tain you from it, but do it whatever it may cost you.' Be true to conscience, and do not wilfully put off your duty. To live in the neglect of a known duty, is to live in a known sin; which will give you cause to question your sincerity, and cause more terrible effects in your souls, than the inconveniences of confession could ever have been.

Direct. IV. Look to your repentance that it be deep and absolute, and free from hypocritical exceptions and reserves.' For half and hollow repentance will not carry you through hard and costly duties; but that which is sincere, will break over all it will make you so angry with yourselves and sins, that you will be as inclined to take shame to your selves in an honest revenge, as an angry man is to bring shame upon his adversary. We are seldom over-tender of a man's reputation whom we fall out with; and repentance is a falling out with ourselves. We can bear sharp remedies, when we feel the pain, and perceive the mortal nature of the disease: and repentance is such a perception of our pain and danger. We will not tenderly hide a mortal enemy, but bring him to the most open shame: and repentance causeth us to hate sin as our mortal enemy. It is want of repentance that maketh men so unwilling to make a just confession.

Direct. v. Take heed of pride," which maketh men so tender of their reputation, that they will venture their souls to save their honour: men call it bashfulness, and say they cannot confess for shame : but it is pride that maketh them so much ashamed to be known by men, to be offenders, while they less fear the eye and judgment of the Almighty. Impudence is a mark of a profligate sinner; but he that pretendeth shame against his duty, is foolishly proud; and should be more ashamed to neglect his duty, and continue impenitent in his sin. A humble person can perform a selfabasing, humbling duty.

Direct. v1. Know the true uses of confession of sin, and use it accordingly.' Do it with an hatred of sin, to express yourselves implacable enemies to it: do it to repair the wrong which you have done to others; and the dishonour you have done to the Christian religion, and to warn the hearers to take heed of sin and temptation by your fall: it is worth all your shame, if you save one sinner by it from

his sin do it to lay the greater obligation upon yourselves for the future, to avoid the sin and live more carefully; for it is a double shame to sin after such humbling confessions.

CHAPTER XXXII.

Cases and Directions about Satisfaction and Restitution. Tit. 1. Cases of Conscience about Satisfaction and Restitution.

Quest. 1. WHEN is it that proper restitution must be made, and when satisfaction: and what is it?'

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Answ. Restitution properly is ejusdem,' of the same thing,' which was detained or taken away. Satisfaction is 'solutio æquivalentis, vel tantidem, alias indebiti:''that which is for compensation or reparation of loss, damage or injury;' being something of equal value or use to the receiver. Primarily res ipsa debetur,' restitution is first due,' where it is possible; but when that is unavoidably hindered or forbidden by some effectual restraint, satisfaction is due. Whilst restitution of the same may be made, we cannot put off the creditor or owner with that which is equivalent without his own consent; but by his consent we may at any time. And to the question, What is due satisfaction? I answer, that when restitution may be made, and he that should restore, doth rather desire the owner to accept some other thing in compensation, there that proportion is due satisfaction which both parties agreed upon. For if it be above the value it was yet voluntarily given, and the payer might have chosen and if it be under the value, it was yet volun tarily accepted, and the receiver might have chosen. But if restitution cannot be made, or not without some greater hurt to the payer than the value of the thing, there due satisfaction is that which is of equal value and use to the receiver; and if he will not be satisfied with it, he is unjust, and it is 'quoad valorem rei et debitum solventis,' full satisfaction, and he is not (unless by some other accident) bound to give any more; because it is not another unrighteous will that he is obliged to fulfil, but a debt which is to be discharged. But here you must distinguish betwixt satis

faction in commutative justice, for a debt or injury and satisfaction in distributive governing justice, for a fault or crime the measure of the former satisfaction, is so much as may compensate the owner's loss; not only so much as the thing was worth to another, but what it was worth to him: but the measure of the latter satisfaction is, so much as may serve the ends of government instead of actual obedience; or so much as will suffice to the ends of government, to repair the hurts which the crime hath done, or avoid what it would do.

And here you may see the answer to that question, Why a thief was commanded to restore fourfold, by the law of Moses; for in that restitution there was a conjunction of both these sorts of satisfaction, both in point of commutative and distributive justice: so much as repaired the owner's loss was satisfaction to the owner for the injury: the rest was all satisfaction to God and the commonwealth for the public injury that came by the crime or violation of the law. Other answers are given by some, but this is the plain and certain truth.

Quest. 11. How far is restitution or satisfaction necessary?'

Answ. As far as acts of obedience to God, and justice to man are necessary: that is, 1. As a man that repenteth truly of sin against God, may be saved without external obedience, if you suppose him cut off by death immediately upon his repenting, before he hath any opportunity to obey; so that the animus obediendi' is absolutely necessary; and the actus obediendi' if there be opportunity: so is it here, the animus restituendi,' or true resolution or willingness to restore, is ever necessary to the sincerity of justice and repentance in the person, as well as necessary 'necessitate precepti:' and the act of restitution primarily, and of satisfaction secondarily is necessary, if there be time and power: I say necessary always as a duty, necessitate precepti;' and necessary necessitate medii,' as a condition of pardon and salvation, so far as they are necessary acts of true repentance and obedience, as other duties are: that is, as a true penitent may in a temptation omit prayer or church-communion, but yet hath always such an habitual inclination to it, as will bring him to it, when he hath op

portunity by deliberation to come to himself; and as in the same manner a true penitent may omit a work of charity or mercy, but not give over such works; even so is it in this case of restitution and satisfaction.

Quest. 111. Who are they that are bound to make restitution or satisfaction?'

Answ. 1. Every one that possesseth and retaineth that which is indeed another man's, and hath acquired no just title to it himself, must make restitution. Yet so, that if he came lawfully by it (as by finding, buying, or the like), he is answerable for it only upon the terms in those titles before expressed. But if he came unlawfully by it, he must restore it with all damages. The cases of borrowers and finders are before resolved. He that keepeth a borrowed thing longer than his day, must return it with the damage. He that loseth a thing which he borrowed, must make satisfaction, unless in cases where the contract, or common usage, or the quality of the thing excuseth him. 2. He that either by force, or fraud, or negligence, or any injustice, doth wrong to another, is bound to make him a just compensation, according to the proportion of the guilt and the loss compared together; for neither of them is to be considered alone. If a servant neglect his master's business, and it fall out that no loss followeth it; he is bound to confess his fault, but not to pay for a loss which might have been, but was not. And if a servant by some such small and ordinary negligence, which the best servants are guilty of, should bring an exceeding great damage upon his master (as by dropping asleep to burn his house, or by an hour's delay which seemed not very dangerous, to frustrate some great business) he is obliged to reparation as well as to confession; but not to make good all that is lost, but according to the proportion of his fault. But he that by oppression or robbery taketh that which is another's, or bringeth any damage to him; or by slander, false-witness, or any such unrighteous means, is bound to make a fuller satisfaction; and those that concur in the injury, being accessories, are bound to satisfy. As 1. Those that teach or command another to do it. 2. Those who send a commission, or authorize another to do it. 3. Those who counsel, exhort or persuade another to do it. 4. Those who by consenting

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are the causes of it. 5. Those who co-operate, and assist in the injury knowingly and voluntarily. 5. Those who hinder it not when they could and were obliged to do it. 7. Those who make the act their own, by owning it, or consenting afterward. 8. Those who will not reveal it afterward, that the injured party may recover his own, when they are obliged to reveal it. But a secret consent which no way furthered the injury, obligeth none to restitution, but only to repentance; because it did no wrong to another, but it was a sin against God.

Quest. IV. To whom must restitution or satisfaction be made?'

Answ. 1. To the true owner, if he be living and to be found, and it can be done. 2. If that cannot be, then to his heirs, who are the possessors of that which was his. 3. If that cannot be, then to God himself, that is, to the poor, or unto pious uses; for the possessor is no true owner of it; and therefore where no other owner is found, he must discharge himself so of it, to the use of the highest and principal Owner, as may be most agreeable to his will and inte

resta.

Quest. v. What restitution should he make who hath dishonoured his governors or parents?'

Answ. He is bound to do all that he can to repair their honour, by suitable means; and to confess his fault, and crave their pardon.

Quest. vi. How must satisfaction be made for slanders, lies and defaming of others?'

Answ. By confessing the sin, and unsaying what was said, not only as openly as it was spoken, but as far as it is since carried on by others, and as far as the reparation of your neighbour's good name requireth, if you are able.

Quest, VII. What reparation must they make who have tempted others to sin, and hurt their souls?'

Answ. 1. They must do all that is in their power to recover them from sin, and to do good to their souls. They must go to them, and confess and lament the sin, and tell them the evil and danger of it, and incessantly strive to bring them to repentance. 2. They must make reparation

a Heb. v. 23. 1 Sam. xii. 3. Neh. v. 11. Numb. v. 8. Luke xix. 8.