A Ptaflical Expojition Firjl, In no Caft: whatfoever, be the Inj ury gre~ter ?r lefs, is private Re\'eogc to be allowed; but !o far forth art thou bound to forg1ve H, as nor ro be both Judge and Executioner thy felf. This, I fuppofe, is clear and indubitable, that all Revenge is 10 be committed ro the Jriagiflrau's Sword 1 whom God bath armed with AuthOii ry and Commiffion ro be the .Avengtr to execute;: \Vrarh upon them that do Evil . Secondly, TherefOre if rhe Wrong thou haft received he infupportable, and rends ej. t'her to the Ruin of ~hy Efiate and necetf;uy Subfifience, or to the irreparable Lots of thy g?od ~ame, or lt. may be of thy l:tfe, I. know "?Precept of ForgivenefS, that doth tn this Cafe forbtd thee to feek SatJSfafhon; bur Jt mu(l be only in a publick and legal Way, otherwife in forgi\•ing others Wi!: fhould vafily injure our felves and fO pervert the Rule which commands us to Ieve our Neighbou rs as our fi;: lves, a;1d there· fore our felves primarily as the Standard and Meafure of our Love to rhem. Now if any one fhould ~ttempt to take away that which is neceffa.ry to my Liyelihood, or by falfe Accufauon~ !hould go about w take :1w~y ~y .Creda or my L!fe, ct: rrainly 1 , owe fo much Chanry tO my felf as ro refift htm m It, and to requtre Sonh taRion and Recornpence for it; but fiill th!s mufi. be o~ferved, that we ought not ro ri ghc our felves accordtng to our own pnvare Dtfcreuon, bur by the Semence of rhe Law and by the Authority of the Magillrate; for the Law is good, fays the Apoltle if i; be ufed lawfully. And therefore briefly in our feeking tor our Rigbr at Law' there are rhefe Three Things requifire to make it a lawful and allowable AC\ion. Firfl, When that we Sue for is a Matter of Moment. Secondly, When we have to do with Obllinateand Stubborn Perfons who will yield to nothing but what they are forc'd and compell'd to, and will nor' fiand w the A· ward and Arbitration of private Chrifiians. Tbirdly, When we have beforehand ufed all likely and probable Means to prevail with than: who have done us wrong ro make us neceffary and firting SarisfaElion. Thefe Three Things mutt always concur to make our Suiug even for publick Revenge a Thing lawful. And then in all fuch Procetfes we muft be fure to obferve rhefe Two Things. Fir(/, That we bave Right on our Side, or at leall be verily perfwaded that we l1ave it, and lhat the Perfon whom we profecute doth us wrong. To fi;:ek for reafonable SatisfaElion in this Cafe is fo far from being cha:ged wirh Rancour and Malice, that it is rather an ef!ea of Love to bring them to do us Right, whereby indeed they do greater Right to themfdves. Secondly, We mull be fore to maintain Love to them, being willing and ready to do them any kind Offices wharfocver Iyes in our Power. We muft tbe:refore feek our Right with much MeeknefS and Compaffion. And wben a Conrroverlie depends between us and any other, we fhould nor make it a Matter of Strife and Variance, but only put it to the Decifion of the Law, to whom the Right belongs; and if ir be found to belong to the other, and not to thy felf, rhou oughtell to he glad that Right is done, and to prefer the lntereft of Jufiice befOre thine own, otherwife thou feekeft Vi8:ory and· not Equhy. And this is the Second Conclujion, that for a great important Wrong thou mayefl lawfully feek for Satisfaaion. T bird!y, If the Wrong done thee cannot be pafs'd by without the wronging of others thou mayeft and oughre!l: in this Cafe to require SatisfaEt:ion. As for infiance the Laws of the Land have ordained Death as the Punifhm'nt of Robberies and Theft vpon ~he Highway in the Day, and breaking open of Houfes in the Night; not fo much for Revenge upon the Guilty, as for Example to others, and for Securiry to the lnnocem. In tbis Cafe we ought nm to pafs by any who have been deprehended thus unjufily invading our Pofidlions; efpecially if we have juft Caufe to fufpeC\ (as commonly it fo happens) that our fuffering them to efcape will but embolden them to tanher Outrages; for this were a Wrong done to the Nation and Community in which we live, and by fuch an iodifcreer Pity and Compaffion we bring upon our felves rhe Guilt of all the Crimes that they afterwards commir. Fourthly, If the \iVrongs that are done thee be tolerable, and th_ou maye!l for· give them without wronging of others, the Laws of Chrifiianity obltgeth thee fo to do, without (tanding upon any SatisfaEt:ion and Reparatien for rhem. Our Saviour bath given us our Rule in this Cafe, Maub. 5· 40. If any Man wilL Sue thee at Law, and t .Ike away t hy Coat, let bi111 have thy Cloak a!fo: "Which reacheth us that about fmall Maners, Things which we may eafily be ·without, or ealily procure, fuch as a Cloak, or a ( (!at, we fhould not be Contentious, but rarhcr recede from our Righr, than
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