in his performance of thefe, or in his general character and courfe of life. For tho' tis poffible, a man may do any of these things hypocritically, yet if he be not evidently guilty of fome indulged, habitual vice, that is inconfiftent with fincere religion, or of fomething peculiarly inconfiftent with the goodness of that action we pretend to judge of, we ought in charity to prefume the best of him; and that what he does, is not from any fecret, corrupt, and wicked principle; but from an honeft mind, and confequently his action is good; and if we judge otherwife of him and it, we judge rafhly. Nothing is more hard to pry into, or pronounce upon,' than the fincerity of men's hearts, in the difcharge of their duty; for we can only hear their words, and fee their actions, without a poffibility of looking farther into their thoughts, to discover the fpring or principle that moves them. The heart may be deceitful indeed, and defperately wicked; but who can know it? God has told us by the Prophet Jeremy, * I, the Lord, search the heart, I try the reins, even to give to every man, according to his ways. And Solomon acknowledges, that God alone can do this, † For thou, even thou only knoweft the hearts of all the children of men. What infolence is it then for us to pretend to that, which "God alone can do, as well as impertinence to judge of what we cannot know, and uncharitableness to judge hardly, of what we have no apparent reafon to cenfure! Yet nothing is more common, than this cenforious and unchriftian practice, of condemning good actions for hypocrify, especially, where there is a fecret fpleen to the person that does them.

THESE five inftances I think include all, that is meant here by rafh and fevere judging. Let us

Jer. xvii. 9, 10.

Kings viii. 39..

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proceed now to the fecond general head, to confider,

II. THE neceffity of amending our own lives, in order to the reforming of others. This our Saviour directs as a remedy against cenforiousness, and were it but effectually put in practice, it would be a certain cure: For we may obferve, that, generally fpeaking, the worst men are the most uncharitable this way. Notorious bad men do it in hopes, that by representing the virtues of good men, to be only grimace and hypocrify at the bottom, their own wickedness may come off with the better credit; as it may feem impoffible to be really good, and themselves the more generous finners of the two, because they don't fo much as pretend to virtue. Proud men, who defire to be thought better than the reft of the world, do it as an eafier way to gain a reputation, than by a folid and extraordinary goodness; while all the pretence is, the reformation of thofe whom they cenfure; but whoever truly defigns that, muft begin at home, and refolve to fet an example of true goodness in his own character. To be fure, he must not be guilty of as great, or greater fins, than those which he reproves, for it is, (1.) Ridiculous in it felf, for fuch a man to reprove. Every body he attacks has a retortion ready for him, and his own confcience will sharpen the fting of it, and the world will laugh at him. For him that has a beam in his own eye, to find fault with a mote in his brother's, is fuch a visible affectation, fuch an overt-act of hypocrify, that it looks aukward and monftrous. (2.) The reproofs or cenfures of fuch a man, inftead of reforming, will really harden the finner. There is a fpirit of contradiction in human nature, which ftrongly inclines and tempts men to grow worse, rather than to amend, when upon the comparison they find themselves

themselves still better men (notwithstanding all their faults) than him who undertakes to correct them. They plainly fee, that he does it not from any fenfe of virtue, or real opinion of the enormity of fin, but to give himself an air of demurenefs, and to fix a brand of reproach upon them. So that fuch reproofs entirely lofe their effect. And in truth, on the other hand, a man that is given to reproof, had need not only to be free from grofs and fcandalous offences himself, but to be eminent and exemplary in religion; nor only exemplary in a great degree of that particular virtue, the contrary to which he fets himself to correct in others, but to be well versed in all manner of goodness, and governed by a thoroughly chriftian fpirit. Because whoever undertakes this duty of reproving and reforming, can expect no fuccefs, if he do not manage it with judgment, meeknefs and charity, and all these he must be supplied with by religion. (1.) It is to be managed with good judgment. Every fin deferves not the fame measures of reproof: Nor is a perfon ever reclaim'd from any fin by a reproof improper for it; because it appears in this cafe, that the reprover is mistaken, and therefore a very improper guide. But now a knowledge of what difference must be made in all our reproofs and admonitions, according to the difference of the fins reproved, is attainable no other way than by a perfect knowledge of our religion, that we may know what is commanded or forbidden; and in a conftant practice of all the duties and virtues it requires, that we may know to what degrees they are practicable in this ftate of infirmity, what may be effected by the affiftance of God's holy Spirit, and what grains of allowance must be made for the weakness of human nature; all which will beft be learn'd by experience in the courfe of our own chriftian warfare, and the observations we make upon our felves. (2.) Re

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(2.) Reproof is to be given with meckness; for a paffionate, morofe, or reproachful way of giving it, will fooner exafperate than reform. And how fhall we attain to fuch a fpirit of meeknefs as is neceffary in this cafe, but by the effectual influence of religion upon our minds, and a long practifed habit thereof, under the conduct of God's holy Spirit, and our own endeavours. (3.) It is to be done with chriftian love and charity: For though the rebukes of an enemy out of ill-will to reproach and defame, may notwithstanding help and reform a wife man; yet the generality of mankind are not to be reclaim'd, but by admonitions that fenfibly proceed from love; they must be convinced, that what we fay is really out of kindness to them, before it will have any good effect or influence upon them, to amend their lives. Now charity is an high attainment; St. Paul tells us, that * Love is the fulfilling of the law; fo that if none but a charitable man can effectually perform this duty, the neceffity of making great advances towards religious perfection in our own lives, in order to the qualifying us for the reforming of others, is very evident. But I fhall now haften to the third and laft particular to be confidered.

III. THE meaning of this advice, of not attempting reproof, where it is not likely to have a good effect. Our Saviour here forbids to put the Gofpel under contempt, or our own perfons into danger, by reproving unreasonable and brutish men, fuch as will either defpife and ridicule the reproof we give, or hate us for it, and perhaps affault and put us in danger of our lives thereupon: Only here we must take care, that we do not impofe upon our felves with deceitful excufes; and in truth this care ought to be fo much the greater, because we are apt to * Rom. xiii. 10.

be

be very negligent and backward to this duty of reproof, looking upon it as an irkfome and unpleafing thing to tell men of their faults, unpleafing both to our felves and them. Yet is it not better for both to undergo a little trouble in this kind, than perish eternally together; one for continuing in his fin, and the other for not reproving him? We are likewise apt to excufe our felves, by confounding cenfure and reproof; we would not be thought to be proud, uncharitable and cenforious perfons. But is there not a wide difference between pharifaical cenfure, and the reproofs of christian charity? With fuch excufes however men often deceive themselves, and neglect their duty; throwing the blame upon the obftinacy of the finner, while all the fault is in their own remiffness. But if there be really no ground for hope; if the perfon appear to be incorrigible; if he hath frequently rejected our admonitions before, or the reproofs of wifer men; if he be a defpifer of all religion; if he be one, who is fo far from being likely to be reclaim'd by our reproof, as that he fhall laugh at it, or clamour upon us, or affront us for it; we are fo far from being required to fpend our admonitions upon him, that we are here forbidden fo to do.