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and pride with which they are accompanied. You widely mistake if, in confequence of a reconciliation that has proceeded upon these grounds, you imagine you have forgiven your brother, or have fulfilled the views of the law. The world, that judges with more impartiality, sees you are not friends. It fees in your conversation, in your conduct, in your whole manner, a fecret coldness and alienation from him that is not confiftent with the meekness, the benevolence, and the difinterested spirit of this duty. You should forgive for no oblique or selfish views, you should forgive from the principle of charity, -you should forgive for the love of God,-you should forgive, because you need to be forgiven.

I fhall now illustrate this duty farther, by confidering, in another view, the falfe fubftitutions that are often made in the room of the forgiveness of injuries.

The first that I mention is a certain apathy of mind that hath ceased to feel the emotions of refentment, not because the injury is forgiven, but becaufe time has abated our fenfibility. My brethren, this partakes nothing of the vivacity of true charity. Charity is a warm and active principle. It embraces a forgiven enemy like a reconciled brother, and an enemy who refuses to be reconciled, it regards with that spirit of meeknefs and benediction which can flow only from a heart touched and animated with the love of God.

Another fubftitute is a reconciliation merely oftenfible, and a return to the exterior decencies of fociety, while a warm remembrance of the injury is ftill cherished in the breast.

It is not uncommon to say, I forgive him, but he has no reason hereafter to rely upon my friendship. My brethren, this hint is too infignificant. We difcern in it the evident fymptoms of an alienated mind. Is this to for

give? Does love thus ftudiously cherish the memory of an offence? Does the meek temper of forgiveness thus fwell the heart with a proud refentment? True forgivenefs implies much more than a contrained and artificial fubmiffion to the exterior decencies of life. It is a prin çiple that unites the hearts of men by the inward and powerful cement of Divine love, and not their perfons merely by the loofe and vulgar ties of ordinary affocia tion.

Another and much more unjustifiable substitute for this duty, is a refolution, indeed, not to prosecute an open and public revenge, but accompanied at the fame time with a purpose to avoid, towards the offender, all the common civilities of life.

Men who act on this principle feldom mollify their refentments fo far as to fubmit to a formal reconciliation. Yet because an unforgiving temper is condemned by religion, and ftill more because it is odious to the world, they profefs to forgive when they mean only they will not profecute their rage to extremes. But they refuse to fee their enemy, they thun the companies he is known to frequent. Wherefore? Because his prefence might excite painful recollections, or create an embarrassment that would destroy the pleasure of fociety. My brethren, let the common fenfe of mankind decide upon this queftion. Can we have forgiven our brother, if we exclude him from our fight? If his prefence ftill irritates? If it recals ideas that fhould be forgotten? If it awakens emotions that should be compofed by the spirit of love?→ Certainly not.

The last substitute which I hall mention for the forgiveness, is the contempt of injuries.

A man is fo clofely connected with his actions, that it is difficult to defpife his vices, which is permitted by religion,

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ligion, without despiling his person, which is not permit ted. The sentiment of fuperiority to an unworthy a& too easily degenerates, in a common mind, into improper pride. And so foreign from true charity is all pride and haughtiness of spirit, and fo difficult is it not to involve the person in our idea with his character or cause, that it is safest perhaps for a Christian to regard even the vices of others with pity, rather than with contempt.

Having thus far endeavoured to explain the nature and extent of forgiving injuries, and pointed out the wrong conceptions which are, entertained of it by mankind, both in the improper principles of their reconciliations, and in the falfe fubftitutions which they are prone to make in the room of this duty.-I proceed now,

II. To illuftrate its foundation in reafon, as well as in the command of the Saviour.

This may be done from a double fource of argument, -from the excellence and amiableness of the difpofition from which this virtue is derived, and from the infuffi ciency of the causes on which revenge is justified.

1. In the first place, from the excellence and amiablenefs of the difpofition from which this virtue is derived. -It contains a high and general philanthropy, which is a sweet and elevated affection ;-it contains the love of our enemies, which is a generous principle ;-it will attract refpect and honour from the world; and finally, it is the most perfect refemblance of that attribute in the Deity which is the most interesting to man.

1. It contains a high and general philanthropy, which is a sweet and elevated affection.

Love is the highest principle of union among all senfible beings. Its exercife is always accompanied with

pleasure

pleasure, and with the consciousness of its excellence. The common proverb, that revenge is fweet, is a maxim of paffion, not of reafon. And, like most other ftrong and fudden dictates of the paffions, it is falfe. Are not the plans of revenge filled with anxiety and pain? Is not their execution accompanied with the bitterness of undisguised rage, or the bafeness of secret treachery? Doth it not, when most successful, recoil in its effects upon ourfelves, either from the refentment of the world, or from the reflections of our own breafts? And doth it not, when unsuccessful, render us the victims of our own impetuofity, and pride, and involve us in a fucceffion of hoftilities, and a tempeft of hateful paffions, that deftroy at once our fecurity and our peace!-No, revenge is not fweet; it imbitters our enjoyments;-it incurs the hatred and oppofition of mankind;-and, even in our own view, degrades us in the moments of calm recollection. On the other hand, the mild and heavenly principle of univerfal love, exalts us in our own eftcem.-It diffuses a divine sweetness through the breaft, and fpreads tranquillity over the whole fcene of life ;-it escapes injury by avoiding offence,-and tends to render all men our friends. by being ourselves the friends of all. Such is the genuine principle of forgiveness ;-such is its dignity and happinefs; and the reasonableness of the duty becomes evident, from the excellence of its fource.

2. It contains, in the next place, the love of our enemies, which is a noble and generous affection.

Whatever excellence or beauty there is in that general philanthropy that unites us to mankind, it is greatly increased by embracing our enemies. There is a generofity in forgiving an enemy that exalts the action. There is a heroism in being fuperior to injury, that cannot be acquired by the boldest and most fuccefsful efforts of revenge.

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venge. What is an enemy?-One who has treated your with injuftice;-who has attacked your interefts;-who has attempted to blast your reputation; who has touch

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you in those points that are most tender and dear to an honest and feeling mind. What can be more great and elevated than that divine charity which enables us to forgive him? Doth it not display a fortitude that disdains to fear? or a consciousness of innocence that cannot eventually distrust the justice of the world?-Or, is it not at least the fruit of penitent humility, that forgets his injury in the felf-reproaches which returning virtue always makes to our own past folly ?-Reproaches which are the certain indication of a worthy and ingenuous mind.

But, apart from thefe confiderations, our enemies them-felves have fome claim to our regard, for the benefits we may derive from them. Friends are too tender to our foibles. Flatterers, while they footh, beguile, and often do us an effential injury, by cherishing a false vanity, and a contemptuous indifference to the opinion of the world. Frequently our imperfections are first learned from our enemies. And although they may be magni fied by unfriendly paffions; yet even malevolence has ufually fome ground on which it raifes its exaggerated pictures. A wife man, by prudently attending to its cenfures, may learn to correct his errors, and to perfect his virtues. And the laudable defire of reforming every fault, and a generous wish of perfecting the character, may contribute, in fuch a mind, to extinguish resentment, by the obligation which it feels, even to an enemy.

3. This spirit, in the next place, is not only honourable in itself, but it will attract respect and honour from the world.

No, reply the paffionate advocates for the manners of the world, fuch mildness and forbearance will only invite

injuries,

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