Subject, (as there are but few Men can bear with plain Dealing on fuch Occafions,) it is a Piece of Charity in fuch a Cafe, and belongs to this fame Duty of fraternal Admonition, by more fevere Rebukes, and with fome Eagerness and Violence, fuch as a Parent would ufe to fnatch a Child out of the Fire, to recover him speedily out of the Danger. This may perhaps, at prefent, occafion fome Uneafinefs; but afterwards, when he comes to himself, if he has any Senfe of Goodness, he will look upon fuch as his best Friends; infinitely beyond those of another Kind, who were ready to ftrike in and flatter him in all his evil Courses, tho' never fo deftructive and pernicious. (4.) A fourth Piece of Duty belonging to fraternal Admonition, especially when we find the Brother not otherwife capable of Admitting it, is to watch the Seafons and Opportunities, the proper Times when he is easiest of Accefs, or when the outward Difpenfations of Providence by Sickness, or other Afflictions, have contributed to mellow his hard Heart, and to make use of these to inftill our fpiritual Counsel or Reproof. For Men are not always in the fame good Humour, nor in the fame malleable Temper; and it requires great Knowledge of one's Circumftances, and a great Exercife of Prudence and Patience, to make Way for fuch unpleasant Truths, as the Duty of fraternal Admonition and Correption requires us to deliver. (5) There is one Degree of this fraternal Correption and Admonition ftill remaining, namely, that when we have tried all other the above-mentioned Methods in vain, both by our felves felves and others, whom we may employ as more capable of that difficult Duty, we at laft break off all Friendship and Familiarity, not with a Design to abandon our Brother in these wretched Circumftances; for then he has moft need of our Prayers and Endeavours; but only by fuch a defperate Cure to bring him to a wholsome Shame, and more vigorous Endeavours to recover himself out of the Snare of the Devil. The Apostle in this advises firft an Abatement of Familiarity, upon his not amending, but not to the Degree of breaking off the Duty of Admonition and Converse entirely, 2 Theff. iii. 14. If any Man obey not our Word by this Epiftle, note that Man, and bave no Company with him, that he may be aShamed. Yet count him not as an Enemy, but admonifh him as a Brother. Yet fometimes I find good Men, upon an obftinate Continuance in Sin, have carried this much further, even to a total and final Abandoning of the Society of fuch Perfons. Thus we find, after diverse grofs Acts of Difobedience to God's Commands, and no Amendment upon Admonition and Reproof, the Prophet Samuel gave over all further Attempts upon Saul, except praying to God for him, and mourning in Secret for his Obftinacy; for fo it is recorded, 1 Sam. xv. ult. that Samuel came no more to fee Saul to the Day of his Death; nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul. So that let the worst come to the worst, we are never to leave off our Prayers for them; but to continue our Strugglings with God, even when they prove defperate with Man, So much for the Defcription of this Duty of fraternal Admonition, wherein it confifts. But there are some other Things requifite to be known about it, namely, when, or in what Circumftances, and by whom it is to be put in Execution; and with what Spirit it is to be gone about: Of which I fhall fay fomething with all convenient Brevity. As to the first Question, when, and in what Circumstances this Duty is to be put in Execution; I anfwer briefly, the fooner the better; provided all other Things concur, that are requifite for the right Difcharging of it. Preventing Means by good Education and Inftruction can never be applied too early; The fame may be faid of the Infufing good Notions, and the Cautioning against bad Examples; and fhewing one another the feveral Rocks and Shelves in the Voyage of Life that others have split upon. And it is not only thefe preventing Admonitions, which may thus early be applied with Safety; but likewife when our Brother has actually left the plain Road of Duty, and gone into fome ill Course, the fooner he is admonished of his Errour, and called back to his Duty, it is so much the better; a young bathful Sinner being much fooner reclaimed than an old hardened one. as the Erring Brother is more and more entangled in finful Courfes, and grows more habitual, and headstrong and impudent in them, it will require a greater Degree of Care and Caution to manage this Duty of fraternal Admonition towards him: for more care muft be then taken that it be adminiftred by fit and fkilful Perfons, against whom he has no Prejudice; and in the gentleft, difcreeteft Manner; and at his easiest Times of Accefs; as has been already defcribed. But The The other Question is more eafie to be refolved, namely, with what Spirit this Duty is to be gone about; for no doubt it must be with a Spirit of Love and Friendship. Enemies upbraid one another with their Faults, from a Spirit of Hatred and Enmity. They do it to expose an Adverfary, not to gain or fave a Friend. They do it to infult; the good Chriftian does it to reclaim. They do it to his Enemies, or to the promifcuous World abroad; the good Christian does it to himself, with a pure Eye to his fpiritual Good and Advantage. One would think that the Action of the Friend and the Enemy here, have a great Affinity; but if we look either into the Principle from which it proceeds, in the one Charity, in the other Enmity; or the End it aims at, in the one, the Good; in the other, the Hurt of our Neighbour; or the Manner in which it is managed, in the one, by a Spirit of Meekness and Love; in the other, by a Spirit of Anger and Hatred; there will be no great Difficulty in diftinguishing the one from the other. And therefore I fhall infift no longer in the Defcription of the Duty; but proceed, 2. To the Confideration of the Benefits of this Duty in a Christian Life. (1.) That it is a Duty, I hope none will doubt; for both the Light of Nature, and the Precepts of the Law and Gofpel, concur in enjoining it. By the Light of Nature we are taught, that we are to make our Lives as useful as we can in the World, and especially, that we are to do all the Good to our Friends that lies in our Power. It will be readily granted, that the Defign of all our Actions towards our Friends, ought H 4 The Flatterer ftudies ought not to be what will please, but what will do them good. This is the Difference between a Friend and a Flatterer. only to please his Friend. ftudies his Friend's Good. And if this requires fometimes the Croffing and Contradicting him in his unreasonable Paffions, and wicked Inclinations, this the Friend will venture upon, but the Flatterer will not touch or come near. If a Man wants an Inftrument in any Wickedness, the falfe Friend or Flatterer ftrikes in with all his corrupt Inclinations, and furthers and promotes them; whereas the true Friend contrives his Dif appointment in ill Things, and his Converfion from them. As when a Man is mad, his true Friend will be then for keeping all hurtful Wea pons from him, and for confining him to a dark Room, and a strict phyfical Diet, fuch as may help to recover his Health; and not for allowing him his Swing and Liberty, with which he might quickly deftroy himself. And as the Law of Nature teaches thus much, the Law of Mofes is very express in it. Lev. xix. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thine Heart; thou shalt in any wife rebuke thy Neighbour, and not fuffer Sin upon him: Where it is plainly implied, that the not Rebuking our Neighbour, is the Hating him in our Hearts. But our Saviour has much improv ed this Precept, John xiii. 34. and has been much more particular upon it; commanding a Friendship among all Chriftians, and prescribing all the particular Steps we are to take with our offending Brother, as ye may fee at large, Mat. xviii. in order to the right Difcharge of this Duty of Fraternal Admonition. So that this Duty |