34,0 CHRISTIAN MORALITY. healthor life, When we happen therefore into such company as give their tongues a loose to scandal, andwe hear our neighbour vilified and reproached, we ought to ward off the calumny, and to refute the scandal, where we know that our neighbour does not deserve it. This piece ofjustice or duty, tcr assist asuffering neighbour, arises from the social nature of man, who by the law of nature is so farborn for a social life, as to come into the world with this claim, and under this sort of obligations ;, for a naked exposed infant may claim the patronage and protection of every eye that beholds.him. And where other circumstances are equal, those who are most capable of affording help, seem to be most obliged. Now if it be a work of human justice to.preserve such a help- less piece of human nature from death, surely every infant grown hp to any degrees of capacity and manhood, ought in like man- ner to esteem himself obliged to afford some assistance to his fel- low-creatures, according to their distress, and his capacity well considered and adjusted. Therefore; my assistance or relief of an injured or perishing creature, is.a sort of duty to mankind, though the person himself be an utter stranger to me : The hiátory of the good Samaritan in the gospel tells me, that in such a case every man ismy neigh- bour, though he be of a different nation, sect, or party. But when then are fellow-subjects, or fellow-citizens, or combined in any natural, civil, or religious society, this rule of justice appears with more forceandevidence ; it strikes abrighter light upon the conscience, and ought to have more power upon the heart and practice ; for combination into society is, an implicit contract or promise of mutual help under necessity. I confess, several of the instances which I have mentioned under this fifth head may be referred also to charity and mercy, of ,which I shall speak hereafter : but for as much as the light of nature and the law of God require these beneficial actions of men toward each other, I have here placed them under the head of justice. VI. The last piece of justice which I shall mention, is reparation to those whom we have wilfully injured, as far as possible : Andthis is acertain duty, whether we have done them injury in their souls, in their bodies, in their estates, or in their reputation. If we have led them into errors or heresy by our conversa- tion ; if we tempted them to sin by our allurement or example ; if we have solicited their assistance in any base or guilty practices of our own ; we ought seriously to employour best powers and prayers toward their recovery from the snare of the devil : If we have wilfullyinjured their health; if we have blasted their credit;
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