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to the Lord of souls, by doing all the good they can to others, that they may help more than they have hurt.

Quest. VIII. What reparation can or must be made for murder or manslaughter?"

Answ. By murder there is a manifold damage inferred : 1. God is deprived of the life of his servant. 2. The person is deprived of his life. 3. The king is deprived of a subject. 4. The commonwealth is deprived of a member. 5. The friends and kindred of the dead are deprived of a friend. 6. And perhaps also damnified in their estates. All these damages cannot be fully repaired by the offender; but all must be done that can be done. 1. Of God he can only beg pardon, upon the account of the satisfactory sacrifice of Christ; expressing true repentance as followeth. 2. To the person murdered no reparation can be made. 3. To the king and commonwealth, he must patiently yield up his life, if they sentence him to death, and without repining, and think it not too dear to become a warning to others, that they sin not as he did. 4. To disconsolate friends no reparation can be made; but pardon must be asked. 5. The damage of heirs, kindred and creditor, must be repaired by the offender's estate, as far as he is able.

Quest. IX. Is a murderer bound to offer himself to death, before he is apprehended?'

Answ. Yes, in some cases: as, 1. When it is necessary to save another who is falsely accused of the crime. 2. Or when the interest of the commonwealth requireth it. But otherwise not; because the offender may lawfully accept of mercy, and nature teacheth him to desire his own preservation: but if the question be, When doth the interest of the commonwealth require it? I think much oftener than it is done as the common interest requireth that murderers be put to death, when apprehended; so it requireth that they may not frequently and easily be hid, or escape by secresy or flight; for then it would embolden others to murder: whereas when few escape, it will more effectually deter men. If therefore any murderer's conscience, shall constrain him in true repentance, voluntarily to come forth and confess his sin, and yield up himself to justice, and exhort others to take heed of sinning as he did, I cannot say that he did any more than his duty in so doing: and indeed I think that it

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provision.' An unbelieving man will needs be a God to himself, and trust himself only for his provisions, because indeed he cannot trust God. But you will find that your labour and care are vain, or worse than vain without God's blessing. Say not distrustfully, What shall I have myself when I am old?' Though I am not persuading you to make no provision, or to give away all; yet I must tell you, that it is exceeding folly to put off any présent duty, upon distrust of God, or expectation of living to be old. He that over-night said, "I have enough laid up for many years," did quickly hear, "Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee: and whose then shall the things be which thou hast provided ° ?" Rather obey that, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might: for there is no work nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest P." Do you think there is not an hundred thousand whose estates are now consumed in the flames of London, who could wish that all that had been given to pious or charitable uses? Do but believe from the bottom of your hearts, that " he that hath pity on the poor, lendeth to the Lord, and that which he layeth out he will pay him again." And that, " he that receiveth you, receiveth me, and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me : he that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man, in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward: and whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones, a cup of cold water only (i. e. when he hath no better) in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward "." I say, believe this, and you will make haste to give while you may, lest your opportunity should overslip you.

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Direct. x. What you cannot do yourselves, provoke others to do who are more able : Provoke one another to love and to good works." Modesty doth not so much for bid you to beg for others as for yourselves. Some want but information to draw them to good works: and some that are unwilling, may be urged to it, to avoid the shame of uncharitableness and though such giving do little good to

o Luke xii. 20.

q Prov. xix. 17.

P Eccles. ix. 10.
r Matt. x. 40-42.

themselves, it may do good to others. Thus you may have the reward when the cost is another's, as long as the charity

is yours.

Direct. XI. • Hearken to no doctrine which is an enemy to charity or good works; nor yet which teacheth you to trust in them for more than their proper part. He that ascribeth to any of his own works, that which is proper to Christ, doth turn them into heinous sin. And he that ascribeth not to them all that which Christ ascribeth to them, is a sinner also. And whatever ignorant men may prate, the time is coming, when neither Christ without our charity, nor our charity without Christ (but in subordination to him) will either comfort or save our souls.

CHAPTER XXXI.

Cases and Directions about Confessing Sins and Injuries to others.

Tit. 1. Cases about Confessing Sins and Injuries to others.

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Quest. 1. IN what cases is it a duty to confess wrongs to those that we have wronged?'

Answ. 1. When in real injuries you are unable to make any restitution, and therefore must desire forgiveness, you cannot well do it without confession. 2. When you have wronged a man by a lie, or by false witness, or that he cannot be righted, till you confess the truth. 3. When you have wronged a man in his honour or fame, where the natural remedy is to speak the contrary, and confess the wrong. 4. When it is necessary to cure the revengeful inclination of him whom you have wronged, or to keep up his charity, and so to enable him to love you, and forgive you. 5. Therefore all known wrongs to another, must be confessed, except when impossibility, or some ill effect which is greater than the good be like to follow. Because all men are apt to abate their love to those that injure them, and therefore all have need of this remedy. And we must do our part to be forgiven by all whom we have wronged.

is ordinarily a duty, and that ordinarily the interest of the commonwealth requireth it; though in some cases it may be otherwise. The execution of the laws against murder, is so necessary to preserve men's lives, that I do not think that self-preservation alone will allow men to defeat the commonwealth of so necessary a means of preserving the lives of many, to save the life of one, who hath no right to his own life, as having forfeited it. If to shift away other murderers from the hand of justice be a sin, I cannot see but that it is so ordinarily to do it for one's self: only I think that if a true penitent person have just cause to think that he may do the commonwealth more service by his life, than by his death, that then he may conceal his crime or fly; but otherwise not.

Quest. x. 'Is a murderer bound to do execution on himself, if the magistrate upon his confession do not?'

Answ. No: because it is the magistrate who is the appointed judge of the public interest, and what is necessary to its reparation, and hath power in certain cases to pardon: and though a murderer may not ordinarily strive to defeat God's laws and the commonwealth, yet he may accept of mercy when it is offered him.

Quest. XI. What satisfaction is to be made by a fornicator or adulterer?'

Answ. Chastity cannot be restored, nor corrupted honour repaired. But, 1. If it was a sin by mutual consent, the party that you sinned with, must by all importunity be solicited to repentance; and the sin must be confessed, and pardon craved for tempting them to sin. 2. Where it can be done without a greater evil than the benefit will amount to, the fornicators ought to join in marriage. 3. Where that cannot be, the man is to put the woman into as good a case for outward livelihood, as she would have been in if she had not been corrupted by him; by allowing her a proportionable dowry; and the parents' injury to be recompensed d. 4. The child's maintenance also is to be provided for, by the fornicator. That is, 1. If the man by fraud or solicitation induced the woman to the sin, he is obliged to all as aforesaid. 2. If they sinned by mutual forwardness and consent, then they must jointly bear the burden; yet so

Exod. xxii. 16.

e Exod. xx. 17.

d Deut. xxii. 28, 29.

that the man must bear the greater part, because he is supposed to be the stronger and wiser to have resisted the temptation. 3. If the woman importuned the man, she must bear the more; but yet he is responsible to parents and others for their damages, and in part to the woman herself, because he was the stronger vessel, and should have been more constant: and 'volenti non fit injuria,' is a rule that hath some exceptions.

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Quest. XII. In what case is a man excused from restitution and satisfaction?'

Answ. 1. He that is utterly disabled cannot restore or satisfy. 2. He that is equally damnified by the person to whom he should restore, is excused in point of real equity and conscience, so be it that the reasons of external order and policy oblige him not. For though it may be his sin (of which he is to repent), that he hath equally injured the other, yet it requireth confession, rather than restitution or satisfaction, unless he may also expect satisfaction from the other. Therefore if you owe a man an hundred pounds, and he owe you as much and will not pay you, you are not bound to pay him, unless for external order sake, and the law of the land. 3. If the debt or injury be forgiven, the person is discharged. 4. If nature or common custom do warrant a man to believe that no restitution or satisfaction' is expected, or that the injury is forgiven, though it be not mentioned, it will excuse him from restitution or satisfaction; as if children or friends have taken some trifle, which they may presume the kindness of a parent or friend will pass over, though it be not justifiable.

Quest. XIII. 'What if the restitution will cost the restorer far more than the thing is worth?'

Answ. He is obliged to make satisfaction, instead of restitution.

Quest. XIV. 'What if the confessing of the fault may engage him that I must restore to, so that he will turn it to my infamy or ruin?'

Answ. You may then conceal the person, and send him satisfaction by another hand: or you may also conceal the wrong itself, and cause satisfaction to be made him, as by gift, or other way of payment.

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