Minds are not capable of attending to feveral Things at the fame Time. But that in the main we have fuch an Intention fixt and fettled in our Mind, that, in general, we refer all our good Works to the Love of God and Obedience to him; and make his Glory our chief Aim and supreme End: This is what is neceffarily requir'd of us to make our good Works well-pleafing to God. Without fuch a general Intention, we cannot be faid to act upon a religious Principle; and therefore however good our Works may be in themselves, and in the Efteem of Men, yet without fuch Intention as I am fpeaking of, they are not really good Works; they are not fuch Works as God will accept of as good from Chriftians; for Chriftians are oblig'd to do all Duties as unto God; they are to have an Eye to the Command, and to the Glory of God in every good Office they do. And therefore, tho' in my following Discourse, I all along treat of Charity as it regards Men, yet we are to confider, that in our Charity to Men, our Love and Obedience to God is included, and neceffarily imply'd; we cannot love our Neighbour as we ought, if we do not love him in obedience to God's Command, and are kind and charitable to him for God's fake, and upon God's Account:

The

41.

42.

The leaft good Office we do our Brother, with fuch a Temper of Mind as this, will be abundantly acceptable to God; even a Cup Mark ix. of cold Water, given for Chrift's fake to fuch as profefs his Name, and for being fuch, fhall not lofe its Reward. God regards not so much the Gift itself, as He doth the Will of the Giver; He regards not the Hand of him that gives, but the Heart; let the Gift be what it will, 'tis the Heart that is all in all to God: But two Mites given by a poor Mark xii. Widow in Faith, and Humility, are more valuable in the fight of God, than large Sums given by the Rich, with an Heart not truly Christian. And the fame Thing is equally true as to other Actions, as well as Giving; God judges of any good Office we do our Neighbour, by our Heart; if our Heart be but pure and upright, and our Inclinations tend to Heaven, whatever good we do our Brother, is, as it were, confecrated to God. Happy they, who have God chiefly in their Heart; who in all their good Actions are constantly aiming at the eternal Salvation of themselves and others; who in every Act of Charity they do, of what kind foever it be, have no other End but the Performance of God's Will, and the Advancement of his Glory!

I proceed

I proceed now to difcourfe of thofe Properties and Operations of Charity which St. Paul gives us, and which indeed are fo lovely and amiable, that if rightly and duly confider'd, will caft all Anger and Hatred out of the Minds of the Malicious, and give Warmth and Love to the Hearts of the moft cold and uncharitable.

I.

CHAP. I.

Charity fuffereth long.

a

Harity & Suffering long. Charity effe&tually inclines us to be patient and long-fuffering towards all Men; and makes us bear Unkindneffes, and Affronts, and Injuries with Meeknefs, and Calmnefs of Temper; without either endeavouring or defiring to repay them.

If any Man does us an Unkindness, if it be a fmall and a little one; Charity bids us over

a Manege, longanimis eft, leni eft animo; paxeðvμ☺ apud Hellenistas idem fonat ac apud Hebræos

longus irarum, tardus ad vindictam, Leigh. Fert injuriam & diffimulat non ad unam aut alteram horam, fed femper, Brentius. Μακρόθυμος ἐσιν ὁ μακρὰν καὶ μεγαλην έχων ψυχήν, Theophylact. Injurias quaflibet æquo, imò magno & excelfo animo tolerat, imò defpicit & contemnit facile, Seb. Meyer.

look

look it, and take no notice of it at all; for indeed we should fhew, that we had but very little of this Patience and Forbearance, if we fhould be ready to take Diftafte at every flight Occafion, and break out into Rage upon every petty trifling Provocation. What therefore can we think of thofe Men who are ever upon the Catch, and quick and hafty in their Refentments; who are glad to put an ill Conftruction upon what was well meant, and take hold of every thing they can, to make it matter of Quarrel and Offence: An unheeded Expreffion, or a Word misplac'd, immediately raifes their Difpleasure, and puts them into Flame; and tho' sometime they have fo much Command over themfelves, as to conceal their Paffion, and not openly dif cover their Refentment; yet what Jealoufies and Sufpicions do they entertain within? They mufe, and ruminate upon the Matter, and the more they think of it, the worfe they make it, till at length by the Strength of Thought, and by the Spirit of Malignity, they work up an undefign'd, and an inoffenfive Expreffion to a real Injury; and fully refolve within themselves, fometime or other, to requite it. Surely the Virtue that I am fpeaking of, is a perfect Stranger to the Breafts of these Men; they who are fo foon

and

and fo eafily incens'd, cannot have the leaft fhew of that Forbearance and Long-fuffering, which is the Effect of Love.

But if the Unkindness we fuffer, be great and confiderable; if we are attack'd by a palpable and real Injury; and that too from fuch a one, from whom, in the Eye of the World, we deferve better Treatment; then Charity pleads ftrong in behalf of the Offender, and proposes to us fuch Confiderations as may leffen the Fault, and make us ready to forgive it; fhe lays before us the Infirmities and Failings of human Nature; the Miftakes of Ignorance, and the Inconfideratenefs of Passion; she bids us think how subject Men are to Frailties and Weaknesses; and how eafily betray'd by Surprize and Inadvertency, to do Things which they are afterwards forry for; fhe puts us upon confidering our own Failings; how often we ourselves have of fended in the like Cafe, and how reasonable it is, that, if we exfpect Pardon from them whom we have offended, we should pardon him who hath offended us; and by this means fhe calms and fweetens our Temper, and makes us ready to forgive and to forget the Wrong.

But if notwithstanding our good Will, and our Readiness to forgive, the Man still conti

nues