X. ferving God with that fidelity, and behav- SER M. ing to men with that fteady magnanimity of virtue, that generous beneficence and humanity, which fuits immortal beings, who are aspiring to rife in a future ftate to the perfection of their nature, in the prefence of God. 92 SERM. SERMON XI. On overcoming Evil with Good. ROMANS, xii. 21. Be not overcome of evil; but overcome evil with good. IN this world, we all know that we must reckon upon a mixture of goods and evils. Some of the evils are owing to the appointment of Providence in this ftate of trial; many of them are the fruits of our own guilt and misconduct. The goods and the evils of our ftate are fo blended, as often to render the whole of human life a ftruggle between them. We have to contend both with the evils of fortune, and with the evils of our own depravity; and it is only he who can in fome measure overcome both, that is to be efteemed the wife, the virtuous, and the happy man. At the fame time, amidst the evils of different kinds which affault us, there is a principle of good, derived from Heaven, by which we may hope to acquire strength, and through divine affiftance be enabled to overcome the evils of our ftate. This is the fubject of the exhortation in the text, Be not overcome of evil; but overcome evil with good. Taken in its moft extensive sense, as refpecting the different kinds of evil which we have to overcome, the exhortation may be understood to comprife the three following particulars. place, Be not overcome by the injuries you meet with in the world, fo as to pursue revenge. Secondly, Be not overcome by the disasters of the world, so as to fink into defpair. Thirdly, Be not overcome by the evil examples of the world, fo as to follow them into fin. But in all thofe cafes, overcome evil with good. Overcome injuries, by forgiveness. Overcome difafters, by fortitude. Overcome evil examples, by firmness of principle. In the first SER M. XI.. SERM. XI. I. BE not overcome by the injuries you meet with in the world, fo as to pursue revenge. It appears from the context, that this was the primary object which the Apostle had in his view in this exhortation. He refers to the injuries which the primitive Christians were conftantly suffering from their perfecutors. Inftead of being fo much overcome by these as to be intent on revenge, his exhortation in the verses preceding the text is, Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, faith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he twirft, give him drink; for in fo doing thou fhalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil; but overcome evil with good. But it is not in times only of perfecution and general diftrefs, that this exhortation is needful. We must in every ftate of fociety reckon upon meeting with unreasonable men, and encountering their bad ufage. This is one of the evils infeparable from our prefent ftate. No ftation is fo high, no worth fo diftinguished, no innocence XI. innocence fo inoffenfive, as to fecure us SERM. entirely against it. Sometimes the violence of enemies, fometimes the ingratitude of friends will ruffle our fpirits. Where we think that we have merited praise, we will be in hazard of meeting reproach. Envy will rife unprovoked; and calumny, from its fecret place, will dart its envenomed shafts against the moft deferving. Such is the confequence of the prefent depravity of our nature, and of the difordered ftate in which human affairs lie.-The fondness of felf-love is always apt to amuse us with too flattering profpects of what life is to produce for us, beyond what it produces for others. Hence our impatience and irritation upon every injury we fuffer; as if some new and unheard-of thing had befallen us; and as if we alone were privileged to pass through the world, untouched by any wrong. Whereas, if we were difciplined to think of the world, and of the tempers of thofe around us, as a wife man ought to think, the edge of this impatience would be taken off. When we engage in any undertaking, we ought to fay to ourselves, that in the course of it we 24 will |