CASES AND DIRECTIONS FOR LOVING AND DOING GOOD TO ENEMIES.
Most which belongeth to this subject is said before, chap. ix. about
forgiving enemies, and therefore thither I refer the reader.
_Tit. 1. Cases about Loving and Doing Good to Enemies._
_Quest._ I. Whom must I account an enemy, and love under that
name?
_Answ._ 1. Not every one that is angry with you, or that giveth
you foul words, or that undervalueth you, or that speaketh against
you, or that doth you wrong; but he that hateth you, and seeketh or
desireth your destruction or your hurt as such designedly. 2. And no
man must be taken for such, that doth not manifest it, or by whom you
cannot prove it. 3. But if you have reasonable suspicion you may carry
yourself the more warily for your own preservation, lest he should
prove your enemy, and his designs should take you unprovided.
_Quest._ II. With what kind of love must an enemy be loved, and
on what accounts?
_Answ._ Primarily with a love of complacence, for all the good
which is in him, natural or moral: he must be loved as man for the
goodness of his nature; and his understanding and virtues must be
acknowledged as freely, and loved as fully, as if he were no enemy of
ours: enmity must not blind and pervert our judgment of him, and hinder
us from discerning all that is amiable in him; nor must it corrupt our
affections, and hinder us from loving it and him. 2. Secondarily we
must love him with a love of benevolence, desiring him all that
happiness which we desire to ourselves, and endeavouring it according
to our opportunities.
_Quest._ III. Must I desire that God will pardon and save him,
while he repenteth not of the wrong he doth me; and being impenitent,
is uncapable of pardon?
_Answ._ 1. You must desire at once that God will give him
repentance and forgiveness. 2. If he be impenitent in a state and life
of ungodliness, or in a known and wilful sin, he is indeed uncapable
of God's pardon and salvation in that case: but if you know him not to
be ungodly, and if mistake or passion only, or some personal offence
or falling out, have made him your enemy, and you are not sure that
the enmity is so predominant as to exclude all true charity; or if he
think you to be a bad person, and be your enemy on that account, you
must pray for his pardon and salvation, though he should not
particularly repent.
_Quest._ IV. What if he be my enemy upon the account of religion,
and so an enemy to God?
_Answ._ 1. There are too many who have too much enmity to each
other, upon the account of different opinions and parties in religion,
in an erroneous zeal for godliness, who are not to be taken for
enemies to God. What acts of hostility have in this age been used by
several sects of zealous christians against each other! 2. If you know
them to be enemies of God and godliness, you must hate their sin, and
love their humanity and all that is good in them, and wish their
repentance, welfare, and salvation.
_Quest._ V. What must I do for an enemy's good, when my benefits
are but like to imbolden, encourage, and enable him to do hurt to me
or others?
_Answ._ 1. Usually kindness tendeth to convince and melt an
enemy, and to hinder him from doing hurt. 2. Such ways of kindness
must be chosen, as do most engage an enemy to returns of kindness,
without giving him ability or opportunity to do mischief in case he
prove implacable. You may show him kindness, without putting a sword
into his hand. Prudence will determine of the way of benefits, upon
consideration of circumstances.
_Quest._ VI. May I not defend myself against an enemy, and hurt
him in my own defence? And may I not wish him as much hurt as I may do
him?
_Answ._ When you can save yourself by fair words, or flight, or
some tolerable loss, without resisting him to his hurt, you should
rather choose it, and "resist not evil," Matt. v. 39. When you cannot
do so, you must defend yourself with as little hurt to your enemy as
you can. And if you cannot save yourself from a lesser hurt, without
doing him a greater, you must rather suffer it.
_Object._ But if I hurt him in my own defence, it is his own
fault.
_Answ._ So it may, and yet be yours too: you are bound to charity
to your enemy, and not to justice only.
_Object._ But if I run away from him, or resist him not, it will
be my dishonour; and I may defend my honour as well as my life.
_Answ._ Such objections and reasonings (which the Jesuits use
against Jesus) were fitter for the mouth of an atheist than of a
christian. It is pride which setteth so much by the esteem of men,
yea, of bad and foolish men, as to plead honour for uncharitableness:
and the voice of pride is the voice of the devil, contrary to him "who
made himself of no reputation," Phil. ii. 7, 8, and submitted to be
arrayed in a garb of mockery, and led out with scorn like a fool, and
bowed to, and buffeted, and spit upon, and crucified; who calleth to
us to learn of him to be meek and lowly, and to deny ourselves, and
take up the cross, (which is shameful suffering,) if we will be his
disciples, Matt. xi. 28, 29; Luke xiv. 30-33. To every christian it is
the greatest honour to be like Jesus Christ, and to excel in charity.
It is a greater dishonour to want love to an enemy, than to fly from
him, or not resist him. He that teacheth otherwise, and maketh sin
honourable, and the imitation and obedience of Christ to be more
dishonourable, doth preach up pride, and preach down charity, and doth
preach for the devil against Jesus Christ; and therefore should
neither call himself a Jesuit nor a christian.
Yea more, if the person that would hurt or kill you, be one that is of
more worth and usefulness as to the public good, you should rather
suffer by him, or be slain by him, than you should equally hurt him or
kill him in your own defence. As if the king of another kingdom that
hath no authority over you, (for of your own there is no question,)
should assault you; or any one whose death would be a greater loss
than yours. For the public good is better than your own.
And it will not always hold, that you may wish another as much hurt as
you may do him: for in defending yourself, you may sometimes
blamelessly do more hurt than you were willing to do. And you must
never wish your enemies hurt as such, but only as a necessary means of
good, as of preservation of himself, or you, or others.
_Quest._ VII. Must kings and states love their enemies? How then
can war be lawful?
_Answ._ Kings and states are bound to it as much as private men;
and therefore must observe the foresaid law of love as well as others.
Therefore they must raise no war unnecessarily, nor for any cause be
it never so just in itself, when the benefits of the war are not like
to be a greater good, than the war will bring hurt both to friends and
foes set together. A lawful offensive war is almost like a true
general council: on certain suppositions such a thing may be; but
whether ever the world saw such a thing, or whether ever such
suppositions will come to existence, is the question.
_Tit. 2. Motives to Love and do Good to Enemies._
_Motive_ I. God loveth his enemies, and doth them good; and he is
our best exemplar. Matt. v. 44, 45, "But I say unto you, Love your
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and
pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye
may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh
his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the
just and on the unjust."
_Motive_ II. Jesus Christ was incarnate to set us a pattern,
especially of this virtue: he sought the salvation of his enemies; he
went up and down doing good among them. He died for his enemies: he
prayeth for them even in his sufferings on the cross: he wept over
them when he foresaw their ruin. When he was reviled, he reviled not
again. This is the pattern which we must imitate.
_Motive_ III. God loved even us ourselves when we were his
enemies; or else what had become of us? And Christ died even for us,
as enemies, to reconcile us by his death to God, Rom. v. 9, 10.
Therefore we are specially obliged to this duty.
_Motive_ IV. To be God's enemies is to be wicked and unlovely; so
that in such God could see nothing amiable, but our nature and those
poor remainders of virtue in it, and our capacity of being made better
by his grace; and yet he then loved us: but to be an enemy to you or
me, is not to be ungodly or wicked as such; it is an enmity but
against a vile, unworthy worm, and therefore is a smaller fault.
_Motive_ V. We do more against ourselves than any enemy or
devils, and yet we love ourselves; why then should we not love another
who doth less against us.
_Motive_ VI. All that is of God and is good must be loved; but
there may be much of God, and much natural and moral good, in some
enemies of ours.
_Motive_ VII. To love an enemy signifieth a mind that is
impartial, and loveth purely on God's account, and for goodness' sake;
but the contrary showeth a selfish mind, that loveth only on his own
account.
_Motive_ VIII. If you love only those that love you, you do no
more than the worst man in the world may do; but christians must do
more than others, Matt. v. 47; or else they must expect no more than
others.
_Motive_ IX. Loving and doing good to enemies is the way to win
them and to save them. If there be any spark of true humanity left in
them, they will love you when they perceive indeed that you love them.
A man can hardly continue long to hate him whom he perceiveth
unfeignedly to love him. And this will draw him to love religion for
your sake, when he discerneth the fruits of it.
_Motive_ X. If he be implacable, it will put you into a condition
fit for God to own you in, and to judge you according to your
innocency. These two together contain the sense of "heaping coals of
fire on his head:" that is, q. d. If he be not implacable, you will
melt and win him; and if he be implacable, you will engage God in your
cause, who best knoweth when and how to revenge.
_Tit. 3. Directions for Loving and doing Good to Enemies._
_Direct._ I. Make no man your enemy, so far as you can avoid it:
for though you may pretend to love him when he is your enemy, you have
done contrary to love in making him your enemy; for thereby he is
deprived of his own love to you. And if his charity be his best
commodity, then he that robbeth him (though he be never so culpable
himself) hath done that which belongeth to the worst of enemies; it is
a thousand times greater hurt and loss to him, to lose his own love to
others, than to lose another's love to him: and therefore to make him
hate you, is more injurious or hurtful to him, than to hate him.
_Direct._ II. Take not those for your enemies that are not, and
believe not any one to be your enemy, till cogent evidence constrain
you. Take heed therefore of ill, suspicious, and ungrounded censures;
except defensively so far only as to secure yourselves or others from
a possible hurt.
_Direct._ III. Be not desirous or inquisitive to know what men
think or say of you (unless in some special case where your duty or
safety requireth it). For if they say well of you, it is a temptation
to pride; and if they say ill of you, it may abate your love and tend
to enmity. "Also take no heed to all words that are spoken, lest thou
hear thy servant curse thee: for ofttimes also thy own heart knoweth,
that thou thyself likewise hast cursed (or spoken evil of) others,"
Eccles. vii. 21. It is strange to see how the folly of men is pleased
with their own temptations.
_Direct._ IV. Frown away those flatterers and whisperers who
would aggravate other men's enmity to you or injuries against you, and
think to please you by telling you needlessly of other men's wrongs.
While they seem to show themselves enemies to your enemies, indeed
they show themselves enemies consequently to yourselves; for it is
your destruction that they endeavour in the destruction of your love.
"If a whisperer separate chief friends," Prov. xvi. 28, much more may
he abate your love to enemies: let him therefore be entertained as he
deserveth.
_Direct._ V. Study, and search, and hearken after all the good
which is in your enemies. For nothing will he the object of your love,
but some discerned good. Hearken not to them that would extenuate and
hide the good that is in them.
_Direct._ VI. Consider much how capable your enemy (and God's
enemy) is of being better. And for aught you know God may make him
much better than yourselves! Remember Paul's case. And when such a one
is converted, forethink how penitent and humble, how thankful and
holy, how useful and serviceable he may be; and love him as he is
capable of becoming so lovely to God and man.
_Direct._ VII. Hide not your love to your enemies, and let not
your minds be satisfied that you are conscious that you love them; but
manifest it to them by all just and prudent means; for else you are so
uncharitable as to leave them in their enmity, and not to do your part
to cure it. If you could help them against hunger and nakedness, and
will not, how can you truly say you love them? And if you could help
them against malice and uncharitableness, and will not, how can you
think but this is worse? If they knew that you love them unfeignedly,
as you say you do, it is two to one but they would abate their enmity.
_Direct._ VIII. Be not unnecessarily strange to your enemies, but
be as familiar with them as well as you can. For distance and
strangeness cherish suspicious and false reports, and enmity; and
converse in kind familiarity, hath a wonderful power to reconcile.
_Direct._ IX. Abhor above all enemies that pride of heart, which
scorneth to stoop to others for love and peace. It is a devilish
language to say, Shall I stoop or crouch to such a fellow? I scorn to
be so base. Humility must teach you to give place to the pride and
wrath of others, and to confess it when you have wronged them, and ask
them forgiveness: and if they have done the wrong to you, yet must you
not refuse to be the first movers and seekers for reconciliation.
Though I know that this rule hath some exceptions; as when the enemies
of religion or us are so malicious and implacable, that they will but
make a scorn of our submission, and in other cases, when it is like to
do more harm than good, it is then lawful to retire ourselves from
malice.
_Direct._ X. However, let the enmity be in them alone: watch your
own hearts with a double carefulness, as knowing what your temptation
is; and see that you love them, whether they will love you or not.
_Direct._ XI. Do all the good for them that lawfully you can; for
benefits melt and reconcile: and hold on though ingratitude discourage
you.
_Direct._ XII. Do them good first in those things that they are
most capable of valuing and relishing; that is (ordinarily) in
corporal commodities: or if it be not in your power to do it
yourselves, provoke others to do it (if there be need). And then they
will be prepared for greater benefits.
_Direct._ XIII. But stop not in your enemy's corporal good, and
in his reconciliation to yourself; for then it will appear to be all
but a selfish design which you are about. But labour to reconcile him
to God, and save his soul, and then it will appear to be the love of
God, and him that moved you.
_Direct._ XIV. But still remember that you are not bound to love
an enemy as a friend, but as a man so qualified as he is; nor to love
a wicked man, who is an enemy to godliness, as if he were a godly man;
but only as one that is capable of being godly. This precept of loving
enemies was never intended for the levelling all men in our love.