Of Christian Love and Charity.
Part One
Of all the things that are good to teach Christian people, there is nothing more necessary to speak of and to call upon daily than charity[1]; both because every kind of work of righteousness is contained in it, and because its decay is the ruin (or fall) of the world, the banishment of virtue, and the cause of all vice. And because almost everyone makes and shapes charity for himself after his own appetite — and however detestable his life may be, both to God and to man, he still persuades himself that he has charity — you shall now hear a true and plain description (or setting forth) of charity, not from men's imagination, but from the very words and example of our Saviour Jesus Christ. In this description (or setting forth) every man, as if in a mirror, may consider himself, and see plainly and without error whether he is in true charity or not.
Charity is to love God with all our heart, all our life, and all our powers and strength. With all our heart: that is to say, that our heart's mind and intent are set to believe his word, to trust in him, and to love him above all other things that we love best in heaven or on earth. With all our life: that is to say, that our chief joy and delight are set upon him and his honour, and our whole life is given to his service above all things — to live and die with him, and to forsake all other things rather than him; for "whoever loves his father or mother, son or daughter, house or land more than me," says Christ, "is not worthy to have me" (Matthew 10:37). With all our powers: that is to say, that with our hands and feet, our eyes and ears, our mouths and tongues, and all the other parts and powers of both body and soul, we should be given to keeping and fulfilling his commandments.
This is the first and principal part of charity, but it is not the whole; for charity is also to love every man, good and evil, friend and foe, and — whatever cause may be given to the contrary — nevertheless to bear good will and heart toward everyone, to behave well toward them in words and countenance as well as in all our outward acts and deeds. For so Christ himself taught, and so also he performed in deed.
Of the love of God he taught in this way to a doctor of the law who asked him which was the great and chief commandment in the law: "Love your Lord God," said Christ, "with your heart, with all your life, and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). And of the love we ought to have among ourselves, each toward the other, he teaches us this:
You have heard it taught in times past, "You shall love your friend and hate your foe." But I tell you, love your enemies, speak well of those who defame you and speak evil of you, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who vex and persecute you, so that you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on both the evil and the good, and sends rain to the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Do not the tax-collectors do the same? And if you speak well only of those who are your brethren and dearly beloved friends, what great matter is that? Do not the heathen do the same also? (Matthew 5:43-47)
These are the very words of our Saviour Christ himself concerning the love of our neighbour. And because the Pharisees, with their most pestilent traditions, false interpretations, and glosses, had corrupted and almost wholly stopped up this pure well of God's living word — teaching that this love and charity pertained only to a man's friends, and that it was enough for a man to love those who love him and to hate his foes — Christ therefore opened this well again, purged it, and scoured it, by giving to his godly law of charity a true and clear interpretation, which is this: that we ought to love every man, both friend and foe. To this he adds what advantage[2] we shall gain by it, and what disadvantage by doing the contrary. What can we wish so good for ourselves as that the eternal heavenly Father should reckon and take us for his children? And we shall be sure of this, says Christ, if we love every man without exception. And if we do otherwise, he says, we are no better than the Pharisees, tax-collectors, and heathen, and shall have our reward with them — that is, to be shut out from the number of God's chosen children, and from his everlasting inheritance in heaven.
Thus Christ taught concerning true charity: that every man is bound to love God above all things, and to love every man, friend and foe. And so likewise he conducted himself — exhorting his adversaries, rebuking the faults of his adversaries, and, when he could not amend them, still praying for them. First he loved God his Father above all things, so much that he sought not his own glory and will, but the glory and will of his Father.
"I seek not my own will," he said, "but the will of him who sent me" (John 5:30). Nor did he refuse to die in order to satisfy his Father's will, saying, "If it may be, let this cup of death pass from me; if not, your will be done, and not mine" (Matthew 26:39). He loved not only his friends but also his enemies, who in their hearts bore exceedingly great hatred against him, with their tongues spoke all evil of him, and in their acts and deeds pursued him with all their might and power even to death. Yet for all this, he did not withdraw his favour from them, but still loved them, preached to them, out of love rebuked their false doctrine and their wicked living, and did good to them, patiently bearing whatever they spoke or did against him. When they gave him evil words, he gave none back; when they struck him, he did not strike back; and when he suffered death, he did not slay them or threaten them, but prayed for them, and committed all things to his Father's will. And as a sheep that is led to the slaughterhouse[3] to be slain, and as a lamb that is shorn of its fleece makes no noise or resistance, even so he went to his death without any reluctance, or any opening of his mouth to say anything evil.
Thus I have set forth for you what charity is, both by the teaching and by the examples of Christ himself. By this every man may also, without error, know himself — what state and condition he stands in, whether he is in charity and so a child of the Father in heaven, or not. For although almost everyone persuades himself that he is in charity, yet let him examine no other man but his own heart, his life and conversation, and he will not be deceived, but will truly discern and judge whether he is in perfect charity or not. For he who does not follow his own appetite and will, but gives himself earnestly to God to do all his will and commandments, may be sure that he loves God above all things; otherwise, surely he does not love him, whatever he may pretend. As Christ said, "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). For "he who knows my commandments and keeps them, he it is," says Christ, "who loves me" (John 14:21). And again he says, "He who loves me will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and we will both come to him and dwell with him" (John 14:23). And, "He who does not love me will not keep my words" (John 14:24). And likewise, he who bears a good heart and mind, and uses his tongue and deeds well toward every man, friend and foe, may know by this that he has charity. And then he is also sure that Almighty God takes him for his dear beloved son; as St. John says, "By this the children of God are clearly known from the children of the devil: for whoever does not love his brother does not belong to God" (1 John 3:10).
Part Two
You have heard a plain and fruitful setting forth of charity, and how profitable and necessary a thing charity is; how charity stretches itself to both God and man, friend and foe, and that by the teaching and example of Christ; and also who may assure himself whether he is in perfect charity or not. Now, concerning the same matter, it follows.
The perverse nature of man, corrupted with sin and destitute of God's word and grace, thinks it against all reason that a man should love his enemy, and has many arguments that draw him to the contrary. Against all these arguments we ought to set both the teaching and the living of our Saviour Christ, who, loving us when we were his enemies, teaches us to love our enemies. He patiently bore for us many reproaches, and suffered beating and a most cruel death. Therefore we are no members of him if we will not follow him. "Christ," says St. Peter, "suffered for us, leaving an example, that we should follow him" (1 Peter 2:21).
Furthermore, we must consider that to love our friends is no more than what thieves, adulterers, murderers, and all wicked persons do; so much so that Jews, Turks, infidels, and all brute beasts love those who are their friends, from whom they receive their living or any other benefits. But to love our enemies is the proper condition only of those who are the children of God, the disciples and followers of Christ. Nevertheless, man's wayward and corrupt nature often weighs too deeply the offence and displeasure done to him by enemies, and thinks it an intolerable burden to be bound to love those who hate him. But the burden should be easy enough if, on the other side, every man would consider what displeasure he himself has done to his enemy in return, and what pleasure he has received from his enemy.
And if we find no equal (or even) recompense, whether in receiving pleasures from our enemy or in repaying displeasures to him in return, then let us ponder the displeasures we have done against Almighty God — how often and how grievously we have offended him. If we would have forgiveness of these from God, there is no other remedy but to forgive the offences done to us, which are very small in comparison with our offences done against God. And if we consider that the one who has offended us does not deserve to be forgiven by us, let us consider again that we much less deserve to be forgiven by God. And although our enemy does not deserve to be forgiven for his own sake, yet we ought to forgive him for the love of God — considering how great and how many benefits we have received from him without deserving them, and that Christ has so deserved of us that for his sake we should forgive others the trespasses they have committed against us.
But here a necessary question may arise, to be resolved. If charity requires us to think, speak, and do well toward every man, both good and evil, how can magistrates execute justice upon malefactors (or evildoers) with charity? How can they cast evil men into prison, take away their goods, and sometimes their lives, according to the laws, if charity will not allow them to do so?
To this there is a plain and brief answer: that plagues and punishments are not evil in themselves, if they are well received by the harmless; and to an evil man they are both good and necessary, and may be carried out in accordance with charity, and with charity should be carried out. To make this clear, you shall understand that charity has two offices, the one contrary to the other, and yet both necessary to be used upon men of contrary sort and disposition.
The one office of charity is to cherish good and harmless men: not to oppress them with false accusations, but to encourage them with rewards to do well and to continue in well doing, defending them with the sword from their adversaries. And the office of bishops and pastors is to praise good men for doing well, so that they may continue in it, and to rebuke and correct, by the word of God, the offences and crimes of all ill-disposed persons.
The other office of charity is to rebuke, correct, and punish vice without regard to persons; and this is to be used only against those who are evil men and malefactors (or evildoers). And that it is as much the office of charity to rebuke, punish, and correct those who are evil, as it is to cherish and reward those who are good and harmless, St. Paul declares (writing to the Romans), saying that the high powers are ordained by God — not to be a terror to those who do well, but to malefactors, to draw the sword and take vengeance on the one who commits sin. And St. Paul charges Timothy to rebuke sin firmly and earnestly by the word of God. So both offices should be diligently carried out, to fight against the kingdom of the devil — the preacher with the word, and the governor with the sword. Otherwise they love neither God nor those whom they govern, if, for lack of correction, they willfully allow God to be offended and those whom they govern to perish.
For just as every loving father corrects his own son when he does wrong — or else he does not love him — so all governors of realms, countries, towns, and households should lovingly correct those who are offenders under their governance, and cherish those who live innocently, if they have any regard either for God and their office, or any love for those over whom they have governance. And such rebukes and punishments of those who offend must be done in due time, lest by delay the offenders fall headlong into every kind of mischief, and not only become evil themselves but also do harm to many people, drawing others by their evil example to sin and outrage after them — as one thief may both rob many men and also make many thieves, and one seditious person may lure many and harm a whole town or country. And such evil persons, who are such great offenders against God and the commonwealth, charity requires to be cut off from the body of the commonwealth, lest they corrupt other good and honest persons — just as a good surgeon cuts away a rotten and festered limb out of the love he has for the whole body, lest it infect the other limbs next to it.
Thus it is declared to you what true charity, or Christian love, is — so plainly that no one need be deceived. Whoever keeps this love, not only toward God, whom he is bound to love above all things, but also toward his neighbour, both friend and foe, it shall surely keep him from all offence against God, and from just offence against man.
Therefore take well away with you this one short lesson: that by true Christian charity God ought to be loved above all things, and all men ought to be loved, good and evil, friend and foe; and to all such we ought, as we are able, to do good — those who are good, out of love to encourage and cherish, because they are good; and those who are evil, out of love to procure and seek their correction and due punishment, so that they may thereby either be brought to goodness, or at the least that God and the commonwealth may be the less hurt and offended. And if we thus direct our life by Christian love and charity, then Christ promises and assures us that he loves us, that we are the children of our heavenly Father, reconciled to his favour, true members of Christ, and that, after this short time of our present and mortal life, we shall have with him everlasting life in his everlasting kingdom of heaven. Therefore to him, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, now and ever. Amen.
The 1859 text reads "charity," retained here for its technical sense (Greek agapē) — the self-giving love the whole sermon defines, broader than modern "charity."↩︎
Original: "commodity ... incommodity" (= advantage ... disadvantage); the modern reader would otherwise hear "commodity" as a traded good.↩︎
Original: "shambles" (= slaughterhouse), the Isaiah 53:7 image; the modern word now means a scene of disorder.↩︎