Vermont Telegraph

The following sentiments, from Edmund Quincy of Boston, are so well expressed—in so kind and Christian a spirit—with so great fidelity—and on a subject so immensely important, that they are worthy of universal publication and attention. Especially do they commend themselves to the consideration of those who indulge in self-complacency on account of their own larger charity, and are censorious towards those whose charity is more of the kind here described, which—if I may be allowed the expression of the sentiment—is very much the charity of the New Testament. I find the article, from which the extracts are made, in the Liberator.

TRUE AND FALSE CHARITY.

Charity covereth a multitude of sins.—But, then, it must be the healthy charity of which the apostle spoke—which, being translated according to the present use of language, is synonymous with love. This charity is in no wise inconsistent with a keen perception of the sins of the world; even of those in it whom he most dearly loves. It is an essential part of it to bear a faithful testimony, publicly or privately, as the case may demand, in all love, but with all fidelity, against such sins. True charity suffereth long and is kind. It is slow to believe in the treachery or wickedness of mankind, especially of those whom it had long regarded as of the household of faith. It forms its opinion not by hearsay or gossip, but by the careful contemplation of the fruits brought forth. Having thus arrived at what seems to be a just conclusion as to questionable deeds, it follows as a matter of necessity, in the very nature of things, that it call them by their right names, openly protest against them, and exhort the wavering to stand firm, and the faulty to repent. The charity which is not ready to do this lacks the seal of genuineness.

There is much morbid charity in the world; and it is cherished, too, by some amiable persons, as if it were an exceeding virtue, instead of a culpable weakness. Such persons seem to conceive that Christian charity consists in a resolute determination to think ill of no one of whom they had ever thought well, and to endeavor to shut their eyes to all wickedness which has the wit to assume the show of godliness, and to protest against a faithful testimony being borne against it by others. They hear the Master say, 'Judge not, that ye be not judged,' but they mark not what he adds almost immediately—'Beware of false prophets, for they come unto you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. By their fruits ye shall know them.' They cannot bear to think that so fair an outside is but the cloak of designing wickedness. They cannot but hope that thorns and briers may after all be the fruit of good vines and fig trees.

Now this is all wrong: it is bad philosophy and worse morality. It is not in accordance with right reason, and of necessity not in accordance with the precepts, the spirit and the example of Jesus Christ.

True charity, as defined by sound reason, and confirmed and exemplified by the Savior, consists not in devising possible good motives for past actions, nor yet in allowing without question the motives alleged by the wrong doer; but in a calm and dispassionate inference of their character from the actions themselves, and their attendant circumstances. It cannot admit that men may rob their brethren of themselves, and all the rights and privileges appertaining to themselves, for the sole benefit of the robbed. It cannot allow the makers or sellers of liquid death to be solely influenced by a zeal for temperance and the public good. And when it sees men endeavoring to make the cause of temperance or of freedom subordinate to the interests of party or of sect,—however devoted they may have been to truth in times past,—it must infer their intentions from their actions; and having inferred them, it must call their deeds by their right names, and openly rebuke them.

They, too, who indulge in this morbid charity, and thus unduly gratify the propensity which every good mind feels to think well of all men; and especially of those with whom we have once labored and suffered in the cause of right, are in great danger of complacently exalting this fault of their character into a shining virtue—of exaggerating this blemish of their moral proportions into a beauty. They are in peril of looking upon themselves as of a more lovely and Christ-like spirit than those who use greater fidelity with their erring brethren. But such a frame of mind is far removed from that of our great Exemplar.

love which was keenly observant of sinners' sins, and which created a fidelity towards

Was not His heart full of love towards the scribes, pharisees and chief priests, whose wickedness He rebuked? Did not His eyes gush out with tears of sympathy over the city which had rejected Him, and was about to fill up the cup of its iniquities on Calvary? He is our example in all things—let us learn of Him.

Let us imbue our souls with His spirit, and then fear not to imitate him in its outward manifestations. In the case just cited, let not our brethren and sisters, who recoiled from that expression of faithful rebuke, think that they who assented to it, did so in any spirit of bitterness. It was because we loved those erring brethren, and would fain bring them back to truth by the words of truth, that we uttered them on that occasion. Who would rejoice with more exceeding joy over them, should they repent and bring forth the fruits of repentance? Who more ready in such an event to take them again to our hearts—aye, to our hearts of hearts?

This illustration of the distinction we have endeavored to make between true and false charity has taken up a greater proportion of our remarks than we expected when we first introduced it. It was the latest manifestation of what we esteem to be a distempered state of mind, and therefore we were led to dwell upon it at some length. But the same unhealthy affection is exceedingly prevalent at the present day, and distorts the moral vision of very many when they are called upon to look sin in the face and rebuke it. It is a disposition which, if unheeded, will stand much in the way of the individual growth of the soul which yields to it, and of its efficient action upon the souls of others. E. Q.