Background Image
Table of Contents Table of Contents
Previous Page  195 / 674 Next Page
Basic version Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 195 / 674 Next Page
Page Background

SffiRM.

XL1

LIVING

ABOVE THE 1E-AH.

171

slow

to

anger,

and

swift

to

forgive,

as

God your

Father

is.

When

you

hear a

word

of

offence

or

reproach

spoken, and

feel

the rising ferment

of

the blood, watch

against

it,

subdue

it

:

this

is

the

hour

of

battle,

see

that

ye come off

conquerors:

When

there

is

a

word

of

bit-

terness upon

your

tongue,

stifle

it,

and keep silence,

sub-

due

the temptation,

and prevent

that

sin

;

give

glory to

God

in this

manner,

which

the saints in

heaven

cannot

do.

Dearly

beloved, avenge

not

yourselves,

but rather

give

place

unto wrath

:

Be

not

overcome with

evil

;

but

overcome

evil

with good

:"

Rom.

xii.

19,

'2

1.

Love

is

a virtue

that

flourishes in

heaven,

it

grows

high,

it

spreads

wide,

and

it

shines

bright

in

the

upper

world. Love

is

a

grace

that out

-lives

faith

and

hope,

and

endures for

ever.

There

is

no

such union

ofhearts,

no

such sacred bonds

of

affection, as

are found

among

the

saints

on high.

Heaven

is

the

very

element

and regipn

of

love

but

it

is

all love to

God,

love to

Christ, and

to

our

fellow-

saints

:

For

love to enemies

is

not

known

in

that

country,. because

there

is

no enemy there.

To

love

them

that

hate

us, to

bless

them

that

curse

us

;;

to

pity,

and

.forgive,

and pray

for those

that

injure

us;

these

are

not

only noble

singularities

of

the christian

religion, which

are not

known amongst

all

the

catalogues

of

heathen vir-

tues,

but neither are

they

practised

in the heavenly

world.

As

glorious and sublime

as

they

are,

yet they

.

are

never found among the spirits

of

the

just

made

per

-.

feet

:

Those

holy

souls,

are

all

far above the

reach

of

malice,

hatred, and enmity

:

there are no

objects

there

for

them to exercise these divine

virtues upon. Love to

enemies therefore

dwells

only

amongst the

living

saints:

To

forgive

injuries,

is

the

glory

that

is

peculiar to

Christians

in

this

mortal state, and our

blessed

Saviour

has

a most

peculiar revenue

of honour

from

it

But

besides the

honour

that

Christ

and

his gospel

re-

ceive from such

a

kind

and charitable conduct, there

is

s;

pleasure

in this

victory over resentment,

that

far ex-

ceeds the

pleasure

of

revenge

which

is

the delight

.of

the

wicked

:

And

it

is

a pleasure

also, which

the saints above

,cannot

partake

of;

for there are

no

offences,

no

inju-

ries, no

provocations

there:

This

life

alone

is

the

time

to

forgive,

and

to

be

forgiven.

Now

who

is

there among

us,

that

would

not

seize'the

opportunity

'of

every

injury