Both the law of God and man are against the ufurpation: paffion fwells the injury beyond all meafure, and you refolve on a revenge, not proportionable to the affront, but to the idea, by which paffion reprefents it: what more unchriftian? What more unjuft, than to repair an injury by committing a greater ?

But, befides, we are all God's enemies by our frequent offences, and we must obtain his pardon, or fuffer for our enmity: he invites us to a reconciliation; he offers mercy, and exacts only this condition, if we pardon our enemies is it not our intereft to accept of the offer? He renits us a debt of ten thousand talents, and we one of no confideration: He will caft us into an eternal prison, if we refufe, and receive us into heaven, if we obey can we doubt one moment what choice to make?

O God! How often haft thou forgiven me, for an humble asking of pardon? Is it not just and reasonable I fhould have the fame goodness for my brother? What have I gained by my obftinacy against my brother, but to multiply my offences against thee? but to ftop thy compaffion towards me, to irritate thy juftice, and work cut my own damnation? Whatever has been committed against me, I forgive from the bottom of my heart; and defire no pardon of thee, if my refolution be not fincere.

To excufe our revenge, we pretend, O Lord, thy command is hard: but Of is it not ten times harder to fatisfy this reftlefs paffion? Whilft we lay the intrigue; whilft we take our measures to compleat our revenge; how many vipers gnaw our vitals? How many troubles prey upon our hearts? How many fears, how many chagrins? We carry a hell within us, and first take vengeance on ourfelves, before we affail our enemy: his profperity

profperity alarms us, his fuccefs torments us if he be powerful, we fear: in a word, we are continually on the rack, and lie under the fits of cold and heat, as well as the damned.

If we compleat our defign, what a deluge of mifery follows a fhort pleasure? We have created new enemies, irritated a family, perchance as ready to revenge a relation's injury, as we were to revenge our own. Hence we muft ftand on our guard we fufpect every one; tremble at fhadows; and render enmities immortal: one generous act of pardon had freed you from these fad confequences; nay, had overwhelmed you with confolation; for joy is as infeparable from virtue, as remorse from vice.

But you are a man of birth, and honour requires a juft revenge: but are you not a Chriftian? Has Chrift made, in the gofpel, any difference between gentlemen and peasants? Is it not an honour to be a Chriftian? How then can it be esteemed an infamy to comply with the duties of Christianity?

O my Saviour! do we, deluded creatures, know better than thee, in what honour confifts? Thou wert of the race of kings according to thy human nature, and the only Son of the Father, according to thy divine: thou didst never deserve ill treatment, either by word or action: yet to what height did the rage of thy enemies fwell, to what cruelty, to what inhumanity? Their behaviour was barbarous, thy patience divine; notwithstanding thou didst not judge it a disgrace to pardon them. Nay, thou didft fpill thy blood for their fakes, as well as by their hands; and fhall we, poor worms! who adore thy majefty, blush to follow thy example ?

What can Chriftians fay, but that I live up to the principles of thy religion? But that I am

T 4

thy

thy difciple? But that I take those measures thou haft prefcribed to obtain pardon for my offences? That I live not by the corrupt maxims of the world, but by the principles of thy gospel? That I imitate thy faints, and follow their footsteps ; whofe practice of this heroick virtue, was the first ftep to their fanctity, and will be, to the world's end, a juft fubject of their panegyrick?

EPISTLE to the Philippians, Chap. i. Verfe

2. Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jefus Chrift.

3. I thank my God upon every remembrance of

you,

4. (Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy)

5. For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now,

6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which bath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jefus Chrift:

7. Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, in as much as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

8. For God is my record how greatly I long after you all, in the bowels of Jefus Chrift.

9. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge, and in all judg ment;

10. That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be fincere, and without offence till the day of Chrift.

11. Being

11. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jefus Chrift unto the glory and praife of God.

ST

The MORAL REFLECTION.

T. Paul in this epiftle fhews an extreme tendernefs for his dear Philippians, and wishes them grace and peace of mind, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jefus Chrift. These two gifts can only come from God, and they are of fuch a nature, that the one cannot fubfift without the other. Can a Christian enjoy peace of mind, who has the Omnipotent for his enemy? And what reafon has he to fear, who is grateful to God, and lives under his protection?

In vain we labour to find peace of mind in pleafures, wealth, and honours; it is an unknown treafure to thofe we call happy, in the language of the world, and only dwells in a good confcience: fweat, and toil, to find it in the world; give liberty to all your paffions; compafs all your defigns; you will experience what Solomon proclaim'd, vanity of vanities, all is vanity and vexation of spirit: fay, you are content, without trouble, without defires that your heart is calm; I will not believe you: these are only the effects of innocence, and of an entire fubmiffion to the will of God. No, no, my God, fanctity alone has the fecret to convey peace into the foul, to calm the ftorms our paffions raise, and to render us content.

How many are there in all ftates, who hide a tortured heart under a smooth brow, and a glittering exterior? who carry content in their Face, and Rage in their Heart? But where will you find a faint, that feels not true content? Joy fits on his face; fatisfaction fills his heart; profperity does not move him ; adverfity does not deject him; he

is

is the fame in all changes; unmoveable, unalterable; his peace is above the reach of thofe accidents, that put worldlings on the torture.

O my God! what fools are we to tire ourselves in the pursuit of content, where we are fure never to find it? Can we gather rofes from thorns? or master our paffions by irritating them? Peace and content are only the fruits of a good confcience, and this can only be purchased by virtue. If I give my felf wholly to thee, what can I defire more in this world, or what can I fear? And can I be more happy, than to defire nothing, than to fear nothing?

I give you my peace, fays our bleffed Saviour, but not fuch a peace, as the world gives there is no peace but in a good confcience; if this rifes up against us, ten thousand worlds are unable to quiet it; pleasure, business and grandeur may cast it for a time into a lethargy, but it will foon awake to torment us; there is no peace for the wicked; they may laugh and fport, but this is only content in appearance; anguifh and trouble prey on the heart, tho' mirth fits on the face: but thy peace, O Saviour, is a continual banquet; a pleasure they only can express, that feel it."

The Philippians received the gospel with chearfulness, and continued steady in the profeffion; the imprisonment of the apoftle did not weaken their faith, but redoubled their fervour, and this endeared them to him, and gave him reason to think, that God, who by his grace had made them Chriftians, would continue his favours, and make them faints. Being confident of this very thing, that he, who bath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jefus Chrift.

It is true, a good beginning is not always crowned with a happy end: how many have relaps'd? how many have practifed the greateft virtues, and

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