40. And if any one be refolved to fue thee at Law, and to take away thy Veft, permit him to take thy Mantle too, for the lofs of both would be but a Trifle, in Comparison of those Vexatious Snares, and Expences, which would probably attend the Continuance of the Suit. Or according to another Expofitor who has perhaps more fully expreffed our Saviour's Meaning; "If any Man be litigious, and would go to Law with you to trick you out of your Coat, howfoever hard this may feem, yet it is in itself a Thing of fmall Value, and should rather let him take as much more than with a contentious and revengful Temper to ftand a vexatious Lawfuit with him."

41. And if any prefs thee to go with him one Mile, obliging thee and thy Carriages to attend him on a public Account [though in ftrict Juftice thou shouldst be exempted from fuch a Service] rather go with him two more, than difturb the Peace by a forcible' Oppofition; for in many fuch Cafes as thefe, it will be more for your own Comfort: as well as the Credit of Religion, to fubmit than contend.

42. [And agreeably to the truly benevolent Spirit of the divine Law] when thou seest any one in real Neceffity, and haft it in the Power of

thy

thy Hand to do it, give to him that asketh thee: thy Charity, † and do not turn away, with a fevere Denial, him that would borrow of thee.

43 By fuch Condescentions and Favors, you will generally gain the Friendship of those with whom you converfe; but if any should be fo base, as, notwithstanding all, to persist in using you ill, do not, indulge to Sentiments of Revenge. I know you have [in the second great Commandment of the Law] heard that it was faid to our Fathers, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour, (Lev. xix. 18.) and from thence fome have argued, though in direct Contradiction to many other Scriptures, (Exod. xxiii. 45. Lev. xix. 17. and Prov. xiv. 21.)/

Give to him that afketh thee thy Charity.] Mr. Blair would refer this to wornpw in Verfe 39. and render it, Give to the injurious Perfon, what he asketh thee; and has a very beautiful Discourse upon it in that View; but it is plainly unne◄ ceffary to limit it; and I think, that, on this Interpretation, it would too much coincide with Verse 44. In whatever Sense, it be taken, it must admit of fome Exceptions, or it will not only be inconfiftent with fuch Precepts as require us to take Care of our Families, (as 1. Tim. v. 8.) but with natural Juftice, and common Senfe. It is amazing, therefore, that any who do not think themfelves obliged by the literal Senfe of this Precept, to give or lend to every idle importunate Creature whatever he afks, should infift on a rigorous Interpretation of the preceding Paffages from Verfe 34, to 41.

as if it had been added, Thou shalt hate thine

Enemy.

44. But instead of favoring so pernicious a Maxim I say unto you, [that according to the true and full Meaning of the Command to love your Neighbour, it is your indifpenfible Duty to bear the fincereft good Will to all Men, to] love with Love unfeigned even your Enemies, [to] bless thofe who curfe you, [to] do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who infult you, and perfecute you: [to be kindly affected towards your Enemies, ready to do them Good for Evil, and the Good you cannot do yourselves, to pray that God would do it for them; for this both the Law and the Prophets require, not only to do justly, but also to love Mercy * :]

45. That you may thus approve your felves to be the Children of your heavenly Father; [the original Giver of the Law] for with the most diffusive Kindness and Benefience, be caufeth his Sun to arife on the evil and the good, and showereth down Rain on the juft and the unjuft: So that his Enemies share in his providential Bounties, and fubfift on his daily Care.

46. Let it therefore be your Concern to imitate this extenfive Goodness; for if you only love

Vid. Rom, 12. 19. Deut. 32. 35.

those

those who love you, what Reward have you? or what extraordinary Praise can you expect? Do not even the most infamous and fcandalous Sinners, fuch as the very Publicans, do the fame?

47. And if you falute and embrace your Brethren only, or thofe of the fame Sect, Party, and Intereft, with yourselves, what extraordinary Thing do you practice more than the Reft of Mankind, [whom God has not favored with fo perfect a Law, fuch excellent Statutes and Judgments as you have been favored with?] Do not even the Heathens and Publicans do fo? and will not common Humanity teach even the very worst of Men Civility to thofe, who treat them with Respect, and excite them to fome Sentiments of Gratitude to their Friends and Benefactors?

48. Be ye therefore in all Inftances of Goodness, as far as frail Mortality will admit, perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect; whofe Name you will most effectually honor, and whose Favor you will most happily fecure, by a Care to imitate him to the utmost in all the moral Perfections of his Nature;" [thus fhall ye most completely fulfil his good, and juft, and holy LAW, and make it truly honorable.]

* Perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect] Many Authorities are produced by Elfber, in his Note on this Text,

to

Love is the fulfilling of the Law. Real and unfeigned Good Will to all is one of the principal and most obvious Dictates of natural Religion, of the mofaic Law and the Law of Chrift, it is, and indeed muft be, an effential Part of every Religion truly divine.

Now the Inference intended to be drawn from the whole will naturally and neceffarily followNamely,

to prove, not only that the Heathens gave the Epithet of TEλElol, or perfect, to many of their Gods, especially the Chief; but that fome of their Writers defcribe Clemency and Goodness to Enemies as a Virtue by which Mortals make the nearest Approach to divine Perfection. These Words conclude Chrift's excellent Expofition and Vindication of the [mofaic] Law from the corrupt Gloffes of the Jewish Teachers. I know (fays the Doctor) it has been objected to it [viz. to our Saviour's Expofition and Vindication of the Law] that confidering the many figurative Expreffions ufed therein, we might as easily trace out the Duties recommended by the Light of Reafon alone, as adjust the Senfe of fuch obfcure and hyperbolical Precepts. But if it were really fo, it is to be remembered, that the chief Design of Christ was, and in his Gospel now is, not to inform us what is Juftice, Humanity, and Charity, in particular Cafes, (which a View of prefent Circumftances can alone difcover,) but to awaken a Regard to the known, though neglected Dictates of natural Religion on these Heads; [and which were the Dictates of the moral Part of the mosaic Law as our Saviour has clearly fhewn] and this may be most effectually done by fuch animated and sprightly Exhortations as these, especially when confidered as coming from a Person whofe Authority and Love concur to demand our Attention and Obedience.-