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SERM. is plainly declared, that we are but ftewards of thefe XXXIII. things, having received them in truft, not to use them Matt. xxv. according to our pleasure, but to employ them with the 14.xxiv.45. best advantage for God's service; and accordingly shall in

Luke xii.

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the last judgment be strictly accountable for them; fo that if we have embezzled or perverted them to abuse, it will then appear far worse for us, than if we never had received them; much better indeed it will be for us, that we had been pooreft beggars, fillieft idiots, most defpicable wretches here, than not to have duly improved our wealth, parts, and honour to God's fervice; To whomfoever much is given, from him much shall be required, is the rule that punctually in that great audit will be obferved.

5. The confideration of this point may induce us to the obferving ftrict juftice and equity in all our dealings: there are in this world many advantages of doing injury and iniquity fafely in respect to men; without intrenching upon human laws, without incurring any check, or any correction from them; they reach to very few cafes, they retrench only fome great outrages, and punish fome enormous crimes, apparently noxious to the peace or welfare of common fociety; the ftroke of human law may also (even where it taketh cognizance, where it maketh provision to secure right, or repair wrong) often be evaded by power, or eluded by fleight, by gift, by favour: but as the divine law doth extend univerfally to the prohibition of all iniquity whatever, (fmall as well as great, fecret no less than visible,) fo the divine judgment inevitably will reach to all: the leaft wrongful word, by which we hurt the good name of our neighbour, the leaft exaction or hard dealing with him, the least overreaching him by craft, (however blameless these things may seem here, however they may pass with commendation, as inftances of wit or ability,) will furely then be condemned and

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1 Theff. iv. nished; Let no man, faith St. Paul, go beyond and defraud

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• Quam angufta innocentia eft, ad legem bonum effe, quanto latius off, ciorum patet, quam juris regula? Sen. de Ir. ii, 27.

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his brother in any matter, διότι ἔκδικος ὁ Κύριος περὶ πάντων SERM. TOOÚTOV, because God will judge and avenge for all thefe XXXIII. things; fo that, as the fame Apoftle teacheth us, the un-2 Cor. vi. 9. juft, the wrongful, the revilers, the rapacious, shall not inherit the kingdom of God; that day will detect all wicked fraud and cozenage, will defeat all unjust might and oppreffion; no power fhall be able to break through, no wit shall skill to decline, no friendship or favour will help to keep off the impartial fentence and the irresistible ftroke of that judgment; There is no darkness or fhadow of Job xxxiv. death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves from being detected, from being prosecuted and punished. The poor, the meek, the fimple, who rather choose to suffer than do wrong, shall there find a certain patronage and a full redrefs; that ftrict abftinence from wrong, which here may pass for fimplicity, fhall then be approved for the best wisdom; and this overreaching craft, which now men are fo conceited of, will then appear wretched folly, when all ill-gotten profits with shameful regret shall in effect be refunded, yea fhall bring grievous damages and fore penalties for them: in fine, then it will be moft evident, that he who injureth another doth indeed chiefly hurt himself; he that cheateth his neighbour doth really gull himself, and abuse his own foul.

6. The confideration of this point is apt to breed charity in us; charity of all forts; charity in giving, charity in forgiving, charity in judging and cenfuring of men.

1. It fhould incline us freely to impart our goods, and to contribute our endeavours, for the relief of our poor neighbour; for that the laft judgment will in especial manner proceed upon a regard to the performance or the neglect of this duty: it fhall be the teft of piety, and a ground of recompenfe at the last day: to charitable perfons, who had relieved him in his poor brethren and members, our Lord himself telleth us, that he will fay, Because I was hungry, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, Matt. xxv. and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; I was naked, and ye clothed me; I was fick, and ye vifited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me; there

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SERM. fore, Come, ye blessed of my Father, enter into the kingdom XXXIII. prepared for you from the foundation of the world. To them, who contrarily had neglected to fuccour and comfort their poor brethren, he will pronounce the conMatt. xxv. trary doom; Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlafting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat, &c. And what argument can there be imagined more forcible to engage us on the practice of this duty?

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2. It should likewife difpofe us readily to forgive all injuries and discourtefies received from any man: for fince we shall at that trial need abundance of favour and mercy from God, we fhould in all reafon and duty be willing to fhew the like to others for God's fake and at his command; especially fince he hath appointed the doing fo for an indifpenfable condition, without which we shall not receive mercy or pardon from him; fo that infallibly, if we will be rigorous and hard to others in this case, we must expect the like extremity and severity from God: for the laws and rules of God's proceeding James ii. 13. then are thefe; He fhall have judgment without mercy, Matt. vi.15. that hath fhewed no mercy; If ye forgive not men their trefpaffes, neither will God forgive you your trespasses: and by a lively example, in way of history or parable, our Lord in the Gospel hath expreffed what words (in cafe of our refusing to remit to our neighbour his debts and trespasses against us) we fhall hear, what usage we shall Matt. xviii. find at that day; O thou wicked fervant, (will God fay to any such unmerciful person of us,) I forgave thee all that debt, because thou defiredft me: Shouldeft not thou also have had compaffion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And the Lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

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3. It likewife ferveth to reftrain us from all undue, all rash and harsh cenfure concerning the perfons, the actions, the state of our neighbour; whereby we do invade our Lord's office, making ourselves judges in his room; whereby we ufurp his right, exercifing jurifdiction over his fubjects; whereby we arrogate to ourselves his attri

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butes, who alone is able to know and judge rightly; SERM, Why, faith St. Paul, doft thou judge thy brother? or why XXXIII. dost thou fet at nought thy brother? we shall all fland at Rom. xiv. the judgment feat of Chrift; it is the office of Chrift, 10. which we must not encroach upon: and, Who art thou Rom.xiv.4. (doth he again expoftulate) that judgeft another's fervant? to his own mafter he ftandeth or falleth. We wrong our Lord, in affuming authority over his fervants; we wrong our brethren, in making ourselves their masters: and, Judge nothing before the time, faith the fame Apostle, until the Lord come, who fhall enlighten the hidden things of darkness, and manifeft the counfels of hearts. We blind wretches in effect do make ourselves gods, and facrilegioufly affert his incommunicable perfections to ourselves, when we presume to fearch the hearts, or pretend to know the secret intentions of our brethren. Again, There James iv. is, faith another Apoftle, one lawgiver, who can save or destroy: who art thou that judgeft another? that is, how intolerably rafh, unjust, and arrogant art thou, who seatest thyfelf upon God's tribunal, and thence doft adventure to pronounce doom upon his people? Did we indeed well confider this judgment, we should rather think it adviseable to be mindful of our own cafe, than to pass sentence upon that of others; obferving how liable ourselves are, we should scarce have the heart to carp at others; finding what great need our actions will then have of favourable interpretation, we should furely be more candid and mild in cenfuring other men's actions; especially confidering, that by harth judgment of others we make our own cafe worfe, and inflame our reckoning; we directly thence incur guilt, we aggravate our own offences, and render ourfelves inexcufable; we expofe ourselves upon that fcore to condemnation; for, With what judgment we Matt. vii. 2. judge, we shall be judged; and with what measure we mete, it shall be measured to us again, our Lord doth fay: and, Inexcufable, faith St. Paul, thou art, O man, whoever thou Rom. it, art that judgeft; for wherein thou judgeft another, thou3. condemneft thyself; and, μǹ otevάgete xat' úλλýλwv, Do not, James v. 9.

Luke vi. 37.

SERM. faith St. James, grudge (or make moanful complaint) XXXIII. against one another, left you be condemned: behold, the judge ftandeth before the doors.

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7. It ferveth alfo to fupport and comfort us, as against all other wrongful dealing, so against injuries of this kind; against all unjust and uncharitable cenfures, groundless flanders and furmises, undeserved fcorns and reproaches of men; for that affuredly at that judgment right will be done to him that fuffereth in this kind; his innocence will be cleared, his good name will be vindicated and rePf. xxxvii. paired; God will bring forth his righteousness as the light, and his judgment as the noonday; whence approving his confcience to God in well-doing, he may cheerfully say 1 Cor. iv. 3. with St. Paul, With me it is a very small thing, that I 1 John iii. Should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: If our heart do not condemn us, we may (whatever the opinions or difcourfes of man be concerning us) have a cheerful boldness and comfortable hope in regard to God: the obloquy of men is a part of that cross which every good man here is appointed to bear, and affuredly fhall meet with; for the devil and the world do nothing, if they cannot by impudent affaults dafh, or by malicious fuggeftions blaft the practice of goodness: but this confideration may easily raise us to bear it with patience, or with refolution to furmount it; it thence appearing, that it nowife can harm us; for if God is our judge, what Non timebo can the fancies or the tattles of men concern us; I will hominum not fear the judgment of men, who shall have God for my habiturus judge, was with good reason faid by St. Jerome.

judicium,

judicem Deum.

8. It upon the like ground fhould preferve us from Hier. being deluded and poisoned by the more favourable opinions of men. There are vifibly two great rocks, upon which frequently men do fplit, and make fhipwreck of good conscience; compliance with the practice, and regard to the opinions of others. Men out of complai

• Καν πάντες δικάζωσιν, ὁ δὲ δικαστὴς ἀποψηφίζηται, οὐδεὶς μοὶ λόγος τῆς ἐκείνων ψήφου, κἂν ἅπαντες ἐπαινέσωσι καὶ θαυμάσωσιν, ἐκεῖνος δὲ μὲ καταδικάζῃ, ἐδὲν μεὶ πάλιν ὄφελος τῆς ἐκείνων κρίσεως. Chryf. tom. viii. p. 98.

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