The whole duty of man epitomiz'd: for the benefit of the poor. With select prayers suited to every partition. By Edm. Stacy, a minister of the Church of England.

PARTITION XIII.

Of false Reports; false Witness; Pub∣lick Slanders, Wisperings; of Scof∣fing, Calamities, Sins, &c. Of Po∣sitive Justice, Truth, ••ying, of Envy and Detraction, of Grati∣tude, &c.

THE Credit of His Credit. our Neighbour is another Part of Negative Justice, which should be as dear to us as his Possessions, and should in no respect be impair'd either by false Reports or malicious Surmizes and Conje∣ctures, from both which our Repu∣tation, the dearest thing we have, next our Souls, is liable to great In∣jury.

False Reports may be spread divers ways, both Publick and Pri∣vate, the Publick way is ordinari∣ly, by bearing false Witness either with regard to our Lives or Estates;

this is a most grievous Wound in∣deed to our Credit, a sort of out∣ragious Injustice to our Neighbour, that we are hardly ever able to make him amends for.

The second open way of spread∣ing these Reports is by Publick Slander, and herein our Repu∣tation is also liable to a great deal of Injury. Reproaches, Lying, Scandal and Railing make up the base Composition, which as the Apostle long ago observ'd were amongst other Works of the Flesh, fit only to shut Men out of the Church here, and the Kingdom of Heaven hereafter.

The Private way of spreading such Reports is Whis∣pering, this is a way as dangerous if not worst then the former, and is by St. Paul mention'd in the Catalogue of great Crimes, which are the effect of a Reprobate Mind; this is a kind of Slander that like secret Poyso•• destroys us insensibly; 'tis Solomon••

Observation; that the Wisperer se∣parates chief Friends, than which nothing can argue louder for the suppressing of it.

The several Steps of this Vice are to be carefully avoided, as First, We should be so far from encouraging it, that we should rather reject the very first approaches of the Tale-bearer: Secondly, We should be very Cau∣tious how we believe false Reports, or rather we should never give any Credit at all to them: And Third∣ly, We should be sure never to re∣port any thing we here from such kind of People, but look upon 'em no less Enemies to us, then to those of whom they are speaking.

Besides, this open way of impair∣ing our Neighbours Credit, there is▪ yet another, which though it may seem to be a little more plausi∣ble, is yet in all respects as bad as the former; I mean Scoffing and Reviling, which indeed is not

only an Injury to our Neighbour, but even to God himself.

The three Things for which Men are commonly revil'd, are either for their Infir∣mities, their Calami∣ties or their Sins; and why should Men be despis'd for that which they cannot help, this is calling God's Providence to an Account, especially with respect to the two former; indeed for our Sins they have more of our Wills, 'tis true, but then considering they make us the most miserable of any thing else, without doubt they re∣quire a great deal of our Pity and Compassion.

We owe likewise a Negative Justice to the Credit and Repu∣tation of our Neigh∣bour; his Credit is the most valuable thing he has, and therefore to Rob him of that, is the highest Injury we can do him

'tis the highest, because his Damage is irreparable; the utmost we can do, can never make him amends, and yet we must do our best, because without it we can never expect God's Pardon for the Sin.

Thus I have past through the four Branches of Negative Justice to our Neighbour, and yet must further observe, that this Justice binds our Thoughts as well as our Words and Acti∣ons; nay, it confines even our Wi∣shes and Affections. Our whole Hearts should be intent upon his Good, and our Minds constantly taken up, which way we may best promote the Happiness both of his Soul and Body.

I come now to speak of Positive Justice, by which is intended the giving to every Man his proper dues, whether General, or Particu∣lar;

as First, The speaking Truth in ge∣neral of all Mankind; this is a common debt we owe to every one, and indeed we are bound to th•• strict performance of it, by many strong and weighty Obligations, but the greatest of all is, because Lying is a Vice so scandalous and o∣dious in it self, and so solemnly condemn'd in many parts of Holy Scrip∣ture; but then whats very strange, notwith∣standing 'tis the most foolish and ridicu∣lous, 'tis become so common, that 'tis a great Rariety (to use the Words of the Royal Prophet) to find a Man that speaks the Truth from his Heart.

Next to this we owe to all, Humanity•• and a courteous and affable Behaviour, a Vertue which a Proud

Man can never arrive to; he is so busie in admiring himself, that he overlooks all the Perfections of o∣thers.

Meekness is like∣wise a Debt we owe to every Body, and indeed a very great accomplishment, and highly neces∣sary for the Preservation of the Peace of the World; whilst on the contrary, all sorts of Brawlings and Con∣tentions, tend to Dis∣order and Confusion, nay, what's worse, they tend to a great many Sins too, but especial∣ly to that most pro∣voking Sin, Cursing and Execra∣tion.

Having thus far spoken of Dues in Ge∣neral, I come now to the Particular, which Men are or∣dinarily entitl'd to upon some spe∣cial Qualification, the three chief are, that of Excellency, that of Want, and that of Relation.

And first a Man is entitl'd to our Respect upon the Account of his Excellency. I mean for his extraordinary Gifts and Endow∣ments, such as are Wisdom, Learn∣ing, Grace, and the like; and such a Person we are in no respect either to Envy or Revile, or to grudge at God's Blessings and Kindness to him; we should not attempt to de∣tract from his Worth, or to cloud or dark∣en his Merits, but rather do our best to make 'em as conspicuous as we can, and this we should do not only as it is a Debt which we owe to him, but because the contrary is an Act of extream folly, as well as ill Nature and Injustice.

Beside the Excellencies of the Mind, we owe a regard to the Quality and outward Advantages.

God for the due go∣verning of the World, ••••as decreed several Orders and Classes of Men, to each of which in Proportion to their respective Dignity we are to pay a due Re∣spect.

We are also Deb∣tors to Persons under any kind of Want, whether Spiritual or Temporal, but more especially to the Poor, who by Gods particular Appoint∣ment, have a solemn Right to our superfluities; and then it can be nothing else but an arrant Robbery to bestow that upon our Lust or Vanity, which is assign'd for their Portion. In the Case of the Poor we are Gods Stewards, and 'tis the same unjustice and fraud for us to embezle that which he has entrust∣ed with us, as it is for any Steward to misemploy that which was in∣tended for the use of his Masters

Family, and common∣ly too meets with the Doom of the unjust Steward in the Go∣spel, to cause us to he put out of our Stew∣ardship, and have those Abilities taken away, that have been so unfaith∣fully employ'd.

The third Qualifi∣cation is that of Re∣lation, and of this there are divers sorts, as First, that of a Debtor to a Creditor, and of an oblig'd Person to his Benefactor, and in both these Particulars we are bound by the strictest ties of Justice and Gratitude Not to pay our just Debts when we are able, is a Vice almost unpardonable, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 be ungrateful to a Be∣nefactor, however common it may be in this unthankful Age, is an Act the most sordidly base and dis∣ingenieus.

Notes

• False Wit∣ness.
• Publick Slander.
• Whispering.
• Several Steps toward this Sin.
• Scoffing and Reviling.
• For Infirmi∣ties, Cala∣mities, and Sins.
• Destroying the Credit, a great Injury, and irrepa∣rable.
• Every guilty Person to do all he can in Order to it.
• Justice in the Thoughts.
• Positive Ju∣stice.
• Speaking Truth, a due to all Men.
• Lying forbid in Scripture.
• Lying a com∣mon and foo∣lish Sin.
• Courtesie due to all, yet un∣paid by the Proud.
• Meekness, a due to all Men.
• Brawlingve∣ry unsuffera∣ble, and leads to the Sin of Cur∣sing.
• Particular Dues.
• A respect due to Men of extraordina∣ry Gifts.
• We are not to Envy them, nor de∣tract from them.
• The Folly of both these.
• A respect due to Men in regard of their Ranks and Quali∣ties.
• Dues to those that are in any sort of Want, to the Poor.
• God with∣draws those Abilities, that are not thus em∣ploy'd.
• Duties in respect to Re∣lation.
• Gratitude to Benefactors, the contrary too common.