injury and the storms, which arise in their little minds, are the lightning of a moment, and pass away. But man, wiser and greater as he esteems himself than they, man smothers his anger; he hides it as a snake in his bosom; and warms and cherishes it there; content to be himself undone, so he may contrive to sting his enemy. Oh, by all your hope of comfort here, or of happiness hereafter, reject from your bosom this plague, which will daily gather those stings and goads; which from small beginnings, lead the way to more hideous disorders; and, from a hasty word or look, lay the dark foundation of a mischief which destroys, ere long, the comfort of neighbourhoods, the peace of families, and the eternal happiness of souls.

But, secondly, it is not only our duty to do our enemies no harm, we must go still farther; and, if they need our assistance, we must be ready to do them good. "If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink."

And, strange as it may seem, this is the wisest as well as the most Christian course which we can pursue. In the first place, by these acts of kindness, we make our own task easier of combating our resentment; and extinguishing every spark of malice in our hearts. If we accustom ourselves to view our enemies as objects of pity; if we practise kindness to them; and even force

our inclinations to do them service, we shall find, ere long, the glow of returning good will; and shall feel all those malignant passions fading, which were the curse and torment of the heart which nourished them.

Again, in point of safety, this is the best and surest course. If we are apprehensive of future injuries from our enemy, what method can be devised so likely to change his heart, and indispose him to mischief, as this lovely return of good for evil, this display of our real character, and these disinterested good deeds, which gently reprove his enmity, and teach him to wish for our esteem?

But, lastly, if it fail to conciliate him, if it do not make him our friend, there is ONE, at least, a strong and mighty friend, a powerful and formidable defender; whose assistance and support we gain. God is on the side of the merciful; God is our shield and buckler: of whom shall we be afraid? There is no stronger weapon than this; though we heaped coals of fire on his head; though we afflicted him with the severest misery; and exterminated with fire and sword himself, his wife, his little ones, all who might lament or revenge him; yet should not we be so secure, as when by mercy and forgiveness we interest Omnipotence on our side; and obtain that protection and favour, to which not only

the powers of nature, but the violence of malice is subject,—which stilleth the noise of the waves, and the madness of the people.

It is true, besides, that there is nothing to a proud and irritable temper so painful, as to owe an obligation to an enemy; and this is another meaning, which may be affixed to the expression "coals of fire." When your food and drink are thus distributed to one who has injured you; it is no pleasant meal, no welcome beverage which he swallows; every act of kindness, every cup of cold water which he receives from you, strikes daggers to his heart; and afflicts him with those torments of remorse, those coals of fire, which are hardly to be exceeded by any of the earthly judgements of God. And, though to give pain should certainly be no part of our motive for an outward act of kindness, which would be a cruelty most refined, and a hypocrisy most detestable, yet, though we do not rejoice at the pain, which he feels, we may hope, at least, that this pain will be salutary; and that, if we are unable by our kindness to conciliate his love, we may, at least, by the remorse and shame and confusion, which he must feel, we may, at least, oblige him to alter his conduct. And this is what may be called " overcoming evil by good," which is the last part of the apostle's direction. For we must consider, that, as all the injuries and acts of violence, which we receive, are

temptations and means employed by the Devil to warp our souls from righteousness, and to make us everlastingly miserable, if we yield to those temptations, if we encourage the evil passions of our hearts, and instead of referring vengeance to God, become judges and executioners in our own cause, we may perhaps, if we succeed, occasion some slight worldly damage to the man whom we hate; but we are serving, in the meanwhile, the interests, and forwarding the horrible projects of the great Enemy of ourselves and of all mankind, that Evil spirit in whose hands our enemies are only tools, and who rejoices alike in their destruction and in our own. How we may conceive him exulting over the wreck which he has occasioned; when, by one single act of violence, two souls are lost, the man who committed the injury and he who revenged it! And is it not madness, as well as wickedness, thus to yield ourselves to certain destruction, for the bare chance of making our neighbour a little uncomfortable? Who, in the hope of scorching his adversary, would set fire to himself or his household? And is not their folly equal, who, to gratify the glow of a revengeful spirit, throw away the privileges of a Christian; and, by refusing to forgive those who trespass against them, lose all reasonable hope of having their own trespasses forgiven?

For, we must not deceive ourselves, unless we

from our heart, forgive other men their trespasses, our Heavenly Father will never forgive us ours. Every crime of which we are guilty, every failing in thought or word or deed, is treasured in the mind of God against the day of wrath; and of that day who may abide the coming? "Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison :-Verily, I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing."

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Every prayer which the resentful man offers, is an insult to his Maker; nor dare we offer our gifts on the altar, before we are reconciled with our brother. How, indeed, can we otherwise approach the table of the merciful Jesus, or hope for favour and acceptance at His hands, or from His precious blood; whose errand to the world was peace and good will; who "when He was reviled, reviled not again: when He suffered, he threatened not2: " whose whole life was spent in acts of mercy to those who hated Him whose last words were a prayer for His murderers and who, in the agonies of a bitter death, unpitied, afflicted, and reviled, could think of their mise

1 St. Matt. v. 25, 26.

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21 St. Peter, ii. 23.