Birmingham age-herald., 1895-06-10
Cumberland presbvterinn Church.

A good and attentive audience heard MT. Wear at the Cumberland Presby terian church yesterday morning, his subject being charity, as involved in an eXpository sermon on | Corinthians, xiii, 1. Charity is love or kindness toward any one" 9 That disposition of heart which inclines one to think well Of others" 3. "Liberality to the poor and destitute" As contained in the last two, will form our theme today, and for this purpose we may presume that charity is that love for our kind which leads us to appreciate their virtues and depreciate their vices, leading us, also, to delight in blessing others even at the expense of self-denial and personal com foot l. And charity, as thus defined, is not eloquent. It is the Christian soul and not the voluble tongue. Tropes and metaphors may fall from our lips and, though we speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have no charity we are as sounding brass or a tinklng cymbal. 9 clear understanding, great theological ken. nor vast intellec- tual prowess will avail, for though we have the gift of phrophecy and under stand all mysteries and all knowledge, they are vain unless they are predicated upon faith and buoyed by love. 3. Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, therefore it is not pompous, nor in- solent. nor apt to despise others. It is not faith, for though l had faith to re- move nlOunldlHS dlQ Have IOl Allcel ibJ I am nothing.
 Nor will suffering for others do, for though l give my body to be burned and have not genuine love, 1t profiteth me nothing. A heartless gift to the poor IS not charity, for though l give all my goods to feed the poor and have not char ity it is of no profit.
 It does not accompany envy or jeal- ousy. It is not grieved at the good of others, nor at the gifts of others, their honor, their wealth, nor at their success, The sweet and tender face of charity and the hideous, green-eyed visage of envy cannot live in the same soul, for charity "envieth not" It thinks no evil;' is not suspicious, and always adhered to the presumption of innocence. It is not like a jury, who presumes, when the indlct- ment is read, that the man is guilty un- til his innocence is established by legal and competent evidence, and always neg atives the presumption of guilt. Charity suffers long and is kind. It can en- dure injury without being filled with re- sentiment. It will not drop friend when it discovers a fault. If we all did this there would soon be no friends in the world, for charity suffers long and is kind. It does not rejoice in vice, nor does it behave itself unseemly. It bears all things. more correctly speaking, coV- CTS all things. and in this sense is cor relative of | Peter, iV, s, which says:
 
 among yourselves. for charity shall cover a multitude of sins"
 It believes all things, hopes all things and never fails. It's exercise is not con- fined to any grade or class or condition of men; the great, the rich and the wise need the exercise of charity toward them. You need not say "I am no object of charity" we are all objects of charity; we are beggars; we are dependent upon God and mercy; we must have the love .F lzgAh n4sif ifRF i. Annsn aims giving. for this may or may not be charity. Let us take the veil of charity in our left hand, a smile upon our faces flowing from our hearts light in our right hand, and search for the virtues of all men, at the same time throwing veil over their faults, and in love seek the good We may find in them, and not scream "Eurekar at the discovery of fault in them
 It is more pleasing to walk in gardens. where flowers bloom and perfumed breezes blow, and thrilling and fragrant odors delight our hearts as we search for