A SERMON Preached before the QUEEN AT WHITEHALL, APRIL 2. 1690. Being the Fifth Wednesday in LENT. By WILLIAM WAKE, D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to Their Majesties: And Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYS-INN. Published by Her Majesty's Special Command. LONDON: Printed for Ric. Chiswell at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Churchyard: And W. Rogers at the Sun over-against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleetstreet. 1690. 1 Tim. V. 22. Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins. SAINT Paul having planted a Christian Church at Ephesus, and being called by his Apostolic Charge to Preach the Gospel to other places also, settles Timothy there to supply what was yet wanting to the full Establishment of it; and not long after his departure, sends him this Epistle to instruct him how he should behave himself in the house of 1 Tim. three 15. God, and fulfil that great Trust which was committed to him therein. In the Verses before the Text, we find him directing this Holy man, how he should proceed in inflicting the Censures of the Church upon Offenders, viz. That he should First admonish them openly, in the presence of the whole Congregation; 2 Cor. two.— 6. Chrys. Hom. xv. in 1. Tim. That so both they who had Sinned, might be the more earnestly moved to Repent themselves of it; and that others being terrified thereby, might have the greater care how they fell into the like Sins, lest they also became exposed to the same Correction, v. 20. Them that sin, rebuke before all, that others also may fear. 2dly. That he should proceed in these judgements Uprightly and Sincerely, without Partiality, without Fear or Favour to any, v. 21. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect Angels, that thou observe these things; that is, that thou proceed according to these Rules, in exercising the Discipline of the Church upon Offenders; without preferring one before another, or as our Margin reads it, without prejudice, Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. doing nothing by partiality. Lastly, That having tied any man by the Censures of the Church, he should have a care not to make too much hast to lose him again, and Restore him to the Communion of it; but should diligently inquire into, and prove his Repentance: Lest by his easiness in receiving Sinners into Favour, he should lessen their Fear and Apprehension of Sinning, and so bring upon himself the Gild of those Crimes which such an unwarrantable lenity would be like to encourage wicked men to commit, when they should see how little it would cost them to expiate their Sins, and satisfy the Church for them, v. 22. Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins. It is a difficulty that has somewhat divided both the Ancient and Modern Interpreters of this passage, To what it is that the laying on of hands here spoken of is to refer? Whether to the Admitting of persons into Holy Orders in the Church; or, as I have before explained it, to the receiving Penitents into the Communion of it? For in both these Cases the Ancient Christians made use of this Ceremony of Laying on of hands. If we understand the Exhortation of the Text with reference to the Former of these, the meaning of it will be this: That he should have a care diligently to examine the Faith, and to inquire into the Lives and Manners of those whom he admitted into any Holy Office or Function in the Church; and see that they were duly qualified for it, according to those Rules Chap. iii 5. which he had before so largely given him for that very purpose. But though I shall not presume to censure this account of these Words, yet I must confess I think the Latter Interpretation of them which I before gave, as it equally agrees with the expression of St. Paul, and with the Primitive Custom of laying on Hands upon those whom they received again into Communion after having fulfilled the Penance imposed upon them for their Sins; so does it seem to me somewhat better to agree with the rest of the Apostle's exhortation in that place. And the Consideration which he lays before him to engage him to this Care, is no other than what we find from hence transcribed sometimes into the Penitential Canons of the Ancient Church; namely, lest by his Remissness in this particular, he should have Other men's sins imputed to his account, and be responsible to God, for all those Crimes which he neglected to punish with that severity he ought to have done. But which soever of these two be the true meaning of St. Paul's charge in the former part of the Text, Lay hands suddenly on no man: The reason of it in the latter will be in both the same; namely, that Timothy by his negligence in either of these Cases would have rendered himself Guilty of other men's sins, and therefore aught to be very careful and Circumspect, that he might not do so. And this is the Use which I shall now make of these Words. It is a matter of sad and serious Consideration that we who labour, the very best of us, under so great a load of our own Sins, should yet as if that were not sufficient to ruin us, add every day a number of other men's to them, to increase our Account, and aggravate our Condemnation. There is I believe but seldom a day passes, wherein we do not some of us render ourselves Guilty in this particular. I speak not now with reference to those, who not only live in an Habitual commission of the most heinous Sins themselves, but take a great deal of satisfaction, and even make it their daily Employment, to draw as many others as they can into the Commission of them. As if they meant to Emulate the impiety of those whom St. Paul has characterized, or rather branded in Holy Scripture, as the most Desperate and Diabolical of any in the World, Rom. i. 32. Who knowing the judgement of God, that they who commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in those that do them. No, a man need not rise up to such a height of Villainy, to render himself Guilty in the sight of God, of Other men's transgressions. He may be so at a much lesser rate; and that I fear upon such accounts, as the best of us all shall hardly be able utterly to clear ourselves of it. I shall therefore make it my endeavour in a few reflections to show, I st. What those Circumstances are whereby we may be most likely to render ourselves partakers of other men's sins? From whence it will appear, TWO dly. How careful we ought to be, of ourselves and our Actions, that we may keep ourselves from being so. I st. What those Circumstances are, whereby we may render ourselves partakers of other men's sins? For the better clearing of which Point, I shall in the first place lay down this as a Principle out of all doubt; That no man becomes a partaker of the Sins of another, but by his own Act, i. e. by somewhat which himself does to involve his Soul in the Gild of it. For else, as a great man among the Heathens themselves very well argued, another Marc. Ant. l. viij. Sect. 53. man's wickedness might be my Evil, which, says he, God would not have, that it might not be in another man's power to make me unhappy. 'Tis true indeed so great was the care of God heretofore to restrain the Jews from an Idolatrous Worship, that he threatened for this Sin to visit the Iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children unto the third ●d. Com. and fourth Generation; i. e. upon those who could not possibly have been in any manner accessary to their Impieties. But besides that there is a great deal of difference, between being partakers of other men's Sins, and being Visited, or Punished upon Occasion of them; and that too only with some Temporal Evils, such as their own Sins had very well deserved: We are plainly assured by God himself, Ezekiel xviii. that even this complaint should be taken away; The Children should no more bear Ezek. xviii: the Iniquity of their fathers, neither the fathers of their Children, but the Soul that sinned it should die. And in all the accounts we meet with in the New Testament of the judgement to come, we are expressly told that every man shall receive according to his own works; or as our Apostle has Phrased it, Gal. vi. 5. Every man shall bear his own Burden. It remains therefore that no one either becomes partaker of the Gild of another man's Sins now, or shall be Punished for them hereafter, any farther than he has by some Circumstance or other rendered himself accessary thereunto. And our present business must be to inquire how many ways a man may do so? Now those are in General these three: (1st.) By giving Occasion to other men's sins, (2dly) By Approving of them when Committed. And (3dly), By neglecting to hinder them from committing them when we might and ought to have done it. (1st), A man may become a partaker of Other men's Sins, by giving Occasion to the Committing of them. This is in General so very clear that I do not know that it has ever been denied or doubted of by any. But now how many ways a man may become so far the Occasion of another's Sin, as to render himself thereby a partaker in the Gild of it, I shall not undertake precisely to define. I will offer some of those that are the most obvious, and particularly reflected on as such in the Holy Scriptures. And First, He who Contrives the Commission of any Sin, and either by his Authority over any other Commands, or else by his Arguments and insinuations Persuades him to commit it; it is not to be questioned but that such a one does undoubtedly thereby render himself partaker of it. This was the case of David in the business of Uriah, 2 Sam. chap. xith & xiith: When having committed Adultery with Bathsheba, and not knowing otherwise how to prevent the scandal of it; he ordered Joab, who then commanded the Royal Army before Rabbah, to set Uriah her husband in the 2 Sam. xi. forefront of the hottest Battle, that he might be smitten — 15 and die; and so he might take Bathsheba to be his Wife. But though Joab therefore executed the Command, and the Enemy slew him as he had projected — 17. it; yet God charges neither the one nor the other of them with his Death. He lays the whole Gild of his Blood at the King's door, who had been the Occasion of it; 2 Sam. xii. 9 Wherefore, says 2 Sam. xii. — 9 the Prophet, hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite, with the sword:— Thou hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. And then he goes on in the next verses to pronounce Judgement against him upon the account of it; Now therefore — 10. the sword shall not depart from thy house: Behold I — 11 will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house; and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun: For thou didst it secretly, but — 12. I will do this thing before all Israel, and before this sun. And immediately upon this Admonition we find David himself confessing his Sin, and imploring God's forgiveness, v. 13. And David said unto — 13. Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And in that great Penitential Psalm, Psal. li. composed on purpose to be a standing memorial in the House of God, of his Humiliation and Repentance for this very sin, he particularly acknowledges himself guilty of the murder of Uriah, and deprecates God's anger upon the account of it, v. 14. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God thou God of Psal. li. 14. my Salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. The truth is, such a one as this, is for the most part more guilty of the Sin committed, than he who was either overawed or persuaded into the Commission of it. For though every man ought to have such a care of himself, and such a concern for his duty, as not to suffer either the Authority of the Greatest Person, or the Insinuations of the Dearest Friend in the world, to be able to prevail with him in a matter where the Glory of God, and the Salvation of his own Soul are at stake: Yet there is a certain easiness and tenderness in our natures, that not only too much exposes us to be overcome by such persons as we have either a very great value for, or have otherwise been very much obliged to, and do what we ought not, out of a false and unreasonable regard to them; but does also render us many times extremely pityable, though not excusable, in the doing of it. Whilst he who thus executes the office of the Devil; projects the Villainy, and prompts us to the Execution of it, must remain utterly inexcusable both in the sight of God and Man, for his Impiety. But Secondly, A man may be the occasion of another's sin, and so become Partaker of it, though he does not in so eminent a degree as this concur to it; if he does but in any other manner truly and effectually assist him in the committing of it. Now this may be done many ways: As, 1st. By contributing a helping hand to the doing of it: Upon which account it was a Constitution of the Roman Law, That if one committed a Theft Inst. l. iv. Tit. 1. Sect Interdum. by the assistance of another; as for instance, If one set a ladder ready, or left a door open, that another might go in and steal his neighbour's goods; he was adjudged thereby to be partaker of the Crime, and stood liable to the same Punishment that the other did, who committed the Robbery. And the same must be said, 2dly, of him who counsels and advises another to any sin; and thereby puts him upon the Execution of it: As if, for example, a man should persuade another in necessity, to supply his own wants by stealing or defrauding his neighbour of his Goods. And especially, 3dly, If he not only in general advises him to do this, but in particular, points out to him a fair occasion, to put his advice in execution. As if, for instance, he should not only counsel him in General to steal, but should moreover tell him where a good Booty was to be had? How he might get into his Neighbour's House? What time would be the most proper for it? And in what part of the House he should find what he went for? Nay but 4thly. Tho a man should not go so far as this, nor be at all guilty of helping or advising his neighbour to do Evil; yet If he gives his Consent to it; If he encourage him in the Performance, and approves his doing of it; He does even by this render himself partaker of the Gild of it. 'Tis upon this account that St. Austin charges St. Paul with the Death of the Blessed Steven. Serm. de Sanctis. i, iv, v. He was none of the Witnesses against him, nor did he throw one Stone at him. But he was standing by, and consenting unto his death; and he kept the Acts xxii. 20. raiment of them that slew him. And by doing of this he rendered himself no less Guilty than the most zealous of those that appeared against him. Others cast the Stones at him; but St. Paul slew him by their hands. The Sum of this Second Remark is in short this: That whatsoever the Means be by which any one assists another in his Wickedness; if he knows the thing to be Evil, and yet still goes on to promote and encourage the Execution of it; He sins thereby against his own Soul, and shall render an Account to God for every such Crime, as any Other shall have committed by his Help and Assistance. But I must go yet farther: For, Thirdly, A Man may be adjudged by God to be the occasion of other men's Sins, and as such to partake in them, tho' he does not thus directly contribute to the Execution of them. And that especially by these two ways: * By his wicked Doctrine; and, * By the Scandal and Influence of a bad Example: And by either of which, if another be led into Sin, we find the Person who conduced but even thus far towards it, nevertheless charged by God as Partaker of it. First, He that advances any wicked Doctrine, whereby either to deceive Men into the commission of Sin, or to strengthen them in it, does thereby render himself Partaker of their Evil-doing. It was a sad Complaint which God once made against the Prophets of old, Ezek. xiii. That they prophesied falsely in his Name, and seduced his people, by palliating their Vices, and sowing Pillows under their Arms, and not suffering them to see their Danger; saying still Peace, peace, and there was no Peace. But God denounces a terrible Judgement against them for their so doing, at the third and following Verses: Thus saith the LORD, Woe unto the foolish Prophets Ezek. xiii. 3. etc. that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing. Who say, The LORD saith, and the Lord hath not sent them. Therefore thus saith the LORD God; My hand shall be upon the Prophets that see Vanity and that divine Lies, and I will accomplish my Wrath upon them, to wit, upon the Prophets of Israel, which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and see Visions of Peace for her, and there is no Peace, saith the LORD God. It would, I fear, be a melancholy Reflection to consider, how many of these kind of Prophets there are at this time among us, who by false Principles and mistaken Notions of Christianity, that I do not add, and by their open Profaneness too, by their new Systems both of Faith and Morality, fall under the same Censure, and thereby involve their Souls in a greater Destruction. But indeed, What Other Account can we give of all those Principles and Doctrines, whereby some extenuate the Danger, others cover over the very Nature of Sin? Some lead men ignorantly into it, by teaching them that what is indeed unlawful, may innocently be done by them; Others let them see and know what they do, but then tell them they run no great hazard in the doing of it: A little Sorrow and Confession at the last, and all is secure. Or should the worst that can happen, yet alas! Hell is no such dreadful Place as 'tis commonly misapprehended to be: It being unreasonable to think that God should punish a few Temporary Sins, with Everlasting Torments. In short, That 'tis but to die, and perish, and enjoy nothing; and why then should a man trouble himself with the dull Formality of Religion now, when he has so little to apprehend and be afraid of hereafter? But let such Men as these know, that it is not a light Offence that they commit in all this. There is a time coming when they shall render a severe Account for these their Delusions: And undergo a Punishment not only proportionable to their own Sins, but to all that Deluge of Evil which by such Principles as these, has broke in upon the World in these latter days. It was one of those great Evils for which God pronounced that severe Denunciation against the Jews heretofore, Isaiah v. 20. That they called Evil Isaiah v. 2●. Good, and Good Evil; they put Darkness for Light, and Light for Darkness; Bitter for Sweet, and Sweet for Bitter: that is, they confounded the Natures of Things, destroyed all Distinction betwixt Good and Evil, Virtue and Vice; they ran down Piety as a vain Practice, and recommended Profaneness, as true Gallantry and Bravery: Therefore as the fire devoureth Isaiah v. 24. the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust; because they have cast away the Law of the LORD of Hosts, and despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel. Secondly, A Man may become the Occasion, and so partake of Other men's Sins, not only by his Evil Doctrine, but by the Scandal and Influence of a Bad Example. And that, not only if he thereby designs to lead them into Sin, but tho' he should not have the least desire, much less intention so to do. For Sin being always scandalous, and apt to give offence, He who does any thing that he ought not, and thereby leads his Brother from his Duty; must answer to God not only for the Evil that he did, but for all the Consequences of it, to the deceiving of any Other into the like Offence. And thus the Holy Scripture not only condemns Jeroboam for making Israel to sin, upon the account of the Calves that he set up in Dan and Bethel, on purpose to draw them away from the true Worship of God: 1 Kings xii. 28. It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; Behold thy Gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the Land of Egypt: But represents St. Peter to us as Guilty of leading the Gentile Converts into Error; tho' by complying as he did with the Judaizing Christians he designed only to condescend to their weakness, and not to give any the least cause of Offence to the Others. The Case was in short this: There were in those first times many among the Jews who tho' they readily embraced the Gospel of Christ, yet could not presently persuade themselves that they ought to abandon all the Rites and Ceremonies of their own Law. With these therefore the Apostles thought fit to bear for a while, and to permit them to observe their former Customs, as far as was consistent with the Nature of Christianity so to do. But for the Gentile Converts, those who had never been at all subject to the Law, to them they preached a Gospel liberty, and exhorted them not to submit themselves to any such burden. St. Peter being at Antioch, in a Church which St. Paul had established of this latter sort, freely for a time communicated with them; not making any distinction of Meats or Drinks, nor at all observing the Law of Moses in any of those things. But it happened whilst he was there, that certain Brethren came down from the Church of Jerusalem to him, who were still zealous for the Law; and in compliance with these, He began whilst they were with Him to alter his manner of living, and no longer to use his former liberty, but to live again after the manner of the Jews. He withdrew, says St. Paul, and separated himself, fearing them of Gal. two.— 12. the circumcision. This example of his led many of the Jewish Converts, who before had lived in all freedom with the Gentiles, into the like Abstinence; insomuch that Barnabas himself was carried away with the dissimulation; — 13. And so began to raise some doubts and disturbances in that Church. But St. Paul reproved him — 14. openly before them all: He charged him that he did not walk uprightly according to the Truth of the Gospel: He withstood him to the face, and tells us plainly He — 11. was to be blamed: And that for Compelling the Gentiles — 14. to live as do the Jews; i e. for encouraging them to it, and persuading them falsely by his example, that it was necessary for them so to do. It is in the Case of Sin now, as it was in that of an involuntary injury under the Law. If a Man opened or digged a pit, and neglected to cover it, and Exod. xxi. 33. another man's Ox or Ass fall therein, tho' he made it only for his own use, and had not the least design of doing thereby any prejudice to his Neighbour, yet because he did not take due care to fence it, and prevent all occasion of harm from — 34. happening by it, he was to repair his Neighbour's damage, and give Money to him for the Ox or Ass, and the dead beast was to be his. And so here: If a Man does any thing that may be apt to lead another into Sin, and takes not that due care he ought to prevent his being deceived by it, and another be thereby encouraged to do Evil, he shall answer for his neglect: And if his Action was not only scandalous but sinful too; Evil in its self, as well as apt to draw others into Sin; he shall be called to an account before God not only for his own but also for his Neighbour's Soul; and his Sin shall be required yet one fold more of him for the occasion it gave to his Brother to do wickedly. There is yet one way more whereby a Man may give occasion to, and so partake of other men's Sins, and which comes yet nearer to the Case of Timothy in the Text, than any I have hitherto named; and that is, Fourthly; By advancing Evil Men to Places of Trust and Power, and thereby giving them opportunity to do much more Mischief, than they could have done in a private Capacity. I need not say how great a part of the Calamities under which the World now labours might be prevented, were none but Men of great Integrity, and Abilities suitable to the Station to which they are called, ever permitted to have any Rule or Authority, either in Civil or Religious concerns. Such as these, would not only not do any Hurt themselves, but would in a little time either by their Influence and Example, or else by a due severity against Offenders restrain others from doing it. But when the Blind lead the Blind; When they who should teach, and make others Good, are not Good themselves; what wonder if we see so little sense of Piety among the People, when there is so little of it among those that should set them an Example? It is therefore certainly a Great Care that those aught to have, whose concern it is to provide that none but Honest and Worthy Men be admitted into such Stations, where if they are inclined to be Evil, they may do a great deal of mischief to those below them. And if instead of having such a Care, as far as is possible, not to suffer any wicked and profligate Persons to receive any Favour or Countenance from them, they shall either take no Care at all, or it may be, (which has sometimes happened) be wellenough contented that the vilest Wretches should be the most honoured and promoted by them; what less can they expect than to answer for those Sins, which such Men by their means have had the Opportunity to Commit? When Jeroboam, whom we before mentioned, had set up his two Calves in Dan and Bethel, and exhorted the People no more to go up to Jerusalem, but to worship the Gods which he had made for them; we read, 1 Kings xiii. 33. that for the better carrying on his design, he provided Priests for them of the lowest of the people; such as he thought fit for his purpose, that would be ready for any thing he should command them to do; whosoever would he consecrated Him, and he became one of the Priests of the High-places. And how heinously God resented this, we may see in the very next Verse; And this thing became sin unto the House of Jeroboam, 1 Kings xiii. 34. even to cut it off and to destroy it from off the face of the Earth. But because the Great Aggravation of Jeroboam's Sin was that he admitted such Fellows into the Priest hood on purpose to debase Religion, and confirm the People in the Idolatry which he designed to establish among them; We will look farther to the Instance of the Text, where neither of these things can be supposed. Here the only fault we can imagine Timothy was capable of being Guilty of, must have been the not being so careful and circumspect as he ought, in trying and examining such Persons as he admitted into any Holy Office in the Church. And yet St. Paul having exhorted him to this Care in the former part of the Text, if we take his words in that sense in which they are more generally understood; Lay hands suddenly on no man; makes use of this consideration to enforce it upon Him in the latter, that otherwise he should be responsible to God for all that mischief which should accrue to the Church by the means of such persons as he admitted into the Government of it, without that due Caution he ought to have used in a matter of such importance; Neither be thou partaker of other men's sins. I shall conclude this point with that advice which the Heathen Orator once gave to his Friend: If you Is●er. ad Dem. ● 30. should ever come to be in Authority, says he, Employ no wicked Person in any of your Affairs; for whatsoever faults He commits, the blame will be sure to fall on you. And this may serve for the first way whereby we may become partakers of other men's Sins, viz. by giving Occasion to the Committing of them. The (2d.) is, By our Approving of them when Committed. And this too is a Circumstance which renders a Chrysost. in Rom. Hom. V. pag. 46, 47. Man not only partaker of another's Sin, but oftentimes more heinously guilty than He who committed it. A Man may fall into Sin by Ignorance or Surprise; may be hurried on by his Passions, and carried away in such a manner by the violence of temptation, as not to be able to command Himself, and to withstand the force of them. And this tho' it will not altogether excuse, yet will lessen and extenuate a Man's Gild; will render him tho' not innocent, yet not extremely ill: He may Commit the Sin, and yet be so far from being pleased with it, that he may abhor himself for Committing of it. But there can be no Excuse for any one to justify and approve what he knows to be Evil. Here is no room for passion or surprise: In short, it must be the Evidence of a Soul hardened in wickedness, not only to do what is Evil, but to take pleasure in it; and to applaud and encourage the practice of it. Now two ways there are whereby we may declare our Approbation of another's Sin: and by both, but especially by the former of which, we shall be sure to render ourselves partakers of it. 1 st. By making some Advantage to our selves by it. 2 ldy, By Justifying and Applauding of it to others. 1st. By making some Advantage to ourselves by it. This was the Case of Ahab in the business of Naboth, and for which God charges him with all the Murder and Oppression, that without his Knowledge or Direction had been committed in it, 1 Kings xxi. He desired by any means to have purchased Naboth's Vineyard, and he was much discontented be cause he could not persuade Him to part with it He laid him down upon his Bed, and turned away his 1 Kings xxi. 4. face, and would eat no bread; but it does not Appear that he at all designed by any unjust Violence to ravish it from Him. But his Wife wrote Letters to the Elders of his City, and commanded them saying; Proclaim a Fast, — 9 and set Naboth on high among the people: and set two — 10. men, sons of Belial, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the King; and then carry him out, and stone him that he may die. This they did, and put him to death accordingly: — 11. And then the Queen first made her Husband acquainted — 15. with what was done. But what then was Ahab's Crime? Why, he received the News with satisfaction; he was pleased with what had passed; and he rose up from his bed, and went down to take possession — 16. of the Vineyard. And for this God charges him by Elijah with all the Violence that without his knowledge had been before committed. Thus saith the — 19 LORD, Hast thou killed and also taken possession? therefore, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine. The truth is, so great is the Equity of this Proceeding, that we find even the positive Laws of most Country's, to observe the same measure. He that conceals a Thief, and receives what is stolen, and partakes with him in his Booty; shall, if discovered, be looked upon as if he had committed the Theft: And therefore Solomon says of such a one, Prov. xxix. 24. That he hateth his own Soul, that is, He putteth his Life in danger by it. And for what concerns the Conscience, is even by the Heathen Moralists themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phocyl. adjudged as much a Thief as the other. And the Reason of this is clear, Because by joining with the Sinner at the last, and partaking with him in the Advantage for which the Villainy was committed, instead of correcting him for it himself, or bringing him forth to a public Punishment; he plainly declares his Consent to what was done, and both preserves him, and encourages him to do the like again. Nay but, 2dly, Tho' we should not make any Advantage to ourselves by the Sins of others; yet our very justifying and applauding of them, would of themselves be sufficient, to render us partakers of them. The Malignity of Sin lies not so much in what we do, as in the Affections of the Heart, the Will and Intention with which we do it. The outward Act may accidentally add indeed to the Aggravation of our Gild: But 'tis the Heart and the Affections of that to which God principally looks; and for which we shall either be acquitted or condemned at the last day. A man may do that which is in its self very innocent, and yet commit a great Sin by doing it, if he thought it to be Evil, and yet did it. And on the other side, there are such Circumstances wherein what is in its self unlawful, may yet without Sin be done by us, if a man were invincibly, and therefore excusably, ignorant that it was so. He that loves any Evil, and wishes for an Opportunity to commit it, and would be sure to embrace it if he had, is already guilty of it, tho' he should never find the Opportunity he desires for it. Thus in the Instances which our Saviour Christ himself gives us, Matth. v. He that looks upon a woman to lust Mat. v. 28. after her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart: He that is angry with his brother, and would do — 22. him a mischief if he could, is already a Murderer, though he never should be able to strike his Poniard into his Breast. And therefore in the Case before us; If when a Sin is done by another, We are pleased with it, we commend the Fact, and so declare ourselves to be in our Hearts consenting to it; we evidently thereby, as far as concerns our Will and Inclinations, bear a part in it, and shall accordingly be accounted in God's sight to have a share in the Gild of it. Hence it is that we may observe, how studious Good men have always showed themselves, in flying the very Conversation of Sinners: As if their keeping company with Evil men, should seem to some an Approving of their Evil Actions. It was the Resolution of Holy David, Psal. ci. that he would not suffer any wicked man to stand before him, to dwell in his House, or receive the least Favour and Countenance from him. And in the cxixth Psalm, v. 115. he makes it the Consequence of his own resolving to be Good, to drive all such from him as would not be so in like manner with him: Depart from me ye Evil-doers, I will keep the Commandments of my God. And the same was the Advice which St. Paul gave to the Corinthians, 1 Ep. v. 11. He bids them not to keep company with a wicked Christian: If any man, says he, that is called a Brother be a Fornicator, or Covetous, or a Railer, or a Drunkard, or an Extortioner, with such a One no not to Eat. And again, in his 2d to Timothy, c. iii having set down a large Catalogue of Sinners that should rise up in the latter days; he bids us, ver▪ 5. From such turn away. And St. John in his 2d Epistle, having given the same Advice to the Person to whom he there writes, that if any of those who had denied the Faith of 2 Ep. Jo. 7. Christ, after having been once made acquainted with it, should come to her, she should not receive them — 1●. into her house, nor bid them God speed; subjoins this very thing as the Reason of it, For he that biddeth 2 Ep. Jo. 11. them God speed, is partaker of their Evil deeds. And tho' I should be very unwilling to pronounce any thing rashly in a Matter of such a Nature, and am sensible there are many Cases; some wherein a man cannot avoid having to do with wicked men, as in the Common Concerns and Affairs of this World: Others in which a man may worthily keep company with them, as our Saviour did with the Publicans and Sinners heretofore, the better to gain some Opportunity to reclaim their Manners, and convert them from their Evil ways: Yet I cannot but think it worth the while of a Christian to consider with himself, how he will otherwise be able to excuse himself hereafter to God Almighty, that he has received, loved, embraced the most profligate Sinners; shown his Favour and Countenance to the most daring Rebels against Piety and Religion; and delighted in the Conversation of those now, whose Portion he deprecates, and whose Companion he would be very unwilling to become at all adventures hereafter. Nay perhaps has done yet more than this: has loved them for their very Vices; been pleased with their Prosaneness and Debauchery; and smiled sometimes at those Sins in others, which he would have been ashamed to commit himself. But I must not insist upon all these things: and therefore, 3dly, and to conclude this whole matter; The last Circumstance, whereby we may become partakers of other men's Sins, is, By neglecting to hinder them from committing them, when we might, and aught to have done it. Now though this be a circumstance which seems more especially to regard those whom God hath set up as Watchmen over the House of Israel, yet is there no one that must think himself altogether unconcerned in it. We all of us I hope have, I am sure we all of us should have the same Zeal for the Glory of God, and the same Charity for the Salvation of one another's Souls. And tho' God has indeed in a particular manner appointed some certain Persons to watch more than others for your Salvation, and to call upon you to look to yourselves, and not give way to the Tempter: yet whosoever he be that sees another about to do that which he knows will be odious to God, scandalous to Good men, and without a timely Repentance ruinous to his own Soul, and has an opportunity to admonish him of his Sin, and to hinder his committing of it, and yet neglects so to do; let him fear, lest what God once denounced against the Prophet Ezekiel heretofore, be finally verified in himself; c. 33. 8. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way; that wicked man shall die in his Iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand. But though we are therefore all of us obliged, as we tender our own Souls, to do what we can in our several Capacities to save others; and in order thereunto should hinder them from sinning, whenever it lies in our power so to do: Yet it is not to be doubted, but that such persons as either by Nature or Friendship, or any the like Engagement, aught to have a more particular concern than others, for their Neighbour's Welfare; or else by their Place, and Business, and Character, are engaged in a more especial manner to watch over them, should be more than ordinarily careful as to this matter, and will have much more than others to answer for, if they be not. And two ways in general there are, whereby such persons must labour to hinder Men from sinning, as ever they mean to clear themselves from being Partakers in their Iniquities. First, By discouraging Sin all they can before it be committed: By setting forth the Folly and Unreasonableness of it now, and the great danger that shall certainly be the consequence of it hereafter: By showing the Vanity of all those little Pretences, in which wicked Men are apt to put their trust; and not leaving them any hopes of Impunity, either in this World or in the next, without a true Repentance of their Sins, and a Reformation from them. Secondly, By a severe Enquiry into, and Punishment of it after. This indeed is what the great Temper and Moderation of our present Discipline, that I do not say some Defect in it, permits not us, as St. Paul here commanded Timothy to do. We cannot call Sinners publicly into the Church, and lay open their Crimes to them, and rebuke them before All, that others also may fear. But the Civil Magistrate has great opportunities of supplying this Defect; and no doubt God will require it so much the more at their hands, in that it is now no longer in ours. There is indeed a Mercy to be remembered and shown in Judgement; and our own Frailty ought to admonish us to make great Allowances for other men's Infirmities. But there may be an Excess even in Good Nature itself; and whatever the Consequence be, care must be taken that neither the Honour of God be profaned, nor his Laws despised; that neither Virtue be run down, nor Vice encouraged: And to that end Men must be kept from open and scandalous Sins at least, if they cannot from others; and be punished even in Mercy now, that if possible they may be reformed, and so not perish for ever. And let us then 2ly, Which was the other general point we proposed to consider (the consequent Application of all these Reflections) be persuaded to endeavour what in us lies to prevent both our own and other men's Sins. Instead of Approving and Encouraging any in their Wickedness. let us, as our Apostle advises, Heb. 10. 24. Consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. Instead of giving them any occasion, or laying any stumbling-block in their way, whereby to lead them into Sin, let us by our good Example both teach them what they ought to do, and if possible, make them in love with it. And let us look upon ourselves to lie under the same Engagement to God for one another, that Judah once took upon himself for his Brother Benjamin, Gen. 43. 9 Of my hand shalt thou require him; if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever. I am sensible that I am now exhorting you to a Duty but very little, if at all, considered by most Men. We think it to be enough for us to search out our own Souls, and account with God for our own Miscarriages: And may perhaps be ready to complain of this as some new Contrivance against your Liberty, to call upon you to repent for other Men's sins. But if the Case be indeed so as the Text plainly implies, and as I think I may presume to say, I have in some measure made it appear to be: If there be many ways by which we may, and by some or other of which it is probable the very best of us have rendered ourselves partakers of other men's sins: Then I am sure it must remain, that we have a concern to look beyond our own particular Offences; and to inquire to how many sins of others we may have contributed by any of these means I have before mentioned; and the less we have been wont to do this heretofore, it will argue the greater, not lesser necessity for us to set very seriously about it now. It is indeed an amazing Reflection to sit down and think, How much more Gild we may possibly contract by every sin that we commit, than we are any of us willing to believe, or it may be able to comprehend. For not to say any thing at all of those common Aggravations, which we are every where taught to examine ourselves about: Such as sinning against Knowledge, against the Checks of our own Consciences, and the Motions of God's Holy Spirit to the contrary: sinning against often repeated Promises, against the most serious Resolutions, against the most solemn and sacred Vows of Obedience: In a word, sinning against many providential Admonitions; such as Trouble, Afflictions, Losses, Sickness, and the like; sent by God on purpose to reclaim us. Let us consider only this one thing now before us, How many Men our sinning may be the Ruin of? How many souls may, for aught we know, perish by our means? And what a desperate increase this must add to our own Gild? For if he who converts a sinner James v. 19, 20. from the Error of his way, and so is instrumental to the saving but of one soul from death, shall for that cover a multitude of his own sins: O! then, how fatally must we multiply evil against ourselves, when by our neglect of our duty we lead perhaps Multitudes into error, and involve their souls in everlasting Destruction. If we have therefore hitherto neglected so serious a Consideration; If our Repentance has been only for the sins we ourselves have committed, without any regard to the Mischief we may have done our Brother by them; Let us now at least be persuaded to think that we have yet one great part of our Humiliation still behind; to deprecate God's Wrath not only for our selves but for others too; and implore his Forgiveness of all those sins which have ever by our means been committed by any in the world, and that he would not impute them either to their, or our Damnation. This if we do with that affectionate earnestness as becomes so great an Aggravation, I am persuaded we shall not only very much increase our Contrition, and so perfect our Repentance for what is past; but may also by the Grace of God, establish ourselves the better against returning to our Evil Ways for the Time to come. And our desires not to partake in other Men's sins, be improved into one Motive more, to keep us from continuing in our own. I shall conclude this Discourse, after the same manner, and almost in the same Words that S. Basil once did his Canonical Epistle to Amphilochius, upon the occasion of that very Reflection we have now been making. Let us, says he, consider the terrible Judgement Bevereg. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. tom. II. p. 367. of God, and the day of his Appearing, and let us fear lest we perish in other men's Sins. Let us call to mind the Admonitions of God to us; What Evils we have been exposed to, What Calamities we have suffered: And let these convince us, That for the Iniquities of our Lives we have been forsaken by him. Our People have been led into Captivity, our Brethren dispersed far and near; Because those who profess the Name of Christ, have yet lived so contrary to their Profession, But if after all this Men will not understand, That for these Causes the Wrath of God is come upon us, wherefore should we after this have any thing more to do with them? Nevertheless, let us not cease Day nor Night, in Public and in Private, to entreat and beseech them to consider these things; but let us not be drawn away with their Wickedness. Let us wish and pray, That if it shall please God we may yet gain them at the last, and deliver them out of the Snares of the Devil: but if this we cannot do, yet at least let us save our own Souls, though we cannot theirs, and not partake with them in their sins, lest we also partake with them in their Destruction. Now to him that sitteth upon the Throne, and to the Lamb; be ascribed as is most due, Blessing, and Glory, and Wisdom, and Thanksgiving, and Honour, and Power, and Might, for ever and ever: Amen. FINIS.