cufe fome and punish others, when all are guilty of the fame Crime; nor must they make a difference between one Perfon and another, when the Cause makes none. They must not be byafs'd by Popularity or Ambition, nor be influenc'd by Friends or Parties; but fincerely and impartially espouse the Interest of Virtue; and fteddily pursue Truth and Right in Defiance of all selfish and worldly Confiderations to the contrary.

And as thofe in Authority may disclose and lay open the Faults of others without Breach of Charity; fo alfo in fome Cafes Men in a private Capacity may do the fame Thing. When Truth and Righteousness may be thereby maintain'd, and Innocence vindicated; when the Glory of God may be promoted, and publick Peace and Juftice preferv'd; when our Brother himself may thereby be reform'd, and others fecur'd from the Infection of Sin; for fuch excellent Ends and Purposes as thefe, any of us may difclofe and make known the Crimes of our Brother, and profecute them too with Zeal and Severity. But excepting these, and fuch like Cafes, we are bound to conceal and excufe the Faults of our Brother, and not to disclose them by any means. When his Faults are in a manner hidden, and few or none are acquainted therewith, we must

not bring them to Light by making them the Subject of our Talk, or by any way fo much as touching upon them. True Charity teaches us to fpare our Neighbour, not to expofe him for his Failings, but to cover him as much as we can from Difgrace and Shame.

And yet how common is it for us to act otherwife? What a rash and cenforious Humour does there prevail in the World? And how apt are Men to trumpet out the Faults of others, and to paint one another in disparaging Characters and Representations? Their Tongue walketh thro' the Earth, and what Man is there that doth escape their Cenfure? They abuse and calumniate, and reproach, and wipe their Mouths as if they did no Harm. Are not many of us forward to relate fome ill Things of our Neighbour, which we are not fully affur'd he hath been guilty of? And all the ill Things we know of him, do we not with Greedinefs publish and divulge? If his open Behaviour doth not afford us Ground enough for Cenfure, do we not apply ourselves to fearch and examine narrowly into his Life, in hopes to find out fome fecret Fault? Do we not feek for, and defire Matter of Scandal, and pry into his Actions, and wish we may fee fomewhat there that we may find Fault with him for? And if we discover any

flight and little Failing; if we find out the leaft Mote in his Eye, is not this enough to make us overlook all his Virtues and good Qualities, and to render his Character in fome fort despicable? Though in the Main he be faultlefs and irreproveable, and the general Tenor of his Life be without Blame, yet if we can but espy fome little Defect and Failing in him, do we not haftily detect it, and blaze it abroad to his Shame and Dishonour? If we are hearing an evil Report of our Neighbour, and that too from one, who perhaps bears Ill-will to him, and hath a mind to Difgrace him; do we not yield a ready Ear thereto, and liften with a malicious Attention; and when we have fully heard the Scandal, do we not declare it to others, and declare withal, that the Thing is too true, and that we had it from good Hands? If we fee our Neighbour commit a Sin, are we not prone forthwith to publish it to others, when there is no juft Caufe for it? Are we not glad of the Opportunity of blazing abroad his Shame, and of making him to be blam'd by the reft of his Neighbours? Let us reflect upon ourselves, and confider, and if upon a ftrict Examination our Confcience telleth us, that we are forward and ready to do any of thefe Things, we may certainly conclude, R 2

that

that such a Readiness proceeds from want of Love and Good-will towards our Neighbour. Love endeavours to fee no Faults in its beloved; and if the Faults be fo plain, that they cannot but be feen, it will in fome fort connive at 'em, and fee as little of 'em as is poffible. Sincere Love will not fuffer us to say any thing to the Prejudice of our Neighbour's Credit, nor to endure that any others should; it engageth us to refcue his Reputation, when he is innocent, from all false Reports, from open Slanders, and private Whispers; and if his Faults be true and real, unless the Dif of 'em covery may serve a much better End than the Concealment, it obliges us to cover and conceal them. Love and Charity will not publish the Faults of Men, and proclaim their Shame; but will labour to hide their Faults, and to fmother the Disgrace even when it is deferv'd. Charity beareth, or rather covereth all Things.

CHAP.

XI.

CHA P. XI.

Charity believeth all Things.

C

*

Harity believeth all Things. Charity believeth all the Good of others which the poffibly can, and which she hath any the leaft probable Grounds for believing. She is indeed unwilling to believe any thing to the Prejudice of another; but as for fuch things as are spoken in favour of any other, and tend to his Benefit and Reputation, these things she is forward to give Credit to, and to make the best of, for the Advantage of the Perfon concern'd. If a Neighbour be Evilfpoken of, and fome hard thing be laid to his Charge, Charity is ready to believe better things of him, fhe doth not peremptorily judge him guilty, but fufpends her Thoughts, till farther Enquiry be made, and better Proof

* Πάνα τις δε omnia credit quæ credi bona confcientia poffunt. Druf. In meliorem partem pronior eft, maximè cum nondum habuerit argumentum diverfum fufpicandi. Cameron. Bona quæ de Proximis dicuntur, facilius ac propenfiùs credit quàm mala, adhibet tamen judicium, fecundùm dictamen prudentiæ, ne noxio fallatur errore. Eftius.