on the sinful state in which we are all naturally, as every believer in Christ well knows. "Put them in mind," says he, "to be gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another."

As you advance in the knowledge and practice of religion, fresh evidences of your own corruption will discover themselves in your heart, and prove so many repeated admonitions to pray for and exercise meekness, sensible with what long suffering God endures the multitude of your own failings. For though the dominion of sin is destroyed, the struggle between flesh and spirit still remains, consequently sufficient matter for self-abasement, so long as you live.

SUNDAY XXXII.

CHAP. XXXII.

The Tempers of a Christian towards his Fellow-creatures.

To judge charitably of the actions, characters, and

intentions of men, is the temper of a Christian; I mean, when they are not evidently such as stand condemned in the word of God, and expose us to his wrath. It is no charitable judgment to leave drunkards, liars, fornicators, the dishonest, the proud, or self-righteous, when their lives or principles are notorious, to flatter themselves they shall escape. It is taking part against them with their great adver sary the devil, and giving our aid to delude their

souls, till they are lost for ever. But setting aside these instances, as sins which go before men to judgment, there are many actions and characters of a doubtful aspect. Here only is room for the exercise of charitable judgment; and in these cases, O Christian, you will be careful not to surmise evil, or condemn men, when no sufficient light appears to justify a peremptory sentence. Thus in quarrels amongst relations, and contests about matters of property, violent accusations are common from both sides, which have no foundation. The parties are apt to give very seducing misrepresentations of the fact, which few can know therefore we are bound to suspend our judgment, and receive no ill impressions from common fame.

With regard to the characters of men also, you will be charitable in your judgment. The commission of a single crime, contrary to the tenor of the delinquent's life, you will not cruelly construe into an impeachment of his sincerity. You will not brand one man as an incorrigible villain, because he was once guilty of a dishonest action towards yourself; or publish another to the world as a mere hypocrite in religion, because you have once detected him in doing evil. You will not immediately, as is the way of the prejudiced, cry out, that, with such, all pretention to conscience is only a cloak to cover bad designs, and a snare to entrap the simple. You will remember, on the contrary, how often violent temptation, suited to your constitutional sin, has been too mighty, and overcome you, or brought you near the very point of yielding. You will call to mind that the best of men, cannonized as saints by God himself, did not persevere in the path of duty without a fall. They were overtaken with a fault, though they soon recovered, and persevered to the end. You will acknowledge it very possible for such

as we are, in our best estate, to offend contrary to habitual practice and acknowledged duty.

Fair evidences of repentance will therefore induce you to pass a favourable judgment on those who have dishonoured their profession. You will readily conclude, that inward shame, and secret sorrow for their fall, has exceeded the reproach which their backslidings have brought upon them.

With regard to the intentions of men, as they can be known only to God, you will impute no evil where it is not manifest; but resist injurious surmises, that such and such things spring from a bad design, when you have no proof to ascertain the charge.

In these, and similar cases, you will exercise a charitable judgment, because the command of your God and Saviour, that you should do so, is plain and awful. "Judge not (where the law of God is silent, or where you can have no competent knowledge), that ye be not judged, for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again,” Matth. vii.

Your obedience to this command will appear most reasonable, and be made easy by the witness in your own heart. You are conscious how often you have acted uprightly, yet been charged with evil intentions. Your conduct has often been cruelly misconstrued, often unjustly condemned. You remember also that you have done what you ought not, promised and vowed you would not; that many prayers, much watching, and obstinate contention have been scarcely sufficient, with the help of God, to get the victory over your own wickedness. You know, that when you fell, the fall was instantly lamented, and, though wounded grievously, you renewed the combat, grappling with your foe, as for

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your life, till you was conqueror. You will feel, therefore, for others in the same situation you were once yourself; assured that men may really design nothing but the glory of God, and good-will to men, notwithstanding they are betrayed into breach of duty.

Such sentiments, deeply impressed on your own heart, will form in you a habit of judging your fellow-creatures with tenderness and mercy.

Connected with candour towards all, you as a Christian must exercise forgiveness and love to your enemies. Your behaviour under provocations must be contrary to custom, and the violent impulse of corrupt nature. Is your character basely reviled? You will refute the malicious slander, should it need an answer, without returning abuse for abuse. Should your foes proceed from ill-language to illusage, you will still forgive, and prove the reality of your good-will towards them, by pitying them in their distress, and serving them as occasion offers. In some cases, grievous wrongs may be done to you, such as demand redress by law; you will use the remedy without animosity to those who have forced you to take this method of obtaining your right.

Further, should the providence of God leave you in the power of his enemies, as well as your own, who are determined, unless you will renounce the truth, to persecute you even unto death, such efficacy flows from your faith, that you will feel goodwill towards those who seek your destruction. You will pray for them to God, before whom it is equally dangerous and impious to disserable; you will enthat him to give them repentance to the acknowledgement of the truth, pardon their sin, and bring

them to heaven.

Thus complete is the forgiveness and love a Chris

tian exercises towards those who hate and injure

him.

The reasonableness of this temper is proved, and the practice enforced, by the most cogent argu

ments.

Your knowledge of God in his government of the world condemns all hatred even of your bitterest foes. What manner of affronts and insults does he daily receive? Consider the condition and the obligations the persons are under to him, when they offer them; call to mind the glory of his majesty, the ample means he hath in his power instantly to avenge his own injured name, by consuming his daring adversaries in a moment. At the same time you see him slow to anger, and of great mercy, waiting for many years in deep compassion towards them, who hate his government and his truth.

Every Christian considers this adorable goodness of God conspicuous in his government of the world, and sees it shine with the brightest glory in the redemption of men. By frequent and serious meditation on this fact, you will reason thus with yourself: Had God dealt with his enemies, as I am prompted to do with mine, had he been wanting in mercy, or chosen to take vengeance, what had become of us all; of a world in arms against him? Had God loved none but those who first loved him, or waited to give his inestimable blessings till we had made an advance to obtain mercy, where had been the means of grace, where the glad tidings of salvation? He, on the contrary, commendeth his love to us, that, when we were yet enemies, Christ died for us. How inexcusable then, and desperately wicked must it be in me, to be wrath with a fellow-sinner, since God has so much compassion on us all?

The force of this motive is also considerably increased by your experience of God's tender mercy