σε

may be Otherwife guilty of: this "Great Chriftian Perfection, of which "they are Mafters, fhall make many "Little Imperfections to be over-look'd " and unob erv'd; it fhall Cover the mul"titude of Sins.

This, I fay, is the account, which every man naturally gives himself of thefe Words, at his first hearing them; and it is for That very Reafon probabable, that This is the True and Genuine account of them. For, fupposing the Original Text to be well and clearly render'd in our Verfion, it will, I am of opinion, be found, that That Senfe of any Paffage, which, after attending to the Force of the Words, and to their Coherence with what goes before, and what follows, First occurs to the Mind, is generally the Jufteft and Trueft.

This hath not however been always "thought a Good Rule in the present Cafe. For feveral Pious, and fome Judicious men, finding the Words, in their plain and familiar meaning, to carry fomewhat of a fufpicious found with them, and to border a little (as They Thought) on the Papal Doctrine of Works Meritorious, have, therefore, taken fome Pains to give a Different Interpetation

of

view

of them. I fhall offer, firft, to your
fome of these mistaken Senfes, e'er I
come to confider That which, I think,
was intended by St. Peter; because Each
of these doth certainly propofe a Clear
and Appofite Truth to us, tho' perhaps
not truly drawn from the Paffage now
before us.

First, then, the Words have been understood to contain an account of that particular Instance of Charity, which we call Good-Nature: by which we pafs by little Slights and Injuries, interpret things in the Beft fenfe, are not apt to take, or return an Affront, not forward to publifh, or believe an ill Report of any One: by which we turn our eyes always toward the Beft fide of a man, and chufe rather to look on his Vertues, than his Failures; and by which we constantly interpofe our Good Offices, where-ever, we think, they may be Serviceable, either to the compofing Old Differences, or preventing New ones.

And This Senfe is grounded upon a suppos'd Relation there is between These Words in St. Peter, and Thofe in the Proverbs; Hate Stirreth up Strifes, but Prov. x. Love covereth all Sins. Now, tho' inD3

deed,

12.

deed, in Our Tranflation, there is fome Similitude between the words of the Text, and this Paffage in the Proverbs; yet, as it lyes in the Septuagint-Verfion (which the Apoftles made ufe of), it bears no fuch Refemblance to the Text as may make it probable that the One ought to be Expounded by the Other, On the contrary it deferves obfervation, that, where ever the Greek Phrafe *, which is here tranflated by Covering Sin, See Pf. occurs in Scripture, it conftantly figlxxxiv. 1. nifies that Pardon of Sin which proceeds Pl. xxxii. from God, not any Inftances of Good hem. iv. 5. Nature and Forgiveness exercised by Men.

* καλύπ.

Te duap

τίας.

. and Ne

I.a

We may farther obferve, that This Senfe of the Words is by no means full enough to bear the Weight of that emphatic and folemn Preface with which the Apoftle introduces them: but above all things (fays He, in the Words immediately before the Text) have fervent Charity among your felves: for Charity ball Cover the multitude of Sins. 'ExṬevñ áfáπl, intenfe, or fervent Charity muft fignifie fomewhat more than the bare Acts and Offices of Good-Nature. If they, to whom the Apostle wrote, were above all things to have fervent Charity among them

themselves, it could not be for This Reafon, because Charity would render them inoffenfive towards Others, and not easie to be offended Themfelves. For tho' This be a commendable Degree of Vertue, and very fit to be enjoyn'd, because not frequently practis'd; yet can it not deferve that peculiar Emphafis and Strefs which is here laid upon it. Efpecially, if we confider it as fucceeding the mention of thofe more important and neceffary Duties, to which the Apostle exhorts them in the preceeding Verfe, the being fober, and watching unto Prayer: Above all which, it cannot be fuppos'd, that the Duty of converfing with one another according to the Rules of Good-Nature and Gentlenefs fhould be enjoyn'd.

The Words, therefore, have, in the Second place, been thus alfo interpreted. Charity ball Cover the multitude of Sins, that is, fays the excellent Grotius, it will have a mighty Influence towards reclaiming Sinners from the Errour of their Ways; the Confequence of which is, That the Sins of Men thus reclaim'd, are pardon'd, or cover'd. Charity, which is an exalted Love of God and our Neigh

D 4

:

Neighbour, will make us industrious in procuring Glory to the One, by the Salvation of the Other. It will create a mighty Zeal for the Interests of Vertue, and the Honour of the Gufpel, and the Good of Souls; and it will run through all the Difficulties that lie in the way towards fo good an End, with Readiness and Pleafure. It will not be frighten'd from making Attempts even on Thofe of the firft Rank in Wickednefs, the Worft and moft Hardned of Men; because it knows, that Their Revolt from Sin to Vertue (if it can be compafs'd) will be of mighty Confequence to Religion, and will probably draw whole Troops of Common Sinners along with it: The Senfe they have of their Own Sins being cover'd, will make Them alfo eager, in their turn, to cover thofe of Other Men.

This is a very Good and Pious Sense of the Words, but (I believe, it will be allow'd me) no very Eafie and Natural One: they must be rack'd e'er they can be brought to confefs This Meaning. However it was what that Learned Perfon was led into by a former Explication he had made of a Parallel place in St. James; which I fhall