OCR Text |
Show fer~e the neceffities of my friends. The like equity mull we ufefor the .interpre4 tation of that precept now m hand,. The Hebrew Law:. as it did indulge a liberty of divorce, to prennt the cruel· ty _of Husbands toward their Wives ; fo alfo, for the refrraint of private revenge, whereto that Nation was very prone, 21lowed the offended party a right, to exaa, not by his own hand, but by the femence of the Judge, a. retaliation : a s· ,,m. Law imitated in the I~. Tables. Bu~ ,;,;,taliuJID. Chrifi, a Teacher of more patience, is fo far from approving that ardent defire of reven~e in the perfon wron_ged, that hewouhl not havetome kind ot injuries to be repelled, either by force, or Law. What injuries? Such as are tolerable; not, that patience is not laudable i~ wvid. Chry.. the mQre * grievous, but he is content foftomum di· with a patience more limited. There· ao ja~ loco. fore he puts the cafe in a £h·oke on ~he cheek, whtch endangereth not the hfe, maimeth not the body, but only figni· fies a certain contempt of us , which makes us no thin a the worfe. Seneca in .his Book of a wife mans con !laney di· fiinauHhes between an ip jury and ~ difg~ace, The .farmer, faith . h: ~ ~ bJ nAture the mare grievom: thu u Itgh· ter, tt~Jd onlJ grievom to the deltcau, -wherehy they are not ~urt, btet oJf.c~ded. Aaain, (ontumely u left than mJU~y , lJ whtch The Firft which we mtt,y rather complain of, than return: which the Laws alf" have thoHght worthy of no revenge. The fame Seneca a little after faith, The grief arif!. ngfrom difgrace, or an affront, h. an affection comming from a me~tnej ~tnd lownej Gf the fpirit, contrafJing it [elf forfomeword or deed againft our reputation. In fuch a cafe therefore, Chrifl: commandeth patience : to turn the other cheek_, is by an Hebraifm, to bear patiently, as appears in * other places:"' Ef. 30. 1. and lefl: any · one obje6l: that common Jer. 3. 3· fentence, To fujfer one injun," h· to m- Pr~tbtre. o• Vt·t e anot he r, H e a dd es, that ~ we mull CTt mtl·l mt&lJ uT. h b * . ac&r. e- rat er ear a new mjury, than repeU rentius. the former ~ becaufe there is no eviU to ,. Chryf 1· ad us thence, but that which confitls in a Ron!· H_.ec~- foolith t perfuafion. gregz~ ~zflbr~4~ plrt4 zllzlargm 1: • ~ • ., 1 '-'d' . • q11am velit, & .,.,es Jl»prt~u.t m zu~ llvf 11114 Mtrtzl~tate p~pri11 p4litnti.t tran[cen-dert .• t.l.dem de Ll~tu1s. I. Conmmelia n011 Ab illfire,tis lnimo r.e1 ex Jlfdrcll eorMm q111 paw~ntur ~mt fit aMt ptrit. ' ,e XXIII. The third Ob;elliov an[w~red. THe third ObjeCl:ion is taken from the words that follow in the fame place of Matthew * : Ye have heard ,.. that it hath been faia Thou jhalt lov; Mat.f•43, thy ntighhour ,and hate' thine enemy. But J 44 • (!Unto you,Lave your enemieJ ,h!ej! them t At cu1?ou, do .~ood to them that hate you~"" pray for them which dejprtefullr ufe |