letter of an agreement, contrary to the equitable intention of it; or, on the other hand, alleging some flaw and defect in form, to get loose from an agreement, which ought to have been strictly observed; all these things are grievous oppressions. And though some of them may not be in the least contrary to law, yet they are utterly irreconcileable with good conscience. Human laws cannot provide for all cases; and sometimes the vilest iniquities may be committed under their authority, and by their means.

It is therefore a further lamentable breach of this Commandment, when one person puts another to the charge and hazard of law unjustly or needlessly: or, in ever so necessary a law-suit, occasions unnecessary expences, and contrives unfair delays; in short, when any thing is done by either party; by the counsel, that plead or advise in the cause, or by the judge, who determines it, contrary to real justice and equity.

Indeed, when persons, by any means whatever, withhold from another his right, either keeping him ignorant of it, or forcing him to unreasonable cost or trouble to obtain it; this, in its proportion, is the same kind of injury with stealing from him. To see the rich and great, in these or any ways, bear hard upon the poor, is very dread. ful; and truly it is little, if at all, less so, when the lower sort of people are unmerciful, as they are but too often, one to another. For, as Solomon observes, "A poor man, that oppresseth "the poor, is like a sweeping rain, which leaveth no food."9 But suppose it be a person ever so wealthy, that is wronged, still his wealth is his own, and no one can have more right to take the least part of it from him, without his consent, than to rob the meanest wretch in the world. Sup

66

(9) Prov. xxviii. 3.

pose it be a body or number of men; suppose it to be the government, the public, that is cheated; be it of more or less, be it of so little as not to be sensibly missed; let the guilt be divided amongst ever so many; let the practice be ever so common; still it is the same crime, however it may vary in degrees; and the rule is, without exception, "that no man go beyond, or defraud his brother in any matter."1

It surely scarce needs to be added, that whatever things it is unlawful to do, it is also unlawful to advise, encourage, help, or protect others in doing; that buying, receiving, or concealing stolen goods, knowing them to be such, is becoming a partner in the stealth; and that being any way a patron, assistant, or tool of injustice, is no less evidently wrong, than being the immediate and principal agent in it.

And as the wrongness of all these things is very plain, so is the folly of them. Common robbers and theives are the most miserable set of wretches upon earth; in perpetual danger, perpetual frights and alarms; obliged to support their spirits by continual excesses, which, after the gay madness of a few hours, depress them to the most painful lowness; confined to the most hateful and hellish society; very soon, generally speaking, betrayed by their dearest companions, or hunted out by vigilant officers; then shut up in horror, condemned to open shame, if not to an untimely death; and the more surely undone for ever in the next life, the more insensible they are of their sufferings and their sins in this.

Nor do they, of whose guilt the law can take little or no cognizance, escape a heavy and bitter self-condemnation from time to time; nor usually the bad opinion of the world; which last alone

(1) 1 Thess. iv. 6.

will frequently do them more harm, than any unfair practices will do them good. But especially this holds in the middle and lower, which is vastly the larger, part of mankind. Their livelihood depends chiefly on their character; and their character depends on their honesty. This will make amends for many other defects; but nothing will make amends for the want of this. Deceitful craft may seem perhaps a shorter method of gain, than uprightness and diligence. But they, who get wickedly, spend, for the most part, foolishly, perhaps wickedly too; and so all that stays by them is their guilt. Or let them be ever so cunning, and appear for a while to thrive ever so fast; yet remember the sayings of the wise king: "An inheritance may be gotten hastily at "the beginning; but the end thereof shall not "be blessed.2 Treasures of wickedness profit "nothing; but righteousness delivereth from "death. Wealth, gotten by vanity, shall be di"minished; but he that gathereth by labour shall "increase."4 Or, should the prosperity of persons, who raise themselves by ill means, last as long as their lives; yet their lives may be cut short. For what the Prophet threatens, often comes to pass, and is always to be feared: "that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave "them in the midst of his days, and at his end "shall be a fool."5 But should his days on earth be extended to the utmost; yet "the sinner, an "hundred years old, shall be accursed.6 "the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom "of God: but the Lord is the avenger of all "such."8

"He

For

Let every one therefore consider seriously, in the first place, what this Commandment forbids,

(2) Prov. xx. 21. (5) Jer. xvii. 11.

(3) Prov. x. 2.

(6) Isa. lxv. 20. (8) 1 Thess. iv. 6.

(4) Prov. xiii. 11. (7) 1 Cor. vi. 9.

and abstain from it. Though he fare more hardly; though he lay up less; though he be despised for his conscientiousness, provided it be a reasonable one; surely it is well worth while to bear these things, rather than injure our fellow-creatures, and offend our Maker.

But let us now proceed to consider,

.II. What the Commandment before us, by consequence, requires. And,

1. It requires restitution of whatever we have, at any time, unjustly taken or detained. For, that being in right not our own, but another's; keeping it is continuing and carrying on the injustice. Therefore the Prophet Ezekiel makes it an express condition of forgiveness: "If the "wicked restore the pledge, and give again that "he hath robbed; then he shall surely live, he "shall not die."9 Nor was it till Zaccheus had engaged to restore amply what he had extorted from any one, that our Saviour declared, "this day is salvation come to this house."1 So that to think of raising wealth by fraud, and therr growing honest, is the silliest scheme in the world; for till we have returned, or offered to return, as far as we can, all that we have gotten by fraud, we are not honest. Nay, suppose we have spent and squandered it, still we remain debtors for it. Nay, suppose we got nothing, suppose we meant to get nothing, by any wicked contrivances, in which we have been concerned; yet if we have caused another's loss, any loss for which money is a proper compensation; what we ought never to have done, we ought to undo as soon and as completely as we are able, however we straiten ourselves by it; otherwise we come short of making the amends, which may justly be expected from us; and while so important a part of repentance is

(9) Ezek. xxxiii. 15.

(1) Luke xix. 8, 9.

wanting, to demonstrate the sincerity of the rest, we cannot hope to be accepted with God.

2. This Commandment also requires industry, without which, the generality of persons cannot maintain themselves honestly. Therefore St. Paul directs: "Let him that stole, steal no more; but ❝rather let him (and certainly, by consequence, "every one else that needs,) labour, working "with his hands the thing which is good." And each of them is to labour, not only for himself, but his family also, if he hath one; both for their present, and, if possible, their future maintenance, in case of sickness, accidents, or old age. For, as they who belong to him have, both by nature and by law, a claim to support from him, if they need it, and he can give it ; neglecting to make due provision for them is wronging them; and throwing either them or himself upon other's, when he may avoid it, or, however, might have avoided it, by proper diligence, is wronging others. For which reason the same Apostle commanded likewise, "that if any one would not "work, neither should he eat."

3יי

"For

In order to be just, therefore, be industrious; and doubt not but you will find it, after a while at least, by much the most comfortable, as well as Christian way of getting a livelihood. It is a way that no one ought to think beneath him. "better is he that laboureth, and aboundeth in "all things, than he that boasteth himself, and "wanteth bread." 994 It is the best preservative that can be, from bad company and bad courses. It procures the good will and good word of mankind. It exempts persons from the contempt and reproach of which those have bitter experience, who make a dependant state their choice. "Begging is sweet in the mouth of the shameless;

66

(2) Eph. iv. 28. (3) 2 Thess. iii. 10. (1) Ecclus. x. 27.