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SERMON III.

ON FORGIVING ENEMIES.

ROMANS XII. 20.

"If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head."

THIS text is very apt to be interpreted as if it conveyed a precept at once repugnant to the whole scope of Christianity, which expressly teaches that we are "to love our enemies, to bless them that persecute us, not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, but, contrarywise, blessing."

A question, it must be confessed, naturally arises here, how we can possibly perform this injunction in its true spirit, if we really do an enemy a service only for the purpose of bringing a punishment upon him; since this would be running directly counter to the second great commandment of the law-" Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself;" and who would do himself a good, merely that he might be visited with evil? The latter words of

the text are clearly figurative, and their meaning is perhaps less obvious than might be wished. It is nevertheless evident that we must at once reject all conflicting interpretations of the Divine Word. The same precept must be everywhere alike in its tendency, however the terms may differ in which it is delivered. If, in expounding Scripture, that which appears to be the most evident interpretation should happen to contradict any doctrine of the same inspired author, to be found in other parts of his writings, it will be manifest that such interpretation cannot be admitted. Some other exposition is to be sought for, since we must be sensible that no one who wrote under the immediate influence of the Holy Spirit could, while under such influence, anywhere contradict himself. In the passage before us, the most obvious idea which the words present to our minds certainly is, that of inflicting pain upon an enemy by the very act of performing a kindness towards him, "for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head." Now, if that really were the intent of the precept, we should be justified-and this, too, upon the authority of the gospel, in refraining from extending any kindness at all to an enemy, because we are there commanded to " bless them that curse us:" and we could scarcely do this by exposing them to suffering. So that if conferring a kindness upon them would produce this effect, we should really disobey the gospel

precept by doing so, since it would not be productive of a blessing but of a curse. This would be therefore to "render evil for evil," instead of "overcoming evil with good."

It is moreover evident, that if such be the idea which the precept of the Apostle is meant to convey, in delivering it, he has certainly propounded to us a doctrine diametrically opposed to the whole scheme of moral action inculcated by the Saviour of mankind. To all such as look for salvation through his blood, He commanded mutual love, mutual forbearance, universal benevolence, unremitting forgiveness of injuries; and we surely never can imagine that such a preposterous incongruity, as inflicting suffering upon those whom we are commanded to love and to forgive, could blend itself with the purest system of religion that was ever devised-which, too, the Son of God came down from Heaven to propagate and establish. It is clear that if the doctrines of the Apostle are at variance with those of the Saviour, we can have no specific rule of faith; and it is equally clear, that as the former was inspired by God, if he really contradicts Him, which he does if he contradicts Christ, God must contradict himself, since St. Paul is only the organ of that higher authority by whom he speaks. We must then look further for the Apostle's meaning than to the literal words of the text; and if, in their most obvious signification, according to our views, at least, of

what this may be, they contradict any one of the main precepts of the gospel, it behoves us to seek for and adopt that explanation of them only which will render him consistent with himself.

Now, the verse which immediately precedes them in the chapter where they occur, completely overthrows that interpretation which ascribes the motives of doing good to an enemy, as originating in a desire to afflict him, where the inspired teacher expressly commands us "not to be overcome with evil, but to overcome evil with good;" and surely we should directly violate this injunction if we conferred some temporal benefit upon an enemy merely to torment him. The outward act of benevolence could never palliate or extinguish the inward feeling of malice. Where a positive evil is produced, the means can never sanctify the end. How opposite to the conduct of the Psalmist!

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They rewarded me," says he, "evil for good, to the spoiling of my soul. But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. I humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer returned into mine own bosom. I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother; I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother."

Let us now see how the words of our text are to be so explained as to make them confirm, rather than contradict, one of the most sublime precepts of the gospel, that of loving our enemies.

The expression "thou shalt heap coals of fire

on his head," is supposed to have an allusion to the melting of metals. In fusing the more precious among them, the smelter used to heap up a quantity of burning fuel over the top of the vessel in which the substance was to be dissolved, in order to expedite and ensure the process. The consequence was, that the augmented heat softened and gradually reduced it to a state of liquefaction. The meaning, therefore, of the Apostle, will be this: that as burning coals, heaped upon the mouth of a crucible, soften and dissolve the ore within it, so, by doing kind offices to an enemy, will you mollify him and bring him to a good temper and right disposition towards you. This is St. Augustine's interpretation of the passage, and the best, as it appears to me, that I have been able to meet with.

The parallel may be extended yet further. Every time, for instance, that alloyed gold or silver is melted, part of the alloy escapes in the melting, and the remaining mass becomes consequently more pure: so also, by doing acts of kindness to one who is evilly disposed towards us, we not only appease his resentments and assuage his rancour, but, by repeating them, we gradually rectify his morose humours, call into action the better feelings of his perverse nature; and, by thus improving his disposition towards ourselves, we at the same time contribute to improve his disposition towards God.

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