Construction In a word it is a Generosity of Temper that is apt to suit it self to the condition of others according to the moving Nature of their present Circumstances The Rule of Righteousness is To render every Man his own But this may be without Charity and therefore this alone is beneath the Generous and Noble Disposition of a Christian it doth not come up to the perfect Law of Christ Charity though it hath a mixture of Justice in it yet it is a great deal more and that it may be compleat as it should be these two Qualifications are very necessary First That it be of the same Nature with that Affection which we have for our selves Secondly That it resemble that great Love which the Lord Jesus express'd for us all First Our Charity to others must be of the same Nature with the Affection we have for our selves This is the true Rule of Charity especially as it is heightned and improved by the Christian Religion Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self that is with the same good natur'd and kind Affection though it may be not in the same Measure and Degree There is indeed a sort of self-Self-love that is sinful an Affection that begins and ends at home too when a Man is for pleasing himself only when he seeks his own only when he makes himself the sole end of all his Actions and would fain engross to himself all that is good and desirable in this World begrudging his Neighbour any considerable Share or Proportion of it Now this is so far from being a Rule of Charity that there is nothing of Charity in it nothing more opposite to the true Spirit of Charity than such a selfish Temper But there is too an innocent kind of Self-love which necessarily riseth out of a Natural Principle of Self-preservation when a Man notwithstanding the greatness and largeness of his Mind doth consult the Good of others so as not to neglect his own but takes a due Care of himself in the first place This Natural Affection every one hath for himself and it is attended inseparably with these two Properties First Every one loves himself Vnfeignedly and Sincerely To be sure there is no Flattery no Pretence no Compliment in this case Our Affections may be believ'd and trusted when they speak favourably on our own side for no Man ever yet hated his own flesh We cannot but wish our selves well and those Wishes always come from our very Hearts And according to this Rule the Christian Law obligeth us to measure out our Charity to others It must be Love without dissimulation Rom. 12. 9. Love unfeigned 2 Cor. 6. 6. Love not in word or in tongue only but in deed and in truth Jam. 3. 18. Under colour of Affection to contrive or help one anothers Misfortunes is like the Charity of him who betrayed the Lord Jesus with a Kiss People are not wont to be Traytors to themselves after such a manner Though in the Consequence and Event they many times prove their own Enemies and the worst Enemies they have yet no Man betrays himself with Judas his Purpose the Intention on which we all act is still levelled at that which we believe or suppose to be good for us And this is properly to love our Neighbour as ones self to be as really solicitous for his Welfare in all respects as for ones own to have the same reality and sincerity of Purpose to be influenced and animated with the same quality and truth of Affection though the Case may admit of a difference as to proportion Secondly Another Property that attends all innocent Love of our self is that it is firm and constant Because it flows from an innate Principle of Self-preservation it must of necessity hold and continue as long as Nature it self lasteth nor can any Circumstances Events or Disappointments alter any Man's Temper so as to render him fickle and unsteady to himself much less dissolve the strict Band which ties his own Heart to him faster than that which was between the Souls of Jonathan and David Why thus too must Brotherly Love continue Hebr. 13. 1. because the Reasons of Charity are ever the same viz. The Obedience we owe to the Law of God and the common Wants among Mankind which always call for our mutual Pity and Assistance there is a constant necessity for our Minds to be always benevolently and tenderly disposed And though Resentments may and oftentimes do unavoidably happen by reason of the Ignorances of some the Passions of others and the Hereditary Infirmities of us all yet no Provocations or Injuries must affect Men so as to harden their Spirits or fill their Bowels with Gall and Wormwood Since the fix'd Rule is that we must Love our Neighbours as our selves we are no more permitted to be weary of our Charity to other Men than we permit our selves to be weary of doing good to our own Souls But there is a higher and nobler Rule of Charity yet and that is to Love one another as the Lord Jesus himself hath loved us Because the Love even of ones self may be defective imperfect and mixed with some Alloy therefore the great Lover of all our Souls hath made his own Charity to be the Standard and Measure of ours Upon which account he calls it A new Commandment A New Commandment give I unto you that ye love one another as I have loved you that ye love one another John 13. 34. In respect of the Matter of it the Law of Mutual Charity is an old one for it hath been written in the Hearts of Men from the beginning and it was expresly given to the Jews Lev. 19. 18. It is a New Commandment in respect of that High and Eminent Degree to which our Blessed Saviour hath raised it Men's Charity now must bear a Resemblance of his Love one another as I have loved you This is the thing which makes it a New Commandment indeed The Scripture speaks of three Things especially which were peculiarly remarkable in the Love of Christ 1. That he extended his Love to open and declared Enemies The Old Commandment which required the Jews to Love their Neighbour as themselves permitted them to Hate an Enemy nay in some cases bound them to express all manner of Hostility against such as were Aliens to the Faith and to the Commonwealth of Israel But saith the Apostle God commended his Love towards us in that while we were yet Sinners Christ died for us and when we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son Rom. 5. 8 10. And again when we were alienated and Enemies in our Minds by wicked Works Col. 1. 21. That is this was a stupendous a most amazing Expression of Christ's Love that he undertook the great Work of Redeeming a profligate World wretched Creatures that had bid God defiance that were Haters of all that is Good and Holy and thereby had brought themselves into a
and wishing well to our very Enemies and by expressing our sincere Affections to all Mankind 3. These Things do naturally carry a great deal of Force with them So that if no Obligations were upon us from any Laws to this purpose the Divine Excellence of these Actions would Recommend them to our Practice because they are God-like Actions and therefore must needs be of the highest Excellence in their own Nature But besides this we are to consider yet in the third place how helpful a Spirit of Charity is to us in answering the great Ends of the New Covenant The grace of God or the Gospel that bringeth Salvation hath appeared unto all Men teaching us that denying Vngodliness and Worldly Lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present World Tit. 2. 11 12. Which shews that the design of the Evangelical Covenant is to reclaim Mankind to the Love and Practice of all manner of Virtue Because God is a most perfect Being himself of infinite Goodness and Rectitude in his Nature his blessed Purpose is to imprint upon our Souls his own Image according to the Capacity of our finite Faculties And in order hereunto he hath given us by his own Son the brightness of his own Glory not only the most excellent Promises all confirm'd and seal'd with his Blood upon the Cross but moreover the most perfect Example and the most perfective Duties Now of these Duties this of Universal Charity and Love is the Chief For Love being such a Divine Affection the Fruits of it must needs be Divine too if it be sincere and zealous As for Instance If our Love to God be pure and hearty it cannot but move us to a solicitous Care of doing nothing that is repugnant to God's Will and Holiness because this Affection is naturally attended with an earnest desire to please and imitate its Object or the Party we intirely love So also if a Man's Love to himself be Rational and Regular it must needs put him upon doing himself all the Good especially all the Spiritual Good he can because his Spiritual Part the Soul is to live for ever and therefore requires his tenderest Care that it may be everlastingly Happy The same Inclination doth true Charity work in us towards all other Men to be beneficial to them likewise for it always operates according to the nature of the Thing and according to the condition of the Object It cannot possibly be of any advantage to our Maker because he is out of the reach of our Charity and too high for it Can a Man be profitable unto God as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous Or is it gain to him that thou makest thy Ways perfect Job 22. 2 3. And again If thou be righteous what givest thou him Or what receiveth he of thy hand Job 35. 7. No all our Goodness extendeth not to him Ps 16. 2. He neither needs it nor is he capable of being benefited by it because he is infinitely perfect and happy in himself But our Love to God hath this Effect it makes us admire and adore him serve and worship and endeavour to please him and to be like unto him and so it is an Instrument of Godliness as well as of Sobriety and Righteousness In this respect it may be said to be a Fulfilling of the whole Law even the first Table of it though indeed it serves most directly to Fulfil the Second And thus the Apostle argues Rom. 13. 8 9 10. He that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law For this Thou shalt not commit Adultery thou shalt not Kill thou shalt not Steal thou shalt not bear false Witness thou shalt not Covet and if there be any other Commandment it is briefly comprehended in this saying viz. Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self Love worketh no ill to his Neighbour therefore Love is the fulfilling of the Law We cannot be Injurious to our own Souls or to the rest of Mankind or to God himself but it must proceed from the want of those enlarged Hearts and those fervent and tender Affections which the Gospel requires of us all Here then we should employ our greatest Pains and use our utmost Endeavours to kindle in us a true Spirit of Charity For it is the end of the Commandment 1 Tim. 1. 5. And because it is the most Perfective Grace the Scripture sets it above all Things even above Faith and Hope 1 Cor. 13. 13. Now abideth Faith Hope Charity these three but the greatest of these is Charity The greatest not only because it is most profitable to others which the other two Virtues are not for Faith and Hope keep at home a Man believeth for himself and hopeth for himself nor is ones Neighbour the better for them 'T is this that is the active the dispensing Grace that walks about doing good and every one fares the better for it But 't is the greatest Virtue too because of the three it is the most beneficial to ones self also It gives him solid Reasons for his Hope which otherwise would be groundless and Perfection to his Faith which otherwise would be fruitless and consequently unprofitable even at home The Hypocrite's Hope shall perish And his Trust shall be as a Spider's Web Job 8. 13 14. A sorry weak Thing to bear ones Heart up especially on a Death-bed For Hope if it be right must be built upon some Promise nor can it go further than the Promise it self goes for if God hath not promised me his Mercy how can I reasonably hope for it Now it is plain that there is no Promise of that Nature but on condition of Charity on our part The Texts are so clear that they need no Comment 1 John 3. 10. In this the Children of God are manifested and the Children of the Devil whosoever doth not Righteousness is not of God neither he that loveth not his Brother And again V. 14. He that loveth not his Brother abideth in Death or is in a deadly State And again V. 15. Whosoever hateth his Brother is a Murderer and ye know that no Murderer hath Eternal Life abiding in him Nay to shew how extensive our Charity must be for our hopes of Mercy at God's hands our Saviour himself hath passed this Decretory Sentence That there is no Mercy for us unless we shew it our selves and that even to our Enemies Mat. 6. 15. If ye forgive not Men their Trespasses neither will your Father forgive your Trespasses As for Faith great Things indeed are spoken of it in the Scripture but withal we are told that without Works it is dead such a spiritless empty Thing without a Life of Virtue that it no more deserves the Character of a saving Faith than a dead Carkass deserves the Name of a Man Faith as it is distinguished from Works signifies here an Act of the Understanding whereby a Man owns the
A Practical Discourse UPON CHARITY In its several Branches And of the Reasonableness and Vseful Nature of this Great CHRISTIAN VIRTUE By EDWARD PELLING D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to Their Majesties and Rector of Petworth in Sussex LONDON Printed by E. I. for W. Crooke at the Green-Dragon without Temple-Bar 1693. THE CONTENTS THE Introduction Page 1. The Nature of Christian Charity what it is and how it differs from Justice 6 The Benefit that comes to ones Mind by a Charitable Temper 25 The Resemblance it bears to the Nature of God 34 How it serves to answer the Great Ends of the New Covenant 47 How it fits and prepares us for an Happy State hereafter 61 How we are to express our Charity 75 Several ways of expressing it according to the Characters given of Charity by St. Paul 76 Charity must be express'd by not being Angry on a sudden 79 Charity must be express'd by moderating Anger 82 Directions for the Government of this Passion 92 We must express our Charity by all manner of Kindness p. 104. To another's Soul p. 111. To his outward Wants p. 112. And to his Credit also p. 116 Charity forbids us to be Envious and why 119 Charity forbids us to be Precipitant and Rash 128 Directions to keep us from being Rash 131 We must express our Charity by our Humility and why Page 134 'T is inconsistent with Charity to do any Thing that is Foul or Indecent 145 We must express our Charity by seeking the Publick Good p. 157. Especially Peace p. 162 Charity forbids us to be Suspicious and Jealous-headed 178 Charity forbids us to Rejoyce at other Men's Sins p. 188. And at other Men's Calamities p. 194. Directions as to this p. 195 We must express our Charity by our Zeal for the Prosperity of true Religion p. 200. Directions as to this p. 203 We must expsess our Charity by concealing other People's Faults p. 209. And why p. 212. Directions p. 219 We must express our Charity by Believing the best of others in all Doubtful Cases p. 224. Directions as to this p. 228 Charity requires us to Hope well of others especially as to their future State 234 Christian Charity must be express'd by Patience in all Cases p. 247. By Patience in a Suffering Condition p. 250. And in case of Difference in Matters of Opinion p. 261 The Conclusion 275 A Practical Discourse UPON CHARITY THAT infinitely Wise and Beneficent Being that made the World to communicate himself to his Creatures and to make them Partakers of his Goodness hath given such Laws of Virtue to Mankind as serve not only to prepare us for the endless Felicities of another Life but also to make us in a great measure happy in this For those Virtues are Copies of God himself Transcripts of his own most Blessed Nature and therefore they must necessarily tend to make us happy because God himself is happy in them God's Happiness consisteth in the admirable Perfections of his Nature and the higher we rise in these Perfections the greater degrees of Happiness we must needs attain to because we approach the nearer unto God in the resemblance of whom the true and solid Happiness of Mankind doth consist though the corrupt part of the World doth evermore place it in other Things Those Virtues I now speak of are the Divine Perfections which are the Rule of God's Actions towards Mankind As the Purity and Holiness of his Nature by means whereof he hateth all manner of Iniquity his Essential Veracity by reason whereof he cannot lye his Faithfulness in the performance of all his Promises upon which account he is emphatically called The faithful God Deut. 7. 9. His Patience and Long-suffering towards the greatest Criminals not willing that any should perish the exact Rectitude of his Will by means whereof he offers not the least Injury to any part of the Creation but is Righteous and Just in all his Proceedings But above all his infinite Compassion a God full of Compassion he is called Psal 86. 15. by virtue whereof he is Gracious Merciful slow to Anger and plenteous in Goodness These Perfections the ever-blessed God communicates to Mankind according to their Capacities and in the exercise of these Virtues doth our true Happiness consist It is not Riches or Greatness or any Worldly Enjoyments that make our Minds or our Lives happy Then are we happy indeed when we are holy as God is Holy when we are Sincere and Upright Constant Patient and Just as God is and above all when our Mercy rejoyceth over Justice as God's doth when we put on Bowels of Mercy when we are Kind and Good and Tender-hearted towards one another when we forbear one another and forgive one another in short when we love one another as God himself loves us all This is our greatest Perfection a Perfection recommended to us in the Scripture under singular Characters above Faith or Hope or any other Grace And in the practice of this Virtue our truest Happiness must needs consist because it carrieth the greatest Resemblance of the Divine Nature God is Love saith the Apostle 1 John 4. 8. that is the Perfection of Love Goodness and Charity is in him In discoursing upon this Subject Charity as it relates to Mankind it will be necessary 1. First To explain the true Nature of it 2. To consider the Motives which serve to make it Practical 3. To shew the Way and Manner after which it is to be express'd I. 1. As to the Nature of Charity It is such a Principle of Kindness and Benevolence as doth dispose us to do others all the good we can over and above that which is their due by the Laws of Common Justice This is to be noted carefully that we may understand the difference between Justice properly so called and true Christian Charity The Office of Justice is to do those Things which a Man hath a Civil Right unto Things which he can claim and challenge Things which cannot be denied him without manifest Wrong and Injury Now this even Irreligious and Hard-hearted People are capable of doing nor is this always a Virtue because it proceedeth many times not from Choice but Necessity Charity is a Tenderness and Goodness of Mind which constrains us to do more than what Humane Laws oblige us to 'T is a Virtue that stirs the Bowels that moves and works upon the Affections that extends our Compassion and enlarges our Hearts beyond the common Limits A Virtue that inclines us to be Benevolent unto all Men to wish them all the Good their condition calls for to be Supplicants for it on their behalf at the Throne of Grace to aid and assist them towards the obtaining of it and for the Love of God and for Religion-sake to help them not only to those Things which are really due from Vs but to those Things also which are necessary fitting and proper for Them tho' they be not Debts in a strict Sense and
be any Dissatisfactions it is because their kind Endeavours are not successful or else because they are not able to do all the Good they would Uncharitable Wretches know not the Pleasure of doing Good nor what Peace and Complacency returns into ones Bosom by every Charitable Action nay sometimes by a bare Charitable Purpose and Design when some cross Accident hinders the Execution of it Indeed these inward Comforts cannot be sensibly known but by Experience and therefore Arguments of this kind may seem very feeble and impertinent to those who love themselves only and delight themselves in ways of Frowardness Yet the most unexperienc'd People may observe very much to this purpose from two palpable Instances we find in the Holy Scripture the one in Haman the other in St. Paul Setting aside the Story of Joseph's Advancement we meet not with such an Account as that of Haman of his Riches of his Honour and of his great Power as well over Ahasuerus himself as over all his Subjects And yet his Pride Envy and Malice the Vices I mention'd before over-top't and bore down all this Greatness One Thing he wanted still and that was the Compliment of Mordecai's Knee and for want of that nothing would satisfie him but the Destruction of poor Mordecai himself and all the Jews Rancour and Revenge in the highest degree and that which argued Pains Griefs Agonies and Tortures in his Mind of the highest degree too So that though the miserable Wretch boasted of his Wealth Glory and Authority over all the King's Princes yet said he all this availeth me nothing so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the King's gate Esth 5. 13. Strange Torment surely that Nothing could allay that all his Splendor was nothing in comparison of that neither the Gallows he had provided for Mordecai was any thing if compared with the Rack in his own Breast A Spirit of Charity would have saved him all that expensive Vexation which his ill Nature put him to amidst all his Honours Half that Charitable Temper which was such a great Blessing to St. Paul amidst all his Troubles no meer Man ever loved the Souls of People more than he None was ever more Compassionate towards a needy World None that fled over Land and Seas with that vigorous Zeal to serve Mankind as St. Paul did none that suffered so much for his great Charity A short Inventory of his Hardships he himself gives us 2 Cor. 11. In Labours abundant in Stripes above measure in Prisons frequent in Deaths often of the Jews five times received I forty Stripes save one Thrice was I beaten with Rods once was I Stoned thrice I suffered Shipwrack a Night and a Day I have been in the Deep In Journeying often in Perils of Waters in Perils of Robbers in Perils by my own Country-men in Perils by the Heathen in Perils in the City in Perils in the Wilderness in Perils in the Sea in Perils among false Brethren Throughout this whole Series of Hardships we never find the Apostle cast down or disconsolate but on the contrary always Glorying of his Sufferings and of his Sufferings only as Sorrowful said he yet always rejoycing 2 Cor. 6. 10. And the Ground of his Rejoycing was this the Testimony of his Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity he had had his conversation in the world 2 Cor. 1. 12. The comfortable Consideration that with an upright and honest Heart he had endeavoured to serve Mankind and to express his great Care of the Churches which were committed to his Charge Plutarch could observe That neither Riches nor Honour nor Power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor any thing else can bring a Man such Serenity and Divine Pleasure as a pure Soul A Soul from whence good Actions flow like a gentle and limpid Stream from a clean Fountain Though Misfortunes from abroad may affect such a Man yet comparatively they are not sharp and right Reason can help to take away that little Acrimony that is in them It is saith Plutarch an evil Conscience that is truly dolorous and galling it is this that creates Griefs from within Griefs that are more heavy and afflictive than any Accidents from without As a Feavour in the Blood is far worse and much more troublesom than the Heat of the Sun And therefore the true way to have solid Peace within is to have Minds full of Probity and in stead of entertaining any dishonest Purposes to be always Virtuously disposed and above all to be kindly and benevolently inclined and to do all the Good that lieth in our power 2. One great Reason why a benign and gracious Temper brings such Advantage to ones own self is because it is a Ray of the Divine Nature so that by searching into his Heart the Charitable Person cannot but be comforted with an humble and modest Assurance that he hath much of God himself in him And this is the second Thing we are to consider for the exciting of a Spirit of Charity in us how near it brings us to the ever-blessed God even while we stay in the World God is Love saith the Scripture 1 John 4. 8. Not only because all Love is of God as the Origine and Fountain of it but because it is one of the infinite Beauties and Glories of his Nature so essential to him and so perfect in him that he is the most transcendent and excellent Exemplar of Love made up of it so that he may be well called Love it self By reason of this Love God extendeth his Goodness to all his Creatures and especially to Mankind intending and ordering all Things here for their Good Threatning and Admonishing Commanding and Forbidding Assisting and Strengthning Cherishing and Chastizing them in order still to that great End their own Good and in all the Methods and Dispensations of his Providence expressing his Mercy and Tenderness towards us as it is most agreeable to his Wisdom and as far as it is consistent with the Honour and Authority of a Lawgiver Nor are the wicked'st Men denied a Share and Portion of his Goodness For though by the Rules of strict Justice he might without any more ado consign them to everlasting Misery and cut them off in the midst of their Impieties yet he offers to all Peace and Reconciliation in and by and for the sake of his Son whom he sent into the World to seek and to save that which was Lost that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting Life And to express the sincerity of his Desire that none should perish but that all should come to Repentance he daily shews the Riches of his Goodness and Forbearance and Long-suffering that thereby he may lead Wicked Men to Repentance not to be repented of Nay they have their Portion even of the Things of this Life too the the Rebel and the Runagate is taken care of as well as the Heir nor are any cast out of the hands
of that Provident and Supreme Governour of all Things who causeth his Sun to shine upon the evil and upon the good and sendeth Rain on the just and the unjust Mat. 5. 45. This great Goodness of God towards us all our Saviour himself makes use of as a powerful Argument and Motive for our Charity and Tenderness towards one another And truly if we consider the infinite Perfections of God by reason whereof he standeth not in the least need of any nor of all his Creatures the infinite Greatness of his Majesty above us and its Distance from us By reason whereof he might look down upon us with Scorn and Contempt His infinite Power over us by reason whereof he might easily cast us down into the bottomless Lake upon any Provocation His infinite Holiness and Excellency by reason whereof every Provocation comes to be of infinite Demerit and together with all this if we consider the infinite disproportion that is between the Sins acted against him and the Faults we commit against one another who stand all of us upon the same Level and need all of us each others Assistance nor have we any Power over one another but what is given and precarious Nor provoke one another but with Offences that are Reciprocal And after all our mutual Follies are beholding to one another too as well for asking as for accepting each others Pardon If I say we consider all this we must needs discover a great deal of Force in this Argumentation that since God so loveth us so pitieth us so forbeareth us so expresseth his Mercy and Compassion to us certainly we ought also and the rather by much to Love and Pity and forbear and shew Compassion and Kindness unto one another Love and bless and do good even to them that hate you that you may be the Children of your Father which is in Heaven saith the great Exemplar of Charity Matth. 5. 45. By the Children of God are meant according to the usual Scripture Sense of the Phrase such People as partake of the Divine Nature such as resemble God and are like-minded such as express a Similitude of those imitable Perfections which are most eminently in Him For as our Dispositions and Tempers are so is our Alliance Thus our Saviour told those wicked Jews in John 8. 44. Ye are of your Father the Devil And the Reason was because they did the Deeds and the Lusts of the Devil were of Devilish Spirits and Inclinations resembled the Devil himself by their Wickedness Some Sins as I told you before are ascribed unto the Devil after a more peculiar manner as Pride the Sin that cast him out of Heaven And Lying for which reason he is called a Lyer and the Father of it Joh. 8. 44. And so Slandering for which reason he is called the Accuser of the Brethren Rev. 12. 10. So also are Envy and Malice the Devil's Sins for which reason he is called a Murderer from the beginning John 8. 44. And is compared to a Lion that walketh up and down seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5. 8. Now though People that are of such wicked Spirits may flatter themselves with a Perswasion that they belong to God yet in God's own account you see they are of the Devil's Family the Devil's Children and consequently Heirs of the Devil's Damnation because their Minds are of the same Venomous Temper and of the same ugly Hue and Complexion as if they had been Cast in the same Mould For the same Reason they whose Souls are pure and upright full of Grace and Goodness are called the Sons of God because they communicate of his Divine and Perfect Nature and resemble him in the Qualities and Dispositions of their Minds as Children are wont to resemble their Parents in the Features and Lineaments of their Bodies Nor can any Man resemble him better than by a kind and benevolent Disposition Because the Scripture doth up and down represent this as one of God's chief and most glorious Perfections a Perfection wherein he himself seems most of all delighted And therefore our Saviour discoursing of Mercy Charity and an Universal Love Matth. 5. singles out this as the strongest Argument to inforce the Practice of it that we may be the Children of our Father in Heaven and that we may be perfect even as our Father which is in Heaven is perfect 'T is not any formal Professions that bring us near unto God 't is not any dry Superstitions or empty Performances much less is it a furious Zeal for Notions and Opinions alas all this may be consistent with a Devilish Temper and Mind No it is a God-like Temper a Divine frame of Heart and chiefly a kind charitable and beneficent Disposition It is this this that ties us into a strict Relation to God into such a close Fellowship and Communion with him as maketh us his indeed As that Disciple observes whom the Lord Jesus particularly loved and who breathed nothing but Love himself 1 Joh. 4. 7. Love is of God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God And again V. 12. If we love one another God dwelleth in us and his Love is perfected in us And again V. 13. Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his Spirit meaning that Temper and Affection which is so eminent in him And again V. 16. God is Love and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him Here then Men should lay their Hands upon their Hearts and examine how they beat what they are full of and how they are affected If Wrath and Bitterness Malice and Rancour Spightfulness and Uncharitableness dwelin them If Self-love Unmercifulness and Cruelty hardens them if the Wants and Miseries of others make no or very little Impressions upon them these are very bad Symptoms plain Signs that there is very little if any thing at all of God in such Hearts nothing but what savours of a narrow Spirit of a mean sordid and bruitish Nature Humane Rational Souls should have more exalted Faculties Souls that are of a Noble and Heavenly Extraction Souls that are so many Rays of the Divinity What can so become such Beings as Thoughts that are beneficial like the Sun-beams Affections that are as large as the Universe Motions and Operations like his who was the Redeemer of Souls whose whole Life was to go about doing Good His Miracles as well as his Sermons and Laws were Charity And by those Charitable Works he shewed himself to be the Son of God Nor may we think we can give the World or our own selves any satisfactory Evidence of our Relation to his Father or him but by Works of Charity as his were by doing Good to every Man as it lies in our power without Discrimination by Intreating them gently by bearing Wrongs and Indignities with meekness of Spirit by putting our Cause into God's hands without Self-revenge by blessing
in stead of viewing the Face and consider throughly first whether it be Just then whether it be Charitable also consistent with that Goodness and Kindness of Mind which becomes a Christian If the Thing be contrary to the Law of Love and such as we would not have another to do to our own selves we must with a very quick Hand lay the Bridle upon our Passions lest the Beast should prove Heady and by running away with us at all adventures rush us headlong into a great many Sins We should sit down a while and consider how short our Life is at the best and what little time in comparison we have to do Good in the World and how suddenly many drop into the Grave before they have done any at all We should consider what base Vices Hatred and Malice are what Dishonourable and Wicked Purposes they tend to what Mean and Hellish Arts Men are driven to for the putting of them in execution what Disorders they make in the World how Prejudicial they are to the Interest of Mankind to the Peace and Comfort of Humane Life and what Irreparable Mischiefs arise from them naturally not only to Single Persons but to Bodies to Families to Publick Societies nay to the whole Church and State when once they come to break out as very often they do into Epidemical Outrage We should consider too what Rewards they bring to the Actors themselves after all these Dreadful Consequences Vexation and Anguish of Spirit a Polluted Conscience a lost Credit an abbreviated Life and in stead of any solid Satisfaction in the Course or at the End of it Eternal Damnation at last both of Soul and Body What Fruit will Men have then of those Things whereof they ought even now to be Ashamed I am perswaded if People would but Deliberate thus before-hand and suffer their Minds kindly to entertain these or some of these Considerations it would be impossible for half so much Folly and Storm to be in the World Such an excellent way this is not only to express but to encrease Men's Charity to one another and to keep them from tumbling precipitously into a vast Complication of Wickednesses and Misfortunes which one day Uncharitable Wretches will repent of tho' perhaps not till it be too late till they have Sinned the time of their Peace away VII 7. The next Character of Charity is that it is not Puffed up alloweth not People to be Proud and Arrogant to be Haughty and Supercilious to have an immodest lofty and over-high Conceit of a Man 's own self or to behave himself with Contempt and Scorn towards those whom he looks down upon at a distance as his Inferiors There is hardly another Vice that is more Foolish more Hateful than Pride is none that is so like to the Devil's Temper I am sure none that stands in more direct opposition to all the Laws of Charity An humble Mind stoops to all though the meanest and lowest Offices nor is there any Act of Love which it is not willing to reach out a kind Hand unto though it be to the washing of Feet And the Reason is because a truly humble Man hath so modest an Opinion of himself and so high an Esteem of others that he is apt to reckon all good Offices to be a kind of Debt to them and a very necessary though a poor Tribute of Honour to the Meek and Lowly Jesus But Pride sets Men so remote from their Neighbours that to desire their Friendship looks like Incroachment and for themselves to offer it seems to them a Transgressing the Rules of Greatness and so in that distance and interval between State and Meanness many Acts of True Charity are wanting many Blessed Opportunities of doing Good drop to the Ground and are quite lost and perhaps too when the Necessities of Poor Wretches are most pressing Seldom do Proud Men think of God himself They care not for God neither is God in all their Thoughts saith David Psal 10. 4. They think not of him as their Maker and Benefactor by whom they live or as their Law-giver and Judge by whom they must be Sentenced to Eternity at least they think not with that Gratitude Reverence and depth of Thought which should swallow up all their vain Imaginations And if God be not in their Minds it is no wonder if Men be not there and if they be full of nothing but Themselves But this is not all The Case would be better though they did no Good if they did no Hurt neither But Pride is such an Injurious and Imperious Vice that where it Ruleth it admits of no bound but those of its own setting and those are as uncertain as precarious Priviledges under an Arbitrary Power Pride commonly hath Covetousness for its Factor to Toil and Drudge for its Maintenance and when those Vices go hand in hand nothing is safe that is within reach though it be Naboth's Vineyard Ahab was sick at Heart for it and to recover his Content the Poor Man's Blood was sought for too as the speediest Remedy Men of such Tempers are so bloated with an Opinion of their own Deserts that they fancy themselves to have a kind of Right to every Thing especially if it be judged necessary and convenient and how then can we hope for Charity when there is no room for Justice Fraud Rapine and Oppression are the usual designs of an elated Mind and 't is the harder to stop them because Proud People are ever apt to over-look their Actions think it a Diminution to obey such a Thing as Conscience are too Big to be taken to account too High to ask themselves is there not Iniquity in my Right Hand Indeed People who are thus puffed up have not always power to hurt others much in their Fortunes but then they seldom fail to oppress them in their Fame which is another Thing utterly inconsistent with that Candor and Goodness which evermore attends a Charitable Temper Pride is always very Censorious though many times there is no other Reason for the hard Character it gives but this only That it may have a Foil to set off it self The greatest Innocence is often Reproached because Proud People care not what others deserve but would have you know how Singular their own Merits are by exposing a Neighbour they hope you will think the better and the more highly of them By throwing Dirt upon others Faces they think their own will appear the more Beautiful like the haughty Pharisee in the Gospel who thought to Recommend himself to God by making Reflections I am not as other Men are Extortioners Vnjust Adulterers nor even as this Publican Luke 18. 11. By this Injurious and Uncharitable Practice many Mischiefs befal Mankind as Strife Railings Animosities Violence and all manner of Outrage So that Salomon saith Prov. 13. 10. Only by Pride cometh Contention 'T is the only Natural Mother of Contention There are Accidental Causes of it as Drunkenness
these are God's Receivers by their Hands it is that Men lend unto the Lord that they may receive themselves Ten thousand fold at the hands of Christ Every one's Good is lodged more or less every where just as his Necessities are some part in one hand some in another and the greatest part in the Common Good in the joint Stock of the Community in the Prosperity and Good of the whole Kingdom 'T is a great mistake for a Man to think that all his Interest lieth at Home in his Family and in Himself and within the compass of his own Propriety There indeed lieth his particular and private Interest But what is that worth if his publick Interest be destroyed If the Welfare of the whole Nation be destroyed and gone Every Man 's particular Happiness is bound and wrapt up in that and depends on that nor is it possible for the Body to suffer but each Member must suffer in proportion And hence it follows that he is a Fool as well as an ill Neighbour that seeks his own private Welfare only neglecting and overlooking the Common Good which is the main and which Supports and Preserves all the rest It is sinful Self-Love that looks at Home only and is busie altogether within its own Walls The Office of Charity is to look abroad to see how the Publick fares to consult and mind the publick Good to lend a helping Hand in all publick Necessities and with all possible care to avoid every Thing that is directly Injurious to the Common Happiness and destructive of it To express our Charity therefore in this respect also as every one should seek not his own but anothers Wealth 1 Cor. 10. 24. So all of us are obliged after an especial manner to study and provide for the Peace of the Society whereunto we all belong Peace is the greatest Happiness upon Earth as it is the State of Heaven the Blessing that gives a Relish to all the rest that makes all other Enjoyments sweet and delightful and for that Reason the Holy Scripture is wont to express all manner of Happiness by the General Name of Peace To destroy or disturb this is to be a publick Enemy and where a Spirit of Contention reigneth and striveth the War must be very dangerous to the whole Body because it is in the Bowels 'T were better living in a Desert and to wait for ones Food as Elijah did by the ministry of Ravens than with a Generation of People that are Enemies to Peace Restless Froward Troublesom Malicious ready for any opportunity to Vex and Scourge one another In such a case Society which should be ones great Comfort is his greatest Plague for Men are thereby the stronger to hurt him Spleen works till it raiseth a Confederacy and then Mischiefs run with an Inundation like Calamities in a Civil War where Force carries it and Armed Enemies consider not what they should but what they can do To prevent the Plagues of this Life as well as the Torments of another the Laws of the most Holy and Charitable Jesus require us to be Peacemakers Matth. 5. 9. To live in Peace 2 Cor. 13. 11. To follow Peace with all Men Hebr. 12. 14. To seek Peace and ensue it 1 Pet. 3. 11. To keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace Eph. 4. 3. If it be possible as much as lieth in us to live peaceably with all Men Rom. 12. 18. And To follow after the Things that belong to our Peace Rom. 14. 19. And certainly if it be Charity to wish others and to do others all the Good we can it must be the greatest Charity to seek that which is the best Thing in the World for them in what Capacities soever we consider them whether as Inhabitants of the Neighbourhood or as Members of a Church or as constituent Parts of a whole Kingdom and when our Charity is thus Large and Extensive it will in some measure resemble the Goodness of God whose Mercy is over all his Works 1. First We are to express our Charity by seeking and ensuring Peace in the Neighbourhoods we belong to How great a Comfort is it when Neighbours sit quietly and contentedly under their Vines and Fig-trees Loving and Kind to one another each reaching out his Clusters to the rest all rejoycing together in the Innocent and Friendly Participation of God's Mercies and all Blessing God for them What a Good what a Beautiful what a Delightful Thing it is when People thus dwell together in Love Unity and Peace What an Heavenly State is this in comparison of their wretched Condition among whom Envy and Strife rageth where Hatred seeketh continually how it may Grieve and Oppress where Ishmael's Hand is against every Man and every Man's Hand against him Where one Tormenteth another as if there were not Crosses enough in the World but they must make new ones to Crucifie one another Is this consistent with the Nature and Laws of Charity Is this to be Long-suffering to be Kind To behave our selves seemly and as it becometh Brethren Is this to love our Neighbours as our selves And to love one another as our Blessed Saviour hath loved us No no there is no more Charity in this than there is in Hell If we bite and devour one another whom do we resemble but that wicked One who was a Murderer from the beginning If ye have bitter Envying and Strife in your Hearts glory not and lye not against the Truth This Wisdom descendeth not from above but is Earthly Sensual and Devilish For where Envying and Strife is there is Confusion and every Evil Work But the Wisdom that is from above is first Pure then Peaceable Gentle easie to be Intreated full of Mercy and good Fruits without Partiality and without Hypocrisie Jam. 3. 14 15 16 17. 2. We must express our Charity also by an orderly and peaceable Temper as to Church-Communion not seeking our own Satisfaction our own Ends our own Ways but the General Good of that Mystical Body whereof Christ is the Head Seeing it is impossible to order all Church Matters so as to answer the Opinion and to gratifie the Desires of every individual Member Charity should teach us all to consider whether the Circumstances which vary from our own private Fancies be not really for the Publick Good for the Common Profit and in some measure and respect for the Common Peace and Edification of the whole Body This is easie to be seen if Men would attentively behold the whole Structure and examine the Usefulness of the several Parts especially if they would consider Things with Hearts prepared to make Candid and Charitable Constructions Charity alone would stifle many Hot Controversies without the use of some other Arguments which for the most part help to Fan the Fire in stead of Quenching of it In lesser Matters where my own Judgment chanceth to differ from the Publick Judgment of my Superiors Charity should teach me to