festival of the ancient Romans, celebrated in the month of February, wherein the relations by blood and marriage met, in order to preserve a good correspondence; and that if there happened to be any difference among them, it might be the more easily accommodated by the good humour and mirth of the entertainment. Ovid. Fast. i. 617.
Charisticary, commendatory, or donatory, a person to whom is given the enjoyment of the revenues of a monastery, hospital, or benefice.
The Charisticaries among the Greeks, were a kind of donatories, or commendatories, who enjoyed all the revenues of hospitals and monasteries without giving an account thereof to any person.—The original of this abuse is referred to the Iconoclasts, particularly Constantine Copronymus, the avowed enemy of the monks, whose monasteries he gave away to strangers. In after times, the emperors and patriarchs gave many to people of quality, not by way of gift to reap any temporal advantage from them, but to repair, beauty, and patronize them. At length avarice crept in, and those in good condition were given away, especially such as were rich; and at last they were all given away, rich and poor, those of men and of women, and that to laymen and to married men.
Charity, among divines, one of the three grand theological virtues, consisting in the love of God and of our neighbour, or the habit and disposition of loving God with all our heart, and our neighbour as ourselves.
Charity is also used for the effect of a moral virtue, which consists in supplying the necessities of others, whether with money, counsel, assistance, or the like.
As pecuniary relief is generally the most efficacious, and at the same time that from which we are most apt to excuse ourselves, this branch of the duty merits particular illustration; and a better cannot be offered than what is contained in the following extracts (if we may be permitted to make them) from the elegant Moral System of Archdeacon Paley.
Whether pity be an instinct or a habit, it is in fact a property of our nature, which God appointed; and the final cause for which it was appointed, is to afford to the miserable, in the compassion of their fellow-creatures, a remedy for those inequalities and distresses which God foretold that many must be exposed to, under Charity. under every general rule for the distribution of property.
The Christian Scriptures are more copious and explicit upon this duty than almost any other. The description which Christ hath left us of the proceedings of the last day, establishes the obligation of bounty beyond controversy. "When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come ye blest of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. And inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." It is not necessary to understand this passage as a literal account of what will actually pass on that day. Supposing it only a scathing description of the rules and principles by which the Supreme Arbiter of our destiny will regulate his decisions, it conveys the same lesson to us; it equally demonstrates of how great value and importance these duties in the fight of God are, and what stress will be laid upon them. The apostles also describe this virtue as propitiating the divine favour in an eminent degree. And these recommendations have produced their effect. It does not appear that, before the times of Christianity, an infirmary, hospital, or public charity of any kind, existed in the world; whereas most countries in Christendom have long abounded with these institutions. To which may be added, that a spirit of private liberality seems to flourish amidst the decay of many other virtues; not to mention the legal provision for the poor, which obtains in this country, and which was unknown and unthought of by the most polished nations of antiquity.
St Paul adds upon the subject an excellent direction; and which is practicable by all who have anything to give. "Upon the first day of the week (or any other stated time) let every one of you lay by in store, as God hath prospered him." By which the apostle may be understood to recommend what is the very thing wanting with most men, the being charitable upon a plan; that is, from a deliberate comparison of our fortunes with the reasonable expenses and expectations of our families, to compute what we can spare, and to lay by so much for charitable purposes, in some mode or other. The mode will be a consideration afterwards.
The effect which Christianity produced upon some of its converts, was such as might be looked for from a divine religion coming with full force and miraculous evidence upon the consciences of mankind. It overwhelmed all worldly considerations in the expectation of a more important existence. "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul; neither said any of them that aught of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things in common.—Neither was there any among them that lacked; for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles feet; and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need." Acts iv. 32.
Nevertheless, this community of goods, however it manifested the sincere zeal of the primitive Christians, is no precedent for our imitation. It was confined to the church at Jerusalem; continued not long there; was never enjoined upon any (Acts v. 4); and, although it might suit with the particular circumstances of a small and select society, is altogether impracticable in a large and mixed community.
The conduct of the apostles upon the occasion deserves to be noticed. Their followers laid down their fortunes at their feet; but so far were they from taking advantage of this unlimited confidence to enrich themselves or establish their authority, that they soon after got rid of this business as inconsistent with the main object of their mission, and transferred the custody and management of the public fund to deacons elected to that office by the people at large (Acts vi.)
There are three kinds of charity, our author observes, which prefer a claim to attention.
1. The first, and apparently one of the best, is to give stated and considerable sums, by way of pension or annuity to individuals or families, with whose behaviour and distresses we ourselves are acquainted. In speaking of considerable sums, it is meant only, that five pounds, or any other sum, given at once or divided amongst five or fewer families, will do more good than the same sum distributed amongst a greater number in shillings or half crowns; and that, because it is more likely to be properly applied by the persons who receive it. A poor fellow who can find no better use for a shilling than to drink his benefactor's health, and purchase half an hour's recreation for himself, would hardly break into a guinea for any such purpose, or be so improvident as not to lay it by for an occasion of importance, for his rent, his clothing, fuel, or stock of winter's provision. It is a still greater recommendation of this kind of charity, that pensions and annuities, which are paid regularly, and can be expected at the time, are the only way by which we can prevent one part of a poor man's sufferings, the dread of want.
2. But as this kind of charity supposes that proper objects of such expensive benefactions fall within our private knowledge and observation, which does not happen to all, a second method of doing good, which is in every one's power who has the money to spare, is by subscription to public charities. Public charities admit of this argument in their favour, that your money goes farther towards attaining the end for which it is given, than it can do by any private and separate beneficence. A guinea, for example, contributed to an infirmary, becomes the means of providing one patient, at least, with a physician, surgeon, apothecary, with medicine, diet, lodging, and suitable attendance; which is not the tenth part of what the same affluence, if it could be procured at all, would cost to a sick person or family in any other situation.
3. The last, and, compared with the former, the lowest exertion of benevolence, is in the relief of beggars. Nevertheless, the indiscriminate rejection of all who implore our alms, in this way, is by no means approved.