upon the Epif/le of J A M • s. Vuu.xi. for them thtu defpightfHIIJitfe us;fowe learn ofthegreacAuchor of our profeffion;he W~s mnnbred~tmong tr~enfgrej[ots,&he made in– tercef!ion for tr~n[grcf[ors,Ifa 53· I z.It is a prophefie of that prayer which Chrifl uttered upon the ~rofs for his perfccutors, Father forgive them,for they k,zloW not wh{tt they do; his .heart was full of love, when theirs was full of fpight; and huly thefollowcrsofche Lamb·lhould not be of a wolvtfu fpirit ; we lhould be ready eo for– give allprivatt: and pe:rfonal wrongs; but in publick cafes wherein .divine or humane right is intervened and difiurbed , we may de– fire God to relieve oppreffcd innocence,to Wound the hairJ fca!p of evil doers, &c. 2. in pubfick,_ cPJfes ~e muft not defire revenge di– reElly and formally; fo our prayers mufl: refped the vindication of Gods glory, and the avenging of our own c11e only as it dothcol– laterally andby CIJn(equence follow thereupon. Pfa!. 1 IS. 1. not tfJ m,not t~ m,but to thJ namegive_glory; that is, not for our revenge, -or to fattsfy our lulls,but ro repatr the efietmof thy mercy & truth. The main fpring and fway upon the fpirit, lhould be azeal for the divine glory ; the whole eighty third Pfalm is full of imprecations, but ·cis.conduded thus. vtrfe 18. That men m;ry k.,now, that thou whofe name alone uJehovah, art the mofl high ovcr'all the earth; the vindication of Gods honor and and ways, is the main aim of their requetl:s. Thirdly Gods people do not defire vengeance againfi particular perfons abfolutely, but in the general againil: the enemies of the Church,and expreOy againfr fuch as are known to God tobe perverfe and implacable. 4 Their ordinary prayers are againfi the plots rather then the perfons of their enimies;diiligtmt in inimiconA- .turam,non vitium,theycan love the nature though they hatethe fin. 9. God may contivue judgements, e(peciai'J that of unfoa(ona- Obfer'V/It, 9· hie weather for a iong time: in Elijahs time for three ye~rs, and ' Gxmonths , the heavens were as brafs , and the earth as iron ; this may ferve to calm our froward fpirits · that are ap~ to murm?re againftprcwidence,whenwe have not feafons to our mmds:oh thmk how it was with Ifrael, when it rained not in thre7 years and more; and fear him that can flop*the bottles ofheavm,and fiay.the. ~louds,. lob 38 . 37.~ from giving ont their influences; fruitfull feafons are at hts dttpofal; fee 7er.s .2.4• Second caufes do not work by chance, cannot work at pleafnre ; this is the bridle whichGod' ha~h upon t~e w~rld; t~e ordering of the weather is one of the moft v1fible cdbmomes ofhts power and goodnefs. L , at I i i i I o. ap ry,
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