pride and a haughty mind; for charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up: whoever therefore vilifies or difdains

Pride.

his neighbour, breaks the command, and forfeits his right to the discipleship of Chrift. Put on therefore, fays the apoftle, bowels of mercy, kindness, and humblenefs of mind, with brotherly love, in honour preferring one another.

It also cafteth out cenforiousness and rash judging: for Cenforious charity thinketh no evil of our neighbour's words nefs. or actions; and believeth nothing but what is good of him; and hopeth all things for his welfare and credit. So that it is the want of this virtue, that maketh place for unmerciful cenfures and rafh judgments.

Diffim bling.

Again, charity is without diffimulation; difdaineth to speak to a man fair to his face, and injure hire Lehind his back; and defpifeth all little arts and contrivances for private gain and advantage, which must rise upon the injury of our neighbour. In a

word,

Where this chriftian virtue reigns there can be no malice nor defire of revenge; for it beareth all things, let Revenge. them be never fo injurious, oppofing prayers and bleffings to the hottest perfecutors, and leaving the iffue and vengeance to the Lord, with a full affurance that he will never fuffer his fervants to be rooted out.

To be ex

tended even

to enemies.

Now this duty of charity must be extended to the innocent and the guilty; we muft forgive those that offend us; which forgiveness to enemies, peculiar to chriftians, confists in bearing a fincere affection towards them, though they are malicious and implacable. There are two kinds of love, which we muft diftinguish here; the love of approbation, of esteem, and the love of benevolence or good-will. Now it may be impoffible fometimes to pay the former kind of love, in any great degree, to our enemy, as when his vices far over-balance his virtues: we cannot love, with any confiderable degree of approbation and complacency, him, who does not appear, upon the whole, lovely to our understanding. But fhould it be granted, that we could not regard an immoral enemy with any love of

ар

approbation; yet still this would not excufe us from shewing a love of benevolence and good-will to him. A parent, for inftance, is far from approving a child who is ftubborn, disobedient and immoral; yet ftill his love of benevolence and good-will shall continue in all its force and efficacy: and it is this kind of love which the scripture feems to require from us, ifourenemy hunger, we are to feed him; if he thirst, we are to give him drink. Chriftians deceive themselves, if they think it is enough not to wish evil, and to do no harm; for we are obliged to be ready to forgive them, and to remove all misunderstandings. Where let it be observed, that forgiveness is chiefly taken for abftaining from revenge; and fo far we are to forgive our enemies, even whilft they continue fo: and tho' they do not repent of the evil done to us, we muftalfo pray for them, and do them all kind and humane offices. Again, forgiveness doth fignify a perfect reconciliation to those that have offended us, fo as to take them again into our friendship; which they are by no means fit for, till they have repented of their hatred: and this is the Motives meaning of that text, of rebuking our brother if thereunto. he trespass against us, and if he repent to forgive him; which is, according to St. Paul's direction, to forgive others, even as God for Christ's fake forgiveth us and which we are injoined by the exprefs command of our mand of Saviour, who hath made forgiveness of injuries the Chrift, &c. condition without which we can expect no pardon of our fins : and hath in his own person fet us a pattern of this virtue, which he practifed to the height, rendering good for evil to all the world. Moreover, it tends to the comfort and happiness of our lives; patience and forgiveness affording a lafting and folid pleasure, in that they reftrain tumultuous and unreafonable paflions, and prevent many troubles, which flow from a temper that is malicious and revengeful. Our goodness is then perfected, when we do kindneffes not only without merit and obligation, but in defiance of temptation to diffuade us from it. By fuch a practice we discover a great mind, obtain the most valuable conqueft, because gained over our own paffions, and fhew ourfelves to be the image of that God, who is affected towards thofe who are guilty of

U 4

The com

the

of God.

the greatest provocations against his divine Majefty. ThereThe example fore, confidering all these motives, ought we not to infer with the apostle, Beloved, if God fo loved us, we ought alfo to love one another; efpecially as our pardon before God depends fo much upon our forgiving our

enemies?

againfi God,

Which is again inforced by a third confideration of the The difpro- difference of our fins against God, and of our neighportion of bour's offences against ourselves. And, in this comour offences parifon, let us confider the infinite majesty of God, and of men's and the equality of human nature in every statiagainst us. on; and this will dictate that we owe a perfect obedience to our Maker, as the God of all power and might; whereas all powers amongst men are ordained of God. So all that we enjoy of the neceffaries, comforts, or fatisfactions of life, are out of the abundance of his goodness and mercy; and they that do not thankfully acknowledge his free gifts are guilty of the greatest ingratitude; an ingratitude no ways applicable to men, because they differ as much as time and eternity. And lastly, we never fin, but we break God's commands and offend him; but the most envious and malicious perfon can never find those frequent opportunities to offend his fellow-creature. Which difproportion of our offences against God and man is excellently described in the parable of the lord who forgave his fervant ten thousand talents, and of that fame fervant that would not forgive his fellowfervant one hundred pence.

be

These confiderations may fill be heightened by that pleaPleasantness fure, which they feel who are conftant in the pracof this duty. tice of this great duty; and whofe delight may difcerned even at a distance, by comparing it with the difgrace and uneafinefs, which its contraries, revenge and malice, conftantly produce, both to our bodies and minds: As alfo by the manifeft and dreadful hazard they run, never to be pardoned of God, who forgive not thofe that have offended them: and lastly, in confideration of that thankfulness to God and Chrift, who of his free grace fent his beloved Son to die for us his enemies, and (having brought us into a capa

city of happiness) expects fuch terms as his love exemplifies and demands.

cour, &c. to

All which confiderations will effectually take place in those minds where the first beginnings of rancour, The first rimalice, and revenge are oppofed and ftifled; and fing of ranwithout this care, neither thofe, nor any other mo- be fuppreftives to christian charity can ever find a place in the Sed. heart: because these rather ferve to prevent than to cure the wound. Let us therefore cultivate that love, in which there is no torment: whereas a foul imbittered with revenge is a perpetual feat of war. Whatever difturbs the calmeafy courfe of our paffions must make us miserable. The life of an angry and revengeful man is all over storm and tempeft; he is like a troubled fea, when it cannot reft, whofe waters caft up mire and dirt. He is a ftranger to peace, and all the bleffed fruits and effects of it; (for where envying and ftrife is, there is confufion and every evil work :) his mind is continually restless and uneasy, agitated to and fro with the violent force of unruly paffions, which lead him on from one evil to another, and hurry him many times into those that are of a very mifchievous confequence.

Thus I have done with that part of chriftian charity, which regards our affections towards our neighbour: Therefore, II. In the next place, I fhall treat of the CHARITY of our actions: from charitable and benevolent Of charity thoughts, the tranfition is unavoidable to charita- in our acble actions. For the man, that has a hearty deter- tions. minate will to be charitable will feldom put off men with the mere will for the deed. For, as St. James teacheth in regard to faith, our cold love is dead, if we don't approve our hearts before God by fuch works of mercy, as fhall convince our neighbour, that we fincerely defire the good of his foul, body, goods, and credit. As I faid before, that the foul of man has a natural fignification; fo now I obferve again, that the mind of man is in that fenfe understood, to which not only our good wishes are to extend, but whenever our neighbour's mind is oppreffed with any heavinefs, the mind of we must endeavour to comfort and refresh him, by all the christian counsel and advice we are able.

Towards

our neigh

bour.

Charity in

If the foul, in its more noble and spiritual acceptation, be caft down with any dreadful or defpairing His foul. thoughts, we are still more concerned to attempt our neighbour's fupport: Or, if our neighbour does wilfully run into fin, we must do what lies in our power, in perfon, or by other proper means, to reclaim him from the evil of his ways: and though they should all prove ineffectual, we must not cease to pray or even to weep in fecret for him; because he keeps not God's laws, and because he will not know the things that belong to his peace; for fuch a neglect is a fin: therefore fays Samuel, God forbid that I should fin against the Lord, in ceafing to pray for you; when he could not diffuade the people from their evil courses. The body muft alfo partake of our charity: foras St. James likewife obferves, If a brother or fifter be naked, respect of and destitute of daily food, and one of you fay unto the body. them, Depart in peace, be ye warmned and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not thofe things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit either the afflicted or your own foul; for let that man, whofe charity only fhews itfelf in his lips, recollect that our Saviour requires the reliev ing of our neighbour's bodily wants, as a neceflary part of our duty; and promises to make it a part of his inquiry at the judgment in the last day; and upon those, that wilfully omit it, he has already pronounced that dreadful fentence, Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire. Therefore, let usendeavour to escape thofe dreadful judgments, by exercifing our charity according to thefe general heads, at least, fet down in the fame chapter, by giving meat to the hungry, and drink to the thirsty, harbouring the ftranger, cloathing the naked, and visiting the fick and imprisoned: that is to fay, we must lay hold on all opportunities to affift our neceffitous brethren; and, with the good Samaritan, make no diftinction of nation or party, but do all the good in our power, and look upon every object, as a call from heaven to put our pious intentions in practice. Wherefore

Charity towards our neighbour requires us, when we fee Reproof and an obftinate finner, to give him seasonable reproofs admonition. and tender admonitions, to reclaim him from his