being at hand in the Verse before the Text, immediately exhorts to Sobriety, Prayer, and Charity, that we may not be found in the Number of thofe, who are beating their Fellow-fervants, or abufing the Gifts of God to Luxury and Intemperance.

Charity therefore, as it naturally inclines us to overlook and to forgive the Offences of our Brethren, so it puts us into that State of Peace and Serenity of Mind, which is neceffary to enable us to prepare for the Reception of our great Judge.

In this Senfe of the Words, St. Peter's Affertion agrees exactly with the Accounts given us of Charity in other Places of Holy Scripture. St. Paul is very particular in defcribing the Properties of Charity; and tells us, that it suffereth long, and is kind, and is not eafily provoked; but beareth all Things, endureth all Things. What is it now that Charity fuffereth, beareth, and endureth? Not its own Offences furely, but the Offences and Provocations of others. Men who are void of Charity can be kind enough to themselves, and are apt to bear but too long with their own Offences: But this is not the Praife of Charity, to overlook its own Faults; but it is its Glory to

bear with the Faults of others, and to fuffer much, and yet not be much provoked. And what is this but, in the Expreffion of Solomon and St. Peter, to cover a Multitude of Sins; to draw a Curtain over the Infirmities of our Brethren, and to spread our own richest Garment over the Nakednefs of our Friends?

Befides, the Expreffion here made use of by St. Peter, The Multitude of Sins, leads to this Interpretation. When our Saviour exhorted his Difciples to forgive Men their Trefpaffes, St. Peter put the Question to him, Lord, how oft fhall my Brother fin against me, and I forgive him? Till feven Times? Our Lord answered, I fay not unto thee until feven Times, but until feventy Times feven. From which Answer St. Peter could not but learn, that it was the Property of Charity to cover the Multitude of our Brother's Sins; to forgive him, not only when he offended against us feven Times, but even when he tranfgreffed feventy Times feven: A large Number; and the larger, because it is not fet down to mark the precife Number of Offences which Charity may forgive, but rather to denote, that there is no Number which Charity ought not to forgive.

Moreover,

Moreover, it is much more reasonable to think, that a truly charitable Man should meet with a Multitude of Sins in other People for the Exercise of his Charity, than that he should have a Multitude of his own to cover. We meet with no fuch Defcription of Charity in Holy Writ, as may lead us to imagine that it is confiftent with a Multitude of Sins. Charity is the fulfilling of the Law, as the Apostle to the Romans informs us; and it proceeds, as he farther acquaints us in his Epistle to Timothy, out of a pure Heart, and of a good Confcience, and of Faith unfeigned. Now, how can the Multitude of Sins, fpoken of in the Text, be confiftent with fulfilling the Law? How can it be supposed to dwell in a pure Heart? to be joined with a good Confcience? and to have Fellowship with Faith unfeigned? We may ask the fame Queftions here, which the Apostle to the Corinthians does in another Cafe: What Fellowship hath Righteousness with Unrighteousness? and what Communion hath Light with Darkness? and what Concord bath Chrift with Belial? So that, confidering how inconfiftent these Things are, the Hopes which Men conceive of compounding their Sins by the means of Charity, are in

great

great Danger of being overthrown by this Conclufion, That where there is Charity, there will not be a Multitude of Sins; and where there is a Multitude of Sins, there can hardly be true Charity to hide them,

If you think that the Text, according to this Interpretation, holds forth no great Comfort or Encouragement to Charity, fince the Benefit accrues to others, whofe Offences are covered by Charity, and not to the charitable Perfon, who grows rather indolent than happy through an Excess of Goodness; it muft, on the other Side, be confidered, how bleffed a State it is to enjoy a Calm, whilst the World around us is failing in a Storm; to fit free from the Torments of Anger and Revenge, whilft others burn with Refentment and Indignation; to have the Mind at Liberty to look into itself, and to look up with Pleasure to its great Creator, whilst others facrifice both their Reafon and their Religion to the Tranfports of Paffion. It is this happy Temper alone, that can bring us to expect our great Change with any Satisfaction. How happy a Condition will it be to be found at Peace with ourselves and the World, when our great Master summons us to appear! And who would not dread to be called

called from Quarrels, Contentions, and Strifes, to ftand before the Judgment-feat of God?

Secondly, There may be Reasons for expounding the Text of the Judgment of God, and yet the Apostle's Affertion may ftill re

late to the Sins of others, and not to the Sins of the charitable Perfon. But what, you will fay, may one Man's Sins be covered in the Sight of God by another Man's Charity? Yes, they may; and in this Sense the very Expreffion of the Text is made use of by St. James: Brethren, if any of you do err from the Truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he which converteth the Sinner from the Error of his Way, fhall fave a Soul from Death, and fhall hide a Multitude of Sins. Where it is evident, that the Sins to be covered are the Sins of the Soul to be faved from Death; that is, the Sins of the Perfon converted from the Error of his Ways, and not the Sins of the Converter: And the doing fo great a Good to a Brother, as the faving his Soul, and hiding the Multitude of his Sins, is proposed as an Incitement to every charitable Perfon to labour the Converfion of a Sinner. Join other Cafes: It is very plain, how much Sin and Folly proceed from the mutual Paffions of Men labourVOL. III.

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