Ninth Commandment. may be a Slander when it is fpoken with an evil De~gn, to the Hurr and Preju dce of another. Indeed, iftbou be duly called ro W1tnefs In Judg~ent, or if it be in thy own Dc.:teoce and Vindication, when if tb?u doft n.ot difcov:r h1m that is guilry, thou thy feifmaye!l be fuppofe.d to be the. Petfon ; .. o~ if the Cnme be ~uch as ought not to efcape uopunifhtd ;_or tf he remam contumaciOUS after more pnvate Admo_ni~ion, in which Cafe ou r Savtour commands us to tell.the Church: Or, la!lly, when" IS for the Safety and Security of another, w_ho might elf~ be wronged, ~?o~ld we conceal from him rhe Mifchiefs whtch others Intend h1m, m thefe Cafes 11 IS both lawful and expedient to make known. the Faults of thr Brother. But then ~e fure. that thou do it not with any fe<ret Dchght and Exultation . that thou hall hiS Credit to tram· pie upon to r1iii: thine own the higher; but witb that true Grief aud Sorro~ of Heart that rn;y evince to all cbe Wo1ld, that norbtng hue Confi:Ieoce, and a Senfe of thy Duty, iuforced thee .'o publi~ his Sha~e, which thou !houlde!t be. willing to hide at the Price of any Thmg but Sm, and thine own Shame. Bu t alas, 11 " !!range to confidct the Dc:praviry of our Na.ure, how we delight in other Mens Sins, and an: fecretly glad when their Mifcarriages give us an occ~fidn to reproach and ditgrace them. How many are big whh fucb Smlf, and go in paio till they hal'e disburd~nod themfelvos into the l!ars ofvrhers! And fome are fuch ill D ilfemblers of their Joy that tbey do irwith open Sco~n ~nd lrrifion. Others are more Arcifidaliy malicious and with a deep Sjgh, a11d a down~aft Look, and a whining Voice , and an affetl'ed Slownefs ~hifper to one; Ala,, drd you not hear of fuch a grofs Mifcarriage by fuc;h an ~ne? And then whifper 1be fame Thing ro another, and a third ; and whea they have made: it as Publick. as tbt:J can, hypocriticAlly defire every one ro keep it: Sectet for that they would be loth their Neighbour fhould come to any Dirgrace and r:ouble about it. Believe it, Sirs, this, though theMatter you report be never fo true is"nothing elfe but Slander, becaufe it is done to no good End, but only to feed your own Malice, and, like Flies, to lye ·rucking the gall'd Backs and Sores of otheu. And therefore we find that Doeg, though he told nothing &ut the Truth 1 Sam. 22· 9 10. yet he Is by Davidchallenged as a Liat and Slanderer, Pjal. ,,.' And thus ~ow you have: if:cn what this Sin of Slander is. I fh.rllfinifh this Subjo£\ with giving you, firfl Some brief Rules and Diro£\ions, which through the Grace of God may be h:rvicea'bte ro keep you from this common Sin. And then, Sec'"dly, Shew you how you ought to d<mtan your felves under the La!h of other Mens flanderous Tongues. firjl, If tbou would!! keep thy fclf from being a Slanderer ofothers, add ill not thy fclf violemly to any one Party or Perfwafion of Men. For Part· taking will beget Prejudice, and Prejudice is tbe Jaundies of the Soul, which reprefents other Men and their Aaions in the Colour which our own Difeafe puts upon them. And indeed we have all genorally filch a good Conceit of our felve<, thaz it is a v-ry hard and difficuh Mattc:r eo ha!e a goodEfieem for o.tb~s who are not of our Judgmenr, and of our Way. And rhrs makes us firftvery wtlhng to hear fome Evil of them. For becaufe we think rbat what we do is good, we cannot cordially think them good wbo do oot judge and aH as we our fdves do; and fo our Minds are prepared to c:merrain Reports dgait11t. them from others, and then to fpread tbern abroad our fclves.. And I cannot but i~put~ .to this the great Uncharira?lenefS of our Days, wherem Love and Broth<rly·kmdntfs lye munbered under the Vtolence of different P<rlwafions, and dif!erent Modes, and divers Ways of wor!hipping one and tbe fame God, and our Lord Jefus Cbrill. Hence all thole lying Rumours, and lying Wonders) that one Party invents to beat do\Vn the orber. One Party rcpons tbe orher to be all Prophane and Supetll:itious, and the other reports its oppofite to be all Hypo· critical and Seditious, and both fu£Fe! from ~acb other's_invenomed Tongues; and between both Truth fulfors, and Chanty pellfheth, and IS utterly loft. For Shame 0 Chriflioos' Is this the Way to promote God's Caufc, or Chrifl's Kingdom > Dotb he or it !land in ne•d of yout Lies? Will you fpeak wickedly for God, and ralk deceitfully for him' Shall his Honour be maintain'd by tbe Devil's Invent ions> 1 !hall not fpelk Partially, but whetefoevet the Fault !yes there let this Cenfure fall that it is certainly a very flrong Prefumption of a very weak and bad Caufe when the Refuge and Support of it are Lies. Secondly, If thou woulde!l not be guilty of Slander be not bufie in other Jl.lens Alfaits; kcepthine Eyes within Doors, and thy Thoughts at Home; enquire nor what
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