SERM.

Eighthly, To this in likelihood the concernments of XVIII. men, and the powers which guard justice, will forcibly bring him and certainly his confcience will bind him thereto; God will indifpenfably exact it from him. He can never have any found quiet in his mind, he can never expect pardon from Heaven, without acknowledging his fault, repairing the wrong he hath done, restoring that good name of which he difpoffeffed his neighbour: for in this no less than in other cafes confcience cannot be fatisfied, remiffion will not be granted, except due restitution be performed and of all reftitutions this furely is the moft difficult, moft laborious, and moft troublesome. It is nowife fo hard to restore goods ftolen or extorted, as to recover a good opinion loft, to wipe off afperfions cast on a man's name, to cure a wounded reputation: the most earnest and diligent endeavour can hardly ever effect this, or spread the plafter fo far as the fore hath reached. The flanderer therefore doth engage himself into great ftraits, incurring an obligation to repair an almost irreparable mischief.

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Ninthly, This practice doth also certainly revenge itself, impofing on its actor a perfect retaliation; a tooth for a tooth; an irrecoverable infamy to himself, for the infamy he causeth to others. Who will regard his fame, who will be concerned to excufe his faults, who fo outrageously abuseth the reputation of others? He fuffereth justly, he is paid in his own coin, will any man think, who doth hear him reproached h.

Tenthly, In fine, the flanderer (if he doth not by ferious and fore repentance retra& his practice) doth banish himself from heaven and happiness, doth expose himself

h He that diligently seeketh good, procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him. Prov. xi. 27. xxvi. 27.

It was the punishment of flanderers in the Law.-Then fhall ye do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his brother. Deut. xix. 19.

A false witness shall not be unpunished; and he that telleth lies fhall not escape. Prov. xix. 5.

God fhall destroy thee for ever, thou falfe tongue. Pfal. lii. 4, 5.

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord; but they that deal truly are his delight. Prov. xii. 22.

to endless miferies and forrows. For if none that maketh SERM. a lie fhall enter into the heavenly city; if without those XVIII. manfions of joy and blifs every one muft eternally abide Rev.xxi.27% that loveth or maketh a lie; if, wãci toïs ↓eudéoi, to all liars xxii. 15. their portion is affigned in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone ; then affuredly the capital liar, the slanderer, (who lieth most injuriously and mischievously,) shall be far excluded from felicity, and thrust down into the depth of that miferable place. If, as St. Paul faith, no railer, or evil-fpeaker, fhall inherit the kingdom of God; 1 Cor. vi. 10. how far thence fhall they be removed, who without any truth or justice do speak ill of and reproach their neighbour? If for every åpyòv ¿ñμa, idle, or vain, word we must Matth. xii. render a ftrict account; how much more fhall we be se-36. verely reckoned with for this fort of words, so empty of truth and void of equity; words that are not only negatively vain, or useless, but pofitively vain, as falfe, and spoken to bad purpofe? If flander perhaps here may evade detection, or scape deserved punishment; yet infallibly hereafter, at the dreadful day, it shall be disclosed, irreversibly condemned, inevitably persecuted with condign reward of utter shame and sorrow.

Is not he then, he who, out of malignity, or vanity, to ferve any defign, or footh any humour in himself or others, doth by committing this fin involve himself into all these great evils, both here and hereafter, a most desperate and deplorable fool?

Having thus described the nature of this fin, and declared the folly thereof, we need, I suppose, to say no more for diffuading it; especially to perfons of a generous and honeft mind, who cannot but scorn to debase and defile themselves by fo mean and vile a practice; or to those who seriously do profefs Christianity, that is, the religion which peculiarly above all others prescribeth conftant truth, ftrictest justice, and highest charity.

I shall only add, that fince our faculty of speech (wherein we do excel all other creatures) was given us, as in the

i Rev. xxi. 8. It is one of those things which God especially doth abominate. Prov, vi. 19. xii. 22. A false witness shall perish. Prov. xxi. 28.

SERM. first place to praise and glorify our Maker, so in the next XVIII. to benefit and help our neighbour; as an inftrument of

mutual fuccour and delectation, of friendly commerce and pleasant converse together; for instructing and advising, comforting and cheering one another; it is an unnatural perverting, and an irrational abuse thereof, to employ it to the damage, difgrace, vexation, or wrong in any kind of our brother. Better indeed had we been as brutes without its use, than we are, if fo worse than brutishly we abuse it.

Finally, All these things being confidered, we may, I think, reasonably conclude it most evidently true, that he which uttereth flander is a fool.

SERMON XIX.

AGAINST DETRACTION.

JAMES iv. II.

Speak not evil one of another, brethren.

λων, άδελο

ONE half of our religion confisteth in charity toward SERM. our neighbour; and of that charity much the greater XIX. part seemeth exercised in speech; for as speaking doth Mar take up the greatest part of our life, (our quick and active aur aanmind continually venting its thoughts, and discharging .. its paffions thereby; all our conversation and commerce paffing through it, having a large influence upon all our practice,) so speech commonly having our neighbour and his concernments for its objects, it is neceffary, that either moft of our charity will be employed therein, or that by it we shall most offend against that great duty, together with its affociates, juftice and peace.

And all offences of this kind (which tranfgrefs charity, violate justice, or infringe peace) may perhaps be forbidden in this apoftolical precept; for the word xaraλ¤λeïv, according to its origination, and according to fome ufe, doth fignify all kind of obloquy, and fo may comprise slander, harsh cenfure, reviling, fcoffing, and the like kinds of speaking against our neighbour; but in stricter acceptation, and according to peculiar ufe, it denoteth that particular fort of obloquy, which is called detraction, or backbiting: fo therefore we may be allowed to understand

SERM. it here; and accordingly I now mean to describe it, and XIX. to diffuade from its practice.

There is between this and the other chief forts of obloquy (flander, cenfuring and reviling) much affinity, yet there is fome difference; for flander involveth an imputation of falsehood; reviling includeth bitter and foul language; but detraction may be couched in truth, and clothed in fair language; it is a poison often infused in fweet liquor, and ministered in a golden cup. It is of nearer kin to censuring, and accordingly St. James here coupleth it thereto : He that detracteth from a brother, and he that cenfureth his brother, backbiteth the law, and cenfureth the law: yet may these two be diftinguished ; for cenfuring feemeth to be of more general purport, extending indifferently to all kinds of perfons, qualities, and actions, which it unduly taxeth; but detraction especially respecteth worthy perfons, good qualities, and laudable actions, the reputation of which it aimeth to destroy, or to impair.

This fort of ill practice, fo rife in use, fo base in its nature, fo mischievous in its effects, it fhall be my endeavour to describe, that we may know it; and to diffuade, that we may fhun it.

It is the fault (oppofite to that part of charity and goodness, which is called ingenuity or candour) which, out of naughty difpofition or defign, striveth to disgrace worthy perfons, or to difparage good actions, looking for blemishes and defects in them, ufing care and artifice to pervert or misrepresent things to that purpose.

An honeft and charitable mind disposeth us, when we fee any man endued with good qualities, and pursuing a tenor of good practice, to esteem fuch a perfon, to commend him, to interpret what he doeth to the best, not to fuspect any ill of him, or to seek any exception against him; it inclineth us, when we see any action materially good, to yield it fimply due approbation and praise, without fearching for, or furmifing any defect in the cause or principle, whence it cometh, in the defign or end to which it tendeth, in the way or manner of performing it. A