XX. 6. Hence, I say, it is, that commonly the best men SERM. are the most candid and gentle, and they are most apt to blame others who deserve worse themselves; that the sharpest tongues and foulest lives do usually go together; that they who are the strictest judges of their own are the fairest interpreters of other men's actions; and they who will least pardon others do most excuse themselves; that they who are strangely acute in descrying other men's faults are stark blind in discerning their own. Our Saviour therefore chargeth such persons with hypocrisy; Thou hypocrite; first cast the beam out of thine own eye; implying, that they do but falsely pretend a respect for goodness and zeal against sin, seeing in their own practice they indulge it; that it is indeed rather pride, peevishness, idleness, spleen, or selfish design that acteth them. 7. In fine, the censorious humour, as it argueth ill nature to be predominant, (a vulturous nature, which easily smelleth out, and hastily flieth toward, and greedily feedeth on carrion,) as it signifieth bad conscience; for he that knoweth evil of himself is most prone to suspect, and most quick to pronounce ill concerning others, so it breedeth and fostereth such ill dispositions; it debaucheth the minds of men, rendering them dim and doltish in apprehending their own faults, negligent and heedless in regard to their own hearts and ways; apt to please and comfort themselves in the evils, real or imaginary, of their neighbours; which to do is a very barbarous and brutish practice. These considerations may, I hope, suffice to persuade the observance of this precept, by the help SERM. of God's grace, to which I commend you, and conclude. XX. Now the God of peace make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. SERMON XXI. OF QUIETNESS, AND DOING OUR OWN 1 THESS. iv. 11. 2 Cor. Or. And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business. Chrys. in As frequently between neighbouring states there 19. do rise dissensions and contests about the just limits of their territories; so doth it frequently happen between virtue and vice, right and wrong, duty and miscarriage in practice; for although the extreme degrees, and even the middle regions of these things are very distant, yet the borders of them do lie very close together, and are in a manner contiguous; a certain ridge of separation running between them, which commonly, being very narrow, thin, and obscure, it is not easy to discern. So it particularly falleth out in the matter before us, wherein our text is concerned. Duty and offence do nearly confine, and almost indiscernibly differ one from the other; for there are about this case precepts which seem to contradict; there are duties appearing to thwart one another. St. Paul here biddeth us to be studious or ambitious of quiet; otherwhere he enjoineth us to be earnestly active, (to be σñoνdy μn ókvnpoì, not slothful Rom. xii. in business:) here he would have us to mind our II. XXI. SERM. own affairs; otherwhere he prescribeth, that we should not look every man to his own things, but Phil. ii. 4. every man also to the things of others. According to the general drift of scripture, and the tenor of our religion, we are in charity obliged to concern ourselves heartily for the good of our neighbour, and to strive earnestly in promoting it; we are enjoined so far to interpose and meddle in the affairs of others, as to watch over them for their good; to instruct and advise them, to admonish and excite them, to check and reprove them upon occasion; to offer and yield them succour, to compose differences between them; to promote their edifiKaravo cation and peace: Let us, saith the apostle to the Heb. x. 24. Hebrews, consider one another, to provoke unto Rom. xiv. love and to good works. Let us, saith St. Paul to 1 Thess. v. the Romans, follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another; and, Exhort yourselves together, and edify one another;-warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, saith he to the Thessalonians in this Epistle. Κατανοῶμεν ἀλλήλους. 19. XV. 2. II, 14. To be zealous and earnest in the maintenance and propagation of truth, of virtue, of piety, is a duty incumbent on us, which implieth care and activity conTit. i. 1. cerning others; that we offer to instruct them; that we enter into contest with them; that we examine their words and actions; that we presume to tax and oppose them. In fine; our religion doth seem by the bands of mutual relation, and obligations of charity, so to unite us together, so to endear us to one another, and to all men, that all things belonging to our brethren do nearly touch us, and should answerably affect us; so XXI. that by intermeddling with any thing relating to SERM. their welfare, we can hardly be said to meddle with what doth not concern us. The condition of things also may seem to require, that we so intermeddle; for the duties and affairs of men are so entangled or interwoven, that we can hardly prosecute any concernments of our own, without being engaged in the matters of others: in discharging all offices of society, in pursuance of any traffic or commerce, in all intercourse and conversation, while we transact our own business, we cannot avoid the furthering or obstructing the business of others, who are engaged in the same or contrary designs. Society doth subsist by combinations of care and pain, regarding common interests, so that it seemeth impossible so to mind our own business, as not to meddle with the business of others. Yet notwithstanding St. Paul enjoineth us so to affect quiet, as simply to mind our own business, or not to be meddlesome in the concernments of others; for that doing our own business is meant exclusively to meddling with the affairs of others, is plain enough by the importance of ràdia, which is emphatical, and signifieth only our own, or our proper business; and because it is joined with being quiet, which respecteth others, and importeth not stirring beyond our own bounds; to be so meddlesome, being also a practice expressly condemned by St. Peter, in that prohibition, But let none of you suffer as a murderer, 1 Pet. iv.15. or as a thief, or as a malefactor, or as a busybody in other men's matters: where pragmaticalness is, we see, not only forbidden, but is coupled with the most heinous offences. How then shall we reconcile these things? How |