I Dare so far pretend, my Brethren, to be a Judge of your Thoughts, as to assure my self, that upon the very naming of this Text, you all look upon it as a Word in Season, suited as well to the Place as Time wherein we live.

Indeed Commutative Justice, or Honest Deal­ing 'twixt Man and Man, is a Subject always sea­sonable, because the thing is always necessary; but it is much more so in such a critical Juncture as this, when by the many Difficulties under which the present Government labours, such Ad­vantages are given to Designing Persons, and such Temptations are laid before all Men, of more Dex­terity than Honesty, to deceive and defraud under the Colour of Justice.

The Tempting Advantages, I mean, are chie­fly such as relate to that noted Instrument of Ju­stice, the Balance; the use of which has been cor­rupted by ill Practisers in all times.

But sure Opportunities for such Corruptions were never more than at this time, when, be­sides common Wares and Merchandize, That which answers them all is brought to the Standard, [Page 8]I mean Money itself, comes to be bought and sold by Weight, and that at different Rates.

Upon this Account it is as much in every trading Man's power, if he be charitably inclin'd, to fa­vour the poor Man, without any damage to him­self, as it is to cozen and over-reach him, if he be a deceitful Dealer. I do not mean, that any Man is bound to take the poor Man's Money to his own loss; but surely both Justice and Chari­ty oblige us to make allowance to the utmost Far­thing that we can with safety, lest by taking ad­vantage of his Necessity, we cause Complaining in our Streets.

Let it not be therefore thought an improper Undertaking, if from the Pulpit I a little inspect your Weights and Balance, and interpose some pious Caution and impartial Advice in a Point wherein both Charity and Justice are concern'd.

I look upon it as the Duty of every Faithful Minister to be particularly watchful against Public Temptations, and preserve as many as he can from Sin and Danger; as also to plead for the Poor and Needy in the Day of Evil.

Now when we hear the Poor complain that they scarce receive Justice, where they expect Chari­ty; and on the other hand consider, that Tem­ptations to this sort of Fraud infect most in such populous trading Towns as this; I cannot think a Discourse of this Nature (tho' unusual) to be ei­ther [Page 3]improper or unseasonable; and therefore shall make no further Apology, save that to prevent Censure, I desire to enter this serious Protestati­on, that I undertake this Argument upon a truly honest, religious, and charitable Design, without any reflection upon particular persons.

And as Solomon was a Faithful Monitor to his People in this matter, (as we find by many re­peated Cautions in this Book,) so I shall only re­present to you the Reasons that we have to attend to those wise and just Observations, and particu­larly improve these remarkable Words, A just Weight and Balance are the Lord's, all the Weights of the Bag are his Work.

Justice is a Natural principle, and the measure of it is, to do to others, as we would have done to our selves.

This Justice is either Commutative, or Distri­butive.

Distributive Justice consists in rendring to all such Dues, as without any express compact or a­greement, may be challeng'd by right of a Divine Command, by the Laws of Nature or Religion, or the civil Constitution; such are, Tribute, Ho­nour, Impositions, Tyths, Customs, &c.

Commutative Justice supposes a mutual Con­tract and Exchange of things profitable, and re­quires simplicity in Bargaining, and faithfulness in performing Covenants. The former respects [Page 4]chiefly the Dignity of Persons, this latter the E­quality of Things.

The common Instruments of this sort of Justice, are Weights and Measures, the use of which was introduced by natural Reason and Necessity.

Commerce and Traffick became necessary, as soon as Mankind became multiply'd and divided into Colonies. For God in his wise and good Providence has so ordered, that there is no con­dition of Life, wherein one does not stand in need of another, whether we respect private Families, Communities, or Kingdoms: And this for the preservation of Society, and to promote and spread abroad Love and Friendship over the Face of the Earth.

Now it is not easie to imagine how this necessa­ry Commerce could be effected, without these In­struments of Justice, Weights and Measures.

Neither is it material to enquire when and by whom they were invented, seeing we are sure they are as old as Traffick in the World.

And indeed Authors disagree much in this point; as Polydore Virgil has observed, from whose account we can only gather thus much, that some Nations invented them before others.

Diogenes Laortius affirms, Lib. 9. Antiq. That Pythagoras first invented them, for the Grecians; and Josephus tells us, that it is credible, That Cain, the Son of [Page 5] Adam first establish'd the use of them; but there are no Footsteps of this in Scripture.

There seems to me to be more ground for a Con­jecture, That Tubal Cain, the Son of Lamech, con­trived these and the like Instruments, seeing he is recorded for an Instructor of every Artificer in Brass and Iron, Gen. 4.22. Him Vossius takes to be the same with Vulcan.

But as to that particular Instrument, The Ba­lance, The first Invention of it is by the Heathens, attributed to Astrea, who is therefore deified for the Goddess of Justice, and her Balance is advan­ced among the Celestial Signs, to denote the ex­treme Value of this Invention, and the sacred Regard they had to the use of it.

But now, if the Balance and Weights be of hu­mane Invention, how will this Proverb of Solomon's be accounted for, which plainly ascribes 'em to Divine Institution, A just Weight and Balance are the Lord's?

By which we are not only to understand that the Lord approves of 'em, and requires 'em in all our Dealings of Traffique with one another. But that he claims this Ordinance of Justice as his own Institution, intimating, that his over-ruling Hand was imployed in the Workmanship of all and every of these Instruments. All the Weights of the Bag are his Work.

This seeming difference is easily made up, For [Page 6](as Dr. Taylor observes) ‘Tho' this part of Justice depends upon the Laws of Man directly, and takes its Estimate and Measures from civil Sancti­ons, and private Agreements; yet it is built upon the Laws of God by plain Consequence, and undeniable Inference, as I shall undertake to prove from three Topicks:’

First, From the Law of Nature.

Secondly, From the Revealed Laws of God.

Thirdly, From the Established Laws of his Vice­gerent, established in this Kingdom.

First, If we examin the Law of Nature, we shall soon find that all the Instruments of just Deal­ing are ultimately resolved into God's Workman­ship: For, who taught the first Inventers of them, this useful Art? Who imparted to them this Skill in Geometry? Who guided the Workman's Ham­mer? Who gave Men that Natural Sagacity to find out the critical Rules of Proportion? Who but the God of Nature? Who but that Omnisci­ent Workman, who writ his first Law, the Law of Nature, in the Hearts and Minds of all his Ser­vants?

This Natural Principle furnish'd Men with com­mon Rules of Justice, as is evident from the Mo­ral Precepts and Practice of the Heathens.

Commerce, says Tully in his excellent Book of Offices, consists in buying and selling, hiring and let­ting, and exchanging Commodities; but there can [Page 7]be none of this Dealing, says he, without Justice. Offic. Lib. 2.

And therefore in another place he condemns it as a pernicious Error, ‘That they had a cunning artificial sort of People, in great admiration, misstaking Craft for Wisdom.’

And that the like fraudulent Abuses of this Di­vine Institution were practised in former Ages, we learn from the Testimony, which Aristotle gives of the Merchants in his time. — ‘For the remedying of which Abuses, the Ancients did appoint divers Officers, call'd [...], Wilkins. who were to overlook the common Measures of Justice.’

So sacred a Regard had those Moralists for this piece of Natural Religion, that they worship'd Justice for a Goddess, complaining that she had left the Earth, and was retired in Heaven, from whence she came, leaving only her Scales, as I hinted be­fore, within our sight in the Zodiac, as a sign that our Dealings with Men should be equally divided as the Globe is with the Equinoctial Line, Lucan. adjustae pondera Librae.

Thus Nature it self directs us to Heaven for the Author of the Balance, as Virgil sings:

Intimating that the Righteous God weighs all the Actions of Mortals, as in the Scales of Justice, whence the Poets stile him [...], the High and Heavenly Holder of the Balance.

Such Honour and Reverence do the Disciples of Nature pay to the Balance, as the noblest of all Mechanical Instruments, and worthy of a Di­vine Author. But,

Secondly, A just Weight and Balance are the Lord's, by the Laws of Reveal'd, as well as Natural Reli­gion. — The Divine Institution of this Ordinance of Justice, is frequently repeated in the Old Testa­ment, and confirm'd by general Rules of Righte­ousness, laid down in the New.

First, Hear the Voice of the Lord, in the Law given by Moses, Ye shall do no Ʋnrighteousness, in Judgment, Lev. 19.35. in Meteyard, in Weight, or in Measure. Just Balances, just Weights, a just Ephah, and a just Hin shall ye have; I am the Lord your God. Ob­serve that solemn Confirmation, IAM THE LORD. He stamps the Mark of his Royal Authority upon them.

Again, This Law is enforced by a promised Blessing, and the contrary Practice prohibited un­der pain of an heavy Curse, Deut. 25.13. Thou shalt not have in thy Bag divers Weights, or (as it is in the Ori­ginal) a Stone and a Stone, a great and a small, i.e. the greater to Buy with, and the lesser for Selling, or the one for public Shew, and the other for pri­vate Ʋse. Likewise, Thou shalt not have in thy House divers Measures, a great and a small; but thou shalt have a perfect and a just Weight; a perfect and a just Measure shalt thou have, that thy Days may [Page 9]be lengthened in the Land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee; For all that do such things, that is, do falsify Weights and Measures, are an abomina­tion unto the Lord thy God, i. e. highly abominable, as the Abstract signifies.

Accordingly we find God expressing a more than ordinary Displeasure, against his own Peo­ple, for this fradulent Dealing; Amos 8.4. Hear this, O ye that swallow up the Needy, even to make the Poor of the Land to fail, Saying, When will the new. Moon be gone, that we may sell Corn; and the Sabbath, that we may set forth Wheat, making the Ephah small, and the Shekel great, and falsifying the Balances by Deceit? The Lord hath sworn by the Ex­cellency of Jacob, surely I will not forget any of these Works.

Upon so much Reason and Divine Authority does this Observation stand, Ezek. 45.9, 10. Prov. 11.1 [...] 20.10. A just Weight and Balance are the Lord's. God seems to have conse­crated them, by these and several other Divine Sentences that we meet with in the Old Testament, thereby to raise in us a Reverence in the Use of them.

And in the New, the Law of the Lord of Righ­teousness is as full, tho' not so particular in this Point.— There the Golden Rule is establisht, To do to all Men, as we would have done to us; i. e. So to deal with every Man, as if we had exchan­ged Persons with him, and he were in our place, and we in his.

Again, Our Lord, in reckoning up the Duties of Justice, besides the Commandment, Do not Steal, he adds, Defraud not; thereby expressly forbidding this secret Theft of abusing our Brother in buy­ing, selling, &c.

And the like Instructions we have from his A­postles, to converse in the World with Simplicity, and godly Sincerity, 1 Thes. 4.6. not to lie one to another, not to go be­yond or defraud our Brother in any matter; because the Lord is the Avenger of all such: An Argument charged with Thunder, and Almighty Indignati­on. And so I proceed to the

Third Topick, From which we prove God's Title to these Instruments of Justice: And that is from the Laws of his Vice-gerent, The Statutes of this Realm.

We have many excellent Statutes and Ordinan­ces about the Weights and Measures used in this Realm, which shew what abundance of Care our Ancestors have taken to prevent all Cheating and Deceit herein.

And for greater security in this matter, it has been judged absolutely necessary to intrust our Kings with the care and charge of them, and ac­cordingly the Royal Standards which must regu­late all others, are kept in the Exchequer, (as the Roman Standards were in the Capitol) by a special Officer of his Majesty's Houshold.

Now tho' these be Human Laws and Provisions, [Page 11]yet they are made for the better Execution of Di­vine Laws, and consequently do confirm God's Title, and aggravate every Transgression.

It must be an high Aggravation to dissemble both with God and Man, and that perhaps in a matter of very small moment; so that a Peniworth of unjust Gain shall often cast the Scale against the weighty Considerations of Duty both to God and the King.

We should reverently consider the double Mark and Impression, viz. of Divinity and Majesty, that is stampt upon these Instruments of Justice, and that awful Consideration would make us render to Caesar the thing that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's, and raise a just Hatred in our Minds against all unclean Hands.

But the highest Aggravation is to cheat a poor credulous Neighbour under this shew of Justice: To deceive with the Balances of Equity, is like Lying and Swearing falsely upon the Gospels of Truth.— Weights, Balances and Measures, whether of Application or Reception, being autho­rized by the Royal Signature, become the Peoples Security for Honesty of Commerce, they are ap­pointed, as it were, Judges to give every Man his Due.

He therefore that imposes upon his Neighbour by Slight of Hand, false Weights, or the like, does, in this sence, corrupt the King's Judges, and makes [Page 12]Justice itself a Cloak for his Knavery: He holds a Lye in his Right-hand; nay, he lies not to Man, but to God.

He violates that just Ordinance which God has consecrated; he secretly wounds his Prince's Au­thority, and undermines his Government, by dis­solving those secret Tyes of Justice, which like Nerves, and other sinewy Ligaments, bind the Members of the Body Politic together.

This Observation agrees with the Context and with the Royal Concern, which Solomon here ex­presses for Just Dealing among his People. He of­ten repeats his Charge against False Weights, to shew his Detestation of such Practices; and in the Verse following my Text, declares, That the com­mitting this Wickedness is an Abomination to Kings, because their Throne is established in Righteousness.

Thus we have the Royal Honour, and Interest, and the Public Faith, (beside Divine Commands) all engaged for the Security of Trade, and to keep Men from doing and receiving Injuries.

And if this be not sufficient, we may further consider, the Sacred Regard that the Jews had for the Preservation of Commutative Justice from all Abuse and Falsification in this kind; insomuch that the Publick Standards and Originals, by which all other Measures were to be tryed and allowed, were with much Religion preserv'd in the Sanctuary, the care of them being committed to the Priests and [Page 13]Levites, whose Office it was, among other things, to inspect all manner of Measures and Size.

Hence that frequent Expression, According to the Shekel of the Sanctuary; which (as the learned Bishop Wilkins observes) doth not refer to any Weight distinct from, and more than the Vulgar, (as some fondly conceive) but only obliges Men in their Dealing and Traffique to make use of such Measures as were agreeable to the Public Standards that were kept in the Sanctuary.

The Sum of all is, — As God hath declared himself the Author of Weights and Measures, That he is pleased in the due Use of them, and that the contrary Practice is an Abomination to him: So in all our Dealings with Men, we are to set him before us as the Rewarder or Avenger of our Deeds; and accordingly all good Kings and States have enacted or executed Laws for this equal Admini­stration of Private as well as Public Justice; know­ing that those corrupt Practices which are abomi­nable to God, will soon, if not remedied, be de­structive to Government.

Lastly, There is an Emphasis in the last words of the Text, which affords another worthy Consi­deration, All the Weights, (or Stones,) in the Bag are his Work. ALL the Weights, except there be False Ones, which are the Workmanship and In­vention of the Devil and accursed of God: But all the Just Weights, the least as well as the greatest, [Page 14]are here noted to be the Lord's, and that, to signi­fie to us, that we must be scrupulously Just, and do no Unrighteousness, no, not even the smallest Mat­ters.

Every little Fraud is a Sin, and every Sin must be hated, and universal Righteousness prove our Sincerity.

The Tempter oft gets Advantage by whisper­ing to Men, that the Sin is small, and such as God's Servants themselves frequently commit. This is one of the subtillest Insinuations of the Devil, a Net in which he catcheth innumerable Souls; for the Sin is not small, in respect to the Guilt, which is great enough to ruin the Soul, (every Act of Fraud being really a Wilful Sin,) but so called with respect to the smallness, or inconsiderableness of the matter wherein such Sins are committed.

It is to be feared (says a pious Author) that more Souls perish by these supposed small Sins, than by the grossest Acts of Wickedness. We naturally fly with greater Fear from great Dangers than from less. And the true Reason why idle Words and sinful Thoughts are oft'ner committed than more hani­ous Sins, is, because the Soul is not so much a­waken'd by Fear and Care to make Resistance, and Love needeth the Help of Fear in this our weak Condition.

We easily yield to what we think little Sins, and those lead us on and betray us into greater: He [Page 15]that hath brought himself to take an unjust Penny without regret, may in time be prevail'd with to take a Purse, when Want and Opportunity joyn together to make the Temptation strong.

Covetousness has no Bounds; if a Man be in for Grains and feels no Remorse, he will quickly bribe the Balance to lie, and cheat by Ounces.

When a Man is successful in the little ways of Sinful Gain, he naturally desires to become a Pro­ficient, and to try his skill in greater matters.

He that can dexterously counterfeit a Half-peny, will hardly stop his eager Fancy till he come to the Half-crown, nor there till he come to the Hal­ter.

Thus Little Sins bring Great Punishments; and Injustice in the smallest Weights will sink the Soul down to Hell.

Beware therefore, O young Man! of making little Transgressions, in any kind, habitual. And let every Transgressor break off his ill Custom be­fore it be too strongly rooted in him.

It is easier to check covetous Appetites at the first, than to stop them in their Course; for if Rea­son and Religion do not resist them in the begin­ing, they will go on in spite of us: — Nothing, but the Powerful Spirit of God, (which in that wicked course we have no reason to hope for,) can reclaim us.

Let the young Man therefore, I say again, be [Page 16]cautious and jealous of every little Encroachment of Sin, and stand upon his Guard against the first Onsets of Temptation to Injustice: And if he re­solutely bears the first Shock, he will, by God's Grace, carry the Day, and attain at last a Crown of Righteousness, infinitly more worth than all the unjust Lucre of the World.

Now to Counter-balance the many Temptati­ons that entice Men to commit these Frauds, I shall endeavour, by way of Application, to lay the fore­mentioned Obligations to the strict Observance of Commutative Justice more home to Men's Consci­ences, and set before them the Rewards and Ter­rors of the Lord of Righteousness.

You have heard by how many Titles these In­struments of Justice belong to God, and now by way of plain Consequence, or Inference, you shall hear more particularly what Obligations the Laws of Nature, Religion, and our Civil Constitution lay upon Ʋs to maintain these Ordinances of Commutative Justice.

And that these Arguments may have their due Force and Effect upon Men, I will set forth how every Dealer in the World ought often to lay these Considerations to Heart, and Examin his Soul by these Rules and Measures, as,

First, Whether he has regarded the Natural Obligations and Eternal Reasons of this Moral Du­ty, such as these:

That the Nature of Man in Society claims just Dealing from every Man he deals with? That the God of Nature, who made Man a sociable Crea­ture, gave him that Right? — And moreover, That the Eternal Justice and Righteousness of that God should be a Standard of our upright Dealing with Men, i. e. as our Lord is Righteous in all his Works, so should we be in all Ours, by vertue of the Natural Relation that Servants have to their Lords. — No thinking Man can be ignorant of these everlasting Reasons of Righte­ousness, we are directed by a Law within us to help and assist one another in matters of Com­merce, and that Law tells us, that as there is a Benefit accrews by the exchange of Things, so each Party has a right to a Share of it; that the Buyer may have the worth of his Price, and be thereby furnished with such Conveniencies of Life as he wants, and the Seller may have the full worth of his Commodity; otherwise, instead of answering the great Design of Society, which was, to be mutually helpful one to another, we become cruel Oppressors of our Brethren.

Thus we are to consider that the Great Balance of Nature gives every Man his due, and equally divides the Profits and Advantages of our Traf­fique: And that Man who is not contented with his Share, but ingrosses all the Profits of Exchange to himself, ‘is rather a Wen of the Body Politic, [Page 18](as Dr. Scot well expresseth it,) that draweth all the Nourishment to himself, and starveth the neighbouring Parts, than a Regular Member that contenteth itself with a proportionate Share, and gladly permitteth his Fellow-members to live and thrive as well as he.’

The Heathens, who attended to these Moral Obligations, needed no other Laws of Justice; they praised it in their Sayings, practised it in their Dealings, and punished the Transgressors of it.

And what a Reproach is this to some Christian Professors, who seem to have put off the Nature of Men, while they make profession of Faith as Christians, and have as little Regard to Moral E­quity, as if it was no part of our Religion.

In truth, such Men are so far from Religion, that they are not honest Heathens yet; the Gen­tiles, which knew not God, shall rise up in Judg­ment against them, and condemn them: It was pardonable Superstition for Heathenish Ignorance to pay Divine Honour to the Goddess of Justice; but for Christian Knowledg to have Hand and Heart of­fered up, as it were, in Sacrifice to the unrighteous Mammon, is abominable Idolatry; Their Wor­ship terminated in Heaven, but We fall down and worship the Earth.

Again, Let every Dealer further consider in the second Place, that as Injustice is repugnant to the Principles of the Light of Nature, so likewise [Page 19](as has been proved) to the Positive Laws of God revealed to us from Heaven.

That Divine Word which declares, that the Weights and Balance belong to God, does plainly declare, that just Dealing belongs to Ʋs, for whose sake these Instruments were ordained.

All the Laws of Heaven are Just as well as Ho­ly: As Christ came not to destroy the Moral Laws delivered by Moses; so Moses made no Alterati­on as to the Laws of Nature; Moses confirmed 'em all, and Christ improved 'em all, and both set a particular Estimate upon Justice.

And how can it be otherwise, since Justice is a Ray, nay, a mighty Beam of Divinity, as E­ternal as the Godhead, as Immutable and Inde­lible as the Image of God in the Rational World, which tho' much defaced in some Individuals, yet preserves its Lustre over the Universe, and will for ever determin those Men to deal justly with one a­nother, who attend to the Dictates of Nature, or the Laws of Religion; and therein to those Eter­nal Reasons which have determin'd God to deal justly with us. So that to take away Justice, (as one observes) is to take the Sun out of the World, and reduce all things to a blind Confusion.

All which considered, is it not a Wonder that there should be Men, zealously professing Christi­anity, who look upon Honesty and Justice as the Beggerly Elements of Religion? A sort of Heathen [Page 20]Vertue belonging to Carnal and meer Moral Men, that are utterly unacquainted with the Spirit and Power of Godliness: Yet such there are, as a late Great Divine excellently describes 'em, Who in the room of Justice, and the like Moral Vertues, have foisted in a sort of Spiritual Religion, as they call it, which consisteth in a certain Model of Conversion and Regeneration, Dr. Scot Vol. 4. that is made up of nothing but a meer fanciful Train of Dejections and Triumphs; after which supposed Regeneration, all their After-religi­on is nothing but an idle Leaning on Jesus Christ; and whilst they should be governing their Wills, their Words, and Actions, by the Eternal Rules of Justice and Goodness, they are employed, as they think, in an higher Dispensation, in forming odd Schemes of Spiri­tual Experiences, and attending to the Inward Whi­spers, and Incomes, and Withdrawings of the Spirit of God.— But how dangerous a Mistake is it, for Men to take up with any Religion which does not principal­ly insist upon the Eternal Laws of Morality? For tho' Justice in our Dealings with Men, will never singly recommend us to God, unless it be joyned with Mercy, Sobriety, and Godliness: yea, tho' all these together will never recommend us to God, unless their Imperfe­ctions be purged and expiated by the All-sufficient Me­rit of our Blessed Saviour; yet without Justice and Ho­nesty all our Religion is a Damnable Cheat, a Peice of Pious Fraud, and All the Merit of our Saviour will be as insignificant to us, as it is to the Devils, or damned [Page 21]Ghosts. For his Merit is no Refuge for Religious Knaves, his Wounds no Sanctuary for Spiritual Cheats or Lyars and Oppressors: For such Persons as these to shelter themselves in our Saviour's Propitiation, is to Prophane and Desacrate it, and make those Vocal Wounds to accuse them which were made to plead for them.

In vain, my Brethren, are all Pretences to Re­ligious Purity, while your Hands are defiled with unjust Practices: Shall I count them pure, Mic. 6.11. says the Prophet, with wicked Balances, and with the Bag of deceitful Weights?

Nay, in vain is Christ dead for us, if we are not redeemed from unrighteous Conversation: It is St. Paul's Doctrin, Tit. 2.14. For this end Christ gave him­self for us, that he might Redeem us from all Iniqui­ty, and purifie unto himself a peculiar People, zealous of good works.

Thus that sacred Book of Religion, which de­clares, That the Instruments of Justice belong to God, declares, that the Exercise of it belongs to Ʋs; without which we neither answer the Ends of our Creation nor Redemption. And so I go on, in the

Third Place, To urge our Obligations to the mutual Offices of Justice, from our being subject to Government, and bound by the Laws of the Land of our Nativity.

Those Laws which entrust the King, as the Mi­nister [Page 21]of God, with the Standards of Justice, do re­quire that Subjects do Justice both to the King and to one another: Those Laws which impower every Subject to demand Justice, do surely exact Reciprocal Justice from every Subject again; this is Civil Righteousness without which it is impossi­ble any Society should be happy or subsist long.

Nay, so great is the force of it, 'That, as Tully well observes, ‘common Highway-men, and those that support themselves only upon Rapin and Violence, cannot yet subsist without it, inso­much that if one Thief does but defraud ano­ther of the same Troop, he is expel'd the Socie­ty, as a Man of no Faith; and if the Captain of the Band shews but any Partiality in the Distri­bution of the Booty, he is at least Deserted by his Party, if it do not also cost him his Life; for there is a Discipline even among Pirats them­selves, and their Laws of private Justice are du­ly executed and obeyed.’

Now since this kind of Justice is so sacred, even among Thieves and Robbers, with how much great­er Reverence ought it to be observed in a Regular and well-ordered Government, seeing that, of itself alone, it is able to advance and establish a Piratic Power without any other Support.

The Pythian Oracle deliver'd, concerning Sparta, this remarkable Sentence, That it was not in the Power of anything in the World, but Avarice and In­justice to destroy that Common-wealth.

Now tho' other Sins may (and do threaten to) bring heavy Judgments upon this Land, yet this alone will effectually overthrow the Best of Govern­ments, and like that Accursed Thing, trouble our Israel, so that we shall not be able to stand before our Enemies.

While we therefore pray that our Parliament may establish Peace and Happiness, let us maintain Truth and Justice, as the best and surest Foundati­ons upon which the Peace and Tranquility both of Church and State must be setled. — It is a Mockery to pray to Heaven for a National Esta­blishment, while there are so many Personal Cor­ruptions of Private as well as Public Justice, which two parts of Justice carry the same Correspon­dence to one another as Cement to the Foundation. Every good Government is founded upon Public Justice, but Private Equity is the Cement that fastens the several Parts together, and consolidates the whole Fabrick.

Thus Natural Reason, Religion, and Civil Po­licy, all with one Voice declare the Necessity of just Dealing among Men, as well as God's Pro­priety in those Instruments of Justice, which his Name has hallowed for our Use.

A just Weight and Balance are the Lord's. — And that we may use and manage them with scrupu­lous Integrity, in the smallest as well as the great­est Matters, the Royal Wise-man further adds, ALL the Weights of the Bag are his Work.

And how great Reason there is for this Cauti­on, we may gather from that notable Observa­tion, in the whole Duty of Man: — In this whole Business of Traffic, says that justly admired Author, there are so many Oppertunities of Deceit, that a Man had need fence himself with a very firm Resolution, nay, Love of Justice, or he will be in danger to fall under Temptation.—For, as the Wise-man speaks, Ecclus. 27.2. As a Nail sticks fast betwixt the Joyn­ings of the Stones; so does Sin stick close between Buy­ing and Selling. ‘It is so interwoven with all Trades, so mixt with the very first Principles and Grounds of them, that it is taught together with them, and so becomes part of the Art; so that he is now a-days scarce thought fit to ma­nage a Trade that wants it, while he that hath most of this Black Art of Defrauding, applauds and hugs himself, nay, perhaps boasts to others, how he hath over-reacht his Neighbour;’ but there is neither Christianity, nor Humanity in all this.

Therefore let me seriously Exhort all that hear me this day, (and I wish that my Exhortation might reach not only the Ears, but the Hearts of all the People of this Land,) That they would make it, as it really is, Matter of Conscience, to be exact, strict, and scrupulous in all Points of Justice, and that

• To all Persons,
• In all Things, and
• At all Times.

First, To all Persons: To the Simple as well as the Skilful, to the Poor as to the Rich, without any Partiality or Respect to Persons; only respect the Weakness and Necessities of your poor Bre­thren, and make some Charitable Allowances ac­cordingly. Justice is required in all Cases, but a kind Partiality may be indulged in this. — How­ever, beware of being Ʋnjust, where you should be Charitable; impose not on the Weak Man's Ig­norance, nor take Advantage of the Poor Man's Necessity; make not the One Buy his Folly, nor the Other Pay dear for his Poverty and Want. ‘This adds Inhumanity to Injustice, Oppression to Misery. — If God has given you more Skill and Understanding than your Neighbour, Ju­stice requires that you help him with it, and use him not only Justly, but Ingeniously, as one that reposeth a Trust in you, and casteth himself up­on your Honesty.’

Again, If a poor Man be driven by Necessity to Sell his Wares, Justice requires that you give him the same Price that you would do, supposing that he stood in no more need of your Mony than you do of his Commodity.

Beware of the hainous Crime conmdemned by the Prophet, of Buying the Poor for Silver, Amos. 8.6. and the Needy for a pair of Shooes.

And, on the other hand, let not the Poor think themselves priviledged, by their Necessities, to O­ver-reach and Defraud their Rich Neighbours, but rather, by their Diligence and Patience, by their Modesty and Integrity, recommend their Condi­tion to the Mercy of God, and the Charity of all good Men.

The Richest Man hath a Right to conscionable Dealing as well as the Poorest Beggar, only with this Difference, That to the Poor, extremity of Justice is unmerciful, which to the the Rich Per­son may perhaps be innocent, because it is within the Latitude of Justice, and he stands not in need of Mercy.

In a word, In the compass of Lawful Gain, which is allowed to Tradesmen; use Favour to­wards the Necessitous, Ingenuity towards the Ig­norant, and Moderation, at least just Dealing, to­wards all Men.

Secondly, Be strictly Just as becomes honest Men, and conscientious Christians in all Things, as well as to all Persons; substract not the least from just Mea­sure; detain not the least Grain of Weight, for the least as well as the greatest are the Lord's. For this Reason Weights are made of Stones, and other hard Mettals, that by Ʋse they may not easily be diminish'd.

Many have sinned for a small matter, says the Son of Sirach; For a piece of Bread, (A poor Re­ward!) [Page 27] some Men will Transgress. — 'Tis a la­mentable thing to observe, how some Persons will dissemble, conceal, equivocate, deny, nay, lie and swear too, and all to skrew a little unjust Gain from their Neighbour, and that sometimes so very little, 'That (as the Excellent Author of the Whole Duty of Man observes) ‘'tis a Miracle that any Man who thinks he hath a Soul, can set it at so miserable and contemptible a Price.’

But I have observed to you before, both what Temptation and Danger there is in these Little Sins, and shall now only add, this short Advice, as a Preservative from Danger: In all Intercourse with others, do not do all which you may lawfully do; reserve some little in your own Power; keep not only within the Limits of lawful Gain, but at some Distance from Temptation: If you go to the utmost Verge of what is Lawful, you will be in danger to tread upon the Skirts of Injustice: Con­sider not therefore how far the Laws of Equity allow you to go, but how far you may go with safety: Consider that there is no Medium betwixt the utmost Extent of Justice, and the Confines of Sin, and that there is a dangerous Precipice joyns upon the Borders of Christian Liberty. Watch therefore, and Pray likewise, that ye enter not into Temptation: Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good.

Thirdly, and Lastly, Maintain your Integrity and [Page 28]just Dealing in all Times, in a difficult and unset­led, as well as a steady course of all Things: — Do not make your Fortune in Calamitous Times, nor Delight to fish in troubled Waters. When the Nation labours under any unhappy Grievance, and the Body Politic, through Wars, or other evil Acci­dents, is sick and sore wounded; be not like Ill Humours in Natural Bodies, which run all to the part affected, and cause greater Inflammations; do not make private Advantage of public Miseries, but let every Man, in his Station, apply his heal­ing Hand, by mixing Mercy with Justice in all his Dealings.

That I may the better be understood in this point, Let it be considered, that as the Iniquities of Clip­pers has brought this Kingdom into a difficult and confused State, as to the Coin; so I need not tell you those Difficulties lye heaviest upon poor Tradesmen and Labourers, and I scruple not to say, That they who allow the Poor less than their Coin is worth, which is brought to the Balance, are themselves guilty of Clipping, in foro Conscientiae, In the Court of Equity, and of Conscience, and before the Righteous God, because, in Effect, they diminish the just Value of it; only here is the Dif­ference, That Clipping is properly a Robbery of the Public, This of private People; That is done with­out any design of Injury to any private Person, and so pretended (though without Reason) to be no [Page 29]Sin, but the Sin of false Weights and unjust Ba­lances was never disputed.

How can we dispute the Sinfulness of That, of which God has expresly declared his Detestation again and again? It is often condemned in this Book, by a terrible Word, and called an ABOMI­NATION, i. e. such an Evil as God Detests with a singular Indignation, for Idols are called by the same cursed Name, [...] Abominable Things.

On the contrary, a just Weight is said to be his delight, and he has promised an acceptable Blessing, even, Length of days, to the observers of it, Deut. 25.15. A perfect and just Weight shalt thou have, that thy Days may be lengthned, in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

I will conclude with a few Scriptures, which shew how this Duty is hedged about with Re­wards and Punishments.

And First, Hear this, O ye that Swallow up the Needy, falsifying the Balances by Deceit! Amos 8.4. Shall not the Land tremble for this, and every One mourn that dwelleth therein? And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, observe this Terrible Threat­ning, That I will cause the Sun to go down at Noon, and I will darken the Earth in the clear Day: I will turn your Feasts into Mourning, and your Songs into Lamentation: I will bring up Sackcloth upon your Loyns, and Baldness upon every Head, and [Page 30]I will make it as the Mourning of an Only Son, and the End thereof as a bitter Day. And (which is most Dismal of all) I will send, says the Lord, a Famine into that Land, not a Famine of Bread, nor a Thirst for Water, but of Hearing the Word of the Lord.

And to shew that an Estate got by these Injuri­ous Means shall not last long, nor afford much Enjoyment; hear again what the Prophet Micah declares, Meca. 6. Chap. 6. Are there yet Treasures of Wickedness in the House of the Wicked, and the scant Measure that is abominable? Shall I count them pure with the wicked Balances? &c. —Thy Rich Men are full of Violence. —Therefore will I make thee sick in smiting thee. —Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied: Thou shalt sow but not reap, &c. — But on the contrary, The wealth of the Sinner is laid up for the just, says Solomon, and he that hath clean hands, Prov. 13.22. &c. shall ascend into the Hill of the Lord, where the Righteous live for evermore: Their Reward also is with the Lord, Psal. 24. and the care of them with the Most High. — To which Divine Care and Pro­tection, I commend your Souls and Bodies, that they may be preserved blameless, till the coming of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.

And now, Lord, we beseech thee to grant thy People Grace to withstand the Temptations of the World, the Flesh, and the Devil, and with pure Hearts, Hands, and Minds to follow thee, the only GOD, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.