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Religious Duty, till thou haft put on a more Christian Spirit, and reconcileable Difpofition. That Malice, and Ill-will thou harboureft in thy Heart; that Difference and Breach of Charity, or that Injury thou haft done to thy Brother, will unhallow thy Gift, and pollute the Altar of God, and fend up from thence a difpleafing and noifome Savour: So that the plain Senfe and Coherence of the Words, is this.

Since I now tell you how great the Guilt of Immoderate Anger and Revenge, is, As many of you as now hear me, and intend to become my Difciples; I charge you to beware of fuch Things. Or if at any time (through the Haftinefs and Inadvertency of Nature, or the Violence, and Precipitation of Paffion) you be furprized, and betrayed into them; forthwith acknowledge and bewail your Infirmity; Seek Reconciliation Speedily; let not the Sun doron go upon your Wrath; let him that was first in the Offence, be first also in making up the Breach; ftand not upon the Punitilio's of Hoand Diftance; account it no Difparagement to own your felves guilty of an Overfight, or Fault; nor think it a Shame to ask Forgiveness, or to make Reftitution, where you bave done a Wrong. This, I prefume, may be fufficient, to explain the Meaning, and Defign of thefe Words of our Saviour. Give me leave now to draw out the Argument of them, into what I think very much concerns the Christian Life, by speaking to these Heads.

nour,

I. Of the Nature of Chriftian Reconciliation, or what that implies.

II. Of the great and indifpenfable Obligation we are under to feek for it. Go, and be reconciled to thy Brother.

III. What is to be done by both Parties in order thereunto, If thou remembreft that thy Brother bath ought against thee.

I. Of the Nature of Christian Reconciliation. When the Saviour of the World came into it, he found it in a very corrupt and degenerate State; the Minds of Men very disorderly and unpeaceable; governed by an univerfal Sway of Paffion and Revenge, and exceedingly averse to the Paffive Duties of Meekness, Charity, and Forgivenefs; his great Defign therefore being to reftore the lapfed State of Mankind, and to reconcile the World to God he thought it neceffary, in order thereunto, firft to reconcile the Wills and Affections of Men to one another, that fo they might rejoice together in the fame common Friendship here, and be made Partakers of the fame common Salvation hereafter: To this purpose, you fee, he here made it the first Precept of his Gofpel, and laid it as the Foundation, whereupon we are to fuperftruct all the other Christian Virtues and Graces.

I am very fenfible, that it is an unpleasant Argument, and a Difficult Task, I have undertaken: The Generality of Chriftians give too great an Indulgence, indeed a boundless Liberty to the paffion of Revenge: God knows, we are all of us very tender and fenfible of an Injury; but extreamly averfe to Patience and Forgivenefs; Nay, I am apt to think, that many look upon thefe Duties, as things purely Indifferent and Voluntary, which may be done, or left undone at Difcretion, without incurring any great Guilt, or Danger: But certainly this is a very great Miftake, for they have not only the Force and Obligation of an exprefs Command of Chrift, but the Tranfgreffion of them will render us Self-Condemned before our Judge: For he that ferioufly confiders how much he daily owes to the Mercy and Patience of Heaven; in what need he himself ftands of Favour and Pardon: How much more heinously he hath provoked God, than his Brother can poffibly offend him: I fay, he that seriously confiders this, will find it no Difficult or Unreasonable Duty, to Forgive, and feek Reconciliation from others. Do we complain that the Offences against us, are many, and frequently repeated? Oh! Ours against God are vaftly more: Who can tell how oft he Offendeth? God is a Righteous Judge, ftrong and Patient, and God is Provoked every Day. Do we pretend that the Injuries done to us are very Heinous and Provoking? Ours against God are infinitely more fo. In our Cafe, it is but

Man

Man offending against Man, betwixt whom there is no effential Difference; who are equal in the Endowments of Nature; and what in-equality foever there may be in point of Birth or Eftate, of Honour or Dignity; yet these are but Contingent, and Fortuitous, depending purely upon fome Lucky and Accidental Hits. But God is very highly exalted above the Sons of Men; He is the only Potentate, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. And this is the very Reasoning of our Saviour in the Parable of the King who took Accompt of his Servants. O Thou wicked Servant! I forgave Matt. 18. thee All that Debt, because thou defiredft me 332,33fbouldeft not thou alfo have had Compaffion on thy Fellow-Servant, even as I bad Pity on thee? Upon this very reason is built that Petition, which we daily offer up to God in the Prayer of our Lord. Forgive us our Trefpales, as we forgive them that Trefpafs against us. And how dare we so often take that Prayer into our Mouths, whilft our Hearts are hot, and reeking with Revenge? If we will not forgive Men their Trefpaffes, how can we expect that God fhould forgive us our Trefpaffes? But to come to the more Diftin& Nature of this Chriftian Duty, which I think chiefly implies these Three Things.

1. That we do not feek Revenge, or return thofe Evils upon our Adverfary, which he hath done to us. 2. That we forgive him from our Hearts, without retaining any fecret Grudge, or returning it upon him, tho' it may

chance

chance to come into our Power, and we have the Opportunity to do it. 3. That we Recompence good unto him, if he stand in need of our Affiftance or Charity.

1. Chriftian Reconciliation requires that we do not feek Revenge, or return thofe Evils upon our Adverfary, which he hath done to us. If we are Commanded to be reconciled to our Adverfary, 'tis eafy to understand that we are thereby forbidden all practices towards him that are inconfiftent with Love and Peace; And therefore we muft lay down all Thoughts of Revenge; Forbear all Acts of Hoftility; All recompenfing Evil for Evil: This our Saviour exprefly Teaches at the 39th and 40th Verfes of this Chapter. But I fay unto you, that ye refift not Evil but whosoever shall fmite thee on thy right Cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any Man will Sue thee at the Law, and take away thy Coat, let him have thy Cloak alfo. Which Words are not meant Literally, and Abfolutely, as if we were to fit down contentedly under all Injuries; and tamely yield our Goods to every Bold and Rapacious Invader: But they were spoken Proverbially, and are to be understood only fo, as to restrain Chriftians from private Revenge, and moving Suits for fmaller Loffes and Indignities, fuch as our Lord there mentions. So Patient muft the Servant of the Lord be to all Men; Not rendring Evil for Evil, nor Railing for Railing, but contrariwife Bleffing.

Now