Let him eschew evil
Avoid all kinds of evil, hate it, abstain from the appearance of
it, and have no fellowship with it; and particularly should avoid
rendering evil for evil, or taking revenge on persons for doing
him ill:
and do good;
everything that is good, all good works, according to the will of
God, in the exercise of faith, from a principle of love, and with
a view to the glory of God; and without trusting to them, and
depending upon them for life and salvation; and particularly do
good for evil; do good to all men, acts of kindness and
beneficence, even to enemies, and especially to them that are of
the household of faith. The Jewish interpreters F23 on the
psalm from whence these words are taken observe, that in the
first of these clauses are contained all the negative precepts,
whose number with them is three hundred, sixty, and five; and in
the latter of them, all the affirmative precepts, which amount to
two hundred and forty eight:
let him seek peace and ensue it:
"or pursue it"; let him seek after it, in the world, and with all
men, as much as possible, yea, with his very enemies; and live a
peaceable and quiet life, in the kingdom, city, town, and
neighbourhood where he is; and particularly in the church of God,
and with the saints; which he should seek with all diligence and
eagerness, and pursue with all rigour to the utmost of his power;
and endeavour to cultivate all he can, and follow the things
which make for it. The note of one of the Jewish commentators
F24 on this passage is, "seek peace",
in thine own place; "and pursue it", in another place.