thrown by this conclufion, that where there is cha rity, there will not be a multitude of fins; and where there is a multitude of fins, 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 person, who grows rather indolent than happy through an excess of goodnefs; it muft, on the other fide, be confidered, how blessed a state it is to enjoy a calm, whilst the world around us is failing in a ftorm; 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 transports of paffion. It is this happy temper alone that can bring us to expect our great change with any fatisfaction. How happy a condition will it be to be found at peace with ourselves and the world, when our great Mafter fummons us to appear! And who would not dread to be called from quarrels, contentions, and ftrifes, to ftand before the judgment-feat of God?

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Secondly, There may be reafons for expounding the text of the judgment of God, and yet the Apoftle's affertion may ftill relate to the fins of others, and not to the fins of the charitable perfon. But what, you will fay, may one man's fins be covered in the fight of God by another man's charity? Yes, they may; and in this sense

the very expreffion of the text is made ufe 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 finner from the error of his way, fhall fave a foul from death, and shall hide a multitude of fins. Where it is evident, that the fins to be covered are the fins of the foul to be faved from death; that is, the fins of the perfon converted from the error of his ways, and not the fins of the converter and the doing fo great a good to a brother, as the faving his foul, and hiding the multitude of his fins, is proposed as an incitement to every charitable perfon to labour the converfion of a finner. Join other cafes: It is very plain, how much fin and folly proceed from the mutual paffions of men labouring defpitefully to vex and provoke each other; and how much might be prevented on both fides, had one of them only reafon and discretion enough to put an end to ftrife. This part the charitable man is ever ready to act; and when he does, his paffionate adverfary owes it to his goodness, that in his anger he did not fin against God. This the Prophet David faw and acknowledged in his own cafe, and bleffed the happy inftrument which prevented his hands from fhedding blood. He had fworn in his wrath to deftroy Nabal, and all his family with him; but the wife of Nabal with gentle entreaties put a stop to his revenge, and faved him from committing the great crime. David no fooner recovered himself from his paffion, but he faw how much he was indebted to his petitioner ; and cried out, Blessed be the Lord God of Ifrael, which fent thee this day to meet me; and blessed be thy

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 several 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 reafon and scripture to expect, that by. charity we may cover our own fins.

In the verfe 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, Thefe things

laid together create a prefumption, that the Apoftic 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 Gofpel 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 Apostle calls on us to use the best 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. Her 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 trespass 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 reafon will cover our own offences, when the Lord fhall come to judge.

us.

the earth.

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 whosoever 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: O King, let my counsel 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 obfervations 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 proposed in the Gospel of our Saviour: and therefore, fince the Gofpel allows no li cence for continuing in fin, nor gives any encou ragement 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 incli nations. You have feen. that the words. of the text are capable of divers interpretations, and there