Portion in the Lake that burneth with Fire and Brim Stone.

2. Let us no lefs hate the Practice of Taking up Evil Reports against any, than that of Inventing them. We learn from Pfal. 15. 3. That This alfo will exclude us the Kingdom of Heaven; in that 'tis here faid, that among thofe that shall abide in Gods Tabernacle, and dwell in his Holy Hill, He is one that Backbiteth not with his Tongue, nor doth Evil to his Neighbour, nor taketh up a Reproach against his Neighbour: Or doth not without Good Evidence give credit to it, and much less spread and propagate it. The Wife Man maketh him a VVicked doer, who giveth heed to falfe Lips; and a Lyar, who giveth ear to a naughty Tongue. Prov. 17. 4. This is as much a Tranfgreffion of the forementioned Golden Rule, Of doing as we would be done unto, as is Devifing and Forging Slanders. I doubt there is not much lefs Malice in this Practice, but I am sure it favours of every whit as little Charity, as that other Practice doth. I can have no Charity for that man, against whom I am forward to believe and report whatsoever of evil I chance to hear of him. Nay, VVhisperers and Backbiters, as well as Inventers of Evil things, are reckoned by Saint

Paul,

Paul, among those obdurate Sinners, of whom he Pronounceth, That God had given them over eis vâv ádóxiμov to a Reprobate mind, Rom. 1. 29, 30.

Hafty Believers and Spreaders of falle Reports, are the Tools and Inftruments of those that invent them, for the doing of the Mischief they design by them. And it is almost wholly Long of these, that Thofe wicked People are in a Capacity of doing any Mischief by their Forgeries.

We are Bound therefore by the strictest Bonds, by the Bonds of Charity, of Justice, and of SelfPrefervation, to be extremely Cautious of lending our Ear to Tale-Bearers, left we be Involved in their Guilt, and fo brought to share with them in their dreadful Punishment. Since this is an express Law of God, Thou shalt not go up and down as a Tale-bearer among thy People, Lev. 19. 16. Surely 'tis as much a Law of His, That we fhould not give incouragement to those whom we know to be Tale-bearers, by Liftning to their Tales.

Nay, We are obliged to be fo far from Believing a Report againft our Neighbour, \meerly from the Information of any One or a

D

Few

Few Perfons, of whofe Integrity, and of whofe certain Knowledge of the Truth thereof, we have not great. Affurance, that we may not neither conclude any Man Guilty, from his being Accufed by the Generality. There is indeed a common faying, Vox Populi eft vox Dei, The Voice of the People is the Voice of God. And in a certain Sence, it may well pals for a true Proverb. But as it is vulgarly understood, The Voice of the People is not the Voice of God, as we of this City and Kingdom have often found by fad Experience, All Wife and Honest Men cannot be, at this time of day, to feek for Conviction, What great Sufferers, even our Governours themselves have been Wrongfully made to be, by the Voice of the People. And I dare Affirm, That he who now takes the common Vogue for unquestionable Evidence, had he lived in the Dayes of our Bleffed Saviour, would have been made One among that wicked Crew, who applauded the Sentence pronounc'd a gainst Him.

And there is this weighty Reason, why Com mon Fame it self is not to be Confided in, viz. For ought we can tell this Fame might first arife from but One Man, and that Man a Liar

too; and this we Certainly know, that the Go nerality are fo void of Charity, as hastily to Catch at Scandalous Stories, and are much more eafily perfwaded to think and report Evil Things upon very flight Grounds, than good and com mendable Things, upon the most evident and apparent Ones. And none have fo fad Experience of the Truth of this, as Thofe of whofe Repu tation we are obliged to be the most tender.. I mean-our Governours in Church and State..

But fuppofe we have certain Affurance, that fuch an ill Report did take its first Rise from not a few, yet we may not be fure but that thefe might be United in one common Intereft and Defign; but in this Cafe, the Report of many carryes no whit ftronger Evidence with it, than if it came but from One Mouth. And this was the very Cafe of our Bleffed Lord: They were many who firft divulged vile Standers of Him, but they were All acted by one and the fame Principle, viz. That of Malice; and by the fame Defign, viz. That of Difgracing Him among the People, and Incencing of King Herod and Pontius Pilate against Him.

But Laftly, Suppofe we could be certain, That the many firft Reporters of Bad Stories

were not Linked together by one Common Tye, yet even in this Cafe too we are bound to use Caution and Deliberation, before we give them undoubted Credit. Efpecially if thofe Stories relate to Words or Actions that are capable of a two-fold Interpretation. The fame Actions may be Faulty or Commendable, according to the Circumstances wherewith they are attended. And the fame Words may be fo too, according to the Occafion or Connexion of them. But People are generally, even those who have no Malicious Intention, Rafh, and Heady in judging of Actions without weighing Circumstances; and in running away with half Sentences; or with whole ones, without Confidering, What went before, or followed after.

So that, I fay, as we would not fall under the Guilt of that Sin, the exceeding Heinoufness of which I have been reprefenting, Look we to it, that we be not Hafty in taking up Evill Reports of any Body, let them come to us from never so many. If this be warrantable, as I have already intimated, the joyning with those who ran down our Saviour, and at last Nailed Him to the Crofs, had been very Excufeable, not to fay Defenfible.

And