fmooth'd over with an air of mirth, and feather'd with an affectation of wit; but pointed with ill nature, and drawn to the head with all the ftrength of infolence and malice. And how many are there that value themselves for being excellent marks-men in this way? While they little think of those judgments that are prepared for fcorners, when the malicious laugh fhall be quite over with them, and the dreadful hour fhall come, which will make them serious, whether they will or no. Their behaviour is doubtlefs very difpleafing to God, who defires the good agreement, peace and comfort of all his rational creatures; and has fet the meaneft of them above contempt, by that ineftimable price paid for their redemption, the death and fufferings of his Son. And it is very provoking to thofe that are abused by it, no fting piercing deeper, or cauf ing greater smart and inflammation in the minds of men, than fcornful language and ridicule. As the bufinefs of this is to leffen them in the esteem of their neighbours, and to render them despicable where they live; and as the event does ufually answer the vile defign of it, it becomes a real injury to the perfons fo reproached, and confequently is a great injuftice to them. And as the things for which men are ufually derided, are either the defects of their understanding, the deformity of their bodies, or the poverty of their fortunes; it is alfo barbarous and inhuman, nay, abfurd and impious. 'Tis reproaching them for what they cannot help, 'tis loading them with fcorn for what deferves pity; 'tis either fuppofing them to have made themfelves, (for elfe their natural defects in mind or body, could not be imputed to them as a reproach;) or blafphemously reflecting upon God who did create them, and finding fault with the workmanship and order of divine providence ; which for reafons far above our cenfure, has thought fit to make a difference in mens understandings, fhape and other circumftances. The defign of this, fo far as we can dive into it, is to exercise our compaffion one towards another, and to prefent continual objects for our good nature to fupport, and charity to relieve. But this is impioufly perverted, if inftead of comforting, pitying and affifting, we triumph in their forrows, fport with their defects, and play upon their misfortunes. God refents this as striking at himself, for he has declared, That whofo mocketh the poor, reproacheth his Maker; and he that is glad at calamities, fhall not be unpunished. And how great the punishment is that threatens them, we may learn from the prophetical curfes uttered against them by the Pfalmift, infpired by God, and recorded in Scripture for our terror. + Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them. Let their habitation be defolate, and let none dwell in their tents. And for what caufe? For they perfecute him whom thou haft fmitten, and they talk to the grief of thofe whom thou baft wounded. And therefore, fays he, Add iniquity to their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteoufnefs. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. I must add here, that not only derifive words, but all fuch actions and behaviour as are of the fame tendency, muft by parity of reafon be reduced under the fame prohibition. For actions have a language as effectual as any words, and fometimes more expreffive. All fcornful looks therefore, and all geftures of contempt and mocking, all wilful affronts in our carriage, all defigned and evident neglects, and whatever may feem to trample upon our neighbour, and is vifibly intended to leffen and ridicule him, cannot but be equally hurtful to the fufferer, and equally odious both to God and Man. *Prov. xvii. 5. † Pfalm Ixix. 24, &c. (2.) CENSORIOUS railing, or reviling is, in the eye of God, a fin of yet greater confequence, and more offenfive. Our Saviour gives us here one inftance to represent and include all others of the like kind: Whofoever fball fay, Thou fool. Which taken in the ordinary fenfe, may ftand for any bitter and reviling term of paffion; and as the Scripture language does ufually by fool intend a wicked and abandoned finner, the expreffion here feems especially to point out thofe rafh, uncharitable, and furious cenfures, which men of angry fpirits and ill-governed zeal are apt to caft upon fuch as oppose them in religion, or any thing elfe; or on those whom they have taken an hatred to, from fome perfonal and private pique. When men are thoroughly heated against an adverfary, they are apt to fancy to themfelves a licenfe (which neither the laws of God nor natural right will authorize) of faying all the bitter things they can against him, without any reftraint from charity or good manners, and often with as little regard to truth. Every failing of his fhall ferve to expofe him as an hypocrite; his virtues fhall be all mifconftrued, and afcribed to oftentation and felf-intereft; or his vices fhall be fo improved, as if he were the vileft finner upon earth. Now 'tis all one whether a man be thus ill treated to his face, or behind his back: The former indeed is more provoking, the latter more ungenerous; but both are included in this fevere denunciation of our Saviour, against whosoever shall fay to his brother, Thou fool. 'Tis fpoken of as a greater crime than mocking and derifion; because it is much worfe to be wicked, than to be either deformed, poor, unfortunate, or of weak understanding; and confequently muft ftrike deeper into mens reputations to be fo represented, than only to be rendered contemptible. Reviling, as it is the effect of rage and overheated fpirits, is also a very near approach to murder murder; the fame degree of fpleen and paffion that enflames men to the one, having frequently ended in the other: And therefore our Saviour forming his prohibitions here to guard the fixth commandment, had reason to lay the greateft ftrefs upon fuch fins as would be likelieft to endanger it. Befide, that it is utterly inconfiftent with the meeknefs, patience, and charity of the chriftian religion, which ftrictly forbids it, even under the highest provocation. Be pitiful, be courteous, fays St. Peter, not rendring evil for evil, or railing for railing; but contrariwife, bleffing. And thus the primitive followers of our Lord behaved themselves. Being re viled, fays St. Paul, we blefs: being perfecuted, we fuffer it being defamed, we entreat. And thus their holy Mafter had taught them by his example: Who when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he fuffered, threatned not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. Now if a Chriftian fuffering under fuch ill ufage is forbid (though natural refentment ftrongly prompts him, and his adverfary deferves it justly) to retaliate, I need not prove he fhould not give the first provocation. Let me obferve only, that this practice of reviling is fo hateful to the God of peace and charity, fo contrary to the temper of heaven, that Michael the Archangel contending even with the devil, durft not bring against him a railing accufation; but faid, The Lord rebuke thee. And as by the divine authority of our religion, .. a railer is infamous, and every Chriftian is discharged from keeping company with him upon earth; fo by a declarative fentence paffed already, 4he ftands excluded by name from the fociety of the blessed in heaven. For what happiness or peace could we imagine there, and how fhould the fuffer I Pet. iii. 9. I Cor. iv. 12. .. I Cor. v. II. 1 Pet. ii. 23. 1 Cor. vi. 10. ings of good men be at an end, and charity be made perfect in that ftate, if fuch reviling spirits were admitted, as muft needs difturb them. be, LET us now confider, in as few words as may III. THE third and last improvement of the fixth commandment, the obliging us to give due and Speedy fatisfaction, as foon as is poffible. For tho' even the injured and offended perfon is bound by the precepts of Chriftianity, to endeavour on his part alfo a reconciliation, by accepting of reasonable terms when they are offered him, and by a readinefs to forgive; yet I take the aggreffor, or him that gives the offence, or does the injury, to be the perfon chiefly (if not only) concerned in this paragraph, as in other parts of the fermon we fhall find the duty of the fufferer more distinctly spoken of. So that fuppofing us here to be concerned only with the aggreffor, the method he must take to reconcile himself to the party injured or offended, must be according to the nature of the wrong or damage he has done him. Either, (1.) By reftitution, when by fraud or violence he has injured him in his eftate, or wrong'd him in a way of trade and bargaining. This is a principal part of justice. Hence we find in the Jewish many rules and directions for the more exact and regular performance of it. And though there are no precife measures fet down in the New Teftament for the regulation of this duty, yet that it is ftill in general, a duty, is evident from natural light, the Gospel of Chrift prefuppofing (and not always particularly repeating) fuch obligations as common honesty and reafon every day fuggeft to us. And thus when Zaccheus, to whom our Saviour fhew'd fuch refpect as to dine at his houfe, would recommend himself to him and others as a real penitent, he |
