Brotherly Admonition:, eh is Rule isjnfallible, ..Be fure you ftarrer none in ch~ir Vices,extel)uatenor cheir ;:::,ins. when rhou corn'fl: eo repro-ve them, do it not in fpqn: Lee.them fee thou art ii~ \'cry good Ear~eft; and cell 'e?'l their Sin,as it is in jc fclt:,wi~houGmincing .... '>f.~':. rhe matter .orrhecircumfiances oftt. For Men are always ape ro. 1mpute famewhat of ch~Reproofto. che feveriry of him char gi_ves ir, r?therch,an w the d¥n)er its of their own Offences. And therefore, 1f thpu rhy felf loalt fpeak but !lighcly of ...their Sins., · ~hey will be_ ready t9 COI_lclude ~hat they _\yen;: none_,_9r at leaft fa fmall, char lt was nothmg hue Officwufnefs; a1~d rh~ Jor~. of Cenfw·ing; made thee cake nodce of them. .. , ·· 1r tr ... r .... Fourth~y, Let all 'c_hy Rtproo(s b~ given as fecrerly ~nd' privately as, J?ofiibl.y R r , .~; rho~ can it; otl~erwtfe thou wxltfeem notfo m~ch t9 au:n a:;hy BrodlCJ p Refor- oulht fob; rnanon, as-at Ius Shame and Cbnfufion: For 1f (as _cl)~ W\~e Man r.ell~ qs)a1,louq,.gi't!m p:riand clamorous Benedjction given too officioufly, isfo far from beipg a Bleffing, ·w~relj. that it is but a Curie and a Shame to a Man's Friend. O~rca i nly then a publi.c.k ;;ov. '17. and clamorous Rtproof muft only rend to the Shame ~~- Rcpr.. QttCJl.<?fn th~m · that rec~ive it. Indeed there are fome who offend op~nly hefQre -111any: Thele:, (if there be no fear of irritating them ro do worfe) we qu,ghc opt:;nly tQ j~ePuke, and to give them their Rtproofin the Company whete they have giv~n hle Qffin~~: fo faith the Apofile, Thofc that Sin rtbuke before {ltl; rha~is.., fuppqfing~h~ . · their Tim. 5· Sins be open and publick. But foroth~rs whofe SinsanqAflifcnrriage~h~'v,e b,eeq zo. private, and only known to our felv~s ·and a f~wocl;le:s; (~we oug!1t ro. repr?ve chem in fecrer, and eo be tender not on ly ofthetr_Sonl.s, but of tlle1r ~ep.~~atton ·~ aliO. So is che Counfel of our Saviour:' _lf thy Brpthertjlltd~ trifpt{t~ 4gt4?lf! :thet, ~~-~~- r9. -" gPil1Jd._t.ellhim his Fault betnmn thee and hJm.alon:· Aqd wdeed ~hi~ , lS ::q J;CC~i(~:; ·rs·: ~ .. , y piece o£ Prudence, not only to preferve hts Reputat!_9P and, good N<!.me as much as may be, but alfo, ·· . _ · ·.o ~.r.J . _.. F'{ff, To preferve the Reputation of R,eligion it felf, which a JJI~p}lb- . ~· _ lick divulging o~ his Offences m~ght mu~h i~pair and difcred~t. An.d~ ~· '{t/;{f;::-' Secqndfy, To hmder the fpteadmg bf a.o. .evtl Exan1ple, • whxch alfp pe{haps rario11.-f, -.. fome or other: would.make ufe of,to encou~age.them in cfie ~~~Tranlgreffions.,An.4', Religirm. - 1 Tbit·,/ly, l'o preferve him ferviceable for-t he futurc;:; ,.for.by ~ef.wttJ.ng,Pjs Mi(- r: h?d c:lrriage.s, thou leffeneft·his Creditj and thereby rendrefi h~Ql Jefi: _capabl~of do- ,he.ffi,.~';.-/1. ing gdad rthan he was before. For though he may reco,~er tlunfeif O!-JtjfilJJ the i11g of"~'~ Snare of the De.,.;il,and his Wound be he_aled, yet if hi?· F~ulcs ha"'e -~~~p!.made t'Vil ExJJmp.ublick, the Scat will ftill remain: And this will be fuch a biemilhJp hi,~I;rl\at P 1 '· having loft much of his repute among 1\.1en, he will li~ewife 1 l9!eJ.np~h W ~ nt.J thofe Advantages he formerly had of doing good in th<;World; aJ]d ti\O~,by thy 'If,.,l;e 'I imprudmt R eproofi be the caufe of it. Upon all thefe Ac;coums i,t is neceffa~y that miiJ bt%.. thy Rtproofr be managed with the gr:eaceft Secrecy apd ~riVa£y that \JnflY be : r,;ietAble. For as St. Auftitz fpeaks well, " If whilft thou a~one ,know~ft thy Brothyr eo .~·-n~u ,' ' have offended, and yet wilt rebuke him before all, Non eJ CD17elior~ fed prtr- " ditor: thou art not aR.eprover, but a Betrayer. , / -;, -,,. , . , .., Fifthly, Reprove net one who is greatly thy Superior, unlefs it be at a .~;efpect- s ~·~ ful Jiftance. Towards fuch we muft not ufe downright and blunt RtbrJ:.es, but ,:!;b, rt_. racher infinuate things imo .them with Addrefs and ArrHl.ce. What fay-s jElihu, pr~wd rt. Idt fiP' to _fay to a King, Thou art wicked, and to Princu, rear,; tmgodly? And in-fptBfll/ly. .deed in this Cafe u(uaUy, it is moit fit and decent th~qthy R4p,oofo lh,o~ ld notJ~b.J4. carry their own Shape and Form, but difguife them ratA~'i. i.g~o P~iables orfmrea1 • ties, or into any fuch humble and becoming MechpdJ >.:""~ t · withal , , let fo much appear, as rhat rhey may well enough lmqw thy drifc anSlJurcnc... For it Q.e<;:onic;s the Wifdom and Station of Inferiours, ~ fq to on;ler tl\eir ~peech, ~.1-J.:. tt lf jc can but be inreq~reted as a Reproof, their Supe,ri.ours may an\J\ will cerVJi:PlY. know: . .. ... they. meant It forfuch. Thus the Apofole btds us, If..qfufi fb v.ot an Eldp!,buf rather zTAm.s.t. intrtat him as n Father. For becaufe their ,Place -and -C.alling reqQir:ed ReJpeCl:: and Reverence, therefore the Ap_oftle woul~ not have t,!l~m bluntly Rebqked, but that the R<proof fl10uld b~ claa i1,1 another drefs, . tlw ;hey mig\1r appear to be rathec Increaries than1Rebukes. . ,,. 1 · · 1 · We may_ obferv~ 1ikewife, that when J!nth.an was fent irnrpediatcly b,y God to r~prove Kmg Davul,he.doth not attack lum dtreclly,a.t;td ~all rud.ely uppn him for h1s Adultery and Murder,butcloaths his Speech in a Parsble,an4 when he had fo •reprefemed the heinoufnefs of his Sin, fo as.by that tl,leans to make llim:firfi: reprove and condemn hirnfelf, then he tells him, Thor' art tlu .Mfl 'l • Sixtb/y1
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