35,1 cnatts-riAN MORALITY. Surelythere hasbeen enough said on this head todiscourage oppression, deceit, and injustice in the_professors ofchristianity, if argument, and shame, and terror canhave power'and prevalence over sin and temptation. O may almighty grace attend this dis- . course of justice, and work the sacred love of it in the hearts of men! Now ifye are made willing towalk by the rules ofequity and justice, instead of proposing particular directions for this end, I shall proceed, In the fifthand Iast place, to point outthe various springs of injustice, that ye may avoid them. Thegreat and general spring of injustice to our neighbour is a criminal and excessive love to ourselves. For since thecom- prehensive notion of justice lies in this, to give to every one that which is due, it follows, that the general notion of injustice con- sists in taking to ourselves more than is due, or in giving less than is due to our neighbour. There are a thousand instances of this unrighteousness amono. men, in reference to their bodies, their souls, their good name, or their possessions in the world. This general term of injustice is so extensive, that it -includes a great part of the sins forbidden in the second taule. Disobedience to parents and governors, rebellion, treason, murder, adultery, theft, violence and plunder, cheating, and deceit, and slander, with all sinful desires topossess what belongs to our neighbour, may be justly ranked under the head of unrighteousness : And they spring from this one fountain, namely, an excessive regard to self. It is to this natural and exalted idol that we sacrifice the peace and the property, thegood name, and eventhe lifeof our fellow-creatures. Nor will any method be effectual to secure us from the the prac- tice of injustice, till we learn to degrade self a little in our own esteem, and to judge of our neighbour, and of the things that arehis due, by the same rule and measure by whichwe take an estimate, of ourselves, and of what is due to us. Let us put our neighbour in the place of self, and judge how he ought to be treated. But that we may more effectually guard ourselves from the temptations of injustice, let us descend to particulars, and we shall find that almost all the unrighteous practices of men spring from some ofthese six principles ; viz. covetousness, pride, luxu- ry, sloth, malice against men, or distrust of God. I. Covetousness is a great spring of injustice. This con- sists in an immoderate desire of possessing : Andwe are told by the apostle, that the love of money is the root of all evil, which While sonie have eoveted after, they have not only erred from the faith, but they have ventured upon many sins, as well as.
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