Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/361

352 dyslicre ðonne hwa lufige hwelcre wuhte spor on ðæm duste, & ne lufige ðæt ðætte ðæt spor worhte? Be ðæm cwæð Dauid; ða he hiene eallunga geðiedde to ðæm goðoftecipe ðære incundan sibbe, he cyðde ðæt he nolde habban nane gemodsumnesse wið ða yfelan, ða he cwæð: Hu ne hatige ic ða ealle, Dryhten, ða þe ðe hatigað? & for ðinum feondum ic aswand on minum mode, & mid fulryhte hete ic he hatode, forðæm hie wæron eac mine fiend? Swæ mon ðonne sceal fullfremedlice Godes fiend hatigean, ðætte mon lufige ðæt ðæt hie bioð, & hatige ðæt ðæt hie doð. He sceal weorðan his life to nytte mid ðy ðæt he næte his unðeawas. Ac hu wene we hu micel scyld ðæt sie ðæt mon aðreote ðære nætinge yfelra monna, & nime sibbe wið ða wyrrestan, nu se witga ðæt brohte Gode to lacum & to offrunga ðæt he ðara yfelena fiondscipe ongean hiene selfne aweahte for Gode? Forðæm wæs eac ðætte Leuis cynn gefengon hiora sweord, & eodon ut ðurh tone here, sleande ða scyldgan; & forðæm hit is awriten ðæt hiora honda wæron gehalgode Gode, forðæmþe hie ne sparodon ða synnfullan, ac slogon. Be ðæm wæs eac ðætte Fines forseah his neahgebura friondscipe, ða he ofsloh his agenne geferan, ða he hiene forlæg wið ða Madianiten, & ða forlegisse mid he ofslog, & swæ mid his irre he gestilde Godes irre. And eft cwæð Crist ðurh hiene selfne: Ne wene ge no ðæt ic to ðæm come on eorðan ðæt ic sibbe sende on eorðan, ac sweord. Forðæm, ðonne we us unwerlice geðiedad to yfelra monna freondscipe, ðonne gebinde we us to hiora scyldum. Be ðis ilcan wæs ðætte Gesaphat, se þe ær on eallum dædum his lifes wæs to herianne, fulneah mid ealle forwearð

love the trace of anything in the dust, and not to love that which made the trace? Of which David spoke, when he entirely joined the society of internal peace, and proclaimed that he would have no con- cord with the wicked, saying: "How, do I not hate all those, O Lord, who hate thee? Before thy foes my spirit shrank, and I hated them with perfect hatred, because they were also my foes." We ought to hate God's enemies so perfectly as to love what they are, and hate what they do. We must help their lives by blaming their faults. But how can we think how great a sin it is to tire of blaming the bad, and make peace with the worst, when the prophet brought it gift and offering to God, that he excited the hostility of the wicked against himself for the love of God! Therefore it was that