Section 14: What Christian Religion teacheth more excellently than others, reflecting those that trespass against us.

Book 1 Section 14 (p. 22-23):
What Christian Religion teacheth more excellently than others, reflecting those that trespass against us.

Of the same Heavenly Nature are the Duties required towards our Neighbour, in the Christian Way, which herein excels all others. The Religion of Mahumet, may truly be said to be born in Arms, breaths nothing but Arms, and by Arms is propagated. So the Leconian Institutes, most commended among the Grecians, even by Apollo's Oracle, were all directed to the puissance in War, as Aristotle notes, and blames them for it. But the same Aristotle saith amiss himself, when he tells us that War is natural against Barbarians; when the contrary is true, that Nature hath constituted Amity and Society among all Men; which excellent Principle of Love and Friendship is much furthered by the Rules of Christianity. And indeed what is more unjust than for single Acts of Murther to be punished with Death; and destruction of whole Nations, as an honourable Achievement, to be glorified with Trimuphs? And yet by what other means, but by War, oftentimes openly unjust, (as themselves confess of the War of Sardinia and Cyprus) did that to Celebrious City of Rome, rise to so great Renown? And indeed generally, as most worthy Historians have related, Robbery out of their own Bounds, most Nations accounted no Dishonour. Aristotle and Cicero, make Revenge a part of Valour. The Gladiators (or Sword-Players) mutual Slaughter, were to the Pagans delightful, among their publick Plays. To expose, or suffer their Children to be devoured by wild Beasts if they were any way Deformed, was ordinary, no Law forbidding it.

The Hebrews truly had a better Law, a more holy Discipline, yet being a People of unruly Passions, some of their Infirmities were winked at, or indulged, as their eagerness against the seven Nations that had merited Extirpation; wherewith not contented, they had enlarged their hatred to all People different from themselves, the marks whereof to this Day appear in their Prayers, conceived against the Christians. But to satiate their Passion by the Law of Retaliation, to kill the Manslayer by the private hand of a Kinsman, was permitted by the Law, Deut. 19.21.

But such is the Excellency of the Law of Christ, that it wholly forbids to return Injury, whether in word or deed, lest the Malice we reprove in others, we again approve by Imitation; it commands to do good to the Good especially, and to the Evil too after God's Example, from whose Goodness we have received Sun, stars, Air, Showres, as common Gifts to all Mankind. Yea, so perfect is the Law of Christ, that it strikes at the root of the detestable sin of Hatred and Murther, not permitting Anger which is attended with Sin; and though Anger may be lawful, yet it is not permitted to Christians to let the Sun go down in their wrath: Nor are they permitted to pray, without an heart as ready to forgive those that trespass against them, as they desire God to be ready to forgive them. In a word, this is the Christian Law, to render to no Man evil for evil, but to overcome evil with good; to love those that hate them, pray for those that dispisefully use them and persecute them; Perhaps hardly found in any Religion in the World except the Christian, being evidently of a more noble descent and higher Pitch, than the best Moralist can fathom, or attain to.