fad accident, to correct a véry vicious humour, which hath always reigned in the world, of cenfuring the faults of others, whilft we overlook our own.

The principle of felf-love, which was planted in innocent nature, is by the fall and corruption of man degenerated into felf-flattery; fo that it is now almoft become natural to men, to fupply the want of a good confcience, by a good conceit of themselves. Hence it comes to pass that men are fo ready to take all advantages to confirm themselves in that falfe peace which they have created to themselves in their own imaginations: and fo they can but maintain a comfortable opinion of themfelves, they matter not how uncharitable they are to others; and knowing no better way to countenance this fond conceit of themselves, than by fancying God to be their friend; hence it comes to pafs, that they are fo apt to interpret the feveral providences of God towards others, in favour of themselves; and to abuse the judgments of God, which fall upon their neighbours, into an argument of their own comparative innocency.

And therefore our Saviour (who knew what was in man, and what kind of conclufions men are apt to draw from fuch occurrences of providence as this which was now prefented) endeavours in the first place, to prevent the bad ufe they were likely to make of it; Suppofe ye, (fays he) that thefe Galileans were finners above all the Galileans, because they fuffered Juch things? I tell you, Nay, &c. To this inftance of the Galileans, he adds another of the fame kind, well known to all that dwelt in Jerufalem : and that was of the eighteen perfons, who were flain by the fall of a tower, which was in the pool of Siloam at the foot of mount Sion, ver. the 4th, or thofe eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, think ye that they were finners above all that dwelt in Jerufalem? I tell you, Nay.

And having thus anticipated their cenfuring of others, our Saviour proceeds to awaken them to a confideration and care of themselves, I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye hall all likewife perish.

The

The general fenfe of which words is, That impenitency in fin will certainly be the ruin of men fooner or later; it will probably bring great mifchiefs and calamities upon men in this world; however it will infallibly plunge them into mifery in the next. But befides the certain denunciation of mifery and ruin to all impenitent finners, which is the largest fenfe) of the words, and agreeable to many other exprefs texts of fcripture, it is probable enough, that they may more immediately and particularly refer to thofe temporal calamities which were to befall the Jews, and be-fpoken by our Saviour by way of prediction, foretelling what would be the fate of the whole Jewish nation, if they continued impenitent, wvτες ὁμοίως απολεσθ, Ye hall all perim in like manner; that is, if ye do not repent, befides the vengeance of another world, a temporal judgment as fad as these I have inftanced in, and not much unlike them, fhall come upon this whole nation: and fo indeed it came to pafs afterwards: For Jofephus tells us, that at the time of the paffover, when the whole nation of the Jews were met together, as their cuftom was at Jerufalem, they were all fhut up and befieged by the Romans. And he tells us farther, that in the time of that fiege, upon a fedition among themselves, a great multitude of them were flain in the temple, as they were facrificing, and their blood poured forth, together with that of the beafts which were to be offered, as had happened before to the Galileans.

From the words thus explained, I fhall obferve thefe two things.

Firft, The wrong ufe which men are apt to make of the extraordinary and fignal judgments of God upon others. Suppose ye that these Galileans were finners above all the Galileans, because they fuffered fuch things intimating that men are very apt so to conclude, and that the Jews did fo.

Secondly, The right ufe that we fhould make of thefe things, which is, to reflect upon our own fins, and repent of them, left the like or greater judgments

over

overtake us. I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewife perish.

First, The wrong ufe which men are apt to make of the extraordinary and fignal judgments of God upon others; and that is to be uncharitable and cenforious towards others, which is commonly confequent upon a grofs and ftupid neglect of ourfelves. For men do not ufually entertain and cherish this cenforious humour for its own fake, but in order to fome farther end; they are not fo uncharitable merely out of fpite and malice to others, but out of selfflattery, and a fond affection to themselves. This makes them forward to reprefent others to all the disadvantage that may be, and to render them as bad as they can, that they themselves may appear lefs evil in their own eyes, and may have a colour to fet off themfelves by the comparifon. It is the nature of guilt to flee from itfelf, and to ufe all poffible arts to hide and leffen it. For guilt in the foul is like deformity in the body. Perfons very deformed feldom arrive to that abfurd conceit of themselves, as to think themselves beauties; but, becaufe they cannot think fo, they do all they can to comfort and commend themselves by comparison. Hence men are apt to cenfure and aggravate the faults and mifcarriages of their neighbours, that their own may appear the lefs; for a leffer evil in refpect of a greater, hath fome face and appearance of good; and therefore men are ready to take all advantages to reprefent others as bad as may be and because there can be no greater evidence, that a man is a great finner, than if he be declared to be fo from heaven; hence it is, that men are fo forward to interpret the remarkable judgments of God upon any perfon, as an argument of his being a more notorious offender than others.

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For the farther explication and illuftration of this point, I fhall do these three things:

I. I fhall fhew that men are very apt to make this bad ufe of the fignal, judgments of God upon others.

II. I fhall more particularly confider feveral of the rash conclufions which men are apt to draw from the judgments of God upon others; whether upon publick focieties and communities of men, or upon particular perfons.

III. I fhall fhew how unreasonable it is to draw from hence any fuch rafh and uncharitable conclufions concerning others, and likewife how foolish it is from hence to draw comfort and encouragement to ourselves.

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I. That men are very apt to make this bad ufe of the fignal judgments of God upon others. This our Saviour plainly intimates in the text, Suppofe ye that thefe Galileans were finners above all the Galileans, because they suffered fuch things? or thofe eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, think ye that they were finners above all that dwelt in Jerufalem? by which manner of fpeaking, our Saviour fignifies, that men are very apt thus to fuppofe, that thofe upon whom the extraordinary judgments of God fall, are no ordinary finners, but are guilty of fomewhat above the common rate of men.

Thus we find Job's friends, when they faw him afAlicted by the hand of God, in fo ftrange and extraordinary a manner, from hence prefently concluded, that he must needs be a prodigious finner; and because they could find no evidence of this in his life and actions, therefore they concluded that his wickednefs was fecret, and that it lay there where they could not fee it, in his heart and thoughts: for this they laid down for a certain conclufion, that being fo remarkable a sufferer, he must needs be a great finner; and because they could difcern no fuch thing in his outward converfation, they charged him with hypocrify, and concluded all his external profeffion of piety and religion to be falfe and counterfeit...

So likewife, when the man that was born blind was brought to our Saviour, John ix. 2. the dif ciples presently asked him, Mafter, who did fin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? This was that which lay uppermoft in their minds, the very first thing that fuggefted itself to their thoughts: furely

furely this judgment was inflicted upon this man for fome particular and extraordinary fin, which either he, or (because that was not fo likely) his parents had been guilty of.

And we find in common experience, how prone men are to make uncharitable conftructions of the judgments of God upon others, and grievously to cenfure those whom God hath fmitten; partly because it looks like a vindication of themfelves from the guilt of the like crimes, fince they are not involved in the like fufferings; partly to gratify their pride and curiofity, in feeming to understand the reafon and end of God's judgments, as if they had been of his council, and faw farther into the reasons of his providence then other men; like some pragmatical people in civil matters, who though they think no more than their neighbours, yet will needs feem to understand thofe hidden and fecret fprings which move publick affairs and, which is yet worfe, many times to gratify their own paffions and foolish conceits, that God is angry with thofe things and perfons which displease them, and that God's judgments are expreffions of his particular diflike of thofe whom they difaffect, and would certainly punifh, if the government of the world were in their hands. Or laftly, men think it a piece of piety, and affectionate zeal for God, and a taking of his part, to cenfure those heavily, whom God afflicts feverely; like fome foolifh parafites, who if they fee a great man be angry with any one and ftrike him, they think themfelves bound to fall upon him, and out of an officious flattery will beat him too. But from whatever caufe it proceeds, it is certainly a very bad thing, and our Saviour here in the text does with great vehemency deny, that any fuch conclufion can certainly be 'collected from the judgments of God upon others; I tell you, Nay. And to exprefs this more vehemently, he repeats it again, I tell you, Nay. Let us therefore,

II. More particularly confider fome of the rafh conclufions which men are apt to draw from the judgments of God upon others, whether upon pu