When to open 4nothers Fa~tlts. this plaufible prcttnce ; and that there is fcarce a more common cloak for the mofl inhum2ne lfcs :;ud calumnie~. ~eH. 7· May I not lawfuVy mak.,.t a true Narr~tion offuc~ malttrJ of f~ll, aJ are ~rimi1ral and ~eft. 74 dijhontmrable to offrm/.ert? E/fc no man may wrttt a true Hift~ry to pojfertty of ment crzmu.. Afl[tr. When you have a jull caufe and call to doic, you may: But not at your own pleafure. Hi· llorians may uke much mOie liberty to ~peak the truth of the dea~, than you m.ay of the living: Though no untruth muf\ be fpoken of euhcr: yet the honour ofPrmccs and Magtflrates while they arc alivr, is needful to their Government, and therefore mun e maintained, oft times by the COn· ccalmcnt of their faults : And fa proportiom.bly the honour of other men is needful to a life of love, and peace; and jul\ fociety : But when they are dead, they arc 110t fubjech capable of a right ro any fuch honour as mufi be maintained by fuch filendng of the truth, to the:: injury of pofieritr ; And pofierity haih ufually a right to hlfioricahruth,'that gobd examples may draw them to imita· tion, and bad examples may warn them to take heed of fin. God will have the name' of the wicked ro rot; and the faults of a Noah, Lot~ David,.Solomon, Peter,, &c. fhall be recorded. Yet nothing un~ profitable to pofitrity may be recorded of the dead, though it be.. true: nor the faults of men unnc· cciTarily divulged; much lefs may the dead be flmdmd or ab~fed. Q!e!L 8. JYbat if it bt om that bath betn oft admoNijhed in VJin l M.JyHOt tbt f.mltJ of {rtcb a or.t be ~eft. 8. mentioned behind hi1 back,.l · Anfw.l confefs fuch a one (the cafe being proved, and he being notorioufly impenitent ) hath made a much £fC::ater forfeiture of his hor.our, thari other men: And no man can fave that mans ho· r.our who will call it away himfelf. But yet it is not every one that committeth a fin after admoni– tig,n, who is h~re to be undedl:ood; but (uch as arc impenitent in fome monal or ruling fin; For fome may fin oft in a fmall and controverted point, for want of ability to difcern the truth, and fame may live in daily infitmities (as the bel\ l'nen do) which they condemn themfelves, and defire to be delivered from. And even the moll ir:npenitent mans fins, muH not be medled wirh, by every one at his plcafure) but only whch you have JUfi cau[c. • Q);tefi. 9· What if it be 01tc whom I w:n•• [peak,. to [m to face l fk!eft. 9• Anfw. You mufi let him alone, till you have jufi caufe to !peak of him. ~e[!. JQl. tYhm bath aman a juft caufe and eaU to open another I faultJ l ~eft. 10 • Anfw. Negatively: I· Not to.hll up the time with oiher idle chw, or table-talk. 2 • Not to fccond any man how good foever who backbtteth ?thers ; no though he pretend to do it to m 1 ke the fi11 more odious) or to exerdfe go~ly ~orrow for o.ther me.ns fin. 3· Not when ever inter.efi, paffion, faction or company feemeth to nquue It. But (Affirmatively ) l· When we may fpeak it to his face in love and privacy, in due manner and circurnfiances, as is moll hopeful to conduce to his amend~ ment. 2• When after due admonition, we take two or three, and after that tell the Church (in a cafe that requireth it. ) 3. When we have afufficient caufe to accuie him to the Magifirate. 4 . when the Magifl:rare or the Pafiors of the Church, reprove or punifh him. 5· When ic is ncceifary to the prefcrva1ion of another: As ifI fee my friend in danger of marrying with a wicked perfon, or take– ing a falfe fervant, or trading and bargaining with one that is like to over·reach him: or going among cheaters ; or going to hear or converfe with a dangerous Hcretick or Seducer ; I mufi: open the faults of thofc that they are in danger of, fo far as their fafery and my charity requite. 6. When it is any treafon or confpiracy againll: the King or Common-weahh: where my concealment may be an injury"? the.Kislg, or damage or danger to .the Kingdom: . 7· When the perCon himfelf doth by his felf-Jufbficaoon force me to If. 8. When hts tep;ItAtiOn ts {o bmlt upon the tn}ury of others and fl,mders of the jull, that the jufiifying of him is the condemning of the innocent, we may then indi· rectly condemn him by vindicating the jufl: As ~fit be in a cafe Of contention between two) if we can– not jufiifie the right without difilOnour to the injurious, there is no remedy but he mull bear his blame. 9· When a mans notorious wickedntfs hath fet him up as a fpeCbcle of warning andJamen~ tation, fo that his crimes cannot be hid., and he hath fOrfeited his .reputation, we mull: give others warning by his fall. As an cxcommumcatc. pcrfon, or rnalcf~ltor at the Ga_llows, &c.) 1 o. When we have jufi occalion to make a bare narr.auve ~f fome pubhck matters of fa&; as of the fencence of a Judge, or puni01mcnt of offenders, &c. 1 r ·When the crime is fo heinous, as that all good perfons are obliged to joyn to make it odi~us, as PbinehM was to execut~ judgement. As in cafes of opert Rebdlion, TreaCon) Blafphemy, Athetfm, Idolatry, ~urders, ~tfJury, Cruelty: Such as the Frfnch Maffacrc, the Irijh far. greater Maffacrc, the Murdermg of Kmgs, the Powder Plot, the Burn~ ing of London, e, .. c. Ctimcs notorious, fhould not g~ abo~t in the mouths or cars of men, but with jult dctefiation. 12. When :my perfons falfe r('pmat10n JS a feducrment to mens fouls, and made by himfelf or others the it1firument of Gods di£honour, and chc injury of the Church, or State, or others, though we may do no unjufi thing to blafi his rc::purarion, we may tell the truth fo far as ju~ flice) or mercy, or piety nquire'th it. Q!.efi. 1 r. What if I hc~r daubers appla~dinJ!.. n>ickfd men, a1ul /Peaking rrcU of them, and extcnu- f!.!!rft. 12 • ating their crime 1) am:l praifing t~rm for C<Jl~ domg i Anf~· You mu{t on all jufi occations fpeak evil of fin: But when that is enough, you need uot meddle with the finncr; no not though other men applaud him, and you know it to be falfe: for )•cu are not bound to conaadiGt every talfhood which you hear. But il in any ofthe twelve fore-men~ tionrd cafes you have a call to do it (as tor .the prcfcrvation of the hearers from a fnare thereby ; (a~ if men commend a Traytor or a wicked nian to draw another to like his way,) in fuch cafes )'OU may) contradict the fal[c report. Q!)efi.
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