the poor creature is not likely to be able to dif charge it, religion will teach us what to do, be merciful and forgive the whole. A fourth particular of affiftance is helping the fatherless and oppreffed to their right, fo far as it lies in our power to forward it: And this may be done (* as a magiftrate having the proper cognizance of the cause,) by doing them juftice in the course of law; as a private man and a neighbour, by interceffion, advice, and several other methods which a truly charitable mind will eafily think of upon occafion, and as readily apply on the other hand. Solomon warns us, † If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and thofe that are ready to be flain; (the reason is the fame with refpect to any other injury or oppreffion, by the violence of lawless men:) If thou fayeft, behold we knew it not, (excufe an uncompaffionate careleffness by a pretended ignorance,) doth not be that pondereth the beart confider it? And he that keepeth thy foul, doth not be know it? And shall not be render to every man according to his works? BUT to proceed; we must not only pity and affift the miferable, we must also, 3. PRAY for them. Affiftance is not always in our power to give them; but whether it happen to be fo or not, we may ftill recommend them heartily in our prayers to God, who is the fountain and the fpring of all fupply, befeeching him that he would give them fuch affiftance and relief as is fuitable to their condition. For .. he is the Father of mercies, the God of all comfort; he is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works. * He is their refuge and strength, a very prefent help in L trouble: A Father of the fatherless, a Judge of the widows; the fhall deliver the poor and needy, and him that hath no helper. Tho' we are unable to help them, God is not, and therefore it is a very proper act of mercy in us, to represent their cafe to him, and ply the throne of mercy on their behalf. And this we have fair encouragement to do, both from what these texts affure us of his ready and merciful difpofition to relieve his fuffering creatures, and from the affurance given us by St. James, that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much; and that, as appears by the context, is particularly declared to us in the cafe of praying for others under affliction. It is alfo more extensive than our actual pity and relief can poffibly be; for these can only reach thofe whole particular troubles we fee or hear of; but our prayers may extend to all who are in ftorms or shipwrecks; all who are fick or in pain, oppreffed or captives, and in general to all who are under any affliction, tho' we know not, nor ever are like to know their perfons. And this is an act of mercy to them, which whether it avail the fufferers or not, will certainly be, rewarded in us by our heavenly Father. (2.) I come now to the fecond fort of objects of our mercy; the injurious, and fuch as have done us wrong. And with refpect to these our merciful temper is to fhew it felf, I. IN pardon and forgiveness, abftaining from all attempts and projects of revenge, in imitation of that God, who chose out this as the character by which he most affected to be known and worshipped. :. The Lord, merciful and gracious, long-fuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, forgiv ,, Pfal. 1xviii. 5. † Pfal, Ixxii. 12, * Jam. v. 16. ing iniquity, tranfgreffion and fin. If he who is every day provoked by the prophane contempt, the repeated blafphemies and impieties of wicked men, (those wretched and despicable creatures spurning at the infinite Majefty of their Creator, who could make them miferable for it beyond all expreffion, with one angry look) will nevertheless bear long with them, and takes more delight in forgiving, than even the moft malicious of them do in offending; how much more reafon is there that we should bear with one another, who are all of us form'd out of the fame clay, and fubject to the fame infirmities and paffions, and for our many offences against God, deferve not only his wrath, but the enmity of the whole creation against us! But the reasonableness of our forgiving one another is not all: Our Saviour has made it neceffary for us fo to do, as ever we expect forgiveness at his hands, which he has taught us to pray for only upon that express condition: For fo the petition runs in the Lord's prayer, * Forgive us our debts [our trefpaffes or offences] as we forgive our debtors [those who offend or injure us.] We must defire to be forgiven, only in like manner as we forgive: So that whoever pretends to afk pardon for himself of God, with malice in his heart against his neighbour, does in effect (whatever his words may import to the contrary) defire that he may not be forgiven, because he will not forgive others. But that the forgivencfs here urged upon us may be indeed the indication of a merciful temper, it must be voluntary, from an inward, free and generous principle in the forgiver; for fo much as a man is preffed and constrained by exterior circumstances, the importunities of friends, or the deep fubmiffions and entreaties of the offender, fo much is detracted from the honour and va *Matth. vi. 12. lue lue of the action: Nor does it obtain the end of forgiveness, which is reconciliation; for a compliance fo extorted from us may be falfe and fo revokable, and then it is no more than a flow and diffembled malice; refentment fmother'd up a while in embers, to kindle a fresh flame hereafter, when opportunity or fome new incentive fhall encourage it, which is wholly inconfiftent with true forgivenefs. It must be * fincere and faithful, not like the pretended reconciliation of Jacob's family with the Sichemites, waiting only an advantage for a more effectual and irrefiftable revenge. There muft be a perfect discharge, without any thoughts of revenge or retaliation hereafter for the injury then supposed to be forgiven. But the fecond, and the larger step in mercy to those who injure us, is ftill behind, viz.. 2. THE doing all good and beneficial offices to them, how great foever the mischief or injuftice is which they have done us. This is exprefly the law of Chrift deliver'd with his own mouth. Ye have heard (fays he) that it has been faid, Thou fhalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy: but I fay unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curfe you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which defpitefully ufe you, and perfecute you. Nature and felf-intereft teach us to be kind to those who are kind to us, but the Chriftian must go farther than nature and self-intereft will lead him; he must do more than others, he must return good offices to those who do him ill ones, and that good in particular which is moft contrary to the evil he has fuffered. And this in imitation alfo of the most perfect mercy and beneficence of God, who is kind to the unthankful and the evil; * makes his fun to rife * Gen. xxxiv. 13, &c. + Luke vi. 35. Matth. v. 43, 44. Matth. v. 45. on on the evil and the good, and fends rain on the juft and on the unjuft. He is daily pouring out his benefits and bleffings upon those who are daily provoking him, and even while the whole race of mankind were in open rebellion against him, fent his Son from heaven to die upon the cross a facrifice and fatisfaction for them. From which St. John rationally draws this inference, * If God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (3.) THERE is yet a third branch of mercy which has not been confidered here, and can be now but very briefly. It is that which the prince, or his fubordinate judges and magiftrates, would think proper to fhew, in moderation of the severity of human laws. The objects of this mercy are the guilty, fuch as have broke the laws, and are fallen under the judicial cognizance of them thereupon. The fupreme power in all governments has an undoubted right of pardoning offenders after conviction, and in the case of pitiable circumstances, where the offence is not of very dangerous confequence, or where other good confiderations of equity, mercy, or ftate policy intervene not, may very com mendably be exerted. Inferior judges and magiftrates have not fuch a power indeed, for they muft do their office in the execution of the laws committed to them. And yet even they also in fome lefs cafes have a difcretionary latitude allowed them, provided that in general the laws which they are fworn to execute be faithfully and impartially put in execution, fo that vice and ill manners may receive a due and publick difcountenance. For I account it no partiality in a magiftrate to pass by the legal punishment of a young or unaccustomed offender, and to try whether the warning given him by his first conviction, may not as well reclaim him |