Sixth Commandment. ;hat God would !pare Nin<veb afier he had prophefied Ruin a~d DdlruE\ion to ir. he grows imo a Per, even wuh rh_e Mercy of God, as tf he cucumyemed htm, arid dcfigo'd to m•ke him accounted a Falfe Prophet. Jonab 3• 1. lr dijp!caf<d Jo· nab cxcudingly, and be was ve1y angry. Jon_ab JS angry becaufe G~ ts appeafed: The Froppi!h Man thinks the Almighty roo eahe, and c~n hardly forgtve that Mer. cy which fo readily ~rgave rbe N111cvaes. And agam, when 9od had caufed a Worm w detlroy the Gourd which he had prepared to !hade thiS Hor and Angry Head, Jon•b falls into another Fit of Birrer Paffion for the L.ofs of fo Poor" Thing as his Gourd. and when God meekly expoflulares rhe Caufe wuh htm, Doflrbo" well to be angry }or the Gourd? His PaHion fo far tranfporrs him, rhar he dares to rewrn this Malapen Anfwer, c~en to the Great God, lt~, I do well. to be !_lngry to ~be ve? Deatb. See here how hts Gall overflows, and tamrs both hts Rea!on and hJS Rc:hR gion, He hurls his Fury about againfl God and Men; and (as he firs in his Booth, looking and praying daily that Fire and Bnm~tone m1g~r co'!le down from Heaven w confume that great City,) when he faw hts ExpeElauon fruflrared, ar.d the Dare of his Prophecy expir'd without rhe Accomplilhmenr of ir, he quarrels wirh God, fiOrms againfi every Thing, is weary of his Life, and could rather have fired it himfelf than it !hould have efcaped. Secondly, As Caujleft Anger, (Q Immoderate Anger, is a great Sin, and a commit· ring of Munher in our Hearts. Now Jlnger may be immoderate Two \¥ays, either in the Degree, or in the Con· ).inuance and Dura lion of it. · Fitfi, In the Degree, when it is vehement and exceffive, tranfporting us Le· . yond our due Bounds and Temper. I know no Law that forbids a Chriftian ro ref~nt an Injury. Our Saviour Cbrifi: himfdf, when he was buffeted, was fenfible of and reproves rhat l nfolence. Jobn r8. 2J. lj I b(ff)e jpoken evil bear r.oitncfs of the Evil; bur if J.Vell, rcby finite}! thou me? Chriftianity dorh nor make Men Stocks, but keeps them from being Furies; it doth not root up, but only prune, our An· ger, and cuts off aU Superf/uirics of Naugbrinifs from ir. It may, when juft Caufe is given, warm, but not fire, our Spirits; but when it breaks fOnh into Reviling Speeches, or into Revengeful A8:ions, be filre h bath carch'd fire then, and is: enkindled of Hell. And yet the juft A-nger of Superiors, as Magifhares, or Mafiers, or Parents, may lawfully break forth upon Interiors in inflicting due Punifhmenrs. Nor will rh is fall under the Guilt of a finful Revenge, bur a jut\ Reward, whilll they are careful rhat.. the Punifhment exceed nor the Fault and Crime committed. Bu' for thofe who have no Authority over others to feek Revenge. upon them, either by Railing or Defaming Sp~eches, or by repaying Inj ury for Injury, is a Tranf- @reffion of rh is Cor;rmandmenr, the Effia of Immodorare Anger, and a Kind of Mur· tht:r in them. · Secondly, Anger may be Immoderate in the Continuance and Duration of i.t; f<>r Age will fOur t! it into Hatred, and turn what was Wine into Vinegar: And therefOre the Apoftle couniels us, Be angry, and fin not. Bur how may that be done? Let not the Sun, faith he, go down upon your Wrath, Epb. 4· 26. And indeed he that goes to Bed, and fleeps with Anger boiling in his Breafl, will find the Scum of Malice upon ir rhe next Morning. This is a Paffion, which if it be long cherHh'd, will, ex- ' curert Spiritum, drive away the Spirit: For how canft thou think thac the Dove-like Spirit of God will tefide where the Heart remains full of Gall, or rbar the Celeftial Flame of Divine Love ibould burn bright and clear where there are fo many thick Fumes and Vapours continually rifing up ro damp and choak in How da ret\ thou berake thy felf to reil without firll invoking rheGrear God, and locking up rhy felf by Prayer into his Cutlody and Safe Tuition? And how darell thou pray whillt Wrarhefluares · and rank.les in rhy Bre~fl > Cant\ thou in Faith pray f?r For~iv~nefs who dofl not thy felfforgtve? Our Savrour bath exprefly told us, rhatrf wejorgtve not Men their Trif. P,a..ffes, neither will our Father which is inJ!eaven forgive us our Trefpaffis : And there~ fore as long as Anger, and Defire of Wreakrng our Revenge up<in thofe that have wrong· ed us, are entertain'd by llS, fo long we invalidate our own Prayers by not performing that Condition without wbich God will never hear nor acc~pt rhem. And therefore be fure you be no longer angry than you may lawfully ab!lain horn Prayer : For
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