An Expojition upon the tend to thy impoverHhing or_ unt!oin'g to reftore ir, yet notwithltanding rhou art bound to reftore every Fanhmg of what thou haft wronged and defrauded rhy Brother. N9:r is it enoug,h ro confers the Sin before God, and to beg Pardon ar flis: ~ands, hut thou muft likewl,fe render tmto Man what is his Due, and what rhou unSi m ali· JU_ll~1 keepefi from him; whether it be his by thy Promife, or by his owri former Pofen a.pr~fr- fdhon, as ever thou ~opefi to obtain Pardon for thy Sin from the Mercy of God . ye<I 1er qllam and thou art bound likcwife fO the very utmoft of thy Power ro m:iike him R;com~ ~ft:~~d;; p~~ce for.all t~e ~~mage which he bar~ in the mean time fuftained by rby unj uft p_oj}it, & wuhboldm~ ht~ 1;\rght and Due from htm, or elfe thou iha!t never obtain Pardon non rrdd~- and R~mifhon .\<?I thy Guilt. And .the ~eafon. is, becaufl! as long as you Qerain :;~;i!~~; yvhat ts a,n_o~he~t s, fo l?ng you continue m the Comrniffion of. tbt: fame Sin ; for una,gitur fed JUfr PoffefhoO IS a continued and prolonged Theft~ And cerramly Repemancf!can ne· fimuJa;h,; ve: be true hor fincere wh_ile we continue in the Sin of which we teem to repent ; non emit- ana thy Repentance not be lOg true, Pardon fhall never be granted rbee. tetur ~~~ _But fou will fay, What if tbofe whom we have wronged be fi nce dead? How '~ftr' t ifi can Refiitudon be made unto them? ~~~~:~~' I anfwer, In this Cafe thou art bound to make it to their Children or their near Aug. Ep. Relations; to whom it is to be fuppofed that what thou haft wrongfully d~tained would 4d ~Jc.c:- have defcended and been left by them ; or if none of theft: can be fOund nor any ~oP.tum . to whom of Right it may belong, then Gf?d's Right takes Place, as he i; the Great 4 " Lord and Proprietor of all Things. 1\nd thou oughre!l, befides what thou art ob· ~iged to give of thine ?wn, and b.t: ftow it on the Works of ~arity and Piety, for it IS then efchec:aed to h1m: Yet wnhal, thou hall great Reafon to bewail thar thou hart fo long deferred the Reflitution of it to the right Owner till now thou hart made thy .felf uncapable of doing it. · This po!libly may feem an hard Ldfon; and doubtlefs it is fo in a World fo full of Rapine and Injunice ; bm yet as hard as it is this is the Rule of Chdflianiry, this is the i,nfiexible ~aw of Juftice:; and without this you live and die without all Hopes of obminicg Pardon by continuing in your Sins impenitenr~y. And rhus much for this Eighth Commandment. The Ninth Comtnandmenr. ~Uou tbalt not beat falfe lmlttmcs agatnll tVP. ~etgbbout. T• HE former Commandment provide. d for the Security of every Man's Property, that they may fufter no Wrong nor Dc.triment in their Goods; this which I have now read unto you provides for the Prefervation of their good Name, which is a much clearer Poifdiion: For ..d. good Name, fahh the Wife Man, Pruv. 22. I. israther to be cbofcn than great Riches. A.nd therefore !t ought to be kept by us, although not ddicarely a_nd nicely, yet tenderly, and wnh refpeU. Whofo comem~ Fame will foon profhtote Venue ; and thofe who care nor what others fay wtlt fhortly arrive to that Impudence of finning as nor. to care what. they themfetves do. Indeed, a good Name is fo excellent a Blefimg, that there JS but One Thing to be preferred befor~ it, and. that is a good Confci:nce;. when t.he~e Two fiand in Competition Credtt mufi gtve )lace to Duty; and 1n thts Cafe It lS' far berrer to lofe our Repute with Men, than our Accepta11ce and R:ward with ~ad. It ohentimes fo happens through the Ignorance and general Corruption of Manktod, that what is Honeft, and Pure, and Juit, are not yet of good ~~eport amon~ft them. Pkty is but AffeEtation, Srritlnefs of Life a peevifh Hypocnh~, the Cr?is a Scandal Chri!l bimfelf a Wine·bibber, a Friend ofrubUcans and Smncrs, hrs DoElrine He;efie and his Miracles lmpof.tures: And if thou lightefl: upon aoy fuch froward and per~erfe Cenfures as too many fucb there are in all Ages, who tbink it firangc, as the Apo!Ue fpeaks,' rim J< r•n not with tbcm into the fame cxcifs of Riot ; jp<akmg
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