Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n
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A77876
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The most difficult duty made easy: or, Directions to bring our hearts to forgive our enemies By D.B. Minister of the Gospel.
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Burgess, Daniel, 1645-1713.
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1694
(1694)
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Wing B5710; ESTC R231152
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8,432
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31
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THE Most difficult DUTY made Easy Or Directions to bring our Hearts to Forgive our Enemies By D. B. Minister of the Gospel The strict Precept of Loving and Blessing and Praying for Enemies is more clearly perceptive and so more indispensably obligatory to us Christians than ever it was to the Jews before Dr. H. Hammond Serm. on Luke 9.55 What Christian soever can indulge himself the enjoyment of that hellish Sensuality of Revenge nay that doth not practise the high but necessary Perfection of overcoming Evil with Good he knows not what Spirit he is of Id. ibid. London Printed for Andrew Bell and Jonas Luntley at the Pestle and Mortar over against the Horse-shoe-Tavern in Chancery-Lane 1694. S. Woodford in Paraph. Ps 35. FAlse Witnesses did up against me rise With charge of Crimes I never knew My good Deeds answer'd with Indignities And to the Death my Soul did close pursue Those for whose Griefs I truly mourn'd And pray'd for sick tho on my self the Pray'rs return'd For my best Friend I could have done no more Not more had he my Brother been I did as heartily his Loss deplore As if I then my Mother's Grave had seen Tho in my Troubles they rejoice And all my Griefs outbrave with their insulting Voice The most difficult Duty made Easy OR The Question Resolved How we may bring our Hearts to Forgive our Enemies THE Law of Kindness seems Repealed among us Giving Love and Forgiving both are Exiles banished out of our Christendom Their Contraries do every where reign and tyrannize Bitterness and Wrath fill every Place and there 's nothing hid from the Heat thereof No nor is there any Speech or Language wherein their Voice is not heard Every Man is a Rehoboam and answers Roughly Nabal is a common Name to all The very Poor do disuse Intreaties There 's no Voice but is turned to Clamour Railing is our Rhetorick Brawling our Eloquence What Tongue is not a Sword Whose Lips be not Spears in our Militant State There 's no Strife in Heaven and there is little beside upon this Earth Nor can ever Grapes be expected from Thorns or Figs from Thistles I am not going to Prune them and Dig about them with such an Expectation Wickedness will proceed from the Wicked and must so do But Vines there be that would yield better Fruit if we could take the Foxes the little Foxes that spoil them Good Men have an Internal Treasure whence they might bring forth good Things and with ease enough were but the Thieves that break in and steal expelled These Branches broke off the Tree whereon they grew the Sermon in which they were born are designed for Rods to whip those thievish Buyers and Sellers out of the said Temples Ill Men are Dunghils and Good Ones are Temples in Christian Divinity and very Pagan they are so But scarcely shall I Forgive my self if I waste my Time in Complaints Or in telling what I design to do otherwise than by doing it Wherefore being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. a short Paragraph shall usher in my twenty four Directions By Forgiving Enemies I mean Turning from Endeavour and from Desire to do them Hurt unto Readiness to do them Good as Opportunity serves Unto which we are obliged whether our Pardon be craved or no. A Man is still to be loved as a Man and a Kinsman as a Kinsman Penitent or Impenitent I do not by Forgiving here intend so much as Restoring them into former Esteem and Intimacy No faithful Church will so restore any scandalous Member nor any wise Man so restore an injurious Offender before his thorough Repentance credibly professed Honour and Love of this sort depend on Mens Innocence and Repentance Now Unto the first kind of Forgiving an untoward Heart seems easily brought by telling it self as follows Twelve Particulars concerning the Duty it self and Twelve more concerning the Person on whom it is incumbent Concerning the Duty seriously tell thy self to this Effect 1. It is my Duty Therefore I will Forgive If it be not a Duty where is God's Authority He Commands it If it be not my Duty I must not be God's Subject For his Law binds all his Subjects If I do not Forgive my Enemy I deny my God But How can I do this Evil Gen. 39.9 2. It is my DIFFICVLT Duty Therefore I will industriously Forgive Not with a Forgiveness that shall cost me nothing I will go to the Expence of much Pains for it Though I am glued to my Wrath I will tear my self from it And with strong Cries pray Almightiness to bring me to brotherly Kindness Labour in Duty is never lost That which requires it most requiteth it best Wherefore My Heart shall stir me up my Spirit shall make me willing though it find me not so Exod. 35.21 3. It is my EQVITABLE Duty Therefore I will Forgive without grudging What more Equal If God will Revenge my Injurer What need I wish him Evil If God will Reward me how just is it that I obey his Command and render an evil Man Good for Evil If others be bound to forgive me as righteously I am bound to forgive them 'T is a plain Case I am in Bedlam as long as I am in a vindictive Passion Return O my Reason and let me do my most reasonable Service Rom. 12.1 4. It is a Duty of my own COMMANDING Therefore for very shame I will Forgive Alas I charge my Children to forgive each other 's Wrongs and still leave it to me to right them Do I look that my Wormship should be observed more than my Creator's Godhead Or Dream I that my Power is more Soveraign over my Babes than his over me and my Passions With what Face can I answer it Thou that preachest and commandest a Man should not hate his Enemies dost thou hate thine Rom. 2.21 5. It is a Duty most GLORIOVS Therefore I will ambitiously Forgive Wherein is God himself more Glorious than in letting go his Anger Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth Iniquity Mich. 7.18 Fools think it ignoble to digest Injury But be it ever my Motto what the wise Man writes It is the Glory of a Man to pass over a Transgression Prov. 19.11 To Forgive a malicious Wrong is to put on a very glorious Crown 6. It is my BENEFICIAL Duty Therefore I will covetously Forgive More is got by true Forgiving one Trespass than by Receiving many a Kindness Are the King's Dominions worth an Evidence for Heaven Forgiving an Injury is a good Evidence it is so if Christ's be a good Authority If you forgive Men their Trespasses your Heavenly Father will forgive you Mat. 6.14 O my Soul have a respect to this Recompence of Reward 7. It is my FREQVENT Duty Therefore I will Forgive of desire to learn to Forgive Injuries be not rare as Thunder but common as Day-light And they must be Remitted or God must be Denied I had need learn therefore very perfectly