417 / 514
9L}tM
XXIV.]
Cj3R;STIAN MORALITY,
VIZ. JUSTICE,
&C.
409
all
that
l
deal with,
and
do
I
keep the
proper
time
of
payment,
which
contract
or
custom have
appointed
?
Have I
defended
my
neighbour
from injury, and assisted
bim in the day
of
his
distress,
as
I
myself should
reason
-
ably
hepe
for
his
defence
and
assistance
?
Have
I
sought
to
rescue
his
good name
from reproach and slan-
der
when
it
has
been
attacked
Or
have
I
rather
fallen
in
with
slanderers, and
joined
in
the
wilful
scandal
?
Have
I
honestly sought
to make
restitution
to
another
where
I
have been guilty
of
wilful
injury,
and
done what
in me lies to
repair
the damage
that
my
injustice
has
brought uppn
him
?
Have
I
attempted
to
repair
his
losses,
so
far
as
is
consistent with the duties
of
my
other
relations
in life?"
Where
is
the person
that
can lay
his
hand upon
his
heart, and
say,
I
am
guiltless before
God
in all this?
Who
can wash his
hands
in
innocency,
and
pronounce
himself righteous
?
Surely such
a
discourse
as this
is,
should awaken conscience to
sensible
acts
of
repentance
and mourning
:
we
should
be willing
and
ready to
yield to
the conviction, where the word
of
God
fastens the charge
upon
us,
and
lay ourselves low
before
the
throne
of
a
righteous
God,
"Blessed
Lord
God,
if
thou
art
strict
to
mark
iniquities,
who
can
stand
before
thee?
But
there
is
forgiveness
with
thee,
that
thou
malest
be
feared.
We
have failed in
many instances
of
duty toward
our
fellow
-
creatures,
as
well
as
toward thee
our
Creator;
We have
neither
given to
God nor
to
our
neighbour the
full
due
of
love which thy righteous law
requires;
We
lie in the
dust
before thee, and betake
ourselves to the refuge
that
is
set
before
us:
Jesus the
righteous
is
our
hope,
he
not
only paid to
God and man
all
their
due, in the
course
of
his holy
life,,
but
he also
restored that honour
to
thy
justice
by his
death, which
we
had taken
away by
our
unrighteousnesses. O may
.
every soul
of
us
be forgiven
for
his
sake,
and created
anew in
Christ
Jesus
unto
good works
!
Amen."