may

the familiar Converfation of fuch a one, till he break off fome evil Habits, which we obferve or judge to be in him; I fay, tho' we may happen to be mistaken, and the Man have repented, and become a new Man and we not know it; yet while we do not defame and expofe him, but keep our Mind to our felves, and act according to the best of our Knowledge and Confcience, we do our Duty, and in that Cafe do not tranfgrefs against the Rule of my Text. Far lefs,

4. Are they guilty of the Breach of this Rule, who, in the Execution of their Office, do in ever fo fevere Terms exclaim against Vice in general, without applying to any Man, by Name or by Description, any otherwife than his Guilt may happen to difcover him either to his own Confcience, or to others who know him guilty; fo that it bed one with a charitable Design, not of expofing, but of reclaiming. For this is a facred Piece of Duty and Difcipline often enjoined to them, who have the Charge of teaching and admonishing others. I charge thee before God, fays St. Paulto Timothy, 2 Tim. iv. 1. who shall judge the Quick and the Dead at his appearing and bis Kingdom: preach the Word, be inftant in feafon, out of feafon; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all Long-fuffering and Doctrine. And to Titus; Tit. ii. 15. Thefe Things fpeak, and exhort, and rebuke with all Authority.

5. Nor, 5thly and laftly, are they guilty of the Breach of this Rule, who with a Spirit of Meekness, and from a Principle of Charity, and with a Defign to reform, and not to expose, perform the Duty of Fraternal Correption, that is, of admonishing and rebuking the Offending

Brother,

Brother, as it is enjoined 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. And Luk. xvii. 3. If thy Brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And fo in feveral other Paffages of Holy Scripture. But there are so many Rules of Difcretion to be obferved in this Duty of Fraternal Correption, that it is no easy Matter to perform it aright. The Perfon to whom it is performed, fhould be capable of bearing it with Patience, according to the Advice in the latter Part of my Text, Give not that which is boly unto Dogs, neither caft your Pearls before Swine; left they trample them under their Feet, and turn again and rent you. The Perfon who adminifters it should have no carnal Ends, but altogether fpiritual, according to that Advice of the Apostle, Gal. vi. 1. Brethren, if any Man be overtaken in a Fault, ye which are spiritual, reftore fuch a one, then the Manner follows, in the Spirit of Meekness. There must be nothing favouring of Pride, or Paffion, or Clamour, or Bitterness, or Refentment; but the utmoft Love and Charity employed in this Work; fo that it differs exceedingly from the Spirit of Cenforioufnefs and rafh judging here prohibited; which now I come more pofitively and directly to confider wherein it confifts.

In general, as I told you, I take it to confift in a Cenforiousness; that is, a Love to find Fault; and this has commonly fome bitter Rcot of Vice, from which it proceeds; fuch as Pride and Vanity, Malice and Envy, Refentment and Revenge, Cruelty, or delighting in Mischief, tho'

often,

often, I confefs, it flows from mere Cuftom and Thoughtleffness, and it breaks out in fuch Actions as prove dishonourable to God, and hurtful to our Neighbour, and feed our own Vanity or Uncharitableness.

may

This Description of the Vice ferve in general; but that we may have a more particular Notion of it, I fhall endeavour to inftance in the principal Characters and Expreffions in which it ufes to fhew it felf; for by them we shall come by a clearer Understanding of it, than by any general Descriptions whatsoever.

;

1. First, In this cenforious Spirit there is always a fecret Joy and Gladness to find fault whereas in a good Man there is always the quite contrary Temper. The most charitable Man can't help fometimes his hearing and feeing fuch Things as tend to the forming a bad Character of his Neighbour; but then he fees and hears these things with forrow and regret; both for the Dishonour done to God, the Danger to the Offender, and the bad Example to others, and heartily wishes the Repentance and Amendment of the Offender. And the Effect it has upon him, is a great Care and Contrivance to recover his Neighbour, and to ftir up himself to a great Caution to refrain from the like Vices, knowing that he is fubject to the like Temptations. But now the cenforious Detractor looks upon all these things with other Views. He is glad that he can now have the better Opinion of himself, when there is fo fresh a Foil to fet him off; he is glad that fo great a Difgrace and Mortification has happened to any noted Man or Woman of another Party or Intereft; nay, his ill Nature

doth

doth always fecretly rejoice in his Neighbour's Follies and Misfortunes, and is glad to hear him exposed and blackened in his Reputation; and on the other Hand, is uneafy to hear any one commended; or to fee any one shine with a Reputation that does perhaps outdo his own.

2. The cenforious Man is forward to judge, without any Obligation from his Office; perhaps without any Clearnefs of Evidences, upon fome idle Stories, or bare Sufpicions, Surmifes, and Suggestions: Whereas a charitable Man is very unwillingly drawn into any fuch Employ; he hates to encourage Tale-bearers and Bufy-bodies, and fuch as he knows delight in reporting the worst Things, and in giving them the worst Turn they can of their Neighbour.

3. The cenforious Man has a strong Bias and Inclination to find his Neighbour guilty; accepts of very flender Proof to any Thing that tends to his Defamation; fometimes makes up what is wanting in Fact, with his own malicious Suggestions and fruitful Invention. To be fure, an ill Story lofes nothing at his Hand; he puts the worst Construction upon it that it will bear; and gives no grains of Allowance on the Side of the accufed or calumniated Perfon; doth not fo much as fufpend his Judgment, or reserve an Ear for the Defendant; but greedily fucks in Calumny, and magnifies and improves it by a fruitful Imagination, till that which in himself would be a Mole-hill, in his Neighbour is a Mountain.

4. The cenforious Perfon ufurps the Afcendant in all Companies; vilifies every Man's Reafon in comparison of his own, and every Man's Life in Comparison of his; thinks it impoffible

that

that any Man fhould be free of thofe Vices that he himself is addicted to; values no Expedients but his own; takes upon him to be the Obfervator, the Reprover, the Monitor, the Contriver, and Decider in every Thing; it is a Crime for any other Man to have any Competition with him; he must be the fole Dictator; and if he could have his Will, by his own bare Authority would fhut up every Body elfe, that they should have nothing to do, but to dance after his Pipe.

5. The cenforious Man allows himself an uncharitable Sharpnefs in cenfuring other Mens Faults; never reflecting on the Frailty of Human Nature in general, nor his own Errors and Follies in particular; inftead of taking gentle Methods with an Offender, fuch as are apt to lead him to Repentance, he runs him rather into Defpair, by his Harshness and Severity. Instead of running out with Joy to meet and welcome a returning Prodigal, he fcares him away with hard Words, and ill Ufage; as if he himself were not only free from that, and all other Sin at prefent, but fecure that he should never be drawn away by Temptation hereafter: Whereas the merciful Man handles his Neighbour's Sores with a gentle Hand, and reftores him in the Spirit of Meekness, Gal. vi. 1.

6. He who is addicted to this Judging and Cenforioufness, is not contented to judge and condemn the evil Actions of his Neighbour; but he commonly adds fome aggravating Remarks and Aggravations of his own, with an intent to fhew with what an evil Spirit and Intention he did them. He enters upon God's Prerogative, and judges of his Neighbour's Heart and Thoughts;

and