A Christian Library, Part 1 · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. That it is more laudable to forgive, than revenge.
2. BEcause it is more generous and laudable to forgive, than revenge. Certainly, in taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but, in passing it over, he is superiour to him: for it is a Princes part to pardon: yea, quoth Alexander, there can be nothing more noble, than to do well to those that deserve ill. And St Gregory, It is more honor to suffer injuries by silence, than to overcome them by answering again. Princes use not to chide▪ when Embassadours have offered them undecencies, but deny them audience; as if silence were the way royall to correct a wrong. And certainly, he enjoyes a brave composednesse, that seats himself above the flight of the injurious claw: Like the Emperour Augustus, who though of a most tenacious and retentive memory, would forget wrongs, as soon as they were offered: Or Agathocles, Antigonus, and Caesar, who being great Potentates, were as little moved at vulgar wrongs, as a Lyon at the barking of Curres: yea, the Orator gives it as a high praise to Caesor, that he could forget nothing but wrongs, remember nothing but benefits; and who so truly noble as he that can do ill, and will not?
True, It is not rare to see a great man vex himself at the neglect of a peasant, but this argues a poor spirit: A true Lyon would passe it by, with an honourable scorn. You'l confesse then 'tis Princely to disdain a wrong: and is that all? No, forgivenesse, saith Seneca, is a valiant kinde of revenge: and none are so frequent in pardoning as the couragious. He that is modestly valiant, stirs not till he must needs, and then to purpose: Like the Flint, he hath fire in him, but it appears not, untill you force it from him: Who more valiant than Ioshna? and he held it the noblest victory, to overcome evil with good: for the Gibeonites took not so much pains in coming to deceive him; as he, in going to deliver them. And Cicero more commends Caesar for overcoming his own courage in pardoning Marcellus, than for the great victories he had against his other enemies. Yea, a dominion over ones self is greater then the Grand Signiory of Turkie. For as the greatest knowledge, is truly to know thy self; so the greatest conquest, is to subdue thy self. He is a wise man that can avoid an evil, he is a patient man that can indure it, but he is a valiant man that can conquer it. And indeed, for a man to overcome an enemy, and be overcome by his own passions, is to conquer a petty village with the losse of a large City. What saith a Father? Miserable is that victory wherein thou overcomest thine enemy, and the Divell in the mean time overcomes thee: thou slayest his body, the Divell thy soul Now we deem him to have the honour of the warre, that hath the profit of it. But as an Emperour said of the means prescribed him to cure his Leprosie (which was the blood of Infants) I had rather be sick still, than be recovered by such a medicine: so wilt thou in this case, if thou hast eithe… bowels or brains.
Yea, if the price or honour of the conquest be rated by the difficulty; then to suppresse anger in thy self, is to conquer with Hercules, one of the Furies: To tame all passions, is to lead Cerberus in chains: and to indure afflictions and persecutions strongly and patiently, is with Atlas to bear the whole World on thy shoulders, as saith the Poet.
It is no shame to suffer ill, but to do it: to be evil, we are all naturall disposed: to be holy and good, is the difficulty. Yea, every beast and vermine can kill: it is true prowesse and honour to give life and preserve it. Yea a beast being snarled at by a cur, will passe by as scorning to take notice thereof. I, but is it wisdome so to do? Yes, first, the ancient received opinion is, that the sinews of wisdome ▪ are slownesse of … None more wise then Salomon, and he is of opinion, That it is the glory of a man to passe by an offence, Prov. 19.11. We fools think it ignominy and cowardise, to put up the lye without a stab: a wrong, without a challenge: but Salomon, to whose wisdome all wise men will subscribe, was of another judgment; and to this of Salomon, the wisest heathen have set their seal: Pittacus the Philosopher holds, That, pardon is better than revenge, inasmuch as the one is proper to the spirit, the other to a cruell beast. And Demosthenes being reproached by one, answers, I will not strive with thee in this kinde of fight; in which he that is overcome is the better man. But, how Socrates, whom the Oracle of Apollo pronounced the wisest man alive, and all the rest of the Philosophers approved of it, both by judgment and practise; we shall have occasion to relate in the reasons insuing. No truer note of a wiseman than this; he so loves as if he were to be an enemy, and so hates as if he were to love again. We know a spark of fire falling upon a solid body, presently goes out, which falling upon combustible matter kindles and burns: Now as with fire, the light stuff and rubbish kindles sooner than the solid and more compact; so, anger doth sooner inflame a fool than a man composed in his resolutions. This the holy Ghost witnesseth, Eccles. 7. Be not thou of a hasty spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bosome of fools, vers. 9. So much fury, so much folly: the more chasing, the lesse wisdome.
Some have no patience to bear bitter scoffs; their noses are too tender to indure this strong and bitter Wormwood of the brain. Others again like tyled houses, can admit a falling spark unwarmed; it may be coals of Iuniper, without any danger of burning: Now, what makes the difference? the one hath a good headpiece, and is more solid, the other are covered with such light, dry straw, that, with the least touch they will kindle and flame about your troubled ears: and when the house is on fire, it is no disputing with how small a matter it came. I confesse, I finde some wise men extreamly passionate by nature, as there is no generall rule but admits of some exceptions: Even God himself, had particular exceptions, from his generall Laws: as the Cherubims over the Ark, was an instance against the second Commandment: the Israelites robbing the Aegyptians against the eight: the Priests breaking the Sabboth, Matth. 12.5. against the fourth: and Phineas killing Zimry, against the sixth, Numb. 25.8. And these, as they are more taken with a joy, so they tast a discontent more heavily: In whom Choler like fire in stubble is soon kindled, and soon out: for they are stung with a Nettle, and allayed with a Dock: being like Gun-powder, to which you no sooner give fire, but they fly in your face. And they say these hot men are the best natur'd: but I say; then the best are naught: And it is a strange fit that transformes a wise man (with Apulcius) into an Asse; yea, a Tyger. And others again, none of the wisest, who are free from being affected; And as they never joy excessively, so they never sorrow inordinately; but have together lesse mirth and lesse mourning; like patient Gamsters, winning and losing, are all one. But for the most part, it is otherwise. Yea, …atience is the Cousin german to frenzie. How oft have we heard men that have been displeased with others, tear the Name of their Maker in pieces?
And lastly, This of all others is the most divine and Christian-like revenge; witnesse our Saviour Christ, who by death, overcame death; as David cut off the head of Goliah, with his own sword: and even then tryumphed over his enemies, when most they seemed to tryumph over him, Col. 2.15. And the Martyrs, who are said by the holy Ghost, to overcome the great Dragon, that old Serpeut called the Divell and Satan, in that they loved not their lives unto the death, Rev. 12 11. Their conquering was by dying, not by killing: and, can the back of Charity now bare no load? are the sinews of Love grown so feeble? And holy David, who when he had Saul at his mercy, in stead of cutting off his head, as his servants perswaded him, only cut off the lap of his garment, and after thought that too much also. And at another time, when the Lord had closed him into his hands, finding him asleep in the Fort, in stead of taking away his life, as Abishai counselled him, he took away his Spear, and in stead of taking away his blood from his heart, he takes a pot of water from his head. That this kinde of revenge for a man to finde his enemy at an advantage, and let him depart free, is generous and noble, beyond the capacity of an ordinary man: you may hear Saul himself confesse, 1 Sam. 24.17, to 23. Again, when the King of Syria sent a mighty Host to take Elisha, and the Lord had smote them all with blindnesse, and shut them into Samaria; what doth the Prophet? slay them? No: indeed the King of Israel would fain have had it so, his fingers itcht to be doing: but Elisha commanded bread and water to be set before them, that they might eat and drink, and go to their Master, 2 King. 6.22. So a Christian truly generous, will omit no opportunity of doing good: nor do evil, though he have opportunity: for to may, and will not, is the Christians laud.
Which yet is not all, for besides that it is the most generous, noble, valiant, wise, divine and Christianlike revenge, to passe by and forgive injuries; our Saviour Christ, in whom is the fountain of all wisdome and knowledge, as all the senses are in the head, Zach. 4.12. allowes none for magnanimous, but such as together with forgiving, blesse those that curse them, and do good to such as hurt them, Matth. 5.44. The case of Moses, Steven, and many others; as I shall shew in Chapter 31. which is true generosity indeed. But how contrary is the opinion of the World, to the judgment of God, and the wisest of men concerning valour! For, should the greatest and gravost Divine in the Land preach this; our impatient Gallants would not beleeve, but that it consists in a brave revenge, and that an humble patience is an argument of basenesse, and that every wrong or disgracefull word, is quarrell just enough to shed blood. And lest there should want offences, or they give place unto wrath, as the Apostle adviseth, Rom. 12.19. they will strive for the way, or contend for the wall, even to the death: which proves them to be as wise as a wall, for they come short of the wisedom of beasts. Pliny tells us of two Goates (Mutianus being an eye-witnesse) which meeting on a straight and narrow bridge, that the one could not passe by the other ▪ nor turn aside to return back again: neither made his way by overturning the other, but the one lay down, that the other might go over him. I pray God their too much turning to the right hand before man, cause them not to be set at Christs left hand, with those Goates which are destined to everlasting fire. But certainly, if they amend not their course, God shall condemn them for invading his office, for vengeance is his, and that they call courage, he shall judge outrage.
Woe is me, into what unhappy times are we fallen, and how hath the devill blinded and bewitcht our Gallants; that the wretchedest and basest cowardise, should ruffle it out in the garb of valour; while the truly valiant passe for, and are reputed cowards. And how great is the corruption of mans heart, which is not ashamed of things shamefull; and yet ashamed of things wherein they ought to glory. Is this courage, to kill one another for the wall? as though either of their honours were of more worth then both their souls. Yea, suppose they overcome, is not this power of theirs the greatest infirmity? for whether they thus die or kill, they have committed murther; if they kill, they have murthered another; if they die, they have murthered themselves: Surviving, there is the plague of conscience: dying, there is the plague of torments: if they both escape, yet it is homicide, that they meant to kill. O that they would take notice of this, and lay it to heart!
But what's the reason of this their mistake? what makes them judge Iob a fool? and count David a coward? for their humble patience? this is the difference; there was the faith, and patience of the Saints; here is the infidelity, and impatience of sinners, whom the Devill hath bewitcht, to glory in their shame; or in plain English, a reprobate judgment is the only cause: for with them, every vertue is counted a vice, and every vice a vertue, as their own words witnesse: in nicknaming each vice and grace with opposite titles. But as when it was objected to a Martyr, that his Christ was but a Carpenters sonne; he answered, yea, but such a Carpenter as built Heaven and Earth: so we grant, we are Cowards, as they tearm us, but such cowards as are able to prevail with God, Gen. 32.26, 28. Exod. 32.10. And overcome the World, the Flesh, and the Devill, 1 Joh. 5.4. Gal. 5.24. 1 Joh. 2.14. which is as much valour and victory as we care for.