CONFIRMED CHRISTIAN. 537 men can do ; ver. 46, 47. He is so deeply sensible of that won- drous love which so dearly redeemed him, and saved him from hell, and forgave him a thousand-fold worse than the worst that ever was done against himself, that thankfulness and imitation, or con- formity to Christ in his great compassions, do overcome his desires of revenge, and make him willing to do good to his most cruel enemies, and, pray for them as Christ and Stephen did at their deatht; Luke xxiii. 34. Acts vii. 60. And he knoweth that he is so inconsiderable a worm, that a wrong done to him as such, is the less considerable ; and he knoweth that he daily wrongeth God more than any man can wrong him, and that he can hope for pardon but on condition that he himself forgive ;, Matt.. vi. 12. 14, 15. xviii. 34, 35. And that he isfar more hurtful to himself than any other can be to him. 2. And the weak Christian can truly Iove an enemy, and forgive a wrong; but he doth it not so easily and so fully as the other. But it is with much striving, and some unwillingness and averse- ness ; and there remaineth some grudge or strangeness upon the mind. He doth not sufficiently forget the wrong which he doth forgive. Indeed, his forgiving is very imperfect, like himself, (Matt. xviii. 21. Luke ix. 54, 55.) not with that freeness and readiness required. " With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering; forbearing one another in love ; " Eph. iv. 2. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye ; " Col. iii. 13. 18. " Avenge not yourselves," &c. Rom. xii. 14. 19. 3. As for the seeming Christian, he can seem to forgive wrongs for the sake of Christ, but if he do it indeed it is for his own sake ; as because it is for his honor, or because the person hath humbled himself to him, or his commodity requireth it, or he can make use of his love and service for his advantage, or some one hath interpos- ed for reconciliation who must not be denied, or the like. But to love an enemy indeed, and to love that man (be he never so good) who standeth in the way of his preferment, honor or commodity in the world, he never doth it from his heart, whatever he may seem to do ; Matt. vi. 14, 15. xviii. 27. 30. 32. The love of Christ doth not constrain him. XLV. 1. A Christian indeed is as precise in the justice of his dealings with men as in acts of piety to God. For he knoweth that God requireth this as strictly at his hands. That no man go beyond or defraud. his brother in any matter; for the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned and testified ;" t Thess. iv. 6. He is one that " wálketh uprightly, and worketh VOL. I. 68
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