A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

§. Sect. 4 Of the necessity of charity.

Lastly, the necessity of charity may move us to embrace it. For without charity humane society cannot subsist and stand, seeing it is the main bond whereby they are combined and knit together. Neither is it alone a ⟨p. 143⟩chief motive to make men entertain mutual fellowship and intercourse one with another, but also a principal means to make them to continue with delight and comfort in this society. For charity covereth a ¹multitude of sins, and causeth us to pass by many frailties and infirmities, and either not to see and take notice of them, or by extenuating and excusing them, to make them pardonable and easy to be digested. Whereas if charity be wanting, there will easily creep in jealousies, suspicions, sinister interpretations, injuries both offered and revenged, deadly hatred, and implacable contentions; for as the Wise man saith, Hatred stirreth up strifes, from whence must needs follow divisions, and ²utter breaking up of all society. For if two cannot walk together, unless they ³be agreed, (as the Prophet speaketh) with what bond can innumerable multitudes be knit together, if charity be wanting, and in stead thereof, heart-burnings and contentions be admitted? And as without charity there can be no communion between man and man, so neither between man and God, which principally consisteth in fruition, and fruition in love; seeing we cannot love God, unless we also love one another, as the Apostle telleth us. We cannot without it have any assurance that ⁴