John Brown of Haddington on Rom 12:21
Rom 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
From John Brown’s Commentary on the book of Romans:
Quote:
This noble sentiment is peculiar to Christianity. It is well said, “Nothing like this moral precept is to be found in the heathen classics, and nothing like what it enjoins ever existed among heathen nations. The idea of overcoming evil with good never occurred to men till the Gospel was preached to them: it never has been acted on but under the influence of that Gospel. On this principle, God shows kindness to sinful men; on this principle, the Saviour came into our world, and bled, and died; and on this principle all Christians should act in treating their enemies, and in their attempts to bring the race of man to the knowledge and obedience of the truth as it is in Jesus. If Christians would but show disinterested benevolence sufficiently extensively and perseveringly, evil, all over the world, would be overcome of good. The heathen nations will be converted to Christianity then, and not till then, when Christians shall, generally and habitually, individually and collectively, act on this great practical principle of their religion: “Overcome evil with good.”
