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private Reftitution infufficient, prefuming that where 'tis honestly and intirely made, it will be accepted both of God

and Man.

But there is one fcruple more, about the Time or Season of Reftitution; When it is to be made? in anfwer to which, I fay, it must be done prefently, without delay: as soon as the Mind is touch'd with the fenfe and remembrance of the Wrong, it must be eas'd and reliev'd with all speed; for otherwife the Sin and the Trouble too will continue and encreafe, fo long as the Reftitution is defer'd: Say not to thy Neighbour (faith Solomon) Go thy way, and come again to morrow, and I will give thee; when thou haft it by thee: Prov. 3.27. Which Advice is good, not only as to ordinary Debts, but is chiefly fo as to Wrongs; the repairing whereof may not be put off by delays, but must be done out of

hand.

This is the Nature, let us next confider the Neceffity of Reftitution; and this is fo neceffary, that without it the Curfe of God will enter into and corrupt all we have ; like a Moth it will eat thro' and devour all our Subftance, and thefe ill-gotten Goods like undigested Morfels will turn to Gall and Wormwood in the Belly: befide, the Sin of Theft will not be forgiven till the thing ftolen be reftor'd; 'twill still lie as a load upon our Mind, and make our Reckoning heavy; yea, the Guilt and Ruft of it will rife up and witness against us at the laft Day, when all ill-gotten Treasure fhall be melted down about us, and torment us with unquenchable Flames.

Neither is the Danger of unrepair'd Wrongs greater than the Comfort and Happinefs of Reftitution; for this will make us eafy here, and eternally happy hereafter. Zacheus had Salvation come to his Houfe that very day that he perform'd this; and our Saviour hath affur'd us, that they who now restore fourfold, fhall receive more than a thousand-fold in the World to come.

Thus we fee what is forbidden, and what is requir'd in this Commandment: both which teach us to avoid the doing any wrong to our Neighbour, or if we have done any, to make all due Satisfaction for the wrong we have done.

To conclude then, Let him that ftole fteal no more, but rather let him labour in an honeft Calling, that he may be enabled to do justly, to love Mercy, and to walk bumbly with God.

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DISCOURSE XX.

EXO D. XX. 16.

Thou shalt not bear falfe Witness against thy Neighbour.

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HE foregoing Precepts take care for the Security of Mens Perfons and Poffeffions, and are given to preferve both from all Violence and Wrong; this provides for their good Name, and defigns to guard it from Slander and Defamation. Indeed a good Name is fo dear and defireable a thing, that the very Subfiftence of fome, and the Comfort and Conveniencies of all Men depend very much upon it. The Wife-Man tells us, that 'tis rather to be chofen than great Riches, which will afford but little Comfort without it, Prov. 22. 1. And elfewhere, a good Name is better than precious Ointment, Ecclef. 7. 1. for it yields the fweeteft favour to all that are round about us, and not only perfumes the Air we breathe in, but scatters its Fragrancy abroad, and tranfmits the Odour to Pofterity.

And as this is a very defireable, fo it is a very tender thing, that is eafily wounded, and the Wounds made in it, how unjustly foever given, prove many times incurable, the Malignity of them fpreading farther than any Plaister can reach. For which reafons this Commandment was given, to guard it from all unjuft Affaults that may be made upon it, in these words, Thou shalt not bear falfe Witness against thy Neighbour.

This Precept is likewife Negative, and therefore we are first to learn what is forbidden by it, which in general are all the ways of hurting the Credit and Reputation of our Neighbour; and these are fometimes more open, and fometimes more fecret, both which are here plainly con demn'd by this Law. The more open ways are these following,

1. The bringing a falfe Accufation, or giving a falfe Tefsimony against any in Courts of Judicature: this is a wound

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ing of Mens good Name to the purpofe, and feems to be condemn'd by the Letter of this Law; and this may be done feveral ways. Either,

(1.) By charging any Perfon with what they do or may know to be falfe: fuch was that of Potiphar's Wife, who charg'd fofeph with Incontinence, when fhe knew he rejected all Motions towards it; of which we read, Gen. 39. Of the fame kind were the falfe Witneffes fuborn'd by Jezebel against Nabeth, to testify his Blafpheming God and the King of which we read, 1 Kings 21. David complain'd that falfe Witneffes rofe up against him, laying to his Charge things that he knew not. Such were they, who falfely accus'd our Saviour as an Enemy to Cæfar, and his Apoftles as Troublers of the World, and turning it upside down. This, how common foever in the World, is a Work of the Devil, and they who practife it are the Children of that Wicked-one, and tread in the fteps of the Accufer of the Brethren. Again,

(2.) This bearing falfe Witnefs implies not only the affirming of what was falfe, but the concealing of fomething that is true. The goodness or badnefs of Mens Actions depend very much upon the Circumftances that attend them; and as all Circumstances must concur to a good Action, fo the concealing of any one may mar and mifreprefent it: A fair thing may look foul, by hiding that which recommends it; and a foul thing may look fair, by concealing the blackness and deformity of it. He that kills another, tho in his own Defense, or in the Execution of Juftice, may be condemn'd as a Murderer, if those alleviating Circumftances are not brought to light; and great Injury may be done to Men, where any part of the Truth is conceal'd.

(3.) The affirming a thing with a higher degree of Affurance, than our Knowledge of it amounts to, comes under the Sin of bearing falfe Witness. Thus he that attests a thing as certain, which he believes only as probable, gives a falle Teftimony, because the thing he afferts or fwears to, may, for ought he knows, be otherwife; he gives his Evidence on uncertainties, and sticks not at wronging his Neighbour's Credit, or wounding his own Soul.

2. Another way of bearing falfe Witness against our Neighbour, is that of Lying, which is all speaking of Untruths wittingly, and willingly, with a purpose to deceive. And this may be done,

Sometimes

Sometimes for the promoting of fome Good either to ourfelves or others, which is call'd an officious Lye.

Sometimes to the prejudice and detriment of both, and this is call'd a pernicious Lye.

Sometimes again, merely for Sport or Recreation; and this is known by the name of a merry Lye. All which being violations of Truth, and many ways impairing the Credit and good Name of one another, are forbidden in this Commandment, as bearing falfe Witness against our Neighbour of this kind is all falfifying in our Words and Promises, which befide the damage it does to the Credit, is many other ways hurtful to Mankind. And therefore we have many ftrict Precepts against this vile Practice: Lye not one to another, faith the Apoftle; and putting away lying, Speak every one Truth with his Neighbour, Eph. 4. 25.

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Now the Evil of Lying is apparent!: for it perverts the end of speaking, which is freely and fairly to communicate our Minds to each other; whereas this robs our Neighbour of that Debt of Truth we owe him, and makes the Tongue, which was given for the Glory of God and the Good of one another, to become the Inftrument of deceit and difhonour to both. And therefore our Saviour tells us, that lying is of the Devil, who was a lyar from the beginning, and the Father of it. And they that delight in it, fhall have their Portion with him in the Lake that burneth with Fire and Brimftone : for without are Dogs (faith the Apoftle) and whatsoever loveth or maketh a Lye; Rev. 12, laft.

3. Slandering is another way of bearing falfe Witness againft our Neighbour; and this confifts in raifing or spreading any falfe Reports of him to the prejudice of his Fame or Welfare: this is too common a Fault among Men, who whet their Tongue like a Sword, and cut as a fharp Razor, wounding the Reputation of each other without Confideration and Remorfe. And this is done,

(1.) Sometimes by fixing black and infamous Characters on Men, to their Prejudice and Difparagement; which Bolts are too often fhot, and fly too much about the World. We find our Saviour himself could not efcape the Lashes of flandering Tongues, for he was branded for an Impoftor and Blafphemer, a Glutton, a Wine-bibber, a Friend of Publicans and Sinners: and his Apoftles were ftyl'd Seditious and Troublers of the World: and 'tis but too common to fix the odious Titles of Proud, Covetous, Malicious, and the

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like,

like, upon Perfons deferving a better Character.

(2.) Slandering is fometimes by forging Calumnies and evil Reports of another; when Men ufe their Wits in inventing Lyes and Stories, to the hurting of the Credit, and impairing the Intereft of our Neighbour: In which the Devil, who hath his Name from a Calumniator, is ever ready to affift and encourage them.

(3) This is done fometimes by fpreading the Lyes and Stories invented by others: there are fome who tho they do not devife evil Reports, do yet delight to receive and fpread them; thefe do not come far fhort of the former, for what they want of Invention, they make up by their Diligence in divulging; and they differ no more than the maker of falfe Wares does from the feller or vender of them. And there are teo many fuch brokers of counterfeit Wares, who deal in this vile Merchandize, and fell the Reputation of their Neighbour, which is a hellifh Practice, that renders them odious both to God and Man: for which reafon Solomon declares, that he that uttereth Slander is a Fool.

(4.) Detraction is another way of bearing falfe Witness against our Neighbour: this differs from the former in this, that Slander is a wrongful Imputation of fome Vice, Detraction is a wilful leffening of another's Virtue; the former confifts in charging fome Evil upon him, the latter in undervaluing and obfcuring the Good that is in them: both which impair the Fame, and leffen the Efteem of thofe that deferve better. This is likewife but too frequent a Practice, whereby worthy Perfons are lefs prefer'd, and worthy Actions lefs perfu'd, than they ought to be. If you obferve it, you will find that when the Merits of any Perfon fhine forth with a brighter Luftre than others, many will be bufy to caft a Cloud upon them, and to fully the Glory of his beft Actions: He is indeed a learned Man (faith one) but he knows it: He is a good Man (faith another) but he hath his Failings: 'Tis true (faith a third) he is a fober Man, but he is four and cynical: it cannot be deny'd (faith a fourth) that he doth his Duty well, but he is clofe and covetous, and feeketh his own Gain. Thus does the Detractor pick out all the Flaws, and where he cannot find, will make Faults to lower the Fame of one that feems to mount above him; leffening all the Good, aggravating all the Evil, blaming the Principles, difparaging the Means, and perverting the end of all his Actions.

Now

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