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fhews, how highly the Apostle esteemed this great Virtue of Charity; and that it is the Perfection of a Chriftian, the very Life and Soul of all other Duties, which without this are empty Performances, and of no Value in the Sight of God.

This Excellency of Charity, which we collect from the peculiar Manner in which St. Peter recommends it to the Practice of Christians, is fully and expressly set forth by St. Paul in the I Cor. xiii. where fpeaking in his own Perfon, he says, Though I speak with the Tongues of Men and of Angels, and have not Charity, I am become as founding Brafs, or a tinkling Cymbal. And though I have the Gift of Prophecy, and understand all Myfteries, and all Knowledge; and though I have all Faith, fo that I could remove Mountains, and bave no Charity, I am nothing. And though I beftow all my Goods to feed the Poor, and though I give my Body to be burned, and have not Charity, it profiteth me nothing. It is to be observed, that St. Paul does not merely compare and prefer Charity before all spiritual Gifts and Attainments, before Liberality and Almfgiving; but he declares, that thefe without Charity are nothing, of no Value in the Sight of God, of no Profit to the Salvation

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of Man. Is it not therefore of great Confequence to us rightly to understand this great Virtue, that we may use proper Methods to attain it; fince it is that only which can fanctify our Offerings to God, and make either our Prayers or Praises, or our Alms and Oblations, acceptable in his Sight; since it is that only which can make the Gifts and Abilities bestowed on us of any Ufe, or render them a proper Means to fave ourselves and others?

It is neceffary to enter into the Confideration of the Nature of this great Virtue, that we may rightly apprehend the Meaning of the Text. St. Peter affirms, that Charity fball cover a Multitude of Sins. Whatever we are to understand by this Expreffion, it is evident that this great Promise or Effect must be ascribed to that Virtue only, which the Apostle had in his Mind, and which he meant to express in the Words of the Text; and if we apply it to any thing else, we abuse his Authority, and deceive ourselves. I fhall therefore confine this Difcourfe to two Inquiries :

First, What that fervent Charity is, which the Apostle in the Text so earnestly recommends; and,

Secondly,

Secondly, What is the true Meaning of the Apostle's Affirmation concerning this Charity, that it fhall cover the Multitude of Sins.

As to the First Inquiry, it will appear by the Language made ufe of by St. Peter, that he is not recommending any particular Duty, much less any particular Acts of Duty. (The Words in the Original, rendered by our Tranflators fervent Charity, are àɣáænv éxlevő, continual or uninterrupted Love.) Love is a Principle, or a good Habit of Mind, from which many Duties flow, but does not denote any one kind of Duty more than another; and therefore the Charity spoken of in the Text has no more immediate Relation to Almfgiving, (as the Ufe of the Word in our Language often leads People to think it has) than it has to Patience, Forgiveness of Injuries, or any other natural Effect of Love or Charity. It is therefore the Principle of Charity, or a general Beneficence of Mind towards one another, which the Apostle recommends. And this must be conftant and regular, not subject to the Efforts of Paffion or Refentment; it must prefide with a Superiority over all the Defires of our Heart, that neither Wantonnefs and Luft, nor Anger

and Revenge, nor Covetoufnefs and Ambition may carry us afide from the Ways of Righteousness and Equity in our Dealings one with another.

This Description diftinguishes the Virtue of the Gospel from what the World means by Good-nature, which feems to be a Quality refulting rather from the Constitution, than from the Reafon of a Man, and is frequently subject to great Efforts of Paffion and Resentment; to the Defires of Ambition and Lasciviousness, and other Vices, which have no Society, which can have none, with Christian Charity. Good-nature has oftentimes fomething that wants to be corrected in the very Principles of it; fometimes it is an agreeable and eafy Weakness of Mind, or an Indolence or Carelessnefs with respect to Perfons and Things. But Charity is Reason made perfect by Grace: It is a Beneficence which arises from a Contemplation of the World, from a Knowledge of the great Creator, and the Relation we bear to Him and to our Fellow-Creatures: It is that Reafon into which all Duties owing from Man to Man are ultimately refolved; and when we chuse to say in a word what is the Character, the Temper, or the Duty of a Dif

ciple of the Gospel, Charity is the only Word that can express our Meaning.

The fame Sort of Actions materially confidered do oftentimes proceed from very different Principles. Liberality and Hospitality are natural Effects of Charity, which infpires us with the tender Motions of Compaffion and Benevolence towards our FellowCreatures: But it is no very uncommon Thing for Men to be liberal out of Pride, and hofpitable out of Vanity; to do their Alms before Men, that they may be feen of them; and of fuch our Saviour's Judgment is, that they fhall have no Reward of their Father, which is in Heaven.

This leads to an Inquiry, By what Means we may certainly distinguish the Principles from which our Actions are derived, without which we can have no well-grounded Confidence towards God, how specious foever the Appearance may be which we make in the Eyes of the World? The ready Anfwer to which Inquiry is, that we must confult our own Hearts, and examine what paffes in them, in order to form a right Judgment upon the Motives of our own Actions. But if we confider what is meant by searching the Heart, we fhall find that to fearch