the most hopeful way to procure and promote others Weal You are most likely to help to make bad Men good to make evil Times better to procure much good to the Societies which you are Members of and to keep off Publick Evils But I beseech you see that you be true lovers of Goodness even eo nomine as goodness and so lovers of all that is truly good As we must hate all evil hate every false way so must we love all that is good love every good path Partiality would bewray Hypocrisie When the Heart is indeed gain'd to the love of that which is good it is for the whole of real goodness not barely for the Lists or for a few Shreads of it Thus are Secret Duties good what the Lord requires Then before these as well as for other Duties wherein others joyn with you And thus you must be for costly Duties that require more self denyal than ordinary And let me mind you of one thing more scil That Love is a leading Affection and an active Principle As I remember one calls it The great Wheel of the Soul that sets all agoing Love will carry out the Soul to the thing loved Thus if you love that which is good you will be followers of that which is good you will cleave to that which is good you will be promoters of that which is good And so they that hate the evil and love the good these are the Men who will be for establishing Judgment in the Gate The Gate of the City was the noted place where the Judges used to sit As Lyra says Sicut praecipitur Deut. 16. v. 18. ad hoc ut quilibet tam peregrinus quam civis possit statim Judicis invenire That as well strangers as Citizens might know whither readily to go for Justice To establish Judgment in the Gate is to see the due administration of Justice that Justice be not neglected nor perverted but rightly and duly executed So I come to a Third Proposition III. Gods will is that Justice and Judgment have place and a due course amongst Men. And tho' this looks and points more directly and especially towards Rulers Judges Civil Magistrates yet others are not to look on themselves as wholly unconcerned in this matter Even private persons upon many Accounts are obliged to do what in them lieth that Judgment may be established in the Gate Without Question this is a thing that all ought to pray for All should be sending up their Votes their Prayers to Heaven for Rulers Magistrates that they may keep judgment and do justice that under them we may lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty Again many private persons may have a stroke in establishing judgment amongst us may contribute something towards it by giving their Votes for persons rightly qualified when our Representatives are to be chosen or any are to be Elected into Offices wherein they shall have any share in the Government and by their place be concerned more or less with the distribution of Justice And let them look to it how they will Answer it to God and their own Consciences who regard not how they cast away their Votes in such cases on persons not fit to be trusted so that they can but serve their own turns But further private persons ought as occasion is offered to encourage and be assistant unto Magistrates in the due execution of Justice in the right discharge of their Office And this way may they promote the work of establishing Judgment in the Gate 'T is a Duty incumbent upon all to seek Righteousness Zep. 2.3 To seek Judgment Isa 1.17 And 't is an heavy charge brought in against the Jews Isa 59.4 None calleth for Justiee And the People are not excus'd as to the Priests Male-administration Jer. 5.31 The Prophets prophesie falsly the Priests bear rule by their means and my People love to have it so And we see in the Text that the Lord is so for Justice and Judgment having a due course that without better care about it he would not have them think or hope that he would be gracious unto them Now it cannot seem strange that he is so concerned for Justice and Judgment taking place if we consider these two or three things following 1. His Honour as he is the Supream Ruler of the World is here concerned As when Judges Magistrates on the contrary wrest and pervert judgment bearing down truth and right as far as they can countenancing or connivingar impiety and profaneness which they ought to punish and suppress and oppressing or discountenancing true goodness and piety which they ought to protect and promote these things are a great reproach and dishonour unto God whose Ministers Officers and Deputies they are 'T is as if they would have the World believe that God is altogether such a one as they are 2. His love to Justice Righteousness and Equity with his abhorrence of the contrary He loveth Righteousness and Judgment Psa 33.5 and 37.28 Isa 61.8 I the Lord love Judgment With which compare Isa 59.14 15. Judgment is turn'd away backward and Justice standeth afar off And the Lord saw it and it displeased him that there was no Judgment Pro. 17.15 He that justifieth the Wicked and he that condemneth the Just even they both are abomination to the Lord. So woe to such Isa 5.23 3. His Love to Mankind and Care of Humane Societies How ill can these subsist without Judgment Therefore he would have Judgment established in the Gate because Judgment establisheth the Land Prov. 29.4 The King by Judgment establisheth the Land Whenas the perverting of Judgment tends to the overthrow of a Land both efficiently and meritoriously God hath in favour towards Mankind for the Preservation and well-being of humane Societies ordained the Office of Civil Rulers for administring Justice to keep Men in order or to punish Disorders What were an Army without Officers but a Rout So what were a Nation or City without Rulers but a Mob or confused Tumult And tho' such were not assaulted with a Foreign Enemy yet how likely soon to come to ruine by intestine Discords What lamentable Broils and Tumults would arise without any way or means to appease them Yea such is the Degeneracy and Corruption of Mankind that without Rulers and Civil Government better order might be expected amongst brute Beasts than among Men. Thus Men would come to be oppress'd every one by another and every one by his Neighbour Yea thus the Estates and Lives of the Honestest and Best would lie continually at the Mercy of the Vilest and Worst of Men. But I must think of the special occasion of our Assembling at this time I am forc'd to to be too short on the former Propositions and prevented going further tho' there is a 4th Proposition in the Text before us which I can only speak to by the by Only there is one thing which you should all take notice of
A SERMON Preach'd to the SOCIETY FOR Reformation of Manners IN Nottingham Novemb. 24. 1698. By JOHN BARRET Minister of the GOSPEL Published at the desire of the said Society LONDON Printed by Tho. Snowden and sold by Iohn Richards Bookseller in Nottingham 1699. A SERMON FOR THE Reformation of Manners AMOS v. xv Hate the Evil and love the Good and Establish Judgment in the Gate It may be that the Lord God of Hosts will be Gracious unto the Remnant of Joseph THough the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was very bitter and set Mans Teeth on Edge yet the right Knowledge of Good and Evil is good and necessary without which we cannot hate the Evil and love the Good The Nature and Difference of Moral Good and Evil is invariable For any to conceit Virtue and Vice of an indifferent Nature in themselves that the former is only good because commanded and the latter only evil as forbidden is certainly a most wild and very false conceit Or to imagine that the Holy God of His absolute Soveraignty might have commanded us to despise His infinitely Glorious Majesty to blaspheme His most Sacred and Reverend Name and to be unjust intemperate to run into all excess of Riot to make Beasts of our selves to be Lewd and Debauch'd to work all uncleanness with greediness Or to imagine that he might have prohibited our living Soberly Righteously and Godly in the World surely such thoughts would be horribly injurious to the Holy one of Israel most impious and blasphemous thoughts They that could entertain such thoughts of God would shew themselves no Christians while thus they would subvert all Religion Such would not shew themselves Men but rather to have put off all Reason and Humanity Such would shew themselves Enemies to Mankind who cared not to turn the World upside down cared not to turn Human Societies into Herds of brute Beasts Yea such would interpretatively and by consequence deny that there is a God that Ruleth and Judgeth in the Earth As such Laws would be most contradictory to the Infinite Goodness and Holiness of God And if He were not infinitely Good and Holy he should not be God Deny His perfect Holiness and you deny Him to be God Yet note by the way that besides those things which are intrinsically good or evil there are other things indifferent in themselves which passing under the stamp of Divine Authority the Lord requiring them they thus become unquestionable Duties or forbidding other of them they are Sins till such injunction or prohibition be taken off And it must needs be thus upon that Fundamental undeniable Principle That God our Maker Owner and Supreme Ruler and Governour hath a Sovereign Right of commanding and that Man is under an indisputable Obligation to obey Him in all his Commands That 't is unquestionably good to yield obedience even to such positive Commands But evil to transgress and violate them As God made Man a Reasonable Creature and Upright after his own Image while Man kept his integrity there was a right understanding and good accord betwixt God and Man Mans will being fully conform to the will of his Maker Thus at first Mans Nature was fram'd to love the good and to hate evil And nothing more congruous to right Reason than that it should be so And therefore wicked Men in Scripture are commonly called Fools a proper Name for them as wanting the right use of Reason As loving that which in all reason they should hate and abominate and hating that which they ought to love Which shews the horrible depravation of Mans Nature by and since the Fall Oh the monstrous deformity of sinful Souls what lamentable horrible disorders are here As Sinners love simplicity and hate knowledge Prov. 1.22 Love Darkness and hate the Light as chap. 3. of the Evangelist St. John ver 19 20. Love their base Lusts and hate Holiness Unto such a foolish cross-grain'd froward and perverse People was the Prophet Amos here sent The Children of Israel the House of Joseph for whom together with their Brethren the Children of Judah the Lord had done more than for all the Families of the Earth besides When yet they requited Him evil for good they went on provoking Him with their manifold Transgressions and their mighty Sins as here ver 12. For which they are severely threatned Yet here behold and wonder Oh should we not wonder at the goodness and mercy of God shewn towards such provoking Creatures as Sinners are The Lord with His sharpest reproofs and severest threatnings is pleas'd to intermix most gracious Calls and Counsels to repent and turn that so he might repent of the evil threatned and turn from His fierce Anger yea that he might be gracious unto the Remnant of Joseph According to that Ezek. 33.11 As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the Death of the wicked but c What various methods doth he take to bring sinners to a better pass that iniquity may not be their ruine His patience and goodness is to lead them to Repentance His inflicting lesser judgments as warning-pieces is that if they take warning and turn unto the Lord that smiteth them greater evils may be prevented severer strokes may be kept off more wasting Calamities Land-desolating Judgments may be turned away And still he follows them with gracious earnest Calls and and with sweet encouraging Promises if any means might work on them As here v. 4 5 6. Seek ye me and ye shall live But seek not Bethel Seek the Lord and ye shall live And v. 14 15. Seek good and not evil that ye may live and so the Lord the God of Hosts shall be with you Hate the evil and love the good and establish judgment in the Gate c. Here is a Sovereign Remedy prescrib'd to and for a People in a most dangerous Case When judgment was towards them the Decree ready to bring forth Sentence ready to be executed And 't is the Lords own prescription who is called their Physitian Exod. 15.26 Here 's a threefold Duty requir'd 1. Hate the Evil. 2. Love the good 3. Establish Judgment in the Gate And Gods mercy held forth or promis'd thereupon It may be that the Lord God of Hosts will be gracious unto the Remnant of Joseph Which tho spoken of with a may be yet all the doubt was whether they would Repent and Reform not whether God would be gracious to them if they did so See Jer. 18.7 8. What needeth explanation I may take notice of as I go on These four Axioms or Propositions I take to lie plain in the Text that he that runneth may observe and take notice of I. 'T is Gods express Charge Will and Command that Men hate Evil. II. So likewise That they love that which is good III. And that according to their power and capacity they establish Judgment in the Gate IV. And this way a People may hope to
good such do in the World Such are indeed Benefactors to the World tho' lightly esteem'd But 't is the Duty not only of a Bishop as 't is one Qualification set down Tit. 1.8 but of every Christian as well to be a Lover of good Men. True we ought to love all Men for so much good as is in them and with a Love of Benevolence Bear no Malice to any Man Christ has taught us to love our Enemies And we must love the Persons of the Wicked tho' we are to hate their wicked Practices But we are not to love all Men alike There is a special Love of Complacence owing to good Men. Our delight must be in those that excel in Vertue I question whether Satan was ever at any time more busie than in this Age of ours to divide the Hearts of such But blessed be God his Name be praised that we can see the Enemy's Design cross'd any where That in some places the Primitive Spirit of True Christian Love seems to be reviving Use II. A word of Exhortation O Love-the Good O how ought we to love God who is Goodness it self Love him above all Love him for himself Love other Things and Persons only in God and for him And thus all our love should center and terminate in him Remember the first and great Commandment Mat. 22.37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy Mind And all is too little God being infinitely Good and Amiable surely he deserves more Love than our Hearts can hold than all the Powers and Faculties of our Souls ever can express And how ought we to love a good and gracious Redeemer the Lord Jesus Christ He is altogether lovely Full of Grace and Truth How can we think of his own Loveliness as being the Brightness of his Fathers Glory and the express Image of his Person Heb. 1.3 and how can we think of his wonderful unparallel'd Love to us and not have our Hearts enamour'd of him enflam'd with Love to him again Oh! what wicked Hearts have they that are in love with their vain and sinful Pleasures or are doting on the Worlds Riches or Honours but have not the Love of God in them nor do they love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity in comparison of whom nothing in the World is to be lov'd But is it not good to love God and Jesus Christ And should we not love to love the highest the most perfect Objects of Love to whom our most ardent love were it raised to the highest degree possible were still far from being adaequate And then should we not love the good word of God What servent love doth the Holy Psalmist express to the Word Psa 119. Yea says he v. 140. Thy word is very pure therefore thy Servant loveth it We should be at a sad loss to know what is good were it not for the Word But there the Lord sheweth us what is good Mic. 6.8 Wo unto them that call evil good and good evil Isa 5.20 And such woful Mistakes are Men like to fall into that either have not God's Word or regard it not take not good heed to the word But if God's Testimonies are our Meditation our Delight and the Men of our Counsel if we be not unskilful in the word of Righteousness but have our Senses exercised therein we may thereby discern both good and evil And observe it according to our Love to God's word such will be our hatred of evil and our love to that which is good Psa 119.113 163. Again the Lord's Day that 's a good Day A day which God hath set apart for his special Service and which he is wont to bless above other days unto those that have a care to keep it Holy Oh! love and prize the Christian Sabbath count it a delight Love God's Publick Worship How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts Think how we are priviledg'd above our Brethren in France c. How happy would they think themselves might they enjoy the like Liberty of attending on God's Ordinances and if there were none to interrupt them or to make them afraid And love Family-Worship Keep that up daily Morning and Night Let your Houses be little Churches And if you count God's Service perfect Freedom sure you will also delight in secret Duties where you may have greater Liberty in Prayer Love Holiness and the power of Godliness Alas how many take up with a meer Form of Godliness but do you take heed of resting there Love a Religious Strictness and Exactness in your ordinary Conversation Walk by Rule A Course that Men generally yea too many Professors I fear are very tardy in Love Righteousness Hate all unrighteous Dealing Such as love Violence or Injustice the Lord hateth Psa 11.5 Love the Truth and Peace as Zach. 8.19 Diligite veritatem pacisicam pacem veram quae ad normam verbi divini quod est veritas congruit Tarnovius Indeed Peace without Truth should not be taking with us But so far as will stand with the Interest of Truth we should all be followers of Peace Love Mercy Mic. 6.8 Delight in doing what good you can Be beneficial to as many as you can as you have opportunity Ubicunq homo est ibi beneficio locus est I say no more here but as the Apostle Phil. 4.8 Whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good Report if there be any Vertue if there be any Praise think on these things Apply your Minds to them set your Hearts on them Which if you do then know for your Encouragement 1. In loving the good you shall be Followers of God which as it is your Duty so it will be your Honour Is it not an honour to be Followers of God 2. 'T is very pleasing to God This is the good and acceptable Will of God And if you love God certainly it is your unfeigned desire to please him whether others be pleased or displeased You will think your selves happy if you can but please him 3. This will prove you truly good Here 's a comfortable evidence of your being in a good Estate if indeed you love the Good 4. And thus you may be assured that the Lord will be good to you He is good and does good to such That your Souls shall lodge in Goodness And how great is his Goodness that he hath laid up for such This is with Mary to chuse the good part 5. And if you love and embrace Goodness who but such as are of a Diabolical Spirit would seek to harm you But suppose any should seek you hurt for loving and following that which is good yet you may be of good Courage The Lord will turn it to good Bonis omnia in bonum 6. And if you are Lovers of that which is good you are in
partake of others sins It may be a great comfort to you in the worst times that can come if you can approve your selves to be clear in this matter But if more would joyn with you or follow your Example we might have some hope that the Nations Guilt and Danger would be less And so 8. Consider you may this way be doing great good Service unto many others 1. Thus 't is possible that the Sinners themselves whom you bring under the Rebukes of Justice may thereby be brought to a better pass It may tend to their Cure So that they and theirs may fare better for you Their Families Wives and Children may fare better 2. So likewise you may this way befriend others As you heard before Smite a Scorner and the simple will beware By your means many may be preserv'd and kept from falling into the like Exorbitances and Enormities And I doubt not very much sin has been prevented by you which had you sat still would have been committed in this Place 3. What a Blessing may you be to this Beloved Town A place the Lord hath long watch'd over for good hath eminently preserv'd favour'd and many ways blest Yet Scornful obstinate Sinners were like enough to set the Town on fire For wickedness burns as the fire Isa 9.18 'T is of a destructive Nature where it prevails and no care is taken to suppress it Even for that sin of Sabbath-prophanation the Lord threatned to kindle a fire in the Gates of Jerusalem that should devour the Palaces thereof and should not be quench'd Jer. 17.28 May this Place be long blest in her Magistrates and blest in you and others like you assisting them as good Watch-men that may prevent the fire of God's Wrath breaking forth here 4. Yea England may fare better for you You may be of the number of Englands best Friends Indeed the Anger of the Lord seems not yet turned away from us What hopes we had sometimes of plenty with our Peace There was hope sometimes the last Summer of a plentiful and joyful Harvest when it hath been a sad Harvest in several places that we hear of How long shall the Land mourn for the Wickedness of them that dwell therein If the Sword of Justice be not drawn against sin and sinners may we not then expect that the Lord's hand will take hold on Judgment A day of Indulgence towards Sinners is a day of Provocation and that is like to usher in a day of Wrath and Calamity But as it is in the Text Establish Judgment in the Gate it may be that the Lord God of Hosts will be gracious When 't is said it may be if we should take the word as a particle of doubting yet the doubt is not on God's part but on Mans part or 't is an intimation of the difficulty of the thing to excite them to greater diligence in their Duty Or 't is not to discourage such as hearken to God's Counsel but to discourage others who regard it not If the righteous scarcely be saved what will become of the wicked But the due Execution of Justice is one good means to prevent Gods Judgments Numb 25.11 Phineas hath turn'd my Wrath away from the Children of Israel while he was zealous for my sake If any object There are other Places Countries in the World where Sin and Wickedness abounds as much as in England that yet have Peace and Prosperity for all that Answ 1. What tho' they prosper at present yet you know not how soon dreadful Calamities may come upon them and a destruction from the Almighty The Sun shone upon Sodom that very Morning before fire and brimstone was shower'd down from Heaven that destroyed them all We use to say Praise a fair day at night 2. And hath not God from Age to Age declar'd his Wrath against the Ungodliness and Unrighteousness of Men by his Judgments inflicted in one place or other As is said of Edom Mal. 1.3 4. I hated Esau and laid his Mountains and his Heritage waste And they shall call them The Border of Wickedness and the People against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever And will you make nothing of those dreadful Earthquakes that of late made such ruinating work in some Places Or will you make nothing of the late Wars abroad whereby so great Desolations have been made in the Earth 3. But further take notice the Lord will rather or will longer bear with other Nations forbear to punish the Wickedness of other Nations than the Wickedness of a Nation that hath been brought nearer to him and is called by his Name and priviledg'd with his Word and Ordinances c. Ingentia beneficia flagitia Supplicia As such a People are under greater Obligations their sins have higher Aggravations and God is more dishonoured by them that they deserve greater Punishment And see Amos 3. ver 2. You only have I known of all the Families of the Earth therefore I will punish you for all your Iniquities And may not the Lord say thus of us What Nation upon the face of the Earth under the Cope of Heaven that hath been more priviledg'd and more car'd for by the Lord for whom God hath wrought greater Deliverances to whom he hath vouchsafed greater means helps and advantages than we of this Nation have had to make us better These things duly considered will shew our sins of a deeper dye and more provoking and threatning Upon which account they deserve well of England sure they are her most trusty Friends who set themselves vigorously against sin And therefore I beseech you let not our Gracious Sovereign for whom we pray that he may long live and reign prosperously let him not fare worse let not the Kingdom fare worse for any Wickedness committed which you are in any capacity to prevent or put a stop to So far as you can hinder any further Accumulation to the Nations Sin and Guilt which is so great already and lieth so heavy on it let not your care and pains be wanting You are in a way in an hopeful way with the encouragement and concurrence of your Magistrates to do something towards the reforming of those evil Manners of an untoward Generation Now be couragious and active It may be a means to divert Judgment yea it may be a Token for good that the Lord will be further gracious to us will be favourable to the Land Now give me leave to speak a little to two or three Objections and I shall conclude Object 1. Some count you Busie-bodies meddling in matters that concern you not Answ Now how strange is this Do such understand what they say Should you not be concern'd for the Honour of God and for the Peace and Welfare of the King and his Realm for the Land of your Nativity and for the Souls of others even of bold daring Sinners themselves Does not Sin and Wickedness committed with Impudence and Impunity strike desperately at all these Then
where were your Zeal for God Loyalty to our King love to your Country compassion towards the Souls of Men if you should look upon your selves as unconcern'd here But if you set your selves as in the fore-front of the Battle against the Vices Wickedness and Prophaneness of the present Age that would seem to argue that you have a clearer deeper Sense of your Duty than most Men have And indeed some must do it if any thing be done to purpose And your Forwardness herein may provoke others to their Duty who are hitherto lagging behind And as for those who call you Busie-Bodies for endeavouring to put a stop to open Wickedness suppose their Houses were on fire would they call you so for coming to quench the fire Or would they say to you Gentlemen Friends Pray go Home and look to your own Houses you have nothing to do here Now certainly the prevailing of Wickedness in any place is of more dangerous and worse consequence than a fire breaking forth in the Town Object 2. You make your selves Informers Answ And what then It is one thing to inform against Men for Religion for Praying Preaching Hearing God's Word and another thing to inform against Men for notorious Irreligion and Prophaneness for Cursing and Swearing c. It is one thing to inform against such as were Pious and Peaceable in the Land out of Malice or of Covetousness to prey on their Estates and raise themselves on the Ruines of Men more righteous than themselves and quite another thing to inform against gross Wickedness out of Conscience not for any worldly Advantage and seeking the Good of the Offenders themselves And I hope the Objectors will not say that Joseph did amiss when he told of his Brethren when he brought unto his Father their evil Report in order to the Reforming of them Gen. 37.1 And they that brought the Son of Shelomith to Moses for blaspheming the Name of the Lord and Curling Lev. 24.11 no doubt thought it would have been a great sin in them had they connived at and concealed such Wickedness And others have well observ'd That the Princes thought it not below them to be Informers in a case of this Nature Ezra 9.1 2. Again this is plain They that are against your informing Magistrates of the Breach of our good and wholesom Laws how and by whom they are broken these I say are against establishing Judgment in the Gate For how should wholesom Laws be put in execution without such Information given to Magistrates The greatest Transgressors would be far from coming to accuse themselves They would think themselves safe enough if there was no Punishment to be inflicted on them but upon their confession of the Fact And such if they have a knowledge of Magistrates that are for keeping up the Authority of the Law and for executing Justice on Offenders they would be most shy of them that they be not taken transgressing within their view So that Bar Informations and then the Sword of Justice might rust in the Scabbard or however it would be so seldom drawn as to be no Terrour to evil Doers When not one Offender of Ten of Twenty or of Forty c. were like to fall under the lash of the Law this would be no great terror to be sure to an Offender that thinks it is forty to one he shall escape Again let any indifferent Person judge whether these Men be not partial No doubt they would have you ready to inform them and ready to witness for them and in their Cause if you knew who had wronged them who had robb'd them who had stolen a Horse of theirs c. but they would have you to be mute in God's Cause Now what is this but to love and honour themselves above God and to prefer their own petty Interests before the Interest of Religion and before the Glory of the Great God As if it was a greater matter that they should be injured in the least than that Religion should suffer and the Name of God be never so highly dishonoured But be you assured It will be found in the great day of Trial a greater Honour as one says to have been a faithful Informer against Vice than a base conniver at it and a wretched betrayer of the Honour of God and Religion Object 3. Many of your Informations are Clandestine and Offenders are oft convicted and punished without knowing their Accusers What shall we say to this Answ 1. Here it should be considered That it may be an Act of real Kindness and Charity to inform against common Swearers Drunkards c. to bring them under the Rebuke of the Law and Justice when there is no other likely means to reclaim or restrain them from their wicked Courses but it would be no kindness it would do them no good to let them know that you are the Persons that inform'd against them while it is likely to have such ill effect as to fill them with Wrath Malice and Spite against you and thus to increase their Sin and Guilt Should you not avoid being Accessary to these other sins of theirs so far as you can prevent the occasion without neglecting your own Duty 2. 'T is both allowable and commendable to use your best Prudence to keep off ill Turns without wronging Conscience without staining your Innocence your Integrity As you may pray to be deliver'd from wicked and unreasonable Men so you should not unnecessarily lay your selves open to their Spite and Revenge Pro. 17.12 Let a Bear robb'd of her Whelps meet a Man rather than a Fool in his Folly It seems a raging Bear is a less dangerous Creature than some furious Fools 'T is good to keep out of their way when you can without declining the way of your Duty There are Sons of Belial like Thorns that cannot be taken with Hands But the Man that shall touch them must be fenced with Iron and the Staff of a Spear 2 Sam. 23.6 7. There are notorious Offenders who sufficiently declare their malignity against and abhorrence of any zealous Magistrate or faithful Minister or others that would take them off from their wicked Courses Now 't is not fit that the Crimes of such should be conceal'd but that they be discovered to those who by their Place and Office are to punish evil Doers But 't is not necessary that you do it so as to exasperate and enrage them against you when the end may be as well obtain'd by your giving private Information 3. As I believe none of you could ever yet be justly charged with giving any false Information against any one and there is no reason to suppose that you would or durst do it which could be no advantage to you but if the party inform'd against being innocent and falsly accused should enter Traverse and prove you perjur'd would bring upon you so far greater Punishment and Damage than what you can think of bringing him under by your Information