a Man outwards to the View of the World; and to look ourselves more at his Vertues than his Failings; not to believe Ill of any, but where the Plainess of the Evidence muft force the Understanding, even against the Will. And even where we are Forc'd to Believe,Charity will yet incline us to Pity and Lament their Cafe, and to Endeavour, and Hope, and Pray for their Amendment and Recovery.

Now if Charity be the Excellency of the Chriftian Religion, and these be the Properties and Acts and Rules of Charity, what Sort of Chriftians are we, or what Rules of Christianity do we live by, if we can lie at the Catch for one anothers Halting, and rejoice at each others Fall? When we are Spitefully obfervant of other Men's Actions, and Severe in our Conftructions of them? When we are Watchful and Solicitous to difcover Failings? When we can Hear them with Pleasure, and Publish them with Joy? And take care by ill-natur'd Gloffes and Innuendo's, that no Circumstance fhould go without its due Aggravation.

This Cenforious Humour does not always arise from the fame Caufe: Sometimes it is from Natural Sourness of Temper, the Refult of pure Ill-nature; or

fome

fometimes perhaps only for Talk and Paftimes Sake; as if it was a very innonocent Diversion to play with Men's Reputation and good Name; to facrifice to our own Caprice the tenderest Interest Men have in the World; like Solomon's Madman whom he defcribes as Prov, 26.cafting Firebrands, Arrows, and Death, throwing all the Inftuments of Death about him, and he faith, am I not in Sport?

Sometimes 'tis a Piece of pure Malice and Revenge; or fometimes perhaps Other Men must be eclips'd, to set off our own Superiour Vertues, and make them fhine the brighter; Their Faults must be blazon'd and aggravated only to give Advantage to Ourselves; only for the Pride and Oftentation of our own Opposite Vertues, which must then be put into their best Dress, and set forth in all their Glory, to baffle and infult over Other's Miscarriages with the greater Contempt and Triumph. For it is not uncommon for Men to value themselves upon ftanding clear from Some Faults that Others are chargeable with, though in other Particulars they may be more obnoxious. A Mote in our Brother's Eye, (as our Saviour metaphorically expresses it) is more. Offence to us than a Beam in our own; and a Blot that will sooner be

hit by us.

The Pharifees, those whited Sepulchres, instead of looking Home to their own Falfeness and Rottenness, were ftill looking Abroad, to find out Publicans and Sinners. And fee how the Pharifee our Saviour speaks of, Prides himself in the Comparison with the Publican, that he might thereby give the greater Luftre to his own boasted Righteoufnefs- God, Luke 18. I thank thee that I am not as other Men are, Extortioners, Unjust, Adulterers; or

even

as This Publican. And yet even This Publican, this poor, defpifed, vilified Publican, was justify'd rather than He. This our Saviour fpake to thofe Jews, who, we are told, trufted in themselves that they were Righteous, and defpifed, or Judged and Censured others as Unrighteous.

And as this Doctrine of Charity is what He has especially preached to us in many Rules and Injunctions; fo his Apostles after him alway prefs'd it, as a Christian Grace of the firft Rank and Magnitude, and of prime Influence and Consequence in the chriftian Life.

Above all Things, fays St. Peter, have fer- 1 Pet.4.8.
vent Charity amongst your felves; for Chari-
ty fball cover a Multitude of Sins.-

And,

above all Things,fays St. Paul, put on Charity, 3 Col. 14.
which is the very Bond of Perfection.-And
the fame Apostle fpeaks of it also as fo
abfolutely Neceffary in Christianity, that

all

all other Chriftian Graces and Vertues
would be as nothing without it
1 Cor. 13. Though I speak with the Tongues
of Men and Angels, though I have the Gift
of Prophecy and all Knowledge, and though
I have all Faith that I could remove Moun-
tains; and though I should bestow all my
Goods to feed the Poor, and give my Body to
be burnt, and have not Charity, it profiteth
me nothing.

If then this Charity towards Men be fuch a Neceffary and Fundamental Rule of Christianity, what muft we think of that most Unchriftian Practice of Judging and Censuring one another? How must it look, when compar'd with the foregoing Apoftolick Rules? Or, with St. Paul's more compendious, but very comprehenfive Rule of Charity; That 1 Cor. 13. Charity which is kind and gentle, which envieth not, vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up; That Charity which thinketh no Evil, rejoiceth not in Iniquity, but rejoiceth in the Truth; beareth all Things, believeth all Things, hopeth all Things,endureth all Things?-How then fhall we reconcile fuch Practice with such Rules? Or what shall we fay when they are fodirectlyOppofite to each other? Were a Heathen or a Stranger to judge in the Cafe, what could he conclude, but what was on fuch like Occafion concluded of Salvian. old?— Aut hæc non eft Chriftiana Religio,

aut

aut Nos non fumus Chriftiani; That either This,This Inftitution of Love and Charity, is not the Chriftian Religion, or else that We are no Chriftians.

Yet I fear there is not any Sect or Denomination of Chriftians, that have not in Some Degree, more or lefs, been guilty of these Unchristian Exceffes towards each other. One Side calls Irreligious and Profane, Wordly, Carnal, Senfual, Enemys to the Power of Godliness; or at the Best but Formalifts, mere Moral Men, without Grace or Faith, having not the Spirit

And they are again repay'd in kind, by the Cenfures of Precifenefs,Spiritual Pride, Pharifaifme, Hypocrify. -And Every Side are ready enough to charge with Superftition and Damnable Error, which is in confequence, with Hell and Damnation.

, fenforibus

'Tis great Pity, and a great Shame, that ever the Caufe of Chriftianity should come to be defended by fuch Unchristian Methods: Chriftianity can never ftand Non Tali in need of, nor is it ever truly ferv'd or Auxilio fupported by fuch Unnatural Means Non DeMeans fo Contrary to its own Genius iftis, and Nature; fo Contrary to that Chari-Chriftus ty that is the very Life and Soul of it.eget. Yet this Mad Extreme is what Many,on all Hands, have run into; which our excellent Church has nothing to answer for.

What