X.

Charity. It is faid indeed, that Charity SERM. feeketh not her own; and, it is true, she doth not. But a Man endowed with Charity may, and muft, feek his own, but not his own only; but not feek his own, to the unjuft Prejudice or uncharitable Neglect of the Interests of others.

The fecond Plea is yet lefs to be rejected, which urges the Neceffity and Ufefulness of making proper Examples to maintain the publick Peace, and strengthen the Guard of every good Neighbour against Fraud and Violence. And it may be true (nor is there Reason to doubt, but it is often in Fact true) that Men pursue Offenders at their own confiderable Coft, and Labour, and Hazard, not so much for their particular Benefit or Safety, as for that of the Country in general. This will be faid to be the Province of Magiftrates and Governors; and it is (eminently) fo, and a very honourable one: But private Men cannot be excluded, where the Laws admit and encourage them; especially fince it is evident, that without their Activity the Magiftrate must fall very short in the Discharge of this R 3 Bufinefs.

SERM. Business. And though Men of unchriX. ftian Tempers may cover their Malice, or

Cruelty, or other wicked End, with the fame Pretence; yet, where it is true, and the Means also can be juftified, it must be a base Injustice to cenfure for Uncharitable, an Action that is plainly publick-fpirited, beneficent, and a common Obligation. Farther ftill; to strengthen the Reasonableness of fuch Proceedings, it may be alledged, that with respect to the Offender himself, a real Charity is aimed at (if he be not incapable of the Benefit) by taking the Courfe to reform him by due Severity; which Experience fhews to be, with too many, most effectual. But all these Reasonings must be admitted only with proper Caution: For no End is good enough to be fought by unlawful Means. Nor to obtain the otherwise just, and ferviceable, and generous Purposes that have been fet forth, can it ever become lawful to punish that Man whom God hath commanded us to discharge unpunish'd. The Bufinefs therefore now before us is to confider, in what Cafes we are obliged, for God's Sake and by his Law,

1

Law, to yield up our Concern for our SER M. own or others future Security; and in X. what we are at Liberty to provide for it at the Expence of the Offender.

To begin; you know I was even now putting many Cafes about Men's repenting, or not; and fatisfying for the Injustice committed, or not. One or two I then omitted, referving them for this Place: As, firft, where the Party is unable indeed, but then fhews himself no less unwilling to make Satisfaction; but fets us and our Complaint of Wrong at utter Defiance, We have therefore before us a Man that has been unjust, and intends to be fo: What we have loft by him is not recoverable; but there are Ways, by the Laws of our Country, to lay fome Chaftisement upon him, such as may prevent, in Probability, farther Suffering to ourselves or others. Does the Divine Law forbid it? Surely, if all Revenge in the Spirit, all Unmercifulness in the Degree of punishing, be excluded, it does not. Nor can we be charged with rendering Evil for Evil; when we are doing Good in our whole View, not to ourselves only, but doing Good to our Neighbours also, and

R 4

doing

SERM. doing Good, if he be capable of it, to the X. Criminal himself.

With respect to the other Cafes before stated, we must say, that in all Occafions, where we have Reafon given us to believe our offending Brother fenfible of his Offence, and find him ready to make us Reparation, (and that Readiness, if the Power be not wanting, ever accompanies that Senfe) and likewife where there is a Difpofition to make Reparation and the Power only is wanting; in these Occafions we must fay, an Obligation lies upon us to let the Offender go free from any Punishment we might otherwife lay him under with regard to Example, or any Pretence of Security for the Future. He appears to be within the Benefit of the Law; he returns and repents; and he, from whom we must all beg Forgiveness, has commanded us to forgive him. I meddle not here with the Duty of the publick Magiftrate, who in the known Cafe of Murder, and it may be alfo in fome extraordinary Conjunctures, where the common Safety is eminently concern'd, has fpecial Rules and Confiderations to go

X.

vern him; which it is not neceffary to SER M. difcufs in this Place. As to our Bufmefs, this is the Summe: He that changes his Sentiments and refolves on a different Course, goes free; and he that perfifts in his injurious Difpofition, remains liable.

But to proceed yet further in the particular Explanation of this Subject; I will make another Suppofal, omitted under the Head of Reparation. It is this; A Manoffers to answer the Damage we have suffer'd from him, but fhews no tolerable Evidence that he repents of the Fault. And this Suppofition may well be made: for Reparation does not certainly infer Repentance, but may proceed from other Motives; although Repentance does certainly infer Reparation, or at least the Will to make it. Such a Tender of Satisfaction no Man is bound to accept, but has a Liberty of Difcretion to exact other Penalties also a greeable to Law and Equity. For Religion interpofes not; and Reafon makes à plain 'Difference between the penitent and impenitent with refpect to future Security; fince the Fear of further Injury from the latter remains, which from the former is

in