your Lands and your Houses; when you shall be Suitors for Mercy and Favour: Make to yourselves therefore Friends of the Mammon of Unrighteoufness, that when all fhall leave and forfake you, you may be received into the Habitations of Righteoufnefs, where there is Mercy, and Peace, and Joy for

evermore.

K 3 DISCOURSE

And above all Things have fervent Charity among yourselves; for Charity fhall cover the Multitude of Sins.

Y&HE Exhortation in the Text being joined with other Exhor

tations to Sobriety, and Watch

fulness in Prayer, to Hofpita

lity, and to a faithful Use and Exercife of the Gifts and Graces of God bestowed on the feveral Members of the Church; and yet, being introduced in this diftinguishing Manner, Above all Things have fervent Charity among your felves, plainly fhews,

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

I

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 exprefsly set forth by St. Paul in the 1 Cor. 13. where speaking in his own Perfon, he fays, 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 underftand all Myfteries, and all Knowledge; and though I have all Faith, fo that I could remove Mountains, and have no Charity, I am nothing. And 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. It is to be obferved, that St. Paul does not merely compare and prefer Charity before all spiritual Gifts and Attainments, before Liberality and Almfgiving; but he declares, that these without Charity are nothing, of no Value in the Sight of God, of no Profit to the Salvation

of

of Man. Is it not therefore of great Confequence to us rightly to understand this great Virtue, that we may ufe 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; fince 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 exprefs in the Words of the Text; and if we apply it to any Thing elfe, 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 fo earnestly recommends; and,

Secondly,