Men, and to the Judgment of Almighty God, both in this World and in that which is to come. For with what Judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what Meafure ye mete, it fhall be measured to you again. This First Reafon I confidered at the laft Occafion; and proceed now to fome other Confiderations, tending to the fame Purpose, contained in the Words I have read, which I fhall fpeak to, as they lie in Order.

II. The Second Reason then, for guarding us against this Vice, I obferved in the Words, was this, that it is a Practice highly unbecoming us, who have so many great Faults of our own, to be fo fharp-fighted as to our Neighbours, and fo cenforious of them. And why beholdeft thou the Mote that is in thy Brothers Eye, but confidereft not the Beam that is in thine own Eye?

This Reason is propofed with diverfe fharp, aggravating Circumftances; all which tend to fhew the great Unreafonableness of this Vice, which therefore deferve our more ferious Confideration; particularly these Four: which I defign for the Subject of our prefent Meditations.

1. That the Perfon addicted to this Sin of rafh judging and cenfuring, is defcribed here to be guilty of greater Faults himself, than are in the cenfured Perfon. His Sins are compared to a Beam; the others to a Mote.

2. That he is reprefented as not endeavouring to fee and find out his own Faults, which it is his Duty to do; but over diligent in prying after his Neighbour's, which he neither ought, nor

can well discover, while he labours under fuch an high Degree of Pride and Self-conceit himself.

3. The Vice is further aggravated, in regard of the Perfon against whom it is committed; Thy Brother; equal in Dignity; and that ought to be tender and dear to thee on Account of that Relation.

4. The Interrogation why he thus pries where he ought not to look, and looks not at Home, where he should ufe a diligent Inspection; fhews that he has no good Motives and Intentions in fo doing; for the Interrogation carries the Force of a violent Negation.

I. The Perfons addicted to this Sin of rafh judging and cenfuring, are reprefented here as guilty of greater Faults themfelves, than are in the cenfured Perfon. Their Sins are compared to a Beam; the others to a Mote. And why beholdeft thou the Mote that is in thy Brothers Eye, but confidereft not the Beam that is in thine own Eye? This is one great Inftance of that fort of Hypocrify, which our Saviour thought deferved moft to be reproved in the Doctors of thofe Days, that overlooking great Matters, they fpent all their Zeal about Things of little or no Confequence. They were very nice in Externals, the ceremonial Part of Religion, but inwardly full of Pride, Malice, Cruelty, and Uncharitableness. Now I am afraid, if we enquire, we fhall find a good deal of this Spirit and Temper among all the greatest Pretenders to Religion, and that both in Doctrinals and Morals. Is not this too common, and much to be lamented in all Parties of Chriftians, that they

lay greater Strefs upon fome of thofe little Points, in which they differ from one another, than upon the great Points of Christianity in which they are agreed? And confequently they are much more apt to cenfure and blame one another, for any one of thefe fmall Differences, than to love one another for their Agreement in the great Points of Chriftian Doctrine, and Morals. Then as to Chriftian Duties, are we not more apt to cenfure a Man for every the leaft Failure in a Matter of mere Decency, and Civility, than in a Matter of downright Vice, efpecially thofe more fpiritual Vices of Pride, Malice, Envy, perfecuting Zeal, and the like, which have terrible bad Confequences in the World? But further, that the Vices of Cenfurers and rafh Judges of other People, are more grievous than the Faults of the cenfured, will appear from these two or three Confiderations.

1. That commonly the Caufes from which Cenforioufness proceeds are very bad, viz. inward Pride, Self-conceit, Hatred of our Neighbours, a Malignity of Nature, a Defire to expofe others, and to fet off ourselves.

2. That commonly it has exceeding bad Effects and Confequences, in fomenting Differences and Divifions, in raifing Perfecutions, in promoting Acts of Injustice, and in undermining the very Foundation of all Charity, I mean, Love and Charity in the Heart.

3. Because there is often fome fecret great Sin, which the proud, cenforious Perfon lives in ; for the better hiding and concealing of which, he takes upon him to cenfure and reprove the leffer Faults of other People, on purpose that by that Means

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Means he may divert his Mind from the Thoughts of his own Sins, and be thought a Perfon of extraordinary Piety by others.

II. This cenforious Perfon is represented here in my Text, as one that doth not fo much as endeavour to fee and find out his own Faults, which it is his Duty to do; but over diligent in prying after his Neighbour's, which it is not his Business to enquire after; nor can he well discover them, while he labours under fuch an high Degree of Pride and Self-conceit himself. His not feeing with refpect to himself, and his wifhful looking with refpect to his Neighbour, are both here noted. And indeed, it is no Wonder that the one is the Caufe of the other. A Man cannot be both much abroad, and much at home. He that is bufy, prying into his Neighbour's Faults, cannot be fo well verfed in his own Infirmities as he ought. He wants both the Time, and the Attention and Application that are neceffary for it. Now what a Degree of Unhappiness this is, let us a little confider. We could foon apprehend the Evil of this in the Management of a Temporal Eftate. If a Man never looked after his own Affairs, but bufied himself entirely abroad, every one would quickly tell what would become of fuch a Man. Suppose a Man were fo well verfed in all the Papers that give any News or Intelligence of remote Countries, that he were fit to make a Secretary of State to the Grand Seigni- or, if he understood nothing of the Affairs of his own Country, or of his own Eftate, would not every one confefs that fuch a Man's Know

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ledge and Care are wrong placed? And if this holds true in Temporals, it doth much more fo in Spirituals. For in the Affairs of this World, a Man may have his Place fupplied by Attornies and Deputies; which cannot be in the Concerns of our Souls, which God will require of every Man himfelf. This careful Infpection into our own Heart and Life, is the Foundation of all our other religious Concerns. And therefore whatever obftructs it, should be very carefully watched and guarded againft. And of all Things of that Nature, there is none has a greater Influence on this Neglect of our Souls, than the bufying ourselves unneceffarily with that which doth not belong to us, our Neighbour's Faults or Infirmities.

But is it then a difallowable Thing to take any Inspection into our Neighbours Lives and Actions; and particularly to enquire into their Sin and Folly? There is fome Difficulty in this Matter; and therefore I think it worth while to confider it a little more particularly.

1. First then, There are fome Perfons, who, by their Office and Station, not only may, but ought to have an Inspection into the Lives and Manners of Men. Parents fhould have an Infpection over their Children; and Masters and Miftreffes of Families over their Servants: Paftors are to have so far an Infpection into their Peoples Lives and Confciences, as to be able to give them proper Advices in publick, or in private, as far as they have Accefs and Opportunity, in Sickness or in Health. Magiftrates too, have as far an Inspection as relates to the publick Peace and Quiet; and Mens publick Actions, as far as they D 4

fall