devil; the tendency it has to prevent o thers from uniting themselves to those communities, from which deferters have carried off an evil report, and the malicious and wicked triumph it gives to the envious enemies of chriftian union, communion and peace, and the injury it does to the great and noble designs of fuch focieties.

15. If a deferter from a religious fociety fhould be asked by an enemy of religion, what his reason was for deserting? Confider the danger he is in of wounding religion in the answer he muft make. I did not like the men; or, I did not like their pro'ceedings; or, I got no good, but rather harm, by being of the number.' Here a man speaks at once uncharitably of his christian brethren, and falsely and unfavorably of the ways of GoD: For, few men are so just and modeft as to declare the true reafons of fuch a conduct, and to lay the blame, where it properly is, upon their own' ficklenefs, inconftancy, unchriftian difpoftion, and distaste and difrelish to that which is good; or, perhaps, a mean and vile ambition to please and gratify fome declared and malicious enemy to fo good a defign.

16. Let a man confider, whether, on his death-bed, he could approve of having bro-` ken the bonds of chriftian peace and unity, and quitted a fociety, formed on christian principles, and in which he might have both D

VOL. II.

done and received fome fpiritual good merely, becaufe all his chriftian brethren were not juft, in all refpects, fuch as he would have them; while he himself had poffibly as great failings, as any among

them.

17. Real offences from our chriftian brethren cannot juftify our quitting chrif tian communion; much lefs supposed offences, or real benefits, fo mifcalled,

ESSAY XXXIX.

The RULE of judging our BRETHREN; against RASHNESS and CENSORIOUSNESS. THE general rule given by our Saviour to this purpose, may be found, Matth.

vii. 1. &c. 1, "Judge not that ye be not judged," &c.-It is evident, however, from reason and from other scriptures, that this rule has a great many important exceptions, and that our Saviour does not mean to prohibit every kind of judging of our neighbor. For,

1. The words and actions of flate criminals, against the laws of their country and the peace and welfare of civil fociety, may and ought to be judged, condemned, and punished by the civil magiftrate, whom Gon hath fet apart for that very purpose.*..

* Rom. xiii. 1,-8.

3

2. The words and actions of chriftian profeffors, as members of chriftian focie. ties, against the laws of Chrift, and the duties of their chriftian calling, may, and ought to be judged, cenfured, condemned, and fpiritually punished, by the ministers and other proper officers of fuch focieties, who are authorized by GoD to this bu finefs.*

3. It is fo far from being a sin, that it is an eminent proof and branch of love and christian charity, to fear for our christian brethren, and be jealous over them with a godly jealoufy, left they should be overtaken by the temptations which furround them, and to warn and admonifh them againft their danger ;†-alfo, to judge and condemn them for things plainly erroneous in their principles, or immoral in their conduct, and in tenderness and love, sharply to reprove and rebuke them.‡

4. We may and must, yea, we are directed and commanded, to judge of men by their words, actions, and outward deportment; indeed, it is next to impoffible for us not to exercife our judgment in fome way or other, about every action we fee and attend to; and truly, without the exercife of this faculty of judging, we would have no rule or guide in our tranfac

** 1 Cor. v. 11, 12. Heb. xiii. 17.

tions with mankind, but fhould often be unavoidably expofed to the greatest injuries.

5. Confequently, when our neighbor gives clear proof of his wickedness, by a continued series of wicked words and ac tions, and by a manifest disinclination to that which is good, we have certainly a right to judge of the tree, by the badness of its fruit, and to condemn fuch an one as a bad man; yet not interfering with his future ftate, as he is ftill in the place of repentance.*

6. The kind of judging therefore here forbidden by our Saviour, must be rash, censorious, ignorant, uncharitable judging; a judging, not fo much of men's perfons, as their states, not so much of men's actions, as of their intentions; and may be confined to the following particulars.

(1.) Judging out of our province, or pasfing a judgment on perfons or things which we have no right to interfere with. Minifters have no right to interfere in the proper office of magiftrates; nor magiftrates, in those peculiar to minifters. The apoftle would not censure, or inflict spiritual punishments on those who were out of the church.t

(2.) Pragmatically judging, deciding and determining in matters above our * Mark vii. 15. James i. 26. iii. 11, ¡4.

+ Luke xii. 13, 14.

Cor. v. 12.

knowledge and reach, and where we can have no evidence of the truth, which is the only ground of right judging :-Such as ignorant men, cenfuring deep and learned opinions,or our taking upon us to judge of the thoughts and designs of men's hearts.

(3.) Severe cenfuring and judging of others, for things in their own nature indifferent. Pretending that to be wrong in men, which we cannot prove to be fo; requiring that in them, which God hath not required; forbidding that to them which GOD hath not forbidden, and condemning them for not doing or forbearing fuch things.

(4.) Blind and rash judging of our neighbor, without plain and fufficient conviction of his guilt. A difpofedness to cenfure, and pafs fentence against him, before we know the crime, or know he is guilty of it: Sufpecting him of evil principles and evil defings in his actions, and raising thefe fufpicions into accufations against him, before full evidence, or any evidence at all appears, whereon to ground thefe fufpicions.-This is cenforiousness and rafh judging with a witnefs; inconsistent with equity or brotherly love.

(5.) Taking up an evil report against our neighbor, upon hear-say or mere common fame, and joining with the cenforious and malevolent world, in the bue and cry against