CHA P. VI.

RESENTMENT.

RE

ESENTMENT may be diftinguished into anger and revenge.

By anger, I mean the pain we fuffer upon the receipt of an injury or affront, with the ufual effects of that pain upon ourselves.

By revenge, the inflicting of pain upon the perfon who has injured or offended us, farther than the juft ends of punishment or reparation require.

Anger prompts to revenge; but it is poffible to fufpend the effect, when we cannot altogether quell the principle. We are bound alfo to endeavour to qualify and correct the principle itself. So that our duty requires two different applications of the mind : and for that reafon anger and revenge may be confidered feparately.

CHAP

С НА Р. VII.

"B

ANGER.

Eye angry and fin not;" therefore all anger is not finful: I fuppofe, because fome degree of it, and upon fome occafions, is inevitable.

. It becomes finful, or contradicts however the rule of feripture, when it is conceived upon flight and inadequate provocations, and when it continues long.

1. When it is conceived upon flight provocations; for "charity fuffereth long, is not eafily provoked." Let every man be flow to anger." Peace, long fuffering, gentlenefs, meekness, are enumerated among the fruits of the Spirit, Gal. v. 22, and compofe the true Chriftian temper, as to this article of duty.

2. When it continues long; for "let not the "fun go down upon your wrath."

Thefe precepts, and all reafoning indeed upon the fubject, fuppofe the paffion of anger to be within our power: and this power confifts not fo much in any faculty we poffefs of appeafing our wrath at the time (for we are paffive under the fmart which an injury or affront occafions, and all we can then do is to prevent its breaking out into action), as in fo mollifying our minds by habits of juft reflection, as to be lefs irritated by impreffions of injury, and to be fooner pacified.

Reflections proper fer this purpose, and which may be called the fedatives of anger, are the following: the poffbility of miftaking the motives from which the conduct that offends us proceeded;

how

how often our offences have been the effect of inadvertency, when they were conftrued into indications of malice; the inducement which prompted our adverfary to act as he did, and how powerfully the fame inducement has, at one time or other, operated upon ourselves; that he is fuffering perhaps under a contrition, which he is afhamed, or wants opportunity to confefs; and how ungenerous it is to triumph by coldnefs or infult over a fpirit already humbled in fecret; that the returns of kindness are fweet, and that there is neither honour, nor virtue, nor ufe in refifting them-for fome perfons think, themselves bound to cherish and keep alive their indignation, when they find it dying away of itfelf. We may remember that others have their paffions, their prejudices, their favourite aims, their fears, their cautions, their interefts, their fudden impulfes, their varieties of apprehenfion, as well as we: we may recollect what hath fometimes paffed in our minds, when we have got on the wrong fide of a quarrel, and imagine the fame to be paffing in our adverfary's mind now; when we became fentible of our misbehaviour, what palliations we perceived in it, and expected others to perceive; how we were affected by the kindnefs, and felt the fuperiority of a generous reception and ready forgivenefs; how perfecution revived our fpirits with our enmity, and feemed to justify the conduct in ourfelves, which we before blamed. Add to this, the indecency of extravagant anger; how it renders us, whilft it lafts, the fcorn and fport of all about us, of which it leaves us, when it ccafes, fentible and afhamed; the inconveniencies, and irretrievable misconduct into which our irafcibility has fometimes betrayed us; the friendships it has loft us; the diftreffes and embarraffments in which we have been involved by it; and the fore repentance which on one account or other it always cofts us.

But the reflection calculated above all others to allay that haughtinefs of temper which is ever finding

finding out provocations, and which renders anger fo impetuous, is that which the gofpel propofes; namely, that we ourselves are, or fhortly fhall be, fuppliants for mercy and pardon at the judgment feat of God. Imagine our fecret fins difclofed and brought to light; imagine us thus humbled and exposed; trembling under the hand of God; cafting ourselves on his compaffion; crying out for mercy-imagine fuch a creature to talk of fatisfaction and revenge; refufing to be entreated, difdaining to forgive; extreme to mark and to refent what is done amifs; imagine I fay this, and you can hardly feign to yourself an inftance of more impious and unnatural arrogance.

The point is to habituate ourfelves to thefe reflections, till they rife up of their own accord when they are wanted, that is, inftantly upon the receipt of an injury or affront, and with fuch force and colouring, as both to mitigate the paroxyfmns of our anger at the time, and at length to produce an alteration in the temper and difpofition itself.

CHAP.

CHA P. VIII.

REVENGE.

AL

LL pain occafioned to another in confequence of an offence, or injury received from him, farther than what is calculated to procure reparation, or promote the juft ends of punishment, is fo much

revenge.

There can be no difficulty in knowing when we occafion pain to another; nor much in diftinguishing whether we do fo, with a view only to the ends of punishment, or from revenge; for in the one cafe we proceed with reluctance, in the other with pleafure.

It is highly probable from the light of nature, that a paffion, which feeks its gratification immediately and exprefsly in giving pain, is difagreeable to the benevolent will and counfels of the Creator. Other paffions and pleafures may, and often do, produce pain to fome one; but then pain is not, as it is here, the object of the paffion, and the direct cause of the pleasure. This probability is converted into certainty, if we give credit to the authority which dictated the feveral paffages of the Chriftian feriptures that condemn revenge, or what is the fame thing, which enjoin forgiveness.

We will fet down the principal of thefe paffages; and endeavour to collect from them, what conduct upon the whole is allowed towards an enemy, and what is forbidden.

"If ye forgive men their trefpaffes, your heavenly Father will alfo forgive you; but if ye forgive "not men their trefpaffes, neither will your Father forgive your trefpaffes." And his lord was wroth, " and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should દુઃ pay