power and wit may be admired by some, or have some fond idolaters; but being severed from goodness, or abstracted from their subserviency to it, they cannot obtain real love, they deserve not any esteem: for the worst, the most unhappy, the most odious and contemptible of beings do partake of them in a high measure; the prince of darkness hath more power, and reigneth with absolute sovereignty over more subjects by many than the Great Turk; one devil may have more wit than all the politic Achitophels, and all the profane Hectors in the world; yet with all his power and all his wit he is most wretched, most detestable, and most despicable: and such in proportion is every one who partaketh in his accursed dispositions of malice and uncharitableness. For,

On the other side uncharitableness is a very mean and base thing: it contracteth a man's soul into a narrow compass, or straiteneth it as it were into one point; drawing all his thoughts, his desires, his affections into himself, as to their centre; so that his reason, his will, his activity have but one pitiful object to exercise themselves about: to scrape together a little pelf, to catch a vapor of fame, to prog for a frivolous semblance of power or dignity, to sooth the humor or pamper the sensuality of one poor worm, is the ignoble subject of his busy care and endeavor.

By it we debase ourselves into an affinity with the meanest things, becoming either like beasts or fiends; like beasts, affecting only our own present sensible good; or like fiends, designing mischief and trouble to others.

It is indeed hard for a man without charity, not to be worse than an innocent beast; not at least to be as a fox, or a wolf; either cunningly lurching, or violently ravening for prey: love only can restrain a man from flying at all, and seizing on whatever he meeteth; from biting, from worrying, from devouring every one that is weaker than himself, or who cannot defend himself from his paws and teeth.

V. The practice of charity is productive of many great benefits and advantages to us: so that to love our neighbor doth involve the truest love to ourselves; and we are not only obliged in duty, but may be encouraged by our interest thereto : beatitude is often pronounced to it, or to some particular instan

ces of it and well may it be so, for it indeed will constitute a man happy, producing to him manifold comforts and conveniences of life: some whereof we shall touch.

VI. 1. Charity doth free our souls of all those bad dispositions and passions which vex and disquiet them from those gloomy passions, which cloud our mind; from those keen passions which fret our heart; from those tumultuous passions which ruffle us, and discompose the frame of our soul.

It stifleth anger, (that swoon of reason, transporting a man out of himself;) for a man hardly can be incensed against those whom he tenderly loveth: a petty neglect, a hard word, a small discourtesy will not fire a charitable soul; the greatest affront or wrong can hardly kindle rage therein.

It banisheth envy, (that severely just vice, which never faileth to punish itself;) for no man will repine at his wealth or prosperity, no man will malign his worth or virtue, whose good he charitably desireth and wisheth.

It excludeth rancor and spite, those dispositions which create a hell in our soul; which are directly repugnant to charity, and thereby dispelled as darkness by light, cold by heat.

It suffereth not revenge (that canker of the heart) to harbor in our breast; for who can intend mischief to him, in whose good he delighteth, in whose evil he feeleth displeasure?

It voideth fear, suspicion, jealousy of mischief designed against us: the which passions have torment,' or do punish us, as St. John saith, racking us with anxious expectation of evil; wherefore there is,' saith he, 'no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear:' no man indeed is apt to fear him whom he loveth, or is able much to love him whom he feareth for love esteemeth its object as innocent, fear apprehendeth it as hurtful; love disposeth to follow and embrace, fear inclineth to decline and shun. To suspect a friend therefore is to disavow him for such; and on slender grounds to conceit ill of him, is to deem him unworthy of our love. The innocence and inoffensiveness of charity, which provoketh no man to do us harm, doth also breed great security and confidence: any man will think he may walk unarmed and unguarded among those to whom he beareth good-will, to whom he neither

meaneth nor doeth any harm; being guarded by a good conscience, and shielded with innocence.

It removeth discontent or dissatisfaction in our state; the which usually doth spring from ill conceits and surmises about our neighbor, or from wrathful and spiteful affections toward him for while men have good respect and kindness for their neighbors, they seldom are dissatisfied in their own condition; they can never want comfort, or despair of succor.

It curbeth ambition and avarice; those impetuous, those insatiable, those troublesome dispositions: for a man will not affect to climb above those in whose honor he findeth satisfaction; nor to scramble with them for the goods which he gladly would have them to enjoy a competency will satisfy him, who taketh himself but for one among the rest, and who can as little endure to see others want as himself: who would trouble himself to get power over those, to overtop them in dignity and fame, to surpass them in wealth, whom he is ready to serve in the meanest offices of kindness, whom he would in honor prefer to himself, unto whom he will liberally communicate what he hath for his comfort and relief?

In the prevalence of such bad passions and dispositions of soul our misery doth most consist; thence the chief troubles and inconveniences of our life do proceed: wherefore charity doth highly deserve of us in freeing us from them.

VII. 2. It consequently doth settle our mind in a serene, calm, sweet, and cheerful state; in an even temper, and good humor, and harmonious order of soul; which ever will result from the evacuation of bad passions, from the composure of such as are indifferent, from the excitement of those which are good and pleasant: the fruits of the spirit,' saith St. Paul, are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness,' (or benignity:) love precedeth, joy and peace follow as its constant attendants, gentleness and benignity come after as its certain effects.

Love indeed is the sweetest of all passions, ever accompanied with a secret delectation and pleasant sense; whenever it is placed on a good object, when it acteth in a rational way, when it is vigorous, it must needs yield much joy.

It therefore greatly conduceth to our happiness, or rather alone doth suffice to constitute us happy.

VIII. 3. Charity will preserve us from divers external mischiefs and inconveniences, to which our life is exposed, and which otherwise we shall incur.

If we have not charity towards men, we shall have enmity with them; and on that do wait troops of mischief: we shall enjoy nothing quietly or safely, we shall do nothing without opposition or contention; no conversation, no commerce will be pleasant; clamor, obloquy, tumult, and trouble will surround us; we shall live in perpetual danger, the enmity of the meanest and weakest creature being formidable.

But all such mischiefs charity will prevent or remove; damming up the fountains, or extirpating the roots of them: for who will hate a person that apparently loveth him? who can be so barbarous or base as to hurt that man, whom he findeth ever ready to do himself good? what brute, what devil can find in his heart to be a foe to him who is a sure friend to all? No publican can be so wretchedly vile, no sinner so destitute of goodness; for, If,' saith our Lord, on common experience, ye love them which love you, what reward have ye; do not even the publicans the same?' and, If ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same it seemeth beyond the greatest degeneracy and corruption whereof human nature is capable, to requite charity with enmity, yea not to return some kindness for it: Tis ó kakóowy; 'who,' saith St. Peter, is he that will do you hurt, if ye be followers of that which is good;' or imitators of him that is good, (of the sovereign goodness?) none surely can be so unjust, or so unworthy.

As charity restraineth us from doing any wrong, or yielding any offence to others in thought, in word, in deed; from entertaining any bad conceits without ground, from hatching any mischievous designs against our neighbor; from using any harsh, virulent, biting language; from any rugged, discourteous, disobliging behaviour; from any wrongful, rigorous, severe dealing toward him; from any contemptuous pride, or supercilious arrogance so it consequently will defend us from the like

treatment; for scarce any man is so malicious as without any provocation to do mischief; no man is so incorrigibly savage, as to persist in committing outrage on perfect innocence, joined with patience, with meekness, with courtesy: charity will melt the hardest heart, and charm the fiercest spirit; it will bind the most violent hand, it will still the most obstreperous tongue; it will reconcile the most offended, most prejudiced heart: it is the best guard that can be of our safety from assaults, of our interest from damage, of our reputation from slander, detraction, and reproach.

If you would have examples of this, experience will afford many; and some we have in the sacred records commended to our observation: Esau was a rough man, and one who had been exceedingly provoked by his brother Jacob; yet how did meek and respectful demeanor overcome him! so that Esau, it is said in the history, ran to meet him, (Jacob,) and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.'

Saul was a man possessed with a furious envy and spite against David; yet into what expressions did the sense of his kind dealing force him! Is this thy voice, my son David?'—

Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil:-behold I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.' So doth charity subdue and triumph over the most inveterate prejudices and the most violent passions of men.

If peace and quiet be desirable things, as certainly they are, and that form implieth, when by wishing peace with men, we are understood to wish all good to them; it is charity only that preserveth them: which more surely than any power or policy doth quash all war and strife; for war must have parties, and strife implieth resistance: be it the first or second blow which maketh the fray, charity will avoid it; for it neither will strike the first in offence, nor the second in revenge. Charity therefore may well be styled the bond of peace,' it being that only which can knit men's souls together, and keep them from breaking out into dissensions.

It alone is that which will prevent bickering and clashing about points of credit or interest: if we love not our neighbor, or tender not his good as our own, we shall be ever in competition

BAR.

VOL. II.

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