534 Magi. !trees be lawful! avengers. How we may ufe Law and authority. An Expofition upon condly, Gods children are dear unto him, even as the apple of his eye,fo pre- cious in his fight,that he will not forget their injuries. Thirdly, there is no hurt done unto any, but firft there is injury done to God by tranfgreffing his Law. In all wrongs to our neighbour, God is firft wronged, which he mull punifh. Fourthly, God is the Judge of the world,and it belongeth to him to doe every man right. Fiftly, he can be re- venged without perturbation or paffi- on, and fo cannot we. Moreover, God will do it more Iharply, and with more feverity then we can do. Laftly, if we do it our (elves, wedo not only (poil God of his right and authority, (as if a fubje& fhould wreft the fword out of his hand, anddeprive our felves of his prose&ion and defence;) but whereas in taking wrong we were meer fufferers of evil!, in the avenging of wrong we be- come the doers ofevill,and finners;and fo liable to Gods avenging hand as well as our enemies. And Daftly, we fhew our (elves unlike to Chrift, and like to Sa tan; therefore the only way is to leave and commit our enemies only unto God : not that we are to defire his vengeance upon our neighbours, or to takepieafure in it: but having prayed heartily fortheir coiwerhon,i fthey con- tinuemalicious, and he punifheth them, we are to delightmore in Gods juftice, then in their pain. Finally, this precept bindes private mens hands,and not Magifirates, whole duty it is to take vengeance, Rom. 13.2. not for himfelf,asthis text faith,but on the behalf of God, whole minifter he is, and of fis neighbour who is offen- dedAlfo,it is no breach of this precept, in our extremities, to flye to Magi- firates for fuccour, fo it be not with a revenging mind to make him the inftru- ment of our hatred, but with an bond/ purpofe to preferve our felves and others whom we have charge of, from dangers. Secondly, to have the wrong doer bridled and amended by a moderate correélion. Thirdly, to have fcandall removed from among Gods people. Fourthly, to have others feared from Chap. 12 evil! doing by example of their punilh- ment. For there ends,it is as law full for us to ufe the Magiftrate, as to ufe the Sun, or air, or any other creatureor ordinance of God. Paul appealed to Ce- far, and called for help againft thefe which had vowed his death, AEi. 23. 23,24. T I M. What is meant by the next exhor- tation S 1 L. By hunger and thirfting is meant neceflties of all forts, and by gi- ving bread and drink, all duties of hu- manity (by a Synecdoche) which for charity fake we are to to performe even to an enemy (after the example of the Samaritan) ii he be in want, and that by ourkindeneffe we do not maintain him in his fin,or againft God and his King & countrey. This is the greateft tryall of ourChriflian love, Mat 5.44 Luk.6.7.7. By coals of fire, is meant divine plagues and punifhments, which hang over the heads of Inch malicious men as will not be conquered by our beneficence and well dealing with them, (thus M. Beza, and moft rightly.) And here is (hewed not the purpofe of the doer, but the event : that this is the heft fenfe, appears by comparing this-place with Prov. 25. 22. whence it is taken, and by other places where the fame phrafe is ufed in PfaL 18.13. & 520. 4. to note the kin- dling of Gods wrath and judgements. [To he overcome by evil] is to be impatient for wrong done to us, and to Rudy re- venge. To overcome evill with good- neffe, figni fies to Phew mercy and kind- neffe where we receive evil'. Thisis a more noble vi &ory to conquer our felves, then if we overcame a City. For - tior eft qui fe, quant qui fortijPma vincit mania. 21(obile vincendi genus eft fe vincere pee. This is it which we are mightily to ftrive unto, as a moil excellent degree of pert &ion. Beperfe& as your hea- venlyFather is perfe& ; for he is kinde unto the unkinde, and fitffers his Sun and rain to fall upon the ground of good and bad. In thefe flops of God, did walk Mofes, Chrift, David, Paid, and Stephen,all doing good againft evill. CHAP. .Aaafl¡a, anderllands by conies of fire, the gripes of Repen- tanee,ma- king an e- nemy re- lent, being, mollified by benefits as /mama faith Others, of burning charity, and fire of Jove, as Martyr and Lyra. Others of both, as M. (at- vin, 6o.
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