neighbour is made worse, and therefore is to be put into that ftate from whence he was forced. That perfon who intends a fmall injury to his neighbour, and acts it, and by it a greater evil accidentally comes, is obliged to make an intire reparation of all that injury which he intended, and of that which he intended not; which yet was only confequential upon the former act going farther than he at firft propofed it; because his original mifchief was the cause thereof. Whoever hinders a charitable perfon from giving alms to a poor man, is tied to reftitution, if he hindered him by fraud or violence. Whofoever refuses to do any part of his duty (to which he is otherwife obliged) without a bribe, is bound to restore that money, which he has unjustly taken. Such as by fact, or word, or fign, either fraudulently or violently does hurt to a neighbour's body, life, goods, good name, friends, or foul, is bound, as far as is poffible to be done, to make reftitution in the several instances. The adulterous perfon is tied to make provifion for the children begotten in unlawful embraces, that they may do no injury to the legitimate by receiving a common portion: and, if the injured perfon demands money, he must satisfy him with money. So the murderer is bound to reftitution, by allowing fuch a maintenance to the children or near relations of the deceased, as they have loft by his death, confidering and allowing for all circumstances of the man's age and health. The flanderer and back-biter, who hath really leffened the fame of his neighbour by fraud or violence, is bound to restore it by a confeffion of his fault, giving teftimony of his innocence or worth, doing him honour, or (if that will not do, and both parties agree) by money. Whoever hath wounded his neighbour, is tied to the expences of the furgeon and other incidents, and to repair whatever loffes he fuftains by his difability to work or trade: and the fame is in the cafe of falfe imprisonment: in which and all other cafes, the injured perfon is to be reftored to that perfect and good condition from which he had been removed by fraud or violence, fo far as we are able. A ravisher muft repair the temporal detriment or injury done to the maid, and give her a dowry, or marry her if the defire it; because this restores her into that capacity of being a good wife, which by the injury was loft, as far as it can be done. Such as rob a neighbour of his goods, or detain any thing violently, or fraudulently, are bound not only to restore the principal, but all its fruits and profits, which would have accrued to the right owner during the time they detain them. Thus the facrilegious, the detainers of tithes, cheaters of men's inheritances, unjuft judges, falfe witnesses and accufers; those that do fraudulently or violently bring men to fin, that force men to drink, that laugh at and difgrace virtue, that perfuade fervants to run away, or fuddenly to quit their places, or commend fuch purposes; violent perfecutors of religion in any inftance, and all of the fame nature, are all in justice obliged to make reftitution. And, in like manner, he who hath wronged fo many, or in that manner (as in the way of daily trade) that he knows not in what measure he hath done it, or who they are, must redeem his fault by alms and largeffes to the poor, according to the value of his wrongful dealing, as near as he can judge. Whofoever has contracted debts muft, as foon as he can, discharge them: for as we read that Jefus Chrift pronounced falvation to the house of Zaccheus in the fame day that he had made reftitution; fo, if we do likewife, we have the fame hope that he will grant us his falvation. Of his IV. The fourth branch of negative juftice concerns the CREDIT of our neighbour; because every memcredit. ber of human fociety has a right to credit and a fair character, if deferving, among his neighbours and acquaintance; for who will truft a man of a loft reputation, or who would willingly have any fociety with one in whom he cannot confide? So that there is nothing generally more dear and valuable to men than their reputation, or good name, which is rather to be chofen than riches; and it, as a precious ointment, perfumes wherever it spreads: and therefore it is that the wifeft and beft men have been always very tender of preferving in themselves, and what good christians ought confequently to make great confcience of taking wrongfully from others; because a man's ability to do good to himself, to his friends and neighbours, the fuccefs of his affairs, the comforts and interefts, and most of the convenien cies of life, yea and fometimes life itself, depend upon the credit a man has obtained among his neighbours: and therefore whoever is guilty of defaming his neighbour, does in effect the fame thing as to defraud him of his property; for so much reputation is always fo much power. I fhall therefore fhew the nature and extent of this fin. And, First, A man's credit is impaired and injured by false reports: under which head I fhall include not only False rethe spreading, knowingly and maliciously, falfe re- poris, ports concerning any perfon, either for fome private advantage to ourselves; or out of envy towards him; or in way of revenge for fome conceived affront: But, let what will be the cause, this is a fin of the deepest dye, and condemned amongst the most deteftable crimes, where it is declared in fcripture, that all lyars fhall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimftone. Our Saviour, when the Pharifees spread falfe accufations against him, told them that they imitated their father the devil; who, when he speaketh a lye, speaketh of his own; for he is a lyar, and the father of it. But there are ftill lower degrees of this vice; which as they are less fcandalous, fo there is more danger of men's falling into them. Such are the carelessly fpreading of accusations, when we do not certainly know whether they be true or false; calumny, detraction, flander, evil-fpeaking, backbiting, tale-bearings, rafh judgment, and the like. Among things inconfiftent with the profeffion of a chriftian, the apoftle always reckons maliciousness, debate, malignity, whifperings, back-bitings, wrath, ftrife, hatred, variance, emulations, envyings, railings, evil-furmifings, bitterness, ańger, clamour, and evil-fpeaking: and declares, that if any man seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart; this man's religion is vain. Our Saviour likewise admonishes us: Judge not, that ye be not judged. Of Speaking It may be asked, whether it be lawful to speak ill of the dead? and the answer is, that it either muit be lawful in fome cafes, and under proper reftric- ill of the tions; or we must condemn all hiftorians (the fa- dead. cred ones not excepted) who have tranfmitted the faults as well well as virtues of the dead to pofterity. There is a tenderness due to the memories of thofe, who are no longer in a capacity to speak for themselves: and therefore we ought to be very careful not to charge any crimes upon them, of which we have not strong authentick proofs, either from perfonal knowledge, or from perfons of unfufpected veracity. Where there is even a faint probability, that the fact, of which they are accused, might be otherwife than it is represented; there we ought to be filent. But where the facts are so notorious, that they admit of no doubt; fo flagrantly bad, that they need no aggravation; there we ought to confider, that there is a curfe denounced upon the wicked, that their memories fhould rot: as there is a promise to the righteous, that they should be had in everlasting remembrance, and their memories be embalmed. It is wrong likewise to speak evil of the dead, for the fake of evil-fpeaking, without a view to the information of the living. Under this head alfo we muft include the careless and rafh Conscious custom of fpreading cenforious and uncharitable renefs. ports to the difadvantage of our neighbour, without at all knowing whether there be any truth in the accufation, or any juft ground and foundation for the cenfure and this is the mother of innumerable forts of calumny, detraction, flander, evil-speaking, back-biting, tale-bearing, rash judgment, and publishing any thing of our neighbour that is really true, yet needlefs, and contrary to the laws of charity, declaring their neighbour's real infirmities, or real faults, to his difadvantage; without ferving the purpose of any true benefit either to him or others: for this is against the exprefs command, Thoufhalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people. The apoftle ranks back-biters, with the black crimes of thofe who are given up to a reprobate mind, and which in the judgment of God are worthy of death; and he puts flanderers and revilers with thofe that fhall not inherit the kingdom of God; and when he reckons up the finsof the last times, evil-speakers are in the lift of that black catalogue. St. Peter joins evil-fpeaking with malice, hypocrify, and envy, offsprings of hell; and, notwithstanding the highest pretences to religion, St. James affures us, that that he that bridles not his tongue, that man's religion is vain; and in that it is contrary to that wife dictate of nature, of doing to others as we would they should do to us, it is an open violation of that chriftian doctrine of charity, and is a fignof a weak mind, which is not able to bear the luftre of merit and virtue. And here I cannot but obferve, with too much truth, that thofe, who knowa great deal of ill of themselves, are apt to suspect ill of every body else. Thou thoughtest wickedly, that I was fuch an one as thyfelf, is the character, which the Pfalmift gives of an immoral perfon. They accufe people of wickedness, which they do not know to be true; and cenfure them for what they cannot know to be true; viz. their intentions, and the thoughts of their hearts. Their talk is a conftant fatire upon others, and their actions a living fatire upon themselves. Their foul language is nothing but the overflowings of a much fouler heart. It is the mark of a mean and cruel temper, unworthy of a man, to delight in wounding our neighbour, or to widen those wounds which have been made by others. If we have any talent for faying keen and fatirical things, let us be fuperior to the talent we poffefs, by fhewing how little ftrefs we lay upon it when it comes in competition with our good-nature. Let us have no recourse to low ftratagems, at once to cover, and yet discharge our little spite. And take it for granted, whatever pleasure we may feel in giving utterance to ill-natured fuggeftions, there is a much greater in ftifling them. This frequently puts on the appearance of friendship, and is ufhered in with great commendations; that the wound that is given may be deep and fure. Neverthelefs, let whatever falfe reasons be given for this practice, it is always a breach of the great duty of charity, and it is a mark of false devotion to tear in pieces the reputation of those that oppose our defigns, and to think to make an agreeable offering to God of what we sacrifice, either to our intereft, revenge, or to our jealous tempers. For, except fome instance of justice or charity requires it, we ought not to expose our neighbour's real faults, because we are not willing that all that is true of ourselves fhould be expofed to publick view. What commendations does he de-. serve, who, at the fame time that he has too much good T ienfe |