The Governance of Virtue, Part 2 · Section 23
Against maliçe, grudge, enuy, hatred and anger.
IF thou be tempted of Sathan to breake the order of charitie, & to malice thy christen brother▪ set these scriptures before the eyes of thy mynd.
Sentences out of the olde Testament
Thou shalt not hate thy brother inthineLeuit. 19. hart, but shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour that thou beare not sin ne for hys sake.
Thou shalt not auenge thy selfe nor be myndefull of wrong, agaynst the children of my people, but shalt louelove thy neighbours euen as thy selfe.Pro. 25
If thine enemy honger, fede him, if he thirst, geue him drinke, for so shalt thou heape coles of fyre vppon his head, and the Lord shal reward thee.
He that seketh vengeance shal find vengeaunceEccle. 2… of the lord, which shal suerly kepe him in his sinnes.
Forgeue thy neighbour the hurt that he hath don the, and so shal thy sines be forge uen to thee also when thou prayest. A man that bereth hatred agaīst āother, how dare …e destre forgeuenes of god? He that shew …th no mercy to a man whiche is like hym selfe, howe dare he aske forgeuenesse of his sinnes. If he that is but fleshe beareth hatred and kepe it, who will entreat for hys sinnes? Remember thy end, and let enmitie passe.
Examples out of the olde Testament.
Samuell prayed for kinge Saul,1. Reg. 15. although a wicked man an enemy to gods seruaunts, a…d altogether disobedient to the will of God.
Moyses prayed for the stubborne and vnExod. 22. faythfull Iewes, which not withstandinge rebelled agaynste him, and woulde hauehave slayne him.
☞ Sentences out of the new Testament.Math. 5
Lou… your enemies. Blesse them that curse you. Do good to them that hate you. Pray for them whiche do you wronge and pursue you, that ye may be the children of your father that is in heauen.Mat. 7
Whatsoeuer ye will, that men shoulde do to you: euen so do you to them. That is the law and the prophetes.Math. 19
Thou shalte louelove thy neighbour as thy selfe.Luke. 9
Be mercifull as your father is merciful. Iudge not, and you shal not be iudged. Cō demn not, and you shal not be condemned Forgeue, and ye shal be forgeuen. Geue, & it shal be geuen to you, good measure pressed downe, shaken together, and running ouer, shall men geue into your b…somes▪ For wyth the same measure ye meete, wyth the same shall other meete to you agayne.
A newe commaundemente geue I vntounto you, that ye louelove together as I loued you,Iohn. 13 that euen so you louelove one an other.
By this shall all men knowe that ye are my disciples, if ye shall hauehave louelove one to another.
Though I bestow all my goods to feede the poore, and though I geue my bodye to1. Cor. 13… be brent, yet if I hauehave no louelove, it profiteth me nothing at all.
Brethren if any mā be fallen by chanceGal. 6 into any fault, ye which are spiritual, helpe to amende him in the spirite of mekenes, consideringe thy selfe, least thou also be attempted.
Beare ye one an others burden, and so fulfill ye the law of Christ.
Let not the sunne go downe vponupon your wrath.Ephes. 4
Be gentle one to another, mercifull forgeuing one another, euen as GOD for Christes sake, hath forgeuen you.
Let eueryevery man be slow vntounto anger. For…acob. 1 the wrath of man worketh not that which is righteous before God.
Aboue all thinges hauehave feruent louelove among1▪ Pet. 4 you. For louelove shall couer the multitude of sinnes.
If anye man saye, I louelove God, and hateth1, Iohn. 4 his brother, he is a lyer. For he that lo ueth not his brother whom he hath seene god whome he hathe not seene how can he louelove. And this commaundement hauehave we of him, that he that loueth god, shoulde al so louelove his neighbour.
He that loueth not his brother, a…ideth1. Iohn. 3. in death. Whosoeuer hateth his brother is a murtherer. And ye know that no murthe rer hathe euerlasting life abidinge in him▪ My babes let vsus not louelove in worde nor in tongue, but in worke and truthe.
Examples out of the new… Testament.Luke. 23
Christ so dearly loued vsus, yea and that when we… were yet his enemies, that hee gaue him self euen vntounto the death for our sake. Yea he hanginge on the cros prayed for his very… enemies, vntounto his heauenly… Father.
Blessed Stephen in the middest of hisAct. 7 tormentes prayed for his enemies.
S. Paule wished him self to be cursedRom. 9. from Christ…, so that his kinsmen might… be saued.