for thy that defpirefuliy ufe you and perfecute oil, fpeak well of them, and way. blefs themthat (peak ill ofyou and curfeyous for you are not God's children ifyou be not like him, and imitate him, who maintaineth the life, health, and natural comfortsof the juR and unjuft. N. O how. little Confcience do molt Chriftians, even the Religious, make ofthis command of Chrilt ! how freely do they fpeakevil of their enemies, and think them; felvesexculed,bylaying, Lt it 4$ they are Chriff's enemies, and not 41ours! Hate the fin. and diflike the {inner as Cud.' ; fo you wilt but love all that is lovely in him, and re- member, that it is Love that muß overcome evil, and make bad men lovely. 46. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye ? do noteven the Publicans the fame? 47. And ifye falute your brethren only, what do you more than o- thtrs 42. Note, The fenfe is, Be not unwilling to givewherever thou oughteft, but as wil- ling to give as men are to ask, and ,Ast;ing isone partofrhy dire&ion to whom to give. But this excludeth not the ufe of prudent realms in our giving. t. We muff not give that to one Perfon which we fhould rather give to others; not to the unworthy or un- fit, becaufe they ask, whenwe fhould leek after'the more needy and worthy that ask not : Nor muß we give that to one that is due to many ; nor give to a leffer good, When by itwe might do a greater, nor give that which is not inour power. As to the queftion, how much we muß give. t. A thoufand come far mort, for onethat charita. . bly gives too much. 2. Every man fhould Rudy to do God the greateß fervice he can with his Eßate, and prudently difcern the way. 3. The neceffrties of others muß be
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