94- The LL'attire and l'veceffity Vol. 11. upon a true and juft account, it is nor fo much their Intereft, to retain what they have unjuftly got, as to make Reftitution. And this I fhall do by (hewing Men, that to make Reftitution is their true Intereft, both in refpe& to themfelves, and of their Pofterity. I. In refpe& to themfelves. It is better both in refpe& of our prefent Conditi- on in this World, and of our future State. 1. In refpe&of our prefent Condition in this World, and that both in refpeft ofour outward Eftate, and our inwardPeace and Tranquillity. (I.) In refpe&of our outward Eftate. If we have any belief ofthe Providence ofGod, that his Bleffingcan prolper an Eftate, and hisCurfe confume it and make it moulder away, we cannot but judge it highly our Intereft to clear our Eftates of Injuftice by Reftitution ; and by this means to free them from God's Curfe. For if any of our Eftate be unjuftly gotten, it is enough to draw down God's Curie uponall that we have; it is like a moth in our Eftate, which will infenfibly con- fume it; it is like a fecret Poifon, whichwill diffufe it felt through the whole; like a little Land in Capite, which brings the whole Eftate into Wardfhip. Hear how God threatens to blalkEftates unjuftly gotten, Yob zo. 12, &c. con- cluding with thefe words, This is the portion ofa wicked Man, that is, of an unjuft Man, Ter. 17. I I. As a Partridge j/tteth on Eggs, andhatcheth them not, fo he that get- teth Riches andnot by right, fkall leave them in the midit of his days, and at his end ¡hall be a fool. Men many times live to fee the folly of their Injufticeand Op- preffion, and their Eftates wither away before their Eyes , and by the juft re- venge of God, they are deprivedof them in themidit of their days. So that the belt way to fix an Eftate, and to fecure it to our felves, is by Reftitution to free it from God's Curie ; and when we have done that, howmuch foever we may diminifh ourEftate by it, we may look upon our felves as having a better Eftate than we had; better, becaufe we have God's Bletìing with that which remains. If we believe the Bible we cannot doubt of this. The Spirit of God tells us this from the Obfervation ofthe wifeft Men, Pfal. 37. 16. A little that a righteousMan bath, is better than the riches of many wicked. Prov. 16. 8. Better is a little with righteoufnefs, than great Revenues without Right. (a.) In refpe& of inward Peace and Tranquillity, it is highly our Intereft to makeReftitution. NoMan can enjoy an Eftate, that does not enjoy himfelf; and nothingputs a Man more out of the Poffefiion of himfelf, than an unquiet Con- fcience; and there are no kindof Sins lie heavier upon aMan's Confcience, than thofe of Injuftice becaufe they are committed againft the cleareft natural Light, and there's the leaft natural Temptation to them. They have thefe two great Aggravations, that they are Sins moll againft knowledge, andhave moil of will in them. There needs no Revelation to convince Menof Sins of Injuftice and Op- preffìon; every Mm bath thofe Principles born with him, which will fufticiently -acquaint him, that he ought not tobe injurious to another. There's nothing that relates to our Duty, that a Man can know with greater certainty than this, that In- juftice is a Sin. And as it is a Sin moil againftknowledge, fo it bath molt of Will in it. Men are hurried away to other Sins by the Chong and violent Propenlons of their Nature : but no Man is inclined by his Temper and Conflitution, to Fraud and Oppreffion ; and the leis there is of Nature in any Sin, there's the lefs of Ne- ceffìty, and confequently it is themore voluntary. Now the greater the Aggra- vations of any Sin are, thegreater is the Guilt; and the greater the Guilt is, the more unquiet our Confciences will be : Co that if thou haveany regard to the In- tereft of thine own Peace, if that be confiderablé to thee, which to wife Men is the mofivaluablething in the World, do not for a littleWealth continue in thofe Sins, which will create perpetual difturbance to thee,- and imbitter all the Pleafures of thy Life. Hear how job defcribes the Condition of the wicked Oppreffors in the place before cited, Yob 20. 12, &c. He'ball not rejoice in them, becaufe he bath opprefed, becaufe he hath violently taken away a Houle which he builded not, fusel", he ¡hall not feel quietnefs in his belly : that is, he (hall have no inward Peace and Contentment inthemidfkof all his outward Enjoyments; but his ill-gotten Eftate will work in his Confcience, and gripe him, as if a Man had taken down Poifon into his Belly. 2. But
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