fpirit of charity appear, when we contemplate its wonderful power to soften the temper, to gentle the manners, and to render" man mild and fociable to man!" How greatly would the harmony of families and the peace of society be increased-how much more perfectly would mankind experience the pleasure and benefit of "living together in unity," if they were univerfally taught, by the law of charity, not to be " cafily pro

voked !"

The laft property of charity which I shall at present confider is, that it THINKETH

NO EVIL.

This may either denote that charity renders men difinclined to think evil concerning the character and conduct of others, or that it prevents them from thinking or defigning evil against others. The former explanation of the phrase would make it of the fame import with a fubfequent character of charity, that it "believeth all things, and hopeth all things."

I there

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I therefore understand it in the latter
fenfe, as implying that a man who is
governed by the spirit of charity, will not
be able to devife and pursue any measures
which would be injurious to the peace
and happiness of his neighbour. And
this is certainly a just and important cha-
racter of charity; for it is very evident
that the fame spirit which difpofes a man
to do good, muft reftrain him from doing
evil. In a heart poffeffed and animated
by love, there can be no room for mali-
cious purposes, or treacherous and fraudu-
lent defigns. You will never find a truly
benevolent man impofing upon the cre-
dulous and unfufpecting, or deceiving the
ignorant, to ferve his own lucrative ends;
you will never find him taking advantage
of inexperience and weakness to gratify
his defires; you will never find him in-
vading the property or the liberty of his
fellow-creatures, and fubjecting them to
involuntary fufferings, for the fake of in-
creafing his own wealth and fplendour,

You

You may fafely entrust your most important concerns in his hands; for his benevolence will effectually preserve him from wronging you, even in circumstances in which he might do it with perfect fecrefy and fecurity. In fine, benevolence is, in all the tranfactions of focial life, the fureft guard of justice and equity. "Love worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."

Characters

Characters of Charity.

I COR. xiii. 6-8.

Charity rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things; believeth all things; hopeth all things; endureth all things: charity never faileth.

THE characters of charity which have already paffed under our notice are, that it exercises patient forbearance under injuries that it cherishes kind affections, and delights in kind actions-that it fubdues the tormenting paffion of envythat it banishes pride from the heart, and prevents indecorum and rudeness of manners-that it raifes the foul above the meanness of felfifhnefs, and dictates difinterested acts of beneficence-that it reftrains and moderates the paffion of anger

7

anger and that it renders those who are under its influence incapable of forming defigns injurious to the welfare of others.

66

Charity fuffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up; doth not behave itself unseemly; feeketh not her own; is not easily provoked; thinketh no evil." It now remains, that we contemplate this divine virtue, as the admirer and friend of merit; as the candid apologist for human infirmity; as a patient and hardy fufferer for the benefit of mankind; and as poffeffing within itself a principle of immortality. Charity "rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things; charity never faileth."

It has been ufual with moral writers to speak of virtue under the appellation of Truth: and fome moralifts have proceeded fo far as to maintain, that there is

no