pleasures does but rob himself, his family, and the poor. And there are many such wasters now-a-days, who think nothing too much to spend on their pleasures, and will put everything to stake, so their inclinations this way may be indulged. No wonder therefore if that be now seen true, which was so in Solomon's time, He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man.'* If a

man will be continually robbing his own pocket, no wonder if at last he find nothing there.

Also, lastly, Idleness is a sinful waster, that preys upon a man's substance till he has nothing left. 'An idle soul shall suffer hunger, and drowsiness shall be clothed with rags.'† Idleness is a companion that is the worst of thieves. Whatever a man has, it strips him bare, and fills his house with distress and calamity. Poverty comes upon the sluggard like an armed man; it arrests, and turns him out of house and home. Should a neighbour do that which idleness doth, you would challenge him for a notorious thief and robber. But I cannot stay to enlarge.

6

You may see now how little reason many who cry out upon niggardliness have really to do so, since themselves are guilty another way of breaking the same commandment. And you cannot but observe, how both the one and the other of these, niggardliness and wastefulness, are grievous temptations to dishonesty, the former by imagining necessity, the latter by begetting it. And thus much of the eighth commandment.

*Prov. xxi. 17. + Ib. xix. 15.-—xxiii. 21.

Ib. vi. 9. 11.

SERMON XLIV.

GALATIANS iii. 24.

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

WHILE I go forward explaining the commandments, it is possible one and another may be ready to complain of the law as too strict, or of me as explaining it beyond its real meaning. For the latter complaint, I refer to Christ's own explanation of the law in his sermon on the mount: but the former has its foundation in ignorance of the design of the law; which is to make us know our sins, and thereby the misery of our state; with this gracious purpose, that we may come to Christ for deliverance from our guilt and the punishment we deserve; and so may without fear serve God and keep his commandments sincerely, while daily experience shows us we cannot do it perfectly. We must learn therefore to make a right use of the

law.

First. To understand it in its full extent.

Secondly. To apply it to our hearts and ways for the discovery of what we are and have done; and then,

Thirdly. To sue for mercy for Christ's sake, because of our transgressions against it, and to set ourselves cheerfully to walk according to it by the grace of God as nearly as we can. With these purposes let us hear now what the ninth commandment has against us, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.'

In order to fix the true design of this commandment, it must be observed, that false witnessing in the highest sense is upon oath, when appeal is made to God for the truth of what we declare. Now in such false witnessing there are always three com

mandments expressly broken; the third commandment by calling God to witness what is false, and therein lies the perjury of false witness; then, secondly, a monstrous injury offered to our neighbour's life or estate, in breach of the sixth or eighth commandment, as the case is, in capital cases of both; and then, thirdly, a wrong done to our brother's character, which is properly the sin against this ninth commandment. From hence it appears, that although false witnessing upon oath doth indeed fall under this commandment, yet it only doth so as far as our neighbour's character is concerned therein; God's honour and man's life or property having been before secured and provided for. And so the purpose of the ninth commandment is evidently this, to preserve the character of our neighbour. And it has two branches :

First. That as far as we can we must preserve a good opinion of our neighbour in our own hearts.

Secondly. That according to our power we must maintain his character in the world.

First. As far as we can we must preserve a good opinion of our neighbour in our hearts. And therefore these three things fall evidently under the censure of this commandment :-1. A censorious disposition. 2. Rash judging. 3. And a willingness to hear of the faults of others. Which three are so connected together, that there is no dividing them. A censorious temper unavoidably begets hard judging, and pleasure in hearing the faults of others; while these plainly prove a censorious disposition, which is most absolutely contrary to the main purpose of this commandment, in the sight of God a constant breach of it, and the cause of almost every transgression that can be committed against it. Wherefore I set in the front of sins against the ninth commandment,

First. A censorious disposition. And this is such a temper of heart as disposes us to believe badly of others, fills us with suspicions of every one we deal with, and keeps us upon the watch to pick up all the ill impressions we can to the disadvantage of others. Nothing in the whole world shows an uncharitable, unchristian, unhumbled devilish spirit, to be in man, so much as this. It is worse than revenge, where passion pleads ; it is worse than envy, where interest or reputation urge to bear an

unloving heart towards others: it is a cool deliberate wishing evil to others, and rejoicing in it, without any provocation but the deep malignity of a proud heart. What can be so devilish as to love to see sin in others, and to rejoice in the least appearance of it? Beyond all the evil tempers you can think of, and all the horrid actions you can devise, it argues the soul dead in trespasses and sins; wrapped up in its own pride, it looks about with content on a world lying in wickedness, and feeds itself with delight and complacency upon the growing testimony of man's sinfulness; till at length it comes to a conclusion that none are to be trusted, and that there are no such things as grace and integrity in the world. But, you say, is there any such thing as this censorious disposition among men? Alas! we all brought it into the world with us; and, if there has not been a divine change wrought upon our souls since that time, we are now under the dominion of it. And the very best will not think themselves free from it. Whence is it but from this that the faults and infirmities of others make so considerable a part of conversation; that our ears if not our mouths are open in the tale of others' vices; that while some are hearing with a sinful indifference, others are eagerly contending, as for victory, to fix the crime, and set it out in an unfavourable light? This we have all known, I fear do still know, more or less, to be our conduct; which nevertheless can arise from nothing but this very censorious temper. But we shall see more of it in speaking to the two other things, rash judging, and readiness to hear evil of others.

The

Secondly.-Rash judging is a sin against this commandment. 'Judge not,' says our Lord, that ye be not judged.' * reason and argument alleged shows the nature of the judgment forbidden; as ye expect God not to judge you in severity, so be not you severe judges of the conduct of others. And herein lies a mighty argument for judging the most favourably we can of others for if God, who knows perfectly what poor sinners and imperfect servants of his we are, will yet deal favourably for his Son's sake in judging us; much more should we, who are under the same condemnation before God, form the most favourable judgments we can one of another, seeing we do not so well

Matt. vii. 1.

know the hearts one of another. Judge not, that ye be not judged.' But you will say, how can I help judging that which lies plainly before me? True, you cannot. And many times it is your duty to judge: for if you do not judge sin to be sin, and a sinful man to be a sinful man, you cannot reprove the one or avoid the other. Charity does not oblige you to put out your eyes, and to call evil good. But it forbids you to condemn any in your own mind upon an insufficient warrant, and requires that you should hope all things that can possibly be hoped concerning your brother. Thus, though you cannot but determine in your heart that those who live in open sin, such as drunkenness, profaneness, idleness, covetousness, and the like, are without the grace of God in their hearts; yet if the wickedness be hid, and there be the appearances of godliness, we are to hope the best, nor to be beat out of this hope by one thing or another which we cannot so well reconcile and account for. And then, as to particular actions, to put always the most candid interpretation upon them, not to ascribe that to malice, revenge, pride, covetousness, which may be called by a gentler name, and arise from a less blameable principle, if not a good one. Further than this; not to determine any one's whole character to be naught because of a particular action confessedly indeed bad, but still to hope it was through force of surprise, and that all nevertheless may be well at bottom, enters into the heart of charitable judging. The sum is, "secret things belong to God,” who will not have us measure beyond our line; and rather to think well of those who may be bad, than to be ready to think ill of those who may be otherwise, because of some appearances to the contrary. But a censorious spirit will set us on judging contrary to all these measures. The Pharisees were sure to take by the worst handle everything Christ did. When he cast out devils, they will needs have it he is a conjurer, and in league with Beelzebub. When he takes friendly notice of the most abandoned to do them good, presently he is no other than "a gluttonous man and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners." They first invented an evil action where there was none, and then condemned him for it as the vilest of sinners. Pharisees were hard censurers, nothing could escape them. Could you have seen the heart of one of them, you would have