r. xiii. 4, 5, 6, 7; "it covereth all trespasses,"
Prov, x. 12; "a multitude of sins," 1 Pet. 4, as our Saviour told the woman
in the Gospel, that washed his feet, "many sins were forgiven her, for she
loved much," Luke vii. 47; "it will defend the fatherless and the widow,"
Isa. i. 17; "will seek no revenge, or be mindful of wrong," Levit. xix. 18;
"will bring home his brother's ox if he go astray, as it is commanded,"
Deut. xxii. 1; "will resist evil, give to him that asketh, and not turn
from him that borroweth, bless them that curse him, love his enemy," Matt.
v; "bear his brother's burthen," Gal. vi. 7. He that so loves will be
hospitable, and distribute to the necessities of the saints; he will, if it
be possible, have peace with all men, "feed his enemy if he be hungry, if
he be athirst give him drink;" he will perform those seven works of mercy,
"he will make himself equal to them of the lower sort, rejoice with them
that rejoice, weep with them that weep," Rom. xii; he will speak truth to
his neighbour, be courteous and tender-hearted, "forgiving others for
Christ's sake, as God forgave him," Eph. iv. 32; "he will be like minded,"
Phil. ii. 2. "Of one judgment; be humble, meek, long-suffering," Colos.
iii. "Forbear, forget and forgive," xii. 13. 23. and what he doth shall be
heartily done to God, and not to men. "Be pitiful and courteous," 1 Pet.
iii. "Seek peace and follow it." He will love his brother, not in word and
tongue, but in deed and truth, John iii. 18. "and he that loves God, Christ
will love him that is begotten of him," John v. 1, &c. Thus should we
willingly do, if we had a true touch of this charity, of this divine love,
if we could perform this which we are enjoined, forget and forgive, and
compose ourselves to those Christian laws of love.

[4608] "O felix hominum genus,
Si vestros animos amor
Quo coelum regitur regat!"

"Angelical souls, how blessed, how happy should we be, so loving, how might
we triumph over the devil, and have another heaven upon earth!"

But this we cannot do; and which is the cause of all our woes, miseries,
discontent, melancholy, [4609]want of this charity. We do _invicem
angariare_, contemn, consult, vex, torture, molest, and hold one another's
noses to the grindstone hard, provoke, rail, scoff, calumniate, challenge,
hate, abuse (hard-hearted, implacable, malicious, peevish, inexorable as we
are), to satisfy our lust or private spleen, for [4610]toys