into their Hearts this excellent Virtue, this would teach and enable them to restrain their Paffion, and quietly to put up Affronts; this would difpose them to use all the Methods of Patience, and all the Arts of Reconcilement, and to endure all things with much Long-fuffering. Charity fuffereth long. II. Ca CHA P. II. Charity is kind. Harity is † kind. As Charity is flow to take Offence, fo fhe is far from giving any; fhe is courteous and obliging, gentle and benign, and expreffes herself in a general Sweetness and Agreeablenefs of Behaviour towards all Men; fhe polishes our Temper, and takes off that Harshness and + Xensivelu, benigna eft, pro quo Ambrofius legit, jucunda eft; fignificat autem comitatem; opponitur afperitati, difficultati, feu morofitati. Erafm. Xensos, plerumq; exponitur facilis, clemens, benignus, fuavis, jucundus: Xensors fignificat Morum facilitatem, & fuavitatem, quâ quis aliis fe libenter accommodat in bonum; opponitur rixæ & contentioni. Eftius. Χρησος), χρησὸν ἦθG κὶ ἄκακον ἐνδείκνυται, ἐχ ὑπελός ὅτι καὶ κακοήθης. Theophyla&t. Ἡμερότητι γειται η καλοκαγαθίᾳ. Theodoret. Candidos & innocentes mores indicat, non fubdola ac morofa, fed fincera ac manfueta eft. Mart. Roughness to which we are naturally inclin'd, and makes us civil and affable in all our Converfe with Men. And indeed there is fcarce any thing in human Nature more amiable, and praife-worthy, than fuch a fweet Temper of Mind; nothing doth more beautify and adorn our Religion, than a kind and obliging Deportment towards those among whom we live. This recommends Christianity to all Men, and makes it admired even by those who hate and perfecute the Profeffors of it: And fo it did in the first and pureft Ages of the Church; the Chriftians in thofe Days were fo humble, and affable in their Demeanor, and fo ready to do one another all kind Offices, that the very Heathens could not but take notice of them; their Love and Kindness became remarkable, even to a Proverb: * See, fay they, how the Chriftians love one another. But what Agreement can there be between this Love and Kindness, and that Sullenness and Morofenefs, that Peevifhnefs of Temper, which makes Men uneafy to others, and to themselves too? Of fuch a Temper as this were the Pharifees of old, they were * Vide, inquiunt, ut Chriftiani invicem fe diligunt. Tertul. Apol. Sect. 39. highly highly conceited of their own Merits, and fo full of themselves, that they despised others; and this made them rude, and churlish, and ill-natur'd, and of fuch untoward and waspish Difpofitions, that a Man could fcarce fpeak to them. They were indeed very exact and scrupulous in paying Tythes, and in keeping the Sabbath; they were nice in obferving the external Rites of divine Worship; but as for Love, and Mercy, and Kindness to their Neighbour, they regarded it not, but behav'd themfelves after fuch a manner, as if their Religion, and the Civilities of Converfe, were inconfiftent. An affected Gravity, and a fupercilious Haughtiness in Behaviour; a difdainful Rudeness, and a faftidious Sournefs in Converfation; a blind Hafte, and a rafh Cenforioufnefs in judging, and flighting, and reflecting, may make up the pompous Show of a falfe Righteoufnefs, and be agreeable enough to the pretended Piety of a demure and formal Pharifee; but how oppofite are these things to Charity, and how great Dishonour do they bring to the Chriftian Profeffion! The truly charitable Chriftian knows that his Religion obligeth him to be kindly affectioned, to be Rom. xii. pitiful and courteous, and to add to Godliness 1 Pet.iii.8. brotherly Kindness; and therefore he ufes his 2 Pet. i. 7. 10. I utmost Endeavours to behave himself accordingly; his Actions are all good natur'd, and obliging; his Words are all kind, and engaging; and his whole Deportment fo civil and condescending, that he infenfibly gains upon Mens Affections; he brings over to him the Minds of thofe that diflike him, and makes his very Enemies to be at peace with him. And as the charitable Man is thus kind, and easy, and complying; fo he is always fincere in his Kindnefs, and his Love is without Diffimulation; he is free from all manner of Guile, and difdains all Artifice and Difguife, and in all things really is what he appears to be; he makes it his Business to act as he speaks, and to speak as he thinks; his Actions are agrecable to his Expreffions, and his Expreffions to his Intentions; and his Tongue and his Heart always go together; he is fo honeft and fincere in all his Words and Actions, that he never makes larger Profeffions of Kindness to any Man than he really hath for him; he is indeed kind and civil to all, but fince Chriftian Prudence directs him to be more kind to fome * Ουκ ἐμπαθῆ εἶναι δῶν ἢ ἀγάπίω, ἐδὲ ὄνομα αὐτῇ ἔλειψα δομλέω ἀγάπης, τῷ ἔργω αναιρεῖν ἢ ἐξίαν δ' ὅπως ἀγάπης. Bafil. εὶ δ ἐν παρθενίᾳ ἀφθορίας. Perfons Perfons than to others, and to let his Kindnefs flow in a fuller Stream toward fuch and fuch Men, he takes care in all his Converfation to fuit his Words to his Heart, and to let his Expreffions be the lively Image of his Thoughts; he fcorns to diffemble, and hates to labour to make any Man believe that he hath a greater Affection for him than he hath in reality. When he hath only fome fmall degree of Kindness for a Man, he will not make use of fuch ftrain'd Language, he will not put on fuch an extraordinary complaifant Carriage, as may perfuade him that his Kindness to him is much greater than in truth it is; for he knows that if he should act thus, he would be no better than an Hypocrite; this would be to delude the Man, and to put a base Trick, and an unworthy Cheat upon him, which, however plaufibly it may be manag'd, is no better than a downright Lye. And yet how usual a thing is it for Men to make a great Shew of Kindness, where they have but little; and outwardly to afford fome People a large Share in their Affection, whilft in their Heart they bear them none at all. There are * those who have learn'd to act Love to the Life; if you obferve their Words and out Hic umbra eft Amici magis quàm Amicus. Plaut. ward |