SERMON XVII.

THE APOSTLE'S POLEMICS.

(THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, 1857.)

ROM. XII. 21.

Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with

good.

THIS description of Christian warfare, of what may be called the Apostle's rule of "polemics" or "doing battle," is so well worthy of its place at the close of his great summary of Christian duties, that a consideration of its many applications may fitly conclude the subjects of which I have been speaking.

"Be not overcome of evil" 'be not conquered by evil' (so we might more faithfully render it) —'be not conquered by evil, but conquer evil by good.' The Apostle

here, as so often elsewhere, has before his mind the image of the Christian soldier. Nothing shows more completely how, in his time, peaceful as it was, the military character of the Roman Empire filled the whole horizon of the ordinary thoughts and topics of men, than the Apostle's constant allusions to the armour, the sword, the shield, the helmet, the battle, the conquest, the triumph. They show this, and they show how he did not shrink from using these images, even for the most peaceful, for the most solemn, for the most sacred purposes: they show that he was not in his Epistles a different man from what he was in common life; that the sights and sounds which filled his eyes and ears in the world around him were not forgotten when he took the parchment scroll, and bade his companion write down at his dictation the words which were to comfort and strengthen, not the Roman Christians of his own time only, but the whole Church of God for ever.

"Be not conquered by evil." This is the first and universal duty of the soldier everywhere; in all warfare, earthly as well as spiritual, spiritual as well as earthly. "Be not

conquered by evil." Courage, daring, confidence, in the face of evil, whether that evil be the evil which kills the body or the evil which kills the soul, - determination not to be defeated by it, this is the first duty; without such spirit, without such hope, there can be no victory over the enemies of our country, none over the enemies of God.

But the Apostle goes on to express where it is that Christian victory differs, not only from earthly victory, but even from the spiritual victories of any other religion besides itself. "Be not conquered by evil, but conquer evil by good."

I. Let us go through the different meanings of which these words are capable. The first is that in which especially the Apostle uses them. He had warned his readers to live peaceably with all men; with all even with the heathen Romans, even with their Jewish persecutors. He had told them that vengeance was God's, not theirs; that the only vengeance a Christian could take upon his enemy was to give him food if he was hungry, and

drink if he was thirsty. They were not to allow themselves to be overcome by his evil; they were to overcome and conquer his evil by their good. Such a victory is not what can be won in the battles of earthly warfare; there, evil must be met by evil, sword by sword, fire by fire, death by death. Such a victory is not what could be won by "them of old time," under the Jewish dispensation, who were "to hate their enemies," and "to claim an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth."

But such is the victory of which the Apostle speaks, which our Saviour achieved in the highest degree, which, in their measure, Christians are to win over all their various enemies. And first over those whom the Apostle here especially mentions; those who have injured us, or whom we have injured; those who cross our path when we least expect them; those who misunderstand, who misrepresent us; those whom we cannot help regarding with dislike, suspicion, resentment. How are we to deal with these? None can pass through life without meeting such. What return can we make? What weapons of offence or defence can we adopt? It is difficult to forgive, it

is impossible to forget. Let the Apostle's words show us a way which may be better than either forgiving or forgetting. "Conquer their evil by your good." When an occasion of kindness offers, seize it; when an opportunity for telling of their good deeds, tell of them gladly; when their hearts soften, do not repel them with harshness; when the quarrel has been soothed by time or distance, do not seek to revive it. It was a wise maxim of ancient military tactics: Always make a silver bridge for a flying enemy. It is no less a maxim of Christian wisdom and Christian charity: Make silver bridges for those who seek to retrieve their errors, their mistakes, their wrongs. Do not raise obstacles in the way of the returning penitent, whether penitent towards God or towards man. It was an ancient maxim, too, of worldly prudence: Look on your best friends with the thought that they may one day become your worst enemies. It is for us to reverse this maxim, and rather say: Look on your worst enemies with the thought that they may one day become your best friends. Think how often you have been mistaken; how often