fruits of Love? Are they agreeable to the Dictates of Charity whole property it is to believe all things that make for our Neighbour, and not against him, fo far as they are fuch as are any way capable of being the objects of our belief? Are not these things the fruits of Ill-will, and Malignity of Spirit against him rather than of Love? If we did truly Hate him, and were his avowed Enemies, what could we do more than readily believe the worst of him, and be glad if we think we have fufficient ground for fo doing? You who may poffibly think you have attained a degree of Charity above many others, look in upon your felves, and fearch if you be not the Perfons who are fometimes guilty this way: if you be, loath your felves for it, and for the future think foberly of your felves as you ought to think; think not your Charity to be greater than 'tis, but humbly acknowledge that you find it to be much less than fometime you thought it had been.

The next Property of Charity is, that fhe hopeth all things. In all things that concern others fhe hopeth the beft that can Rationally be hoped. Tis true, as Charity

Charity cannot believe Irrationally, and against clear Evidence, or stronger probabilities to the contrary; fo neither can fhe hope against all Reason, and where the grounds of Fear, or Defpair are fo ftrong, that there remains no fufficient foundation for Hope to rest on. We Read indeed concerning Abraham, Rom. 4. 18. That against Hope he believed in Hope. Wherefore it seems that he Hoped even where no grounds of Hope were, and where all things looked the other way, and had fuch an appearance as there feemed to be no ground for any thing else but Despair : For what is it elfe to Hope against Hope? But we must confider, that Abraham had ground for his Hope and he had not. He being now little lefs than an Hundred Years Old, and his Wife Ninety, according to the ordinary courfe of Nature there was no ground of Hopes that he fhould have a Child; but God unto whom nothing is impoffible having promised it, he had a moft fure and firm Foundation for his Faith and Hope. He Hoped, and that most Rationally, upon fupernatural grounds, and building his Hope upon the immovable Foundation of God Almighty's Power

and

on.

and Veracity; and yet against Hope as to Natural Caufes. I fay therefore, our Hope must ever have a Foundation to reft on; for otherwise it would be a vain, empty and ground lefs prefumptiNow though this property of Charity, that it hopeth all things, be of much larger extent, yet I fhall at prefent fpeak of it chiefly with reference to Mens Spiritual and Everlasting Eftate. If I fhould have confidered it with reference to Mens Moralities, their Words, Actions,and Conversations,it would have been a hard matter to have faid any thing of it, that would not have fallen within the compass of the former property, that Charity believeth all things. Wherefore waving all those things, I fhall confine my felf to the Estates of Men here and hereafter, fhewing briefly, that Charity hopeth all things concerning Mens Spiritual and Everlasting Estate, that can Rationally be Hoped. Concerning Mens Spiritual Estate both prefent and fu

ture.

1. It Hopeth all things that can Rationally be Hoped concerning Mens prefent Spiritual Eftate. I take Hope here in a large Senfe, as 'tis vulgarly taken in common speech: for we ufually ap

ply

ply it, though not fo properly, to pre fent things, as well as to things not at present in Being, but that may be hereafter: As when we fay we hope fuch a one is Alive, or in Health: Or that we understand such a thing, or have fuch a thing in our Foffeffion. Taking Hope in this larger Senfe, I fay Charity hopeth all things, that may Rationally be hoped concerning Mens prefent Spiritual Eftate.

For First it hopeth that true Grace may be where none clearly appears to be, fo long as it fees nothing to the contrary; fo long as nothing is dif coverable in the Perfon, that is inconfiftent with True Grace. And there may be feveral grounds of this Charitable Hope.

1. Because Grace is small in its first beginnings, in which refpect our Saviour compares the Kingdom of God to a grain of Mustard Seed, Matth. 13. 31. Hence it may well be that there may be some small beginnings of True Grace where none appears, or can be discerned.

2. The operations of the Spirit of God upon the Heart, and the work of Grace in the Soul are fecret things, things

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things of a very abftrufe, hidden and misterious Nature, efpecially in the first beginnings of them; and therefore also Charity hopes there may be True Grace where there is no external discovery of it, feeing also there is nothing discoverable from whence it may be warrantably concluded there is none.

3. Many a Believer that now evidently discovers the work of Grace in his own Heart, cannot tell when God first began that gracious work in him; and many a Believer now thinks he had True Grace long before that time when he thought himself to be utterly void of Grace. Hence Charity will reason thus; if Believers themselves may not discern when God first begins to work Grace in them, and if long after that work is really wrought in them, they may not difcern it, why fhould not I hope there may be Grace where I cannot yet difcern it. I fee nothing to the contrary, I discover nothing in them that clearly evidenceth there can be no Grace in them; therefore I will hope the best.

2. Charity hopes there may be True Grace where fome very great and confiderable miscarriages are too apparent ; provided that the Perfons do not openly

justifie