advice, and blessed be thou, which haft kept me this day from coming to fhed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. This fpeech every paffionate man may have reafon to make to his charitable neighbour, who gives way to his wrath, and by gentle and kind treatment faves him from the extravagancies which a warm oppofition would hurry him into. And is it not a great encouragement to put on meekness and charity, fince by bearing with the light offences of our brethren against ourselves we may poffibly fave them from much greater offences against God, and be inftrumental in delivering them from that judgment, which, by their own bitterness of spirit and thirst after revenge, they would certainly draw upon themselves?

Were we to go through the feveral works of charity, and confider it inftructing the ignorant, encouraging the weak, rebuking the prefumptuous, in a word, giving an helping hand to every good work ; it would appear, in many inftances, how inftrumental charity is in covering the fins of others. But I haften to the

Third and laft inquiry, What encouragement we have from reason and scripture to expect, that by charity we may cover our own fins.

In the verse before the text the Apoftle gives us this warning-The end of all things is at hand. To this folemn notice he fubjoins a proper exhortation : Beye therefore fober, and watch unto prayer; and above all things have fervent charity among yourselves. The reason of the latter part of this exhortation he gives in the words now under our confideration, For charity fhall cover the multitude of fins. These things

laid together create a prefumption, that the Apoftle might mean to inftruct each man how to cover his own fins, and to prevent the ill effects naturally to be feared from them, when the end of all things fhould come. When we think of judgment, of whofe fins do we think, or for whofe offences do we tremble, but our own? When the preachers of the Gospel warn us of the great day of the Lord, it is a ftrong call to repentance, and for whofe fins but our own? Since therefore the Apoftle calls on us to use the beft means to cover the multitude of fins, in expectation of the great change that is at hand, whose fins can we more naturally think on than our own? And if this be indeed the cafe, then is charity recommended to us as a proper means to cover or excufe our own fins in the fight of God.

Befides, the exhortation to mutual charity being fubjoined immediately to the mention of prayer, may be a farther argument of St. Peter's intention. to inftruct us how to hide our own offences. He well knew upon what condition our Lord had taught us to ask forgiveness of our fins: Forgive us our trefpaffes, as we forgive them that trefpafs against This being the condition upon which the pardon of God is promised, what have we to cover our fins in the fight of God without charity? that that charity which beareth all things, endureth all things, which hideth the trefpaffes of our brother from our eyes, and for that reason will cover our own offences, when the Lord fhall come to judge the earth.

us.

But farther the nature and extent of charity confidered, there arifes a farther argument to con

firm the charitable man in the hopes of pardon for his own tranfgreffions: for charity is the fulfilling of the law; it is the royal law, as St. James calls it, which whofoever fulfils fhall do well. And in this view, St. Peter's advice, to have fervent charity, that it may cover the multitude of fins, is equivalent to Daniel's advice to Nebuchadnezzar : 0 King, let my counfel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy fins by righteoufnefs, and thine iniquities by fhewing mercy to the poor. Charity is indeed the breaking off of fin; it is righteousness and mercy; it is the effential part of that repentance to which the promises of life are made in the Gospel.

For these reasons it may be allowed, that the Apostle meant to exhort us to charity, as a proper means to obtain forgiveness of our fins at the hands of God. But, to prevent mistakes in fo momentous a concern to ourselves, I beg leave to lay a few observations before you, which may help to fet this matter in a clear light.

Firft, we must not fo expound this text, as to make it contradict the general terms of pardon and reconciliation propofed in the Gospel of our Saviour: and therefore, fince the Gospel allows no licence for continuing in fin, nor gives any encouragement to hope for the pardon of fin, but upon repentance and amendment of life, we do but deceive ourselves when we give way to other hopes, and, by the help of a strong imagination, wreft the words of St. Peter, and other like pasfages of Scripture, to the fervice of our inclinations. You have feen that the words of the text are capable of divers interpretations, and there

fore they cannot be fo ftrong in any one sense, as to controul the meaning of more plain and express declarations of holy writ: nor can we reasonably imagine that the holy writers forgot or neglected to acquaint us with our beft advantage, and left it to a fingle expreffion in an epiftle of St. Peter, to inform us of fomething more comfortable and beneficial to us, than the general terms, as propofed in the Gofpel, do contain.

Secondly, We must not fo expound this, or any other paffage of Scripture, as to raise up a doctrine contumelious and reproachful to God, or inconfiftent with his attributes of holiness and juftice. Now there is nothing more reproachful to God, than to deal with him as if you could purchase a pardon or an indulgence at his hands, as if you could compound fins with him, and bargain for so many acts of charity in lieu of fo many acts of extortion and oppreffion, which you have been, or do intend to be, engaged in. Confider, with the Almighty dwelleth truth and justice, and in the court of heaven there is no commutation for iniquity; no excuse for it, but forfaking it; no pardon for it, but by renouncing it. Go, and fin no more, fays our Saviour to the woman taken in adultery. You fee here the condition of pardon for fin; fo effential a condition, that no indulgence, no charter can be good, that wants this claufe.

Under these limitations then, let us confider how far we may apply this fovereign remedy of charity to our own fins.

We may confider our fins as past, present, and to come. With refpect to our paft fins, it is out of

our power to recall them: with refpect to our prefent, it is in our power to forfake them: with respect to those to come, it is in our power to prevent or avoid them. To begin with the last: no fort or degree of charity can fo far vacate the duties of vir tue and religion, as to make it unneceffary for us to avoid the occafions of fin for the time to come. To reform mankind is the end of the Gospel; and it is the conftant call of God to us, fpeaking by the voice of nature and revelation, that denying all ungodliness, we should live righteously and foberly in this prefent world. It is abfurd therefore to suppose, that either nature or revelation can diffolve our obedience to God, or fhew us a way how we may fafely give scope to fin, and promise ourselves the pleasures of iniquity with fecurity. Nay, charity itself, could it poffibly entertain fo malicious a thought against God, as to lay up for itself an opportunity of finning against God with impunity, would cease to be charity; and our very remedy, fo applied, would turn to poison in our hands.

Secondly, As to our present fins as it is in our power, so it will ever be our duty, to forfake them; and nothing can dispense with this obligation. We muft not therefore pretend to balance our good and evil together, and fondly imagine, that our virtues do fo far exceed our iniquities, that we may safely enjoy them. Our Saviour tells us, that when we have done our utmoft, we muft fay that we are unprofitable fervants. Where then is our claim to fo much merit and righteousness, as may render it proper for us to do less than our utmost, and may entitle us to the reward of the servants of God, whilft we wilfully con