Sunday to confider it only as it touches the credit XIII. and to that it is a moft grievous wound, thus

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to have a crime publickly witneffed against one, and fuch as is fcarce curable by any thing that can afterwards be done to clear him: And therefore whoever is guilty of this, doth a most outrageous injuftice to his Neighbour. This is that which is exprefly forbidden in the ninth Commandment, and was by God appointed to be punished by the inflicting of the very fame fuffering upon him, which his false testimony aimed to bring upon the other, Deut. xix. 16.

3. The fecond open way of spreading these Slanders. reports, is by a publick and common declaring of them; though not before the magiftrate, as in the other cafe, yet in all companies, and before fuch as are likely to carry it farther; and this is ufually done with bitter railings and reproaches; it being an ordinary art of Slanderers to revile those whom they flander, that fo by the fharpness of the accufation, they may have the greater impreffion on the minds of the hearers. This, both in refpect of the Slander and the Railing, is a high injury, and both of them fuch as debar the committers from Heaven. Thus Pfal. xv. where the upright man is defcribed, that fhall have his part there, this is one fpecial thing, ver. 3. That he flandereth not his neighbour. And for railing, the Apostle in several places reckons it amongst those works of the flefh,

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flefh, which are to fhut men out both from Sunday the Church here, by excommunication, as you may fee 1 Cor. v. II. and from the kingdom of God hereafter, as it is 1 Cor. vi. 10.

ing.

4. The other more close and private way Whisper of fpreading fuch reports, is that of the Whil perer; he that goes about from one to another, and privately vents his flanders, not out of an intent by that means to make them lefs publick, but rather more: This trick of delivering them by way of fecret, being the way to make them both more believed, and more spoken of too; for he that receives fuch a tale as a fecret from one, thinks to please fome body elfe by delivering it as a fecret to him alfo ; and fo it paffes from one hand to another, till at laft it spread over a whole town. This fort of flanderer is of all others the most dangerous, for he works in the dark, ties all he speaks to, not to own him as the author: So that whereas in the more publick accufations the party may have fome means of clearing himfelf, and detecting his accufer, here he shall have no poffibility of that, the flander, like a fecret poison, works incurable effects before ever theman difcernit. This fin of Whispering is by St. Paul mentioned among thofe great crimes which are the effects of a reprobate mind, Rom. i. 29. It is indeed one of the moft incurable wounds of this fword of the tongue, the very bane and peft of human fociety, and that which not only

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robs

Sundayrobs fingle perfons of their good names, but XIII. oftentimes whole families, nay, publick fo

Several

Steps to

cieties of men, of their peace: What ruines, what confufions hath this one fin wrought in the world! 'Tis Solomon's obfervation, Prov. xvi. 28. That a Whisperer feparateth chief friends And fure one may truly fay of tongues thus imployed, that they are Set on fire of Hell, as St. James faith, chap. iii. 6.

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5.This is fuch a guilt, that we are to bewards this Ware of all the degrees of approach to it, of Sin. which there are feveral Steps: The firft is, the giving ear to, and cherishing of those that come. with flanders, for they that entertain and receive them, encourage them in the practice; for, as our common proverb fays If there were no receivers, there would be no thief fo, if there were none that would give an ear to tales, there would be no tale-bearers. Arfecond step is, the giving too eafy credit to them; for this helps them to attain part of their end: They defire to get a general ill opinion of fuch a man; but the way of doing it muft be, by caufing it firft in particular men; and if thou fuffer them to do it in thee, they have fo far profpered in their aim; And for thy own part, thou doft a great injuftice to thy neighbour, to believe ill of him, withbut lanjut ground, which the accufation of fuch a perfon certainly is not. A third step is, the reporting to others what is thus told thee; by which thou makeft thy felf directly

a party

a party in the flander; and after thou haft Sunday unjustly withdrawn from thy neighbour thy XIII. own good opinion, endeavoureft to rob him alfo of that of others. This is very little below the guilt of the first Whisperer, and tends as much to the ruin of our neighbour's credit. And these feveral degrees have so close a dependence one upon another, that it will be very hard for him that allows himself the firft, to escape the other: And indeed, he that can take delight to hear his neighbour defamed, may well be prefumed of fo malicious a humour, that it is not likely he fhould ftick at fpreading the flander. He therefore that will preserve his innocence in this, matter, muft never, in the leaft degree, cherish or countenance any that brings thefe falfe reports: And it is not lefs neceffary to his peace, than to his innocency; for he that once entertains them, muft never expect quiet, but fhall be continually incited and ftirred up, even against his nearest and dearest relations; fo that this whisperer and flanderer is to be looked on by all as a common enemy, he being fo as well to those to whom, as of whom he speaks.

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6. But befides this groffer way of flander- Deifing and Scofing, there is another, whereby we may im-ng. pair and leffen the credit of our neighbour, and that is, by Contempt and Defpifing; one common effect whereof is Scoffing and Deriding him. This is very injurious to a man's

reputation.

Sunday reputation. For the generality of men do XIII. rather take up opinions upon truft, than judgment; and therefore, if they fee a man defpifed and fcorned, they will be apt to do the like. But befides this effect of it, there is a present injustice in the very act of defpifing and fcorning others. There are ordinarily but three things which are made the occafions of it (unlefs it be with fuch, with whom virtue and godlinefs are made the most reproachful things, and fuch defpifing is not only an injury to our neighbour, but even to God himfelf, for whose fake it is that he is fo defpifed) Those three are, firft, the infirmities; fecondly, the calamities; thirdly, the fins of a man: And each of these are very far from being ground of our triumphing over him.

For Infor mities.

For Calamities.

7. First, for Infirmities, be they either of body or mind, the deformity and unhandfomenefs of the one, or the weaknefs and folly of the other, they are things out of his power to help; they are not his faults, but the wife difpenfations of the great Creator, who beftows the excellencies of body and mind as he pleases; and therefore to scorn a man becaufe he hath them not, is, in effect, to reproach God, who gave them not to him.

8. So alfo for the Calamities and Miferies that befal a man, be it want, or fickness, or whatever elfe, thefe alfo come by the providence of God, who raifeth up, and pulleth

down,