titude fhould have been my friend! Was it my own depraved heart, or fome malignant demon, that fuggefted thofe antichriftian fentiments which I now with eternally obliterated from my mind? Alas! that I should dare to clofe my angry eyes in fleep, while relishing the forbidden. pleasure of meditated revenge! Well might one of the Fathers fay, "There is little difference between him that does an injury, and him that requites it; only that one is wicked a little fooner than the other." I blefs my gracious Guardian, that this tempeft of my foul did not wreck me on the shores of eternity-did not drive me to the bar of my Creator while I was thinking evil towards my fellow-man. What a mercy that feven hours fleep have hufhed those angry paffions; and that my heart revokes thofe impious wifhes which would have degraded the Chriftian philofopher into the favage heathen! In this fmiling garden, under the ferene fky, and while my foul expands with devotion and gratitude; let me confider what difpofitions the gospel requires me to exercise toward an enemy. I am to forgive him; nay, more, I am to love him. At first fight what difficult leffons do these appear to fuch a creature as man! Let me examine what particular duties they require. Does the man I account my foe forget, or wilfully neglect to intercede for me at the throne of mercy? Chrift has taught me to be an advocate for him. When I am in diftrefs, does he shut up his bowels of compaffion, and triumph over my mifery? Towards him I am to breathe nothing but tenderness, and with him I am to weep, whenever omnifcient providence appoints to him the day of adverfity. Has he defrauded or oppreffed me? I mult weigh all my actions towards him in the righteous balance of equity. Has he robbed me of my good name? Againft him I am to raife no prejudice: his good deeds I am cheerfully to acknowledge, and put the most candid conftruction upon his bad ones. Does he hate me? Though upon chriftian principles he has no reason to do it; I am to beware that my conduct does not provoke him to the crime; and I am to include him in my common good-will towards human kind. Does he even implore vengeance to destroy me? With my lips, and with my heart, Chrift has taught me to blefs him in return. By thus overcoming evil with good, I fhall difplay a heroifm becomimg my Chriftian character, and I fhall at once overcome the devil, my adverfary, and myfelf. And is this the doctrine and duty of Chriftian forgivenefs? and has Chrift taught me to pray that God would forgive me my trefpaffes, as I forgive those who trefpafs against me? And have I often found myself to be an irritable and inflammable creature, whofe paffions are liable to be blown into a blaze by trifling, as well as ferious injuries? How can I ever attain that tranquility and fortitude which will enable me to practife this grand Chriftian duty? or how can I efteem myfelf a difciple of Chrift, if I neglect it? Difficult as this fubject is to contemplate, and much more difficult, as this duty is, even for a Chriftian to perform, I may venture to draw this conclufion: that, as the forgivenefs of enemies is a noble temper of mind, which Christ expects from his difciples, it is certainly within their reach. Ardently defiring to be of that happy number, let me endeavour to attain this temper by the diligent ufe of thofe means which Scripture and reafon have placed in my power. To this end, I would never lofe fight of that admirable advice given me by Paul: If it be possible, live peaceably with all men. If I had no higher motive, the difficulty of treating an enemy with becoming temper fhould enforce this facred precept. How amiable, and truly noble, was the propofal of Abraham to Lot, and how illuftrious the example it exhibits! "And Abraham said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, "I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herd"men and thy herdmen, for we be brethren :-If thou wilt "take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou "depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left." I would often meditate upon this interefting story that I may cultivate the fame lovely fpirit. And as the wifest of men has told me, "by pride cometh contention," I muft ftrive to fupprefs that conflitutional pride of my nature, which, in the fulness of self-complacency, magnifies every injury I receive into high treafon against my imaginary greatness. I must conftantly view myfelf in the faithful mirror of the divine law, and the divine nature. There I fhall fee myself encompaffed with innumerable imperfections; I fhall appear lefs than nothing and vanity. In this way I may hope to become more humble and more patient. Let me alfo beware of an inordinate love of the world; a guilty paffion which generally infpires hatred and revenge toward them who, by their misfortunes or difhonefty, leave their neighbours fhort of their equitable demands. I thould further endeavour to palliate the first rifings of anger, by fuppofing the injury I received, and which I impute to malicious motives, may proceed only from fuch inadvertence as I have often de, tected in myself. Perhaps the man, whom I confider mine enemy, feels a contrition for his conduct, which he wants humility or opportunity to acknowledge. In fuch a case, I fhould make thofe apologies, and offer that forgiveness which I have wifhed from others, when I have found myfelf on the wrong fide of a difpute. I often expect great allowances to be made for the frail frame of our common nature. I fhould, then, in this, as in every other inftance, do unto others as I wish them to do unto me. Let me alfo fettle it in my heart, that my fellow-man can do me no injury without the divine permiffion. From the human hand that ftrikes the blow which rouzes my refentment, I muft turn my thoughts to the omnifcient Governor of the world, that I may learn to fay to my foes, as Jofeph to his brethren, "You thought evil against me, but God meant it for good." Perhaps my heavenly Father knows, that in the prefent ftate, Iftand in need of enemies as well as friends; they make me more circumfpect, wifer and better. I defire, moreover, to keep constantly in view the direful confequences which often refult from finful anger. How does it pervert the judgment! and diftort all the paffions of the foul! How frequently does it do more mischief to ourselves than to the object against whom it is directed! To what dreadful and irretrievable actions, has it often driven thoughtless mortals! Well might Solomon fay, "The be"gining of anger is as when one letteth out water:" the ungoverned element will carry all before it. How appropriate to man is the advice which follows, "therefore leave off "contention before it be meddled with." Paul breathes the fame amiable fpirit when he fays, "Let not the fun go down "upon your wrath." But above all, if I would drink deeply into the spirit of that gofpel which teaches me that to forgive, I muftmaintain a lively communication with the God of peace and love. Let it be engraven on my heart, Thou, God, seest And may he often fee me upon my knees, imploring the affiftance of that grace which will form me to this divine temper! Then will the fear of the Lord teach me to depart from the evil of revenge; and if angry thoughts ftir within me, the divine confolations will filence the murmers of my foul. me. I must keep in view, and ftrive to imitate the accomplifhed example of my divine Redeemer. Though he never gave the flighteft offence to any man, he was in all points tempted as I am, only without fin. When he was reviled, he reviled not again; when he fuffered he threatened not, To his difciples he fays, I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done unto you. Amiable Redeemer ! Methinks I hear thy gentle voice pronouncing those memorable words. Yes, thou didst bear with the infirmities of thy friends; thou didst generously forgive the aggravating offences of thine enemies; and when I was thine enemy, thou didst reconcile me to God by thy blood! Thou haft obliterated the crimson ftains of that guilt, which would have polluted, and tormented my foul to eternity? Give me a double portion of thy lovely fpirit, and I will forgive my brother, as the Father, for thy fake, has forgiven me. And finally, I would remember how foon I fhall appear before the judgment feat of God! My breath is in my noftrils. What if my foul fhould be hurried into the divine prefence under the impulfe of revengeful anger! If I expected it would be called for this night, the folemn thought would expel every idea of refentment from my mind. As then, I have no affurance of to-morrow, let me not indulge a temper unbecoming a dying finner-a finner who is juft going to fupplicate mercy and forgiveness at the tribunal of heaven. "O may thefe thoughts poffefs my breaft, P. S. C. L. SIR, ON MARRIAGE. To the Editor of the Evangelical Magazine. The following was put into the hands of the wife of a Minifter of my acquaintance by her father, on the morning of their marriage, a few months fince. By giving it a place in your Repofitory, you will much oblige yours, Sheerness, Feb. 11, 1799. J. F. ARRIAGE is a divine inftitution of a wife and gra cious God, and when two perfons are united together in the fear and love of God, they will, under him, as far as poffible, fupport one another in the path of life and in the road to heaven. From the double tie of love and duty they will watch over one another for good, bear each other's burdens, and fo fulfil the law of Chrift. I had rather, my dear daughter, give you to a man of this defcription, even if he was deftitute of a penny, than to one poffeffed of thoufands a year and a ftranger to vital godlinefs. How grateful then is it to me, and what a profpect of benefit to you, when I fee you not only united to a chriftian, but to one who for feveral years, even from the age of fourteen, has been called to the knowledge of the true God and Jefus Chrift, which is eternal life; and whom God has honoured with a commiffion to preach the Gofpel, and that with fuccefs. Efteem him, my dear daughter, very highly in love for his work's fake. Would you have an honourable man? It is granted you: a fervant of the most high God, and an ambaffador of Jefus Chrift. Would you have a man poffeffed of riches? It is granted: he has found the pearl of great price, and is employed by Him, in whom are hid all the treafures of wif dom and knowledge; who himself hath put into that carthen vessel hidden treasures, gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, and hath given him power to bring out of thofe treasures things new and old. Is a man of good connexion defirable: |