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| Of Revenge.
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Chapter X.—Of
Revenge.
There is, too, another chief spur of impatience,
the lust of revenge, dealing with the business either of glory or else
of malice. But “glory,” on the one hand, is everywhere
“vain;”9111
and malice, on the
other, is always9112
odious to the Lord;
in this case indeed most of all, when, being provoked by a
neighbour’s malice, it constitutes itself superior9113
| 9113 i.e. perhaps
superior in degree of malice. | in following out revenge, and by paying
wickedness doubles that which has once been done. Revenge, in the
estimation of error,9114
| 9114 i.e. of the world and
its erroneous philosophies. | seems a solace of
pain; in the estimation of truth, on the contrary, it is convicted of
malignity. For what difference is there between provoker and provoked,
except that the former is detected as prior in evil-doing, but the
latter as posterior? Yet each stands impeached of hurting a man in the
eye of the Lord, who both prohibits and condemns every wickedness. In
evil doing there is no account taken of order, nor does
place separate what similarity conjoins. And the precept
is absolute, that evil is not to be repaid with evil.9115
Like deed involves like merit. How shall we
observe that principle, if in our loathing9116
| 9116 Fastidientes,
i.e. our loathing or abhorrence of sin. Perhaps the reference
may be to Rom. xii.
9. | we
shall not loathe revenge? What honour, moreover, shall we be
offering to the Lord God, if we arrogate to ourselves the arbitrament
of vengeance? We are corrupt9117
—earthen
vessels.9118
With our own
servant-boys,9119
if they assume to
themselves the right of vengeance on their fellow-servants, we are
gravely offended; while such as make us the offering of their patience
we not only approve as mindful of humility, of servitude,
affectionately jealous of the right of their lord’s honour; but
we make them an ampler satisfaction than they would have
pre-exacted9120
for themselves. Is
there any risk of a different result in the case of a Lord so just in
estimating, so potent in executing? Why, then, do we believe Him a
Judge, if not an Avenger too? This He promises that He will be to us in
return, saying, “Vengeance belongeth to me, and I will
avenge;”9121
| 9121 Deut. xxxii. 35; Ps. xciv. 1; Rom. xii.
19; Heb. x. 30. | that is,
Leave patience to me, and I will reward patience. For when He
says, “Judge not, lest ye be judged,”9122
does He not require patience? For who will
refrain from judging another, but he who shall be patient in not
revenging himself? Who judges in order to pardon? And if
he shall pardon, still he has taken care to indulge the impatience of a
judger, and has taken away the honour of the one Judge, that is, God.
How many mischances had impatience of this kind been wont to run into!
How oft has it repented of its revenge! How oft has its vehemence been
found worse than the causes which led to it!—inasmuch as nothing
undertaken with impatience can be effected without impetuosity:
nothing done with impetuosity fails either to stumble, or else to fall
altogether, or else to
vanish headlong. Moreover, if you avenge yourself too slightly,
you will be mad; if too amply, you will have to bear the
burden.9123
What have I to do
with vengeance, the measure of which, through impatience of pain, I am
unable to regulate? Whereas, if I shall repose on patience, I shall not
feel pain; if I shall not feel pain, I shall not desire
to avenge myself.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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