when we are clear with all; proverbially, I owe him nothing but love The communication of these riches doth not impoverish the proprie tary; the more he spends of his stock, the more he hath. "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth." But he that will hoard the treasure of his charity shall grow poor, empty, and bankrupt. "There is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth unto poverty." Love is the abridgment of the law, the new precept of the Gospel. Luther calls it the shortest and the longest divinity: short, for the form of words; long, yea, everlasting, for the use and practice; for Charity shall never cease.

Thus for the first degree of comparison, positively. The second is comparative; where, though it be said virtues and great men must not be compared, yet we can without offense bring them to a holy conference; else how shall we perceive the Apostle's intended scope, the transcendency of Charity? I will therefore first confer Faith with Hope, and then with them both, Charity.

The distinction between Faith and Hope is nice, and must warily be discovered. I will reduce the differences into three respects, of order, office, and object.

For order: Paul gives Faith the precedency. "Faith is the ground of things hoped for." Faith always goes before, Hope follows after; and may, in some sort, be said to be the daughter of Faith. For it is as impossible for a man to hope for that which he believes not, as for a painter to draw a picture in the air. Indeed, more is believed than is hoped for; but nothing is hoped for which is not believed. So that on necessity, in respect of order, Faith must precede Hope.

For office Faith is the Christian's logic; Hope his rhetoric. Faith perceives what is to be done; Hope gives alacrity to the doing it. Faith guides, adviseth, rectifieth; Hope courageously encoun ters with all adversaries. Therefore Faith is compared to a doctor in the schools, Hope to a captain in the wars. Faith discerns the truth, Hope fights against impatience, heaviness of spirit, infirmity, dejectedness, desperation. Divines have alluded to the difference between faith and hope in divinity, and to that between wisdom and valor in philosophy. Valor without wisdom is rashness, wisdom without valor is cowardice. Faith without Hope is knowledge without valor to resist Satan; Hope without Faith is rash presumption, and an indiscreet daring: you see their different office.

For object: Faith's object is the absolute word and infallible promise of God; Hope's object is the thing promised. Faith looks to the word of the thing, Hope to the thing of the word. So that Faith hath for the object the truth of God; Hope the goodness of

God. Faith is of things both good and bad; Hope of good things only. A man believes there is a hell as truly as he believes there is a heaven; but he fears the one, and hopes only for the other. Faith hath for its object things past, present, future. Past, it believes Christ dead for our sins, and risen again for our justification. Present, that He now sits at the right hand of His Father in heaven. Future, that He shall come to judge quick and dead. Hope only respects and expects things to come. For a man can not hope for that which he hath. You see how in some sense Hope excels Faith. For there is a faith in the devils; they believe the truth of God, the certainty of the Scriptures; they acknowledge Christ the Judge of quick and dead; therefore cry, "Why tormentest thou us before the time?" They have faith joined with a popish preparatory good work, fear; "the devils believe and tremble:" yea, they pray, they beseech Christ not to send them into the deeps; what then want they? Hope, a confident expectation of the mercy of God; this they can never have. They believe; they can not hope. This is the life of Christians, and the want makes devils. If it were not for this hope, "we of all men were most miserable."

Charity differs from them both. These three divine graces are a created Trinity; and have some glimmering resemblance of the Trinity uncreate. For as there the Son is begotten of the Father, and the Holy Ghost proceeds from them both, so here a true faith. begets a constant hope, and from them proceeds Charity. "Thus is God's temple built in our hearts," said Augustine. The foundation whereof is Faith; Hope the erection of the walls; Charity the perfection of the roof.

In the godly all these three are united together, and can not be sundered. We believe in God's mercy, we hope for His mercy, and we love Him for His mercy. Faith says, there are good things prepared Hope says, they are prepared for me: Charity says, I endeavor to walk worthy of them. So that, what good Faith believes shall be, Hope expects for herself, and Charity aims at the way to get it, by keeping the commandments. Faith apprehends both reward and punishment: Hope only looks for good things for ourselves: Charity desires the glory of God and the good of all our brethren.

The second degree gives way to the third, last, best; the superlative. "But the greatest of these is Charity." Time will not afford me to answer all the objections which subtle wits have ignorantly deduced from these words. Neither were it to our purpose, then, to write Iliads after Homer, they have been so soundly and satisfyingly answer ed. I will only mention two, and but report a responsive solution.

1. The principal promises are made to believers. "Whosoever believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved." So no less a promise is made to lovers, "All things shall work together for good to those that love God," etc. "God," saith the Psalmist, "is near to those that call upon Him.” He is close by all those that suffer for Him; but He is within them that love Him. Here is prope, intra, intus This same intra, within, is of the highest degree. "God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." O unspeakable felicity!

2. If charity be greater than faith, then is not man justified by faith only. Inconsequent illation! St. Paul commends not love for the virtue of justification: it may fail in that particular action, yet receive no impeachment to the excellency of it. By demonstration. A prince doth excel a peasant: shall any man therefore infer that he can plow better, or have more skill in tillage? A philosopher doth excel a mechanic, though he can not grind so well as a miller, or limn so cunningly as a painter. A man is better than a beast: who but a madman will therefore conclude that he can run faster than a horse, draw more than an ox, or carry a greater burden than an elephant? Though he fail in these particular acts, yet none will deny but he is better than a beast.

The truth is, that in faith stands originally our fellowship with God. Into that hand He poureth the riches of His mercy for sal vation; and were the actions of charity never so great and (foolishly thought) meritorious, yet, if not the effects of a true saving faith, they are lost, and a man may for his charity go to the devil. And though they would plead from the form of the last judgment that God accepts men to life for their deeds of charity, feeding, clothing, relieving; yet the Scripture fully testifies that God neither accepts these nor ourselves for these, further than they are the effects of a true faith. Our persons being first justified by faith in Christ, then God will crown our works. Yet a Christian must work for no nudifidian, as well as no nullifidian, shall be admitted into heaven. "Therefore," saith the Apostle, "faith worketh by love." For faith is able to justify of itself, not to work of itself. The hand alone can receive an alms, but can not cut a piece of wood without an ax or some instrument. Faith is the Christian's hand, and can without help receive God's given grace into the heart; but to produce the fruits of obedience, and to work the actual duties required, it must have an instrument; add love to it, and it worketh by love. So that the one is our justification before God, and the other our testification before men.

Their number is considerable; these three, neither more nor less. Why not two? as there be two parts in man, his understanding and will; to direct these two, is sufficient to salvation. By Faith the understanding is kept safe; by Charity, the will; what needed then the mention of Hope? Yes, Hope is the daughter of Faith, and the mother of Charity; and as man hath an understanding to be informed, and a will to be rectified, so he hath a heart to be comforted, which is the proper office of Hope.

But why then speaks he of no more than three? St. Peter mentions eight together. And St. Paul himself in another place, puts in nine. Why are all these left out in this glorious catalogue? Is it enough to have these three and no more? Are the rest superfluos, and may well be spared? Nothing so, but all these virtues are comprehended under these three. As to the trade of a stationer, some are required to print, some to correct, some to fold, others to bind, and others to garnish; yet all belongs to one trade. There be many rays and but one sun; there is heat and light in one fire. So all those graces may be reduced to these three principals, as we read the work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope; temperance, patience, godliness, etc., are all servants to these three great princes, Faith, Hope, and Charity.

Lastly, for the prelation. Wherein consisteth this high tran scendency of Charity? In six privileges.

1. For latitude, Love is the greatest. Faith and Hope are restrained within the limits of our particular persons. The just man lives by his own faith, and hopes good to himself; but love is like the vine which God brought out of Egypt, and cast out the heathen to plant it, which covereth the mountains with the shadow of the boughs, and spreads the branches unto the sea and the rivers. It is like the sun in the sky, that throws his comfortable beams upon all, and forbears not to warm even that earth that beareth weeds. Love extends to earth and heaven. In heaven it affecteth God the Maker and mover: the angels as our guardians; the triumphant saints, for their pious sanctity. On earth, it embraceth those that fear the Lord especially; it wisheth conversion to those that do not: it counsels the rich; it comforts the poor; it reverenceth superiors, respecteth inferiors; doth good to friends, no evil to foes; wisheth well to all. This is the latitude of Charity. Faith hath but narrow limits, but the extent of Love is universal, not bounded with the world. Faith believes for thyself, but Charity derives and drives the effects of thy faith to others. Thy faith relieves thyself, thy charity thy brother. 2. For perpetuity and continuance. Faith lays hold on God's

gracious promise for everlasting salvation; hope expects this with patience; but when God shall fulfill His word in us with joy, then faith shall be at an end; hope at an end; but love shall remain between God and us an everlasting bond. Therefore saith the Apos tle, now abideth faith, etc. Now: now three, then one, and that is Charity. When we have possession of those pleasures which we hoped and believed, what longer use is there of Faith or Hope? But our loves shall not end with our lives. We shall everlastingly love our Maker, Saviour, Sanctifier, angels, and saints; where no discontent shall breed any ire in our hallelujahs. If the use of love he so comfortable on earth, what may we think it will be in heaven? Thus saith Chrysostom: Only love is eternal. Now, Faith and Hope hold up the hands of Charity, as Aaron and Hur held up the hands of Moses; but then their use and office shall cease. Hope shall not be, when the thing hoped is. Hope shall bring in possession, possession shall thrust out Hope. Therefore, saith Augustine, is Charity greater. If not for the excellency, yet for the perpetuity.

Thus to justify a man, Faith is greater; but in a man justified, Charity is greater. Let Faith alone with the great work of our salvation; but that finished, it shall end, and so yield superiority to Love, which shall endure forever.

3. For the honor and likeness it hath unto God. Faith and Hope make not a man like God, but Charity doth. He neither can be said to believe, nor to hope; but we know He loves; yea, He is love.

4. In respect of the titles, Charity excelleth. It is the New Commandment; Faith was never called so. It is the bond of perfection. Faith is not so termed; thy faith only ties thyself to God, but love binds up all in one bundle of peace. It is the fulfilling of the law; where hath Faith such a title? St. Ambrose, on the funeral of Theodosius, observes, that he died with these words in his mouth, Dilexi, Dilexi, which he conceived to be his answer to the angels asking him how he had behaved himself in his empire; I have loved, I have loved; that was enough.

5. Charity is more noble; for it is a better thing to give than to receive. Faith and Hope are all of the taking hand, but Charity gives. If Faith gives glory to God, yet this is but His own; an acknowledgment of that to be His which is His. The property of faith is to receive into itself; the property of love to lay out itself to others. 6. For manifestation; Faith and Hope are things unseen, and may be dissembled; but Charity can not be without visible fruits; therefore the only trial of Faith and Hope is by Charity.

Thus Charity is greatest, if not for causality, yet for dignity.