3. Branch of meekness is in recompensing good for evil; this is an higher degree than the other, Matth. 5.44. Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, pray for them which despitefully use you, Rom. 12.20. If thine enemy hunger, feed him, 1 Pet. 3.9. not rendering evil for evil, but contrariwise blessing. This three-fold cord of Scripture should not easily be broken. To render evil for evil, is brutish; to render evil for good, is devilish; to render good for evil is Christian. The Heathens had this maxim, Nemini laedere nisi lacessitus injuriâ; they thought it lawful to wrong none unless first provoked ⟨p. 141⟩with an injury; but the Sun-light of Scripture shines brighter than the lamp of reason. Love your enemies; when grace comes into the heart, it works a strange alteration; when a scion is ingrafted into the stock, it partakes of the nature and sap of the Tree, and brings forth the same fruit; take a crab, ingraft it into a Pepin, it brings forth the same fruit as the Pepin; so he who was once of a sour, crabby disposition, given to revenge; when he once partakes of the sap of the heavenly olive; he bears generous fruit, he is full of love to his enemies: Grace allays the passion, and melts the heart into compassion; as the Sun draws up many thick noxious vapours from the Earth and Sea, and returns them in sweet showers; so a gracious heart returns all the unkindnesses and discourtesies of his enemies with the sweet influences and distillations of love; thus David, Psal. 35.13. They rewarded me evil for good; but as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth, I humbled my soul with fasting, &c. Some would have rejoiced, he wept; some would have put on scarlet, David put on sackcloth; this is the rarity, or rather miracle of meekness, it retorts good for evil; thus we have seen the nature of meekness.
3. Branch of meeknesse is in recompencing good for evil; this is an higher degree than the other, Matth. 5.44. Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, pray for them which despightfully use you, Rom. 12.20. If thine enemy hunger, feed him, 1 Pet. 3.9. not rendring evil for evil, but contrarywise blessing. This three-fold cord of Scripture should not easily be broken. To render evil for evil, is bruitish; to render evil for good, is divellish; to render good for evil is Christian. The Heathens had this maxime, Nemini laedere nisi lacessitus injuriâ; they thought it lawful to wrong none unlesse first provoked ⟨p. 141⟩with an injury; but the Sun-light of Scripture shines brighter than the lamp of reason. Love your enemies; when grace comes into the heart, it works a strange alteration; when a sciens is ingrafted into the stock, it partakes of the nature and sap of the Tree, and brings forth the same fruit; take a crab, ingraft it into a Pepyn, it brings forth the same fruit as the Pepyn; so he who was once of a sowre, crabby disposition, given to revenge; when he once partakes of the sap of the heavenly olive; he bears generous fruit, he is full of love to his enemies: Grace allays the passion, and melts the heart into compassion; as the Sun draws up many thick noxious vapours from the Earth and Sea, and returns them in sweet showres; so a gracious heart returns all the unkindnesses and discurtesies of his enemies with the sweet influences and distillations of love; thus David, Psal. 35.13. They rewarded me evil for good; but as for me, when they were sick, my cloathing was sackcloth, I humbled my soul with fasting, &c. Some would have rejoyced, he wept; some would have put on scarlet, David put on sackcloth; this is the rarity, or rather miracle of meekness, it retorts good for evil; thus we have seen the nature of meekness.
