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LORD knoweth how to referve the injuft unto the Day of Judgment to be punished. 2 Pet. ii. 9.

There is yet another Sort of Iniquity to be taken Notice of, as inconfiftent with that juft and righte ous Manner of Dealing with others, which the eighth Commandment obliges all Men to, viz. the Giving and Taking Bribes.

A BRIBE is any Gift to another, to bias, or incline him to do fomething he ought not to do, or to omit doing fomething he ought to do.

And the righteous God, to prevent all unjust Practices among Men, has ftrictly forbidden this Iniquity. In Exod. xxiii. 8. he has faid, Thou shalt take no Gift: For the Gift blindeth the Wife, and perverteth the Words of the Righteous. It occafions Perfons to form a wrong Judgment, or to give an unjust Sentence in a Caufe, or to pervert, or misinterpret the Words of the Righteous, with whom they have to do.

In Deut. xvi. 18, 19, 20. the Holy God faid to his People, Judges and Officers fhalt thou make thee in all thy Gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout all thy Tribes: And they shall judge the People with juft Judgment. Thou shalt not wrest Judgment; thou shalt not refpect Perfons, neither take a Gift: For a Gift doth blind the Eyes of the Wife, and pervert the Words (or Matters, as the Expreffion is tranflated in the Margin) of the Righteous. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayeft live, and inherit the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Which laft Claufe implies that by receiving Bribes, and not following that which is altogether juft, they would provoke God by fome Stroke of Judgment to cut fhort their Lives.

In Prov. xvii. 23. it is faid, A wicked Man taketh a Gift out of the Bofom (i. e. fecretly) to pervert the Ways of Judgment, fignifying that he is a wicked Man indeed that receiveth a Bribe.

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Thus wicked were Joel, and Abiah, the Sons of Samuel, whom he made Judges over Ifrael, they turned afide after Lucre, and took Bribes, and perverted Judgment, fee 1 Sam. viii. 1, 2, 3.

And this Wickednefs became general in the Days of the Prophet Ijaiah, fee Ifa. i. 23, 24. where it is written, Every one loveth Gifts, and followeth after Rewards: they judge not the Fatherless, neither doth the Caufe of the Widow come unto them. Therefore, thus faith the LORD, the LORD of Hofts, the mighty one of Ifrael, Ah, I will eafe me of mine Adverfaries, and avenge me of mine Enemies.

This Declaration fignifies, that fuch Sinners are Enemies to God, and that he will avenge himself of them; and that they have Reason to fear a Deftruction from the Almighty, when he vifits a Nation for Sin.

But gracious Promifes are made to the Righteous, that fbaketh his Hands from holding of Bribes, for it is faid, He fhall dwell on high: His Place of Defence, fhall be the Munition of Rocks, Bread shall be given bim, bis Waters fhall be fure, Ifa. xxxiii. 15, 16. which Declarations import that altho' Perfons guilty of Bribery are obnoxious to the Miferies of a Day of God's Vifitation for Sin, yet that the Righteous, who abhor the taking of Bribes, may hope for the divine Protection, and be provided for, and comforted in Times of publick Calamities.

Many Sins bring Guilt only on fingle Perfons, but a BRIBE is an accurfed Thing, which pollutes two Perfons, and renders them both guilty before God, and obnoxious to his Wrath, viz. the Giver and the Receiver of it, and the Nature of this Iniquity ought to be known to all Men, and abhorred by all Men, And the Action of the Giver, and the Action of the Receiver as to its Signification deferves ferious Notice,

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The Intention of a BRIBE is to prevail with the Receiver of it, to do fomething in itself finful, as for a Judge to pafs an unrighteous Judgment on a Caufe, or elfe to do fomething, which the Receiver apprehended to be finful, and therefore was unlawful for him to do.

In both thefe Cafes the Giver endeavours to corrupt the Receiver, and engage him to fin against the holy God, to wound his own Soul, and expose himself to eternal Damnation; a dreadful Crime! vile in its Nature, and destructive in its Confequences, both to him that gives, and him that takes the Bribe. A fad Matter to be confidered by the Guilty; befide the Injury which may be brought on others by Means of a prevailing Bribe.

The Action of the Giver fignifies that he is a Man of corrupt Principles, that he fears not God, has no Regard to his Glory, and the Pleafing him, nor to the Welfare and Salvation of the Soul of the Person whom he bribes; it fignifies that he joins his Endeavours with the Devil's to ruin for ever the Perfon whom he has corrupted.

And the Action of the Receiver fignifies, that he is destitute of a right, and good Principle, that he has yielded to, and been overcome by the Temptation, and that he has fold the Favour of God, and his Soul, and Salvation for the Price of the Bribe he has received.

Thefe Remarks have a like Foundation when a Bribe is given to prevail with any one not to do a Thing which the Law of God has made his Duty, or which he apprehends that God requires of him.

Both the Givers, and Receivers of Bribes, are Men of very corrupt Minds; and without fincere Repentance, and a thorough Reformation, they will never escape the Damnation of Hell, though they fhould be fuffered to escape Punishment in this World.

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Thefe Things deferve the ferious Confideration both of thofe, who at Elections of Members to ferve in Parliament, give Bribes to engage Votes, and of those who receive them.

XIV. Perfons who bear falfe Witness against others are another Sort of Sinners who have just Reason to fear Punishment when God vifits a Nation for Sin.

These are Tranfgreffors of the ninth Commandment, which fays, Thou shalt not bear falfe Witness against thy Neighbour, Exod. xx. 16.

The Prohibition is not limited to the bearing falfe Witness against others on Trials in Courts of Judicature, altho' that is a most aggravated Kind of false Witness-Bearing, because of the Oath taken by Witneffes, wherein they appeal to God for the Truth of what they fay falfely. But a Man's Reputation, and Livelihood may be ruin'd by falfe Witneffes that are never called before Magistrates.

A Man bears falfe Witness against his Neighbour, when he speaks that of another, which he knows to be falfe; whether it be in a Way of Affirmation, or Negation; whether he affirms of another that he fpoke fuch Words, or did fuch Things, which he knows he did not; or denies his having spoken Words, which himself heard, or his doing Things which to his Knowledge the other really did.

All falfe Witneffes are Liars, and all Liars fhall have their Part in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimftone, as it is faid in Rev. xxi. 8.

Wherefore (faith St. Paul) putting away Lying, Speak every Man Truth with his Neighbour: For we are Members one of another, Ephef. iv. 25.

A faithful Witnefs will not lie.: But a falfe Witnefs will utter Lies, it is faid Prov. xiv. 5. and Verse 25. a true Witness delivereth Souls, but a deceitful Witness Speaket b Lies.

In Prov. xix. 15. it is declared, He that justifieth the Wicked, and he that condemneth the Fuft, even they both are Abomination to the Lord.

The fupreme Lawgiver fays, Thou shalt not raife a falfe Report: Put not thine Hand with the Wicked to be an unrighteous Witness, Exod. xxiii. 1.

And in Prov. xix. 5. it is declared that, A falfe Witness fall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh Lies fhall not efcape. This Declaration fhews, that thefe Sinners have Reason to expect Punishment in the Day of the LORD'S Vifitation for Sin.

The fpeaking falfely of others is a pernicious Practice; and the doing fo as Witneffes in Courts of Judicature has brought innocent Perfons to fuffer Death for Crimes they never committed, and others to loose their Eftates, which were their juft Property, or to loose their good Reputation, a Bleffing more valuable than Life.

They who are guilty of this cruel Iniquity do not deal towards others, as they would have others to deal with them.

They imitate their Father the Devil, who is the Accufer of the Brethren, see Rev. xii. 9, 10.

And altho' they may for a while escape Punishment, the Day is coming when the righteous God will take Vengeance on them, when they shall neither be able to escape, nor able to bear his Wrath.

XV. COVETOUs Perfons, are another Sort of Sinners marked by divine Threatnings for fuffering Punishment in the Day of the LORD's Vifitation for Sin.

These are Tranfgreffors of the tenth Commandment, which fays, Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbour's Houfe, thou shalt not covet thy Neighbour's Wife, nor his Man-fervant, nor his Maid-fervant, nor bis Ox, nor his Afs, nor any Thing that is thy Neigh bours, Exod. xx. 19.

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