A fourth volume containing one hundred and fifty sermons on several texts of Scripture…

4th Rule of Justice: You must bear the Injuries of others with Patience, rather than revenge them. If Patience be not a part of Justice, I am sure private Revenge is a part of Injustice; because you take God's Work out of his Hands, and you make your selves Magistrates without a Commission. Rom. 12.9. Dearly beloved, avenge not your selves, but rather give place unto Wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. You must leave it to God and his Deputies. It is an Usurpation, and against all right to avenge your selves; that a Man should be Accuser, Judg and Executioner, and all in his own Cause, where Self-Love is, is apt to make us partial. If we are fit to be an Accuser, certainly not to be Judg and Executioner. •t crosseth the Ends of just Revenge, which are to right the Party wronged, or mend the Party offending, or to provide for public Safety. He that avengeth his own Quarrel, doth but more and more enrage his Adversary, scandalize others, and not right himself. In taking Wrong we suffer Evil, in returning Wrong we do Evil; the one is our Affliction, the other is our Sin. It will be no Excuse for you to say, you were wronged first. See how the Spirit of God takes off these Pleas, Prov. 24.29. Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me; I will render to the Man according to his Work. This is but a continuance and reciprocation of Justice. So Prov. 20.29. Say not thou, I will recompense Evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee. I remember Lactantius hath a pretty saying in this Case; Qui par pari referre nititur, ipsum à quo laesus est imitatur. Revenge and Injury differ only in Order; he that begins the Injury, goeth before in Mischief; and he that requites it, comes as fast after as he can; he doth but delight to follow that which he saw go before him. If you judg it evil in others, why do you fall into the like your selves? What care hath he of Justice and Goodness, that imitateth that which he acknowledgeth to be evil? It is no Excuse to say he began; his doing ⟨p. 86⟩Wrong to thee doth not dissolve the Obligation of God's Law, or the binding Power it hath upon thy Conscience. Nay, the return of Injuries argues you to be the more malicious, because it is a more willing, a more knowing Act.