THE Words, I do from this Place (which, I hope, may add Weight and Solemni­ty, and gain Credit to my Protest) de­clare, for the Occasion they Naturally af­ford to urge a Matter of Conscience, I con­ceive Necessary to be Urged here, I have long since (since I could not longer shut up my Eyes against what so Manifestly offered it self) entertained Thoughts, next a Resolution, some time or other, to insist upon: That I did not do it sooner, some plausible Reasons to the world I could offer; upon the Acceptance whereof, yet in God's Sight I dare not much presume; yet Hope, [Page 6] and beg His merciful Pardon for it. But now being something in the state of a Dying Man, taking my leave of concernments of course of this Nature, in this Place; I am Resolved, by God's Grace, with that Im­partiality and Sincerity, which the Consideration of my Great God, before whom, I must one day give Ac­count of my Charge, and that Uprightness that must give Ease to my Conscience, may require to Discharge my self, That, if I Live to see the Curses, such Sins are Obnoxious to, poured out upon this place, or any particular Person here, or his Posterity, or that I con­sider the State of final Impenitency any Person may Mis­carry by, I may have no Remorse from Conscience, for being Accessary to it by my Silence; no occasion to Charge my self for not Representing the true Estate of the Matter, and not doing what I could to prevent their Temporal and Eternal Ruin: Wherein, though my Commission seems to run something in the Strain of Ezekiels, c. 2. v. 3. &c. Son of Man, I send thee to a Rebellious Nation, to an Impudent Children, and stiff Hearted, &c. and my Doom may be for my Message, if it lye in the Power of some, that of Jeremiah's, the Dungeon; yet I hope, by God's Grace, I may have some Portion of the same Courage God required in E­zekiel, not to be afraid of Mens Words; Though Briers and Thorns be with me, though I dwell among Scor­pions, I will not be afraid of their Words, nor dis­mayed at their Looks; but when I have given my Proposition from the Text, deduced it to an Applicati­on to the Guilty Conscience of any Person here,

Then you may perceive, the Words are the Speech of one, newly and fully Converted in the Judgement of our Saviour; who in the next Verse declares upon [Page 7] it, that Salvation is come into his House; which the Learned Hammond Parapraises, This day Repentance, and so the Mercies of the Gospel are come to Zaccheus. They are the Words of a Publican, one imployed in the Gathering of a Tax, imposed by the Roman Power, which Ministred him occasion for diminishing, or vio­lating the Right of poor People, that either for the greatness of his Strength and Interest, or the meanness of their own, were not able to Right themselves; for [...], the Word rendered here, I have taken by False Accusation, in the Judgement of the best Gram­marians, may import the Act of Fraud, by what Means soever contrived, or in what matter soever Exercised; and that False Accusation put in here, to clear the Sence of it, doth not render it inextensible to the Concern­ments of some Men in this place, will appear, if (which you ought) you consider, That every wrong Defence in such a Case, is in effect, a False Accusation.

The Proposition from the Text, is this,

That Restitution, in cases of Fraud and Injury, is so necessarily a Concomitant of true Repentance, that in Ca­ses of Fraud and Injuries, where there is not Restitution made to the very utmost of the Defrauding or Injurious Per­son's Power, in all Circumstances that may signify the se­riousness of his Repentance, for his Fraud and Injuries, the Fraudulent and Injurious Person cannot be Saved, i. e. must be inevitably Damned.

In order to the clearing of this Proposition, I hope it is so known a Truth (that a Sinner, as long as he con­tinues Unrepenting, cannot be Saved; and if he Dyes in any unrepented Sin, is inevitably Damned) that I [Page 8] need not give my self the trouble to Prove it. Repen­tance was that St. John called for, before his Baptism: It was that our Saviour himself indispensibly required; it is that which His Apostles after him did; it is (and for the greatest Reasons in the World, as were it ab­solutely Necessary here, could be shewed) That, with­out which, to any person of Maturity, the Gospel doth no where Promise any of its Benefits, or any of its Mercies; nay, tells us Positively, That unless we Repent we shall All likewise Perish; and that no Man with­out Holiness (which supposes Repentance) shall see the Face of the Lord. And therefore being so clear to, and undeniable a Truth by, any Christian, I shall im­mediately fall to make good the Proposition supposed in the Text; That Restitution is so much a Note of true Repentance, that without making it, no Man con­cerned to make it, can be Saved; that is, as before, That Restitution in cases of Fraud and Injuries, is so ne­cessarily a Concomitant of true Repentance, that in cases of Fraud and Injuries, where there is not Restitu­tion made to the very Utmost of the Defrauding or Injurious Person's Power, in all Circumstances that may signify the Seriousness of his Repentance for his Fraud and Injuries: the Fraudulent and Injurious person can­not be Saved, i. e. must be inevitably Damned. Which I shall, First, clear in general, from the Nature of Re­pentance. Secondly, Shew in what manner, and how far (in several Cases) Restitution is to be made; and Proceed according to my Purpose.

Repentance hath (by All) been judged of so great Mo­ment, indeed of so absolute a Necessity, that Divines of all Perswasions, Ancient, and Modern, have been Curious, and laid out a great deal of Time and Pains [Page 9] in discovering and stating of the Nature of it. The Moment Mr. Calvin apprehended; the Understanding of it, he expresses in these Words, Si quid autem in to­tâ Religione scire nostrâ refert, id certe maxime refert, nem­pe intelligere ac probe tenere quâ ratione, quâ lege, quâ conditione, quâ facilitate aut difficultate obtineatur peccato­rum Remissio. If there be any thing in the whole Course of Religion worth our Understanding; that is certainly most so, viz. to understand, and rightly comprehend, which way, upon what terms and condition remission or forgive­ness of Sins may be obtained, Cal. instit. l. 3. c. 4. which is as much as if he had said, The nature of Repentance; He Sub-joyns there his reason from the Restlesness the Conscience must be subject to, under a dissatisfaction touching the Nature of it: But after all the large Dis­courses laid out upon it, as often as it comes in the ways of Controvertists; or Men that insist upon it di­rectly, and immediately to move Men to the Practice of it, and Observation of the Words; whereby it is ex­pressed in Holy Scripture, and Practices of Men noted in it, for an accepted repentance: the just Collection is, That repentance implies a thorough change of the Heart of the Sinner, fully detesting his former Sins, and resolving, for the future, to lead a new Life, an­swerable to the good Pleasure of his GOD. This De­testation of former Sins, by the School-men is suppo­sed to be attended with, nay, practised in these Three Instances, Contrition or Compunction of Heart, Pet. Lombar­dus li. 4. Dist. 16. Confession with the Mouth, and Satisfaction in Act or Deed. All (or either whereof) the Reformists are so far from taking away, or denying, That they seem only to rid them from the corrupt Glosses, the Propugnators of the Ro­man perswasion blinded, and led by Interest, put upon them.

The forementioned Mr. Calvin, when he takes no­tice of the Romanists sence of Contrition, or sorrow of Heart, finds Fault with their requiring such a just Proportion of it, as may be answerable, and commen­surate to the nature and degrees of the Crime, which must create a great deal of trouble to the Sinner, see­ing a proportionable measure of Contrition or Sor­row enjoyned, but not determined; but notwithstan­ding, says, Equidem sedulo & acriter instandum esse fateor, ut quisque amare destendo sua peccata, se ad eorum displicentiam & odium magis acuat; Haec enim est non paenitenda tristi­tia, quae paenitentiam gignit in Salutem, ib. I confess tru­ly that it is to be carefully and earnestly Urged, That eve­ry one by bitterly lamenting his Sins, may more egg him­self to a displeasure with, and hatred of his Sin; for this is Sorrow not to Repented of, which worketh Repentance to Salvation: And a little further, Diximus & nos quodam loco nunquam sine paenitentiâ obvenire peccatorum Remissio­nem, quod nulli nisi afflicti & peccatorum Conscientiâ vul­nerati Dei misericordiam implorare sincere possunt: And I my self, have one where said, That without Repentance, there is never any remission of Sins; because that none but such as are afflicted, and wounded with the Consciousness of their Sins, can sincerely implore God's Mercy. In both which Clauses, he not only allows of, but requires Sorrow for Sin; only in the former he complains of the unreasonableness of enjoyning, and not determining the certain Proportion due for every Sin; and after the latter of those two cited places, sayes, He taught the Sin­ner, Non in suam compunctionem, neque in suas lachrymas intueri, sed utrumque oculum in solam Domini Misericordi­am defigere. Not to look back upon his Compunction and Tears, but fasten his Eyes upon the alone Mercy of the [Page 11] Lord: In short (as in all reason he should) Sorrow, and an hearty Sorrow for Sin, he not only allows, but judges necessary, only would not have Men rely upon it, as meriting Pardon; but be naturally necessary in order to it: the Sinner, without it being not qualified for Mercy, for as much as a sense of the misery of his Condition, must be an Incentive to his applying of himself to God for Pardon.

Then for Confession,Cal. instit. li. 3. c. 4. parte de Confes. he doth not absolutely deny the usefulness and necessity of it, but ties the necessity of an acknowledgement of our Sins to God; which when it is sincere, he sayes,Sequitur vo­luntaria apud homines confes­sio, quoties id vel divinae Gloriae, vel Hu­miliationis no­strae interest. will be followed by a voluntary one to Men, as often as the Glory of God, and a Man's own Humiliation may be promoted by it: And the Usefulness of it to some certain Persons, for some certain Purposes heIbid. determines differently from the Church of Rome: All which having been not long since, by our Right Reverend Diocesan, accounted for from this place, I shall say no more to it now; But proceed to that which the Text, and my present Pur­pose more directly lead me to, the Consideration of the Third Concomitant of, or instance whereby our De­testation of Sin is to be Discovered, Satisfaction; which indeed, all Reformists in the notion the Master of the Sentences, and the School-men use it, for forcing of Penances upon persons, as to the necessity of it, with relation to God, do generally, and for good reasons disclaim; I mean, as by it, the Romists do mean unra­velling of the Vice, and making God Satisfaction for every degree of Sin, by proportionable Degrees, and answerableness of the contrary Vertue; because that supposition evacuates the necessity of Christ's Suffering for Men: But as it relates to the Church, and may [Page 12] be a Mean to satisfy the Members of it, of the since­rity of the sinners Repentance; they do not only al­low, but judge it very convenient. But as by Satis­faction may be meant Restitution, Amends made by the offending or injuring Person, to the Offended or Injured, as far as it may possibly lye in the power of the offending Person, they do all joyn in the Neces­sity of it; and particularly the Church of England in its Exhortation upon the bidding of the Sacrament, moves Men in order to their shewing themselves true Penitents (which they should be before they presume to partake of That) to it. And St. Augustine is very clear and positive, Peccatum non remittitur nisi restitua­tur ablatum. The Sin continues Unpardoned, till such time as what is taken away, or (which is the same thing) in­juriously detained, be Restored. And common reason tells us, That if the taking what is another's, upon terms the right Owner consents not to, must be a Sin, the keeping must be so too.

But since the fore-sight of Beggery, or the shame of acknowledging such a Guilt, which the injurious Person may apprehend must follow a due Restitution of what is taken or detained: Since Covetousness, and Pride, and Ambition, may be of so much more Au­thority with such a Sinner, than the Voice of all the School-men, and Fathers in the World, the Church he lives in, and his own Reason; since those Sins will, in all likelyhood, soon prevail with him: To conclude, from the possibility that all those may err, that they really, and actually do so; since, I say, the foresight of Beggery, that may ensue a Restitution; since the shame of such an acknowledgement, as it must imply; since Covetousness, Pride, and Ambition secon­ded [Page 13] with the Arts and Industry of a wicked Spirit, will likely soon frame in the Mind of the injuring Per­son, such a Discourse as this, Grant that all these, this Preacher mentions, the Fathers, the School-men, and generally all Writers, Antient and Modern, (which yet we have but his word for) the Church of England, and my own Reason for the present, agree in the Ne­cessity of Restitution, as being that, without which, Re­pentance cannot be sincere and entire; and consequent­ly, without which, a Man that hath taken away or detained from one or more Persons, or a Communi­ty their Right, cannot be saved; yet it being acknow­ledged, that all of them may err in any point; so they may in this; and therefore I am not sure they do not; and this shall have no Force upon me. Since an Ar­gument of this nature may be so Eluded, let us try the Force of such as may be drawn from Holy Scrip­ture, of which, there can be Colour for offering any such Evasion.

Now, that the sence of Holy Scripture touching this matter, is the same, That there can be no true and perfect Repentance, without Restitution of what is Injuriously taken or detained, will, I hope, be gran­ted, sufficiently proved, if I can from it prove, That he that doth not make Restitution of what he hath wrongfully taken away or detained, is Guilty of trans­gressing the whole Law. Certainly, he that, in God's Judgement, is guilty of Transgressing the whole Law, cannot be thought to be a true Penitent; and conse­quently, as long as he is not so, cannot be Saved. And either non-Restitution must be no Sin at all, or in the judgement of St. James, c. 2. v. 10. it is a Transgres­sion of the whole Law; for there he saith plainly, [Page 14] Whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet Offend in one point, he is Guilty of all; and in the following Verse gives the reason of it. Now there is no sort of possi­bility of avoiding this Charge, but by the effrontery of denying it to be a Sin: To such a one as should be so shameless as to suspect, much more deny, That the not Restoring of what is wrongfully detained from others is a Sin; I'd ask him, What he thinks makes Theft a Sin? Is it the taking away, by one, what he hath no right to? It is so here, when a person takes that which is not his Right, and keeps it longer than he should; or, Is it only the Violence used to the person in the Act; Not so, for some Stealths are without vio­lence offered the persons, from whom it is made: Nay, the detaining of others Rights against their declared Wills, or because they dare declare nothing to the con­trary, increases the numbers of the Thefts, with the numbers of the Minutes, whereby the Detainer's time is told: Three Hours not restoring what ought to be Restored, is so many Hours Stealing in the sence of the Law of God, and Reason: But that I do not only say it is, but shew God's Sentence of it, as a Sin. See in the 33d. of Ezekiel, how he particularizes Resto­ration, as the means of loosening of a Sin, and sign of Conversion of a Sinner, which he had not, if in his Judgement, keeping another's Right, had been no Sin; for after he had said in the 14th. verse, Again, when I say unto the Wicked, Thou shalt surely Dye: if he turn from his Sin, and do that which is Lawful and Right, he Exemplifies doing Lawful and Right, in the 15th. ver. by, If the Wicked restore the Pledge, give again that he had Robbed, &c. he shall surely Live, and shall not Dye. If the Wicked restore the Pledge, give again that he had [Page 15] Robbed: Wicked then, it seems he was in God's Judge­ment while he kept it.

If after all this it should be said, That Penitence is an inward Act of the Mind, Restitution an outward Expression; and that God regardeth the Inwards, and lays not so much Stress upon outward Actions. I'd ask the person, Whether he would be so Cheated? Such a Fool as to believe, that an High-way Robber that takes his Purse, would by ever so much solemn Declarations of his Sorrow, for the Injury he had done, make him believe he were truly Sorry, while he saw his Purse in his hand? What God's estimate of Peni­tency is, we may judge by St. John's calling upon those that came to his Baptism, to Bring forth Fruit meet for Repentance; by our Saviour's declaration, That we might know Men by their Fruit; by the Apostle's challenging of the sincere Believer, which also must be a true Penitent, to Shew his Faith by his Works.

Having so shewed, and I hope Convincingly, the indispensableness of Restitution, from injurious Offen­ders in general; I come now to represent the extent of the Concernment of it; And that as to Persons, and Things, with the measures or degrees of Restitution, that ought to be made.

First, as to Persons, Where the Question is, How far this Guilt of not Restitution, or not Restoring what is In­juriously taken or detained, may extend it's self? Whether the Guilt dies with the Person that did at first do the In­jury, and never made Amends for it, or touches his Po­sterity, that they become Guilty of it? And if it do, How far, and what obligation of Restitution it lays upon them?

To which, I thus Answer, That, that Declaration [Page 16] Almighty God made in the Second Commandment, That He would Visit the Iniquity of the Fathers upon the Chil­dren, is very general; because it is to the Children of all them that hate Him, that is, not only to the Chil­dren of them that Worship the Host of Heaven, as some of the Gentiles did; or any thing upon Earth, or the Water under the Earth, or the Images of any of them; but such as preferred any thing before Him; that Preference of a Thing, being counted an hatred of Him; because it supposes an incompetency of Love to Him. And if so, sure to them that gratify their Lust or Covetousness, their Pride and Ambition; or any Sin proceeding from them; or any thing else what­soever contrary to God's clear Commands: I say, This Declaration which God there made so general, was ne­ver absolutely repealed. In Ezekiel, indeed, we find, That to the Children of Israel, that had taken (upon the Execution likely of this part of the Law) up a Pro­verb, that The Fathers had Eaten sowr Grapes; and that the Childrens Teeth were set on Edge, God promises some­thing that looks like the Contrary: The Reason and Im­port whereof, yet may probably be this, That the Sins of that Age, of the Jews were so great and pro­voking, that when God Avenged them to the full, up­on Recollection, and just Examination of themselves, they might find no reason to think, that there was a­ny need from the heap of their Father's Trespasses, to take in any, to aggravate their Sins, and so bring down a greater proportion of Judgement; but that their own, every Man's singly, or the present Communities might be sufficient to provoke more Judgements, than they saw Executed upon them; or else, That their Provo­cations had been, and were so great, that whereas God [Page 17] formerly had, in some cases, suspended the Execution of a Vengeance due upon the Father's Trespasses, to the time of his Posterity, as he did in the case of A­hab, That he would not then shew so much Mercy, but Punish as fast as they Offended; but whether for such, or some other Reason, He did to the Children of Israel, for some season, determine it should be other­wise; yet that he did finally and universally, that is, That he did for ever resolve, and to all People, that it should be otherwise, doth no ways, and no where appear; but the contrary by the Observation of all Ages.

So that you see, That whatever the Sin of the Fa­ther be, his Children have no warrant from Holy Scripture, other than the first Sinner had, that they will escape the Punishment, that is, have no other Warrant, no Condition than Repentance; and that a true sincere One, attended with all the genuine Fruit and Effects of it; but on the other side, God's Truth that can never fail, to assure them they may be Aven­ged upon for the Sins of the Father; and for the man­ner to inquire, since God hath made no Discovery, would be a sinful, and useless Curiosity. When he saies, He will do a thing, we may assure our selves, He will find a way to do it: But whatever mitigation the Children of other Sinners may have of this Me­nace, surely he that comes into the unjust Possession of his Father, as such, will have none; for look whatso­ever he hath in his Substance derived from his Father, more than he would have had in case his Father had done all Right, paid all their own; so much hath he that was not his Fathers, and consequently more than his Father could justly Derive to him: And his con­tinuing [Page 18] a Possession of them, doth not only entail up­on him the Vengeance denounced in the Second Com­mandment, which, if he had had none of those unlaw­ful Possessions from his Father, he had been obnoxious to, but doubles it by practising and continuing in the Sin. His Father's Sin was detaining unjustly another's, and he Succeeds him, as his Son naturally without that liable to the Punishment, and as continuing the Sin, in his own person. And be sure the Guilt (tho the sence of it may) doth not lessen, the longer the Sin is practised, but increases with time, and the Advantage made of it; For see how much the first wrong quick stock hath advanced any Man's Estate, above what it would have been without it; so much it might have advanced the right Owner's, if he had not been Inju­red, and consequently, so much ought to be Restored to the last Mite of a Man's Possession; which if it do not rise to a full Restitution, it ought to be Weighed out as much as possibly he can in Sorrow before God, for the Injuries (which, if he had been able, he ought to have testified by a full Restitution) by his hearty Prayers to God to make the injured person Amends; and his Recommendation of him to such Men as he can influence, that are of Ability to make him: nor in­deed, in order to Restitution, ought a Man to take his measures from the Advantage himself hath made of things wrongfully Detained; but account upon the best Husbandry could be used about them. This I pre­sume a clear and full Solution of the Question propo­sed, with this notice, That what I said of the Son of the first Offender, must be applyed to all continuing the unjust Possession, and making Advantages of it, proportionably to the Advantages they have, and the [Page 19] right Owner might have made of it, in such a time.

Now I come more particularly to the things a per­son may injure, and be injured in:

They are Goods, or Body, or Name, or All.

First, Goods we know comprehend all the Possessions, or things a Man may have Right to, a Propriety, where­unto, for the support and comfort of Men, God hath appro­ved, and himself given general Rules for the determination of. The keeping of Money, or Land, or any Thing else, whatsoever of Right belonging to another, is a violation of Right, which must, (if a Man would be saved) be restored or amended, as I shewed before in the general.

Secondly, A Man may Injure, and be injured in his Body, several ways, by several persons. In his Infancy, for want of due Care in the Nurture of it, (and so may the Mind also be Injured) or in his Maturity and per­fect Strength, either in part of his Body by being Maim­ed, or so, or in the whole by industrious Ministring of pernitious Diet or Physick, or vexation of Spirit; in all which, and the like cases, are required all the Amends that may be from the offending Person, pro­portionable to the unhappinesses sustained by any Per­son, by his Means; and that extended to his Relati­ons, to whom he might have been more useful, if he had not sustained those Wrongs in his Body.

Thirdly, The third thing wherein an Injury may be done a Person, is his good Name: A thing that Solomon pronounces generally Precious, but of mighty Conse­quence to some above others; as being that whereup­on their own, and their Families livelyhood do depend; nay, of so ill consequence may the defamation of some persons be, that it may in great Measures obstruct the [Page 20] Salvation of many Souls, which (not to mince the Mat­ter) may be in the case of a defamed Minister, whose Ministry is like to be more or less Succesful, the more or less blemished Men render his Reputation. And if it be so, let a pretended Misdemeanour, before a De­puted Civil Magistrate, be compared with a real Scan­dal of a Minister, before, and to his Flock in numbers, and as far as may be singly be put into the Ballance, and see where the weight of Mischief will lye; on that side where the Scandal indisposes Men to receive Bene­fit from a person to the Salvation of their Souls; or that, where the presumed Misdeameanour to the per­son, can but occasion a less Esteem of one person: Or, (if it must be transferred to the Place and Office, as, where an intention to the contrary is declared, I do not see how it should) but be of some ill example in point of Civil Observance, which yet Men in those Stations are furnished with Authority sufficient to restrain the ill consequence of: As the World goes, where ill Fame spreads widest, and goes furthest, it is an hard matter to Prescribe a way of full Compensation in this Case: If we are sure of the Desert, and mean the Reformati­on of the person, the Guilt may abide at home, where the Occasion dwells; but I say, where a good Name is traduced Groundlesly, and Unwarrantably, Malici­ously, and Spleenishly, it may be morally impossible to make proportionable Amends; especially, where the detraction is attended with the hazard of Souls: How­ever, all the courses that can be presumed effectual to the purpose, are to be used towards the Restitution of a Man's good Name: And this, as in the other cases, upon the greatest penalty, Eternal Damnation.

Now that all this is said, and made good, it will, [Page 21] it may be, be judged Impertinent, and Unnecessary, and Uncharitable, and as much more than all that comes to, as provoked Fancies may qualify some Peo­ple for Imagining and Expressing; If I do not give some reasons for my Presumption, that there are some persons in my Congregation that are guilty of this Sin; the nature and danger whereof, I have endeavoured to Explicate: For indeed, it had been an absurdity not to be accounted for, to have been large, and particular in re­presenting the nature and danger of intemperance, or impatience before Socrates, who, nor was, nor ever was like to be Guilty of either: And therefore, to rid my self from the charge of such another absurdity in the choice of my Subject, and way of management of it; I'll give the reasons that induce me to believe, there are some that hear me, notoriously Guilty of the gross Sin I would amend, that is, wrongfully detaining the Rights of others; in Compassion to whose Souls (since I designed not to use many more) I thought fit to take hold of this Opportunity; in pity, I say, to their Souls, and to Acquit mine own from the Guilt, my finally silently passing by it, would Involve me in.

The First Reason I have to presume, or rather con­clude, some of my Hearers Guilty of this unrepented, and if it continue so, unavoidably damnable Crime, is not of the least Moment, of less Weight, than those whereby God himself hath determined, and Men have unanimously used, as the means of deciding all Controver­sies, all matters of Doubt or Question; The Oaths, I am told, of a competent number of Witnesses, which to suspect, before they be over-ruled by the Oaths of a more considerable number of more credible Persons, [Page 22] and that determined so by a formal Sentence of Law, were not only Unreasonable, but extreamly Unchari­table; and much more so, when the Charge has, as in the concernments of some, I am satisfied it hath been, by the prosecuted Parties own Acknowledgement, with a memorable Expression, confessed. Nor was this Charge, which thus was made good, as I am convin­ced, a Charge of meer misimployment, (as some have much laboured to perswade Strangers to their tempers and practices, to believe) or a Sum of Money promi­sed to be, but not returned, which I am told, was the single Case of one, I am perswaded too Honest, too much a Christian to be rank'd with the Rest; But of considerable gross Sums not imployed at all. Now to make good the Truth of all this, there needs but the producing of the Depositions, which, if I listed, I think, I might a Copy of; but that is more properly the concernment of a Court of Judicature: That such Depositions upon Oath, were, seems too notorious a Truth: And if so, What remains, but that either there was such a Guilt, or so many persons as Swore it, are Perjured? Beloved, here is a clear Case, If one be free from the Charge of detaining another's Right, the o­ther comes within the guilt of Perjury; and so on the other side, If the charge of Detaining be False a­gainst one, the charge of Perjury against the other must be true; And are either of these Sins to be soothed; to be past by in silence? These sure call for Repen­tance of the most significant sort. Is it not a sad thing, that the Preacher must either not do what he ought; or bid the one go home, and Repent him of his Irre­stitution, and make hast to signify the seriousness, and reality of his Repentance by a speedy Restitution; or [Page 23] bid the other go, and Repent his Perjury?

Now to the former weighty Reason, which indu­ces me to believe some persons here guilty of such In­juries, as without the utmost Restitution they can make, must become damnable; I have such as these:

Any Person that tells me my self, in a matter that I know due to me, that his own Conscience having its full Liberty given it, cannot but tell him that it is so, that many others know, and none can with Truth deny; I say, any person that in such a matter, by way of de­fiance, in Confidence of the strength of his Interest, or ought else, bids me come by all my Right as I can, unless I take what he pleases in full Satisfaction from a Company directly obliged to me for all; as for good Example, Ten Pounds for Thirty, or at least Twenty in one Year, without any provision for Amends for for­mer, gives me great Reason to believe, that so many Men's Oaths in cases of Injuries charged upon him a­gainst others, may not be False; That Person that so convinces me, in a fresh injurious Act, gives me no Rea­son to believe, he could not possibly be Guilty of any of that Nature before.

A Third Thing that induces me to believe, all things are not as Right as they should be with some persons, is the Art and Diligence, I have observed, used in the forming and maintaining of a strong Interest, and for some Years, securing the Exercise of Government, in this place, in effect, in one hand: This indeed mini­stred some matter of Suspicion, that the Affairs of some persons might Suggest it necessary for them, by such means to wave off the execution of a Judicial Sentence; it being commonly the Mark of Innocency, where it dwells, notwithstanding the many Attempts made a­gainst [Page 24] it, to be plain and simple, and easy in the re­commendation of it self to the protection of him, who hath given Men the greatest assurance, he will not fi­nally leave it, but vigorously plead its Cause.

Thus having given the Reasons that induce me to believe there is such a Sin, as I have mentioned, some of those committed to my Charge, may be Guilty of: I come in the next place to Consider what plausible Defence they may make for themselves, and what fal­lacies they may probably put upon their own Consci­encies, to lay the Clamours of them.

First then, It may probably be said, That sure if People had been Guilty of such a Sin as this, and continued Unrepenting of it, as I say, all persons that are Guilty of it, and do not make Restitution, do, That their own Consciences must, ere this, have flown in their Faces, and made them visibly uneasy to them­selves; that ere this God would have shew'd His Judge­ments upon them, rendered successless all their Counsels, and brought them at the feet of their Adversaries: Whereas the quite contrary Appears; great cheerful­ness of Life, and a prosperity, so far from a subjecti­on to their Adversaries, that it seems rather mounted over them.

To all which, I thus Answer, That all these, Silence of Conscience (which yet, they know best who are the Owners of them, how silent they be; they may be vocal, and loud enough to them, though nor vocal, nor visible to others;) I say, that Silence of Consci­ence, and a prosperous outward Estate, are but very fallacious Grounds to determine the good Estate of the Soul by; so far from being competent Arguments to [Page 25] that purpose, that they may attend the quite contra­ry Estate of the Soul, that of Dereliction; for besides that, there may be many ways used, whereby Men may be diverted from attending to the Clamours of Consci­ence, and consequently made to think it cannot speak, because they do not hearken unto it. We read in ho­ly Writ of a Seared Conscience, from whose not speak­ing, because it hath lost feeling, we ought not to con­clude all is well with it.

And for success of Counsels, and prosperity of an out­ward Estate, which also may be sometime more Ar­guments of God's displeasure, leaving Men to all the Temptations of that Fortune, than his approbation of their practices; That they are not the peculiar Lot of the Righteous, I leave David and Solomon, Father and Son, to satisfy all the Fathers and Sons upon the Earth; the First in the 37th. Psalm, ver. 7, 8, 9, 10. Fret not thy self because of him, who prospereth in his way, because of the Man, who bringeth wicked Devices to pass. Cease from Anger, and forsake Wrath; Fret not thy self in any wise to do Evil; For evil-doers shall be cut off, &c. But yet a little while, and the Wicked shall not be, &c. For some­time then, in David's judgement, the Wicked may bring their Counsels to pass, and prosper in their way. Solomon saith, Prov. 29.20. to the same purpose his Fa­ther spoke before, The Candle of the Wicked shall be put out, that is, The Splendor of his Estate shall not con­tinue for ever; which supposes he may some time have it. What may happen to the Unrighteous and the Wicked, as well as the Just and the Godly, ought not to be taken up as Arguments of the Welfare of the Soul, and the person's acceptance with God. But in case a person's Conscience be suffered to speak, and [Page 26] that, at leastwise, inwardly, one may be convinced of such a Guilt; yet it is not impossible, but he may de­lude himself with an opinion, that he is not obliged to make Restitution, because that of that he hath wrong­fully detained, he hath made no benefit, but that it proved an occasion of real disadvantage to him; as for illustration, Suppose the Chief Magistrate of any Town in Christendom, had, by vertue of his place, received so much Money for the Publick, but laid them out on, or reserved them for his proper use: suppose ano­ther person, out of his aversness to such a practice, (from what principles or motives soever, in the pre­sent Case is not material) should use a legal course to recover those out of his hands, in fencing of the Man's self, against which, it might cost him as much as the first Sum in question came to, and, it may be, more; What? Are the Cases of Conscience so severe and strict, as to require a Restitution, when the Man is satisfied he hath expended the Sum, and it may be, qy oc­casion of it, as much again of his own? This, it may be, will be answered with something the same suppo­sition, that is in the slothful Servant's Answer to his Master in the Gospel, of a natural austerity in the Ex­actor. This I do the rather take notice of, because I have heard what to me seemed to glance that way. But the Resolution of this will be easy, if you put it to the rule of plain and common Debt, where you know, the Debt is never reckoned the more paid, for any charges the obstinate refusal of paying, may occa­sion; there is an increase of obstinacy and un­handsomeness, none of satisfaction made by that means. Shall any Man lay out my Right in the defence of his own Obstinacy or Covetousness, and shall he reckon [Page 27] it paid, because at long running he got nothing by it? He that can spy a substantial difference, whereby it may be more a Plea in one, than the other, hath ano­ther faculty of seeing, than either Reason or Religion furnish him with.

Having so given the Reasons, that induced me to believe some Men guilty, and answered what they may probably offer for themselves to stave off their concern­ment, in the matter of detaining the Right of others; I should come next to do the same, touching injuries done to the Bodies and good Names of Persons. As to the First whereof, I shall only say, there have been here some Injuries done to some in that, by whom I know not, and it may be a great deal more, than e­ver I heard of: Let every Man examine his own Con­science, and remember, and use a while the Rule given, touching Restitution in that case.

And as to the Guilt of the Abuse of the good Names of People, I shall say little more, then read you the Character Arch-Bishop Whitgift gave an odd Genera­tion of Men in his time, and trust any Body in the Congregation, that knows them, to find out the Guil­ty by it:Arch-Bish-Whitgift's De­fence, &c. p. 423. It is their manner (Abuse he meant) except you please their humour in all things, deserve never so well, all is nothing with them, but they will deprive you, rail on you, back-bite you, invent Lies of you, and spread false Rumours, as though you were the vilest Person upon the Earth. I must confess, had I met with this, any time these Twelve Months hereabouts, in any new Writing, and been left to guess whence it came, I had concluded it had been some Bodies observation of Per­sons I knew well enough; But I heartily pray God to forgive them, and in order to His forgiveness, to give [Page 28] them the Grace of hearty Repentance, such as may signify its seriousness, by such Restitution of the good Name of every abused Person, as they may be able to make, and God may please to accept of.

Thus far have I discharged the Office of a faithful Chirurgeon, shewed and searched an Old Wound, and prescribed the Means of its Cure; and I am afraid, not without extreamly angering my Patients. I have shew­ed you, in case of the Guilt of Injury, the indispensa­ble Necessity of Restitution; the extent of its Concern­ment, as to Persons and Things, with the measure of Restitution required in all matters of Wrong: I have brought it home to your doors, and shewed you the Reasons I had to lay it there. The absolute Necessity of Restitution, I intimated from the Danger of Eternal Damnation. And because that may not so nearly af­fect Men, though it infinitely most deserves their con­sideration, I could give you both instances, and espe­cial Threats of God's signal appearances in this World, in the Vindication of the Oppressed Stranger, the Father­less, the Widow, and the Poor, when the best-spun Po­licies of Men will be unravelled and defeated; and read you dreadful Things out of the 20th. chap. of Job, begin­ning at the 4th. vers. of it: But instead of all that, I shall recommend to your consideration an expression of the Psalmist, resolved into a Sentence, When God arises, His Enemies will be scattered; which will be, when He arises in Judgment, either here, or hereafter, or both, for sometime he will; for he saith, He heareth the Com­plaint of the Poor, and that the Poor shall not be forsaken for ever.

Well, before I have done, I judge it necessary to An­swer [Page 29] two or three Objections, which, I foresee, will, in all probability, be levelled against this Discourse.

One, That it is a very unseasonable Discourse, and but a course Entertainment of a Person newly entered up­on his Office.

To that I say, That that never seems to me unsea­sonable, that is necessary, and that I apprehend not the incivility of catching hold of the Skirt of a Man's best Weed, tho a Robe of Scarlet, if I suspect he runs in­to the Fire with it.

The next I can think of, is, That it is ill becoming a Minister of Peace, to disturb a new-made Peace, with the Representation of old matters of Dissention, which no doubt will, with all the aggravations, spleen and malice can suggest, be represented.

But to this, I beg leave to distinguish between true Peace, and the varnish and imagery of it. It is not e­very Combination of Men, that hath just pretensions to the glorious title of Peace. We read of a Peace be­tween Herod and Pontius Pilate, upon the sorry occa­sion of Condemning the innocentest Person in the World; but no where any reasons to Applaud it. There are some Unions look more like Conspiracies, than Peace. Is this Peace to hush up all former Injuries to the pub­lick, and to capacitate Men's selves without damage, to Act, as many more, as they have a mind to? The Answer Jehu made the Son of Ahab, enquiring for Peace, was, What Peace, as long as thy Mother Jezabel's Whoredomes, and Witchcrafts are so many? And may not there, think you, a question something like it be ask'd here? What Peace, as long as Wrongs and Injuries continue un­satisfied for? The Prophet Isaiah tells us, that God saith, There is no Peace to the Wicked; and do you now judge, [Page 30] whether such Crimes as Irrestitution or Perjury, may not rank Men, of what advance soever, amongst them?

A well-founded Peace, there is no Man, I hope, I may truly say it, wishes more than my self; but in order to it, must advise you, to be at Peace with God and your own Consciences; and that you may so, to remove from amongst you The Accursed Thing, which will prove a more solid Foundation for a lasting Peace, than any thing that I know hath hitherto been proposed, or happened to­wards the Re-establishment of it; without which, all this Pageantry will look more like a triumph over Justice and Honesty, than true Peace.

One Objection more against what I have delivered, I suppose, will be, That I spoke out of Envy and Malice, and upon Provocation.

If what I have already said to that upon my entrance into this Discourse, do not acquit me, I shall not trou­ble my self much more; only say, be my Motive to, or occasion of it what it will, if I have said a truth, that will justify no Man's non-observance of it. St. Paul, in the First Chapter to the Philipians, saith, that Some Preached Christ, even of Envy and Strife, verse the Fifteenth; however, verse the Eighteenth, He Rejoyced; and the Nineteenth, Was perswaded it would turn to his Salvation. Holy David was more afraid of the Preci­ous Balms of Flatterers, than the Wounds of his Friends, whom if they had not been in their intentions, such he would doubtless in effect have made, by useing their Counsels for his good. The Enmity I have to you, dispenses with my wishing you may make as wise use of what I delivered, as St. Paul, or holy David did, or would have done, of Truths delivered by an Ene­my. If For telling you the Truth, I am become more your [Page 31] Enemy, and increased your unkindness towards me; try whether you can spight me, or shew it in avoiding what is in mine, and the judgment of the whole world, the greatest of Evils, Eternal Damnation, by a time­ly, and significant Repentance; which God, I heartily pray it, Grant you, and that what hath been delive­red, may not be the Savour of Death unto Death, unto any, but the Savour of Life unto Life, to all that hear me; wherewith I conclude.