Part 124 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
Back to Part 123 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
Part 125 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
Back to HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
[2.] Secondly, The more a man can overcome evil with good upon holy and gracious accounts—as upon the account of God's command, God's honor, the credit of the gospel, and the conviction, conversion, and salvation of souls—the greater measure of holiness such a person has attained to. To return reproach for reproach, reviling for reviling, and cursing for cursing, and scorning for scorning, and defaming for defaming—is exceeding natural to us. But to love those who hate us, to bless those who curse us, to do good to those who abhor us, and to pray for those who persecute us, and who despitefully use us—according to Christ's express command in Mat. 5:44—are things exceedingcontrary to nature, and exceedingly above nature. [Austin says that "Christ made a pulpit of the cross, and the great lesson he taught Christians was to love their enemies."]
The power of grace and holiness appears in nothing more than in bringing the heart to a sweet and ready subjection to such commands as are most cross, and contrary to flesh and blood. As those are in Romans 12:17-21, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." And so in 1 Thes. 5:15, "Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else." To return good for evil, and kindnesses for injuries, to behave ourselves courteously, humbly, meekly, tenderly, and sweetly towards those who behave themselves discourteously, proudly, passionately, harshly, and sourly towards us, argues a very great degree of holiness.
David was a man eminent in holiness, and he was good at this good work, as you may see in that 2 Sam. 1:24, "O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold." He does not envy against Saul, nor insult or rejoice over Saul's death, as many carnal and unsanctified hearts would have done, nor he does provoke or stir up the daughters of Israel to rejoice in the death and destruction of such a tyrant—who had hunted him up and down as a partridge, and who had often designed his ruin, and who had always returned him evil for good, and who had bathed his sword in the blood of Abimelech the high-priest, and in the blood of eighty more of the priests of the Lord, and who had forsaken the Lord, and gone to a witch, yes, to the devil, for help in his need.
Oh no! David conceals what was bad, and remembers what was good; he passes over those things that were condemnable, and he instances only in those things that might make his memory most acceptable, commendable, and delightful among the weaker gender, namely, Saul's clothing them in scarlet and finery, and adorning their garments with ornaments of gold.
And just so, Joseph was a man eminent in holiness, and he was good at this hard work; as you may see in Gen. 50:16-23. And Moses was a man of great holiness, and he was good at this difficult work; as you may see in Psalm 106:16, 23, 33, compared together. And Stephen was a man full of the Holy Spirit, and he was good at praying for those who made a prey of him, Acts 7:60. And Paul was a man of the same mind and mettle, as you may see by comparing the 2 Cor. 11:24, with the Romans 9:1-3. And Eusebius affirms that when Paul was beheaded, under Diocletian the emperor, he prayed both for Jews and Gentiles, for the multitude assembled, and also for the judge and executioner, that his death might not one day be laid unto their charge.
Calvin was a man of great holiness, and therefore though Luther (who was a man of a most violent, bitter, passionate spirit) had woefully wronged him, and reviled him—yet, says he, "let Luther hate me, and in his wrath call me a thousand times a devil—yet I will love him, and honor him, and acknowledge him a choice and precious servant of God."
Mr. Foxe, who wrote the "Book of Martyrs," was so famous in the practice of this hard piece of Christianity, that it became a proverb: "If any man would have Mr. Foxe do him a good turn, let him do him an injury, and he will be sure to do him a good turn for it."
"Send me to my toads again, in the dungeon, where I may pray for your lordship's conversion," said Mr. Sanders the martyr, to the bishop of Winchester.
Thus you see that the more eminent any people are in holiness, the more they overcome evil with good; the more good they will do those who do evil to them; and thus to do, is but to conform to Christ your head, for he shed tears for those who were to shed his blood, and he gave them his blood to drink, who gave him gall to drink and vinegar to drink. That man is almost got up to the very epitome of holiness, whose soul is habituated to overcome evil with good, upon holy and precious accounts.
Well, Christians, the more you can overcome evil with good, the more certainly your hearts are filled with good. That man's heart is full of the fruits of righteousness and holiness, that, upon divine considerations is accustomed, not to be overcome of evil—but to overcome evil with good. But,
Back to Part 123 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
Part 125 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
Back to HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness