The Sermon on the Mount (Bossuet)/Day 17
Seventeenth Day
Brotherly love: Extent of Christian Perfection. — Matt. v. 38-43.
Our Lord here returns to that obligation of loving one another of which He has already said that, far from being at liberty to kill, or even to strike, we must not go so far as to get angry with our brother, nor show bitterness against him by insulting words; that if there had been any dispute we must be ready to make it up easily; and that, if possible, we should not employ a judge to settle quarrels, nor even a mediator to bring together hearts that were estranged. This is because we have a natural mediator who will work reconciliation between us: — Jesus Christ, and His grace and spirit of charity within our souls. We must, then, cultivate a conciliatory spirit, and each one be ready to come to an agreement with his brother of his own accord. Our Saviour said that if we suspected any irritation against us in a brother’s heart, we must anticipate him in trying to soothe it, and must prefer reconciliation to sacrifice.
Now He pushes the obligation yet further, so as to entirely eradicate the very spirit of revenge.
'Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ [1] This is what the old law allowed, and there appeared to be a kind of justice in it; but Jesus Christ will not allow the Christian to carry out such justice for himself, or even to seek it for his own satisfaction. If public justice puts down crimes of violence, the Christian does nothing to hinder it, and he respects public decrees; but, on his own account, if somebody strikes him on one cheek he will rather offer him the other than revenge himself; [2] and if a man takes his coat he will give him his cloak also, sooner than go to law for a slight thing, or give way to a carping or resentful spirit. He will rather, of his own accord, go two other miles with those who shall have forced him to go one than seek to do justice to himself, or dream of taking vengeance for any violence that may have been offered to him. Peace of heart is dearer to him than the possession of whatsoever things may have been unjustly snatched away; and as to failing in charity for the sake of getting back anything he has been deprived of, he would not have it at the price. Oh, how pure and lovable is Christian and Evangelical doctrine; and how badly do Christians correspond with it — how little do they deserve their name!
'Give to him that asketh of thee; and from him that would borrow of thee turn not away,’ [3] as people commonly do; but do what you can to comfort him: be liberal and beneficent. Not all the riches in the universe can ever equal the value of those two virtues, or the reward that they will get for us.
Here, then, we find three degrees of charity towards our enemies — to love them, to do them good, to pray for them. The first of these produces the second; if we love, we give. The last is commonly believed to be the easiest, but as a matter of fact it is the most difficult, because it has to be done purely for the sake of God; and nothing ought to be more sincere, hearty, or genuine than what we offer to Him Who sees even to the very depths of the heart.