A Guide to Go to God, Petition 5 · Section 155
§. 155. Of the reuenge which reuengefull perſons bring vponupon themſelues.
Q. VVHat doctrine followeth as a iuſt conſequence from the forenamed condition?
A. Placatum habert Deum non poteſt qui cum fratre pacem per zeli diſcordiam non habet. Cypr. de …nit. Eccl. §. 11They who forgiue not men are not forgiuen of God. Bring that which is here intended by Chriſt into a true, Logicall, Syllogiſticall forme, and the conſequence will appeare to be moſt iuſt. The forme is this. Forgiue vsus as wee forgiue others. But we forgiue not others. Therefore forgiue not vsus. The propoſition is expreſſed in the Lords Prayer. The aſſumption is deducted out of the inward diſpoſition, and outward practiſe of the reuengefull perſon. The concluſion floweth from the Premiſſes by iuſt and neceſſarie conſequence. Yet further to confirme this concluſion, and to ſhew that it is not wreſted, let it bee noted how Chriſt immediately after this prayer, expreſſely inferreth as much in theſe words,Mat. 16. 15. If yee forgiue not men their treſpaſſes, neither will your Father forgiue you your treſpaſſes. In the Parable ye finde as much verified. For the Lord deliuered that ſeruant, that would not forgiue his fellow-ſeruant,Math▪ 18. 34, 35. to the Tormenters, till he ſhould pay all that was due to him. Thereupon Chriſt maketh this Inference, So likewiſe ſhall my heauenly Father doe alſo vntounto you, if yee from your hearts forgiue not eueryevery one his brother their treſpaſſes.
It is Gods vſuall manner to deale with men according to their dealing one with another. Theſe prouerbiall ſpeeches import as much,Math. 7. 1. With what meaſure you mete it ſhall be meaſured to you againe. Gal. 6. 7.Whatſoeuer a man ſoweth that ſhall he reape. Hee ſhall hauehave iudgement without mercy that hath ſhewed no mercy. Iam. 2. …3.Diues, Luk. 16. 21, 24.that denied to Lazarus the crummes that fell from his Table, was denied a drop of cold water to coole his tongue. For man is to man in Gods ſtead. By our cariage to man God taketh tryall of our diſpoſition to him. Whereupon Saint Iohn ſaith,1. Ioh. 3. 17. Who ſo hath this worlds goods, and ſeeth his brother hath need, and ſhutteth vp his bowels of compaſſion from him, how dwelleth the louelove of God in him? For hee that loueth not his Brother whom hee hath ſeene, —4. 20.how can he louelove God whom he hath not ſeene?
Gods mercy is operatiue as fire: it warmeth that heart in which it abideth, and worketh mercy therein. Where therefore no mercy to man can be found, there is iuſt cauſe to ſuſpect no mercy of God hath been ſhewed. The ſoule of an vnmercifull man is no fit receptacle of the mercies of God. It abuſeth, it peruerteth them.
Behold here the folly of cruell hard-hearted and reuengefull perſons,Folly of reuengefull perſons. who like the vnmercifull ſeruant, deny that to their brother which they craue of God. What can they looke for of GodkMath. 18. 3…. but ſuch meaſure as was meted out to the ſaid ſeruant, and tolLuk. 16, 24. 25. Diues? They therefore that deale vnmercifully with others, doe moſt hurt to themſelues, becauſe thereby they prouoke God to deale vnmercifully with them. Conſider this O wrathfull & reuengefull perſons. The time may come when you will as earneſtly deſire one drop of Gods mercy, as Diues deſired a drop of water to coole his tongue: and yet you ſhall hauehave your deſire no more ſatisfied then his was.
This conſequence of Gods retaining their ſinnes who forgiue not their brethren,Motiue to forgiue. doth much enforce the a fore-mentioned*154. exhortation to forgiue. As there was ſhewed the great aduantage of forgiuing others (which is aſſurance of Gods forgiuing them) ſo here is declared the great damage of not forgiuing: which is a ſtrict exaction of the vttermoſt penaltie for all that debt wherein we ſtand bound to Gods iuſtice. He that from his heart forgiueth not his brother that hath offended him,Quiſquis in ſe delinquen…i fiatri non ex corde dimiſerit, non indulgentiam ſed condemnationem deprecatione hac ſ…imet impetrabit, ſuaque prof…ſſione ſemetip ſum dirius iudica…i. Ab. Iſaak. de Orat. cap. 21. foreign by this Petition procureth to himſelfe not abſolution, but condemnation, and by his owne profeſſion cauſeth himſelfe to be more ſeuerely iudged. For he turneth his Petition for himſelfe into a fearfull imprecation againſt himſelfe: and whatſoeuer his words be, in effect he prayeth that God would not forgiue him. He turneth the ſence of this word, Forgiue, to be, Forgiue not. Is not this the ready way to pull vengeance vponupon his owne pate for all the ſinnes whereof in any kinde hee ſtandeth guiltie before God? Wofull in this reſpect is their plight, whom reuenge doth ſo poſſeſſe as they cannot forgiue. How vnſenſible of their good or hurt are they on whom theſe motiues worke nothing at all! Oh be moued, euen for auoiding this great miſchiefe, to forgiue: and take heed that by not forgiuing thy neighbour ſome ſmall and light wrongs againſt thee, thou keepe thy ſelfe from obtaining pardon of thy hainous ſinnes before God.Cyril. Catech. Myſt. 5.