Brotherly Admonition. every Cl;rifiian vigoroufly tb oppofe_ bit11felf to the growir:tg _Sins of rhe Tiq~e~ and Places in which he lives,. and WI~h Courage and .RefolUt'JOn .to decry that common Profanenels th:u gatns Credu only by our Silence. \Ve know that Sin is a fhameful opprob/ious Thing in ~~ feif, : a Thing that ~ifh~anens ~nd diffpirirs the Guilty : They wear a Cor.fczence a~our rhe.m that 1s fitll ch~okmg and upbraiding them; and if we c::ould but look mto r.he1r Souls, we fhould fee them covered all over with Fear, Horrour, ~nd .Confu~o~. T!1ey are generally felt-condemned Perfons,and carry thofe Momtors Withm rhe1r own Breail:s that are continually :eprovinf? and corrnent!ngthem: A~d therefore that they may not hear the V01ce of thetr own Confctence!l, they hve abroadJ and rather converfe wirh any one without doors, than , with themfelves and their own ti·ouble... fome and clamorous Hearcs. Now lee it be our Care eo flop up all Paffages, by which they thir.k eo make their efcape. Let them ~nd, char in whacfoever Cornpany they go, they !hall meet wuh th.ofe that will no mor~ fpare them, than their own Co•fcitncn; that Company ts no Sanctuary for Stns and Guilt, and thacthey fhall be as fure to be R'p"ved,ascbey dare. <oOffm,/. ~nd whenthey are thus every where befec, chetr Con[cunctJ exclatmmg agamtt them with.. in, and all chat they Converfe with without, they will fe.e a Necefficy fm; it, either to forfake their 1/icet, or the World, ar,d he forced to be verruous for their ()Wn eafe and quiec. And certainly till Chriftians do confpire together in this Defign we may long enough complai!l of the abounding o.f Iniquicy without any fuc~e~ful Reformation. Abound h' :vm, an? grow i~~udenr and imperious, unlefs we Joyn roger her ro beat down tcs Credtt,. expofe 1t to Scorn and Contempt, and make chat which is fo really fhameful in it felf, . to be rhe g-reateft; M?rk of Infamy, Shame, and Reproach_ to any that fhall d~re to commit it. Bur now this Duty of Reproving, requtres ner only a great deal of Chriilian Fortitude and Courage, but alfo a _great meafure of C!1rifti~n P~udence and Difcretion. We mufi not only be refolute and confident m domg n, bur we mull: do it likewife in luch a fitting way as may be moll likely to work a good effect upon thofe whom we a.re to reprove. And therefore, In the Fourth Place, I fhall give you fome brief Rules and Directions when · you ought to reprrl"ve,_ and how you ought to manage your Rrproofi, fo ~s they Rulr~·fo,. may be moft benefictal.to your Brother. And fome of rhemfhall be J.."rgatives, Rrpmf. and mhen /hall be Pojitnm. , FirjJ, For the Negative Rules, take thefe that folloW. I. Fwfl, I ought nor to rep rove my Brother if I have no cerraiil knOwiedgC of :r. his Offence. And therefore thofe Who upon a blind Rumour, or groUndlefs Wr mt4f Sufpicion, hafli ly conclude him guilty, and fo fill their Mouths with Reproofs no~ tprovr lhewthemfelves tO be ve:y much in love with this Office, and are a Company J ;~ :::!:~g~ impertinent Bulie-bodies, who fiart their Arrow before ever they fee the Mark. of tht oj.. We mufi firft be cerrain'J: info!med, eirl~er up<?n our Perfonal. Knowledge, orfmu. upon the undoubced T efbmomes of cred1ble Wuneffes, that hets Guilty • · other~ wife in going abou~ eo fhe":' him his F. ult, we fhall but !hew our own F. u 1 , and Credulfty; our Rtproofs wtll be hue Slanders, and our Charity in offerinn: the Cure, wiH no~ be hal(fo great, as our uncharitablenefsin believing thf D1feafe. Second~], lr 1s not neceffary for me to reprove, where 1 have re~fon to con- i~ elude that others ofmore Prudence and Inrereft in the Parry, eic her have already or elfe will more effectually perform ir: For otherwife it will appear chat wed~ noc fo much feek his EmenJation, as to be Oftcnt"tious of our own Zeal and Forwardnefs. And befides, too many Reprovers may, inficad of reforming (J rather irritate and provoke: Only here, beware thou dofi not retract rhis in~ graceful Office upon flight Pretences, nor think thy felf excufed, beca·ufe 0 .. rhers are hound eo do it. Bm confider ferioufly in thine own Confcie"nce whether thou thinkeft r.hey will ?e ~aithful enough.in performing it, or mor~ dextrous than thou art tn rnanagmg It; or that t:heJr Reproof will be more acceptable and more prevalent with thy Brother than thine. If not thou arc llill oblig'd to it: And if thou refufeft, know that though he may die in hi$ Sins, yet his B\ood God will require ar chy Hands. T~irdly, We ougl_lt nor to p.ive fharp Reproofs for fmall Offencu, We muft not 1 , Pamcular~y, and wtth Ac.cenr and Emphafis reprove our Brother for every im•o- Sl11tr! Ri.. lumary Shp, every Infirmlty and Weaknefs,that bewrayeth it felfthrough fome P"'f mufl A a a a fuddain '"'~~for
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