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UR Saviour's defign in this paragraph, is the fame with moft of the foregoing, to correct the Jewish misinterpretations of the moral law. They found there a command to rebuke their brethren, and not to fuffer fin upon them. From hence that proud, ill-natur'd people took the liberty of cenfuring one another with the utmoft rigour; hoping by their affected strictness in condemning what was ill in others, the better to conceal their own vices. Thus we meet with a Pharifee cenfuring his neighbour, even in his prayers to God, † God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. This and fome other mistakes in the duty of reproof, our Saviour here endeavours to rectify, as though he should fay,

"BE not rafh and fevere in your cenfures. Do "not readily give ear to every malicious ftory, nor "be apt your felves to furmife the worft of other "people's actions, left ye provoke both God and man, "to ufe you in proportion as ye have done your "neighbour: For ye muft expect from the juftice "of God to be judged with the like candor or " rigour ye have fhewn to others; and fuch is the "common method of proceeding amongst men, "that whofoever gives no quarter, muft expect

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none. But especially it is unreasonable for those, "who are guilty of grofs and fcandalous fins, (which "often is the cafe) demurely to correct, reprove, "and exclaim against others for faults of little "concern, and hardly worth the notice: He who "would reform another, muft begin with himfelf, "that it may appear he reproves not out of a cen"forious humour, but from a real averfion to every

* Lev. xix. 17.

† Luke xviii. I.

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"thing that is evil, and a real charity to the of"fender, and that he may fet about it with dif "cretion, and perform it with a decent authority. "Nor is reproof always proper, we must diftin"guish between fuch perfons as are, and fuch as are "not likely to be amended by it. Some men are fo "incorrigible, that it would be cast away upon "them, like holy things thrown to dogs, and pearls "to fwine. Nay, perhaps they may rather be "made worse than better by it, not only defpif"ing but abufing both your advice and your cha"rity. And in this cafe you will only expofe your "felf, instead of reforming them.

IN explaining of this paragraph, a little farther, let us confider more diftinctly,

I. WHAT fort of judging is here forbidden us? II. THE neceffity of amending our own lives, in order to the reforming of others.

III. THE meaning of this advice, of not attempting reproof where it is not likely to have a good effect.

I. WHAT fort of judging is here forbidden us: Were not reproof a duty incumbent upon every private Chriftian, as occafion requires, I should not take these words to be a prohibition of rafh and fevere cenfuring only, but of meddling at all with other mens matters; and indeed when we do cenfure men, tho' never fo juftly, without defigning them or religion any service by it, but only the gra tifying our own malicious temper, we certainly offend against this precept. But befide the neceffity of a good intention, as the ground or only reasonable pretence of all cenfuring of others, we must take care that our cenfures be not rafh and fevere, for fuch they are, if we either,

(1.) GIVE

(1.) GIVE credit to every thing that can be faid ill of a man. There is not that ftory which can be invented to the difreputation of another, though never so groundless and improbable, (nay, I may fay almoft impoffible) but fome will greedily receive and swallow it. 'Tis an ill-natur'd eafiness of belief these people are guilty of: The cafe is otherwife, when any thing is told (whether falfe or true) to the advantage of a man: For then how difficult is the credit, how lazily does it circulate? But thefe fame perfons, who are cautious enough of being impofed upon by a lie in other matters, as thinking it a reflection upon their judgments, hardly ever queftion the truth of a defamation; and look upon it as a fufficient excufe, not only for believing, but reporting the most egregious falfhoods of this kind, that indeed they heard fo. They may deceive themfelves and others, with a pretended deteftation of the offence, and concern for the offender, but it really proceeds from a pride of raifing their own reputation, by the ruin of another's. . And this vanity is an encouragement to envious and malicious people, to invent lies of their neighbours, because they know that most men are very ready to believe and hearken to fuch ftories. This is certainly one inftance of rash judging. Another is,

(2.) WHEN we judge men to be wicked, becaufe they are unfortunate, because it has pleas'd God to afflict them with fome calamity. This was the error of Job's friends, from which that upright man endeavours to free them, by fhewing them to be to blame in condemning a man's innocency by his afflictions. And if it was a great crime in them at that time, it is much worfe now a-days in Chriftians, yet is there no practice more common. Some are fo given to this kind of cenfure, that they cannot hear of any, the leaft lofs, befallen a neighbour, but they prefently fufpect the perfon guilty

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of fome crime, for which they tell you this is a judgment of God upon him. But St. Paul tells us, that *whom the Lord loveth he chaftneth, and Scourgeth every fon whom he receiveth. The revelation of a future judgment, and of rewards and punishments in another life, makes this barbarous cuftom, of adding to peoples afflictions, very unreasonable, and an inftance of rafh judging. Another is,

(3.) WHEN We make the worst of every thing, which is really finful in mens actions, or believe an offender to be worfe than he really is, when we condemn him as for an habit only for a fingle act of fin: For certainly tho' one profane oath difcharged in paffion, or however elfe, and the being once drunk, is fin, and calls for a deep repentance before God; yet is not a man for one, or perhaps two or three acts of these, committed in his whole life, to be esteemed a common fwearer, or drunkard. If thefe offences be against the general course and bent of his life, 'tis very uncharitable to rank him here. upon amongst scandalous and habitual finners. In like manner, when we magnify a fault above its true nature and degree, when we affect to blacken any wicked act, with more aggravations than can be fairly gathered from the circumftances of it: Or when, because a man lives in the practice of fome vices, we prefume him guilty of every ill thing our uncharitable fufpicion may fuggest against him: Or when, because a man has been notorioufly bad, we conclude him always fo, and are unwilling to suppose he either has repented, or will or may repent. And as reducible to this head, when we pretend to judge of the eternal state and condition of perfons deceased, without any good affurance, which 'tis very hard, and in moft cafes impoffible

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CHAP. XX for us to have, that they did not truly repent before death, and are not received to mercy. In all these instances we are guilty of rash judging. And fo we are,

(4.) WHEN we cenfure and condemn as evil, an action that is really in its own nature indifferent, and may be either good or bad, as circumftances (probably unknown, or at leaft not confider'd by us) may determine it. It may perhaps be fomewhat that borders too near upon evil, or is easily abufed to evil; but is not evil in the nature of the thing, and therefore capable of two interpretations. To inftance only in keeping company, gaming, dref fing, dancing (and there are many others of this kind) which may be innocent diverfions; or they may be crimes, according as they are used to good, or abused to ill purposes, the regularity, or the mifbehaviour in them, or according to the time we fpend upon them.

To judge favourably of these, when circumstances and effects do make them criminal, is indeed to encourage vanity and vice: But on the other hand, to cenfure them as evil, tho' fuch effects and circumstances do not appear to render them fo, is rafh and fevere judging, moroseness and ill nature, not religion. Or,

(5.) WHEN we fufpect a good action of hypocrify. By good actions, I here mean not only fuch as are materially good; as the practice of family prayer, frequenting the Church, receiving the facrament, giving liberally to the poor; and, in a word, all works of piety, charity, juftice, and temperance; but thefe works attended alfo with fuch circumftances, that to a candid and unprejudic'd judgment, they appear formally and really good; and this, or the other man whom we would cenfure, feems to do them from an inward principle of confcience and fincerity; nothing appearing to the contrary either

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