156

To purfue Hofpitality, and be united in mutual Regards; Sect. 28. Saints, and accounting nothing your own, which Neceffity of the Saints; their Relief requires you to furnish out: Particu- given to Hospitality.

Rom. XII. larly pursuing that Hofpitality, which prefent Cir

13.

cumftances fo peculiarly demand (a), especially towards thofe Strangers that are Exiles, or Travellers, in the Caufe of Chriftianity. Stay not till Occafions of this Kind force themfelves upon you, and much less, till Importunity extort the Favour, as it were, against your Will; but like Abraham look out for proper Objects of fuch a Bounty, and follow after them, to bring them 14 back to your Houfes. On the other Hand,

not.

14 Bless them which per

15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

blefs them, who are pursuing you with evil Inten- fecute you: Blefs, and curfe tions and perfecute you with the greatest Severity for Conscience Sake. With them well, and pray for their Converfion; yea, if they should go on to revile you, for all the Expeffions of your Love, go on to blefs; and curfe them not, tho' provoked by their bittereft Imprecations against you. 15 Make it a conftant Maxim with yourselves, to maintain a constant Sympathy with your Brethren of Mankind, which may lead you to rejoice with them that rejoice, and to weep with them that weep; to congratulate others on their Felicity, and to bear your Part with them in their Sorrows, as Members of one Body, who have all, as it were, 16 one common Feeling. [Be] intirely united in your Regards for each other (b). Let each condefcend to the reft, and agree with them, as far as he fairly and honourably can; and where you muft differ, do not, by any Means, quarrel about it, but allow the fame Liberty of Senti

ments

16 Be of the fame Mind one towards another. Mind

(a) Purfuing Hofpitality.] It was the more proper for the Apostles fo frequently to inforce this Duty, as the Want of publick Inns (much less common, than among us, tho' not quite unknown, Luke x. 34, 35.) rendered it difficult for Strangers to get Accommodations, and as many Chriftians might be banished their native Country for Religion, and perhaps laid under a Kind of Bann of Excommunication, both among Jews and Heathens, which would make it a high Crime, for any of their former Brethren to receive them into their Houfes.-For the Illustration which the Paraphrafe gives of the Energy of this Text, I am obliged to Mr.. Blackwall, Sacred Claff. Vol. i. pag. 232.

(b) Be intirely united in your Regards for each other.] This on the whole, feemed the most proper Verfion of, To aulo es annus Ppovales; and tho' Dr. Whitby paraphrafes it, "Defire the fame Thing for others, that you do for yourselves, and would have them defire for you;" I think the Senfe given above preferable, as it fuppofes lefs of an Ellipfis, which I would not suppose without apparent Neceffity.

(c) Greeks

Mind not high Things, but condescend to Men of low

own Conceits.

Not to render Evil for Evil, but to live peaceably with all; 157 ments you would claim. Affect not high Things; Sect. 28. either to poffefs exalted Stations of Life, or to Eftate. Be not wife in your converfe with those that bear them; but rather Rom. XII. condefcend, and accommodate yourselves, to Men of low Rank; for it is chiefly among the poorer Part of Mankind, that the Gospel is like to prevail : And all Chriftians ought, in this Respect, to bear the Image of their great Mafter, who spent most of his Time in converfing with fuch. Be not fo wife in your own Conceit, as to think yourselves above the Divine Direction, or that of your Fellow-christians, in this Respect, or in any other. Render to none Evil for Evil; nor 17 imagine that any Man's injurious Treatment of you will warrant your returning the Injury; but act in fuch a cautious and circumfpect Manner, that it may evidently appear, you provide against the Malignity, which will lead many to put the worst Constructions upon your Actions. And do only thofe Things, which may be above the Need of Excufe, and may appear, at the first View, fair and reputable in the Sight of all Men. If it be poffible, and at least to the utmost of your 18 Power, as far as is confiftent with Duty, Honour, and Conscience, live peaceably with all Men; not -only your own Countrymen, or Fellow-chriftians, but Jews, and Gentiles, Greeks, and Barbarians (c).

17 Recompenfe to no Man Evil for Evil. Provide Things honeft in the Sight of all Men.

18 If it be poffible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all Men.

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give Place unto Wrath:

Upon the whole, my dearly beloved Brethren, whatever Wrongs you may receive, revenge not yourselves on those, that have injured you; but rather yield, and give Place to the Wrath of the Enemy (d); for GOD hath forbidden us to in

dulge

(c) Greeks and Barbarians.] "Tis remarkable that Dr. Barrow adds, this must include living peaceably with Hereticks and Schifmaticks, Barrow's Works, Vol. i. pag. 278. however, the Ill-treatment, which must be expected, under these hard Names, from Men of unpeaceable Tempers, fhould never lead any to deny, or flight, what they in their Consciences judge the Truth of Doctrine, or Purity of Worfhip.

(d) Give Place to Wrath.] L' Enfant and others explain this of giving Way to the Wrath of GOD, and quotes the Phrase of giving Place to the Phyfician, (Eccles. xxxviii. 12.) and giving Place to the Law, (Chap. xix. 17.) as authorizing that Interpretation. But I think, in both thofe Paffages, to give Place fignifies to yield without oppoting; in which Senfe it beft fuits the Interpretation given in the Paraphrafe, which feems moft natural. The ingenious and learned Dr. Balguy determines in Favour of the other Interpretation, (Balguy's

Serm.

19

1.9.

And overcome Evil with Good.

Wrath: For it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, faith the Lord,

20 Therefore if thine Enemy hunger, feed him;

he thirst, give him Drink For in fo doing thou fhalt heap Ccals of Fire on his

158
Sect. 28. dulge any of the vindictive Paffions: As it is
written, (Deut. xxxii. 35.) Vengeance [is] mine,
Rom. XII. that is, it properly belongs to me, and I will re-
compenfe the deferved Punishment, faith the Lord.
And indeed it requires the Wisdom, as well as
the Dignity and Majefty, of a GOD, to claim,
20 and manage it aright. Therefore, instead of
bearing any Thoughts of hurting them, that if
have used you moft unkindly and unjustly, if
thine Enemy hunger, feed him, and if he thirst,
give him Drink; and on the whole, do him all
the Good in thy Power, as Solomon urgeth;
(Prov. xxv. 21.) for by doing this thou shalt, as it
were, heap Coals of Fire on his Head (e): Thou
wilt touch him fo fenfibly, that he will no more
be able to ftand against fuch a Conduct, than to
bear on his Head burning Coals; but will rather
submit and seek thy Friendship, and endeavour
by future Kindness to over-balance the Injury.

21

Ver. 12.

Head.

21 Be not overcome of

On all Occafions, act on this, as an inviolable
Maxim; and if you don't find the immediate Evil, but overcome Evil
good Effect, perfift in fuch a Conduct; be not with Good.

overcome with Evil, where it seems moft obsti-
nate; but overcome Evil with Good: For that is
the most glorious Victory, and a Victory, which
may certainly be obtained, if you will have the
Courage to adhere to that, which being good, is
always in its own Nature, on the whole, invin-
cible, to whatever present Disadvantage it may

feem obnoxious.

IMPROVEMENT.

SUR
URELY if any Thing, consistent with the Burthens and Sorrows of
mortal Life, can infpire conftant Joy, it must be the Chriftian Hope; the
Hope of our high Calling. Surely with a Joy thus fupported, no Tribula-
tion can be too great to be endured with Patience; yea, with Chearfulness:

Since,

Serm. Vol. ii pag. 222, 223.) tho' the Force of the Reason, that follows, is not at all impaired by ours.

(e) Thou shalt heap, &c.] The Senfe cannot be, thou shalt confume him, and bring Judg ments upon him; for that would be applying to Revenge, and building upon it, while it is moft exprefsly forbidden. It must therefore intimate, in how tender a Manner human Nature is affected, with Favours received from one who has been confidered as an Enemy.

Reflections on our Obligation to Joy, Love, Peace, &c.

159

Since, whatever it be, the glorious Object of our Hope, far from being Sect. 28... endangered or diminished by it, fhall rather be fecured and encreased. Let us therefore continue inftant in Prayer, that our Minds may be fo fortified, and ennobled, that we may dwell upon these Views.

Well may they keep the Heart in fo ferene and pleasant a State, as to make us ready to every Act of Kindness to our Fellow creatures; but efpecially to thofe, who are Heirs with us of this Hope; whom we ought to efteem it our great Honour and Priviledge to be able in any Measure to Ver. 13. affift and accommodate, while they are travelling thro' this too often inhofpitable Wilderness, in the Way to that Kingdom, they are going to receive. It is no Wonder, that as we are not of this World, but are chofen and called on of the World to fo glorious a Profpect, the World Should bate and perfecute us: But let us neither be dismayed, nor in any Degree exasperated, with this ill Usage we may meet with. Rather, with unfeigned Compaffion and good Will to the most injurious of our Enemies, let us not only refrain from repaying Evil with Evil, but render them Ver. 17. Bleffing for Curfes, and Benefits for Wrongs: Since we

found fuch Mercy, and are called to inherit fuch a

Bleave ourselves

Let us cultivate thofe kind and focial Affections, which this great Proficient in them all fo forcibly inculcates; that tender Sympathy which Ver. 15. may teach us to share in the Joys and Sorrows of all about us, that candid Humility, which fhall, with graceful unaffected Freedom, ftoop to the Ver. 16. lowest and the meaneft, and while it stoops, rife in unfought Honours, -that Distrust of ourselves, which shall caufe us to cease from our own Wisdom, that we may repofe ourselves upon the unerring Guidance of our heavenly Father, this kindly obftinate Attachment to Peace, this Ver. 18, &c. heroick Superiority, which melts down with Kindness the Heart, that but

a little before was glowing with Rage. And on the whole, this refolute Perfeverance in Goodness, which must be finally victorious, and will af- Ver. 21. furedly rife with a new Acceffion of Strength and of Glory, from feeming Defect.

every

SECT.

160

Sect. 29.

Rom. XIII.

I.

The Apoftle urges Obedience to Magiftrates, Justice in all its
Branches, and Love, as the Fulfilling of the Law; conclud-
ing the Chapter with a warm Exhortation to that univerfal
Sanctity, which might become and adorn the excellent Dif
penfation of the Gospel. Rom. XIII.
Rom. XIII. 1, to the End.

A

ROMANS XIII. 1.

MONG the many Exhortations I am now
Chriftian Brethren, to a
giving you, my
Life worthy of the Gofpel, that of Obedience
to Magiftrates, to which I now proceed, must be
acknowledged of diftinguished Importance. I
know the Jews are strongly prejudiced against the
Thoughts of fubmitting to Heathen Governors;
but let me ftrictly charge and enjoin it upon every
Soul among you, without Exception, how holy
foever his Profeffion be, and however honour-
able his Station in the Church, that he be in all
regular and orderly Subjection to the fuperior civil
Authorities, which Divine Providence hath efta-
blished in the Places where you live. For there
is no fuch legal Authority, but may, in one Sense
or another, be faid to be from GOD. It is his
Will, that there should be Magiftrates to guard the
Peace of Societies; and the Hand of his Provi-
dence in directing to the Perfons of particular
Governors, ought to be seriously confidered and
revered. The Authorities, that exift under one
Form or another, are in their different Places,
ranged, disposed, and established by GOD (a), the
original

(a) Difpafed and established.] So I render the Word lay, thinking the English Word ordained rather too ftrong. Compare Acts xiii. 48. and the Note there. Divine Providence ranges, and in Fact establishes, the various Governments of the World; they are therefore, under the Character of Governments, in the general to be revered: But this cannot make what is wrong and pernicious in any particular Forms, Sacred, Divine and immutable, any more than the Hand of GOD in a Famine or Pestilence, is an Argument against feeking proper Means to remove it.

(b) Sets