The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-05-21
THE RIGHT WAY,
Or the Gospel Applied to Intercourse Be-
tween Individuals and Naions.
by REV. JOSEPH y. COLLIER.
(COntinucd.)
V. RENDERING GOOD FOR EVIL.

| NO|
V. RENDERING GOOD FOR EVIL.
"Love your enemies, bless them that
curse you, do good to them that hate
yon, and pray for them which despite
fully use you and persecute you that
We may hp the children of your Father
! which is in heaven for Il" maketh his
sun to rise OH the evil anu ~ The good,
ard sendeth rain on the just and O!i
the unjust" Matt. ) A, Is. "Not
rendering evil for evil. or raiiiBg for
railing; but conlrariwise blessing !
Pet. 3: 70. "Blrss them which perse-
cute you; bless, and carse not"
"Thererore, if thine enemy hunger,
feed him if he thirst, give him drink ;
| for in so doing thou Shalt heap Goals ol
fire on his head" "l}e not overcome
of evil, but overcome cv;! with good. y
Rom. Y IA, 20. -.
The meaning OF these precepts is
plain eild undeniable. All must per-
ceIve that they forbid even u cold, dis
tant demeanor towards an enemy, or a
disregard OF his interests. Some think
that they have carried their Kindness
quite far enough when they have al
lowed the trespasSer to go auhdrnied.
But we are here taught that we may
not even treat with 'silent contempt"
him whom duty forbids us to punish
in any other way y; and that while ell
deavOring to forgive and forbear, we
are not absoived rom the further obli-
CATION to associate with and benefit
him.
TO those who acknowledge the wis
dom and obligation of this class OF pre-
cepts, little need he said rs to the man
ner of their fulfilmcnt. Circumstances
will generally determine the mode in
which they may be the best obeyed,
and suggest the particular kind of good
which it is our duty to render. Where
the right disposition exists, oprortunl-
lies for exercising it will not be want
ing. Paul has specified two extreme
cases-yet with no design of excluding
those OF lesser Importance in tie en-
hortalion, "If thine enemy hunger,
feed him if lie thirst give him drink"
The meaning of this is, that rather
than rejoice in his sufierings OF any
kind Whatever, we should relieve
them. In the divine cXample-which
we should ever look upon as our stand
ard-God, who is infinite, blesses those
of his enemies who have heart to ac-
ccpt his gifts, with infinite good. He
does not discriminate between the very
gross and the comparatively slight Of
fender, but bestows upon all who Will
receive it in his appointed way the
same forgiveness, the SAME salvation,
and the same heaven. 60 we, in do
ing good to those who hate us, are not
to be governed by their deserts, but by
our opportunities for benciitlng them,
and their Willingness to be benefited
by us. -,
He who obeys these preccpts will
mark every occasion of injury by the
bestowment Of some peculiar favor, so
that it may be said of him, as it was of
Archdeacon Cranmcr, "The best way
to make him your friend is to do him
an i'll turn" If he can discover mol
necessity to be supplied, he will at
least bestow the kind word, and cXlllb-
it in look and demcanor, and in those
numberless acts of courtesy which 1t
is always in our power to render, slll-
cere desire for his welfare. Every rep
etition of the offence will Uc the signal
for repeated kindnesses; and even
should this strife he long continued, he
will be rs eager to follow every evil
with goud to the end, as was ever an
angry disputant to secure the last
word" of q controversy.
He will especially delight in praying
for his enemy. And here, after all, is
the noblest triumph of good over evil
for what blessing can surpass that ol
earnest prayer in behalf of Il fellow
creature" BY means of it we not only
exercise and put in practice our own
love to him, but, if our prayers are
what they should be, we enlist GOD in
the work of bencfiting him, and obtain
for him such favors as no mortal could
confer. Perhaps, in answer to our Ell
iectuul prayer, Il soul is saved, new JOY
caused in heaven over Il rcpenting sin
ner, and he who cursed us blessed with
"a crown of life" and "an eternal
weight OF glory" Such is said to have
been the result of poor negro's pray
er, once offered in behalf Of cruel and
ungodly master. He was a slave, and
had been severely whipped for reading
the Bible. Soon afterwards, his HAS
ter going near the place of punishment
his attention was arrested by the voice
of one engaged in prayer. AS he lis
tened, out OF mere curiosity, he heard
the poor slave imploring God to for
give the injustice Of his master, toI
touch his heart with sense of his sin,
and to make him a good Christian.
Struck with rcmorse, he made an inn
mediate change in his life, which had
been careless and dissipatcd, burnt his
profane books and cards, provided for
the liberation of all his slaves, and APP
peared now to study only how to ren-
der his wealth and talents useful tOI
others. Who could desire to bcstow or
to receive richer blessing than is
hinted at in the words, "Pray for them
that despitefully yIu and persecute
you"
There is no greater preventive of