DISCOURSE XXXVIII.

PART I.

I PETER iv. 8.

And above all things have fervent charity among yourJelves; for charity fball cover the multitude of fins.

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THE exhortation in the text being joined with other exhortations to fobriety and watchfulness in prayer, to hofpitality, and to a faithful ufe and exercife of the gifts and graces of God beftowed on the several members of the church; and yet, being introduced in this diftinguishing manner, Above all things have fervent charity among yourselves, plainly fhews how highly the Apoftle efteemed this great virtue of charity; and that it is the perfection of a Christian, the very life and foul of all other duties, which without this are empty performances, and of no value in the fight of God.

This excellency of charity, which we collect from the peculiar manner in which St. Peter recommends it to the practice of Chriftians, is fully and exprefsly fet forth by St. Paul in the Cor. xiii. where fpeaking in his own perfon, he fays, Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as founding brass, or a

tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and underftand all myfteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, fo that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I beftow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. me nothing. It is to be obferved, that St. Paul does not merely compare and prefer charity before all spiritual gifts and attainments, before liberality and almsgiving; but he declares, that these without charity are nothing, of no value in the fight of God, of no profit to the falvation of man. Is it not therefore of great confequence to us rightly to understand this great virtue, that we may use proper methods to attain it; fince it is that only which can fanctify our offerings to God, and make either our prayers or praises, or our alms and oblations, acceptable in his fight; fince it is that only which can make the gifts and abilities bestowed on us of any ufe, or render them a proper means to fave ourselves and others?

It is nceeffary to enter into the confideration of the nature of this great virtue, that we may rightly apprehend the meaning of the text. St. Peter affirms, that charity fhall cover a multitude of fins. Whatever we are to understand by this expreffion, it is evident that this great promise or effect must be ascribed to that virtue only, which the Apoftle had in his mind, and which he meant to express in the words of the text; and if we apply it to any thing elfe, we abuse his authority, and deceive ourfelves. I fhall therefore confine this discourse to two inquiries:

First, What that fervent charity is, which the Apostle in the text fo earneftly recommends; and, Secondly, What is the true meaning of the Apoftle's affirmation concerning this charity, that it shall cover the multitude of fins.

As to the first inquiry, it will appear by the language made use of by St. Peter, that he is not recommending any particular duty, much less any particular acts of duty. (The words in the original, rendered by our tranflators fervent charity, are άyán xTE, continual or uninterrupted love.) Love is a principle, or a good habit of mind, from which many duties flow, but does not denote any one kind of duty more than another; and therefore the charity spoken of in the text has no more immediate relation to almfgiving (as the use of the word in our language often leads people to think it has) than it has to patience, forgiveness of injuries, or any other natural effect of love or charity. It is therefore the principle of charity, or a general beneficence of mind towards one another, which the Apostle recommends. And this must be conftant and regular, not subject to the efforts of paffion or refentment; it must prefide with a fuperiority over all the defires of our heart, that neither wantonnefs and luft, nor anger and revenge, nor covetousness and ambition, may carry us afide from the ways of righteousness and equity in our dealings one with another.

This description diftinguishes the virtue of the Gospel from what the world means by good-nature, which feems to be a quality refulting rather from the conftitution, than from the reafon of a man,

and is frequently subject to great efforts of paffion and resentment; to the defires of ambition and lafciviousness, and other vices, which have no fociety, which can have none, with Chriftian charity. Goodnature has oftentimes fomething that wants to be corrected in the very principles of it; fometimes it is an agreeable and eafy weakness of mind, or an indolence or carelessness with refpect to perfons and things. But charity is reafon made perfect by grace it is a beneficence which arifes, from a contemplation of the world, from a knowledge of the great Creator, and the relation, we bear to him and to our fellow creatures: it is that reafon into which all duties owing from man to man are ultimately refolved; and when we choose to say in a word what is the character, the temper, or the duty of a disciple of the Gofpel, charity is the only word that can exprefs our meaning.

The fame fort of actions materially confidered do oftentimes proceed from very different principles. Liberality and hofpitality are natural effects of charity, which infpires us with the tender motions of compaffion and benevolence towards our fellowcreatures: but it is no very uncommon thing for men to be liberal out of pride, and hofpitable out of vanity; to do their alms before men, that they may be feen of them; and of fuch our Saviour's judgment is, that they shall have no reward of their Father, which is in heaven.

This leads to an inquiry, by what means we may certainly diftinguish the principles from which our actions are derived, without which we can have no well-grounded confidence towards God, how fpe

cious foever the appearance may be which we make in the eyes of the world? The ready anfwer to which inquiry is, that we muft confult our own hearts, and examine what paffes in them, in order to form a right judgment upon the motives of our own actions. But if we confider what is meant by fearching the heart, we fhall find that to fearch the heart, and to examine into the motives and principles of our actions, is one and the fame thing; and therefore this direction does not fet us one step forward in the inquiry. Befides, it is no easy matter to come to the knowledge of our own hearts; fince from experience it is plain, that men do impofe upon themselves at leaft as often as they do upon the world; and find an ease and fatisfaction in doing the things, which shall yield no fruit in the great day, when the fecrets of all hearts fhall, be disclosed. And though in actions which require deliberation, and are not undertaken without a previous debate had with ourselves upon their expediency or inexpediency, an honeft man may judge, of his own motives and fincerity; yet a thousandthings there are which men do habitually, and with fo much ease and readiness, as not to attend to the influence of any particular motive at the time of doing the action. Charitable perfons do not, in each fingle inftance of charity, set before their minds the connection of that action with the honour of God, and the good of the world; nor can they perhaps be able to fay what particular motive led to each act of charity. A man of a regular chastity and fobriety does not every day,