such a case, warrant men's eating their fill of grapes when Occasionally passing by. (8.) If all in general had vineyards, as they had in the land of Canaan, this text would not justify men in going into their neighbor's vineyard on purpose to eat the fruit. No such liberty is given in the text. If there had been such liberty, it might have been of ill consequence. For the sake of saving their own grapes, men might make a practice of going and sending their children into their neighbors' vineyards, to eat their fill from time to time. But the liberty given in this text to the children of Israel, seems to be very parallel with the liberty taken among us, to take up an apple or two and eat, as we are occasionally passing through a neighbor's orchard; which, as our circumstances are, we may do and justly presume that we have the owner's consent. This is a liberty that we take, and find no ill consequences. It was very much so with vineyards in the land of Canaan, as it is with orchards among us. Apples in some countries are a rare fruit; and there it would by no means be warrantable for persons to take the same liberty, when occasionally passing by their neighbor's apple tree, which we warrantably take here, when going through a neighbor's orchard. The consideration of these things will easily show the great abuse that is made of this text, when it is brought to justify such a resorting of children and others to their neighbor's fruit trees, as is sometimes, on purpose to take and eat the fruit. Indeed this practice is not only not justified by the law of Moses, but it is in itself unreasonable, and contrary to the law of nature. The consequences of it are pernicious, so that a man can have no dependence on enjoying the fruit of his labor, or the benefit of his property in those things, which possibly he may very much value. He can have no assurance but that he shall be mainly deprived of what he has, and that others will not have the principal benefit of it; and so that his end in planting and cultivating that from which he expected those fruits of the earth, which God hath given for the. use, comfort, and delight of mankind, will not be in the main frustrated. II. The second use may be of exhortation. Under this use, I shall confine myself to two particulars, many other things having been already spoken to. 1. I shall hence take occasion to exhort parents to restrain their children from stealing, and particularly from being guilty of theft in stealing the fruits of their neighbor's trees or fields. Christian parents are obliged to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. But how much otherwise do they bring up their children, who bring them up in theft! Which certainly those parents are guilty of, not only who directly teach them to steal, set them an example and set them about it, but also those who tolerate them in it. Parents should take thorough and effectual care, not only to instruct their children better, and to warn them against any such thievish practices, but also thoroughly to restrain them. Children who practice stealing, make themselves vile. Stealing, by the common consent of mankind, is a very vile practice: Therefore those parents that will not take thorough care to restrain their children from such a practice, will be guilty of the same sin which God so highly resented, and awfully punished in Eli, of which we read, I Sam. iii. 13. For I have told him, that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. 2. I exhort those who are conscious in themselves that they have heretofore wronged their neighbor, to make restitution. This is a duty the obligation to which is exceeding plain. If a person was wronged in taking away any thing that was his, certainly he is wronged also in detaining it and keeping it away: And all the while a person, who has been guilty of wronging his neighbor, neglects to make restitution, he lives in that wrong: He not only lives impenitent of that first wrong, of which he was guilty, but he continually wrongs his neighbor. A man who hath gotten any thing from another wrongfully, goes on to wrong him every day that he neglects to restore it, when he has opportunity to do it. The person injured did not only suffer wrong from the other when his goods were first taken from him, but he suffers new injustice from him all the while they are unjustly kept from him. Therefore I counsel all those of you that are sensible that you have heretofore wronged your neighbor, either by fraud, or oppression, or unfaithfulness, or stealing, whether lately or formerly, though it may have been a great while ago, speedily to go and make restitution for all the wrong your neighbor has suffered at your hands. That it was done long ago, doth not quit you from obligation still to restore, as much as if it had been done yesterday. This is a duty with which you must comply; you cannot be acquitted without it. As long as you neglect it, it will be unreasonable in you to expect any forgiveness of God. For what ground can you have to think that God will pardon you, as long as you wilfully still continue in the same wrong, and wrong the same man still every day, by detaining from him that which is his? You in your prayers ask of God, that he would forgive all your sins; but your very prayers are mockery, if you still wilfully continue in those sins. Indeed, if you go and confess your faults to your neighbor, and he will freely acquit you from making restitution, you will be acquitted from the obligation; for in so doing, your neighbor gives you what before was his. But otherwise you cannot be acquitted. you Particularly I would leave this advice with all, for their direction in their behavior on their death beds. Indeed you should not by any means put it off till you come to die; and will run the most fearful risk in so doing. But if you will not do it now, while you are in health, I will leave it with you to remember, when you shall come to lie on your death beds. Doubtless, then, if you have the use of your reason, you will be concerned for the salvation of your poor souls. And let VOL. VIII. 3 P this be one thing then remembered, as absolutely necessary in order to your salvation, that before you die, you must make restitution for whatever wrong you shall have done any of your neighbors; or at least leave orders that such restitution be made; otherwise you will, as it were, go out of the world, and go before your Great Judge, with stolen goods in your hands. And certainly it will not be very comfortable or safe, to bring them into his infinitely holy and dreadful presence, when he sits on his throne of judgment, with his eyes as a flame of fire, being more pure than to look on iniquity; when he is about to sentence you to your everlasting unalterable state. Every one here present, who has been guilty of wronging his neighbor, and has not yet made restitution, must die. Let all such therefore remember this counsel now given them, on the day when death shall approach, if they shall be so fool ish as to neglect it till that time. FINIS. GENERAL INDEX. ACTION in the Arminian sense, vol. 5. Affections of the soul, not distinguishable from the will, vol. 3. Religion consists much in them, vol. 4. Page. 227 94 9 16 The height of, no sign that they are gracious, vol. 4. 46 51 55 Their being attended with the suggestion of texts of Their being not an effect of previous personal effort, 58 64 67 69 74 Not certainly gracious because they seem to be at- Not certainly gracious because they dispose the sub- Nor because they dispose persons to praise God with That they inspire confidence, no sign that they are 93 That they beget confidence in others, no sign, vol.4. 103 171 201 of the reality and certainty of divine things, vol. 4. 230 253 286 |