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 DUKE UNIVERSITY 
 
 DIVINITY SCHOOL 
 LIBRARY 
 
 FRANK BAKER COLLECTION 
 
 OF 
 
 WESLEY ANA 
 
 AND 
 
 BRITISH METHODISM 
 
1 
 
r T R T 
 
 'r\. 
 
 '2 O" 
 
 rid 
 
 itom & 
 
THE 
 
 Xob::Dm. 
 
 SPIRIT 
 
 O F 
 
 Chriftianitv. 
 
 k./ 
 
 LONDON, 
 
 Printed by Hcfiry HtUs , Printer to tli 
 King's moft Excellent Majefty, for his 
 Houfhold and Chappel. i685. 
 
'» -ta '* *. 
 
 3H 
 
 inabrliib lo lob 
 
 103 Ifi^i 1 
 

 TO THE 
 
 KING. 
 
 SIR, 
 
 ^^glgS wdcom as 
 
 """^^ ^ "^^ ^ the Argument 
 
 of this Trea- 
 
 tife always is 
 to Your Majefty , and as 
 happy as the Author has 
 been to pleafe You with his 
 managing it, I do not Pre- 
 fent it yet without a great 
 deal of diffidence. Tis no w 
 I fear too courlly Dreft to 
 
 A 3 thruft 
 
To the King. 
 thm(h ^ i(f ^ jnto the, Pm(?me. 
 I might peradventure wifh 
 as good a Grace make Your 
 Majefty a Frefent of withered 
 Flowers , or Fruit blown 
 down and bruis'd with the 
 Fall. ^ But Scriblers are pof- 
 fcfs'd with, the Spirit of Pre- 
 sumption , and make bold 
 with the Names of Princes 
 at every turn and to every 
 Trifle ; with which their 
 Goodnefs has had fo Ibng 
 patience, that Men offend 
 Eow by Prefcription. And I 
 perhaps moft of all, who fm 
 knowingly 5 and with a 
 
 ftrong 
 
^^ Me King. 
 
 ftrong check from the per- 
 fwafion I have, that the im- 
 portunity of officious Im- 
 pertinence is not die Hghteft 
 of the many Burdens which 
 fit fo heavy on Greatnefs. 
 But 'tis mine and all Your 
 Subjects comfort, that Yout 
 Majefty can> pardon greater 
 Faults : And that he is fe- 
 cure enough from being ill 
 received, who entertains You 
 With Chrijiianity, though in 
 never fo plain a Falhion 
 This comfort has flattered 
 me. into the boldnefs of 
 ^aoii> gratit 
 
To the King. 
 
 gratifying my Ambitio% 
 by owning to all the WorM 
 how much I glory in tlie 
 liappinefs of being "n 
 
 Tour Majejlfs ; 
 
 Moft humble^ mofi faithful 
 
 and moft dutiful SubieU 
 
 Walter Kirkham Elount. 
 
 

 
 ^rfj r TABLE OF ^^ 
 
 CHAPTERS. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 IN what con/tfls the true Sfirit of Chri- 
 fiiamty. Page i. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 Of the Nature and Qualities of this CL^ 
 rity in -which €onfi(is the Sfirit of Chri- 
 fiianity j and the Idea of a Chrijiian^ 
 
 Pag. 15. 
 CHAP. III. 
 Of the true fraBice of Charity ^ according 
 to the Sfirit ofChrifiiamtj, Pag. 3 h . 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 h what Order Chrifiian Charity ought to 
 
 befraSifed. Pag. 53. 
 
 UiukA^ ui CHAP. V. 
 CJfthe fever al lUupons to 'which the Tra* 
 
 Uice of Charity is fuhyeB. Pag. 6 j. 
 
 CHAP. vr. 
 
 of the Means to acquire Chrifiian Cha* 
 rity, Pag. loi. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
Table of Chapters^ 
 
 CHAP. VIL 
 
 Three fcwerful Motpves to excite a Chr'u 
 fiianto acquire the Vertue of Charity. 
 
 Pag. 1 1 o. 
 
 CHAP. VIIL 
 
 The Conclufion of this Difiourje hy way 
 ef Exhortation , to wove Chrifiians to 
 Charity. Pag. 124. 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 PA^e I iJine 1 8. r^4^ blood flied. /?. 1 9. 
 /. 8. r. coveted to. f, 60. /. 6. r. one 
 Ibul. p. 69. /. 3. r. too much. p. 70. /. 2 jr. 
 y. as we ought. ;>. 87. /. 18. r. Command, 
 p. 93. /. 21. r, is it felf. ^. 94, /. 6. r. De- 
 votion • p. 96. /. 5'. r. they advance, f.^j 
 /. 24. r. rcfle6t on : p. 100./. i o. r. opcn'd 
 to. /. 20. r. Is it as much. /. 26. r. the 
 mean ? p. 120. /. 26. r. reign fo. p. 1 1 8. 
 /. 17. r. life the. 
 
THE 
 
 SPIRIT 
 
 O F 
 
 CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 In what confijls the true Spirit of 
 Chrijiianity. 
 
 He Name of Chrifiian, 
 a Name fan6lified by 
 the Lives of the Apo-» 
 files 5 who were the 
 firft Faithful^and con- 
 fecrated by the bloud 
 of fo many Martyrs; 
 a Name Co divine, that it filled the World 
 heretofore with the fame of its glory, is at 
 prefent but as a glimmering light juft go- 
 ing out, and as a faint fhadow of what ic 
 w^s in its infancy. 'Tis true, that there 
 B never 
 
2 The Spirit 
 
 never was, perhaps, (b much talk of Chri- 
 flianity as in thefe latter Times; for every 
 place now rings with the Duties of a Pro- 
 feffion fo holy ; Nothing is in our mouth, 
 but the firft Ages, and purity of the Spirit 
 of the Primitive Church : but after all, 
 we may fay very juftly, there were never 
 fo few true Chriftians as now adays. The 
 ioofnefs, the excefs, the corruption of man- 
 ners in thefe Times, have Co disfigured in 
 our hearts the features of this moft faered 
 Chara6ler, that there (carce remains the 
 leaft fign of it. Fain would we enjoy the 
 honor belonging to this Name, without 
 knowing the price of it ; We attribute to 
 our felves this glorious quality, without 
 concern for what's to be done to deferve it ; 
 And we vainly boaft our felves to be, with- 
 out fb much as knowing by what fpirit we 
 ought to be Chriftlans. Thus we lofe 
 the advantage of fb elevated a dignity, 
 through the little care we take to learn its 
 obligations. 'Tis then to be wifht, that 
 to remedy this evil, a Chriftian be inftru6l:- 
 cd in the noblenefs of his Condition, and 
 holincfs of its Duties, by making him 
 comprehend what the Spirit of Chriftia- 
 fiity is. It is a Defign of fuch importance, 
 chat I fbould have been far enough from 
 tiiidertaking it of my felf, had not God 
 
 in(pii"ed 
 
of Chriftianity. 3 
 
 infplrcd me to do it, as much for my own 
 inftru6lion, as the edification of fuch as 
 (hall take the pains to read this fmaU 
 Trcatife. 
 
 Although one cannot be a Chriftian 
 but by Faith : yet one cannot live and adt 
 like a Chriftian but by Charity ; fince tbe 
 Spirit of Chriftianity confifts only in 
 Charity. To underftand this Truth, we 
 need only confider the Motives of the 
 Incarnation and Paftion of Jefm Chriff-.y 
 which are the two fundamental Myfterics 
 of Chriftian Reli'gion. In effect, as we 
 are only Chriftians by the heavenly alli- 
 ance of the Son of God with our Nature, 
 and by the ineftimable price of his Bloud 5 
 wc degenerate from that Spirit whereia 
 we were conceived, if we partake not in 
 tl:ie holy motions of that fervent Charity, 
 which was the principle of thele Myfte- 
 ries. For the Saviour of the World be- 
 came Man meerly to fave Man. In his 
 Incarnation he took on himfelf our infir- 
 mitieSj only to free us from them. He em- 
 braced poverty in his birth, only to enrich 
 us ; He fuffered death in his Pallion, only 
 to give us life ^ And what is more to be 
 admired , Man was worthy of nothing 
 but his hate, when God gave him fucb 
 fignal teftimoniesof his love. 
 
 B 2. Before 
 
4 The Spirit 
 
 Before this ineffable Myftery, Ve had 
 fbme Idea of the Greatr>efi, Power, and 
 Majefty of God ;but we had, fays S. Vaul^ 
 no manner of knowledge of his Mercy 
 and Goodneft. The excefs of this love 
 has appeared in the fequel, fb much above 
 the wit of Man, that all human reafon, as 
 Sahian affures us, has not hitherto been 
 well able to juftifie the difproportion of 
 ihe price of th=e death of an innocent Son, 
 which God gave, to redeem guilty Ser- 
 vants. Tis true, that from the firft ftep 
 the Son of God made, by his Incarnation, 
 towards the Salvation of Mankind, the 
 whole courfe of his life appears very op- 
 pofite to ours. He would be born in po- 
 verty and dlftrefs, who might have been 
 born in greatnefs and plenty : to teach us, 
 that he feeks us, not our wealth and trea- 
 fure; and that he requires nothing of us, 
 but our felves : He concerns himfelf with 
 ' Slothing elfe. He is fo far from avoiding 
 ©ur ignominy, that he made himfelf like 
 us, only to take it upon him ; and divefts 
 himfelf of his Greatnefs, to cloath himfelf 
 with our meannefs. 
 
 But to give us yet greater teftimonles of 
 his love, he transforms himfelf into all 
 Ihapes that tendernefs can infpire, to do 
 «s good. Now he is a foUicitous Shepherd, 
 
 running 
 
€f Chriflianity. 5 
 
 xtinning after the ftrayed Sheep, to bring 
 him back to the Flock. Then he Is a 
 Father, compaffionate of the mlfery to 
 which debauchery had brought his Son^ 
 whom he reclaims, by managing the fpi- 
 rir of the young Man, with ail the tender- 
 nefsin the bowels of a Father. A Travel- 
 ler is wounded by Thieves on the Road to 
 Jericho, and he becomes a Phyfician to 
 his Wounds. A Samaritan Woman is de« 
 firousTo-fce Jefi/s, and he charitably fets- 
 himfelf to inllru6l her, thereby to gain 
 her : and that thirft he would quench, by 
 drinking the Water he demanded from 
 her, is only the figure of a greater thirfl 
 and zeal which he had for her falvatibn. 
 He humjbles himfelf to appear unto Mag- 
 dalen , even like a Gardener , add to 
 comfort her, he converfes familiarly with 
 her in fo mean an outfide. To be fliorr, 
 he becomes a Traveller with the Difciples 
 going to Emam, to free them from thac 
 doubt and trouble into whicb their diftrult 
 had thrown them. 
 
 The Gofpel is full of a thoufand other 
 teftimonies of his bounty towards us. 
 When we fiie from him, he follov/s us ; 
 He calls us, when wc forget him : He pre(^ 
 fingly urges us, when we will not hear 
 iim. When v/e fligh-t him, he complains 
 -B 3 kindly 
 
^ The Sprit 
 
 kindly of us : And when wc return to him, 
 after having oflfended him, he feems fo 
 Cenfible, that he takes more pleafurc to 
 make his own joy, and that of his whole 
 •Goeleftial Court break out at the repentance 
 of one '{inner, then at the fidelity and per- 
 iiveranceof a great number of Juft ; be- 
 caufe his glory appears more in pardon- 
 ing, then punifliing. St. John thunders 
 forth nothing but threats and terrors to his 
 Hearers, becaufe hefpeaks in the fpirit of 
 *JS//Af : Jefm CbrifiQiys nothing but what 
 is fweet and mild5becau(e he fpeaks accord- 
 ing to his own Maximes, and in his own 
 Spirit, which is that of the law of Grace. 
 
 •But never did the love of God towards 
 Man appear more, then at his Paffion. For 
 that very night, wherein Man confpired^ 
 bis death , this God of goodne(s thought 
 of nothing but to leave him marks of his 
 mercy ^nd tendernefs : And at the fame 
 time that one of his D?/ciples,by the black- 
 eft of Treafbns, betcayed him to his Ene- 
 mies to be put to death, he gave his mod 
 iacred "Body for fgod for their Souls. He 
 died at kft loaded with reproach and igno^ 
 miny, after having been dragged from 
 Tribunal t-o Tribunal, forfaken by his 
 ewn Difciples, and abandoned by all the 
 World. He died a publiek -and infamous 
 
 Deaths 
 
of Chrijiiamty. 7 
 
 Beath, nailed to a Crofs • amidfl the Bla^ 
 
 phemies of thofe that put him to death ; 
 
 But he died with a iilence, a fweetnefs, a 
 
 tranquility, a patience, a peace, and quiet, 
 
 which ailoniflit his very Executioners. 
 
 They reproacht him when he was dying, 
 
 that he could fave others, but not himfelh 
 
 Nor was this reproach without reafon, be- 
 
 caufche thought no longer of himfelf, but 
 
 only of men. And amidfl: the horrors of 
 
 ib cruel a Death, plunged in a Tea of grief 
 
 and bitterncls, he never opened his'^dying 
 
 €yes, nor turn'd them towards heaven, but 
 
 to implore the mercy of his Father, even 
 
 for thofe that put him to death, faying. 
 
 Father forgive them, for they know not 
 
 ovhat they do. He fhed his Bloud, he died 
 
 for the falvation of the Executioners that 
 
 crucified him. What excefs of love ! How 
 
 incomprehenfible to our capacity ! S. Chri' 
 
 foflom had reafon to fay. That the greatefl 
 
 xeftimony Chrifi g^ve of his Divinity, was 
 
 •the extending his love even to all thofe 
 
 who killed him : for, nothing lefs then 
 
 "God could love at a rate, fa much abovje 
 
 4he reach o[ Man. 
 
 But though the Expreffions of that love 
 which the Son of God had for Man, are 
 •very obfervable in divers places of the 
 Old TeitameRt, under the Figures of the 
 
 Patxi- 
 
8 The Sprit 
 
 Patriarchs and Prophets ; yet are they no- 
 where more ftrong and tender, then in the 
 New Teftament , where ChrifJ^ him(elf 
 Ipeaks of it, as of one of the mofl: effential 
 Points of his Do6lrine. So as the whole 
 Morality of the Gofpel turns on this Prin- 
 ciple, That the true Spirit of Chriftia- 
 nity is, to have charity for on's Neigh- 
 bour. Every thing confpires to fettle there 
 this important Maxime, which is the fun- 
 damental Point of our Religion. For, 
 thou^ the Evangelifts wrote nothing by 
 agreement, and that the Gofpel feems to 
 have been publifht, rather upon occafion, 
 then by defign : yet fince 'cisthe Do6lrine 
 of their Mafter they write, we find therein 
 fb great a conformity of Sentiments oh 
 this Principle of Chriftian Charity, that \t 
 fufficiently appears by theif manner of 
 declaring it, there is nothing more effen- 
 tial to Chriftianity, then the love of our 
 Neighbour. The -whole law^ fays St. Mat- 
 thew, is comprehended in thisfreceft. ^Tts 
 the mofi important of aft ^ fays St. Mark. 
 Jefm Chrifi carries it to a higher pitch of 
 perfe£lion, in St. Lttke ; where he obliges 
 the faithful, reprefented by his Apoftles, 
 To love their enemies^ to do good for e'vily 
 and to fray for their calumniators. Laft 
 ©f all, St. lohn^ who knew moft of hi^ 
 ^ - - jy^after* 
 
of Chriftianity. p 
 
 Mafters fecrets^ and penetrated deepeft in- 
 to his thoughts, places the effential mark 
 of a Chriftian, in the love of our Neigh- 
 bour. By this all mm Jl^all know, fays our 
 Saviour by the mouth of this Apoflle, that 
 you are my difciples, if you lo've one another. 
 This is the commandment of the law ol 
 Grace, whereunto is reduced all the pcr- 
 fe6lionof the New Teftament ^ And the 
 Saviour of the World recommended no- 
 thing fo earneftly to his Difciples, in the 
 laft moments of his life, as Concord and 
 Union : Becaufe this Union was to be the 
 foundation of the Religion he eftablifhr. 
 
 The Evangclifts do not only fpeak all 
 according to this Principle ; but 'tis ap- 
 parent the fame Spirit makes them fpeak. 
 They treat their friends and enem.ies both 
 alike in their Hiftory. A God murthered 
 by men, and an innocent man oppreffed 
 by calumny, might have aflforded their 
 zeal fome reafon for exaggeration:yet they 
 allow themfelves nothing, which has any 
 (hew of emotion or violence. They relate 
 the treafbn of Judas, the cruelty of the 
 Executioners, the injuftice and violence of 
 the Magiftrates, without any touch of bit- 
 ternefs againft their perfons. They fpeak 
 in a way, apt to make one believe, they 
 had no concern in what they fay, A fplric 
 
 fo 
 
lo The Spirit 
 
 fo uninterefted is without example , and 
 whereof: the common fort of men are un- 
 capable. 'Tis only Chriftianity, that is 
 to fay,a Difcipline wholly coeleftial, which 
 can infpire fo much moderation. 
 
 We fee the firft fruits of this Spirit in the 
 ABs of the Afoftles^ which is the Hiftory 
 of the eftablifhment of Chriftianity. For, 
 as the Hiftorian relates, the Chriftians did 
 then live in fuch a Union, as if they had ail 
 one and the fame heart, and one and the 
 fame foul The propriety of Goods, which 
 ordinarily caufes diflentions araongil men, 
 was no obftacle to thio Union \ for all their 
 Goods were in common : They brought, 
 and laid at the feet of the Apoftles, their 
 Revenues, Rents, Bonds, Contra61:s, Jew- 
 els, and all the Wealth which each one pof- 
 fefTed. This difengagement from all things, 
 united them more firmly together : They 
 had but one fpirir, becaufe they fead but 
 ^)ne intereft. 
 
 The fir ft flames of this love broke out. 
 at the death of St. Stefben^ who had the 
 glory to lay his life firft down for Jefus 
 Chrifi : Stones flew about him from all 
 parts ; The Plains eccho'd with the cries, 
 of tho(e that encourag'd one another to kill 
 this holy Levite j His face was battcr'd 
 with blows, his ribs broken, his breafl 
 
 beaten 
 
of Chrijiianity. 1 1 
 
 beaten through , his breath e*en quire 
 gone, and yet he employed the little 
 ftrength he had left, in begging Gods 
 pardon for thofc that had treated him (a 
 cruelly : Lord^ fays he as he was dying, 
 lay not this fin to their charge. Thus to 
 forget himfelf, and employ his laft words 
 and fighs, in (blliciting God in behalf of 
 a Crime committed upon himfelf, was to 
 tread the very fteps of his Mafter, and to 
 be wholly poffefl with his fpirit ; and to 
 have no thoughts but thefc of tenderncfs, 
 in the very pangs of fo cruel and bitter a 
 death, was to die generoufly like a Chri- 
 ftian. How piire and holy is the Spirit of 
 Chriftianity , which infpired fo much 
 mercy ; and of how great inftru6i:ion to 
 Chriftians, the (acrifice of this firll: bloud- 
 fhed for the love of JeftiS ! 
 
 We fee in the progrefs ot the fame 
 Hiftory, the Apoftles animated by this 
 Spirit, to run through the whole World, 
 to preach and teach the Gofpel to all 
 Nations : And that neither the mofl fcorch- 
 ing Sands of ^^thiopia,' nor the Defarts 
 of Africa, nor the Frofts of Scythia^ nor 
 the remoteft parts of India^ nor Seas, nor 
 Tempefts, nor Rocks, nor Treafons, nor 
 Calumnies, nor contradi6lion of People,- 
 nor oppofition of Laws, nor Magi ftrates, 
 
 aof 
 
1 2 The Sprit 
 
 nor Governors of Provinces, nor all the 
 Power of the World, nor Chains, nor Prt- 
 fons, nor Gibbets, nor even the moft cruel 
 Deaths, were able to withftand their zeal, 
 nor fhake the conftancy of their hearts. 
 Dangers encourage them, dif&culties ani- 
 mate them, and their own weakncffes 
 ftrengthenthem: Becaufe the charity by 
 which they are poffeft, renders their own 
 lives inconlidcrable, when the falvation of 
 their Neighbour is in queftion. The truth 
 is, they did miracles, which ftruck people 
 with admiration. They commanded the 
 Winds, and Tempefts , Seafbns obeyed 
 them, and even Nature her felf in fomc 
 fort became their Slave : But after all, the 
 greateft of their Miracles, was their Cha- 
 rity. 'Twas alfo this Charity, which made 
 them with pleafure facrifice their honor 
 and life, to carry the light of the Gofpel to 
 the moft remote Nations of the Earth, and 
 draw them out of the profound blind ncfs, 
 wherein they were. This holy Doftrine 
 flew through the World, whilft thofe rhat 
 preacht it, were themfelves in Chains and 
 Prifons : And nothing perfwaded (b power- 
 fully the embracing of the Gofpel, as the 
 Charity of thofe that publifht it. Things 
 in themfelvcs incredible were believed , 
 though declai'ed by fuch as were perfecuted 
 
 by 
 
of Chriftianity. 1 5 
 
 by the whole World ; becaufe they that told 
 them, did firft pradlife themfelVes what 
 they taught others ; Nor was it neceflary 
 they fhould' Preach at all, fays St. Chryfo- 
 ftom^ becaufe their life was a continual 
 Sermon. 'Tis true, that the Infidels were 
 fcandahzed at their Perfecutions , their 
 Fetters, their Imprifbnments, and their 
 SuflFtrings : But the very Union,in which 
 they hved, was fo powerful, that they,who 
 moft reviled their Sufferings , fubmitted 
 to the Gofpel. 
 
 St. Vaul likewife inflamed with the 
 fame zeal, could not behold the reproba- 
 tion of the-Jews^a People heretofore fo che- 
 rifht by God, without offering up himfelf 
 in quality of a Viilim, and wifliing him- 
 felf anathematized for his Brethren. He, 
 who had {Jo highly protefted, that neither 
 Heaven, nor Hell, nor any thing created, 
 fhould be able to feparatc him from Jefm 
 Chri(i: • now begs to be feparated from 
 him , for the falvation of his People. 
 St. John , that beloved Difciple of our 
 Lord, had nothing ^o deeply engraven in 
 his heart, as this love for his Neighbour. 
 This was the only pradlice of vertue he 
 preacht to his Difciples, as an abridgment 
 of the whole Law of Grace, as Si, Jerome 
 affurcs us. Love one another ^ fays he, my 
 
 C dear 
 
14 The Spirit 
 
 Jear children^ ''tis the only thing 1 have to 
 tellyou^ hecaufe ^tis the only thing needful 
 to he done. He of all others fpeaks moft 
 clearly of this Do6irine, becaufe he had 
 the advantage of others, to found the Sen- 
 timents of his Mailer, by reafon of the 
 confidence 'Je[tts Chrifi^ns pleafed to ho- 
 nor him with above his other Apoftles. 
 
 Throughout the whole courfe of Ecclc- 
 fiaftical Hiftory there are found fuch emi- 
 nent trades of this Spirit, that it (eems as if 
 the Chriftians endeavoured only by Cha- 
 Tity todiftinguiflithemlclvesfrom Pagans. 
 3n their lives there appeared fueh vifiblc 
 marks of that new fire, which Chrifi carae 
 to bring into the World, that Chriftians 
 were known by their Union : And this 
 £re , wherewith their hearts were full, 
 flam'd with fuch a light, that it could not 
 bedarkned with Calumny, nor extinguiflit 
 by Perlecution. It was likewife that voice 
 of Love and Charity, which in preaching 
 of the Gofpel , was underftood by the 
 iierceil: and moft barbarous Nations, and 
 afterwards did chiefly contribute to the 
 eftablifliment of Faith. The Heathens 
 faid, rpeaking of the Faithful, They are 
 obliging, charitable, always doing good ; 
 therefore they arc Chriftians ; for their 
 Belief, their Morality, and their Gofpel, is 
 
 to 
 
of Chrijuafiity. 1 5 
 
 to lore their Neighbour, apd do good 
 to every one. They believed this new 
 Religion true, becaufe it commanded one 
 Man to love another, which is the mofl 
 reafbnable and juft Command of all other?. 
 They became Chriftians , perceiving in 
 how perfe6ian Union the Chriftians lived. 
 Their meeknefs, goodnefsjaflPability, mo- 
 deration, and inclination to oblige every 
 one , more powerfully moved the Hea- 
 thens to embrace the Dodbrine which pro- 
 it&6 fo v/tll-doing a Vertue, then all they 
 did. And the Faith advanced the falter, 
 by the good opinion people had conceived 
 of his holinefs, who was author of Co pure 
 a Law : according to the Prayer himfelf 
 had made to his Father, (peaking of the 
 Faithful j to the end^ fays he, they may h 
 united in tts^ and that the world toucbt 
 With this Union, may believe that it is you^ 
 my Father^ who hasfent me. The Union 
 wherein Chrifhans ought to live, is the 
 chief Reafbn Chrifl: ufes :o authorize his 
 Million, and excite peoples Faith. 
 
 In effe61:, this Union was fo great In the 
 firft Ages, that St. Clement, a Difciple of 
 the Apoftles, relates in one of his Epiftles, 
 that he had known divers Chriftians in 
 his time, who themfe Ives became Slaves, to 
 free their Breihren out of Slavery ^ and 
 C 2^ that 
 
i€ The Spirit 
 
 that he had feen others, who in a painful 
 and laborious Hfe, fed with the labours of 
 their Hands thofe that were in neccility. 
 St. Jufiin, in thq Apology he made for 
 Religion, before the Emperors, to give 
 thofe Princes a great Idea of Chriftia- 
 Jiity, mixes throughout his Difcourfe, the 
 holy Ordinances which Jefm Chrijt gave 
 the Chriftians, to be charitable and well- 
 doing ; like their heavenly Father , who 
 pours forth his Graces on the good and the 
 bad. TeTtullian^ in the Defence he made 
 of our Religion m the Reign of the Em- 
 peroT Se'verm^ fets forth moft admirably 
 well, the great Love and Union among 
 Chri{lians,whereby they galn'd the efteera 
 «Frhe People. 
 
 'Tis true, that in the Reign of the Em- 
 peror Veffatian^ theChriftiansdId fo often 
 and liberally affift the imprifon'd Martyrs 
 with their temporal Goods, that notorious 
 Thieves counterfeited themfelves Chrifti- 
 ans, and caft themfelves into Prifon, that 
 fo they might partake of their fuccour. A 
 while after the Diforders were fo great in 
 Africa, that a Bifhop of Carthage to re- 
 medy them, was neceilitated to forbid the 
 Chriflians to givethefe Alms, becaufe the 
 Heathens themfelves did privately feoff at 
 libe Abufestbey committed therein. 
 
ofG^hrjflia?iity. 1 7 
 
 But in procefs of time, thefe Succours 
 becoming more needful, through the greac 
 number of Martyrs, which increafed with 
 the Perfecution, the Alms were fb regula- 
 ted by St. Cyfrian^ that he took away the 
 abufe, without diminifhing the abundance. 
 The fame S. Cyp'ian did by bis DifcourfeSj 
 fb inflame the Charity of the Carthagim"- 
 ans^ that he gathered a vaft fum of Money., 
 and therewith redeemed a great number of 
 Chriftian Captives, whom the Barbarians 
 had carried into Slavery, when they cntred^ 
 the Confines of Numidia. 
 
 The Charity of the Chriftians wa& 
 more confpicuous under the Emperor 
 Gallienns^ in the heat of that Civil War^ 
 which had almoft ruin'd the City of Akx-- 
 anuria : as Eufebim Bifhop of Cefarea re- 
 lates in his Hirtory. The reciprocalafnft- 
 ance that Chriftians gave each other, was 
 the more remarkable, becaufe the City 
 was divided by two Fa6lions, extreamly 
 animated againft each other. But this fpi- 
 rit of Union was yet more emirvent, in that 
 difmal Plague which followed the War,, 
 and deftroycd that City, before moftflou- 
 rifhing : They faw there, fays Eufehitts.^^ 
 the Chriftians continually about the Dy- 
 ing, and courageoufly expofingthemfelves 
 to death, in exhorting them to offer up< 
 G 3, thdv. 
 
it The Spirit' 
 
 $heir liv^s, in the fubmiilion of their heart ; 
 And after having received their laft fighs 
 with pleafure, they faw them wafh, kifs, 
 and bury, their Bodies j VVhiiH: among the 
 Pagans., Neighbour became jealous of 
 Neighbour, Friend diftrufted Friend % they 
 that W€r€ neareft related forfook each o- 
 ther in extremity. The Father left the 
 Son, and the tendereft Mothers caufed the 
 dead Bodies of their own Children to be 
 caft out of the Windov/s. In truth, the 
 Chriilians, that died in the Duties of fuch 
 fervent Charity, drew fo great veneration 
 from all people-, that the Church of Alex- 
 4.ndria regiftred them among the numr 
 ber of Martyrs, whereof (he keeps a pubf 
 lick Fellival the lad: of February : And 
 ^ufehms mentions this Feaft in his Hir 
 ftory. 
 
 After all, there is nothing gives fo lively 
 av character of the Charity which then 
 flouriflied among Chriftians, as what hap? 
 pen'd to St, Tacomius*^ He being yet a 
 Heathen, and having Lifted himf@lf into 
 the Troups of the Emperor Z/V;Wi!^j, after 
 along and troublefom Journey, arriv^ed at 
 laft at T^jehs. When all the Army came 
 thither,the Chriftians -of that City brought 
 ihcm, with great joy and for ward nefs, all 
 fp4X of. R.efre.fhnients,. This, made hin^ 
 
 enquire.. 
 
of €hriftiamty. i^ 
 
 ^itqulre who ihofe charitable People were, 
 that came thus thronging to relieve ever} 
 one ? They anfwer'd himj.they were Chri- 
 ftians, who profefled 'twas their duty to 
 do good to all the World, Metaphraftus. 
 teftifieSj that Tacomius was fo toucht with 
 this fpirit of well-doing, that he ardentl)? 
 courted to be one of thofe (^o holy mepj 
 and he obtain'd his defire : for (hortly aftec 
 this accident he obtain'd the Grace of 
 God to become a Chriftian. EvagriKs. 
 makes an admirable defcription of that 
 Union wherein the Chriftians lived at 
 Thebes^ v/here the Faith wasHill in its pri- 
 mitive fervour. 
 
 Eujebias loWs-ns^m the Life of Confian^ 
 tJne, that the humility of Chnftianity had 
 in fuch manner annihilated in the foul of 
 this Prince that p>ride, which Sovereignty 
 inrpireS;,that W-hen he became Mafler of tha 
 Empire, he no longer lookt on his Subje6^s 
 as his Slave?, as the other Emperors had 
 done, but he regarded them as his Brothers^ 
 and Fellow-fervants of the fame Mafter, 
 and lame God that he adored : And ha 
 made no other ufe of his Imperial Purple^ 
 then to-fortifie his Authority, that he might 
 make hely Ordinances. for the eafe of his-. 
 People, and fatisfie his.great inclination to- 
 do-goodio fuch as G^dhad put under hi%~ 
 Bo^^er.. ^ Xhfe 
 
20 The Spirit 
 
 The Forces of the Emperor Theodofius 
 being arrived at Antioch^ to punifh thofe 
 that had thrown down his Statues, the 
 Hermits of the neighbouring Mountains 
 and Defarts round about, appeared all at 
 once iffuingout of their fblitary Dwellings 
 and Caves, to implore clemency of the 
 Emperours Officers, for fuch as had offend- 
 ed. Our Vriftce (cried otit thefe holy Her- 
 tt\\is) is a Chriftian^ he wiU have comfaf- 
 pon when he jhall know our Complaints : 
 and Tve ought not to fuffer you to emhrue 
 your Hands in the hloud of our Brethren. 
 Thefe holy Men, being repulfed by the 
 Soldiers, addreflfed themfelves to the Offi- 
 cers, and obtained a delay of the punifh- 
 ment. They immediately put to Sea, and. 
 being arrived at Conftantinople, caftihem- 
 felves at the Emperours feet, and offered 
 their own Heads to fave thofe that were 
 guilty. The whole Court admired the zeal 
 of fb fervent a Charity : And St. Chryfo- 
 ftom affLres us, that the Emperour having 
 pardon'd their Offence, gain'd more ho- 
 nor by this a6l of his clemency, then he 
 ever did by the ludre of his Diadem. This 
 great Saint could rut ceafe from praifing 
 the Law o^Jefus Chrifi^ which had been 
 ib powerful to fiipprefs the rage of fb 
 jni^hty a Prince, and.toinfpire him with 
 
 fiidb, 
 
of Chriflianity. 2 1 
 
 fuch a mild temper, as few, even private, 
 perfbns are capable of. 
 
 'Tis by the fervour of this Spirit too; 
 that fo many illuftrious Ladies, who in the 
 £rft Ages were the greateft Ornaments of 
 Chrifti.iniry, the Faula^s, the Marcella\ 
 the Albina^ s J the Me lania^s, the Flaccillas^ 
 the VanUna'sy did more honor to Reh'gion, 
 then by the noblehefs of their Bloud and 
 Birth, or the fplendour of their Fortune; 
 The ftream of Erclefuftical Hi (lory b 
 nll'd with Examples expreffingthisChara- 
 (5^er, which then was found in Emperours 
 and private perfons, in great and in little, 
 in Men and Women ; for In eftecl, this 
 was the true Spirit of Chriftianiry, which 
 in following Ages was found more or le(s 
 fcrveat, according as Religion flourifhed 
 more or lefs. True it is, that this Charity 
 never (hew'd its felfin its full puri'cy, but 
 at its birth : and its brightnefi appear'd 
 fb much the greater at the beginning, as 
 the Grace that encourag'd it was more 
 ftrong and more abundant ; But although 
 it feem, that Chriftianity Is become more 
 weak and faint , as it runs on farther 
 from its Source, through the courfe of (b 
 many Ages ; yet from time to time fome 
 Sparks have (hew'd themfelves of this di- 
 vine fire of Charity, which is the foul of it. 
 
2 2 The spirit 
 
 In thefe latter Times, as well as in the 
 lirft Ages, Taulins have been feen felling 
 their own Liberties, to deliver their Bre- 
 thren from Servitude. There has been 
 found more then once a John Calahite^ 
 and a John Almoner, who have diverted 
 themfelves of all things, to give all to the 
 Poor. 'Tis read in St. Anfelw^ that El- 
 phegus Archbifhop of Canterbury^ who 
 liv'd in the beginning of the eleventh 
 Age, being taken Prifonerby the Enemy, 
 chofe rather to die, then confent his Flook 
 ihould be overcharg'd for the ran(bm of 
 his life. I fay nothing of St. Bernardtn of 
 Skna^noT of St. C^W^/jWhofoChriftian- 
 like expofed their Yivc^^ to aflift at their 
 <ieath thofe infe(5l:ed with the Plague. I 
 do not mention St. Francis Xaverius^ who 
 left his Country, Houfeand Hopes, to run 
 to the utmoft parts of the World after 
 Salvages and Barbarians, to inftru6l them 
 in the knowledge of Jefus Chrift, 
 
 And amidft the deplorable remifnefs of 
 the Manners of this Age, how many great 
 Interefts, great Honors, great Reputations, 
 great Hopes, have we (een facrificed in the 
 generous exercife of Chriftian Charity ? 
 How many Perfons ofQuality, how many 
 eminent Wits, with fublimc Talents, how 
 «iany tender and delicate Ladies , have 
 
 fubmit- 
 
of Chrijlianity. 25 
 
 iubmitted themlelvcs moft willingly to the 
 pains of a laborious and obfcure life, to 
 fuccour their Neighbours ? We have (ecu 
 in the old Age of Chriftianity, and in the 
 corruption of this Age, Apoftolical Men 
 crofs the Seas, to go and inftruct Infidels, 
 and bring them into the right way. 
 
 To conclude, this Spirit of the Apoftles, 
 which God has revived in fome mealure in 
 thefe latter Times, and this fo fervent zeal 
 for the falvation of Souls, is fb apparently 
 the, true Spirit of Chriftianity, and the 
 eflential diftindlion between the Children 
 of the Church and others which are not 
 of it ; That though it be above an Age 
 fince fbme of our Neighbours, who have 
 unhappily left the Faith, run into all parts 
 of the World, there to plant TrafBck and 
 Commerce, which flourifh amongft them : 
 yet there has not yet appeared any one 
 Paftor of their Communion, that has had 
 the virtue and courage to give his life to 
 Baptize one Salvage, and Convert one 
 Infidel. So true it is, that the difinterefled- 
 nefsand purity of Chriftian Charity, can- 
 not be fo much as counterfeited by Here- 
 ticks ; who impudently boafl: themfelves 
 to inherit the Faith of the Apoftles : when 
 in reality they have not any mark of their 
 Zeal, or fign of th^cir Spirit j fince they can 
 
 behold 
 
 % 
 
24 of Chriftianity. 
 
 behold without any concern, the People 
 with whom they TraflRck continually, in 
 a profound ignorance of things neceffary 
 to their falvation. For what means the in- 
 differency of thefe falfe Pallors, who,with- 
 out the lead compaflion, fee the Flock of 
 Jefus Chrift fcattered and ftraying ? What 
 means this io cold tranquility,but what our 
 Lord himfelf faid. That the true Paftor, 
 (whereof himlelt was the ModeI)is always 
 ready to give his life for his Flock ; and 
 that the mercenary Paftor concerns not 
 himfelf for the Flock of "Jejus Cbrifi^ be- 
 caufe he is an Hireling ? Its in Charity 
 then alone confifts the true Spirit of Chri- 
 ftianity we feek after. She is that precious 
 Jewel of the Gofpel, which muft be pur- 
 chafed at any rate, to become the truly rich 
 of the new Law. Let us then renounce 
 our Intereftsand Plcafures, if they are ob- 
 flacles to our poflefling it. But to animate 
 our felves ftlU more to acquire it, let us 
 look into its value, by confidering its na- 
 ture and qualities. Its that muft be exa- 
 mined in the following Chapter, 
 
 CHAP. 
 
X)f'ChriJlia7ihy. 25 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Of the nature and qualities of this 
 Chanty , in ivhich conftjls the 
 Spirit of Chriftianity ; and the , 
 Idea of a Chriftian. 
 
 'nr^ I S natural for Man to love Man ; 
 X But 'tis a great venue to love him 
 for his vertues fake: for love that is found- 
 ed on honefty, wlfdom, good inclination, 
 fidelity, or any other real merit, is a vet- 
 t^e, and 'tis laudable to love thefe quali- 
 ties , which are themfelves worthy of 
 praife. But after all, thus to love, is to love 
 but like a Heathen : for the Pagans love 
 thofe that love them , and fuch as have 
 qualities worthy their love. What is k 
 then to love like a Chriftian ? 'Tis to love 
 without hearkening to Nature, which 
 wills that we love our like j 'Tis to love^ 
 even without confulting our Reafbn, 
 which requires that we love what is wor- 
 thy to be beloved. Nature and Reafbn 
 do not comprehend this Secret : The 
 GoTpel muft fpeak, and 'tis Jeftn Chrilt 
 himfelf mud: teach it. To love like a 
 Chriftian,istolovethat which has nothing 
 amiable; 'Tis to have a kindnefs and 
 rendernefs for thofe that have all unkind- 
 D nefs 
 
26 The Spirit 
 
 nefs and rigour for us .• In fine, to love 
 like a ChriOian, is to defire the go6d of 
 thofe that wifti us nothing but ill. 
 
 This Venue was unknown to the Mo» 
 rals of Socrates and Mofes^ to Philofophy 
 and the old Law. The Precept to love our 
 Enemies, is of the new Law ; And this fb 
 holy Maxim could not come but out of 
 the School of God, (b much 'tis raifed a- 
 bove Man. 'Tis indeed Jefus Chrift is the 
 Author of it, and himfelf in Perfbn that 
 inftru<5ts us : But I fay to )ou, lo've your 
 'Emmies^ do good to them that hate you^ 
 and fray for them that calumniate, and 
 ferfecute you. Thefe are the words of the 
 Saviour of the World : Behold our Belief, 
 our Gofpel , our Morality, and the true 
 Chara6^er of our Religion. The other 
 marks of a Chriftian, as Devotion, Pe- 
 nance, Hope in God, Humility, and even 
 Martyrdom it felf , may be equivocal 
 marks : 'Tis only the love of our Enemies 
 that is not : 'Tis hereby alone that a Chri- 
 Hian can diftinguifh himfelf ; and to em- 
 brace the Faith, is to embrace the obliga- 
 tion to love the Pcrfecutor, in loving the 
 Pe r fee ut ion. 
 
 But how can a man love that which 
 ^merits his hate, when he has fcacre power 
 to love that which dcferves to be beloved ? 
 
 What 
 
of Chriftia7iity. 2j 
 
 What violence mud not he ufe to himfelf 
 before he gains that Point ? He needs not 
 ufe any ; for from the inftant that he fin- 
 cerely becomes a Chri'lian, he loves his 
 Enemies as really as his Friends ; And the 
 fame Motive that makes a Chriftian love 
 God, the fame alfo makes him love his 
 Neighbour as a Child of God • for he ^q^ 
 reflect on him abeam of the fame light, that 
 makes himfelt know God. Although his 
 Brother be his Enemy j from the time that 
 he regards him as a Member of Jefus 
 C^orifi^ fprinkled with his Blond, fed with 
 his Flefn, enliven'd with his Spirit, de- 
 flin'd to his Glory ; that he profefles the 
 fame Law and Religion as he do's ; that: 
 they have both the fame Hopes, the fdme 
 Pretenfions, the fame Sacraments, and 
 >vhen he confiders J ejus Chrifi in his 
 Neighbour, as the motive of his Charity, 
 he loves him : And Flelli, Bloud, Nature, 
 Reafbn, Intereft^ and Pailion, are too weak 
 Confiderations to difunite Hearts tied to- 
 gether by fo holy an Union •, that is to fay, . 
 by all that is (iipernatural and divine in 
 Chriftianity. So, the motive of the love o£ 
 our Neighbour being the fame with the 
 motive of our love of God , as St. Leo 
 teacheth j both the one and the other be- 
 ing grounded on the fame principle, and 
 D 2.. tendings 
 
2 8 The Spirit 
 
 tending to the fame end ; a Chriftian can- 
 not be failing in the one, without failing 
 in the other ; fince the fame ray of Faith 
 which enlightens his fpirit to know God, 
 ought ta enflame his heart to love his 
 Neighbour. For with what fincerity can 
 he boaft he loves God whom he do's not 
 lee, and not love his Neighbour whom he 
 ftts^ and who reprefents to him that fame 
 God he boafts that he loves, as the Apo- 
 ille^ys ? Behold what's the nature of 
 Chriftian Charity, that in effecSi: cannot 
 love her Neighbour, but with the fame 
 love wherewith {he loves God : which 
 made St. John fay, That he ivho has cha- 
 rity is in God^ and God in him: Let us 
 then examine the qualities of this Charity. 
 
 The Firft quality of this Vertue is, that 
 'tis Univerfal , and cannot fuffer to be 
 bounded in the extent of its love : for it 
 loves the little and the great , the poor 
 and the rich, the wretched and the happy, 
 the peevifli andthecomplaifant, the ftran^ 
 ^er and the domeflick, him that merits to 
 be beloved, and him that deferves nor. 
 Wherein 'tis in fbme (brt like God, who 
 pares his gifts to the worthy and unwor^ 
 thy^ and fours forth his light on the jufl 
 and unjufi. In fine, this Vertue embraces 
 equally the whole World ; 'Tis an univer- 
 
 C4 
 
of^ChnJli unity . 29 
 
 lal fpirit, that ktiows none of thofe carnal 
 and Heathenifh diftin6lions, of Engage- 
 ment, Intereft, Party, Cabal, of Vaul and 
 Cephas^ which divide at prefent io many 
 petty rpirits in the World. For, according 
 to St. Augupin^ To love all men, and to 
 pretend to except but one, with whom he 
 is not entirely (atisfied, and not able to 
 bear with for fome particular reafbns ; is 
 not to love like a Chriftian. A Chrifliaiii 
 has an univerfal love, becaufe the motive • 
 of it is general : the change of Times,, 
 Places, and Circumftances, can make no^ 
 akeration in his love ; he loves in iick— 
 nefs and health, in adverfity and profpe- 
 rity, in affii6i:ion and joy,- in humiliatioa 
 and greatnefs, in dejevl^ion and advance- - 
 ment, in poverty and plenty, to be fhort, . 
 be loves in life and in death • becaufe he 
 is that fincere Friend of whom the Scri- 
 pture fpeaks, who loves at all times. He 
 fixes his heart on the Perfons without re- - 
 garding the Circumftances, unlefs it bs to ^' 
 love after a more difmtereffed manner, and 
 when neceflity more requires it. Behold . 
 th€ firft quality of Chriftian Charity. 
 
 The Second is Sincerity : Let us- love^^ 
 fays Sr. John, but let us teftifie our love by 
 cjf'eBsy and not by Tvords : The Chara6ler 
 of humane Love con Gils oi4y^ in Comple- 
 D 3- ' aaenis,., 
 
^a The Spirit 
 
 ments, Civilities, tender of Services, prote-^ 
 il'ations of Amity , ftrain'd Complacen- 
 cies, falfeFriendfhips, vain Words, deceit- 
 ful Promifes, and in all other DilTimulatL- 
 ons,which are commonly pra^tifed by thofe 
 ^at Tead a worldly Hie. But Chriftiaa 
 Charity neyer counterfeits : ihc (peaks no,- 
 thing but what flie thinks : (he thinks no- 
 thing but what fbe feels, (he feels nothing 
 but what (he would execute : her words 
 2iever belie her a6lion3, and her a6!ions are 
 always conformable to her Sentiments.; for 
 Ihe is eflentially fincere, and has no othec 
 Way to e:xplamher felf, but by her deeds.. 
 The Third quality of this Vertue , i$ 
 Purity of fpifit, and a perfe6l difinterefledr 
 iiefs : forcTue Charity refpedts God alone, 
 iiTid ftudies purely to pleafe him : (b as (he 
 never a6ls upon thofe mean and worldl}? 
 Confid'erarions of Ijiterefl: and Vanity, 
 'is^hich ftt men awork :. for Mendo feldomi 
 ^^ryod to one another, but out of hopes of 
 interell:. ^Tis on thefe Maxims they would 
 have all the World know when they da 
 iheir Friend any fervice ; they are only of- 
 £cious to gain repute ; and oblige only tQi 
 publiihit: If they art filcnx, 'tis for fome 
 private Teafon that rheyfee it "fit to hold 
 iilcirtongue. Chriftian Charity has aeon- 
 UM17 way of Droceeding; to ihis worldly 
 
 Charity^. 
 
of Chrifiianity. -^ 
 
 Charley^: (he has na other defign or pr5- 
 ten'fion, becaufe her motive is pure. AH 
 her ftudy in doing good, is how to conceal 
 bcr doing it : If Ae gives Alms, (he hidevs 
 them in the Laps of the Poor, as theScrir 
 pture fays ; fhe draws a Veil over all hor 
 good Deeds, that they may not be known, 
 and (he would hide them even from her 
 own felf,. were it poffible,. to entruft thesi 
 only to her modefty and filence. The plea- 
 fijre fhe takes in doing good is to her a 
 greater recompence, then all the applaufes 
 of Men. As (he do's nothing but for God, 
 fo (he would have no other witnefs of her 
 a61:ions. He is the fole motive of the good 
 works (he do's ^ and it fuffices he knows 
 them, to be himielf their recompence. 
 
 The other qualities of Charity St. Taut 
 ^explicates in the admirable Elogy he made 
 ■of this Vertue to the Cermthiavs : Cha- 
 icjty (^fays this Apoftle) is patient^ is he- 
 -nign. Charity eriruies not^ deals Ttot pef^ 
 *u.erjl/, is. not pufed up, is not ambitious ^ 
 Jeeks not her.o'wny is not pro<uoked to angej\ 
 thinks net evil, repyces not upon iniquity^ 
 hjit rejojces with the truth ^ fiff^'^^ ^^ 
 things, believes aU.things^ hopes all thingS'i^ 
 hears all things : Thefe Qualities become 
 yejc more luftrous in the life of a Chriftian^ 
 wbi.ch is a contiaual prafliie and excrcife 
 
3 2 The Spirit 
 
 of this Vertue. 'Tis good to make hereof 
 fome Idea, enly to (hew what it is in re- 
 rpe6l to our Neighbours : The lineaments 
 of fo admirable a pi6ture, which length of 
 time has almoft decay'd,cannot be well tra- 
 ced over again, without gathering thence 
 fome profit. 
 
 A Chriftian is altogether an interi- 
 our Man, who has nothing of the cor- 
 ruptible Man in us, but the outward 
 fhape : but there appears fo much of mo- 
 deration and wifdom even in his exteriour, 
 and Gods Grace has fo powerfully de- 
 flroy'd his natural inclinations, to fan6lifie - 
 all his interiour, that he is a pattern to o- 
 ther men, becaufe he is more reafonable, , 
 and better govern'd then other 'men. 
 Mis chief chara6^er is the fpirit of Equi- 
 ty : And of all Vertues, Juftice is that 
 which he moft accuftoms himfelf to,, 
 becaufe fhe always ferves him to hold the 
 ballance even betwixt himfelf and his 
 Neighbour. His bufi^efs is not to raile 
 his fortune, but his perfe6lion, and to help 
 others to make ihemfelves perfevSl : And 
 bis ordinary employment is to inftru6l, 
 help, prote6l, and ferve his Brethren : but 
 be do's it with fo much love , fb much 
 seal, and fo much difintereflednefs j that 
 there is no man loves himfelf fo well, as a 
 
 Ghriftiaax 
 
of Chrijiianity. g*^ 
 
 Chriftian loves his Neighbour. His Neigb- 
 hours incereft is more dear to him then 
 his own : and he is lefs concern'd for h}s 
 own honour then his Brethrens ; for he 
 counts their advantages among his own, 
 be draws his fatisfaftion from their plea- 
 fures : And by an unparalell'd compla- 
 cency he transforms himfelf into their hu- 
 mour, and affumes fometimes even their 
 fpirit. He is that univerfal Man, who^ as 
 St. Vaul ^ is every thing to every one: 
 He is the comfort of the affli6ted, iht fup- 
 portof the feeble, the fuccour of tlie needy, 
 the refuge of th^perfecuted, and thecoun- 
 lei of all thofe that want it. In fine, 
 there is no wcaknefs that he do's not com- 
 pafllonate, and no mifery at which his 
 bowels are not moved. He is fo far from 
 defiring what he has not, like the genera- 
 lity of men, that he is always ready to give 
 what he has. If modcfty appears in his 
 Drefs, frugiUity at his Table, fimplicity in 
 his Houfhold-flufF, and good Husbandry 
 throughoiit ; 'ris but, by his contempt of 
 luxury, to fave wherewithal he may pro- 
 vide for the necelTity of the Poor, to whom 
 he gives his helping hand in all their 
 wants. His Eftate is the Poor's, becaufe 
 their poverty is his. 
 
 Th.efole luftre of Charity {tines in eve 
 
34 The Spirit 
 
 vy thing he do's, without any mixture of 
 the leail fmoke of vanity. His modefty 
 throws out all Sentiments of his own glory, 
 and he knows no other but that of bene- 
 ficence,and obliging all the world: So that 
 he do^snot heap up Wealth to enrich him- 
 ielf, but therewith to do good to others : 
 'Tis not to be knowing he fludies, but to 
 (erve thole that are not : He has Riches 
 only for the Poor, and Learning for the 
 Ignorant. Nor is it for himfclf that he is 
 powerful, wife, underflanding, and ready 
 at Bufmefs, bur only that by thefe quali- 
 ties he may be more beneficial to his 
 Neighbour : And he has no (agacity, but 
 the better to difccrn the fpirit of others, 
 and to look on them on the more favoura- 
 ble fide. Though amongll the proud he 
 has the fimpllciry of the Dovt , yet a- 
 mongft the wicked and impious, according 
 ro the counfel of the Gofpcl, he has the 
 prudence of the Serpent. He knows how 
 to make advantage of their defefls , and 
 the depravcdnefs of the moil: corrupted 
 fpirits ferve him for inftru61ions ; for by 
 their weaknefs he regulates his power. 
 
 When he is rais'd in Dignity, and his 
 Deferts have plac'd him above his Bre- 
 thren, to govern them ; Then is he like 
 t;he good Paftor of the Gofpel, who felt 
 
 more 
 
of Chri(iianity. 35 
 
 more grief for the ftraying of one of his 
 Sheep,then joy for being Maller'of a whole 
 Flock. He always looks on a finner with 
 a Father-like eye, he bewails him in his 
 di(brders, he fuffers him with patience, and 
 treats him with mildnefs, not opprelling 
 him with the weight of his Authority, that 
 is already overwhelm'd with the preflure 
 of his Crime : He is tender-hearted and 
 compaflionate even when his Duty obli- 
 ges him to be harfh and feverc. His feve- 
 rities are far more amiable then the carefles 
 of others 5 for when he punifhcs, he do's 
 not heed fo much the punifhrjent of the 
 Ofience, as the correcl:ion of the Offender. 
 So that in h>s height in refpef^ of other 
 Men, he is like the Candle in the Gofpel, 
 which enlightens the whole Houfe. His 
 carriage is the model of Chriftian com- 
 portment, and his life a publick inftru6lion 
 for all vertuous People. 
 
 He firfl: impofes on himfeif the whole 
 weight cf that yoke which he is oblig'd to 
 impofe on others ; and as zeal in words 
 becomes fruirlefs, if not fupported by that 
 of actions, himfeif pra6tices by an exem- 
 plary life, what hf would perfwade others. 
 Whatever outrage is done him, cannot 
 make him hate the doer. He underflands 
 not rcturnng injury for injury, nor knows 
 
 what 
 
^6 The Spirit 
 
 what anger is j and he is ib much maftet 
 of his refentments, when an^^ injuftice is 
 done him, that he finds it far lefs difficult 
 to forget, then to remember the offence. 
 But nothing fhews fo much his dominion 
 over his own heart, as the quiet he enjoys 
 in the general agitation and heat which 
 other men difcover in their Affairs. His 
 mildnefs, his patience, his innocence, and 
 bis fincerity, are then all the crafts and po* 
 liticks he ufes. His confcience is not only 
 clear in rerpc6t of the interefts he has to 
 determine with others : but his heart clean 
 in the judgment he makes of them ; for he 
 judges every thing without prejudice : 
 All appears innocent to him, becaufe all he 
 do's is without deceit. In fine, his chief 
 care is to pr^ferve an equality of mind, a-^ 
 midfl the Inequalities of the Affairs of the 
 World : which concern him no farther,then 
 the connexion they have with the glory 
 of God, or falvatlonof his Neighbour. 
 
 Behold what it is to be a Chriflian : and 
 not to counterfeit unfeafonably the zealot 
 about the carriage of others ; to be very 
 . felicitous for their perfe6^ion, and carelefs 
 for ones own ; to trouble ones head for 
 them, and never think of ones (elf ; to talk 
 t of nothing but the primitive Faithful, 
 cite nothing but the ancient Canons, and 
 
 deplore 
 
of Chrifli unity. 37 
 
 deplore the remifnefs of the Church ; Nor 
 is it in the refinements of DifcipUne and g 
 Reformation which found fo big every 
 where, or in thofe intrigues of dilTembled 
 Devotion, in which they place the Vertue 
 of this Age, that the Spirit of Chriftianity 
 confifts. The true Chriftian is a Man fim- 
 ple, retired, httle in his own eyes, which 
 he keeps always as open and obfervant o£ 
 his own weaknefTes, as clofed againfl thofe 
 of others. He takes not any notice of his 
 own advantages, he only obferves thofe of 
 his Neighbour : becaufe he has only a con- 
 tempt for himfelf, and efteem and defe- 
 rence for others. His condu«5l edifies all the 
 world, and angers no body ; He flies all 
 plaufiblenefs even in good works , because 
 whatever gains credit is dangerous to 
 Man, who is fubjecl to miftake himfelf ; 
 He is no backbiter, nor peevifh • no Man 
 of artifice, no doer of fhrewd turns. Thus 
 were the Primitive Chrillians : Nor is this 
 a vain or fruitlefs Ideaof a Chriftian, or 
 his Chara6ler that I have drawn : for the 
 Chridians lived after this manner in the* 
 newnefs of fpirit of the Primitive Church. 
 What, is this Image entirely defaced ? and 
 is this Spirit retir'd wholly from us ? Blef- 
 fed Times when they lived thus ! when 
 will you return ^ But it is not enough to 
 E know 
 
38 The Sprit 
 
 know wherein Chriftian Charity confids ; 
 what its nature and qualities are : if the arc 
 how to pradlife it be unknown. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Of the true pra^tce of Charity^ ac- 
 cording to the Spirit of Chrijlia* 
 fiitj. 
 
 THere is no Vertue of a more uni- 
 verfal u(e in Chriftianity , then 
 Charity : It may be pradlifed on 
 all occafions, for the Poor are found every 
 where ; and the detail of miferies , where- 
 unto Man is fubje£l, is of ib vaft extent, 
 that one may fay 'tis of all Conditions. 
 Thus Charity may be exercifed to the 
 Rich and Poor, to the contented and dis- 
 contented, to the happy and unhappy, to 
 the learned and ignorant, to the proud and 
 Jiumble, to the living and dead. So that 
 this Vertue may be pra6lired in publick and 
 private, m the light and in the dark, at 
 home and abroad, in the Court and the 
 Defart, in folitude and Aflemblies ; and 
 of all Conditions that's moii defirable to 
 a Chiiftian wherein he has the beft means 
 
 to 
 
of Chriflianity. 3^ 
 
 to exerci(e Charity : as of all Talents that's 
 the mod advantageous, which is moil pro- 
 fitable to ones Neighbour. 
 
 The better to dilpofe oncs-felf to pra- 
 iSlife this Vertue, he ought to begin with 
 ikudymg the miferies of Man, which are 
 its chiefeft obje6l : He ought to (earch 
 into the bottom of his nothingnefs , to 
 know the bafenefs of his beginning, the 
 (hamefulnefs of his birth, the poverty o£ 
 his nature , the infirmities of his infancy, 
 the paifions of his youth, the caducity of 
 his old age ; To thefe ought be added 
 the difeafes and illnefles, the pains, the in- 
 commoditieSjthe fatigues,the accidents,and 
 other miferies to which his Body Is (ubje61:J 
 The miferies of his Spirit are ftiil greater j 
 What ignorance , what blindnefs, what 
 errors, what doubts, what con trad id ions 
 in his defigns, what praeoccupation in his 
 thoughts, what falfenefs in his judgments ? 
 What fhail I fay of his levities, inconftan- 
 cies, irrefolutions, trailtles, diiTimulatioii?, 
 nicenefles, and riots ? There may be added 
 to the heap of his other weaknefl'es, the 
 difcontents and chagrins that devour himy. 
 the cares that diftra6l him, the affli6tions- 
 that opprefs him, his own defires that tor- 
 ment him, the great propenfity he has to 
 evilj and his inability to do good';^ his fre- 
 E i cjucn& 
 
40 The Spirit 
 
 quent falls and rclapfes, the number and 
 enormity of his crimes, his abufe of 
 graces, the irregularity of his condu6^, and 
 the general diforder of his whole life. In 
 iine, S.Anguftim fays, Man is nothing but 
 indigency, corruption, and mi(ery. Behold 
 the firft ground on which the Charity of 
 a Chriftian ought to apply his afliftance 
 according to the difcretion of his zeal, and 
 as his Neighbours neceffity requires. 
 
 But his firft care ought to be dire(^ed to 
 the more apparent neceilities, and which 
 are obvious of themfelves , without his 
 feeking after them. As to give Bread to 
 him that has none, to cloath the naked, to 
 help the fick, and to vifit the imprifbned. 
 His fuperiluities may fupply him for thcfe 
 afliftances \ and he will always have them, 
 if he regulates his vanity, and lives accord- 
 ing to the rpirit of the Gofpel. After all, 
 if he has little, let him give little, if he has 
 much, let him give much, according as 
 Tobias advifes ; for the Riches one has 
 ought to be the meafure of his Alms. I 
 need not mention thofe that voluntarily 
 Become poor, profefling to imitate the 
 poverty of our Lord : Every one knows 
 what preference they ought to have be- 
 fore others when Alms are diftributed j 
 becaufe 7^j% Cbrifi^ to.whom they are 
 
 given,^ 
 
afCtrifiianity. 41 
 
 given, is more remarkable in them them 
 in others. 
 
 Befides thefe vifible necefflties, which all 
 the world fee?, there are divers othci-s that' 
 are more concealed, which the ihame of 
 thofe that feel them hides from the know- 
 ledge of the moft charitable : fortliere are 
 many, that chufe rather to be miferable,, 
 then to declare their miferies. Bat Charity 
 when indultrious, quickly knows how to 
 find out thefe wants, let them be never fo 
 fecret, and when faithful to provide for 
 them. St, Vaul too, defires a ChrilHan 
 ihould participate with his Brother in his 
 joy when he is pleafed, and in his difplea- 
 fure when otherwife \ he would have him 
 troubled or quiet, according as his Neigh- 
 bour \% and that he fliould (hare in hfs 
 Sentiments as well as his Interefts. Not- 
 withftanding becaufe there are wants more 
 important then temporal ones, a Ghriftian 
 is alfo obliged to more prelTmg and effen- 
 tial Duties of Charity ^ which are to pro- 
 vide for rpiritual neceflities : the extent 
 whereof is immenfe, by reafon or the qua- 
 Hty of Man's mind ; and Man being Tub- 
 je6l to (b many miferies^ a Chridian, if he 
 bedcTirousto live like one, will never want 
 occafions to exercife his Charity. For 
 fomctimcs he'l be oblig'd by his mildnefs 
 E g: and 
 
4^ The Spirit 
 
 and patience, to reduce him that is ftrayMj. 
 into the way of Vertue ; he'l ftrengthen. 
 the weak, he'l (lir up the flothful, he'l en- 
 courage the fearful, he'l fettle the disquiets, 
 of a fleeting and irrefolute mind : Then, 
 again, by the ft verity of his Difcourfe, he'l 
 frighten the obftinate, and by the terror 
 of his threats reclaim the pride of the pre- 
 fumptuous and intractable. Another time 
 he'l make the humble comprehend to. 
 encourage him, that the kingdom of 
 heaven is his inheritance, becaufe he is the 
 uue poor of fpiiit to whom the Gofpel 
 promifes it : and he will open the eyes of 
 the afflided, to make him fee plainly that 
 crown promis'd to him, who (hall have paf- 
 fed through the trial of tribulation. He'l 
 teach the covetous not to fix his heart oa* 
 the perifhable vain things of this world. 
 He'l inftru6l the voluptuous how to refill 
 his fenfual appetite. He'l overthrow the 
 deceitful peace of the wife worldling, who. 
 puts his confidence in the prudence of the. 
 flefh.. He'l awake him that's doz'd in fin,, 
 by the wholfbm terrors of Gods judg- 
 ments : By the fblidity of his Difcourfe 
 he'l deflroy the falfe reafbnings of the im-. 
 pious 5 And by the fincerity and difintc- 
 reffednefs of his carriage filence the liber- 
 tine, when he ihall have the impudence to 
 
 call-: 
 
of Chriftianity. 45.; 
 
 caH him hypocrite and difTembler , accord-^ 
 ing to the unhappy language of this Agej. 
 where impiety, to fignalize it felF, has. 
 found the art to confound true Vertue 
 with falfe, thereby to diminifh her cre- 
 dit j becaufe the very example of Vertue 
 becomes troublefbm and vexatious to fuck 
 as live, liccntioufly. 
 
 But, when his Brother, who is unjtiflly. 
 oppreft, (hall have his heart overcharged 
 with grief, he'l find fome means to eafe. 
 him of this weight, either by the aid of. 
 fome wholfbm counfel, or the mildnefs oC 
 fome charitable comfort, that (b he may 
 prevent his defpair. He'l inftru6l, even by- 
 his example, all.that fufFer, to fubmit to. 
 the fevereft difpofitions of Providence^ 
 and with refignation to fufFer thofe amo- 
 rous chaftifements which the hand of God 
 is pleas'd to inflict. He'l alfo accuftom. 
 himfelf not eafily to be (hock'd, as many. 
 are, at the defe6Vs of others; Nay he'l. 
 find by ufing himfelf to. that, 'tis more 
 wit and vertue to comply with them, then 
 to pleafe himfelf i^^ the good qualities o£ 
 thofe he conv^rfes with. To be the child- 
 of peace in the Gofpel, fit to reconcile 
 thofe wiiom animofity or. hatred imbitter- 
 to one another, let him not be rafh in his, 
 judgments, lethiaiav£>ideven thc&adpw,- 
 
 oft 
 
44 T^^^ Spirit 
 
 of the leaft fufplcion, let him never heark- 
 en to detraflion and calumny ; and to fe- 
 C'Ure himfelf again ft falfe impreflions, \tt 
 him never allent to any thing fpoken to- 
 the difadvantage of others before he has 
 examin'd it, nor condemn any upon the ill 
 Gonftru6i:ion of his Intentions. 
 
 When by the Fun6i:Ions of his Charge^ 
 or the pure duty of Charity, he is ob- 
 lig'd to punifh ; let him remember that 
 the fpirit of fweetnefs and mildnefs , ' is- 
 the firft Chara6ler of a Chrlftian , and 
 that feverity is a miftaken vertue, other- 
 wife then on the principle of Charity. 
 True Charity is humble and patient even, 
 in choler it felf, and is tender and mild in 
 leverity. If he muft admonifli and rcpre^ 
 hend, let a Chrlftian firft know the fecret 
 how to fweeten his admonitions, and cleat 
 his reprehenfions of all that's harfti and 
 vexatious, and let him mix withal thofe 
 infmuating ways which are neceffary to 
 gain him, whom one would not have loft. 
 Let him excufe all but fin, which, once 
 known , is inexcufable. The force and 
 klndnefs, wherewith our Lord excufed 
 Magdalen again ft the reproaches of the 
 Fharifee, ought to inftru6lus, that in cer- 
 tain occafions, we ought to have kindnefs 
 to bear with a. finner, and force to defend 
 him, ' ' But. 
 
of Chriftianity. 45 
 
 But as the World places its Morality in 
 not pardoning, by making Revenge a 
 Vertue j and the higheft pitch of Chri- 
 ftian perfe6lion is to love our Enemies : 
 Herein it is a Chriftian ought moft to fig- 
 nalize himfelf. Philofopby has not yet 
 been able to reach fb far, and it is the 
 greateft difficulty in Chriftianity to pra- 
 dife it. But after that Jefm Chrifi has 
 both by his Dov9:rine and Example taught 
 us his intentions on that Point, a Chriftiarr, 
 who will live like one, ought to lay afidc 
 his refentments, and weakneffes, to pardon 
 any injury done him. 'Tis confefs'd, the 
 Heathens have own'd fbme ftiadow of this 
 Vertue , amidlt the darknefs of their 
 Morals , and there appears fbme rough 
 draughts of it, in their moftilluftrious acti- 
 ons J but after all, twas only out of va- 
 nity that they pardoned: Their clemency 
 was only a (ccret pride , whereby they 
 fought after applaufe and reputation. On 
 the contrary, Chriftian clemency flies no- 
 thing ^o much as vanity, and only feeks 
 t-he intercft and advantage of whom {he 
 pardons. 
 
 Befidcsthis, there is another fort of Cha- 
 rity to be pra^Hfed ; more perfedt then the 
 others, in regard 'tis more pure and difm- 
 terelTed: fori: is without hope of anyre^ 
 
 turn^ 
 
4^ The Spirit 
 
 turn 5 fince it is done for the Dead, by af- 
 fifting with our Prayers thofe holy Souls, 
 which fuffcr in Vurgatory through thole 
 painful inquietudes,and grievous impatien- 
 cies they have, to fee themfelves feparated 
 from God. Thefe are the Creatures of all 
 the world the moft affli6led, through the 
 cruel torments they fuflfer ; and withal the 
 moft worthy to be fuccour'd : for what 
 are not they worthy of, that are che- 
 ridit and prcdeftinated by God ? What 
 glory is it for a Chriftian to be Mediator 
 between God, and thefe holy Souls, who 
 ceafe not to love him, though they fufferall 
 the rigor ot his Juftlce, and to adore even 
 his chaftifements, and vengeances ? 'Tis 
 even (if we may fo fay) to do God him- 
 felf a pleafure to fuccour thefe Souls, bci. 
 caufe he loves them ; and his Juftiee if 
 better fatisfied with ourPrayers, then their 
 Sufferings, becaufe our Prayers are volun- 
 tary, and their Sufferings not : And thus 
 the Charity of the Living, eafes and fweet- 
 ens the Pains of the Dead. 
 
 But if it be fo great a Charity, to help 
 the Souls that are but for fom.e time fepara* 
 ted from God ; what will it be then, to 
 be affifting to finners, who through their 
 criminal engagements, are in danger to be 
 eternally feparated from him ? Thefe 
 
 wretchca 
 
of Chrijii unity. 47 
 
 wretches do not confider, in how deplora- 
 ble a condition they are \ and that 'tis the 
 greateft madnefs and blindnefs to prefer a 
 momentary pleafure before their falvation : 
 how great Charity is it to make them 
 comprehend this ? But what patience,rweet- 
 ncft , prudence and great circumfpecflion 
 needs there to efFe6l it ? 'Tis a fecret, fpi- 
 ritual Directors fcarce remember, to inter- 
 mix a Fatherly connivance and forbear- 
 ance with thefe {o neceflary medicinal ri- 
 gors, for the cure of a fmner feduced by 
 his ignorance, and abandon'd to his weak- 
 nefs. Onemuft ftudy thedifpofition, the 
 habitudes, the inclinations of his Penitent, 
 and obferve the way of entring into his 
 heart, to exercife there abfolutely this cha- 
 ritable feverity which cures the Soul. But 
 they feldom give themfelves this trouble: 
 this mixture of authority and love, of re- 
 fblution and compliance, of zeal and pa- 
 tience, of mildnefs and auli:erify,are fcarce 
 any longer ufcd in Direction \ the bufi- 
 ncfs is precipitated either by compofition, 
 or by a falfe principle of rigor to be repu- 
 ted fevere ; becaufe the U^orld reliihes 
 that befl. This capacity of a Do6lor, this 
 prudence of a Phyfician, thefe bowels of a 
 Father, and this difintereflednefs of a Mi- 
 nifter of ']e[zts Chrifi, are qualities rarely 
 
 found 
 
48 The Sprit 
 
 found in one and the fame Perfbn, to ren- 
 der hira a perfect Director. In chufing one, 
 fuch as authorize fin by their fbftnefs, in 
 flattering a finner by too much compli- 
 ance , and thofe, who by their (e verities 
 difproportion'd to the weaknefs of their 
 Penitents ferve only to difcourage them, 
 are alike to be avoided , for they are equal- 
 ly dangerous. 
 
 I havefluck a little upon this Point: for 
 'tis in this Chriftian Charity may be beft 
 exercifed, and wherein generally 'tis leaft 
 pra6li(ed ; becaufe we are not fufEciently 
 toucht with the deplorable condition of a 
 fmncr. Although at this day there's more 
 pretending to Direction then ever, yet we 
 Icarce fee any longer thofe zealous Di- 
 re6lors, who are Chriftianly obftinate to 
 difarm the anger of God againft fmners 
 by the aullerity of their lives , and who 
 draw down the graces of God upon their 
 Penitents, by the perfeverance of their 
 Prayers and Mortifications, 'Tis to thefe 
 charitable Dire6lors we owe thofe great 
 Converfions , which God makes be feen 
 from time to time, as llriking rays of his 
 mercy, Thefe are the ordinary fruits 
 wherewith God takes pleafure to blefs the 
 voluntary Penances and Mortification^ of 
 thofe- vertuous innocent Souls, who in the 
 
 fecrct 
 
of Chriftianity. 4^ 
 
 fecfet of their hearts deplore the fins of 
 their Brethren : which ought to be a great 
 comfort to tho(e Chriftians whofe Re- 
 treat deprives them of the other occafions 
 CO exercife Charity. For a Carthupan^ a 
 Carmelite y a Monk the moil retired from 
 commerce with Men, may fometimes do as 
 much good at the foot of his Crucifix, in 
 affifting his Neighbour by the invifiblc 
 help of his Prayers, as the moft eloquent 
 Preachers, the moft zealous Miffioners, and 
 and all thofe who(e Profeflion engages 
 them to ferve the Publick in the dire6liori 
 of Souls, Befides 'tis always lefs dangerous, 
 and often more profitable, to fpeak of 
 Men to God in recretPrayer,th€n to fpeak 
 of God to Men in the ihcwand tumult of 
 Preaching. 
 
 I fay nothing of that eminent Charity 
 pra61ifed heretofore by the Apoftles in the 
 primitive Timesof Grace: which the Sa- 
 viour of the World prefers before all other 
 Charities , becaufe by a generous con- 
 tempt of deatb (he willingly offers up her 
 life for the falvation of her Neighbour. I 
 believ'd I even ought not to fpeak of it, 
 becaufe the exercife of this Chatity is a- 
 bove all Rules, and befides'tis one of thofe 
 extraordinary graces God only beftowson 
 bis favourites ; Not but that in thefe latter 
 F Times 
 
%o The Spirit 
 
 "Times fbme fparks of that facred fire are 
 feen fhining ftill in ApoftoHcal Men, who 
 travel to the farthcft parts of the World, 
 to water thofe barren and ingrateFul Re- 
 gions with their fweat , and even their 
 bloud, to draw down on them the ble(^ 
 lings of Heaven, and maike Chriftianity 
 ilouriih there ; but every one do's not 
 partake of thefe graces, thefe are the mer- 
 <<:ies of God, and thefe mercies are great 
 miracles. Let us adore the defigns of God 
 in thofe to whom he do's thefe favours ; 
 and Ictus ble^him for vouchfafing to caft 
 ills eyes on them, to allow them the ho- 
 nor to die for him. Happy he, who m 
 guiding of Souls merits to fuffer at leaft 
 ibme fmall perfecution, though he be not 
 worthy at the expence of his life to lervc 
 'lais Neighbour .' Happy he, who can con- 
 tribute his tears and fighs to the Conver- 
 :iion of Heathens , when he cannot bis 
 bloud and life .' It ought to be the moil 
 ordinary Devotion of all good people to 
 Xigh before God, and to offer him vows 
 for the falvation of all men ; that the 
 Death oijefus Cbrifi may not be fruitlefs 
 ■rothem. For the true Chriftian ought not 
 to confine the whole extent of his zeal 
 ^/ithin the narrow circle of his own per- 
 i^ion : he ou^ht to labour for the per- 
 
 fediioa 
 
of Chrrflianity. 5.^ 
 
 fe£^ron and falvation of others. If bis^ 
 Faith be fo fervent, and his Prayer fo' 
 humble and perfeverant as it ought to be,, 
 for (b important a fubjedl , what fruit may 
 be not hope ? This every one may pra- 
 clife : and the precious Bloud of Jefm- 
 Chrifl^\i\c\\ (in thofe Countries where he- 
 is not known) lofes its value, well deferves- 
 ^at a Chrifhan zealous for his glory 
 (hould afieil: fo holy and charitable a 
 Devotion. 
 
 Behold, throughout the whole Difcourfe 
 I. have made, there's a large way lies open 
 fipr Chriftian Charity, to exercile fo many 
 different good works as concern -it. But- 
 there remains one work of Charity for a 
 Chriftian to pra6life, fo much the wor- 
 thier to be recommended to him, as na 
 body is aware to think of it : 'Tis , to^ 
 pray often to God for the falvatlon of the^- 
 Great ones, and for all thofe, whom Provi-- 
 dence abandons to the vanity of worldly- 
 Honors, and the covetoufnefs of Riches.^ 
 Man being always weaker in elevation^ 
 and profperity, then in deprefTiop, and ad- 
 verfity ; thegreater-he is, the more worthy 
 ofcompaffion. For Greatnefs is a Shelf, , 
 lb much the more dangerous, as its appear- 
 ance is more deceitful. It is not the voca- 
 tion of a Chriftian to be always happy, and 
 F %. fUccefs^- 
 
52 The Spirit 
 
 luccefsful : and it often happens that God, 
 through a terrible order of his Providence, 
 gives up thefe worldly happy ones, to the 
 wandring of their hearts, and, by a fecret' 
 Judgment, fuffersthem to fall into a blind- 
 nefs , and obftinacy, which renders them 
 infenfible of all the motions of Grace, and 
 all the infpirations of Heaven. 
 
 If we have Charity, let us tremble fop 
 thofe that are in (b fad a condition ; Let us 
 implore Gods mercy upon the mifery of 
 thofe falflly happy ones ; Let us give the 
 Potentates of the Earth the fame counfel 
 as Daniel heretofore gave unto one of the 
 gteateft Princes of the World : To redetm 
 their injufiices hy deeds of mercy ^ and to 
 hlot out their Jins by alms. Let us endea- 
 vour to make Great men underftand that 
 God beftows neither Greatnefs. nor Power 
 on them to live in pleafure and delicacies ;, 
 that their being rais'd to Offices obliges, 
 them more ftridlly to be watchful and la- 
 borious 5 that they have no Power and 
 Authority but to aflift more powerfully 
 him that is weak, and dehvcr him from 
 ihe opprefHon of the fbong. Let us put 
 them in mind that they are not great in 
 the fight of God, but in as much as they 
 are beneficial and helpful to their Neigh- 
 bours 3 that the iuflre of teniporal Honors, 
 
 aAd 
 
oyCbnjUdmty. 551 
 
 and dl thefe external Greatneffes are bat 
 marks of theur Servitude, and continual 
 remembrances of their Duties ; That Dig- 
 nities ought to have no place in Chriftia*- 
 mty, but more to (et off the Chriftian j 
 ,That the Great ones can pretend to Heaven 
 onl^ by their Alms, for they are fcarce ca- 
 pable of any other good ; That God, who 
 has no exception of perfbns, as the Scri- 
 pture fays, will have no refpefl to their 
 Quality, but only to their good works and 
 their Charity, when they (hall appear be- 
 fore his Throne. This is what may in (hort 
 be faid of the practice of this VertuejWhofc 
 extent is beyond meafure ; But it is not 
 fuiBcient to know how it ought to be pra- 
 6lired, unlefs we alfb know what method 
 to observe In the praflicc of it, - 
 
 CHAP. IV.- 
 
 /«t' what order Chrijltan Charity 
 ought to he pra^iifed^- 
 
 AS the whole perfeftion of Ghriftia- 
 nity may be faid to confift in Cha- 
 rity, fo this Vertue ought to be the moft 
 regulated of all C^hriftian Vertuesj becaufe 
 this, is the Rule of all the Duiies of a 
 F-3 ^ Chriftiait^ 
 
54 The Spirit 
 
 Chriftmn.' So there is nothing fo eflcntial< 
 to Charity, as order : But there's nothing; 
 more difficult then precifely to eftablifh 
 that ordei' wherein Charity ought to be 
 pra6tis'd. For befides that every one, \ti . 
 the exercife of Chriftian Vertue, framet . 
 leveral Principles to himfelf according to 
 iris own fancyor reafbn ; and that thence 
 comes the great diverfity of ways we meet 
 "Within a fpiritual Life: Charity befides . 
 of her felf, in the extent of the divers nc- 
 ceflities of our Neighbour, obliges a Chri- 
 Hian to fo many different Duties, that 'tis 
 difficult to give any exa61:Rule for diftin- . 
 guifhing them juftly. This Vertue be- 
 comes rafli and indifcreet if not governed - 
 by Prudence : and Charity without this 
 Prudence, which is her principal guide, i$,* 
 not a true Charity. The more fervent-; 
 the Zeal is, and the more acSlive the Cha*.. 
 rity , the more (he needs this fcience, 
 which knows, fays St. Taul, how to huf- 
 band its heat. 'Tis. for this reafbn that 
 the Spbufein the Canticles gives thanks to 
 her Bridegroom ; hecauje he had regulated 
 in her the Duties of Oharitf, Let us then s 
 feek out this Rule (b neceffary to this Ver- 
 tue, to diftinguifh its obligations ; and Ict- 
 us examine the order wherein it muft be. 
 graftifed; that fo the effcntial Duties 
 
 may 
 
^■Chrijiianity. ^ 
 
 inay not be confounded whh thofc tbac v 
 are nor. 
 
 The firft draught of this order ought to 
 be taken from the Gofpel , wherein our 
 Saviour himfelf has laid the model by his 
 own Example : when he forbad his Difci- 
 pies to go Preach to the Samaritans and . 
 Gentiles, till they had Preach'd firft to the 
 Jews; and when he refufed that help the 
 0»tf»e<?w Woman (S. A/^?^e5/; fpeaks of) 
 begg'd of him, becaufe (he was a ftrangef, 
 and he would referve his favours for his 
 own People, Hke a Paftor who minds only 
 his own Flock. The Apoftles did the fame : : 
 there appears a diftindHon in their carriage. 
 They Preach'd not to the Gentiles, till the • 
 Jews had refufed to hear them, according 
 a?their Mailer had order'd them: andnot- 
 withftanding the greatnels of St. VauPs . 
 zeal to announce Jefus Chrifi to the whole 
 World, yet all the motions of that zeal 
 \wre regulated : He goes not indifferently 
 to all the World ; his firft care was of the / 
 Jews, whereever he found any of themin . 
 all his Voyages, and he minded not the . 
 Gonverfion of the Heathens, till he had - 
 tryM in vain all ways to gain, thofe People. . 
 whence he fprang. 
 
 This conduit remarks to us in generat " 
 that there, are.diflmfliojis_ to be mad^iri ^ 
 
^6' ♦ Hre Spirit 
 
 tlie praftlce of Charity ; where three -Dif- 
 ficulties raay be found. The Firft is to 
 know what fide to take, when the intereft 
 of God and our Ntighbour come toge- 
 ther. The Second is to fe|>arate our own 
 inter efts from our Neighbours. The Third 
 is . in the different interefts of our Neigh- 
 bour to know which to prefer before iKe 
 other. Behold, methinks the order, that 
 Charity prefcribee inthefe encounters, and 
 the Rules that may be given of it# 
 
 The Firft Rule, which regards the order 
 to be obferv'd in the Affairs that concern 
 the intereftof God and our Neighbour to 
 carry our (elves duly between one and the 
 other, is of greateft importance in a fpiri- 
 tual Ld£e. . The concurrence of thefe two 
 interefts is often very prejudicial to the zeal 
 ofCharity when not back'd with fcience: 
 for oftentimes we inconfiderately forfake 
 our Neighbour, when we ought to leave 
 God ; and we leave God., when we ought 
 to forfake our Neighbour. See then how 
 St* Auguftine advi^s us to. deport our 
 fclves : The. obligation ((ays he ^ tokve 
 God, in the order of the Vrecefty ought ta 
 precede the obligation- to love our Neigfy* 
 hopr ; but God n^fU have.us^ -in the execu' 
 tion, f refer our . Neighbour before him. In 
 ^ffc(3:, It ^ not reajof^abk (fays this great 
 
 Saint) j 
 
of Chriftianity. 57- 
 
 Saint) that God^ "who is the Mafier and. 
 ordains all things^ jhouU put himfelf after 
 cur Neighbour in the order of Love , This 
 is the Firft Command he gave Man, ThoH 
 jhalt love the Lord thy God, and thou &Jah 
 love him withal thy heart. But this fame 
 God, though he be Mailer, yet when our 
 Neighbours good comes in qucftion , re- 
 mits fomething of his own right as to its 
 execution. If any coldncfs has pafled be- 
 tween us and our Brethren, wherein our 
 Union may be wounded, and we are at the 
 f6ot of his Altars to render God the Ho- 
 mage due unto him : He then commands 
 us to interrupt his VVorlhip , and fufpend 
 the moft holy tind auguft Ceremonies oF 
 Religion ; to defer till another time the 
 Honors of the Sacrifice we were about to 
 pay him, and firft go and reconcile our 
 ielves to our Neighbour. Let them quir^ 
 (ays he, the Worftiip they are rendring to 
 me, and the Sacrifice they are offering up;, 
 becaufe the Union among Brethren is the 
 moft agreeable 5acrifice they can offer un- 
 to me. He do's even confent that to help 
 rfie Poor in their greateftmiferies we (hould 
 disfurnlfti his very Altars of their outward 
 Ornaments, which are only of ufe to move 
 the grofs Devotion of carnal People, as 
 St. B^rjMrdidiys j who condemns the va- 
 
5^ The Spirit 
 
 Bity of thofe that enrich the Temples of 
 God, and abandon the Poor^ 
 
 What folly (fays he) is it to leave the 
 Children of the Church naked, and to 
 adorn the Walls (a magnificently with 
 Tapeftries and other more precious Orna- 
 ments? 'Tis true, the Church may admit 
 Ornaments in her abundance and profpe- 
 rity : But God commands her to relieve 
 the Poor, who are her Children, when in 
 neccflity and publick miferies ; becaufe hec 
 Treafures and Riches would only ferve ro^ 
 ftiame her, if the Poor, were not fuccouf'd 
 therewith. This Rule will appear of a 
 vtry large extent, to fuch as take pains to* 
 confider it ; and the pradice of it will be 
 found of much ufe^. when apply'd to the. 
 ieveral occafions that may offer themfelves. 
 But fmce God through his fignal good- 
 nefs will have us to love our Neighbour' 
 for the love of him : 'tis but juft we fhould 
 io govern this love, that if exteriourly wc 
 giv€ our charitable help to our Brethren,, 
 at Icaft the intention of our heart, and fim- 
 pie defign of our fpirir, be all for God .• 
 That we lozie our Friend in God^ and eur 
 "Enemy for the love* of God, which is the 
 right fraBice of Charity y as St. Gregory 
 teaches it. 
 
 . The Second Rule ought to be made ufe. 
 " ^ ^ of. 
 
of Chriftianity. ^p 
 
 "hi to diftlnguiih every ones perfonal in- 
 terefts from thofe of his Neighbour, to de^ 
 cide what of right belongs to each. The 
 Hule I have fettled may ferve for that pur- 
 'pofe. For if God himfelf do's often yield 
 his right where our Neighbour is con- 
 cern'd, I have the greater reafbn to yield 
 up mine on the like occafions. But becau(c 
 this Rule is not general, but limited to cer- 
 tain Conjun6lures, we muft feek for ano- 
 ther more univerfal. The Gofpel con> 
 TOands me to treat my Neighbour as my 
 felf, fince he ought to be as dear to me as 
 my felf; but it do's not command mc to 
 yield to him when our intereils (hock one 
 another ; And in other refpedls there is a 
 natural equity which teaches me to keep 
 my own, by inftru<5ling me to difcharge 
 my felf of what belongs not to me. There 
 are likewise certain interefts of Honor 
 which I ought to defend againft my 
 Neighbour who would diftionor me : be- 
 •caufe Honor is a Depojitum God has in- 
 truded to me,which ought to be as dear to 
 me as that of my life;and becaufe he would 
 Scandalize the World by diflionoring 
 me. But are there any occafions wherein I 
 am oblig'd to abandon mine own interefts, 
 and facrifice them to my Neighbour to de- 
 fend his Reputation by renouncing my 
 ow-n, and to die to fave his life ? 'Tis 
 
^'(5 The Spirit 
 
 'TIs evident that Goods purely tempS^ 
 ral beir\g of an inferior order to fpiritual^ 
 lichen the falvation of our Neighbour is 
 concerned, which is a fpiritual intereft, one 
 is oblig'd to abandon his temporal ; bc- 
 caufe the falvation of ones Soul is prefer- 
 able to all the Goods of the Earth, which 
 are periftiablc and corruptible. Thus nei- 
 ther Honor nor Weakh ought to be va- 
 lued when the falvation of a Soul is in 
 ^ueftion. Now 'tis certain, riiat a Chrifti- 
 an is oblig'd, by the Maxims of that Re- 
 ligion he profeftes, to relieve his Nelgh- 
 t)0ur in an extream neceflity of life, which 
 is a temporal good, not only out of his own 
 fuperfluities, but even what is neceflary for 
 himfelf. Chriftian perfe6tion goes yet far- 
 ther, teaching a Chriftian that he ought 
 not only to be fevere to himfelf, in tender* 
 nefs and compaflion to his Brother, and 
 deprive himfelf to accommodate him of 
 what is commodious and neceflary to him* 
 fclf, but even to give his liberty, his honor 
 and life, to preferve the life, honor and li- 
 berty of his Neighbour. In fine, he ought 
 to do that for him, which the Saviour of 
 the World did for us ; for how many 
 have there been, that have imitated Jefus 
 Chrift in the pra6lice of (b generous, io 
 ■pure, and fo difinterefled a Charity ? But 
 
 tbtfe 
 
of Chrijiiarilty. ii 
 
 thefe are the wonders of Chriftian Mora- 
 lity, and greateft Miracles of our Holy 
 Religion. Thefe Examples are rather to 
 be admired, then Rules to be indifpenfably 
 followed, and Duties of obligation to be 
 pracflifed. 
 
 The Third Rule is, the order that ought 
 to be ob(erv''d in the different Interefts of 
 our Neighbour; that fo the irapulfes of 
 Charity may be followed without mifta- 
 king, and that in two ^yants, either of the 
 fame or a different nature, we may know 
 which to prefer. In the order oF temporal 
 goods Charity always flies to alTift the m.ore 
 urgent wants ; for among ft the afflided, 
 fhe runs to him that fuffers moft ; and fhe 
 leaves him again if his wants be but tem* 
 poral, to aflift him that is in manifeft dan- 
 ger of his falvation. Such was heretofore 
 the condu6l of the Apoftles, who in the 
 infancy of the Church abandon'd rhe care 
 of temporal necelTities to attend to fpiri- 
 tual; in quitting the diftribmion of Alms 
 to be vacant to preaching the Word of 
 God : becaufe they efteemed the nourifh- 
 mentof the Soul more important then that 
 of the Body. So the care a Chrillian takes 
 to teach and inftruct a poor body is more 
 meritorious before God, then what is be- 
 ftowed to deliver himtrom mifery : So the 
 G Alms 
 
6'z The Spirit 
 
 Alms given to convert people to J^fus 
 Chnfi, are far precioufer, th^n thofe wbrch 
 £re given for their fubfiftarifc^ j -and the 
 fweats, pains and fatigues of tbe Miflioners 
 who go to preach the Word df God to- 
 Infidels in the reniotefl: Countries, arc of 
 far more value, then the Treafurcs that 
 are fent tbither. The foveralgn 'perfe6i:ion 
 of Chriftjan Gharity 13 the fervent 2-eal of 
 fhefe holy Followers of the Apoftles, - who 
 quit all, to (eek in the moft falvage and 
 barbarous Glirhates the firay Sheep, and 
 to fatlsfie the ihirfl and hunger ihey have 
 for the falvation of fb many abandoned 
 people, to make them know 'Jefm Chrifi^ 
 and to bring them back to his Flock. 
 I' In thefe concurrences of waft ts, Charity 
 ought to dirpofe of her help, according to; 
 *;he different degrees of necellities (he finds.. 
 But when the want is eqaal in two different? 
 perfcns. It is, fays St. AMgufiinc^ either- 
 Proximityof Bloud^or Alliance,or Friend-s. 
 ihip or Neighbourhood 5 or Society, ot? 
 Country, or the Confiderations of other 
 Ties that nuift regulate the prekrcnce of 
 affiflance due to one rather then to ano- 
 ther. For although J^[us Chrift be com.e 
 into the World to make, by the Sword of 
 Chriftianity , divifion betwixt the Flefh 
 and the Spirit : yet he is not come to de- 
 
 Uroy 
 
of Chriftia?iity. €^ 
 
 ilroy the Duties of Bloud, and to difpence 
 ■ with a Chriftian for what he ows his Re- 
 lations; becaufe thefe Duties are grounded 
 on Equity, which is their principal foun- 
 dation. ThuSj what we owe to our Kindred 
 is of a more ftrivSl obligation , then that 
 which is due to an unknown Perfon and a 
 Stranger : So a Paftor is more oblig'd to 
 Jiis Flock , a Superior to thofe whom 
 God has put under him, a Piince to his 
 own Subje6i:5, then to all others ; and in 
 the order of Chridian Charity a Friend 
 ought to be more dear then one unknown^ 
 .a Domcftick then a Stranger, and a Chri- 
 .flian then an Infidel ; and when they are 
 .both equally in need, you are oblig'd to 
 help the one before the other. This Mo- 
 rality is founded on Jufrice and Reafop, 
 which orders it thus ; and on the condu(£l 
 of our Lord, who carried himfelf afrcr 
 this manner between the Jews and Gen^ 
 tiles. St. Faul thus inflru61:3 Chriftian?^ 
 St. Thomas and all Catholick Divines are 
 of this opinion : For the red, when the 
 Rules I have ellablifh'd are di;ly cor:fider- 
 ed, '['^111 be found that our Soul, being our 
 Neighbour a rhoufand times mor^ intimate 
 then our deareft Friends or our neareft Re- 
 lations, our firfl: obligation is to exercife 
 Charity towards her 3 which we cannot da 
 G i as. 
 
^4 '^^^ Spirit 
 
 as we ought, but by endeavouring her per* 
 fe<9:ion preferably above all things. For if 
 we neglecSl her, who will take care of her ? 
 And if we give all but our (elves to God, is 
 not that to keep our felves the better fhare ? 
 l)ecau(e God will have us our felves, and 
 not what is ours : as St. Jerome fays. 
 
 Theconclufionof this Difcourfe is, that 
 extreara neceflity in temporals, and the fal- 
 vation of a Soul in fpirituals , ought to 
 have preference in the ftri6left obligations 
 of a ChriHian. So that the moft laudable 
 and holy of all Charities is to provide 
 for fpirirual wants • as to procure affift^ 
 ance for People who are in a deep igno-^ 
 ranee of all things relating to their falva- 
 rion, and without help : But in alTifting- 
 j^liens and Salvages , muft thofe be for* 
 gotten that live in the midft of us, and are 
 in the fame wants ? can we hearken to< 
 what's told us of the miferies of Ferfons 
 of another World, as one may fay, with-. 
 out beholding what we daily fee amongfl- 
 thofe we know ? It is this obliges me to 
 repeat, what L have already faid,and which 
 is (o important that it cannot be too often 
 repealed : That the greatefl: Zeal requires 
 the greateft Knowledge : That if Chri^. 
 ftian Prudence ought to be animated by 
 Charity, Charity ought to be govern'd hy 
 
 FrudenQc^ 
 
of Chriftianity, 6^ 
 
 Pradence ; and juilly todifcern the oider: 
 wherein Chanty ought to be prac]:ifed„ 
 nothing'rriore needs to be recommended to, 
 a ChriiHan, then what the Apoftle recom- 
 mended to thofe of the City of Thilippiy 
 to whom he Preach'd this Vertue, That 
 their Charity may more and more abound. 
 in knowledge and in all underfianding :. 
 To be neither indlfcreet,nor ra(h ; becaufe- 
 tlie greateft dthct in Charity is want of: 
 light, which renders this Vertue fubjecSl to 
 an infinity of Illufions. But intirely to 
 purifie its practice, 'tis bed to difcovcr the 
 lllufionsjthat fothey may be dillipated. 
 
 C H A P. V. 
 
 Of the feveral I/lufions to which the 
 PraUke of Charity is fuhje^. 
 
 AL L Chrillian Vertues are in their 
 Practice fijbje6l to Illuiions.through 
 the falfe Principles every one ellabhfhes to 
 himfelf in the exercifc of Piety • Some- 
 times out of conceitednefs, and oftneft out 
 ofweaknefs and ignorance. But after all, 
 ihere is none of them more fubje'^ to this 
 then Charity. For as this Vertue has much 
 lufbe, 'tis pretended to upon very many 
 G 3 occali- 
 
6'^ The Spirit 
 
 occafions ; chiefly when W€ think to fur*«- 
 prlze and dazle Men, as is ufual e^iough:- 
 And it is not to be wonder'd at if the fpi- 
 rit of diflimulation, creeps into the exercile 
 of this Vertue, which is the moft pure and; 
 lincere of all others; fince the corruption 
 of this Age has fb powerfully authorifed all; 
 Artifices and Difguifes : In effedl: Self^ove,, 
 which always feeks its own intereft by (a. 
 many windings about, cannot better con- 
 ceal k (elf then under the veil of Cha-. 
 xky. It is through this Artifice it fcrupu-- 
 ioufly flicks to the Duties of Good-man-. 
 Tiers^ to exGufe it felf from eflemialr Du-> 
 itles ; It fecks confpicuous Charities to a- 
 ¥oid obfcure ones ; 'Tis zealous where, 
 there fliould be no zeal, and remifs where • 
 there fhould be. Thus the falfly Charita- 
 ble is uneafie to his own Domefticks whilft- 
 he is civil and officious to Strangers j he 
 grounds a tranquility and fatisfadlion on 
 ihe ftate of his own pretended perfe-- 
 Sion^ and is only froward and difxjuieted . 
 at others per feci ions ; he is perpetually 
 praifing Chriflianity, and quits nothing of- 
 his ov/n Rights ; He gives Alms, and pays . 
 not his Debts • He malicioufly praifts falfe • 
 Vertues ,_ to take occafibn. to . authorize' 
 real Vices; He jiiflifies his ov/n ill Con-, 
 dyft,. only by^ cenfuring^ that of others ; , 
 
of Chriftianity. &fr 
 
 and fcattering Flowers over all he would: 
 poifbn , he wounds the Reputation of 
 every one , under the deceittul veil of 
 charitable and refpeclful Words. Bun 
 to discover methodically all the Illufion?, 
 wherewith the Spirit of Charity is fo often 
 perverted, I reduce them to certain Heads, 
 which are as it were their Sources. 
 
 Natural AfFedlion • is the Fir ft , and 
 withal the moil ordinary Illufion which 
 creeps into the Spirit of Charity : One- 
 loves his Neighbour 'tis true, but 'tis only 
 for the good qualities which render him 
 amiable, one looks on him^ but on the - 
 moft agreeable fide, and where he is moflr 
 pleafing: It is the wit, quality, humour 
 and difpofition one confiders ; and the ten- 
 derer one is to all thefe Confederations of- 
 Flefiiand Bloud, theroore infenfiblehc is . 
 to all thofe of Vertue and Grace. One be- 
 lieves 'tis loving his Neighbour as he 
 ought, and living charitably with him, to 
 fpeak nothing vexatious to any one, to be 
 very regardful and wary of every ones In- 
 terefts in particular ; to do very general 
 Civilities to all the World by outward de- - 
 monftrations of Friendfhip, which all in re- • 
 ality fignifie nothing : This is to prophans* 
 the facred Name of Charity, to give it un- 
 tG^fiions whic|i .ai:e,oftea the.. motions of; 
 
 a.ds?- 
 
6^ The Spirit 
 
 a depravM Inclination, and the effe^lsoE^ 
 a habit meerly to tollow one^ Humour.^ 
 So that to give Ahns out of a natural plty^ 
 Co be officious and obUging for humanfi) 
 refpe-fls to love his Friends, hii Relations,; 
 and Family, bccaufe good Breeding en- 
 joyns to live well with all the World; this, 
 is but the Charity of a Pagan. The P^J 
 gans love thofe that love them, confider 
 thofe that confider them, and carry it faic- 
 with thofe that do. ^o v/ith them. 'Tis,. i£, 
 you will, Civility, Good-manners, Incl;-.; 
 nation, Complacence, Policy, and Pru-- 
 dence, but it is not Charity at all \ It is to.. 
 have too low a conceit of fo great a Ver^ 
 tiie, to give fo holy a Name, to that which- 
 is but humane and natural. Chdftian Cha*-; 
 rity knows not the meaning of all thefeDi-- 
 flin61:ions, and thefe unjuft preferrings ofi* 
 one before another, which the prudenccj 
 of the Flefli makes : becaufe a Chriflian. 
 eqiially confidcrs Jefiis Chrifi in all his. 
 Brethren, whom he never look<;on with» 
 an eye purely humane \ Faith teaches hini' , 
 that this ignorant Man he inftru6]:s , this 
 raiferable Wretch he fuccours, this poor 
 Man to whom he gives Bread, is Jefits 
 C^ri/^, who 13 in the Perfon of the Neceili- 
 tt)us, as a Prince is in the Perfon of his 
 Ambafladpr. So. that the more one finds 
 
 himfel^ 
 
of Cbriflianity. €^ 
 
 Mmfelf naturally inclin'd to Compaflion, 
 the more he ought to fland upon his guard 
 not to pra6life Charity fo much out of 
 humanity : for as the Apoftle fays, he ex- 
 pofes himfelf to reap only a carnal har- 
 veil, when he do's not fbw in purity of fpi- 
 lit 5 And it is but a miftaken Chriftianity 
 that is founded upon the Principles of fo 
 humane and worldly a Charity. 
 
 The Second lUufion is of Pride, which,. 
 by a fecret prefumption, and upon the 
 foundation of a very frivolous merit, pla- 
 ces all the perfedion of Man in a vain^ 
 Charity. It is upon this ground the Pha- 
 rifee in the Gofpelfet himfelf above others,, 
 "whofe carriage he reprehended 5 becaufe^ 
 he gave great Alms. And although this II- 
 kifion may not be common , yet many 
 Chriftians are found rubje6l to it j and who. 
 tipon the Maxims of a deprav'd Morality 
 give liberally their Goods to the Poor;, 
 without forfaking the fpiric of Injuftice 
 by which they poffefs them ; Their hands 
 are open to Mercy, and their hearts (hut to 
 Equity ; They are Envious, Detra6lors, 
 and Calumniators , upon that miCunder-. 
 flood Principle, That Charity blots out 
 all iniquities, and that it is fufficicnt to be 
 a good Man to be companionate of the 
 rnifcries of our Neighbour. They adorn 
 
yo The Spirit 
 
 the out-fide with works of fuperficial 
 Chanty, and leave all diforder and corru- 
 ption within : And what elfe is this, fays 
 St. Gregory, but to give ones Goods to his 
 Neighbour and his Soul up to Sin ; To 
 facrifice his Riches to God, and himfelf to 
 the Devil? They even carry this lUufioi^ 
 much farther. For tl^ere are of thofe falfly 
 charitable Perfbns whofe Soul is (b per- 
 verted, that to do thefe Works of Mercy 
 which are proper to blot out their Sins,they 
 commit new ones to have wherewithal to 
 do Works of Mercy. They offer toGod[, 
 what they have taken from Men ; and 
 frame to themfelvcs an extravagant De- 
 votion to give in Charity what by vio- 
 . lence they have forc'd from others. How 
 great a Fallacy, to believe that the bitter 
 an-d envenonVd root of Injudice, is able te 
 produce the Aveet and, lovely fruit.of Cha- 
 rity / for He, fays >the Sxiv'ipmrej that. of- 
 fers facrifice of poor mens.fuhfiance, is as 
 be that facrificeth the fon iyi the prefence 
 of his father. We muft imitate Zachew^ 
 to pradlrife Charity as me ought : He be- 
 gan by reftoring what he had taken, to 
 give the remainder to the Poor. In this 
 manner Chrii^ian Charity is neither pre? 
 fumptuous nor unjuft ; and fhe is always 
 without Violence, for (he is, never without 
 humility. The 
 
of Chriftianity. 7 1 
 
 The Third lUufion is CovctoufneG, 
 which out of a narrownefs ot heart and 
 miferablenefsfeeks fal(e reafbns, of Fami- 
 ly, Children, Parcimony and good Huf- 
 bandry^ ro authorize this falfe Prudence 
 in Men not to difpoffefs themfelves of their 
 Goods by giving them to the Poor. But 
 it is a diftriilt fit for Pagans to fear falling 
 into want by giving, in the Perfon of the 
 Ncedy,to a God whole riches are inexhau- 
 ftible; for He that ^i all give to t be per 
 jhall never want the gcods of the earth : 
 as holy Scripture fays. Alms, fays S. P^«/, 
 is a Seed whence cannot be reap'd but a 
 Very great Harvelh And as the Husband- 
 man when he fows much, resps much ; 
 So' the faithful fball reap a plentiful Har- 
 vefl when they have given great Alms. 
 The fulnefs of the Charity of a Chriftian 
 fhall make the fulnefs of his Recompence, 
 But the(e are Truths the avaritious Man 
 do's not comprehend, through the fhame- 
 ful fixednefs he has to the Goods of this 
 World : He hoards up his Bonds and 
 Money carefully in the bottom of his 
 Chefts, whilO: he perfwades ethers to be 
 Charitable : He drains for poor P/etenees 
 for his not giving when he is ask'd : He 
 remirs to his Council allFropofuions made 
 him for Charity, to authorize his Avarice, 
 
 and 
 
72 The Sprit 
 
 and refufe more methodically what he is 
 unwilling to grant : He do's all he can to 
 cxcufe his giving, and never gives but in 
 hopes of receiving : His Charity is a meer 
 Traflfick : He fo ilrongly blinds himfelf 
 even in his prefumption, that he makes a 
 falfe vertue of his condu6i: He fays with 
 a haughty and difdainful ayre, I hav€ no 
 Goods of another bodies, nay I do not de-: 
 lire any ; I make ufe of what God has givea[ 
 me, becaule he has only beftow'd it on m^ 
 for my ufe- This was heretofore the Illu*« 
 fon of that unhappy rich Man, who de- 
 ny'd himfelf nothing that he liked. Hij,- 
 Expence' was magnificent at his Table, inr 
 his Train, in his Cloaths, and his whole: 
 Family bore the marks of his Vanity ani. 
 Pride: whilft Laz^arm dy'd with hunger^ 
 at his Dore. 'Tis likewife the moft com* 
 mon Illufion of Great Men, that their li* 
 centioufnefs makes them covetous and in*^ 
 fenfible of the miferies of the affli61:ed*, 
 They wafte their Eftates protufely in cri-, 
 minal Expences, and refufe a poor Man a'' 
 bit of Bread j So that out of a mean SelfK 
 ifhnefs they extravagantly fquander away* 
 thofe Goods wherewith God had intruded', 
 them to diftribute. Hereunto may be ad- 
 ded the miftake of thofe mercilefs People,, 
 who give no Alms but with an ill will and 
 
 grum- 
 
of Chrijiianity. 73 
 
 grumbling : It h not to the Poor they give, 
 it is to their importunities, and to the vexa- 
 tion they feel in being preffed by them. 
 Hence they follow their own humour •, not 
 pra6life Charity. 'Tis fruitlefly they give, 
 becaufe they give without any fellow- 
 feeling : So as they experience not the 
 fweetnefs which joys his heart that pra6li- 
 fes Charity \ but when one is fully per- 
 fwaded that the Poor reprcfent the Perfon 
 of Je[m Chrifi^ he is always touch'd with 
 their miferies, and never fhock'd with be* 
 ing importun'd. 
 
 The Fourth is a deceitful Tendernefs, 
 perpetually fubjeiSt to make it ones own 
 cafe. This lllufion is common to certain 
 Perfbns too fenfible of Nature, who have 
 no tendernefs to their Neighbour but ouc 
 of tendernefs to themfelves ; And duly 
 examining the ground of their pity, they 
 are not compallionate of others miferies 
 but out of a weakncfs of mind which 
 makes them tear the like. They do not 
 commonly reguard theirNeighbour but by 
 the rcfemblance to themfelves. They are 
 not fenfible of others Misfortunes , but 
 through the apprehcnfion they have of 
 the condition of their own Nature, expos'd 
 to fo many accidents and miferies. They 
 perceive not this altogether as it is ; It is 
 H an 
 
74 ^^^ Spirit 
 
 an almoft imperceptible Illufion of Self- 
 love ; and though it feldom happens, it 
 fuffices that it may happen, to oblige a 
 Chriftian to make fome reflection on it, 
 and to difintangle himfelf from thofe fo 
 ^humane and felf-interefled tendernefles. 
 Chriftian Charity is of too pure a nature to 
 ?fufFer them ; And 'tis not to be fmcerely 
 :and Chriftian-like Charitable to be lo 
 iOnly out of humour and a mecr natural 
 :motive. 
 
 The Fifth is a falfe Zeal of Religion 
 •and Piety, out of which they pretend to 
 ^reprehend the good a6lions of others, and 
 £nd fomcthing to fay again ft all : like the 
 Pharifees of whom St. Luke fpcaks ; who 
 •were fcandalizM at Jeftts Chrifi curing a 
 lick Man prefented to him, becaufe 'twas " 
 ^on a Feftival Day ; And like that Apo- 
 ilate Difciple who was troubled at the Piety 
 of that holy Woman who pour'd out moft 
 precious Ointment on our Saviours Feet, 
 pretending it might have been fold for the 
 iielief of the Poor. This likewife is a moft 
 fordinary Illufion of a falfe Devotion, which 
 often fixes it felf to exterior Ceremonies, 
 and neglc6rs the moft efifential Duties of 
 Charity;and on certain occafionstranfgref^ 
 fe the moft facred Laws, to fuftain indil^ 
 f£:Qt\.\j pretended Formalities. It is by this 
 
 -Spirit 
 
of Chrijiianity. 75: 
 
 spirit Men prefcribe to others what they' 
 do not obferve themfelves ; that they make • 
 continual reflc6lions on their Neighbours 
 eondusSl-, and mind not their own ; that 
 they are clear- lighted tojhelcaft defects 
 of others, and perceive not their own di(^ 
 orders , that they take upon them to give 
 advice to all the World, and fmother the 
 di<£larcs of their own Confcience. 'Tis- 
 an adhefion to their own fence, and a 
 miftaken Zeal which often reigns amongfl 
 the Churchmen themfelves ; They men* 
 rion nothing but their Power, they talk of- 
 nothing but their Characl:er, and alledge 
 nothing but their Authority ; They be- 
 lieve 'twere dilhonourlng their Fun^lion-- 
 to accommodate themfelves charitably to 
 the weaknefs of tho(e whom God has- 
 put under their Charge , and that 'tis re-- 
 mifnefs to be condefcending: Thus they 
 are all fire to make their Ordinances be 
 obferv'd, but cool and indifferent for thofe • 
 of the Gofpel. They know all the Regu*- 
 lations that lead to deftru6i:ion, but do nor 
 fo much as know thofe that lead to edifi- 
 cation \ and under pretence to eftablifli the 
 Difcipline of the ancient Canons, they 
 abandon oftentimes the true Spirit of the • 
 Church, which is a Condu6l of fweetnefs ■ 
 and condefcendency. Behold in general the 
 H X- Spirit t 
 
J 6 The Spirit 
 
 Spirit of falfe Zeal which fupports it felf 
 ordinarily by the bare appearance of Ver- 
 tue. But it is always eafie to diftinguifh the 
 true from the falfe ; For true Vertue is 
 edified with every thing, and the falfe 
 takes fcandal at all : and as there is no re- 
 putation that do's not appear pure to the 
 one 5 io there is no carriage, let it be ne- 
 ver fo irreproachable, but appears de- 
 fe61:ive to the other. 
 
 The Sixth is Envy, which cannot be- 
 hold without trouble the advantage of on'i? 
 Neighbour ; for fhe finds her humiliation: 
 m the fuGcefs and prosperity of others. 
 And if fometimes the Envious has fuffici- 
 cnt moderation , not to pretend by indi- 
 redl means to the good of his Brother : yet 
 has he not fb much as to hear without 
 emotion the noife his Reputation makes 
 in the world j He endures his Neighbours 
 good Fortune, but cannot bear the repute 
 ©f it. This poifbn, as grofs as it is, flips 
 fometimes into the Soul of fuch as profefs 
 Vertue. There are good People, and of a 
 very holy Converfation, who like the La- 
 bourers in the Gofpel, after having been 
 faithful to their Miniftry , in the exercife 
 of Charity, permit themfelves to be poi- 
 fon'd with Jealoufie : they cannot endure 
 New-compjs (hould fhare the publick 
 
 Efteen^, 
 
ofChriftianiiy. 77 ? 
 
 Efteem with them. This is a weaknefs un- - 
 worthy a Minifter of Jefm Cbrifi ; be" 
 eaufein following fo miferable a Conduft, 
 They often consummate with the fleflj, as 
 the Apoftle fays, -what they began with 
 the fpirit. 
 
 The Seventh is the Wifdom and Spirit 
 of the World. It is by this Spirit fo op- • 
 pofice to that of Jefus Chrid, that People ■ 
 make profeflion of Charity , to gee ac- 
 quainted with Perfqns of Confideration ; 
 and deal in good Works, that they may 
 haveoccafion to deal with thofe who do 
 them : By this means they infinuate them- 
 selves into their Efteems , gain Credit, 
 make Friends, and do their own Bufinefs 
 by a6ling for other Folks. The fmail 
 Alms which get them admittance into this 
 Society of Charity, help fometimes to com- 
 pa(s their fecret defigns of making their 
 Fortunes. This may ferve, if for nothing 
 dfe, at lea ft- to conceal their Humour, and 
 difguife their Chara6lcr towards compaf- 
 fing their Ends : By this means they give 
 themfelves out for what they are not, and 
 may pafs for good Men without being 
 concern'd whether they are fo or no ; 
 This is all their frudy, and the'/ guide all 
 their A61:ions by the Maxims of this Pha- 
 rifaical Charity, which is only animated by 
 H 3^ the 
 
yS The Spirit 
 
 die Spirit of the World and Wifdom of^ 
 the Flefh.i 'Tis by the Maxims of this 
 falfe Charity and a chimerical Zeal, that 
 under pretext of doing more good they 
 afpire to Places they have not, and omit 
 fthe good they could do in the Place they 
 are in.. Nay they artificially endeavour 
 their own Advancement in a more effica- 
 cious v/ayj. while they feem to relie on 
 Providence ; and quietly expe61: from 
 God v/hat in reality they mean to get only 
 by the fecret Intrigues of Men. Thus 
 mty change the Principles of Chriilianity, 
 into thofe oF carnal Morality, li in ap-» 
 pearance they have any moderation tOf 
 wards.their Neighbours, it is only the bet- 
 ter to a6t a conceal'd Vanity wherewith 
 iecretly they fatisfie themfelves : If they 
 pardon an Injury, it is to expecl- a better, 
 opportunity of Revenge : If they do good, 
 k is out of hopes of a Return* All is re- 
 duced to the Maxims of this humane Wif-. 
 dom> fo oppofice to the Wifdom of ihe^ 
 Gofpel. And as by thefe ways (which tend- 
 to God only in appearance), they go far- 
 ther from him ; they v/ilfully blind them^ 
 felves in their Errors, to the cn^ not to fea 
 the dirproporrion between v/haC they do, 
 i^nd v/har they ought to do. 
 
 'IJhe, Eighth Is, Ipdifci-eiion. This break? 
 
of Chriftia7nty. 75^ 
 
 tfie order in which Charity that ought to 
 be laudable and vertuous fhould be pra6t> 
 fed J and plays all thofe irregular Tricks 
 which put this Vertue out of frame. It I-s 
 by this iilufion that after publick Detra6li- 
 ons thev make Reparations of Honor more 
 to be fear'd then the Detra6^ions them- 
 felves, and which for the mod: part ferve 
 but to open again the Wound they pretend 
 to clofe. Through this 'tis Men would 
 fliccour others when they are no longer in 
 a Condition to be afnfted : like the rich 
 Glutton, who puts on the Charitable after 
 his death for the falvation of his Brethren, 
 whom he would have advertis'd of their 
 licentioufneis ; though he had never pra- 
 6lis'd Charity during his life. It is through 
 rhis perverfion of Reafon fome give Alms^ 
 and pay not their Debts ; vifit PrifonSjand 
 mind not their domedick Affairs ; by their 
 Wills leave the moll Chriftian-like Lega?- 
 cies in the World at their Deaths, and de- 
 ilroy the Peace and Union o\. their Family.; 
 retufe one^ truly Poor wherewith to draw 
 him out of mifei-y, and without difcreticn 
 give a Wanderer and a Vagabond where* 
 with to maintain them in then* idlenefy. 
 They run about the World to Convert 
 People, without thinking to Convert then:- 
 iviyes^.. and fomctimesJoTe. the mftlves \n 
 
 fe.e]-;u-.g^^ 
 
Sti Tie Spirit 
 
 fteking too earneftly after thofe that have 
 flray'd. To this lUufion may be reduced 
 the miilaken Condu6t of thofe Dire6}:ors,.. 
 who by indifcrcet Rigors pervert the - 
 Ways of God in driving (bmetimes Sinners -. 
 from their ConfeiHonary Seats, whom his 
 Grace brings thither 5 and diflieartning- 
 the weak, for want of capacity and advice 
 to manage them in their weakne^. I fay ^ 
 nothing of the Indifcretion of thofe Wo- 
 men who believe themfelves Charitable ■ 
 becaufe they do not fteal their Neighb©urs . 
 Goods, while they rob them of their Ho- ~ 
 nor by their Calumnies ; They care not for ^ 
 folks Purfes, but flie at the Reputation of 
 all the World ; there's no faving on's fclf • 
 from their Tongues : they examine not : 
 a jot all that is faid, to have the more right - 
 to believe every thing ; and there's none 
 talk'd of difadvantageoufly, but they are 
 prefently perf^^aded all that's faid is true. In 
 line, it is this Spirit of Indifcretion that 
 breaks all the ordinary meafures of Charity, , 
 and takes from it that difcernraent of know- 
 ledge, without which this Vertue becomes it ^ 
 felf inconfiderable : For fometimesit accufes 
 where it ought to excufe 3 and on other oc- 
 cafions praifes where it ought to reprehend :• 
 bdng thus ofcen fubjeil to miflake through 
 Precipitation ^ and the lightnefs of Indif- 
 CKtion... The.. 
 
of Chriftianity. 8 r 
 
 The Ninth is the Spirit of Severity : 
 for Seventy narrows the Heart, and de- 
 prives it of that extent of Soul which is^ 
 the chief chara6i:er of Charity. 'Tis from 
 this Principle fome believe they ought not 
 to indulge any, beeaufc they pardon them- 
 felves nothing ; and think they have a right 
 to be fevere toothers, becaufe they are fa 
 to themfel ves. S. Catherine of Siena avows 
 fhe was rubje61: to this fault in her firft fer- 
 vors, out of a falfe Vertue j and the moft 
 yertuous can hardly guard themfelvesfrom 
 this weaknefs ; for ^tis natural for a Man ta 
 judge of his Neighbour, when he finds him- 
 felf more perfe6l then him.The care one has 
 to live irreprochably in the World, gives a 
 pretence of title to reproch every thing in 
 others : and one cafily perfwades himfelf 
 he owes none that lenity and Indulgence 
 which he refufes to himfelf. If he fpeaks 'tis 
 roughly, if he gives his advice 'tis feverely, 
 if he reprehends 'tis with impatience and 
 rage. 'Tis ever a bitter zeal and morofe 
 ayre, which Is feldom other then the cffedl 
 of a dark and melancholy humour ;(carce 
 ever the fpirit of Charity : In which refpe^t 
 this Condu6V is but a falfe Severity , for 
 Chriftian Severity is rigid only to its felf, 
 and Indulgent to others . This too was the 
 fS^ult of the Pbarifec, who blanv'd all tho 
 
 r.efe 
 
8 2 The Sprit 
 
 reft of Mankind, becaufe, Fafting 'twice a 
 week,be believd hin:irelf better then them 
 all. Thus 'cis that Men are fevere to their 
 Neighbour when they are fb to them- 
 felves, that they fpare none becaufe they 
 favournot themfelves, and that they fpeak 
 ill of all the World becaufe they have a- 
 feverer Morality then others. And thus 
 Severity becomes a meer Delufion, If found- 
 ed on any other Principle then Charity^ 
 Let us place our Glory then rather in Mo- 
 deration and Charity, then In the aufterity 
 of our Morals. "For ^Should we live only on 
 Aflies^ fays S. Chryfbftom, if -we loavefiot: 
 indulgence J and love for our Neighbour ^thi^< 
 aufierity would avail m nothing : An A 
 generally Pride , which is the ordinary 
 effe6lof this Spirit of Severity, is fo great. 
 an obilacleto Charity, that men ought to 
 iland fb much the more on their guard as 
 they find thcmfelves inclinable to Seve- 
 rity. Vertue her felf ought to redouble 
 her Diftrufts amidfl: the Applaufes fhe re- 
 ceives ; for fhe becomes a (bare as fbon as- 
 file ceafes to be pure. There is nothing 
 fb dangerous as Diforder back'd with a 
 falfe Zeal, as an adhefion to Error hid 
 under the veil of an exemplar Life, and as 
 ftri61: Morality with a licentious Belief. 
 But if Severity be oppofite to Charity ^ 
 
 whea< 
 
of Chrifl'ianity. 83 
 
 Vaen not founded on Mildnefs ; Mildnefe 
 is no lefs contrary on feveral occafions, 
 when not fupported by Severity ; For it 
 runs into a flackning of Order either by a 
 foft Indulgence, or by a timorous Con- 
 du6l. In effe6^, Clemency is pernicious 
 where there needs Rigor, and Silence be- 
 comes a fault when one (hould Speak. 
 He prevaricates that holds his Tongue in 
 tho^ occafions where Counfels and Re- 
 proofs are abfolutely neceffary. Judgment 
 and Knowledge, which ought to be the 
 two infeparable companions of Charity, 
 will find a middle path between thefe two 
 Extreams, to the edification of our Neigh- 
 bour, the only Mark that Charity (hould 
 aim at. 
 
 The Tenth is Hypocrifie. This is the 
 Illufion of the Pharifees in the Gofpel, who 
 affe6L being fcrupulous about Trifles, and 
 at the bottom have no principle of Since- 
 rity or Honefty. They humble their Souls 
 before God by big-look'd Pennances ; and 
 harden iheir Hearts to the complaints of 
 the Affli6led and fighs of the Poor : They 
 cover their Violences and Injuftice with 
 the veil of Devotion and Piety. This is the 
 Difbrderthat reigns mod in this Age5where 
 Difguife fits upon the very Altar : Ver- 
 ^tue is (carce any longer pra^is'd but to 
 
84 The Sprit 
 
 get Reputation , Men only feek to impofe : 
 becaufe they mean.but to dazle : They re- 
 nounce that Charity which is of obliga- 
 tion and commanded , to pradife that 
 which is only councell'd \ They rerpe6l the 
 mighty, to infult over the weak; They 
 have fhameful Condefcendencies for Great- 
 ones, and nothing but Rigour and Impe- 
 rioufnels for the Mean ; They propofe to 
 themlelves imaginary Defigns of good 
 Works impoiribIetobeeffe6led, and leave 
 thofe that be very cafie and neceffary. But 
 this Hypocrifie may be difcerned better if 
 taken a pieces : This perfbn fb exteriourly 
 moderate, and who through an artificial 
 carriage has the repute of being (b rea- 
 fonable, is a Fury at home ; In publick 
 he's Charitable, and a Backbiter in private ; 
 In Company he fpeaks well of every one, 
 but fpares none at his fecret Cabals ; He's 
 affable to thofe he efteems , but rude to 
 thole he difreguards; His Devotions are 
 as regular as can be, and he would pafs for 
 a Saint , if he were not fo revengeful and 
 fo dextrous to fatisfie his Refentraents 
 where he has any Contefts ; None ever 
 offends him without (inarting for it ; for 
 he never forgives : So that by this his 
 afle6]:ed Moderation his Life is a continual 
 Impofture. There ^re a thoufand other 
 
 Difguifes 
 
of Chri/iianity. S5 
 
 Drfgulfes of Chanty which may be redu- 
 ced to this, and which are ib much the 
 more odious in the fight of God, as being 
 done under the pretext of Piety. Vice is al- 
 ways criminal; but themoft criminal of all 
 is that which is done under the Coulorand 
 Veil of Vertue : for Men lefs fuffer th em- 
 felves to be corrupted by a bare-fac'd Vice^ 
 then a mafqued Vertue. After all, 'tis in 
 vain to difguife on's felf : nothing can be 
 hid from his fight that fearches hearts and 
 penetrates to the very bottom of them. 
 
 The Eleventh is a Spirit of Empire and 
 Dominion. They arc willing to be in at all 
 good Works , provided they may Rule, 
 Dire61: and Manage : They make one in 
 all Defigns and Enterprizes of Charity, out 
 of the fweetnefs they feel in Governing 
 things with fome Authority ; and the 
 pleafure there is to exercife that petty Em- 
 pire which ^xpreffes ics felf in the know- 
 ledge of their Neighbours wants, and the 
 diftributio-n of alTiftance given them. They 
 meet pun6lually at Affemblies, as fo many 
 favourable occafipns of {hewing them- 
 felves ; and give their wealth to new Foun- 
 dations to Reign in them. 'Tis out of 
 this fame Spirit that they thruft themfelves 
 with fuch zeal into all manner of Affairs j 
 that they are ib earneft to render them- 
 1 felves 
 
26 The Spirit 
 
 (elves neceffarj in rhem ; that they love 
 Negotiating to find out a Temperament In 
 Accommodations and Arbitrations ; thai 
 they charitably concern ihemfelves in 
 every thing ; that they have a Wit fertile 
 enough in Expedients to be of Councel 
 for alt the World ; and that they give (o 
 liberal advice upon the Conduct of all 
 Mankind, For this is the Chara6terof the 
 Devotion of the(e Times ; it will be Mi- 
 ftrefs and Govern all. 'Ti^ through this 
 fame Spirit that Men have no value but 
 for the good Works they do themftlves ; 
 That they will not abet any good unlefs 
 themfelves do it • and that there are fbme 
 who cannot endure either Religion (hould 
 be defended or Vertue prote6i:ed, but after 
 their way, their lights, and their methods : 
 They condemn all elfe be it neverfo good ; 
 They have not the lead: concern for it, 
 becaufe they have no (hare in it. They 
 fet up for Dire61:ors without any Vocation 
 or Chara'fler ; for Dirc61;ion now adays, 
 as it is ordered, is very comfortable to thofe 
 that Diredb ; becaufe they fpeak with Au- 
 thority, and find Submiilion every where^ 
 in fiiorr, this Spirit of Command is be- 
 come fo much the Spirit of tjiis Age, thai 
 k is crept in among Perfons confecrarcd to 
 ibe Altars 3 who take on them in all the 
 
 Fun 6i ions 
 
of Chriftianity. 87 
 
 Functions of their Miniftry a certain ayre 
 of Independence, whilft they hold the reft 
 of the World in Subjecflion. St. Taul, 
 who had in his hands all the Authority of 
 Jejtts Chrifi, is an excellent Pattern for 
 Chriftian Paftors : for he never made ufe 
 of all his great Power todeftroy, but only 
 to edifie. In efFecl this abfolute Authority 
 is a Condu6l too difmal and fierce for Chri- 
 ftianiry ; ferving only to make the Yoke 
 of Obedience more burthenfom , unlefs 
 tempered with Love and Chanty. True 
 Paftors dothemfelves more honor in being 
 the Fathers of Souls, then their Lords and 
 Ma/lers ; and* in loving to Rule their 
 Flocks with fwcetnefs and tendernels, ra- 
 ther then with haughtinefs and Com- 
 mands. Tou wufi, fays S. Bernard, Com- 
 mandwith humility to Command like a 
 Chnfiian ; And there's nothing prepares 
 the Hearts of Subjects to Submiftion like 
 the Charity of thofc they obey. 
 
 The Twelfth Illufion is Scandal and 
 Ill-Example. 'Tis through this Illufion 
 Men live diforderly whilft they flatter 
 themfelves with fair appearances of a kind 
 of natural Equity, which they would have 
 a horror to tranfgrefs : They have at bot- 
 tom a zeal for Juftice, and have none for 
 modefty ; They are tender of a Stranger's 
 I X Intereftj^ 
 
88 The Spint 
 
 Interefl, and facrifice the Innocence of a 
 Domeftick, of whom they (erve themfelves 
 in the fecret practices of their Paffion : 
 They ar€ touch'd with the Misfortunes of 
 one unknown whom they fee oppreffed, 
 and ruine the Confcience of a Friend 
 whom they caufe to engage in their Re- 
 venge. You are not Violent, you are not 
 Unjaft, you hate Oppreilion, Cruelty diP 
 pleafes^you 3 in brief you wrong nabody : 
 And you employ your Wives in (hameful 
 Concerns and vicious Intrigues. You are 
 nice even to fcru pie, in point of Detra6l;i* 
 on ; and have all the afFe6tations of a Pro- 
 Hitute, to (educe Youth that puts it felf 
 into your Hands. How many Diforders 
 have you caufed by your Scandals, you 
 that have fo much avcrfion for Injuftice ? 
 for your Example is a Poifbn that kills 
 him who fees it. But what is become of 
 the Modefty of Chriftlan Ladies in an Age, 
 where nothing is talk'd of but Reforma- 
 tion and Devotion ? Was there ever feeii 
 0) great a licentioufhefs in Manners as 
 now ad ays ? Women, befides theindecen- 
 cy and immodefty of their Dreft, are even 
 come to think it a greater ayre of Quality 
 to drefs themfelves publickly and before 
 all the World : that is to fay, to expofe 
 tkenifel ves, by a, ftandalous Mode, to thofe 
 
 adulterous, 
 
of Chrijimyiity. 8^ 
 
 adulterous Eyes whereof the Apoftle 
 fpeaks; and to Prefent in the Golden Veffel^^ 
 like the Whore of Babylon , the mortal 
 Draught to thofe that fee them. Scandal is 
 fo dreadful a fpring of Corruption, and 
 fo pernicious a poifbn to Innocence ^ that 
 one cannot have Faith and read, without 
 Trembling , the terrible Menaces of the 
 Son of God to thofe (candalous Pcrfons 
 who poifon the Souls of thofe with whom 
 they converfe. Our Lord feems to have 
 forbidden in the Gofpel nothing fo flridily 
 as this : C«f, fays he, cut off\ fluck out 
 even your ^jery eyes^ if your eyes fcandaltZQ 
 you. 1 fay nothing of thole fond foolifh 
 Mothers, who by their Indulgency and 
 Vanity ruine the Innocency of their young 
 Daughters, in expofing them to Aflem- 
 blies and dangerous Companies , under 
 pretence of fhewing and teaching them 
 the World ; I (peak not of thofe enve- 
 nom'd Tongues that tear in pieces the 
 Honor of their Neighbour , in mofl obli- 
 ging and refpeclfui Language, and fow 
 Dlffention wherever they come. I only fay 
 that a Chrifiian cannot wuhout trembling 
 . make refle(fl:ion on thofe dreadful words 
 ot the Son of God, Wo to him by n^'hom 
 fcanilal con^.eth. 
 
 The Thirteenth is the Spirit of Emula- 
 I. 3. tion 
 
po The Spirit 
 
 tion and Partial:ity,prlncipally in matters oF 
 Religion ; and this is the moft dangerous of 
 all Illufions, 'Tis out of this Spirit that Men 
 make ufe of the holy Name of Chrijilan 
 Charity^ to heighten their Averfions, and 
 render their Enmities' irreconcileable. By 
 this they cenfure the Condu6lof others to 
 authorize their own ; They deftroy fettled 
 Reputation to give themfelves more Cre- 
 dit • They frame to themfelves a Chi- 
 mera of Religion, tofeek a morefpecious 
 pretext for their Headftrongnefs, and they 
 give their Paflion the name of Tical anid 
 Charity, Such was the lUufion of that 
 SpamJIo Lady £?/«'///?, mention'd by S. ^ur 
 gufiine ; ihe was Rich, Devout, and of 
 Quality: and ihe it was who, fuffering 
 her lelf to be dazled with Vifions of her . 
 own Zeal, kindled, by the profufion of her 
 Alms and great Repute, the firft fparks 
 of that fire, wherewith the Herefie of the 
 Donattfis laid walle the Church o^ Africa^ 
 and afterwards fpread it felf over Spam^nd 
 Ifafy, Such iikewife was the Extravagancy 
 of that rich Merchant of Ljcns calPd 
 ValJo, v/ho upon a fancy of Reformation 
 foolifhiy diflributed all his Wealth to the 
 Poor ; whence fprung that curfed ScSt of 
 the VaUe'fjfes^ which fince has been the 
 iaurce of other Herefies thai have infeCled 
 
of Chriftianity. . p^ 
 
 France. Such in fine was rhe Illufion of 
 the Sacrament ar'tans of the liifl Age, who 
 taking upon them to be Reformers, faa- 
 cied a new Morality to draw peoples Eyes 
 upon their Party, and more fignalize their 
 Conduit They fpoke of nothing but 
 Swectnefs, Chriftlan Integrity, the New 
 Teftament and the Gofpel. My Bre» 
 thren and my Sifters was the common 
 Language of thcfe Preachers when they 
 fpoke to the People. In fine, at the begin- 
 ning of this Reformation all places eccho'd 
 with the fair and fpecious Name, of Cha- 
 rity and Union ; whilll: they cut the 
 Throats of Prieils , broke down the Al- 
 tars, writ raoft invedllve Libels againll 
 the Divines of the Reman-Catholick 
 Church , and rendrcd all Morals ridicu- 
 lous to eftablifh that which they vented. 
 The Vices of thofe that declar'd thera- 
 felves favourers of that Party were Ver- 
 tues ; The Vertues of thofe that favour'd 
 them not were accounted Vices : the re- 
 pute oC Vertue and Honefty wholly de- 
 pended on their breath, and none had any 
 Chriftianity, If youl bdieve them, but in as 
 much as they embrac'd their JiiJgmenrs, 
 and were their Friends. All this Condu(tl 
 wasdefe6i:ivc, becaufe grounded on a falfs 
 Principle , And thefe appearances of Cha- 
 
p2 The spirit 
 
 rity whereof they boafted, were but a pure 
 piece of Policy, and a fecret Artifice to 
 authorize their Party, and make their Error 
 fpread the better. 
 
 The Fourteenth is a hidden Vanity that 
 finds its way into almoftall Works of Cha- 
 rity : 'Tis fb natural to Man to feek him- 
 lelf in all things, even the mod holy, that 
 he is fo much the more fubje6l to this 
 weaknefs, as he is exempt from all the 
 reft. It pleafes (bme to Teach,Inftru6t and 
 Dirc6t, becaufe thereby they get Credit. 
 They love Charities that make a (hew, 
 becaufe they would be particularly taken 
 notice of. They find wants at their Doors, 
 and regard them not ; and fend their Alms 
 to the end of the Worldjbecaufe that makes 
 a greater nuife. They pardon an Offence 
 with all the Ceremonies of fatisfadlion in 
 form, to rai(e a Trophy of their Moderati- 
 on. They exercife, out of a falfe generofity , 
 Liberalities difproportionable to their Con- 
 dition, and fail their Brother in his necef^ 
 fity. 'Tis often nothing but Vanity that 
 makes thofe famous Wills wherein Friends 
 are fo well confider'd : they merit much by 
 it in the eyes of the World, but nothing in 
 the fight of God : It conduces much to 
 the reputation of him that dies, and avails 
 nothing to the Expiation of his fins, and 
 
 hisu 
 
of Cbriftianity. ^3 
 
 hl^Juftification. At his death, he has given 
 his" Goods to his bed Friends ; It looks 
 very handfbm, but it is very Pagan-like ; 
 herein he confidersFriendfhip, and regards 
 not Charity. It is not for the love of God 
 that this Lady is Charitable, 'tis only for 
 the love of her fclf ; 'Tis out of this Spirit 
 that fhe is in at all good Works : Being 
 vain, (he is not difpleas'd at being thank'd 
 for the good fhe do's ; for (he do's it only 
 for that end. Her Charity being but a 
 pretext to her Vanity, fhe endeavours much 
 more to appear Charitable, then to be (b 
 in efiFe6l ; but wo to them who give Alms 
 to be feen , and fo gain the applaufe of 
 Men : For (fays the Gofpel ) they ha%/e 
 already received their reward. And al- 
 though an Alms given on this account is 
 profitable to the Receiver, yet is.it wholly 
 unprofitable to the Giver : This infe£Hous 
 ayre of Vanity that mixes with it,is in it felf 
 alone fufficient to fpoil the fruit. Alms, to 
 be Chri[lian,ought to be humble; and done 
 in private, to be profitable to the Doer, 
 That our heavenly Father^ faith S.Matthew, 
 who fees in fecret, may give him his reccm- 
 fence. What in this place the Gofpel fpeaks 
 of Alms, ought tol)e underftood of all 
 Works of Charity ; which a Chriftian 
 ought to do. "with a pure and finccre intea- 
 
 tion, 
 
P4 The Spirit 
 
 tion, defiring God only for witneifs ; otber- 
 wlfe the worm of Vanity deftroys liis 
 Works, and renders them unprofitable in 
 the fight of God. 
 
 The Fifteenth is a diforderly addi(^ed- 
 nefs to Devotions ; which gives to God 
 what is due to our Neighbour. Some neg- 
 lect their Families to be more affiduous at 
 the foot of the Alrar j They wave their 
 Employments to be doing Kindnefles ; 
 They love retirednefs, when their Condi- 
 tion obliges them to appear in publick ; 
 They are filent out of a falfc modefty. 
 when they fliould fpeak ; They meditate 
 when they fhould a6i: ; They are in Office, 
 and live like private Perfons • They would 
 have peace with God without caring to 
 have it with Men. This Paftor in his 
 Flock, This Superior in his Houfe, are 
 Mild, Peaceable, and Charitable; but they 
 fuffer themfelves to be governed by furi- 
 ous Spirits, whofe Paflions they efpoufe : 
 and allgo's topfie-turvie fbmetimes by their 
 Authority , whilfl: they are at the feet of 
 their Crucifix to fatisfie the guft of Devo- 
 tion, which fome fentiment of Piety, or ra- 
 ther love of Eafe gives them unfeafbnably. 
 They deceive themselves, if they believe 
 they are innocent of the Violences done in 
 their Name 3 for 'tis only their Name that 
 
 autho- 
 
of Chriftianity. ^5 
 
 authorizes them. This is to be but the vain 
 Image of a Paftor, fays the Prophet ; or ra- 
 ther 'tis to be but Charitable in i^f<^,tohave 
 the heart to abandon his Flock, to leave the 
 Condu6): of it to Paftors foifted in, and to in- 
 trufl%ith another the Salvation of thofe/or 
 whom himfelf in perfon is relponfible to 
 God. A watchful Superior ought to be like 
 a wife Pilot, who has always his Hand up- 
 on the Rudder : every thing alarms him 
 by reafbn of the concern he takes m the 
 fafety of thofe he conducts. And as they 
 are not in Office but to watch over thofe 
 they Govern ; fo all the Vcrtjjes, all the 
 Graces, and all the moil holy Actions of 
 Superiors are deceitful , when they feek 
 more their ratisfa6lion in Devotion then 
 the peace of thole they Govern. 
 
 The Sixteenth is Self-love. This Love 
 includes in it felf the interefl: of all other 
 Paffions, and almoft the univerfai fpring 
 of all other Illufions, 'Tis through this 
 Principle of Self-love that Men fometlmcs 
 are not in at Pra6lices of Chariry, but to 
 manage more dextroufly their own Inte- 
 refls : They find hereby their Affairs go 
 much the better ; and that ((^metimes ferves 
 to fuftaiii their Rights more boldlv, and 
 even more creditably. We fee in effeil 
 Perfons of Qialiry Charitable, that tho- 
 
 rowly 
 
^6 The Spirit 
 
 rowly underftand Chriftianiry , tb^ itj- 
 ftru(5: others to pra6lice it, and diftribute 
 in their Mannors well-order'^d Alms to the 
 Poor of the XZounty ; but they will not 
 quit any thing of their Interefts : 'Tis they 
 advance them (bmetimes even beyond the 
 bounds of Equity. Fain they would be 
 well a-t Court with every one : but the 
 Chimera of their Birth and Quality is (b 
 ftrong in their Head, that they become in- 
 fupportable to all the Nobility of their own 
 County; and are fo jealous of their Lord- 
 (hlps and Rights, that they forget all the 
 care they ought to- have of Charity and 
 Edification^ This Prelate fo fet upon his 
 Duty, is inflexible when the Fun6iions of 
 his Miniftry are in qu-eftion ; He talks of 
 nothing now but his Power ; his great zeal • 
 is to exercife his Power in Ecclefiaftical 
 Judgments according to the rigor of the 
 Canons, and to hold up even unto the pre- 
 judice of Edification , the intereft of his 
 Dignity. But after all, the matter well con- 
 fider'd , ways there are more mild and 
 Chriftian-like to defend his Rights, then 
 thofe of HaughtineG and Authority ; and 
 ordinarily he makes ufe of his Authority 
 too much, only to fupply his want of merit 
 and conceal his weaknefs. This Lady has 
 an admirable indifference for all things, 
 
 but 
 
of Chriflia7iity. 5 ^ 
 
 but is fb wedded to her own Fancy, that 
 (he pailionately defends all her Sentiments. 
 She is the moil moderate Perfon in the 
 World 5 but her Moderation leaves her 
 as foon as (he finds her Interefl: in any Af- 
 fair mixt with thofe of others. She receives 
 kindly every one except her Creditors : 
 She is humble and modeft, but has ridicu- 
 lous Niceties in point of Reputation. 'Tis 
 this Self-love which is (b exa6t to obferve 
 Civility in Works oF Charity : 'Twould 
 (hock her fhould (he not pay her Devoirs 
 to a fick Relation, though little efteem'd ; 
 or not to be one at a good Work with her 
 beft Friends, leafl: (he fbould appear lin- 
 gular ; nor to give to a Box-carrier fhe 
 eftecms and values. In fine, thefe are but 
 low and (elf-ended Regards : men a6l out of 
 meer humane and worldly Confiderations ; 
 And Chrlftian Charity is rarely pradlis'd 
 in its purity. 
 
 There is an infinity of other lllufions I 
 do not mention, which a little attention to 
 our felves will make us reflection : As to 
 diffemble the Truth , where Charity ob- 
 liges to declare ir, out of a too humane fear 
 of fcandal or fome other inconvenience ; 
 To forbear giving Alms, to avoid the va- 
 nity one \i fubjevEl to in giving thera ; To 
 ftandahze ones Neighbour out of too great 
 K defirc 
 
«c/^ The Spirit 
 
 defire to edifie him j To wound Charity 
 binder pretext to pra6lire it ; To give poi- 
 ibn'd praifes to what one would difcom- 
 mend ; To invent fubtle Detra61:ions in- 
 troduc'd with great Commendations , to 
 .deftroy more methodically thofe one would 
 a-uine ^ To mend with artificial Fetches 
 ■what one would mar.^ To comfort a mi- 
 ierable Perfon, and blafl the Credit of one 
 that is happy ; To impoie a Yoke on our 
 3^eighbour which he cannot bear; To be 
 ruling others, and to be ones (elf irregular; 
 To feek after Mdels to convert them, 
 and not to love our Brethren^ To fee evil 
 .and not to examine it ; To condemn 
 •without being inform'd ; To ufe for ones 
 ^peculiar Jntereftthe Talents one has to be 
 [ufeful to his Neighbour ; To draw to 
 ones felf,by the Miniftry of the Word of 
 God , the Efteem of thofe one ought to 
 draw to God himfelf only; To diffipate 
 ones felf, by inftru6ting them ; To impo- 
 verifh ones felf by enriching them with 
 ones Lights ; To be too fond of the fuccefs, 
 :and purfue it with more inquietude then 
 one ought in the exer<:i(e of Charity ; In 
 £ne, the very perfe<51:eft a61:s of Charity 
 are but meer lliufions, when they are con- 
 trary to the perfc61ion of that State where- 
 Vdoio God has culi'd one. As for Exam- 
 ple, 
 
of Chrijiianity. p^ 
 
 pie, l( a Carthufian, who ought to lead a 
 iblicary hfe , would become a MlfHoner ;, 
 or if a Carmelite would from his Grate- 
 convert the World by the Intrigues of his- 
 Diredlion : for both the one and the other 
 would ^B. therein contrary to their Voca- 
 tion. But 'cis obfervable that if Charity 
 be fuhjcvft to all thefe Illufions, in refpedl 
 of its Principle ; yet'ris not fubje^l to any 
 in refpedl of its object : for when the mo- 
 tive of it is pure, 'tis always Jefits Chrifi one - 
 allifts in the Poor and the AfHi6led, altho - 
 it be an Impofture that is affilled ; becaufe- 
 'tis Jefifs Chrifi alone one has in view 
 when he acts like a ChrilHan. After all5exa- 
 miniiig thorowly thefe divers forts of Illufi" 
 ons, one will find they are all but the red- 
 difguifcs of Self-love, which is the ordina- 
 rieft enemy of Charity* . 
 
 But 'tis to be fear'd lefl, endeavouring: 
 to refine Charity overmuch by a too llri£t 
 obfervation of thefe Illufions, the greateil 
 pirt whereof (eldorahappen,the exercife of 
 this Vertue be rendred (b difficult that its'- 
 practice be wholly ruin'd; For 'tiseafily faid- 
 Man is expos'd to fo many occafions of Va- • 
 nity, and to (b many Imperfedtions through^ 
 the weaknefsof his Condition, that 'tis to • 
 render the ufeof Charity impoflible to pre-- 
 tend he muft praftife it fo purely. It feems > 
 
loo The Spirit 
 
 even that Godferves himfelf of the Tmper- 
 fedlions of Man, that the Poor may be re- 
 lieved ; yet he would not be (b , if it de- 
 pended on fo pure a practice of this Ver- 
 rue. I affirm the Poor are frequently af> 
 fifted, through the Vanity and other Im- 
 perfecllons of thofe that fuccour them : 
 for Man commonly a6ls as Man , that is 
 to fay, very imperfe6lly ; But is that a 
 reafon his Eyes fhould not be open to ob- 
 lige him to reflecl on'c ? If God makes ufe 
 oi^ our Pailions as the mod ordinary In- 
 iiruments of his Deiigns \ If the moft fe- 
 cret rprings of his Providence for the ac- 
 complifhment of great Event?, are mod 
 commonly fct on work by the Intrigue of 
 intereftor Ambition of Men ; And if his 
 Wifdom is fo wonderful as to draw from 
 thofe corrupted and envenom'd Sources^ 
 the pur^ll: Draughts of his Glory : 'TIs as 
 irjuch as to (ay, we muft not dare to fpeak, 
 againft Faffions, and advertife Man of his 
 weaknefs^ becaufe God makes ufe thereof 
 to Govern the World j as he do's of the 
 Vanity of great Men to fupply the Wants 
 of the mean. For the reft, 1 fhall efteem 
 my felf abundantly recompenced for the 
 pains 1 have taken to clear fo home by 
 piecemeal ihefe Illufions, to which Charity 
 IS fubjedi: j if it ipay Icrve any one to refle6i: 
 
 thereon^ 
 
of Chrijlianiiy. i o i^ 
 
 thereon, and to pracSlife fometimcs this ' 
 Virtue with more purity : And I hope 
 God will blefs the intentions I have had, to 
 endeavour re6lifying the u(e of Ir, by the 
 fimple and difinterefted face thereof him- 
 felf has (hewn me. But,when Charity (hall ^ 
 be fully cleared from thefe clouds that ob- - 
 fcure ir, and from all thofe impure fogs 
 that corrupt it : we muft thinkof the means - 
 to acquire this Vertue, in rootingout what* - 
 everiscontrary to the purity of its Spirit. - 
 
 G H A P. VI. 
 
 ne Means to acquire ChriJlianCha'^' 
 rlty^ 
 
 ''T;^Here is no Rule methodically to ac^ 
 L quire Chriftian Charity, which is a 
 fupernatural Habit, and a Girt purely from 
 God. But as a Chriflian, prevented by 
 Grace, may dirp>(e his Mind to Faith, as ^ 
 fupcrnatural as it is, by dellroylng therein * 
 obftinacy, prefumption, and adhefion to * 
 Error,aiUl ihvU natunil propenfity that leads -' 
 to Incredulity : So may he after the fame- 
 manner dirpofe hi.-nfclF to attain Charity ,■ 
 ifhe roots the obflacks of it out of his - 
 heart. - F©^ this Vertue finds very great ' 
 
 K 3j * 0H€^-> 
 
10 2 TBe Spirit 
 
 ones in the heart of Man: whereof I witl 
 give a touch on the principal ; without 
 falling on the fame Particulars I mention^'d 
 in the lllufions, the moft part whereof are 
 alfb impediments to Charity. 
 
 The greateft of all obftacles to Charity 
 is that Worldly fpirit, fb oppofite to the 
 Spirit of yefm Chrift - That Prudence of 
 the Fleft], that Pride of the Age, and all 
 that vain Oftentation which reigns (o 
 much in the Courts of Great men : where- 
 in Worldly wifdom teaches thefe abomi- 
 nable Maxims^ ( 'uiz,, ) To deftroy by 
 fubtlc Artifices ones Neighbour's Repu- 
 tation ; Todifcredit him in the opinion of 
 liich as efteem him ; To violate the mofl 
 holy Rights^ turn all things topfie-turvy 
 to attain what one pretends to,, and to ag- 
 grandize ones (elf. 'Tis by this fame Spi- 
 rit young Gentlemen are taught that Re- 
 venge is a Gentleman's Vertue ; and that- 
 it is a piece of Cowardifc to pardon. Th6 
 Hatreds, Envies, Jealo;jfies, Intrigues oi^ 
 Licentioufnefs and Ambition , great Inte- 
 Tefts, violent Paflions, which are the com* 
 xnon effccisof this Spirit, reigns fb power- 
 fully in the Great of this World, that they.- 
 leave not room for the leail fpark of Cha- 
 rity. Therefore the Apoftle fays. He that 
 jvill become a friend of ths worlds becomes:: 
 an..emmiofG.odL There: 
 
of CBriftianity, 1 05 
 
 There is another Spirit in the World 
 ftill more oppofite to this Vertue ; the 
 Spirit of Difguife, Impofture, and U\C- 
 (embling, whofe only end is to mifchief 
 our Neighbour. 'Tis this unhappy Po- 
 licy of the Flefh, which only feeks to 
 eftablidi it felf by fhameful and wicked 
 Treacheries , and by all the depraved 
 Maxims of the World, I have been fpeak* 
 ing of, and which render the Life of a 
 Chriftian a monffrous Life • that is, full 
 of PaiTions, Animofitics, Knavery and Per- 
 hdioufnefs. Thefe are the Machines Men 
 make ufe of to perpetuate their Enmities,, 
 by everlafting Wranglings, and to make 
 all Tribunals ring with their InjulKces 
 and Violences. 
 
 rie fay nothing of the Spirit of Obfli-- 
 nacy, Contradi6lion , diverfity of Judg-.. 
 mentsand Opinions in matters cf Religion,^ 
 nor of all thofe Fadlious Sidings which at 
 prefent afHi6l Chriftianity. The memory 
 of the Diforders they have caufed in the 
 lafi: Age, is ftill frefli enough in this to make 
 153 comprehend the importance of it : for 
 there is nothing mere capable of dividing- 
 the hearts of the People, then differenc- 
 Judgments in Religion. 
 
 Being given to Pleafurcs, to Delights, to - 
 dsngeioui Divertifenients, to Gaming, to 
 
 Bior,, 
 
ix)4 l^ke Spirit 
 
 Riot, and Delicacy, is alfb a great obftacle 
 to this Spirit of Charity we are in quefl of, 
 Thefe (lately Houfcs, proud rich Fur- 
 nitures, fumptuous Tables, new Fafhions 
 in Clothes, which lliew nothing but wan- 
 tonnefs ; Thefc Vanities of worldly La- 
 dies, this State that environs them, thefe 
 profufe Expences of voluptuous fenfual 
 Perfons intoxicated with the Delights of 
 the Age,, do fo forcibly dry up in the hearts 
 of Worldlings this holy Uncflion of Cha- 
 rity, that thfere remains not any (ign. of it 
 in all thofe who are plunged in Vanity. 
 For how can a Woman that denies no- 
 thing to her Pleafure, and loves only her 
 felf , be rouch'd with any fentiments of 
 Charity ? She fhuts her Eyes againft the 
 poverty of the neceflitous, (he will net fee 
 it, nor fo much as take notice of it, that • 
 fhe may not fquandet the Fund fhe de- - 
 figns for her Vanity, by the Ailillance (he 
 (hould be oblig'dtogivehim that demands .• 
 it. in Gods name : And hence it is Jefas * 
 Cbrifi.Co ofren (hakes with cold, in the 
 Perfon of rhe Poor at the Gate of the Rich, . 
 without being taken notice of j for he is.- 
 only buficd about himfclf.' 
 
 What fhcill I Qy of thofe perpetual Ha- 
 treds and inveterate Averfions, wiiichMeh 
 fo: fcandaloiifly retain B they can neither 
 
 fpeak.c 
 
of Chriftianity. t o 5 
 
 rpeak to , nor fo much as look on one 
 that hath affronted themj and believe their 
 Refentment juft, becaufe they have been 
 injur'd. What is more contrary to the Spi- 
 rit of ChriiHanity, whkh cannot fo much 
 as fuffer coldneQ or indifferency ? They 
 flatter themfelves too, as they frame their 
 Confciences in their Hatreds and Aveifi- 
 ons J They believe they wifli no ill to him 
 that has offended them, : when any Misfor- 
 tune befalls him, they triumph for joy at it: 
 And when they fay, I wifh him no ill, but 
 cannot endure to lee him, nor have to do 
 with him j this they call loving like a Chri- 
 ftian. 
 
 There is likewife I know noc what ayre 
 very repugnant to Charity, in the natural 
 advantages of Wit, of Condu^l, of Sence, 
 of Ability j and in the excellency of other 
 Qualities which, if one takes not great care, 
 ufes to infpire a love and efteem of ones, 
 (elf: For 'tis natural for him that has re- 
 ceived more to undervalue him that has. 
 received lefs. But whilft he thinks to di- 
 ftinguifli himfelf from others by thefe Ad- 
 vantages, he corrupts his fpirit, and in the 
 end becomes utterly infenfible of the mod 
 tender motions of Charity. For the reft, 
 as every one has (har'd In the diftribution of 
 natural or fupernatural Gifts , according 
 
10^ The Spirit 
 
 to the meafure of Grace ; There is no 
 Chriftian but may take notice of (bme par- 
 ticular Gift his Brother has received from 
 God, wherewith himfeif has not been fa- 
 vour'd. Thus S. Taul confi iers in S< Fete/ 
 his Priraacy,and again SJ'^ttr confiders in 
 S. Paul the high Wifdora he had received 
 from Heaven. S, Anthony only regards in 
 *his Brethren thofe Vertues himfeif had 
 not, to honor them the more. 'Tis in this 
 manner that the Chriftian who has wit, 
 cfteems one who has Vertue and Good^ 
 nefs. The Learned admires the Difpatcb 
 of the Man of Budnefs , The Man of Bu-. 
 fincfspraifes the Capacity of the Learned* 
 In fine, thus 'tis that Charity makes the Su- 
 perior not eftecm his own Dignity above 
 others, but the Vertue and Merit of thofe 
 he Commands: And whilft he exteriourly 
 Commands them, he humbles himfeif in-p 
 teriourly before them ; and they on their 
 fide refpe^t in him his Power and Autho* 
 rity, and kindly fubmit to his Condu6l, 
 
 Laftly it may be faid, that the greatefl 
 obflacle to Charity , is the Immoderate 
 love of Riches ; for this love caufes Ira- 
 purity of Confcicnce, Hardnefs of Hearty 
 Independence, Pride, Infblence, ContempE 
 of the Poor,and an entire corruption of Spi- 
 rit, And. a^ this reftlcfs care of preferving 
 
 kis» 
 
vf Chrijiianity. 107 
 
 tis Goods polfons the Soul of the Rich, i'o 
 Covetoufnefs is the moft abominable of 
 all Vices, and moft oppoCte to Charity : 
 For rhe effcntial Character of Avarice is a 
 falfe Prudence of the Flefh , all whofe 
 •Defigns and Thoughts bound themfelves 
 in the P^rfbn paffe (Ted by it \ fo that his 
 Heart is locked up to all Sentiments of 
 pity for the Wants of the Poor. A Man 
 darkens his fpirit by the Vapors of fo car- 
 nal a Paflion ; he fixes his Heart to the 
 -Goods of the Earth, as to his foveraign 
 Good : If others poflefs them, he unjuftly 
 ieizcs them , he covets them criminally, 
 if he cannot get them, and violates what's 
 moft facr^d in Society to enrich himfelf 
 maugre his Confcience, againft which he 
 ihuts his Ears. 
 
 But it ought to be oWervcd, that 'tis 
 not fo much the Riches infpirethis Spirit 
 -of Hardnefs and Injuftice, as the fixing too 
 great a love on them .* For Job was Cha- 
 ritable in his abundance j his Wealth was 
 (b far from being an obftacle to his Cha- 
 rity, that it was a m.eansfor his better pra- 
 clifing it. He was, as himfelf fays, The 
 father of the poer^ and prote^or of the af- 
 fitBed 5 Hii door 'was always ofen to thofe 
 in necejfity^ and -with the wooU of his Jljeep 
 he clad the naked 3 He was the fupport of 
 
 the 
 
io8 The Sprit 
 
 the Tvldo'iv and fatherlefs , the traveller 
 was welcom to his houfe j And he refufed 
 nothing to any in want that craved his 
 help. 
 
 Befides this good ufe that ought to be 
 made of Riches according to the examplfe 
 o^Joh, whofe life may ferve as a pattern 
 to a Chriftian, to difpofe his heart to Cha- 
 rity : He muft likewifc, to attain this Ver- 
 tue, have frequent communication with 
 God by Prayer and Meditation. 'Tis 
 chiefly from Prayer thefc h'ghts take birth 
 in our hearts, which are the mod pure 
 fprings of Chriftian Charity and love of 
 our Neighbours. For the fame fighs that 
 form in our Souls the Spirit of Prayer, 
 form there alfo the Spirit of Charity. The 
 inward voice of the heart ; That Voiee^ ^fs 
 St. Auguftine, which exfrejjes it filf by the 
 Jtghings ofVrayer^ is that which enkindles 
 in Its the fervour of this Vertue : For Cha^ 
 rity becomes cold when the Heart becomes 
 filent, fays this great Saint. Thus one can- 
 not be Charitable, without being Devout ; 
 becaufe Devotion is the moft common 
 nouriOiment of the love of God and our 
 Neighbour. This love grows cold by the 
 diftradlion of Bufinefs, and is even extin* 
 guiihed by the difquiets of a too bufie Life. 
 In efFe6l, the true (burce of Charity, as 
 
 TertuUian 
 
of Chriftianity. i op 
 
 Tertullian aflures us, is renouncing the 
 love of the World , and indifference for 
 temporal Goods : for tranfitory Goods 
 weaken the Heart, by the confidence they 
 give it in fb frail a fupport as is that of 
 Riches. 
 
 Likewife there is nothing more capable 
 to inflame Charity in the Soul of a Chri- 
 ftian, then a fervent and lively Faith, ani- 
 mated with a perfe6l Confidence in God ; 
 For the Fire of Charity kindles it felf 
 at the Ardors of Faith , which makes a 
 Chriftian a6l like a Child of God, and love 
 the Poor as his Brother. In fine, the fure 
 and infallible v/ay to acquire this Vertue, 
 is by little and little to accuflom our felves 
 to praclife Works of it : For by vifiting 
 the Prifoner , comforting the Affli6led, 
 helping the NeccfTitous, inftru6ling the Ig- 
 norant , which are Anions may be done 
 daily, and e§en ought to be performed if 
 one pretends to Chriftianity ; he becomes 
 infenfibly Charitable, and attains that 
 heavenly Wifdom which is the portion of 
 the Humble : and which without Study or 
 Reafoning pours into the Heart that inte- 
 riour Undion of the Spirit of God, which 
 teaches to love our Neighbour. But it is 
 not fufficient to teach a Chriftian ihe Means 
 to become Charitable : he muft alfo, to en- 
 L courage 
 
f lo The Sfirit 
 
 courage him to become fb , be fliew'd his 
 obligation to it by the moil preiling Mo- 
 ires. 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Three very powerful Motives to es* 
 cite a Chriflian to acquire the 
 Vertue of Charity, 
 
 THe firft Motive is, That without be- 
 ing Charitable one cannot be a Chri- 
 flian ; for it is in Charity alone confifls 
 the true Spirit of Chriftianity. Nature 
 teaches Man to live with Man, but Grace 
 obliges to love him. This is, fays S. Fauly ' 
 the plenitude of the La7v of the New T^- 
 flament. All the Morality of Jeffts Chrift^ 
 and all the depth of the V^fdom of the 
 Gofpel points only at the pra6lice of this 
 Vertue, which alone is the fum and fub- 
 flance of Chriflian Perfeclion. Without 
 Charity y fays the Apoflle, neither Faith^ 
 fjor Hope^ nor the gifts of Prophecy ^ nor the 
 gifts ofTongueSy nor Martyr dom^ nor any 
 ether Vertue y can be confiderable in the 
 fight of God. It is Charity perfe6ls Man, 
 rc(5lifies his Reafon, and fanflifies all his 
 
 A6lions. 
 
o/l Chriftianity. 1 1 1 
 
 A£lIons. This makes humble , and uor 
 makes proud : becaufeit nouriflies Humilitj^ 
 and choaks Pride. All Vertues become un- 
 profitable, and all good Works fruitlefs ta 
 him that is not Charitable. 'Tis Charity 
 that warms the Faithful, that animates his 
 Hopes, and that juftifies a Sinner. One 
 may enter into the Marriage-Chamber of 
 the Lamb without Virginity, but not with- 
 out Charity. The ordmary life of a Chri- 
 ftian in the exercife of a faithful and per- 
 feverant Charity , may (bmecimes be as- 
 meritorious in the fight of God , as the 
 moft heroick Confli6]:s of the Martyrs j 
 becaufe every A6lion of Charity, by the 
 nature of its Motive, is a (ecret Sacrifice 
 of his Intereft or of his Pleafure, and even 
 of his Honor : for one cannot in efFc6l love 
 his Neighbour like a Chriftian, withou: 
 depriving himfelf of fomething either in- 
 Gommodioufly, or againft his Inclinatiort ; 
 And all the bell: we do is ordinarily good 
 for nothing, but by the influence of this 
 Vcrtue. It is only through Charity thac 
 the Works of Piety are Chriftian : Thi? 
 enobles the meaneft A6lions • and the 
 weakefi: Reafonings become ftrong, whefi 
 a httle fuftain'd by it ; and 'tis not the 
 greatnefs of the things done for God that 
 renders them confiderable, but the grea^-. 
 L 2h ne(« 
 
1 1 2 The Sprit > 
 
 nefs of the Charity wherewith they are 
 done. In brief, this heavenly Vertue, 
 which is the pureft food of the Soul, fan- 
 ctifies even natural Defe61:s and the gro(^ 
 fed: Imperfe61:ions ; and covers that multi- 
 tude of Sins whereunro Man is fubjedt 
 Through the weaknefs of his Condition, as 
 the Apoftle fays. Let us then (eek after 
 110 other Pra61:ice of Devotion, fince this 
 alone contains all other Praitices , as 
 St. John inftru(5]:s us ; let us not (train our 
 Wits, according to the Spirit of this Age, 
 with vain Reafbnings , in queft of new 
 ways to arrive at Perfe6tion ; Let us con- 
 tent our felves with this the Saviour of the 
 World has marked out to us j let us fee 
 our heart on this Vertue he moft recom^ 
 mends to us ; let us not ftifle in our felves 
 this divine fire whereof Faith kindles the 
 iirft flames in our hearts. Let us love our 
 Brethren fincerely, fince we live on the fame 
 Bread, and have all ih^ fame Hopes. If we 
 cannot contribute our Goods towards fuc- 
 couring the Poor, at leaft letusfigh to God 
 for him ; and thereby in fbme manner 
 comfort him what we can for the fhame 
 he undergoes to figh fo often to Men, im- 
 ploring their afliftance. In fine, let us not 
 by our hard-heartednefs difhonor the hoi/ 
 Name of Chrifiian ^ a Name of fweetnefs. 
 
 and 
 
of Chrijiiajiity. 113 
 
 and bounty ; and fince without being Cha- 
 ritable one cannot be a Chriftian, let us be 
 Charitable in effe^l, not to be only Chri- 
 flians in idea. The reciprocal need Men 
 have of one another, is the foundation of 
 their Society, and the natural principle of 
 their Union ; And (hall not Charity be a 
 bond flrong enough to unite Chrillians by 
 the reciprocal obligations they have to aP 
 fill: each other ? for the PJch ought to 
 help the Poor before Men, as the Poor help 
 the Rich before God ; in that the mifery 
 of the one, becomes the fountain of the 
 others merit and happlnefs. 
 
 The Second Motive to acquire Charity, . 
 is the pain wherewith God fo feverely pu» 
 nifties him that is not provided with this 
 Verrue. In effe^i:, as it is to break the Al- 
 liance ot the New Teflament , and after a 
 manner renounce the Gofpel, not to love 
 ones Neighbour \ there is nothing more 
 terrible then thefe PuniOinients wherewith 
 the holy Scriptures threatens them that 
 have not this love. And is it not ju(t^ faith 
 S.Chryfoftom, that he who doti no kindnefs^ 
 fl'jould' receive none ? But how dreadtul a 
 Judgment does the Saviour of the World 
 pronounce agiiinft thofe Scribes whereof 
 St. Mark fpeaks, who devour with fjch 
 injudioe. and violence the Goods of Wi- 
 L 3 , dows ? 
 
114 ^'^^ Spirit 
 
 dows ? What Maledictions againfl: thofe 
 cruel and mcrcilefs Pharifees whereof 
 St. Matthew rpeaks ? Virginity , how 
 pleafingfoever to God, through the luftre 
 of its purity , is a Vertue reproved in the 
 Gofpel, when fever'd from Chariry. The 
 foolifh Virgins, far from being received ac 
 the Nuptials of the Lamb^ were treated as 
 impudent Women ; becaufe they took no 
 care to make that provifion of this Oyl of 
 the Gofpel, which is the figure of Charity. 
 In vain they renounced Pleafure, to em- 
 brace Chaftity • all their Verrues avail 
 ihem nothing to juftifie them lO the Bride- 
 ^groom, VTh0 fpakc to them thefe words 
 luM of contempt, I know yon not. Oh \ 
 sf ^rue Virgins are treared fo f^^verely by 
 ■^he Son oi: God : iF the wifdom of their 
 'Condu6^, if tlie command over their De- 
 dires, if the purity of their Heart, if fo many 
 vidbories obtain -d over fo frail flefh and 
 fo weak a Sex ; In finCi, iF even theperfe- 
 vcrance of their Vertue is fruitlefs to tkem : 
 What will become of thofc Virs^ins that 
 lead fuch licentious and fcandalous lives ? 
 •But with w4iat fharpnets do's Je[z:i Chr'i^ 
 condemn his ov/n Dtfciples, becaufe they 
 advi^'d" I>iin, through want of Charity, to 
 make fire falL from Kdaven upon the So* 
 ^^x'/>^;t?j..that Would not r-ccci'/e hia) ? Ton 
 
 know 
 
of Chriflianhy. 1 1 5 
 
 'knotvnot, laid he, of ovbat ffirit you- are^ 
 and how far 'tis contrary to mine. Is noc 
 the punifhment of rl:e wicked rich man in- 
 the Gofpel a mcit dreadful Example ?. 
 and the Treatment he receiv'd, is it noc 
 terrible ? After all, what Crime had h^ 
 committed ? he had not been Charitable y 
 The hardnefs of his heart, fays St. Chryfo- 
 ftom, was the caufe of h.U lofs. But O my. 
 God, how fevere and dreadful a Judge art. 
 chou ! for this rich man had done wrong. 
 to none : he made ufe of the Riches thou, 
 hadft bellowed upon him, without doing 
 any Violence or Injuflice. 'Tis true, buc 
 the fuperfluities of his Table, the fum* 
 ptuoufnefs of his Houfe, his Oppulency, 
 as innocent as it is , cry for Vengeance 
 before God; becaufe he employed not his 
 Goods to relieve the Neceffiries of the 
 Poor. Lookthen to your fdves you Great 
 ones of the Earth ; If profperity be ia 
 your Houfes,. if you live at eafe , if all 
 things fucceed to your defires. Tremble 
 amidft thcfe t^m.poiral BleiTings : All your 
 good Fortune is only a m^ark of your Re? 
 probation 5 iinlefs you are Charitable, 
 Power, Riches, Honours, you are but 
 impediments to Sah-^tion, if you be noc 
 employ'd in aiTiding the Poor , and pro^ 
 tevSting. him. that is in. oppreffioru For if 
 
 the.' 
 
ii6 The spirit 
 
 the Rich could love the Poor, he would be 
 faved ; and his Riches which are true evils, 
 would become true goods.Bat can one hear 
 without terror thofe threatning words of 
 the Gofpel, capable oF themfelves alone to 
 make tremble the Great ones that live in 
 all abundance. PFo to yon rich of the earth I 
 And why ? Becaufe God, who is juft, a- 
 bandons the Rich to their own Appetites, 
 and llrikes them with an inward blind- 
 nefs, which makes them infenfible of all 
 the motions of Grace, and all the lights of 
 Heaven. This falfe Tranquility, and dan- 
 gerous Peace they enjoy, is fbmetimes one 
 of the mod: terrible torments wherewith 
 God punifhes their hard-hcartednefs ; and 
 h\s an aflured fign he leaves them to im- 
 penitency. But how great will be the 
 confufion and aftoniflimentof the Repro- 
 bate , when he fhall appear before the 
 dreadful Tribunal of the laft Judgment ; 
 to hear this terrible Sentence , which an 
 offended God fhall pronounce in the fury 
 of his rage and indignation ? Away from 
 me you curfed into fire everlafting : for I 
 was hungry^ and yon gave me not to eat \ 
 T was thirfly , and you gave me not to 
 drink '^ livas naked^ and youcloathedme 
 not. O cruel torrfients, for a Soul to fee her 
 ielf eternally deprivM of God, and aban- 
 
 • don'd; 
 
of Chriftianit^. 117 
 
 donM to her own dcinair ; becaufe being 
 Chriftian flie was not Charitable. It is not 
 of Impudicity, Envy, Choler, Violence 
 or Blafphemy , God fpeaks in his lad: 
 Judgment to condemn thefe Crimes ^ he 
 only fpeaks of Infenfibility towards the 
 Poor ; And Judgment imthout mercy to him 
 that pjews vot mercy ^ asthe Apoftle affures 
 U3. \i is thus thole mercilefs Souls fhall 
 be treated that have not been moved with 
 the miferies of their Brethren . But can a ny 
 one bear in mind the thoughts of this 
 dreadful Tribunal, and not be Charitable ? 
 And what hope can behave ol: ihxJ mercy 
 of God, when himfelf has p^ on none I 
 'Tis a fign one has no FaitSPwhen he is 
 not ieisM with horror at fuch terrible Me- 
 naces, and that would make one tremble 
 when ferioufly confider'd : for the Threats 
 of a God are never in vain ; and he is as 
 dreadful in his Judgments, as he is amia- 
 ble in his Mercies* 
 
 If yet there be any found infenfible of 
 thefe Reafbns , becaufe their Effects are 
 at a diftance ; let him at leaft confider 
 after what manner God exercifes his 
 Judgments in this Life on (iich Chrifti- 
 ans as have not Charity : let him trem- 
 ble at reading in the A^ocalyp the thun- 
 dering Menaces wherewith- that dreadful 
 
 Jud.ge 
 
Ii8 The Spirit 
 
 Judge who carries a (harp Sword in his 
 Mouth, and holds Death fetter'd in Irons, 
 flrikes thofe firft Paftors of the Churches 
 o^ Afia, becaufe their Charity, the Seal as 
 k were of their Character and Spirit of 
 their Vocation, was grown cold. Let him 
 behold with trembling the terrible Punifh- 
 ment of that unhappy Saprice mention'd 
 by Metaphraftm : who after the Rigors of 
 a fevere Prifon, after the Confii6ls he had 
 refblutely fuftain'd before his Judge in de- 
 fence of his Faith, loft his Crown at the 
 very point of receiving it, and of a Mar- 
 tyr became an Apoftate and a Pagan ; be- 
 caufe he wonld not forgive his Brother an 
 Injury. V^fkt fhall 1 fay of thofe fearful 
 pains wherewith God punillies in this Life; 
 the (hameful attafli the Rich have to the> 
 Goods of the Earth ; delivering them up 
 a prey to their Appetlte%^nd leaving them 
 jnan utter forgetfulnefs of their Salvation ? 
 For a rich- Man^ fiiys S» Bafrl, hykck'wg 
 up the boiveh of Charity again fi his Neigh- 
 hour^ at the fame time Jhats thofe of Gods 
 Mercy againfi htmfelf-^ and by treating fo- 
 coldly Jefus Chrift tn the Ferfon of the . 
 Foor^ fnews hy his hard-heartednefs that 
 be fears not to have him for his Judge, 
 whom he would not acknowledge for his 
 Brother. It is a Heart perfedlly hardned 
 
 that 
 
cf Chriftianity. up 
 
 that,being no longer touch'd with any ap- 
 prehenfionof fear, rebclls under the Rod, 
 (huts his Ear againft the checks of his Con- 
 fcience, and his Eyes againfl the light of his 
 Reafbn • and becomes infenfible of the 
 motions of Hunjanity. 'Tis the moil ri- 
 gorous pain wherewith God chaftifes the 
 rich Man thatdicsjin abundance,and leaves 
 vaft Weakh to his often unknown Heirs, 
 without giving any fharc to the Poor : 
 He thinks not on't, becaufe God gives 
 hi-m not the Grace. He might obtain 
 mercy by giving in Alms, at lead when 
 he's dying, what Death will foon fnatch 
 from him : But this is a Refle61:ion a rich 
 Man is not worthy of; God abandons 
 him ta blindnefs and infenfibiliry at his 
 Death, in punifliment of his hard-hearted- 
 nefs during his Life ; to make him feel all 
 the weight of his Juftice, that regarded not 
 his Mercy, which he flighted in flighting 
 the Poor. 
 
 'Tis from this infolent contempt that 
 there arife fo many Diforders in Families ; 
 hence comes the * ^ine of Houfes, the Lof- 
 fes, the publick Defamations, and allthe 
 fhameful Faults of particular Perfons. THie 
 Providence of God permits to fall into 
 thefe Misfortunes, thofe who whilft they 
 made pfofeffion of Chriftianity, had not 
 
 any 
 
120 The Sprit 
 
 any fentlment of love or tendernefs for 
 their Neighbour; and were Chriftians, but 
 had not the*Spiric or Chara6ler of a Chri- 
 fliaru But if the greatnefs of the Threats 
 of the Son of God is able to frighten usj 
 the greatnefs of his Recompences ought to 
 have much more power over our Hearts 
 to touch them. 
 
 This is the Third Motive. In fo fhort 
 a Treatife as I proposed to my fclf, it would 
 be difficult to comprehend all the Rewards 
 God has promi'sd to Charity ; the Scri- 
 pture is full of them. 'Tis to this Vertue 
 God has promised an unconcern for tem- 
 poral Goods, firmnefs of Faith, purity of 
 Manners, the comfort of a good Confci- 
 ence, tendernefs of Devotion, unfhakable 
 perfeverance in Vertue, and the infallible 
 recompence of Salvation. God engages 
 himfelf to pardon every thing in confide- 
 ration of Charity ; for it is the ordinary 
 propitiation of Sin. One Alms, one ailion 
 of Clemency, the pardon of one Injury, 
 one work of Mercy, is able to hide all the 
 Faults that humane frailty can make us 
 commit : Nothing purifies fo much the 
 Confcience , nothing clcanfes more the 
 Mind, then Alms-deeds. How many fim- 
 ple and humble Perfons have render'd 
 themfelves worthy to penetrate the Myfte- 
 
 ries 
 
of Chriftia?iity. 121 
 
 ries of the holy Scriptures, and enter into 
 the Secrets of God by the light of their 
 Charity ? It is a fure protection againd: 
 the frailty of Man, and againft the occa- 
 fjonff^of offending God : fmce It refifls Sin, 
 as the Scripture fays. It is^ faith St. Am- 
 brofe, tht remedy againfi all Diforders Man 
 is JuhjeB to. This is ot all other the moft 
 powerful Mediatour to Jefits Chrifi ; for 
 it continually folicits this fevere Judge, 
 who is inflexible to all but Alms. This 
 poor Man whom you have Clothed, this 
 fick Man you have Vifited, this innocent 
 Crearure to whom you have given your 
 prote6tIon, and this afHi6led Soul whom 
 you have comforted, is Jefus Chrift : For 
 fmcejefus Chrifi has told us that we do to 
 him what we do to the leaf!: of his Servants ; 
 There is no difference^ fays St. Chryfoftom, 
 between giving tothePoor^ and giving to 
 Jefus Chrifi. If then the Poor are Advo- 
 cates to God , if their Interceflion is the 
 moil: affur'd afTiftancc the Rich can expe6l 
 from their Riches in that dreadful Day of 
 the univerfal Judgment ; place your hopes 
 in this Treafure of Gods Mercies , where 
 neither Thieves nor Corruption can have 
 accefs. Nay be affur'd that 'tis your Cha- 
 rity which will draw upon you the affift- 
 ance of Heaven in your temporal Occafi- 
 M ons. 
 
£22 The Spirit 
 
 ©ns, and in the afflicting Tribulations 
 whereto the mifery of our Condition is 
 fo fuhjevSl. For if you are Charitable, God 
 will be faithful to the Promifcs he has 
 made in his Prophet, Tou pall no fooner 
 open your mouth to call him toy cur aidythen 
 he will anfwer. Here I am. 
 
 But what blindnefsls it in a Chriftiaii to 
 have it in his power to merit Heaven by a 
 Glafs of Water, or a Morfel of Bread given 
 to a poor Man out of the motive of Chriftian 
 Charity , and to refufe it him ? With what 
 face can he beg pardon of God daily, if 
 himfelf pardons not ? Would you have 
 others take pity on you ? take pity on 
 ©thers. Do you crave Favours ? do them 
 your felf. Do not judge, if you will not 
 be judged • for as you treat your Neigh- 
 bour, your lei f (hall alfo be treated. After 
 all, what Recompence can move a Chrir 
 flians Heart, if Heaven cannot, that com- 
 prehends in it felf alone all Rewards ; and 
 is only promis'd to the Charitable ? For 
 the Gofpel teaches us that the Saviour of 
 the, World in that terrible Day wherein he 
 fhall Judge the Univerfe, will fliew mercy 
 only to thofe that have been merciful : 
 iance in opening the Heavens to his ElecSl 
 he will fay to them thefe words, Tou :pho 
 hjive clothed and fed me in theftrfon of the 
 
 Voor^ 
 
cf Chrifiianity. 123 
 
 Toor^ co?ne receive an eternal reward'ivhich' 
 I have frefar'^d for your mercies. Behold, 
 what the price is of Chriflian Charity : it 
 merits an eternal rccompence by a piece of 
 Bread given to a poor Man for the love of 
 Jejfis Chrifi ^ it g.iins heavenly Goods by 
 earthly ones, and for periihable Riches re- 
 ceives ihofe will never perifh. Behold 
 what Verrue the Spirit of Chriftianity bas- 
 in it to produce the folid fruits of Eterni- 
 ty , by mean, weak, and flight Works ; 
 For how m^ny ChrilKans are there rhaf 
 fan'Slifie a Life, in other refpecls but ordi- 
 nary, nay fometimcs imperfevfl, by the (ble~ 
 exercifc of Charity ? How many Souls have- 
 been raised to a fLjblime perfection by the 
 only practice of this Vtrcue , which in- 
 cludes in it felf all the perfevSlion of Chri-- 
 ftianity ? 
 
 Thefe are Motives capable to make im- 
 prclTion on a Heart that is prevented by 
 the light of Faith, and is really touch'd 
 with the hopes of what our Religion pro- 
 pofes to us. But fince we are in an Age 
 wherein Chriftian Charity is muchcool'd 
 by the nicety of fo many new Interefts- 
 brought into the World , which divide 
 Mens minds : let us endeavour to reinforce 
 the heat of this Vertue by Confiderations 
 ftill more preiling, being its pradbce is fa 
 neceffary. M 2. CHAR- 
 
124 l^he Sprit 
 CHAP. viir. 
 
 The Conclulion cf this Difcourfe ly 
 way 0^ Exhortation^ to move Chri' 
 fl'ians to Charity. 
 
 IF the Spirit of Chriftianity be nothing 
 elie but the Spirit of Charity, as it ap- 
 pears by this Difcourfe \ let us fee if we are 
 Charitable, to judge whether we are Chri- 
 ftians. For the Law of Charity is the Law 
 of the New Teftament written in the bot- 
 tom of our hearts, by the Impreflion of the 
 Holy Ghofl: : So that it would be ftrange 
 that Chriftians inftru6i:ed in a School of 
 Unity, ni9deli'd by the fame Maxims, re- 
 deemed with the fame Blood, fed with the 
 Tame Bread; that have the fame Faith, the 
 fame Hope, and are one day to be reuni- 
 ted^ in the fame Glory, fhould not have 
 the fame Spirit, and love one another. 
 But after all how go's it ? have we Cha- 
 rity one for another ? The Luxury, Self- 
 intereft, Ambition, and general Irregulari- 
 ties of the Manners of this Age, have they 
 not fpread every where the Spirit of Divi- 
 fion ? and what judgment ought one to 
 make of the Chriflianity of thefe later 
 Times, wherein Animoficies, Jealoufies, 
 
 Law- 
 
of Chriftianity. 1 25 
 
 Law-Suits, Quarrels, Envies, Calumnies, 
 Replnings, Inju(Hces,and Revenge, reign 
 with fomuch heat ? Were there ever feen 
 (b many Divifions in Families,(b many Se- 
 parations in Marriages, fuch Coldnefs and 
 Indiffercncy among Relations, fo little 
 Union in Communities, and fo many difFe-- 
 rent Opinions in Religion ? Men have no 
 Charity for thole they know, how then can 
 they have any for them they know not ? 
 They love not their Kindred , how thenf 
 can they love others ? They are rigid to 
 their Domefticks, and can they have any 
 tendernefs for Strangers? Never did Luxu- 
 ry more reign in the World, and perhaps 
 the Poor were never lefs aiTifted. Are we 
 Chriftians with fuch languifhing Manners? 
 Thofe later Times when Men (hall hate 
 one another, and the Charity of the Faith- 
 ful grow foeold : Thofe Times I fay fore- 
 told by our Lord, are they already come ? 
 However, let us tremble, if we have nor 
 Charity : For without it all our hopes are 
 vain ; and we are degenerated from the 
 Spirit of the firft Chriftians, who gene- 
 roufly renouncing all the Goods of the 
 Earth, only rais'd their Minds to Heaven, 
 and made the purity of their Faith (hine to 
 the whole World by the ardor of their 
 Charity. Let us then not ftray out of the 
 M 3, furc 
 
126 The Sprit 
 
 fure way of Salvation which they have 
 marked out to us by the exercife of this 
 Vertue, they have pra6lis'd with fo much 
 perfeverance and fidehty : Let us not fti- 
 fle in our felves the fentiments of that Spi- 
 rit, which our Chriftianity gives birth to; 
 Let us examine our felves, and fee if we 
 have that Seal of our Predeftination fb di- 
 ilindlly fhew'd us in the Gofpel : Let us be 
 afraid of lofmg the features of this divine 
 Chara6ler, for fear we lofe at the fame time 
 the marks and fureft pledge of our Salvati- 
 on : Let us be touch'd wiih compaffion for 
 our Brethren, that God may be touch'd 
 with compaffion for us : Let us aiTift them 
 in their wants, that God may affifl us in 
 ours : Let us be merciful to them, that he 
 may be fo to us : Let us not judge them, for 
 our Judgments mud: one day be judged , or 
 if we judge them , let it be without con* 
 demning them, that we be not condemned ^ 
 for we fiiall be judged in the fame manner 
 we judge : Let us not hope God will flretch 
 out to us his helping hand, if we refufe help 
 to the AffliiSled that ask it. What pride 
 would it be to behold with ungrateful Eyes 
 Jefiis Cbrifi pouring forth his precious 
 Blood upon the Cvofs for us ; and to deny 
 him a bit of Bread which he begs of us by 
 t^hc mouth of the Poor : And what unhappi- 
 
 nefs 
 
of Chriflia7iity. 127 
 
 Tiefs for us, fiiould thefe Riches that give us 
 nothing but inquietude, and which we muft 
 one day quit, become an obftacle to our 
 Salvation, God having given them us only 
 by their means to fave us ? How happy is he 
 who,tomake a good ufe of them, abandons 
 the love of his Treafures , to rcferve for 
 himfelf none but thofe of the Riches of 
 Gods mercy at the day of his wrath. 
 
 But the Juflice of this dreadful Judge 
 has Secrets and AbyfTes Impenetrable to 
 our underftanding ; His Grace is not for 
 the Rich or Great ones of the Earth, who, 
 through monftrous hardnefs of heart, are 
 become foinfenfible of the motions of pity, 
 that they fee the miferies of the Afflicted 
 without the leaft compallion. Alafs, if this 
 poor wretch that carries forrow in his Face , 
 this poor wretch tiiat is your Brother , in 
 fine, this poor wretch that reprefents Jefm 
 Chrifi in perfon cannot move you: what 
 can ? If you have been fo cruel to fhut up 
 your bowels againft his wants; how can 
 you have the confidence of the truly ftiith- 
 ful, who place all their hopes in the bowels 
 'of their Saviour j whence flow thofe fprings 
 of mercy which are the fan^luary ot Sin- 
 ners ? With what afllirance will you ap- 
 ;pear before the Sovereign Tribunal of 
 the lafl Judgment, toxeader an account of 
 
 jour 
 
J2'8 The Spirit 
 
 your Life to that inflexible Judge, who 
 will give to every one according to his 
 works ; if you have been hard and pirilefs 
 to all the world ? But alafs, how frightful 
 will it be to hear thofe terrible words of 
 the Gofpel, Go you accurfed, and what fol- 
 lows ; after having neglected to clothe 
 Jefm Cbri/i' when be was naked , to feed 
 him when he was hungry in thofe Men> 
 bers whereof he is Head ? He mull be very 
 bhnd, to think himfelf fecure againft the 
 Sentence of fo fev'ere a Judge that fees all 
 things, when one has focontemn'd him in 
 the perfon of his Brethren. 
 
 But it is a dreadful heedlefneG, and dif- 
 rr.al blindnefs to which God ufcs to abah* 
 don thofe that permit themfclves to be 
 hardned by covetoufnefs and pride of the 
 Grandeurs of t his World ; and that are fo 
 cruel to treat their own Brethren more ri- 
 gidly then they do the very Beafts they 
 make ufe of for their Vanity. If God will 
 one day call a Chriilian to account for an 
 idle word j what account v/ill he demand of 
 the idle Expcnces of the mod: part of the 
 Great ones,and of all the Abufes committed 
 in the adminiftration of the Eftate he has 
 given them ? For theEflare which God be- 
 ftows is no longer his to whom he gives it, 
 when he has taken what is needtul and 
 
 feemly 
 
of Chriftianity. 1 2^ 
 
 feemly for his Quality ; It is the Poors 
 when the Poor are in want. This is the 
 reafon why the Prophet calls Alms a piece 
 of Juftice , not Mercy : He difirihuted^ 
 (ays he, 7vhat he had to the poor, the me- 
 mory of his jufiiceremainethfcr e'ver. You 
 polTefs not your Goods as foon as you are 
 a Chriftian, but to diftributef them. Give 
 little if you have but little ; but give much 
 if you have much. For what greater In- 
 heritance can a Father leave his Children, 
 then the Protection oijefiis Chrifi ; whom 
 he has fuccoured in the Neceintous that 
 had recourfe to his aiTiftance. 
 
 Happy he that comprehends this My- 
 ftery ! it is a Secret unknown to earthly 
 Souls, that dream not what advantage it is 
 to regard the wants of the Neceflitous out 
 of the fincere Motive of Chriftian Charity. 
 Happy he I dy that underftands it ! He 
 ftarts not back at this Ignominious out- fide, 
 nor at the miferable condition of the Poor ; 
 becaufe he beholds Jefns Chnfi conceal'd 
 under that mean Afpecr, and thefe Rags : 
 He minds not the poornefs of his Clothes ; 
 he confiders the price of his Soul. That 
 ulcerous Body in tatter'd Garments ap- 
 pears to him not unworthy his alTiftance j 
 for he is favourably look'd on by Heaven 
 from the Minute he is truly poor : fo he 
 
 receives 
 
150 The Spirit 
 
 receives him as an Embaflador (ent from- 
 God to treat of Peace with him, and me- 
 diate the Affair of his Salvation : He hopes 
 the Alms he gives him will be the caufe of 
 bis Predeftination,and fource of his- Glory. 
 Behold what a Chriilisn ought to compre- 
 hend, when he fees a poor Body ; and once 
 again,happy he that comprehends it. If we 
 then are truly Chrifl:ians,as we glory to be; 
 let us follow this admirable coiinfelS. Taul 
 gave to the Coloffians, to raife them up to- 
 rhe height of that Spirit he infpir'd into 
 them, conformable to the Image he had 
 traced forth to them of the New Man ho^ 
 Preach'd to them : Tut you- on therefore as 
 the eUB efG^d, (chati?, as Chriinans)/?«f 
 yoH on^ fays he, the bowels of mercy ^ he- 
 mgnitjj modefl^y^ patience, Jupporting one 
 one another^ and pardoning one another^ as 
 aljo our Lord hath pardoned yon. Our Re- 
 deemer, wholly clad as he is with our frail- 
 ty, teaches us to pardon our Enemies, by 
 his pardoning us who are his. We are fo 
 nice, we cannot bear with thofc that do us 
 the lead Offence ; and yet we boaft we are 
 Difciples of a God who pardons his Exe- 
 cutioners, dies for thofe that crucifi'd him, 
 and who in fpite of our Ingratitude, con- 
 tinues to (howre down upon us his Favours^ 
 and the continual marks of his Bounty. 
 
 I do 
 
of Chriftianity. 131 
 
 I do not bid you quit your Eflates like 
 the filft Chriflians , who went and laid 
 them at the Apoftles feet. I do not (ay to 
 you, Go affront Tyrants, like the Martyrs, 
 to make an eminent Profeffion of your 
 Faith. I fay not, Retire your felf into the 
 Wildernefs , to lead a penitent Life like 
 the Anchorites : Sell your Liberties , as 
 St, Paiilinus did ; Or crofs the Seas like 
 St. Xaverius ; though God deferves all 
 this and more from you. I do not propofe 
 unto you the Lives of the Primitive Chri- 
 flians, as the moft holy Model , and true 
 Rule of Evangelical perfe6lion. I only 
 fay to you, Do not tear in pieces your Bro- 
 thers Reputation ; Pardon this Enemy, 
 relieve this poor Man, this is fufficient for 
 you. I do not fay to you, Save fo many 
 Souls that perifh ; I only fay, Save your 
 felf: your Soul is your next Neighbour, 
 lofe it nor. Love thofe you are to live 
 with ; but love them with a pure and fm* 
 cere Charity, which neither your own In- 
 terefts nor the Artifice of Men may ever 
 alter : that the Unity of fpirit which ought 
 to be among the Faithful may not be pre- 
 judiced. 
 
 Let us leave Spiritual Fathers to invent 
 new Methods of Devotion , to fatisfie the 
 humour of the Age that pretends fo much 
 
 to 
 
132 The Spirit 
 
 to Curiofitj. Let us bluntly flop at the 
 pra6lice ot this Vertue , without (ecking 
 after any perfe&r way to go to God: fince 
 neither St. Taul^ St. Johtiy nor the Gofpcl 
 it felF have ever own'd a better. 
 
 In fine, let us be Charitable if we pre- 
 tend to be Chrillians, fince Charity is the 
 true Spirit of Chriftianity. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
i