Facts difguifed with falfe Colours, and clothed with wrong Circumftances; there are so many Comments too ufually intermixed, of the Defigns and Intentions, from which the Perfons are faid to have acted; fingle Actions are so often reprefented as habitual and customary, and grofs evil Intentions are so often fixed to innocent Actions, that it is one of the hardest Things in the World to admit Reports, without running the Hazard of making rafh Judgments upon them. The Way to cure this is, Firft, Not to lend a pleafant Ear to thofe Tattlers or malicious Perfons, who love to tell ill Stories of their Neighbour, or to colour over innocent Stories with malicious Gloffes. Then to fuppofe, what daily. Experience confirms, that there may be fome Error or Uncertainty in the Reports, at leaft, that they may be clothed with other Circumstances than the malicious Reporter reprefents; and therefore, that it is much fafer to fufpend our Judgment, till we have an Opportunity of being better informed. Particularly, we ought not to receive with Averfion, what tends to undeceive us as to any bad Opinion we have taken up, or any rash Information we have admitted of our Neighbour; but should be glad of the Means it afforded us to have a better Opinion of him than the former bad Character tended to imprint in our Minds. Charity inclines us to be more forward to believe what tends to the Clearing of our Neighbour's Reputation, than what tends to the Blackening of it; and efpecially if we can fall on no other Means to clear up our Neighbour's good Character, the best Way is in a friendly Way to impart all to himfelf, that we may hear

what

91 what he has to fay in his own Juftification. And this would lead me to

The Third Branch of the Antithefis, or contrary Duty to the Sin of rafh Judgment; namely, The Performing the Friendly Office of a Monitor to our Neighbour himself, inftead of Expofing him to others: Which, together with the Prudence to be observed in Adminiftring our Admonitions and Reproofs to Perfons in fuch a Temper, and at fuch proper Times, as they are like to be the better, and not the worfe for them, and we likewise fafe in fo doing; are both fuch important and difficult Subjects, that I dare not attempt them now in the End of a Sermon. And therefore leaving them to be handled more at leifure at fome other Opportunity, I fhall conclude, after a fhort Application of what has been faid to two forts of Perfons; namely, those that are guilty of rafh Judgments, and those that are injured by them.

1. The First, are almost all forts of People; so much Care and Precaution being requifite, that perhaps there is no Duty in the whole Circle of Chriftian Morals, more difficult at all Times to put in Execution than this. St. James fays, If any one offends not in Word, the fame is a perfect Man, Jam. iii. 2. And if it is fo difficult to avoid rafh Words, it is much more fo, to avoid rafh Judgments, which do much more fuddenly prefent to the Thoughts, than Words do to the Tongue. But the Truth is, most commonly they go together, we have no fooner made fo much as a Conjecture in our own Minds to our Neighbour's Disadvantage, but we are in Pain till we communicate it to fome or other, for their Approba

Approbation; and most commonly we communicate these things to fuch as we know are ready to join in with all our Sentiments, at least our most malicious ones. And, which is worfe, we take it very ill, if they offer to differ from us in fuggefting any more charitable Opinion. But which is ftrangeft of all, there are many Men and Women, who make Confcience of abftaining from other grofs Vices, that yet make no fcruple moft unmercifully, in their common Difcourfe, to cenfure and condemn others, especially if they are not of their own Kidney and Party. Nay, most of our both civil and religious Sects and Parties, think they do God and their Country good Service, by putting a bad Construction on the Words and Actions of those who differ from them, and by Expofing and Censuring them moft unmercifully; and if it lies in their Power to carry their rash Judgments beyond Words, to more fubftantial Injuries, they think it no Sin to do it; and their very Minds and Opinions being corrupted, it is much harder to bring them to a Senfe of this fort of Sins, or to a true Repentance for them, than for those that are reckoned much groffer Tranfgreffions. All I have to fay to fuch People is, to request them to confider, that this is a most effential Character of the Spirit of Christianity, to have charitable Thoughts, and to use charitable Words of others, and to nip in the Bud all the pernicious Fruits of that uncharitable Temper. Let us believe no Harm of our Neighbour, fo as to injure him thereby, either upon uncertain Rumours of others, or as uncertain Conjectures of our own. At least, let us carry thefe Conjectures and Surmifes no further

than

than to guard our felves against receiving Hurt from the Perfons, fuppofing them to be fuch as the wicked Surmifes fuggeft, without Defaming them to others, or doing them any other Prejudice, either in their good Name or Estate.

The other Perfons to whom this Difcourfe is to be applied, are those who unjustly fuffer by rash Judgments. And to them I have to offer, First, That they would confider, tho' they have not deserved these rafh Judgments, whether they have not by their Imprudence given Occafion for them, by doing fomething which, if it is not evil, has at least the Appearance of Evil; and therefore, that they would order their Converfation fo, that their Good may not be evil spoken of, Rom. xiv. 16. The other Thing is, that they would be induced both eafily to pardon those rafh Judgments in others, and abstain from them. themselves. First, That they would pardon them in others; fince so much Watchfulness, Care and Circumfpection is requifite to avoid them; and in fome they proceed from very innocent Causes, fuch as a Weakness of Judgment, a Lapfe of Memory, an Excefs of good Nature and Credulity; in others from an overcautiousness, which creates a Jealoufie and Sufpicion; and that Men are often obliged to act upon their present Conjectures and probable Opinions, tho' they afterwards prove to have been wrong. But what to say for a Perfeverance in that Wrong, after they come to be fenfible of it, I cannot tell. The leaft that a good Chriftian will then do is, not to perfift in an ill Thing, but to make speedy Reparation. Then, for fuch a Person who has been injured by rafh Judgments, there is the

2

greatest

greatest Reason that he should abftain from them himself, as knowing by Experience, the pernicious Nature and Confequences of them. And therefore having a right Senfe of what is due to others upon thefe Occafions, he of all Men cannot pretend Ignorance, and has nothing to do but to apply the golden Rule, of doing as be would be done by. This is what occurred to me upon the present Subject, and which, I hope, ye will improve in your After-Meditations, and practise in your Lives, to your Growth in Grace, and in the Knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift. To Him, &c.

SERMON