the greatest of these is charity FAith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen Faith is the groundwork of our Salvation by Faith we believe that Christ came into the World laid down his life freely for us Sinners was born of a pure Virgin preached the Gospel of our Salvation that he was crucified dead and buried that he rose again the third day and ascended into Heaven and there sitteth at the right hand of God making Intercession for us Sinners By Hope is to be understood that Hope which is annext to Faith that we obtain the Fruits of our Faith the salvation of all our Souls Again having a sound Faith made up with Good Works we hope we shall obtain the salvation of all our Souls which Christ hath merited by his death and passion and by his Free Grace and Mercy we hope to obtain the Kingdom of Heaven which by hope and patience we have long waited for Charity is so great a Grace that Saint Paul commends it above all other Graces from the beginning to the end of this Chapter for he saith though he had the Gift of Prophesie and understood all Mysteries and all Knowledge and though he had all Faith so that he could remove Mountains and had not Charity he was nothing So that my Beloved though we have all these great Gifts and Graces yet if we have not Charity we are as if we had nothing though we bestow all our Goods to feed the Poor though we give our Bodies to be burned and have not Charity it profiteth us nothing You have heard out of this Scripture that if you had all the Gifts and Graces the Scripture doth afford yet if you have not Love you have nothing In the First Epistle of St. John Chap. 3. Ver. 7. it is said For this is the Message ye have heard from the beginning that we should love one another And again in the same Epistle Chap. 2. Verse 10. He that loveth his Brother abideth in the light and there is no occasion of stumbling in him And again in the same Epistle Chap. 3. Verse 23. And this is his Commandment that we should believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another as he gave us Commandment Again in the same Epistle Chap. 4. Ver. 7 8. Beloved let us love one another for love is of God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God he that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love And in the same Chapter Ver. 16. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of Judgment because as he is so are we in this world And Ver. 18. There is no fear in love but perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath torment he that feareth is not made perfect in love And so to the end of the Chapter If any man say I love God and hateth his Brother he is a Lyar for he that loveth not his Brother whom he both seen how can be love God whom he hath not seen And this Commandment have we from him that he that loveth God love his Brother also In the second Epistle Verse the 5th Now I beseech thee Lady not as though I wrote a new Commandment unto thee but that we had from the beginning that we love one another and this is love that we walk after his Commandment Having spoken something of Faith and Hope we come now to Charity which S. Paul commends above other Graces Charity extends it self into two Branches viz. 1. Love 2. Good Works which are the Fruits of Love S. Paul speaking in the commendation of Charity saith Though I have Faith so that I could remove Mountains and have not Charity it is but as sounding Brass or a tinkling Cimbal And a Father saith Magna fructus Spiritus sancto Charity is the great Fruit of the Holy Ghost Love is of so kind a Nature that it envieth not it is not self-willed nor easily provoked thinketh no evil doth no evil and is of so kind an affection that from it springs all other good Graces This was the Advice of that good old Preacher Saint John the Divine Little Children saith he love one another It was the advice of our Saviour Christ to them that asked him the way to Heaven or which was the Great Commandment saith he Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy mind and with all thy strength and thy Neighbour as thy self on these two hang the Law and the Prophets As much as to say on these hang the great matters of our Salvation the Law and the Gospel Love is of so peaceable a Nature that it maketh our Enemies to be at peace with us As for Example when there was a Malefactor hired to kill his King the King gave him such loving words and smiled on him that he could not execute his malicious Design You see then that Love is of so winning a temper that it makes our Enemies to be at peace with us that they cannot execute their malicious Designs It is of such a winning moderation that many times it makes our Enemies to be our Friends as saith a Father Omnia vincit amor Love overcomes all things O my beloved Brethren let us take care that a true and hearty love be in every one of us both towards God and towards our Neighbour and then we may be sure that the love of God dwelleth in us and we in him for God himself is love and in him is no hatred O my beloved Brethren let us see that we esteem and prize this great Grace of Love as a great Jewel proceeding from the Holy Ghost What a great benefit and joy is it to us and to our souls to have the great God of Heaven and Earth to dwell in us and we in him And having this Treasure we have all the Joys of Heaven and Earth I shall now speak something by way of Reproof First To the Common Enemy the Popish Faction Secondly To the Dissenters And first to the Church of Rome who will have no Charity with us but instead of Charity they Plot mischief against us they contrive to destroy our Bodies as well as our Souls Although we are out of their Church and they have nothing to do with us in their Church Discipline yet they will uncharitably and maliciously Excommunicate us both Gods Vicegerent the King and all his Subjects and put us into the state of Damnation as they think though we know it worketh more for our good than for our hurt so that they prove themselves to be no good Christians to be out of Charity with us who never meant any hurt The next sort that are to be reproved are the Dissenters from the Presbyterian to
was turned into sadness and their blessing into a Curse upon them as TYBVRN will witness and many Spectators that beheld them O my Beloved take special notice that this Plot was not from God but of themselves with the help of Satan and came to nothing as Gamaliel saith I beseech you all good People that fear God to take special notice of the Death of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey which discovers more of inhumanity in their Religion than any other of their wicked devices if all the Devils in Hell had been let loose to their assistance they could not have done more than these wicked Men did they enticed him with flattering and lying words as St. Paul saith they told him if he would go along with them they would shew him more of that wicked Conclave and he being a Justice of the Peace he might apprehend them this honest Justice being willing to serve the King according to his Oath went with them and they had him into a place where they secured him from the help of all his Friends there as I may say they opened Hell Gates and let out the Devils who fell upon him and wickedly murdered him he being without any comfort but the mercy of Christ Jesus upon his Soul O all you Emperours Kings Princes and Dukes whom God hath ordained as his Vicegerents to execute his will upon Earth take care you come not near the man of Sin nor adhere to his deceivable bloody Doctrine who allows his Priests to colour their Coats with the blood of Kings and Princes and to wash their Altars with the blood of Gods Saints and garnish their Sepulchres with the blood of Gods Elect as our Saviour saith and will not God avenge the blood of his Elect that cry to him day and night yea he will avenge them speedily You see this Scripture fulfilled quickly after the death of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey how God did avenge his Blood upon his Murderers witness TYBVRN and many that beheld them All the Massacres both in France and other places the Chronicles speak of in murdering many hundred of poor innocent Protestants was done by that bloody Church of Rome All you Emperours Kings and Dukes whom God hath ordered to execute his Will upon Earth have a care that you do not oblige your selves to the Man of sin by swearing Allegiance or Canonical obedience for then he makes you under the Man of Sin and Satan his Vassals and Slaves that when he calls his Councils you must agree to his unlawful Decrees which if you do not he will put you into the state of Damnation as he thinketh We see how this Church of England hath been approved on going through the Firy-Tryal witness the twelve Doctors and Bishops in Queen Maries days who sealed it by Blood and Fire and Charles the First of ever blessed memory sealed it with his Royal Blood also who without doubt is now a Saint in Heaven which except we could expect a better place of happiness than ever was spoken of in Scripture we could never desire to go to a better place of Joy than where this good King is gone by the mercy of Jesus Christ who dyed for the Priviledge of this Church and State hoping and not doubting but his Royal Issue will maintain the same according to their Royal Fathers last Will and Testament that they should take care of the Church and love one another then will their poor Subjects love their Royal Majesty above measure in taking such care of this true Church of God wherein contains all our happiness both of Soul and Body then will God love us when we love him and his Vicegerent for God is Love and in him is no hatred then will he dwell in us and we in him then will God bless us with blessings both temporal and spiritual wherein our whole happiness both of Soul and Body consists The honour of a King is to have the love of his Subjects and what is the comfort of the Subjects but a Godly and a pious King which the Lord grant to us such a measure of grace that we may every one of us love one another but especially our King and then shall Babylon mourn but Zion shall rejoyce One thing more I shall not forget to put His Majesties Subjects in mind of That if ever His Majesty should call a Parliament that they chuse no Dissenters for if God do not bless them to agree in matters of Religion he will not bless them when they come to sit upon matters of State In the Fifth of the Galatians it is said The Works of the Flesh are these Adultery Fornication Vncleanness Lasciviousness Witchcraft Hatred Variance Emulation Wrath Strife Heresie Sedition Envying Murder Drunkenness which do appear to be some of the sins of the Church of Rome and that they that do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven But the Fruits of the Spirit is joy love peace long-suffering gentleness goodness Faith meekness temperance against such there is no Law of which you can find very little in the actions of the Man of sin but quite contrary to the said good Fruits A word in answer to the Presbyterians whom a Person of our Neighbourhood told me that they did attest they had no hand in the Death of King Charles the First Which I wish from my Heart that it were true which I fear is not because the Scots sold him for certain hundreds of thousand pounds because that blessed King spake in his little Book called his Meditation that he was sorry he was sold for more than his Saviour Without doubt they sold him to the other Dissenters which at last Crucified him If it were a sin in Judas for selling and betraying of his Lord and Master I fear it was a sin in them for betraying and selling of their Lord and Master the King Judas had some remorse in him and seemed to repent in throwing down the Money and saying I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent Blood and so I hope will these repent from the bottom of their Hearts that their Souls may be saved in the day of the Lord the which I beseech the Lord Jesus Christ to grant unto them through his Grace and Mercy and that they may return to us again from whence they went out and that they may renounce that wicked Covenant if they have taken it that they together with us and we with them may serve God together in love that this Church militant may fit us for the Church triumphant where we may all meet together to sing Halilujah to the great God that reigns for ever where there is no division nor dissention but all love and unity which the Lord of his Mercy grant FINIS THE EXCELLENCY OF THE GRACE OF CHARITY Set forth in a DISCOURSE ON 1 Corinth XIII 13. By William Chandler LONDON Printed for the Author 1682. 1 Cor. XIII 13. Now abideth faith hope and charity these three but
the Quakers who break the Bands of love and Charity with us of the true Episcopal Church of England I wish their Repentance may be their Punishment Saint Paul in the Acts of the Apostles when he was brought before Ananias the High-Priest when he commanded him to be smitten Paul reviled him and called him Thou whited wall c. those that stood by told Paul Dost thou revile Gods High-Priest Paul rebuked himself and said I wist not that he was the High-Priest it is written by Moses thou shalt not revile the Gods nor speak evil of the Ruler of my People I fear and 't is much to be feared that many of these Dissenters have spoke evil and reviled the King and Gods Priests and spoke evil of the Ruler of Gods People Again They break the bond of Love in going out from us because they were not of us If they had been of us they would have kept with us saith Saint John They break the Bond of Charity which cause Divisions as saith S. Paul Mark them which cause Divisions and avoid them contrary to the Doctrine which we have learned for they serve not the Lord Jesus A third sort of men to be reproved are those which neither love God nor their Neighbour nor themselves but covetously and miserably pinch both back and belly to heap up Riches and they know not who shall inherit them and set their hearts upon their Money-bags and as it were make them their Gods The love of Money is the root of all Evil saith the Apostle and hath caused men to run into divers Errours Now the Lord grant that all those that have broken the Bonds of Love and Charity with us may see their Errours and repent the Lord give them Grace that they may with true love and charity come in to us again they they with us and we with them may serve the Lord in true love and sincerity to the Glory of God and the benefit of our Souls at the last day that we may be received into those everlasting Mansions where there shall be no Division but Peace Unity and Love Saint Paul tells us that Charity shall cover a multitude of Sins O my Beloved let us therefore embrace Charity for it will cover a multitude of our sins How ought we therefore to prize this great Grace of Love which is Charity and walk therein for it proceedeth from the Spirit of God and is one of the great Fruits of the Holy Ghost and to make such use of it in our Lives and Conversations as becometh good Christians that our Love may be to God and to our Neighbour in deed and in truth that God may dwell in us and we in him and if we do these things we shall never fall If you would fulfill the Royal Law according to the Scriptures You must love your Neighbour as your self Jam. 2.8 We come now to the next Branch of Charity which is Good Works In this Epistle of St. James Chap. 2. ver 14. and so to the end of the Chapter it is said what doth it profit my Brethren though a man have faith and have not Works can faith save him If a Brother or Sister be naked and destitute of daily food and one of you say unto him depart in peace be you warmed and be you filled notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body what doth it profit Even so Faith if it have not works is dead it being alone Yea a man may say thou hast Faith and I have Works shew me thy Faith without thy works and I will shew thee my Faith by my Works Thou believest there is one God thou dost well the Devils also believe and tremble But wilt thou know O vain man that Faith without Works is dead Was not Abraham our Father justified by Works when he Offered up his Son Isaac upon the Altar Seest thou how Faith wrought with his Works and by Works was Faith made perfect You see then that by Works a man is justified and not by Faith only As the Body without the Spirit is dead so Faith without works is dead also You see my beloved that 't is the benefit of Good Works which makes our Faith perfect it brings us much into the favour of God He that gives to the poor lends to the Lord and doubtless he will pay us again with blessings Temporal and Spiritual If we lend him our Earthly Treasure he will pay us again with Heavenly Treasure which is far better God loveth us if we give chearfully for God loveth a chearful giver To do good and to communicate to the poor forget not for with such Sacrifices God is well pleased Love and Good Works make our Faith to shine in its lustre like precious Jewels in a Kings Crown Faith Hope and Charity may be compared to the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden whereof Faith is the Stock Hope is the Branches and Charity which is Love and Good Works is the Fruit which hangs on the Tree of Life and they that eat of that Fruit shall live for ever in the Kingdom of Heaven Again Good Works which proceed from love will go with us to the Day of Judgment and plead for us for Saint John saith in the Revelations Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord even so saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labour and their works follow them You see here my beloved that the benefit of our Charity will follow us after death and will not leave us till we come to Heaven It is to be feared the want of Good Works was the Cause why Christ pronounced that Sentence against those that fawned on him as it is said in S. Matthews Gospel the seventh Chapter the two and twentieth and three and twentieth Verses where Christ saith Many will say unto me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name have cast out Devils and in thy Name done many wondrous works I shall profess to them I never knew them depart from me ye workers of Iniquity You would think those Ministers to be Saints who have prophesied in Gods Name and in his Name have cast out Devils and in his Name done many wondrous works If those that in Christ's Name work Miracles and in his Name do many wondrous works be called by Christ Workers of Iniquity and bid depart from him he never knew them what will become of such in the end of the World who do no Good Works O all you that are called of God to be Ministers of his Gospel and are of the Church of England the Lord grant you may be found in all Good Works that while you preach to others your selves may not be counted Castaways nor found amongst those whom Christ calls Workers of Iniquity Now the Lord grant every one of us from the King to the Ministers of Gods Word and to all the rest of the People that