No. XLVIII. Saturday, April 21, 1753 Ibat triumphans Virgo Sunt qui rogatam rettulerint preces As refcu'd from intended wrong, PRUDENT. To love an enemy, is the distinguishing characteristic of a religion, which is not of man but of God. It could be delivered as a precept only by him, who lived and died to establish it by his example. At the close of that feafon, in which human frailty has commemorated fufferings which it could not sustain, a feafon in which the most zealous devotion can only fubftieote a change of food for a total abftinence of forty days; it cannot, furely, be incongruous to confider, what approaches we can make to to that divine love which these fufferings expreffed, and how far man, in imitation of his Saviour, can blefs thofe who curfe him, and return good for evil. We cannot, indeed, behold the example but at a diftance; nor confider it without being struck with a sense of our own debility: every man who compares his life with thi divine rule, instead of exulting in his own excellence, will fmite his breaft like the publican, and cry out, "God be merciful to me a finner!" Thus to acquaint us with ourselves, may, perhaps, be one use of the precept; but the precept cannot, furely, be confidered as having no other. I know it will be faid, that our paffions are not in our power; and that, therefore, a precept, to love or to hate, is impoffible; for if the gratification of all our wishes was offered us to love a stranger as we love a child, we could not fulfil the condition, however we might defire the reward. But admitting this to be true, and that we cannot love an enemy as we love a friend; it is yet equally certain, that we may perform thofe actions which are produced by love, from a higher principle: we may, perhaps, derive moral excellence from natural defects, and exert our reafon instead of indulging a paffion. If our enemy hungers we may feed him, and if he thirsts we may give him drink: this if we could love him, would be our conduct; and this may ftill be our conduct, though to love him is impoffible. The Chriftian will be prompted to relieve the neceffities of his enemy, by his love to God: he will rejoice in an opportunity to express the zeal of his gratitude and the alacrity of his obedience, at the fame time that he appropriates the promises and anticipates his reward. But But though he who is beneficent upon these principles, may in the fcripture fenfe be faid to love his enemy; yet fomething more may ftill be effected: the passion itself in fome degree is in our power; we may rife to a yet nearer emulation of divine forgiveness, we may think as well as act with kindness, and be fanctified as well in heart as in life. Though love and hatred are neceffarily produced in the human breast, when the proper objects of thefe paffions occur, as the colour of material substances is neceffarily perceived by an eye before which they are exhibited; yet it is in our power to change the paffion, and to caufe either love or hatred to be excited, by placing the fame object in different circumftances; as a changeable filk of blue and yellow may be held so as to excite the idea either of yellow or blue. No act is deemed more injurious, or 'refented with greater acrimony, than the marriage of a child, efpecially of a daughter, without the confent of a parent: it is frequently confidered as a breach of the ftrongest and tendereft obligations; as folly and ingratitude, treachery and rebellion. By the imputation of thefe vices, a child becomes the object of indignation and refentment: indignation and refentment in the breaft, therefore, of the parent are neceffarily excited: and there can be no doubt, but that these are species of hatred. But if the child is confidered as ftill retaining the endearing foftness of filial affection, as ftill longing for reconciliation, and profaning the rites of marriage with tears; as having been driven from the path of duty, only by the violence of paffions which none have always refifted, and which many have indulged with much greater turpitude; the fame object that before excited indignation and re pire, are reprefented by the arrrangement of different colours; and in which, not only extent, but duration is'rendered a fenfible object. The Grecian empire, which is distinguished by a deep red, is a long narrow line; because, though Alexander marked the world. with his colour from Macedonia to Egypt, yet the colours peculiar to the hereditary potentates whom he difpoffeffed, again took place upon his death: and indeed, the question, whose name shall be connected with a particular country as its king, is, to those who hazard life in the decifion, as trifling, as whether a small spot in a chart shall be stained with red or yellow. That man fhould be permitted to decide fuch questions by means fo dreadful, is a reflexion under which he only can rejoice, who believes that God only reigns; and can appropriate the promife, that all things fhall work together for good. No No. XLVIII. Saturday, April 21, 1753. Ibat triumphans Virgo Sunt qui rogatam rettulerint preces As refcu'd from intended wrong, PRUDENT. To love an enemy, is the distinguishing characteristic of a religion, which is not of man but of God. It could be delivered as a precept only by him, who lived and died to establish it by his example. At the clofe of that feafon, in which human frailty has commemorated fufferings which it could not sustain, a season in which the most zealous devotion can only fubftieote a change of food for a total abstinence of forty days; it cannot, furely, be incongruous to confider, what approaches we can make to to that divine |