SEAM. XXV.] CHRISTIAN MORALITY, VIZ. JUSTICE, &C. 4ig of you injure your neighbour, your fellow-christian ? " I speak this to your shame. Brother goes to law with brother, and ye injure one another. Why do not you rather suffer wrong? nay, you do wrong, and defraud, and that your own brethren." But what is the conse- quence ? Such wretches as these are, " shall never inhe- rit the kingdom of God." " The grace of God that bringeth salvation, Tit. ii. 11, 12. teacheth us to deny ungodliness andworldly lusts, and to live soberly and righteously, and religiously, in this present evil world." It teacheth us righteousness towards men, as well as sobriety among ourselves, and godliness towards the King of heaven. But how hatli this divine religion been scandalized for want ofjustice in the pro- fessors of it ! Scandalized among heathen kingdoms, among Turks and unbelievers ! And christianity in our own land, how hath it been dishonoured by the practices of those that pretend to that holy name ! How hath the conversion of wild heathens in the Indian nations been hindered by the injustice and fraud ofchristian merchants and traders there, or by merchants who call themselves christians. I have heard it said by persons whom I could fully credit, that a Turk when he is suspected of fraud and cheating, will reply, " What, do you think I am a christian ?" O how hath the gospel of the lovely Jesus oeen rendered odious by the abominable practices of those that pretend to honour him ! What falsehood, what lying, what perjury, and cheating, and deceit, and violence have been practised by our traders in foreign lands ! Thus there has been an ill savour of our holy christianity carried beyond the seas, by those, perhaps, who have pretended to convert the infidels. And many in our own nation, who have begun to set their faces to- wards heaven, have been sorely disgusted at the knavish practices of professors, and been tempted to think : that all religion is a jest, and to abandon the ordinances of the gospel. But when souls stumble, and fall, and pe- rishby such discouragements, woe to him that gave the offence, and laid this stumbling-block of iniquity in their way. How heavy must the blood ofsouls lay upon such sinners ! Surely there has been enough said on this head to dis- courage oppression, deceit, and injustice in the profes-
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