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| Chapter XIV.—The Love of All, Even of Our Enemies.
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Chapter XIV.—The Love of All, Even of Our Enemies.
How great also is benignity! “Love your
enemies,” it is said, “bless them who curse you, and pray
for them who despitefully use you,”2809
and the like; to which
it is added, “that ye may be the children of your Father who
is in heaven,” in allusion to resemblance to God. Again, it is
said, “Agree with thine adversary quickly, whilst thou art in the
way with him.”2810
The adversary is not the body, as some would have
it, but the devil, and those assimilated to him, who walks along with us
in the person of men, who emulate his deeds in this earthly life. It is
inevitable, then, that those who confess themselves to belong to Christ,
but find themselves in the midst of the devil’s works, suffer the
most hostile treatment. For it is written, “Lest he deliver thee to
the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officers of Satan’s
kingdom.” “For I am persuaded that neither death,”
through the assault of persecutors, “nor life” in this world,
“nor angels,” the apostate ones, “nor powers”
(and Satan’s power is the life which he chose, for such are the
powers and principalities of darkness belonging to him), “nor things
present,” amid which we exist during the time of life, as the hope
entertained by the soldier, and the merchant’s gain, “nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature,” in consequence of the
energy proper to a man,—opposes the faith of him who acts according
to free choice. “Creature” is synonymous with activity,
being our work, and such activity “shall not be able to separate
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”2811
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