תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

inftead of Amending upon them, they only grow exasperated against thofe who prefume to offer them. But this is not all. For,

(3.) The Sin and Condemnation of fuch Perfons is much encreafed thereby. As when a Phys fician prefcribes a Dofe of Phyfick too strong for the Patient's weak Conftitution, instead of doing him good, it diforders him fo much the more, and incapacitates him as to the Admiffion of other more proper Remedies. The Monitor then muft be like a wife Phyfician; he must prudently confider not only what Remedies are proper for the Distemper in general; but what are fitteft for the Patient's Conftitution and Circumstances, when he is become fo weak and peevish, that he will not endure the ufual Remedies. This is God's own Way with his Patients; when Remedies will not do, but make Men worse, he leaves them to themselves. Ephraim is joyned to Idols: let him alone, fays the Prophet Hofea, Hof. iv. 17. And why should ye be ftricken any more? ye will revolt more and more, faith Ifaiah, Ifa. i. 5. to the incorrigible Ifraelites. In mere Pity then to the Souls of Perfons, thus incapable of Receiving Benefit by Admonition, that we may not encrease their Sin and Guilt, we ought to forbear throwing away our Admonitions and Reproofs upon them.

The Words being thus explained, it appears that they are a Part of our Saviour's Doctrine, belonging to the right Management of Judgment and Cenfure: that as the Qualifications on the Part of the Cenfurer, were described imme diately before in the fame Difcourfe; fo here the Qualifications of the Perfon fit to be cenfured

[blocks in formation]

are defcribed; at least we are told what Perfons, and in what Circumstances, are excepted out of the Obligation which lyes upon us to brotherly Admonition and Correption. In pursuing the Scope and Defign of my Text, there are thefe four Things, I take to be comprehended under it; in confidering of which, I intend to bestow the Time that remains for this prefent Exercise, and fo to make an End of this Part of our Saviour's Sermon, concerning rafh Judgments, viz.

1. How cautious and tender we ought to be in Judging Men unqualified for admitting Admonition and Reproof; fince none are exempted from it, but those who are here defcribed under the Denomination of Dogs and Swine.

2. That we are prudently to watch the most proper Times, and Mens moft advantagious Circumftances, for doing them good with our Admonitions.

3. Particularly, that we are as much as may be to avoid the Provoking Mens Paffions and Refentments, if we intend they fhall receive Benefit by our Admonitions.

4. What pious and likewife prudential Aims we ought to have in Adminiftring these Admonitions.

1. The First Thing I propofe to confider is, How tender and cautious we ought to be in Judging any Perfon unqualified for admitting Admonition and Reproof, fince none are excepted from it, but those here described under the Denomination of Dogs and Swine. By them, as I told you, there are but three Sorts of Perfons, whom I take to be exempted from this Branch

of

of our religious Care; and these we ought not to conclude to be fuch upon bare Surmife or Sufpicion, but upon good Grounds of Knowledge and Experience.

(1.) First, The Perfons who will not endure found Advice and Admonition, but fet themfelves to contradict, ridicule, or mifreprefent it; thus, when the Jews, instead of being convinced by St. Paul's Doctrine, were only filled with Envy, and fpake against those things which were Spoken by Paul, contradicting and blafpheming, Acts xiii. 45. the Apostles St. Paul and St. Barnabas thought it was their best Way to leave them to their own ftubborn, incorrigible Temper, and to betake themselves to the Gentiles. But they did not do this without trial; they had not only first endured the Abuses and Perfecutions of the Jewish Rulers at Jerufalem, but had preached freely to thefe very Jews at Antioch, Acts xiii. 27. and had fhewed them their Error, and the Danger of their following the Example of their Countrymen at Jerufalem; and till they obftinately imitated them, contradicting and blfapheming, the Apostles did not put in execution this Advice in my Text against them, of not giving that which was holy unto Dogs. Indeed they found them fuch troublesome Enemies to Chriftianity, that St. Paul feems to apply exprefly this Compellation of Dogs, for their Barking and Biting, to them; Phil. iii. 2. Beware of Dogs, fays he, beware of Evil-workers, beware of the Concifion. Of this fort of Perfons are all Hereticks, profeffed Enemies of the Truth, and obftinately wedded to their own Errors. Yet even fuch, this Apostle would not have deprived of our AdI 3 monitions

monitions at first, till they have given Proof of their Obftinacy: A Man that is an Heretick, fays he, after the first and fecond Admonition, reject; knowing that he that is fuch, is fubverted, and finneth, being condemned of himself, Tit. iii. 10. There are feveral Sinners of this Nature totally incorrigible, so addicted to fome dangerous Opinions and Practices, that we can do nothing with them, but abandon them, for fear of worse Confequences of their Obftinacy.

(2.) If they who contradict, ridicule, and mifreprefent our good Advices and Admonitions, are to be deprived of them, much more are they who fet themselves to perfecute the Monitors; who turn again in an angry Way, and rend those who perform that friendly Office to them. Many Reafons might be given for our Saviour's exempting fuch Perfons from this fpiritual Care we are all to take of one another in the Way of Admonition; fuch as the Preservation of good Men, whom our Lord would not have to be needlefly harraffed or ruined; the preventing the Sin of bad Men, which would be mightily increafed and aggravated by their being active in fuch Perfecutions; and the Difcouragements to other Chriftians, and the hindrance of the Propagation of the Gospel, by the Perfecution of its moft zealous Profeffors. But I have not Time to dwell upon them.

(3.) The notorioufly Profligate and Profane, who are Scandals to their Chriftian Profeffion, who have not only great Failings and Infirmities, like other Men, but are all over infected with grofs Immoralities, like a Sow wallowing over Head and Ears in the Mire; and if one takes

never fo much Pains to reform and reclaim them, he is never the nearer; for as St. Peter fays, in Allufion, I think, to this Text, it happens to them according to the true Proverb: The Dog is turned to his own Vomit again; and the Sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the Mire, 2 Pet. ii. 22.

But now, alas, befides these three forts, how many others are there, as to whom we exempt our felves from this Duty of Fraternal Admonition? It must be confeffed, that it is generally a very ungrateful Duty, and that for that Reafon few care to meddle with it, even in the Cafes not here excepted. And moft Men are fo apt to flatter their Neighbour to his Face, and to cenfure him when his Back is turned, that in the whole Circle of Duties, there is fcarce any one more neglected than this of Fraternal Admonition. There is fo much Reason to doubt of our own being duly qualified either to give, or receive it; our Neighbour's Temper is fo touchy, or we are willing to believe it fuch; a convenient Seafon for this Duty is fo hard to be found; and Mens Paffions and Refentments are fo eafily provoked, and fo hard to be laid again; in short, there are fo many Pretences for fearing a Lion in the Way, that there is no great Hope this Duty will be easily retrieved. However, having fo fair an Opportunity from my Text, I fhall make some short Attempt to facilitate it, and to make it more Practicable; and that by offering a few fhort Advices both to the Perfons that want Admonition, and to the Monitors themfelves.

[blocks in formation]
« הקודםהמשך »