The Duty of loving our Enemies Preached before the Univerfity of O X- MATTHEW V. verse 44. But I fay unto you, love your Enemies, blefs them that curfe you, do good to them that bate you, and pray for them which defpitefully ufe you and perfecute you. T HERE is an infeparable Connex- SEKM, Í. ion between Malice and Unhappi nefs: And it is an obvious Remark, that the most malevolent Being in the Universe is the most unhappy and accursed Spirit in it, whose Temper resembles that Blackness of Darkness, to which he is reserved; as on the other hand the great Being, who is infinitely good and an inexhaustible Fountain of Bleffings to all his Creatures, is infinitely happy and blessed in himself for evermore. VOL. I. That B SERM. I. That we might, in fome degree, resemble God in Goodness, our Saviour virtually enjoins an universal Benevolence, by enjoining even the Love of our Enemies; a Love not dead and unperforming, but fuch as exerts itself in the most proper and fignificant Expreffions, as fpeaking well of them, praying for them, and doing Good to them. In Oppofition to the narrow Notions of the Scribes, who taught the People, without any Authority from the Old Teftament for teaching them so, that they were permitted to hate their Enemies; he recommends a prevailing, habitual and unmixed Sweetness of Temper, without the leaft Gall of Bitternefs in our Compofition against any Man; that Sweetness of Temper, which, if it does not give a Man fuch a shining and glaring Figure, as fome other Accomplishments do; yet conftitutes the most lovely, beautiful, and agreeable Character, and gains unenvied Praise. The best Comment on his Words will be, I. To ftate the Nature and Extent of the Duty enjoined, viz. the Love of our Enemies. II. To fhew the Reasonableness of it. III. The III. The Practicableness of it. IV. To fubjoin fome Confiderations, which may enable us to reduce it to Practice. I. Then, I am to ftate the Nature and Extent of this Precept. There are two kinds of Love which we muft diftinguish here, the Love of Approbation or Efteem; and the Love of Benevolence or Good-will. Now it may be impoffible fometimes to pay the former kind of Love, in any great degree, to our Enemy, as when his Vices far over-balance his Virtues: We cannot love, with any confiderable degree of Approbation and Complacency, him, who does not appear, upon the whole, lovely to our Understanding. However as human Nature, though degenerated, is still in fome measure amiable, as no body is completely wicked, as Men are generally of a mixed Character; lefs degrees of Goodness may entitle Him at least to a lefs degree of our Efteem and Good-liking. But fhould it be granted, that we could not regard an immortal Enemy with any Love of Approbation; yet ftill this would not excuse us from shewing a Love of Benevolence and Good-will to him. A Parent, for inftance, B 2 SERM. I. SERM. I. inftance, is far from approving a Child who is ftubborn, difobedient and immoral; yet ftill his Love of Benevolence and Good-will fhall continue in all it's Force and Efficacy: and it is this kind of Love which the Scripture seems to require from us; if our Enemy hunger, we are to feed him; if he thirst, we are to give him Drink. The Love of Approbation and the Love of Benevolence are then very diftinct in their own Nature. Our Saviour, at the fame time that he expreffed his Difapprobation and Diflike of Jerufalem for ftoning the Prophets; yet exemplified a very benevolent and compaffiɔnate Regard for it: For he wept over it. Even Refentment does not exclude Benevolence, and we are very often angry at a Perfon for committing a Fault, even because we love him. We may then resent any injurious Behaviour; provided our Refentment does not deftroy our Good-will and Affection, and end in Malice. And as our Saviour loved and compaffionated the Jews, though he abhorred their ungenerous Treatment of Himself and the Prophets; fo we ought, with the fame Godlike Generosity of Soul, to love the Man at the fame time, that we deteft his Vices: just as as we may have an affectionate Regard for SERM. I. a Person that lyes ill, but have an Averfion to the Disease he labours under. As to the Extent and Degree of this Duty, the Scripture no where enjoins an undiftinguishing Beneficence to Men whether friendly or injurious. We are to do good to all, but more especially to fome, according to their different Merits, Circumstances, and Relation to us. Yet it is, I think, our Duty to prefer Compaffion to an Enemy, before a Matter of mere Generofity to a Friend, when we cannot exercise both together. My Meaning is this: When we can, confiftently with the public Good and our own, rescue an Enemy from the very Brink of Ruin and extreme Misery by the fame Sum of Money, which would but make a flender Addition to the Happiness of a Friend, as having already an eafy or perhaps an ample Fortune; in such a cafe, we ought to facrifice the mere Conveniency of the latter to the preffing Neceffities of the former: and that for this plain Reason, because we ought to do the most Good we can. Now by fingling out Men of Fortune, whatever Relations may endear them to us, as the Objects of our Favour, we contribute little or nothing to their real Enjoyments; B 3 |