as the sore hath reached. The slanderer therefore doth engage. himself into great straits, incurring an obligation to repair an almost irreparable mischief.

6

Ninthly, this practice doth also certainly revenge itself, imposing on its actor a perfect retaliation; a tooth for a tooth;' an irrecoverable infamy to himself for the infamy he causeth to others. Who will regard his fame, who will be concerned to excuse his faults, who so outrageously abuseth the reputation of others? He suffereth justly, he is paid in his own coin, will any man think, who doth hear him reproached.

⠀ Tenthly, in fine, the slanderer (if he doth not by serious and sore repentance retract his practice) doth banish himself from heaven and happiness, doth expose himself to endless miseries and sorrows. For if none that maketh a lie shali enter into the heavenly city;' if without those mansions of joy and bliss every one must eternally abidethat loveth or maketh a lie;' if, nãoɩ rois yevdéoi, to all liars their portion is assigned in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone;' then assuredly the capital liar, the slanderer, (who lieth most injuriously and mischievously,) shall be far excluded from felicity, and thrust down into the depth of that miserable place. If, as St. Paul saith, no railer, or evil-speaker, shall inherit the kingdom of God:' how far thence shall they be removed, who without any truth or justice do speak ill of and reproach their neighbor? If for every apyòv piμa, idle or vain word we must render a strict account; how much more shall we be se-> verely reckoned with for this sort of words, so empty of truth and void of equity; words that are not only negatively vain, or useless, but positively vain, as false, and spoken to bad purpose? If slander perhaps here may evade detection, or scape deserved punishment; yet infallibly hereafter, at the dreadful day, it shall be disclosed, irreversibly condemned, inevitably persecuted with condign reward of utter shame and sorrow.

Is not he then, he who, out of malignity, or vanity, to serve any design, or sooth any humor in himself or others, doth by committing this sin involve himself into all these great evils, both here and hereafter, a most desperate and deplorable fool?

Having thus described the nature of this sin, and declared the

folly thereof, we need, I suppose, to say no more for dissuading it; especially to persons of a generous and honest mind, who cannot but scorn to debase and defile themselves by so mean and vile a practice; or to those who seriously do profess Christianity, that is, the religion which peculiarly above all others prescribeth constant truth, strictest justice, and highest charity.

I shall only add, that since our faculty of speech (wherein we do excel all other creatures) was given us, as in the first place to praise and glorify our Maker, so in the next to benefit and help our neighbor; as an instrument of mutual succor and delectation, of friendly commerce and pleasant converse together; for instructing and advising, comforting and cheering one another; it is an unnatural perverting, and an irrational abuse thereof, to employ it to the damage, disgrace, vexation, or wrong in any kind of our brother. Better indeed had we been as brutes without its use, than we are, if so worse than brutishly we abuse it.

Finally, all these things being considered, we may, I think, reasonably conclude it most evidently true, that he which uttereth slander is a fool.'

SUMMARY OF SERMON XIX.

JAMES, CHAP. IV.-VERSE 11.

ONE half of our religion consists in charity towards our neighbor; and of that charity much the greater part seems exercised in speech. Meaning of the word karadadeīv: in stricter acceptation it denotes that particular sort of obloquy which is called detraction, or backbiting: and so we may be allowed to understand it here.

The nature of this fault described: its difference from slander and reviling is, that it may be couched in truth and clothed in fair language it is the fault (opposite to ingenuousness or candor) which out of a haughty disposition or design strives to disgrace worthy persons, or to disparage good actions, looking for blemishes and defects in them, and using care to pervert or misrepresent things to that purpose: farther observations on this head to get a fuller understanding of it, some particular acts, wherein it is commonly exercised, are more distinctly considered.

1. A detractor is wont to represent persons and actions under the most disadvantageous light he can there is no person so excellent, who is not by circumstances forced to omit some things which it would become him to do, if he were able; to perform some things lamely, and otherwise than he would wish ; no action so worthy, but it may have some defect in matter or manner, incapable of redress; and he that represents such person or action, leaving out all excusing circumstances, gives a mean opinion of them, robbing them of their due value and commendation.

2. He is wont to misconstrue ambiguous words, or to misinterpret doubtful appearances of things.

3. He is accustomed to misname the qualities of persons or things, assigning bad appellations or epithets to good or indifferent qualities, calling a sober man sour, a cheerful man vain, a reserved man crafty, a modest man sullen, &c.

4. He imperfectly characterises persons, so as studiously to veil or faintly to disclose their virtues and good qualities; but he carefully exposes, and fully aggravates any defects or failings in them.

5. He is wont not to commend or allow any thing absolutely and clearly, but always interposes some objection, to which he would have it seem liable.

6. He is ready to suggest ill causes and principles, latent in the heart, of practices apparently good, ascribing what is well done to a bad disposition or a bad purpose.

7. He derogates from good actions by pretending to correct them, or to show better that might have been done in their room: see John xii. 5.

8. A detractor not regarding the general course of a man's conversation, which is conspicuously and clearly good, will attack some part of it, where its goodness is less discernible, and more subject to contest or blame.

9. In fine, the detractor brings forward suggestions of every thing anywise plausible or possible, that can serve to diminish the worth of a person, or the value of an action, which he would discountenance; such is the nature and way of detraction.

For dissuading men from its practice, the causes whence it proceeds are next considered.

I. 1. It proceeds from ill-nature and bad humor: 2. from pride, ambition, and inordinate self-love: 3. from envy: 4. from malicious revenge and spite; 5. from a sense of weakness or want of courage: 6. from an evil conscience: 7. from

bad and selfish designs, it being a common engine by which evil persons strive to compass their ends: such are its principles and causes.

II. It involves the following kinds of irregularity and depravity. 1. Injustice; a detractor caring not how he deals with his neighbor, and what wrong he does him: 2. uncharitableness; it being evident that the detractor does not love his neighbor, since charity believeth every thing, hopeth everý thing to the advantage of its object: 3. impiety; for he that loves and reverences God, will acknowlege and approve his goodness, in bestowing excellent gifts and graces on his brethren; will be afraid to disavow or disgrace them, lest he rob God of the glory due to him: 4. it involves degenerate baseness, meanness of spirit, and want of good manners; 5. consequently detraction includes folly; for every unjust, uncharitable, impious, or base person is, as such, a fool; none of those qualities being consistent with wisdom. But the folly of this vice will farther appear, from the bad effects which it produces both to others and to him who uses it.

III. The practice of it is a great discouragement and obstruction to the common practice of goodness; for many, when they see virtue thus disparaged, are deterred from pursuing it: this topic enlarged on: 2. hence detraction is very noxious and baneful to society; for all society is maintained in welfare by the encouragement of honesty and industry; the which, when disparagement is cast on them, will be in danger of languishing and decaying: 3. it works real damage and mischief to our neighbor, bereaving him of that good reputation which is the reward of virtue: 4. the detractor abuses those into whose ears he instils his poisonous suggestions, engaging them to participate in the injuries done to worth and virtue: 5. he produces great inconveniences and mischiefs to himself, raising up against himself animosity and general hatred: 6. he also yields occasion to others and a kind of right to return the same measure