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or fall. Why fo much hafte to prevent the Judgment of God by our rafh, ignorant, uncharitable Judgments? Judgment will come time enough for us all, and therefore judge nothing before the time.

This is fo common a Fault, and does so much Mischief in the World, and yet is fo very unreafonable, confidering a Future Judgment, that it will be of great ufe to Difcourfe it more particularly, and if it be poffible, to correct this Miscarriage, which is one of the greatest Plagues of Human Society.

It is very obvious to ask here, What is the fault of this? Is there any living in the World without judging of men and things? Muft we not fay, that he is a very bad man, whom we fee do very bad things? muft we not diftinguish between Virtue and Vice, and between good and bad men? Must we not make good men our Friends, commend and imitate theirVirtues, and reject the conversation of the wicked, and beware of Knaves, and men of ill Principles and Designs? And is it not neceffary then to diftinguifh between Good and Bad Men? That is, to judge who are fo. Muft we wholly refer the Punishment of Wickedness, and the Rewards of Virtue to the Day of Judgment; and becaufe God will judge the World, muft not Princes and Magiftrates execute Juftice, and feparate between the Pure and the Vile ?

This is fo very unreasonable, fo inconfiftent with the wife Conduct and Government of our Lives, and a prudent care of our felves, fo deftructive toHumanSocieties,gives fuch encouragement to wickedness, and fo confounds the diftin

Aion of Good and Evil, that I need not tell any Man, that this is not meant by referring all Judgment to God: We muft judge of Men and Things as far as is neceffary to the prudent Government of our Lives, and to the Prefervation of Peace, and Juftice, and good Order in the World: This does not intrench upon a Future Judgment, nor upon God's Prerogative of being the fole Judge of the World, but is neceffary in this prefent State of Things; fo neceffary, that neither publick Societies nor private Perfons can be safe without it. But then we affume fuch a Judgment to our felves, as belongs only to God, when we judge Mens Hearts, and fecret Thoughts, and Intentions, and when we pass Judgment on their Final State.

Firft, When we judge Mens Hearts, and Thoughts, and fecret Intentions: For the Heart of Man is known only to himself, and to God, who is the fearcher of Hearts; and the Counfels of the Heart will never be made manifeft, till God comes to judge the World.

Indeed no Man will pretend to know another Man's Heart; and yet it is too plain in many Cafes that Men undertake to judge of Hearts: And the great Fault in judging is, that whether Men will own it or no, yet they undertake to judge of Hearts.

Thus all thofe do, who charge Men with more Guilt than is vifible in their Actions; for if we can discover any Guilt which is not visible in their Actions, we must look into their Hearts, and Thoughts, and Intentions, to find it.

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Thus thofe do who charge men with Guilt upon account of innocent and indifferent Actions which have no neceffary Good orEvil in them, but are as they are taken, and as they were intended; and those who can find any hurt in fuch Actions, as have no intrinsick Evil and Mischief in them, muft find it in the heart.

Efpecially thofe,who judge and condemn men for the moft virtuous Actions, for the moft imitable Examples of Piety, and Devotion, and Charity, and a fevere and mortify'd Life; and call this Affectation, and Popularity, and Pharifaism, and charge them with carrying on fome worldly and fecular Designs under the Mafque and Disguise of Religion. Now I grant this may be done, and fometimes it may be visible enough, as it was in the Pharifees; but to charge any man with this, without fome plain and manifeft indication of it, is to judge their Hearts when we know nothing

of them.

Nay, to charge men with the utmost poffible Guilt, even of their bad Actions, is to judge their Hearts; for it is to fay, that they have done fuch a wicked Action with all the internal wickedness of Heart and Mind which fuch an Action can be committed with; which no man can fay without judging the Heart.

The fame wicked Action may be the effect either of Ignorance or of Knowledge, of Rashness and Surprize, or of mature and deliberate Counfel, of habitual wickedness, or of some accidental Temptation, of our own free Choice, or the Perfuafions of Friends, and the Inticements of our Companions,and the Prevalency of Shame or Fear: now this makes a vaft difference in theGuilt andSin,

and

and if the fame Action may have different degrees of Guilt, we must charge it with no more than what is visible, unless we will undertake to judge the Secrets of Hearts.

Thus to charge a man with acting against his Confcience, when he himself declares a full fatisfaction in what he does; or to fay, that he only pretends Conscience, when it is nothing but Humour, or Pride, and Popularity, or Intereft, and Politicks, is to judge Mens Hearts: for these things are not to be known, without knowing mens Hearts. There may be great Symptoms, and Strong Prefumptions, that fome men have no Confcience at all, or no regard to it; for those who in the general courfe of their Lives govern themselves by no Rule, are ridiculous when they pretend Conscience in any thing; but those who in their other Actions fhew, that they are men of Confcience, ought to be believed, when they pretend Conscience, unless there be manifeft Evidence to the contrary.

All these things belong to the Judgment of God, who will judge the Secrets of mens Hearts by the Gospel of Chrift, but we are not concern'd to judge of them; for it ferves no good End, but does very great mischief to the World.

All the Ends of Human Government both in Church and State, may be attained without this; for Human Governments do not pretend to judge mens Thoughts and Hearts, any otherwife than as they are declared inWords and Actions, and fome very plain and fignificant Circumftances, which betray and speak their Intentions and Designs: Ifuman Governments take notice only of what appears, and this is fufficient to fecure the external

Purity of the Church, and to preferve Juftice and good Order in the State; but the mischief of judging Mens Thoughts and Hearts, is chiefly feen in private Conversation.

How often does this diffolve the moft intimate Friendships, and beget Mortal Quarrels, that Men read each others Thoughts and Hearts in their Actions, and very often read very falfe, and directly contrary to the Senfe of the Original: When an indifcreet Word or Action is interpreted a defigned Affront, and a careless or forgetful Neglect is thought a Contempt; when an intended Kindness miscarries, and proves an Injury, and is then thought to be intended fo. It is eafily obferved, that meer Actions anger no Man, and make no Quarrel; for we can easily bear with that from one whom we believe our Friend, which we will not bear with from a Stranger, or a fuppofed Enemy or Rival; but when Men apprehend a thing ill intended, then they take it ill; that is, they judge Mens Hearts and Intentions, which they cannot fee, and which they often mistake, and that makes the Quarrel.

Another Mischief of this judging, is, That many times the moft exemplary Virtue is greatly difcouraged, and the moft ufeful Men eclipfed, and made unferviceable to the World: When the moft confpicuous Piety, and Devotion, and Charity is accused of Pride, Ambition, Popularity, or fome other bafe and low Defign, it makes fuch good Men afraid of appearing good, to avoid the fufpicion of being Vain and Wicked; it makes their Examples useless to the World; for

Men

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