submit my Private Sentiments and set them aside from being an hindrance to Unity and Peace Give none Offence neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles nor to the Church of God saith St. Paul Even as I please all Men in all Things not seeking my own Profit but the Profit of many that they may be saved 1 Cor. 10. 32 33. He had a most difficult Task though he was an Apostle to please all Men in all Things But his meaning is that he took a ready way to please them if it were possible by suiting himself to them in every thing he could do for them without Sin And thus are we bound in Charity to our Fellow-Christians and in Duty to the Church of God as far as it lieth in our power to Comply in all Things especially in Things Established by Publick Authority Because differences in Religion are highly Scandalous hurtful greatly to the very Souls of Men accompanied with a world of Rancour and Uncharitableness and always tending to Confusion and to all Evil Works which naturally go along with Schism from the Church Therefore for meer Charity and Peace-sake were there nothing else we should be all of the same mind and if unhappily there be some difference in our Conceits we should nevertheless whereunto we have already attained all walk by the same Rule all mind the same Thing in hopes that in time by some means or other God will Reveal to us the Truth and Reasonableness of those Matters about which we are as yet differently perswaded Phil. 3. This is a sure Rule in such cases Hast thou Faith have it to thy self before God Rom. 14. 22. That is rather than occasion the least Sin or Scandal or Mischief in the Church keep thy Perswasion private if it be singular 3. A Thing which we should be the more careful of because Differences which begin in the Church are commonly carried off into Corners there to be fomented and ripened till at last they break out into the State and sometimes into the open Field to the great Disturbance of the Peace and Government of a whole Kingdom It is the Will of God that under Kings and all that are in Authority we should lead quiet and peaceable Lives in all Godliness and Honesty 1 Tim. 2. 2. And to this end we are commanded to study to be quiet and to do our own business 1 Thess 4. 11. Here then we must express our Charity in the third place by seeking not our own but the General Good of the Civil as well as Sacred Community we belong to Great are the Obligations which Nature it self hath laid upon Men to their Country insomuch that St. Paul wish'd himself accursed from Christ for his Brethren his Kinsmen according to the Flesh Rom. 9. 3. Meaning not that he might be Eternally Damned that Charity if yet it be true Charity is unnatural and too much even for a Christian but that he might be cut off from the Body of Christ here and from all the present Priviledges of Christians and if this were not enough that he might be delivered up to Satan in this World to inflict upon him all the Temporal Calamities he was capable of Suffering Persecutions Miseries of all sorts Death it self and whatsoever is most Grievous on this side Hell if thereby he might become an Expiation for his Country-men Like Zeal of Charity to that of Moses Exod. 32. 32. where he prayed to God to forgive the Sin of his People or if not to blot him out of his Book That is not out of the Book of Eternal Life but out of the Book of this Life that he might not behold the great Punishments which should come upon them These two noble Instances of Charity shew what Fervent Affections we ought to have for a whole Nation that is after a more peculiar manner Bone of our Bone and Flesh of our Flesh and how Passionately we should wish for as well their Temporal as Eternal Good and consequently seek it much rather than our own A very Learned Casuist and Prelate of our own calls this Allegiance to our Country Bishop Sander Case of the Engagem whence the Allegiance we owe the Sovereign Prince ariseth Originally because he is the Head of the whole Community So that it is with respect to the whole and in relation to the whole that the Duty to him becomes necessary by the Laws of Nature And hence it follows that Men's first Care should be for the Peace and Prosperity of the Community where the Original Reason of it lies The Truth is a Christian's Charity can hardly be extensive enough Prince and People and the whole World ought to have a Share of it Nor is any Thing more mean and unbecoming not to say Irreligious than a Narrow Sordid Hateful Spirit which seeketh its own Private Good only X. 10. Another Character of Charity that followeth now is that it is not easily Provoked or highly Exasperated But having already spoken of it I shall proceed to that which is next at hand it thinketh no Evil. Some Learned Divines think the Apostle's meaning to be That Charity doth not permit a Man to impute another's Faults and Miscarriages to him so as to upbraid him with them and to design him Evil or Hurt for them And indeed this is a Virtue very becoming and suitable to the Generosity of a Mind that is truly Charitable and Great and it is the more Laudable because it is not very common For such is the Temper of most People that they Treasure up Provocations against a Time of Wrath so that the Offender shall be sure to hear of them and to smart for them another day Nay it often happens that let a Man's Merits be never so considerable in other Respects they are forgotten or disregarded for one distastful Action No Allowance is made for Humane Infirmities and divers Circumstances which might well be pleaded in Abatement and Excuse of the Fault but the Memory of it continues and returneth still like the Pains of an old Sore against foul Weather All his Righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned so as to come into Account but for that one thing wherein he hath sinned he shall feel the weight of an Avenging Hand whether he Repenteth and Retracteth or no that is all one to the Uncharitable Person that meditateth Evil. But with Submission to better Judgments I conceive this cannot be the Genuine Sense of St. Paul here because it doth not come up to the Spirit and Height of this Christian Grace Not to design Mischief though it be an Essential Part yet it is no such great Commendation of that Charity which is properly Christian for Heathens themselves upon a Principle of common Virtue and Humanity have condemned all Mischievous and Revengeful Intentions And besides this is a Thing which hath already fallen under another Head that relateth to the moderating of Anger And to bring it in here again would
Authority of Jesus Christ and assents to his Doctrines Now this Assent of the Mind is required in order to the Practice of Christ's Religion because it is not imaginable how People can be brought to obey his Laws sincerely and universally unless they be first perswaded in their Hearts that he was the Son of God the very Christ sent by his Father from Heaven to help Mankind thither This puts a Divine Stamp upon the whole Christian Religion it gives it an unquestionable Credit and renders every the most difficult Article of it worthy of all Acceptation because it came from God and was revealed by the Son of God and therefore must needs be infallibly true Upon this account the belief of Christ's Authority and of the Truth and certainty of his Religion is the first thing necessary And for this Reason it was that his first Disciples took such pains every where to prove him to be the very Christ and inculcated the necessity of Faith in him For this was the ready way to bring the World in Obedience to him and nothing but this could prevail with Men to observe Christ's Institution with such strictness as the Primitive Christian did and for the sake of it to venture and undergo upon all Occasions the utter loss of all Faith then being required to produce Obedience as the proper Means in order to this noble End cannot possibly stand us in stead if it be only a Notion in our Heads if it be a liveless and unfruitful Perswasion if it be naked and alone if it hath not that effect and power upon our Souls as to bring on the Love and Practice of those other Virtues and Graces for the Production whereof it hath been all along intended Now of those Virtues and Graces Charity is the very chiefest this must accompany our Faith to make it as it should be such a Faith as we may safely rely on and therefore St. Paul describing that Assent of the Mind which availeth indeed calls it Faith which worketh by love Gal. 5. 6. Or as some Learned Criticks would rather render it Faith which is consummate and perfected by Charity The truth is all our Notions are very imperfect Things without this and though these Notions be never so right and Orthodox yet are they vastly short of our true Duty till they reach our Hearts and make us to open our Bowels towards other Men and to exercise our Hands in Offices of Love And therefore since without a Spirit of Charity nothing will avail us nor answer the great Ends of Christ's Religion no not our very Faith according to that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 13. Though I have all Knowledge and all Faith and give away Goods Body Life and all and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing Since I say it is thus it is of infinite Concernment to us all so to subdue our Minds and Passions as to approve our selves in this respect the hearty Disciples of a meek and charitable Jesus Many Voluminous Disputations have been written which might have been better spared about Faith and Works and Justification whether we are justified by the one or the other or by both and great Endeavours have been used to Reconcile St. Paul and St. James upon this Point Rather I might say to set them at Variance for their Sense is the same touching the necessity of Works Evangelical as Piety Humility Meekness Patience and the like and very plainly and particulary upon the Point of Charity Here the most vulgar Eye may see their clear Agreement In Jesus Christ neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love saith St. Paul Gal. 5. 6. And He shall have Judgment without Mercy that hath shewed no Mercy saith St. James Jam. 2. 13. Therefore in a Case that is so positively and fully decided we should leave Controversie and fall to Practice and study how to be fruitful in good Works rather than how to make our Brains Prolifick This is the right way of performing the Conditions of the Evangelical Covenant and of bringing Peace and Comfort to our own Minds I am sure when we come to die it will turn to far better account for our poor Souls than all the Disputes which we shall leave behind us and which we shall leave too with this great Question which perhaps will never be determin'd Whether Men have managed them with as much Truth as Uncharitableness 4. Fourthly A Charitable Temper serves to prepare and fit us for the Everlasting Happiness of another Life Many Virtues are required to dispose us for the Enjoyment of that Happiness to make us capable of it to render us meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light Col. 1. 12. Neither will the Decrees nor the Power nor the Mercy of God bring us to that Fruition without due Qualifications on our part because there can be no true Happiness but where there is a Correspondence and Suitableness between the Mind and the Thing if a Man be not pleased with what he Enjoys nor finds any delightful Relish in it it is impossible for him to be happy by enjoying it nor can Heaven it self be a place of Pleasure to those whose Minds have as little Taste of those Divine Satisfactions as a vitiated Palate hath of the most pleasant Meats and Drinks To prepare our selves for those Delights it is necessary to transform our Souls into the love of them now and to accustom our selves now to the familiar and delightful Practice of those Virtues wherein the Felicity of another Life doth really consist Of which Virtues a charitable Disposition is one and a very great one because we shall be sure to carry that Disposition with us out of this World to continue with us everlastingly and to make us happy indeed in the enjoyment of a suitable Society of Blessed Spirits which are all made up of Love Charity never faileth saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 13. 8. Whether there be Prophecies they shall fail whether there be Tongues they shall cease whether there be Knowledge it shall vanish away But Charity endureth for ever it is an inseparable Glory of the Souls of just Men made perfect And this is another Reason why Charity is set above Faith and Hope because it is of infinite Duration As it is the most beneficial so it is the most lasting Virtue Faith is the Evidence or firm Perswasion of Things not yet seen Heb. 11. 1. And when we come to behold God Face to Face it will be no longer Faith but Vision And so Hope is the expectation of Things that are future and when we come to the actual Possession of them it will be no longer Hope but Fruition or Enjoyment But Love is of an unchangeable Nature nor will it ever cease because it is a Ray of the Immutable and Everlasting God This is the Happiness of Heaven that though there be different Ranks and Orders of Angels different States of
and then you will have gained a Brother Nay you will have gained your self you will have the better of your self you will be a Winner in both respects you will go off with the Comfort and Honour of a double Conquest and each gotten with a very gentle Hand If for want of due Consideration the Fit continueth some hours you must Secondly Govern the Fever so as to keep it from being Hectick There is a time for all Things under the Sun and then it is high time for you to express your Charity when the Sun is ready to set Cool Thoughts should be for the Night and when the Hurries of the Day are over we should leave off Wrath and let go Displeasure too An Implacable Temper is very Offensive to the Divine Being because it is utterly void of Charity and true Religion By the Laws of Christianity every one hath a Right to his Neighbour's Mercy especially if he be sorry for his Faults and desires Forgiveness That indeed every Offender is bound to do and the least he can do is to ask Pardon yet that is enough where the Injury is not so great as to require Satisfaction Repentance and Intreaties are Satisfaction sufficient in common and ordinary Cases And when a Man hath gone thus far he hath acted like a Christian and may safely put his Cause into God's hand who is an Avenger of all that are oppressed with Wrong But the Wretch that hardeneth his Heart and stoppeth his Ear against Christian Application contracteth Guilt intolerable His own Sins are all bound no outward Acts of Religion avail him for want of a Charitable Spirit within his very Prayers are stopt for how shall God hear him that heareth not his Brother He heapeth daily such a Load of Sins upon himself as makes him uncapable of the Mercy of that good God who expects no other Satisfaction at our hands for the Affronts against his own Majesty but our Repentance and Prayers Let us hear our Great Law-giver Luke 17. 3 4. Take heed unto your selves If thy Brother trespass against thee rebuke him and if he repent forgive him And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turn again to thee saying I Repent thou shalt forgive him Nay I very much question whether a Christian may stay for an Offender's Repentance in every Case For St. Matthew delivers us that Law of Charity without that Condition Matth. 18. And if our Saviour's Love to us be the Rule and Standard of our Love to one another it seems to be our Duty and that which best becomes the Generous Spirit of a Christian to be beforehand with our Enemies as Christ was with his And even for the Offended Party to endeavour for Reconciliation as He did though but in hopes of their Repentance But Thirdly Let a Provocation be never so just and Resentments never so long-liv'd we must above all Things beware of all Actions and of all Intentions that are Revengeful For Proceedings of this kind are a most horrible Violation of the Laws of Religion Charity and Humanity also They are for Mischief and Hurt only and therefore Savour of the Devil's Temper and Seal a Man up to Eternal Flames It is a dreadful thing to want Bowels I may call it a great Curse for a Man seldom comes to that high pitch of Inhumanity as to have a hardned Heart but by the Judgment of God though the Work be a Man 's own yet so it is that a Trade of Uncharitableness draws on Cruelty So that by putting off the Christian People learn by degrees to throw aside Man too whereas the Design of our Religion is rather to make us Angels To this purpose we are strictly commanded not to Avenge our selves not to Recompense Evil for Evil but to overcome Evil with Good to be Patient Merciful and Kind if an Enemy Hunger to Feed him if he Thirst to give him Drink and thus to heap Coals of Fire upon his Head not to hurt but to in-tender and melt him I do not deny but great Prudence and Caution may be used in Treating such as have done us considerable Wrongs For tho' we are bound to forgive them and to wish them well as sincerely as we wish our selves and to do them good Offices yet we are not obliged to love them in an equal degree and proportion nor to take them again into our Bosom at least not presently who have already wounded us to the quick However all manner of Revenge is utterly unlawful Revenge is not when a Man punisheth an Offender justly moderately and with a charitable Purpose of doing him or others Good so Parents punish their very Children and Magistrates a Delinquent but when he thirsteth to wreak and execute his Hatred only or chiefly to satisfie an enraged Mind and with a cruel Design to grieve afflict or torment his Neighbour This is extream Wickedness in a Christian a Thing that was Condemned even by the wiser Heathens Nay that which was not permitted the Jews themselves to do with their own private Hands though some Things were permitted them for the Hardness of their Hearts They were allowed indeed to require an Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth but this was to be done by the Magistrates Hand the rest of the Jews had a common standing Law given them Lev. 19. 18. Thou shalt not avenge thy self nor bear any Grudge against the Children of thy People All manner of Revenge is now sinful though it be sought even of Publick Authority and that too under another Name and with specious Colours Christianity is the highest Improvement of Virtue and the Laws of it are so strict and perfect so sublime and pure that all Tinctures of Malice and Ill-will are a Violation of them The Spirits of Christians should be above all such base Alloy they should be refined and raised to that high and noble Pitch and true Greatness as to pass by Affronts with Meekness and Charity and if it be possible with Slightings and Disdain This is that true Greatness and Nobleness of Mind which becomes us all For it is rightly observed by Plutarch and other old Moralists who have written against our Unreasonable and Foolish Passions That Desires of Revenge proceed from a Defect in Nature from Infirmity and Weakness from something that is Little and Mean and therefore those Creatures are most addicted to it which are most Contemptible Bees and Wasps and those Infects among Mankind too which therefore bite and sting and vex and wound because they are of low and fordid Spirits Wrath saith Plutarch doth some Things that are terrible and some that Plutarch de ira cohib are ridiculous And therefore of all the Passions we are subject to this is the most hated and the most despised A plain Argument that this Passion is of the meanest Extraction that it proceeds from the most abject degenerate and fordid Natures from Slime and