the doing fo. For the doing of this, there are Sunday feveral Inftruments; as, Firft, That of Power, XI. by which many Nations and Princes have been turned out of their Rights, and many private Men out of their Eftates: Sometimes again, Law is made the Inftrument of it; he that covets his Neighbour's Lands or Goods, pretends a Claim to them, and then by corrupting of Justice, by Bribes and Gifts, or elfe over-ruling it by Greatnefs and Authority, gets Judgment on his fide; this is a high Oppreffion, and of the worst fort, thus to make the Law, which was intended for the Protection and Defence of Mens Rights, to be the Means of overthrowing them; and it is a very heavy Guilt that lies both on him that procures, and on him that pronounces fuch a Sentence, yea, and on the Lawyer too, that pleads fuch a Caule; for by fo doing, he affifts in the Oppreffion. Sometimes again, the very Neceffities of the Oppreffed, are the Means of his Oppreffion: Thus it is in the Cafe of Extortion, and griping Ufury; a Man is in extreme want of Money, and thus gives Opportunity to the Extortioner to wreft unconscionably from him; to which the poor Man is forced to yield, to fupply his prefent Wants. And thus also it is often with exacting Landlords, who when their poor Tenants know not how to provide themselves elsewhere, rack and fcrew them beyond the Worth of the Thing. All thefe, and many the

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like,

Sunday like, are but feveral Ways of acting this one XI. Sin of Oppreffion, which becomes yet the more hainous, by how much the more helplefs the Perfon is that is thus oppreffed; therefore, the Oppreffion of the Widow and Fatherless, is, in Scripture, mention'd as the Height of this Sin.

God's Ven geance against it.

10. It is indeed a moft crying Guilt, and that against which God hath threatned his heavy Vengeance, as we read in divers Texts of Scripture; thus it is, Ezek. xviii. 2. He that hath oppreffed the Poor, and hath fpoiled by Violence, he fhall furely die, his Blood ball be upon him; and the fame Sentence is repeated against him, ver. 18. Indeed, God hath fo peculiarly taken upon him the Protection of the Poor and Oppreffed, that he is engaged, as it were, in Honour to be their Avenger; and accordingly, Pfal. xii. we fee God folemnly declare his Refolution of appearing for them, ver. 5. For the Oppreffion of the Poor, for the Sighing of the Needy, now will I arife, faith the Lord, I will fet him in Safety from him. The Advice therefore of Solomon is excellent, Prov. xxii. 22. Rob not the Poor, because he is poor neither oppreß the Afflicted in the Gate. For the Lord will plead their Caufe, and spoil the Soul of thofe that spoiled them; they are like, in the End, to have little Joy of the Booty it brings them in, when it thus engages God against them.

11. The

;

11. The Second fort of this Injustice, is Sunday Theft: And of that alfo there are two kinds XI. the one, the with-holding what we fhould pay; and the other, taking from our Neigh

bour what is already in his Poffeffion.

Borrow.

12. Of the First fort, is, the not Paying of Not Paying Debts, whether fuch as we have Borrowed, what we or fuch as by our own voluntary Promise are become our Debts; for they are equally due to him that can lay either of thefe Claims to them; and therefore the with-holding of ́either of them, is a Theft, a keeping from my Neighbour that which is his: yet the former of them is rather the more injurious; for by that, I take from him that which he once actually had, (be it Money, or whatever elfe) and fo make him worfe than I found him. This is a very great, and very common Injuftice. Men can now-a-days, with as great Confidence deny him that asks a Debt, as they do him that asks an Alms; nay, many times tis made Matter of Quarrel for a Man to demand his own: Befides, the many Attendances the Creditor is put to in purfuit of it, are a yet further Injury to him, by wafting his Time, and taking him off from other Business, and fo he is made a Lofer that way too. This is fo great Injustice, that I fee not how a Man can look upon any thing he poffeffes as his own Right, whilft he thus denies another his. It is the Duty of every Man in Debt, rather to ftrip himself of all, and caft himself again

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Sunday again naked upon God's Providence, than XI. thus to feather his Neft with the Spoils of his Neighbours. And furely it would prove the more thriving Courfe, not only in refpect of the Bleffing which may be expected upon Juftice, compar'd with the Curfe that attends. the contrary, but even in Worldly Prudence alfo: for he that defers paying of Debts, will at laft be forced to it by Law, and that upon much worse Terms than he might have done it voluntarily, with a greater Charge, and with fuch a lofs of his Credit, that afterward, in his greatest Neceffities, he will not know where to borrow. But the fure way for a Man to fecure himself from the Guilt of this Injustice, is never to borrow more than he knows he hath Means to re-pay, unless it be of one, who, knowing his Difability, is willing to run the Hazard. Otherwife he commits this Sin at the very time of Borrowing, for he takes that from his Neighbour, upon Promife of Paying, which he knows he is never likely to reftore to him, which is a flat Robbery.

What we

The fame Juftice which ties Men to pay are Bound their own Debts, ties alfo every Surety to pay for. thofe Debts of others for which he ftands Bound, in cafe the Principal either cannot, or will not; for by being Bound, he hath made it his own Debt, and muft in all Juftice anfwer it to the Creditor, who, it's prefumed, was drawn to lend on Confidence of his Security, and therefore is directly cheated and

betrayed

XI..

betrayed by him, if he fee him not fatisfied.Sunday If it be thought hard, that a Man fhould pay for that which he never receiv'd Benefit by, I fhall yield it, fo far as to be juft Matter of Warinefs to every Man, how he enter into fuch Engagements, but it can never be made an Excufe for the breaking of them.

As for the other fort of Debt, that which is What we have pro brought upon a Man by his own voluntary Promife, that alfo cannot, without great Injuftice, be with-holden; for it is now the Man's Right, and then 'tis no Matter by what means it came to be fo. Therefore we fee, David makes it part of the Defcription of a Juft Man, Pfal. xv. 4. that he keeps his Promifes; yea, though they are made to his own Difadvantage: And furely, he is utterly unfit to afcend to that holy Hill, there fpoken of, either as that fignifies the Church here, or Heaven hereafter, that does not punctually obferve this part of Juftice. To this fort of Debt, may be reduced the Wages of the Servant, the Hire of the Labourer; and the with-holding of these is a great Sin; and the Complaints of those, that are thus injured, afcend up to God: Behold, (faith St. James) the Hire of the Labourers which have reaped down your Fields, which is of you kept back by Fraud, cries; and the Cries of them that have reaped are entred into the Ear of the Lord of Sabaoth. And Deut. xxiv. 14, 15. we find a ftrict Command in this Matter, Thou shalt not: oppref

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