And one reason of it is, because length of days, and temporal felicity, was the great reward, that was plainly and expressly promised under the law, to fuch as kept it. And therefore they were not bound by any principle of pure charity, to part, for any man's fake, with that, which was the greateft bleffing the law could give them.

So that Chrift's dying, as he did, the juft for the unjuft, was the fublimeft act of love that could be. For greater love than this hath no man, that a man lay down his life for his friend: Only our Saviour's own charity was far greater, in laying down his moft precious life, even for his enemies.

His commandment therefore, that we fhould love one another, as he himself hath loved us, is altogether a new one. Such charity was never before required of the world: Such charity was never heard of before: Charity of fuch a vaft height and measure, was quite a new thing. Scarcely for a righteous man will any one die, faith the apostle; tho' peradventure for a good man, fome would even dare to die. Yet God commended his love towards us, (it was infinitely beyond all the charity that ever had been

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been among men)-in that while we were yet finners, Chrift died for us.

AND now, by what hath been faid, we may easily discern, the true and genuine nature of that charity, which is properly called chriftian.

It is such a benevolent and tender difpofition of foul, as inclineth us to do, not those things only, which the laws of common justice require us to do; but moreover all fuch kind and obliging offices, as becometh creatures of the moft compaffionate hearts, and godlike tempers; to be affected with the sense of other mens wants, as well as our own; to pity them as our felves; to wish and promote their good, with fuch unfeigned defires, and unwearied endeavours, as if our own welfare were concerned: And because our bleffed Saviour vouchfafed to exprefs a common love to us all, we are to follow his moft bleffed fteps, in expreffing our charity to mankind, as long as we live in the world; to bless and pray for, and to do good to our very enemies to offer them terms of favour; to give them teftimonies of a reconcilable temper; to en

courage

courage and excite them to be reconciled, by our example; by fhewing them our own bowels of compaffion; and by letting them fee, how kind, humble, meek, long-suffering, and patient we our felves are; and how ready to forgive them :-In fhort, to have fuch ardent affections unto all men, and especially unto all christians, as to serve them willingly, not only with our wishes, and labours, and substance, but (when need requires) with our very lives alfo: Tho' life be fo dear a matter, and (as it is expreffed in the book of Job) all that a man hath will he give for his life; yet upon great occafions, and in preffing circumstances, and for weighty and noble ends, to be ready as our blessed Saviour was, to die for others, after all other fervices done for them: This is to have that fervent, and perfect, and true charity, which the chriftian religion recommendeth to us: And this is the thing which the apoftle requires of us, when he exhorteth above all things to put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

SERMON XVII.

Excellence of Charity.

[From Dr. PELLING on Charity.]

I TIM, I. 5.

Now the end of the commandment is charity.

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HIS is that great virtue which is the diftinguishing characteristick of the followers of Chrift; by which is to be understood, not one single inftance of our duty only, but a complication of all duties: for charity in the fcripture sense always fignifieth an univerfal love both of God and man; and more particularly, a kind and benevolent affection towards all other men, willing to do them good, and defirous of their welfare, both temporal and eternal.

Our Saviour hath told us, that upon the love of God and of man hạng all the law and the prophets; which is the fame in other words with this expreffion of the apostle in my text, where he tells us, that the end of the commandment is charity.

In difcourfing hereupon, I shall fhew the great excellency and usefulness of this virtue in the several following particulars:

I. I fhall fhew, What great good a charitable temper doth to a man's own mind.

II. How effectually it helps us, to answer the ends of the gospel difpenfation. III. How near it brings us to God even in this world. And,

IV. How it prepares us for the everlasting happiness of another.

I. I AM to fhew, What great good a charitable temper doth, to a man's own mind.

Tho' a crown of righteousness, a glorious and perfect reward, be laid up and reserved for us against the day of judgment; yet all virtue brings us fomething of a prefent reward. As it cleanseth the fpirit from the corruptions of the world; fo it replenishes the foul, with the greatest satisfaction and pleasure And by these means, as well the holiness, as the joy of a future ftate, beginneth here.

Now, of those graces, which at once purify and delight the mind, a spirit of charity is one, and perhaps the greatest. It rids