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S. MATT. V. 44.

But I Say unto you, Love your Enemies.

I. W

HAT Enemies are the Objects of our
Love?

Not the Common Enemy of Mankind, Satan. Non orandum eft pro Diabolis, quia Ecclefia novit eos extremo exitio à Deo devotos, & à mifericordiâ exclufos. Aug.

But,

1. Such Men as hate us, S. Matt. v. 44. 2. As strive to wrong, or injure us, Luk. vi. 29.

3. Or that have wrong'd us already, Rom.

xii. 17.

II. What Love is due unto them?

Of the Heart and Affections, Levit. xix. 17.
By,

1. Forgiving their Injuries, S. Matt. xviii. 21, 22, 33. Luk. xvii. 4.

2. Not feeking Revenge, Rom. xii. 19.
3. Wishing them all real Good, Job xxxi. 30.
4. Praying for them, 1 Tim. ii. 1. S. Matt.

V. 44.

1. That God would pardon their Sin,
S. Luk. xxiii. 34. Act. vii. 60.
2. Turn their Hearts to us.

3. Reconcile them to Himself.

5. Doing them all Good, Gal. vi. 10.
1. To their Souls, Levit. xix. 17.
2. Bodies, Prov. XXV. 21.

3. Eftates, Exod. xxiii. 4, 5.

6. Bleffing and Speaking well of them, Jam. iv. 11. Rom. xii. 14.

III

III. Reason of this Duty, or why we are to love our Enemies.

1. They bear the Image of God, Gen. i. 26. S. Jam. iii. 9.

2. This is the great, the diftinguishing Duty which Christ commands and requires of his Difciples, S. Joh. xv. 12, 17. and xiii. 34, 35.

3. We must love all Men, Rom. xii. 18, and their Hating us fhould not make us fin, Róm. xii. 17.

4. Nothing will hinder the right Performance of our Duty fo much, as the Boiling of Hatred in our Breasts, S. Jam. i. 20.

5. No Duty is accepted, till we be reconcil'd, S. Matt. V. 23, 24.

6. He that hates Men, hates God, 1 Joh. iv. 26. and our Love of Enemies will be a good Sign of our Love to God, 1 S. Joh. iv. 12.

7. Love is the Fulfilling of the Law, Rom. xiii. 8, 9.

8. We must answer for our Hatred of others hereafter, S. Matt. xviii. 3.

USES.

Hence we may learn,

1. The Excellency of the Gospel above all other Laws, as being all for Peace, Rom. xii. 18. 2. That there is nothing in this World that Men should hate but Sin only, Pfal. xcvii. 10. ci. 3. cxix. 113.

3. The Greatnefs of their Sin, who foon fall out with others, and will not be reconcil'd, S. Jam. ii. 13.

And for Motives to enforce the Practite of this Duty, we may consider,

1. That

1. That God loved us when Enemies, Rom. v. 8, 10. 1 Joh. iv. 11,

2. We cannot expect that God fhould pardon our Sins, unless we pardon others, S. Matt. vi. 14, 15.

3. Chrift our Saviour hath fet us an Example hereof, which we are indifpenfably bound to follow, S. Luk. xxiii. 34. Coloff. iii. 13.

4. This was also the Practice of the Saints, as of David, 1 Sam. xxvi. 21. 2 Sam. i. 23. ii. 5, 6. and of the first Martyr, S. Stephen, Act. vii. 60.

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S. MATT. V. 48.

Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.

WHAT is the Meaning of thefe Words?

Negatively.

1. Not that we can be perfect from Sin: As appears,

1. From Scripture, Rom. iii. 9. v. 12. S. Jam. iii. 2. 1 S. Joh. i. 8. Pfal. cxliii. 2.

2. From Reason.

1. We are all born in Sin, Pfal. li. 5. Ephef. ii. 3.

Μὴ διαται ἄνθρωπο καθαρώς ευρηθέναι ἀπὸ ῥύπε, μηδὲ ἐὰν μίᾳ ἡμέρᾳ κ δ χρήσεως αυ]ό. Bafil. 2. In that our Graces are all imperfect. Peccatum eft, vel cùm non eft charitas, vel cùm minor eft quam debet. S. Aug.

3. From the Fathers.

Móv✪ jdę ávaμáęτnt☺ iλóy☺. Clem. Alex. Nemo fine peccato, negare hoc facrilegum eft. S. Ambrof.

2. Nor that we can be equal to God in any thing. For all his Properties are,

I.

1. Effential and Neceflary, or of Himself, Jehovah.

2. Eternal, Exod. iii. 14. Vid. Serm. 1. in Vol. II. of this Author's Sermons. And therefore, 3. Independent.

4. Infinite, Pfal. cxlvii. 5.

5. Without Imperfection, Deut. xxxii. 4.
6. Without Composition.

USE.

USE.

Hence learn,

1. To abhor your felves, who in Comparison of Him, are next to nothing, Job xlii. 5,6.

2. To admire and reverence God, Rom. xi. 33.

II. Pofitively.

1. That it is our Duty to be like unto God in his communicable Properties, 1 S. Pet. ì. 15, 16: 1. In Knowledge, Coloff. iii. io.

1. Of God's Nature, S. Joh. xvii. 3.
2. His Word, S. Joh. v. 39. Coloff. i. 9:
Joshua i. 8. Pfal. i. 2.

3. His Works, Job xxxvii. 14. S. Matt. vi.
28. Pfal. viii. 3.

2. In Love,

1. To God, S. Matt. xxii. 37.

2. To Men, S. Matt. V. 44, 45. 3. In Juftice, Deut. xxxii. 4.

4. In Mercy, Exod. xxxiv. 7. S. Luk. vi. 36. 1. By Forgiving thofe that injure us, S. Matt. vi. 14, 15.

2. Pitying their Adverfities, Hof. xi. 8. Ifa. Ixiii. 9.

3. Relieving their Neceffities, S. Matt. v. 45.

5. In our Defires, Pfal. lxxiii. 25.

6. In our Joys, Phil. iv. 4.

7. In our Aims and Intentions, Prov. xvi. 4. 2. That we should endeavour and labour after this Perfection, Phil. iii. 12, 14. Hebr. vi. 1. And this we are obliged and bound to do, upon thefe two Accounts.

1. Because we were made in the Image of God, Gen. i. 27.

2. It is our only Holinéfs.

DZ

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