236 Ehapa6. AnExpefiti®n upon the Book of J OBc Verf,; this way, For it is written vengeance is mine, I will repay, faith the Lord: As if the Apo(tle had Paid , if you take upon you ' to avenge your Pelves-, you take Gods workout of his hand, it belongs to God as much to take revenge, as. it dotti to give reward. And therefore as a man who having done good , is over, careful and anxious how. to get his reward, takes re. warding work out of Gods hand, and (hall have no more re- ward thanhe can get himfelf ;. as Chri(t tells the Pharifees in that cafe ( Match. 6, 2. Verily Ifay untoyou ye have you-' reward And all that a man can get himfelf, is not worth the having. So the man, who having fuffercd wrong, goes about tore. venge himfelf, takes revenging work out of Gods hand á and [hall be righted no further than he can right himfelf, which is but little, if any thing at all ; whereas if he would give place to the wrath of God;that is,Let God alone,by filch ways as his Jultice (hall raise up to right him , againll his ad- versary, he would right him fully. So that our Interef doth not lie in returning evil for evil , but in returning good for evil to our enemies ; as Saint Paul concludes (Kona.13. 20.) Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him,. ifhe thirfl, give him drink, for into doing , thou(halt heap coals of fire on his, head, That is, thou (halt either melt or molüfie his fpirit towards thee, as hardefi metals are by coals offire ( fome fuchmeitings we may fee in Saul towards David , when he forbore to take vengeance on him ( ',Sam. 24. 16. Chap. 26. 21.) or thou íhalt heap coals of divine vengeance upon him , by making his. malice and hatred against thee the more inexcufable 'Which latter though it may be looked upon as a consequent of our doing_good to our Enemies, yet we mutt take heed of making it the end why we do fo,, for that were to Peek re- venge while, we forbear it , and to do good for that end, were so be overcomeof evil ; which the Apostle forbids in the dole 0f that Chapter. job in thisText was far from profeffing a readinefs to al- fwage the grief of his unkind, or enemy-like Friends , upon hope.that God would encreafe their forrow. Secondly, Obferve. Words dulyfpoken andapplied; are of greatpower. IZo.wforcibl,,e are.right 'words? Isjobs queftion(Chap,6.2 M) lie,;
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