it almsgiving? No, says the Apostle; Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.' Charity is not a particular virtue, nor is it confined to any kind of good works, but it is a general spirit of life influencing all the actions of a man; it is the very soul of virtue, and shows itself in the functions of it: Charity suffereth long, and is kind,-envieth not,-vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.'

Thus, you see, the Scripture rule of judging ourselves in this great point of charity, is to compare our conduct with the precept, and to consider whether our actions are uniformly suited to the principle we pretend to act by. We are not directed to consider only particular actions, or the immediate motives which induced us to do this or that particular good office; from whence we can argue but with little certainty, and little comfort to ourselves: for a general principle is discoverable only by a general and uniform influence over all our actions. may be good by starts; may be tender and compassionate more at one time than another, according as their minds are softened by accidental misfortunes happening to themselves: but charity moves in a higher sphere, and views all the creatures of God with a constant benevolence: it is, as the text calls it, ȧyáπŋ ékrevǹs, an uninterrupted love,' and which exerts itself uniformly in all our actions.

Men

When we find this constant benevolence in our minds, and that we act conformably to it within the rules of reason, why should we doubt of our own sincerity, or scrupulously examine into the special motives which attended on every act of charity? for, where we are conscious of no ill designs, no private selfinterest, and yet find that what we do is agreeable to truth and equity, why should we doubt that we do amiss? It is therefore an unreasonable burden to put men on this sort of self-examination; and more unreasonable to suggest to them, that the good they do is of no value unless in every instance it be extorted from them by an anxious consideration of the special

motives of religion. You may as well tell a man that he means not his own nourishment in what he eats and drinks, unless he has before his mind an aphorism of Hippocrates to justify every bit he puts into his mouth: for, as the principle of self-preservation directs us without much reflexion, and often without any, to seek our own good; so a general principle of charity will make it, as it were, natural to us to seek the good of others, without the trouble of choice and deliberation.

To conclude: you see the extensive nature of charity; and you see a plain and natural way of judging whether this excellent gift works in you or no. If you allow yourself in any instance to injure or oppress your neighbor, how can you be said to love him? since all ways of injustice and oppression are equally inconsistent with charity. Whatever therefore is the darling passion, which makes you transgress against your brother, that, that is the thing which destroys in you this most excellent grace of the gospel. What have you then to do, but to root out this evil from your heart; to expel this weed, which overruns the ground, and chokes the good seed? Here therefore let us point all our examination to discover wherein we offend; let us trust the good we do to shift for itself, without being anxious to pry into the causes and motives leading to it: but let us double our care to seek out our failings, and to correct them; that our love may be without stain, and deserve the name of that charity, which shall cover the multitude of sins.'

DISCOURSE XXXVIII.

PART II.

It remains now that we consider in what sense the Apostle's assertion is to be understood, that charity shall cover the multitude of sins.'

To cover sins' signifies to excuse them, to exempt them

from wrath and punishment in any other sense it is impossible for sins to be covered in the sight of God, who cannot be deceived or imposed on, or so over-delighted with the good we do, as not to see and note our evil actions.

With respect to the judgment of men, this expression will bear a stronger exposition: for whether we consider the charitable person judging of other men's sins, it may very well be, that his charity may incline him to think much better of sinners than they deserve; or whether we consider others' judging of the charitable person's offences, it is natural enough for men to be charmed with the goodness and excellency of charity, and not to see, or not to attend to the defects which appear in so good company.

Which of these two expositions ought to prevail, depends on a farther inquiry; namely, whether the Apostle in his assertion that charity shall cover the multitude of sins,' had respect to the judgment of God or the judgment of men.

Nor is this the only inquiry necessary in order to fix the determinate meaning of the text: for we must consider also of whose sins the Apostle speaks; and whether he means to affirm that charity shall cover the charitable person's offences, or the offences of other people.

There are probable reasons to be given for the support of each of these interpretations: and it will be proper to examine these reasons, and to consider how far each interpretation may be admitted within the limits of reason and Scripture.

First, there are good reasons to be assigned for limiting the Apostle's assertion concerning charity to the judgment of men. Hatred, says the wise King of Israel, stirreth up strifes, but love covereth all sins:' where covering of sins' being opposed to'stirring up strifes,' the meaning needs must be, that as hatred perpetually begets complaints, animosities, and resentments, so love allays these intemperate heats, and disposes to peace and friendship, and inclines men to overlook and to forgive the offences of each other. In this place therefore it is evident that love is said to cover all sins' with regard to the judgment that men make of each other's offences. And the expression in St. Peter is so much the same with this in Solo'mon, that it is very probable the Apostle borrowed it from

hence, and applied the saying of the wise King in support of his general precept, Have fervent charity among yourselves.'

In this view then the Apostle recommends mutual charity, as the only thing that can render life comfortable and supportable to us, and deliver us from perpetual vexations, and put the mind in a proper posture to consider and prepare for the great change at hand: for thus his reasoning stands, ‘The end of all things is at hand; be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer; and above all things have fervent charity among yourselves.' A man drunk with passion, and engaged in perpetual strifes, is no more capable of making a due preparation for the great change which is near, than one intoxicated with 'wine.

Temperance and charity are the properest state we can put ourselves into to wait for the coming of our Lord. And the Apostle had learned to subjoin this advice to the mention of the great day from his blessed Master, who had denounced judgment without mercy to all such as should be found, at his second coming, void of charity and sobriety: But and if that servant say in his heart, My Lord delayeth his coming, and shall begin to beat the men-servants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and be drunken; the Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.' In conformity to this declaration of our blessed Lord, the Apostle having given warning of the end of all things being at hand in the verse before the ́ text, immediately exhorts to sobriety, prayer, and charity, that we may not be found in the number of those who are beating their fellow-servants, or abusing the gifts of God to luxury and intemperance.

Charity, therefore, as it naturally inclines us to overlook and to forgive the offences of our brethren, so it puts us into that state of peace and serenity of mind, which is necessary to enable us to prepare for the reception of our great Judge.

In this sense of the words St. Peter's assertion agrees exactly with the accounts given us of charity in other places of holy Scripture. St. Paul is very particular in describing the properties of charity; and tells us that it suffereth long, and

is kind, and is not easily provoked;' but beareth all things, endureth all things.' What is it now that charity suffereth, beareth, and endureth? Not its own offences surely, but the offences and provocations of others. Men who are void of charity can be kind enough to themselves, and are apt to bear but too long with their own offences: but this is not the praise of charity to overlook its own faults; but it is its glory to bear with the faults of others, and to suffer much, and yet not be much provoked. And what is this but, in the expression of Solomon and St. Peter, to cover a multitude of sins;' to draw a curtain over the infirmities of our brethren, and to spread our own richest garment over the nakedness of our friends?

Besides, the expression here made use of by St. Peter, 'The multitude of sins,' leads to this interpretation. When our Saviour exhorted his disciples to forgive men their trespasses, St. Peter put the question to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?' Our Lord answered, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.' From which answer St. Peter could not but learn that it was the property of charity to cover the multitude' of our brother's sins; to forgive him, not only when he offended against us seven times, but even when he transgressed seventy times seven: a large number; and the larger, because it is not set down to mark the precise number of offences which charity may forgive, but rather to denote that there is no number which charity ought not to forgive.

Moreover, it is much more reasonable to think that a truly charitable man should meet with a multitude of sins in other people for the exercise of his charity, than that he should have a multitude of his own to cover. We meet with no such description of charity in holy writ as may lead us to imagine that it is consistent with a multitude of sins. Charity is the fulfilling of the law,' as the Apostle to the Romans informs us; and it proceeds, as he farther acquaints us in his Epistle to Timothy, ' out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.' Now, how can the multitude of sins, spoken of in the text, be consistent with fulfilling the law? How can it be supposed to dwell in a pure heart? to be joined with a good conscience? and to have fellowship with faith unfeigned? We