The Whole Duty of Man Epitomized, Part 10 – Part 11
PARTITION X.
Of Duty's to our Neighbours. Of Juſtice, Negative, Poſitive, of the Sin of Murther, of the Hainouſneſs of it, the Puniſhment of it, and the ſtrange Diſcoveries thereof. Of Maiming, &c.
Duties to our Neighbours.
IN the Word Righteouſneſs Duties to our Neighbour—Juſtice.are contain'd in groſs the Duties to our Neighbour; and in the larger Sence it contains all kind, both of Juſtice and Charity. I begin with Juſtice, …f which there is two ſorts, Negative and Poſitive.
By Negative Juſtice, Negative Juſtice.we are forbid to do any wrong to any Man; either in reſpect to hi… Soul, Body, his Poſſeſſions, or his Credit; and firſt we muſt not do any manner of Injury to the Soul, either in To the Soul in the Natural and Spiritual Sence.a Natural and Spiritual Sence; we mu… take great Care that we give no occaſion … Grief or Sadneſs to the Mind of an… Man, in which Sence the Soul … ſaid to be naturally injur'd; and … alike diligent not to adminiſter … him the Cauſe, either of Sin or Puniſhment, in which Caſe the So… may be ſpiritually wrong'd.
Sin is the Diſea… and Wound of t… Drawing into Sin, a great Injury.Soul, and the ſed… cing us to it is t… greateſt Injury th… can be done us. There are ſever… Means for this, both direct and … direct; the direct Means are … commanding us, counſelling, enticing Direct and indirect means of it.aſſiſting us; the … direct Means by ſhe… ing us ill Examples, or by incouraging us in any Wickedneſs; by juſtifying Vice, and by throwing Reproach upon the Duties, and ſtrictneſs of Religion, and by theſe, and …ch like Means, both direct and …direct, Men bring upon themſelves the great guilt of injuring …d wounding their Brethrens …ouls.
It would be too This ſort of Injury Men ought ſadly to conſider, to bewail and repair.…ng to inſtance, the …veral Sins by which …en enſnare others: will therefore leave with this Caution, …at it concerns them … near as their Souls, to conſider that Injuries they have done of …is kind, and to bewail them with …e deepeſt Concern and Sorrow; …id not only that neither, but as a …ore particular Teſtimony of their …pentance, to do their beſt by all …e means they can to make Repa…tion.
Negative Juſtice in the ſecond …ce binds us againſt all kind of Injury to the Bodies more eſpecially againſt Negative Juſtice in reſpect of the Life.the Life of our Brethren. Murth… is a Sin of the de… eſt Dye, and may … committed either openly and … rectly, or elſe ſecretly and treach… rouſly. It may … done, either by op… Several ways of being guilty of Murther.and Publick Violen… or elſe effected und… the Coverture of con… ceal'd Malice and … venge, but which way ſoever it … the Sin is of that … alted hainouſneſs, th… The hainouſneſs of the Sin, and the Puniſhments of it.it provokes God to higher degree of A… ger in the Execut… of his Vengeance … Puniſhments upon than any other Vice in all the b… and dreadful Catalogue.
It is worth our … tice by what mira… lous The ſtrange diſcoveries of it.Means God been pleas'd to di… ver it; and indeed would we but take … to our ſerious Thoughts, it muſt needs poſſeſs us with the greateſt Horrour and Abomination of it, and engage us to watch and guard We muſt Watch againſt all approaches.our ſelves againſt the moſt diſtant approaches of this Vice.
Next to the Murthering, the maiming and Maiming, an Injury which every Man dreads.diſabling our Neighbour is a very great Sin, this we muſt grant, by reflecting …ow precious our Limbs are, and …ow miſerable a thing the want of any of 'em is; eſpecially, if it be … poor Man; in ſuch … Caſe, though we Worſt in a poor Man.can never make him a full Satisfaction, we are …he moſt ſolemnly A neceſſity of Satisfaction.…ound to provide for his own, and his Fami…ies wants.
Unlawful Wounds and Stripes are likewiſe highly inconſiſtent with that golden Rule of Loving our Neighbour Wounds and Stripes injurious alſo.as our Selves and indeed our Cruelty to others, argu… not only a great de… Cruelty to others the effect of Prideof Pride and In… lence, but withal … ſavageneſs and bruitiſhneſs of mind, much below the common tenderneſs and compaſſion that becomes the humane Nature.
PARTITION XI.
Of Juſtice about the Poſſeſſions of o… Neighbours; againſt injuring hi… in his Wife, his Goods; of Oppre… ſion; Theft; of paying of Debt… &c.
THE next part His Poſſeſſion.Negative Juſtice, relates to the Poſſeſſions of our Neighbours, … the front of which we may wit… great Reaſon place the Wife. O… Wives, are the Principle part of our Poſſeſſions, The Wife; the enticing her, great injuſtice to the Woman and the Man.and the corrupting Her to defile Her Huſbands bed, is the worſt and higheſt part of Injuſtice both to the Man and the Woman; this is an irreparable The moſt Irreparable.ſort of Injury. A Vice that God has declar'd that he himſelf will Judge, and we may depend upon't, without Repentance that Judgment of his will be the moſt ſevere and dreadful.
Next to this, we owe a Negative Juſtice to our Neighbour with …ſpect to his Goods; ſuch as are his Houſe, His Goods.Land, Cattel, Money, …c. and the two ordinary Cauſes that engages Men to break it, are …ther Malice or Covetouſneſs.
That Part of Injuſtice that is …unded upon pure Malice, is commonly Malicious Injuſtice.…cted upon the Devils Principle, like him they ſeek to deſtroy others; not ſo much, as 'tis any good to themſelves, but out of a natural deſire to do miſchief, the other part that is founded upon Covetouſneſs, though indeed it may Covetous Injuſtice.have ſomething of a baſe and ſordid Deſign in it; yet when 'tis conſidered, 'tis always attended by Oppreſſion Theft and Deceit, it wants very little to come up to the wickedneſs of the former.
Oppreſſion is an inſolent bare-fac'd Robbery, Oppreſſion and Gods Vengeance againſt it.and ſo much the worſe ſtill, becauſe the Poor are generally the Perſons injur'd we have many. Lectures againſt every kind of it, in Holy Scripture… but eſpecially againſt that which affects the Fatherleſs and Widdow… 'tis indeed a moſt crying guilt, and God's heavy Vengeance is no one inſtance more exemplary, he that has oppreſst the Poor; ſaith the Prophet, ſhall ſurely die, and his Blood ſhall be upon him.
Theft is another kind of this Injuſtice, Theft; not paying what we borrow, are bound for, or Promiſe.which in general is twofold, the firſt is the withholding what we ſhould pay, and the laſt the taking from our Neighbour what we have no Right too; the firſt as well as the laſt, is a plain Act of Robbery, and let the preſent Practice of the World argue never ſo much for it, it can never prove, but that by common Juſtice and Honeſty we are ſtrictly engag'd, to the utmoſt of our Abilities, to diſcharge all the debts we are oblig'd to, either by Bond, Promiſe, or any other lawful Obligation.