l· Brotherly Admonition. . Secondly, A Direction h?w we lhould preferve our felves from this rancoured V 1ce of ~atred,and exprefs our more cordial Love, in the belt Service we ea do for him; Thou ]halt j, atJ} 1vi[e rebuke thy N tigbbour. 0 Thirdly, A forcible Motive to excite us unto the performance of this Duty drawn from the Confideration of the great Benefit which wilt in likelihood re~ dound to him by the confciemious difchargeofir. By this meanschouwilrnor [ulfer Sin to lye t~pon him: implying, That if this charirable Duty of Frarernal Rtpreif be negleCted, he will Hill continue in hisSins, his Guilt will remain upon him1 a_nd thou wilt be acceffory ro it. . I /hall not confider any of thefe Particulars by themfelves, but treat only of what is here chiefly intended, namely, the neceillry of that much neglected Du~ ty of Brotherlz Reproof and Admonition. And here I !hall profecute this Method with all po!lible Brevity and Per. fpicuity. · Fir ff, Shew you what Brotherly Correpthm is. Swmdly, The Difficulty of it. Thirdly, The Neceffi{a of it. 4 . ed:ourthly, Lay down ome Rules and Dire~ions how ic ought to be performw l· ~· Fifthly, Lay before you fome Confiderations that may he powerful Motives and Engagements to it. 1. Firjl, What Brother/1 Rtf.rocf or Correption iJ. Wh>ft Brt"" To this I anfwer in brief. le is an Act of Love and Charity, whereby we en~ lh:/is~e~ deavour to reduce our off~ndii?g B~other to Repemance and Reformation: And pr , there are two ways of dom:g tt, etcher by Words or Allions. 1 • Firft, By Words; remonftrating to them the greacnefsof their Sin, the Scan~ Rtpo~fis dal they give to others, either by encouraging or fadning [hem, the Reproach •1 w~rds. they bring upon Religion, and the Danger they bring upon their own Souls. But if they be deaf to all thcfe AdmonitiMH, and continue ohftinate and refolv'd in their evil Courfes, we are then to reprove them. 2 , St!cotJdly, By AE/i(lnJ; that where Words have proved ineffcclual, we ma:y try ttepr~f how Deeds can prevail. · Prevail, I fay, ei[her to deliver rhem, or ac lean, to r;"J. b4 by deliver thine own Soul from Death. And this alfo muft be done thefe two ways. ~;~s. Firjl, If rhey be out Inferiours over whom we have Authority, either as Ma.. Repr~~f ~f $iflratu, or Parents, or the like ; we ought, when .Admonition and Correption ~njmours ts fruitlefS, to reprove them by CorreEiion and Punifbment: If they will. not hear, ~ ::hbe/J they muft feel Rebuke. Thts Di/cipline, if ir be feafonably and prudently ufed, 11 m · is fo far from being any Act of Cruelty, that it is an Ad of the greatcft Kind~ nefs and Charity that can be both to them and to others. Rtpmf To them: As it may refirain them from the commiliion ofthofe future Crimes~ 1mds tow to which their Impunity would elfe embolden them. And thus to fall into the fl~"infrmJ Hands of Men, may be a means to keep them from falling imo the Hands of ~ ~ . . To others: As it may terrific them from following the Exampla of fuch an one's Vices, by feeing the Examples of his Suffering. Thus the Punifhmenr of fome is made to become the InnocenCe of others. 2 , Secondly, If they be our Equals, ove! whom. we. have n? Jurifdi~Hon, nor If Equals coercive Power, we are then to rebuke them, 1f they connnue obfhnate after co~tmueoll- Chriftinn Admonition, by withdrawing our felves fro r;n all neceiTary Converfe ~:;n;et~n- with. t~hem; not fo as to deny them th~ Offices of Civility, Courtefie, and our proof, n>t chantable Affiftance to promote their temporal Good; but to break.off all muftwith~ Familiarity and Intimacy wirh chem : Noc to make fuch lewd and ddfolute ~:~w fr;m Perfons our Friends and chOfen Com_panions. ,!~us ~he. ApoflJ~ charges. us, We sh/:n commantlyou, . Brethren, in the Name of our Lord JtfutChrijf., t1Jat you 'v~rhdra'1ll 2 Thef. ;. yom· [elves from tver; Brother that 'valkrth di{orderly, an~ pof afur the Traditiot~ which 6. he rectVved of tu. And this way of reproving them oughc to be fo manage~ by us, that it may appear it cloth not proceed f~om any fowre, mo,rofe, .~urly Humour, difdaining or hating of their Perfons, ·but meerly tfom Confc1e!lce of our Duty towards tl~e Glory of God, and to do an Act: of Love and Chamy, as indeed ic is, both cowards them, and towards our fdves. Firjf, Towards
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