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Rh And observe, while inculcating the loftiest principles of love and goodness, what a picture He incidentally draws of the Divine Character in this respect, thus furnishing testimony of the very highest kind to the nature of that character. He says, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy: but I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you." How lofty the ideal of goodness here presented! Where in all the books in the world, previously existing, is such an ideal to be found?—nowhere. But now, He proceeds to give the reason why men should act thus, and adduces the example of God Himself, as that reason:—"That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.—Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." And in the parallel passage in Luke, it is added, "for He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil." Here, then, we have a witness to the goodness of God, more dear, more sure, than any that has yet been presented to us. More distinct is this testimony than that of the silent, yet speaking, works of creation; more perfect than that of the lives of good men; more full and unequivocal, perhaps, even than the testimony of God Himself speaking in the words of the Old Testament. For this is, indeed, God Himself speaking in the words of the New Testament and Covenant; this is God laying down a new and purer law for men, in an advanced stage of humanity, and when they were 14*