be fervent Away with the extended charity of the Hand the charity of Scribes and Pharisees that give onely to be seen of men who although many a poor soul may have been refreshed by their Almes clothed in their Liveries and recovered by their Physick yet at the last account they will find they had as good never have given at all as have given at the sound of a Trumpet for vain-glory and applause without any true sincere charity in their soules â—ar be it from me to speak against the poor mans interest God knowes he lives in hunger and rags notwithstanding all â—e incomes of charity yea though we take in those also which â—portunity or custome which pride or vain-glory or any other â—arisaical motives of beneficence may bring into the poor mans Store-house I onely tell the rich the best way to husband their charity and that they may at the same rate purchase to their own hearts and consciences the true satisfaction of Christian and religious benefactours as they now give to buy onely the ayre of a good name and the vain reputation of munificence It is but onely altering the disposition of the Heart the Hand hath already learn'd its duty And unlesse the heart be changed you may call it vanity and ostentation but you exceedingly wrong this sweet and spiritual grace of Christianity to call it charity And if this seems a mystery and a soloecisme against the common dialect of the World to deny almes-deeds to be charity go and learn the meaning of S. Pauls Paradox 1 Cor. 13.3 That a man may give all his goods to feed the poor and yet have no charity Judges 4. Or what think you of Jaels kindnesse to Sisera who brings her Milk and Butter in a Lordly Dâ—sh to the faint and the weary Captain and gives him house and harbour entertainment and lodging if we did not see the Nail and the Hammer we should be ready enough to call this pure compassion but when we read of the fatal effect of this kindnesse how should we wrong the integrity and simplicity of this lovely grace to give to such usages the name of charity And when I consider how many Jaels favours are bestowed in the World only upon a designe to work in Men the greater confidence of their fidelity that so they might destroy with the greater assurance and advantage I cannot but think it high time to preach up the charity of the heart and to tell you that the liberality of the hand alone is nothing but the price of hypocrisie nay perhaps it may be the very pretexts of treachery a piece of charity which the Devil practised who had good nature enough to offer Christ the glories of the world when he suffered hunger and solitude in the waste wildernesse and the same foul spirit that once thought to make Job curse God by Taking Iob 1.11 Chap. 2.5 now tryes whether he can make our Saviour blesse the Devil by Giving And even such and no other are the deceitful charities of the Hand where the Heart is not sincere and upright and thus much for reprehension Vse 2 Now in one word of Exhortation if Charity must bee fervent Bee yee then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 kindly affectioned one towards another with brotherly love Rom. 12. rest not in the cold formalities of vulgar freindship nor in the outward complements or uncertain offices of Love but let your hearts erne over your brothers necessities and fellow-feele in all their miseries doutless Religion makes Charity a very secret and mentall grace when it 's call'd in Scripture by the name of Bowels Col 3.12 Put on therefore as the elect of God holy and beloved Bowels of mercy and in another place to shew us whence every outward act of Charity should proceed the denyall of assistance to the poor and needy is called a shutting up of our Bowels 1 Joh. 3.17 Whoso hath this worlds good and seeth his brother hath need and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him the holy Ghost in this place takes no notice of any of those equivocal productions of Charity which may proceed either from custome importunity or vain-glory accounting no ourward office of Love worth naming but what proceeds from open bowels that is from a Christian tender compassion of our Brethrens needs If yee wil but change the name and call Charity Love you will soon see the necessity of the heart in this duty love being an affection ever naturally fixed and seated there and it is as improper for men to love with their hands or to love with their tongues as it is to see with their ears or hear with their eyes Which secret and sacred seat of this divine grace the holy Apostle evidently discovers 1 Tim. 1.5 Where hee calls it Charity out of a pure heart a good Conscience and faith unfained Outward offices of love where they are found alone are but Charity 's out of uncleane hands but the true Apostolical Christian Love is Charity out of a prue heart Excellently expressed by God Isa 58.10 where he calls it a drawing out of the soul to the hungry it is not so much a drawing out of our treasures our cruise and our Barrel but wee must set our souls on broach and draw out even the secret compassions and ernings of our own bowells over the necessities of our needy brethren and by this means how slender and narrow soever thy share is of the good things of this World thou shalt discover a rich fountain of Love sufficient to answer all the necessities of thy brethren for whereas treasures may bee exhausted and the cruise may fail and the barrell cease but the overflowing Fountain of Christian pitty and compassion in the good mans heart shall never bee drawn dry for so saith the Text v. 11. If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry then thou shalt bee as a spring of waters whose waters fayl not which leads us to the last construction of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 protended or lasting Charity Which is the third dimension of this grace to wit the length of it True Christian Charity to our brother doth not live and die with our own ends and interests it doth not last till our turnes are served nor cease upon any personal indignities or disobligements but it is in the Philosophers phrase pertinax bonitas Senec. a grace which as no worldly inducements wrought in us so no worldly discouragement can blast but it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lasting and perpetual Charity which construction of the word I need not crave aide of profane Authors to justifie though Suidas and others frequently use it for jugis and assiduus but I can give you express Scripture for it Act. 12.5 Peter was kept in Prison and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. it is not translated fervent prayer But Prayer without ceasing was made by the Church to God for
it cannot be denied but the Apostle doth preach up the preheminence of this duty above all that went before Psal 133. And truly when I consider that holy David hath spent a whole Psalm 1 Cor. 13. and St. Paul a whole Chapter upon no other subject then the excellency of this duty of Charity I cannot thinke my selfe able to perform the same work in any Competent measure in a small part of a Sermon yet since it is fallen in our way according to my time and talent I shall shew you the preheminence of this duty above all others in these Foure particulars In the perfection of its acts In the sweetness of its nature In the Vniversality of its Influence and lastly in the Duration of its Being First it is above all in the perfection of its acts 1 Cor. 13.13 Now abideth Faith Hope and Charity these three but the greatest of these is Charity The advancement of this grace will prove a very easie worke if we can set it above Faith it selfe and since the holy Ghost hath said it we must make it good and that in two particulars First Charity is greater then Faith in respect to the Efficacy of their acts For Charity gives life at least it gives activity to Faith and therefore is greater read this assertion at large verified by St. Iames Chap. 2. from the 14. to the 23. Faith without works is dead if a brother be naked or want Food and ye say be be warmed and filled but give him nothing what doth this profit Faith is dead if it be alone for the Devils beleeve and tremble and v. 22. he saith that Abrahams faith wrought by works and by works faith is perfect And St. Paul makes up St. Iames's argument by the specification of those works which actuate faith Faith worketh by Love Gal. 5.6 It is love then which actuates yea which in St. Iames his phrase perfects faith thus Charity is greater then Faith first in the efficacy of their acts it actuates it perfects faith Secondly it is greater then faith in the Absoluteness of its acts Faith qua talis in its own nature implyeth imperfection not only in matter of degrees for so Charity also is imperfect in this life but even in its own kinde the most perfect act of Faith if it be but Faith hath this imperfection in it to wit the Absence of the object For saith the Apostle It is of things not seen whereas charity is the grace of union Heb. 11.1 and it is the caressing of the heart in the actual Fruition of the object and therefore is perfect in its own kinde For which reason it abideth and Faileth not with Faith hope and other imperfect graces which by reason of their imperfections are unfit for Heaven without a charge as also are all those that imply misery in others such as pitty and compassion c. which in the very natures of their acts forespeak themselves unfit for that state where there is Fulness of joy for ever more whereas this grace of Charity abideth the same in Heaven as on Earth in its kinde though in degrees it is more perfect and for no other reason but because the acts and operations of Charity even as they are performed here on Earth do not imply any Essential inherent imperfections which as you see are to be found in all other graces Therefore Charity is Above all others First in the Perfection of its Acts. Secondly In the sweetness of its Nature There is no duty of Religion that comes so neer to the delight of nature as the duty of Brotherly love as man is naturally a sociable creature so consequently must he be as naturally a loving and affectionate creature Love being the congregating and uniting passion of the soule whereby the object is drawn close to the affection so that Love simply in its own nature is the most consonant to our natural inclination even above all other duties of Religion whatsoever which the Psalmist plainly intimates when he cryes out Psal 133.1 Behold how pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in unity Faith repentance self-denial taking up the Cross and all duties of mortification instead of pleasure hold in their very acts rather a displeasure and contrariety to nature but how pleasant is unity among Brethren wherefore above all other Secondly in the sweetness of its nature Thirdly in the Vniversality of its influence Charity transfuseth an universal vertue through the whole body of Gods worship and service in all the duties of the same if they are performed as they ought to be whereas other duties are particularly stated within their own limits Meditation is a distinct duty from hearing of the word preached and Hearing is a distinct duty from prayer and Receiving the Sacraments distinct from both but the duties of Love and Charity must have an universal influence in all Charity being among the Graces much as Iustice among the vertues 1 Cor. 16.14 The Apostle particularly exhorts the Corinthians to Watchfulness to magnanimity to Constancy in their particular and distinct natures but v. 14. he enjoyns Charity as an Vniversal requisite to the performance of these and all other particular duties whatsoever Watch ye Stand fast in the Faith quit you like men be strong here are the particular duties and in the next verse Let all things be done with Charity like as it was under the law an abundance of sacrifices there were of proper and distinct kindes some of Sheep some of Bullocks some of Lambs some for peace some for praise some for sin But all were kindled by the same holy fire that was kept alwayes alive upon the holy Altar for these several services And even thus is it with the grace of Charity it is that holy Fire which is ever kept alive in the Altar of the good mans heart whereby he enkindles all his evangelical sacrifices which he offereth unto God and therefore he that cometh with his gift to the altar before he be reconciled to his Brother in effect expects to offer a burnt offering without Fire let him leave his gift First Fetch this Fire then let him kindle his Sacrifice and perform the whole state and series of the duties of Religion quickned with this common Catholick grace which is to the other inferior duties of Gods worship as the Sun is to the lesser Stars though they have a native beauty and light of their own yet do they all borrow the chiefest part of their lustre from this great ruling light of Charity I need no better evidence of the universal influence of this grace then the resemblance the holy Psalmist gives us Psal 133.2 where he tells us that the love of Brethren is that precious ointment of Aaron which was poured upon his head and ran down to his beard and descended even to the skirts of his garments and so gave a pleasant tincture to every part of Aaron from head to foot
or opportunity or provocation enough to blow up the fiery combustions of wrath and revenges And yet with shame we may speak it if we look into City and Countrey we shall finde this degree of charity to be all that is practised in obedience to the whole precept of love Nothing but a bare Non-enmity and a Negative friendship not fighting not revenging not provoking not injuring and this is all which is a disposition that gives to Man but one remove from Wolves and Beares for we cannot love one minute or scruple lesse then this degree but we must degenerate into plain Savages and exercise profest acts of cruelty and hostility one against another And yet we think if we can speak in the Pharisees dialect Not an Extortioner not a Murderer not an Enemy we shall be justified in this law of love and that we are friends sufficient to our Brethren Which is the more to be lamented because it seems to be not onely a defect in our practice but also an error of our judgements as appears by our behaviour in most solemn and sacred severities to wit in those great administrations of Religion which call for an exact view and examination of every Mans soul such as are the holy Sacraments Wherein Men do imploy all their spiritual labour to approve their Faith to be lively and efficacious and their repentance to be truly contrite and humble their mortifications to be truly mental in subduing their lusts and not only in disfiguring their faces and using corporal severities But in this spiritual surveigh when they consider themselves in this duty of charity perhaps if they are at open defiance and professed variance with any Man they will think it fit to skin over this festering sore with a false formal reconciliation but if you examine their charity as to the rest of their Brethren they 'l say They bear them no ill will they never did them any injuries or wrongs either in person goods or good names they never medled nor made with them and they are enemies to no Man living and this is the cold negative account they give of their duty towards their Brother whom God commands them to love with as fervent an affection as they love themselves whereas if they should be thus negative in the accounts of their other graces instead of coming with their wedding garments to Gods Table they would come stark naked If thy Faith should be onely a belief that thou shouldest be saved not by Baal not by the Idols of the Heathen not by the Turks Mahomet not by the Jewes Talmud not by the Papists Legends and Traditions And thy Repentance should be only a temporary forbearance of the acts of sin a not being drunk or not swearing or not stealing or the like But whilest thou art sufficiently convinced in thy judgement that thy faith should be positive and lively and a firm belief that Jesus Christ is thy Saviour relying with a bold and lively affiance of thy heart upon his promises for life and salvation and also that thy repentance should be truly humble and contrite both a compunction and sorrow of soul for sins past and a pious purpose of the heart never to commit the like sins again yet in this fervent duty of charity if thou canst say I have done no Man wrong and bear them no ill will and am an enemy to no man living thou thinkest in thy own judgement that thou hast said enough we may call this indeed a putting off of malice and professed enmity But it is not as the Apostle requires Col. 3.14 A putting on of charity but it is a miserable and a forlorn denudation of the soul and a stripping it stark naked whereas charity if it be well put on is a Garment that keeps him warm that wears it that heart shall never feel the chilnesse of negative friendships that is truly furnished with the grace of fervent charity Secondly away with the false and deceitful charity of the Tongue practised in Court and Countrey by all who are more liberal of good words then either of good wishes or good deeds who when their brethrens necessities require either their purse counsel favour or interest to help them out of their present distresse presently in the Apostles phrase they fall to tuning their tinkling Cymbals 1. Cor. 13.1 and give them a liberal acknowledgement of all former favours and how joyful they should be to make a grateful return of so much kindnesse and professe their readinesse to do them any service that lies within the compasse of their powers with much more of this French charity But when it comes to the point of assistance they begin to bewail their unhappinesse that they are not able to serve them in this one request either their money is out of the way or their favour is eclipsed and interest abated or twenty pretended occasions of importance draw them another way and thus they stretch out the expectation of their needy brethren with nothing but the winde of fair words and leave them as helplesse as they found them Nay perhaps at that very time are contriving and meditating secret stratagems how to over-reach or undermine them in those very affairs in which they craved their assistance which is no new piece of Courtship among great ones that use more flatteries to their friends then Fucasses to their faces whereas indeed the one can be call'd no more true charity then the other true beauty Holy David was troubled with such Courtiers Psal 55.13 Mine equal my guide my acquaintance His words were smoother then butter and softer then oyl when war was in his heart verse 21. Which practice is so far from fervent charity that 't is fervent malice and fervent envy Others there are guilty of a more harmlesse sort of charity that will give nothing but the cheap almes of good words to him that asks needs out of the chargeableness of the duty like S. James's Eleemosynaries James 2.16 that say to the naked and to the hungry be ye warmed and be ye filled but neither give food nor raiment alasse what do words profit them Breath indeed is a cheap dole but 't is cold and comfortlesse it may cool the naked but it cannot clothe him and winde may swell the hungry with a false expectation but it cannot feed him There are no words that perform the ends of charity but his who spake the word and Israel had bread from Heaven and garments that were not old by wearing even the word of him that feeds the Ravens and clothes the Lilies by whose Word we live more then by our own bread Matth. 4.4 Let us therefore love not in word nor in tongue but in deed and in truth 1 John 3.18 In deed that our charity may be profitable and in truth that our charity may be sincere and fervent Therefore away in the second place with the comfortlesse charity of the Tongue Thirdly if true charity must