a fmall. Thou shalt not have in thine Houfe divers Meafures, a great and a fmall. But thou shalt bave a perfect and juft Weight, a perfect and a just Meafure fhalt thou have; that thy Days may be lengthened in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. For all that do fuch Things (viz. the keeping divers Weights and Measures) and all that do unrighteously, are an Abomination unto the LORD thy God.

In Prov. xi. 1. it is faid, A false Ballance is Abomination to the Lord: but a juft Weight is his Delight. And Chap. xx. 10. Divers Weights, and divers Measures, both of them are alike Abomination to the Lord. See also Verse 23.

The Prophet Micah faid to the People (who had provoked destroying Judgments by manifold Sins) He (viz. God) hath fhewed thee, O Man, what is good, and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love Mercy, and to walk bumbly with thy God? The LORD's Voice crieth unto the City, and the Man of Wisdom fhall fee thy Name: Hear ye the Rod, and who hath appointed it. Are there yet the Treafures of Wickedness in the Houfe of the Wicked, and the fcant Measure that is abominable? Shall I count them pure with the wicked Balances, and with the Bag of deceitful Weights? For the rich Men thereof are full of Violence, and the Inhabitants thereof have fpoken Lies, and their Tongue is deceitful in their Mouth. Therefore also will I make thee fick in fmiting thee, in making thee defolate because of thy Sins. See Micah vi. 8-13.

Thefe Declarations fhew moft evidently that fraudulent Dealers, with falfe Weights and Measures, have Reafon to expect Punishment even in this World, when God is vifiting a Nation for their' Iniquities.

But if they fhall escape Punishment in this World, they should know and confider, that the Hope of unjust Men perifbeth, (Prov. xi. 7.) and that, The

LORD

LORD knoweth how-to referve the unjust unto the Day of Judgment to be punished. 2 Pet. ii. 9.

There is yet another Sort of Iniquity to be taken Notice of, as inconfiftent with that juft and righte ous Manner of Dealing with others, which the eighth Commandment obliges all Men to, viz. the Giving and Taking Bribes.

A BRIBE is any Gift to another, to bias, or incline him to do fomething he ought not to do, or to omit doing fomething he ought to do.

And the righteous God, to prevent all unjust Practices among Men, has ftrictly forbidden this Iniquity. In Exod. xxiii. 8. he has said, Thou shalt take no Gift: For the Gift blindeth the Wife, and perverteth the Words of the Righteous. It occafions Perfons to form a wrong Judgment, or to give an unjuft Sentence in a Caufe, or to pervert, or misinterpret the Words of the Righteous, with whom they have to do.

In Deut. xvi. 18, 19, 20. the Holy God faid to his People, Judges and Officers fhalt thou make thee in all thy Gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout all thy Tribes: And they fhall judge the People with just Judgment. Thou shalt not wrest Judgment; thou shalt not refpe&t Perfons, neither take a Gift: For a Gift doth blind the Eyes of the Wife, and pervert the Words (or Matters, as the Expreffion is tranflated in the Margin) of the Righteous. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayeft live, and inherit the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Which laft Clause implies that by receiving Bribes, and not following that which is altogether juft, they would provoke God by fome Stroke of Judgment to cut fhort their Lives,

In Prov. xvii. 23. it is faid, A wicked Man taketh a Gift out of the Bofom (i. e. fecretly) to pervert the Ways of Judgment, fignifying that he is a wicked Man indeed that receiveth a Bribe.

Thus wicked were foel, and Abiah, the Sons of Samuel, whom he made Judges over Ifrael, they turned afide after Lucre, and took Bribes, and perverted Judgment, fee 1 Sam. viii. 1, 2, 3.

And this Wickedness became general in the Days of the Prophet Ifaiah, see Ifa. i. 23, 24. where it is written, Every one loveth Gifts, and followeth after Rewards: they judge not the Fatherlefs, neither doth the Caufe of the Widow come unto them. Therefore, thus faith the LORD, the LORD of Hofts, the mighty one of Ifrael, Ah, I will eafe me of mine Adverfaries, and avenge me of mine Enemies.

This Declaration fignifies, that fuch Sinners are Enemies to God, and that he will avenge himself of them; and that they have Reason to fear a Deftruction from the Almighty, when he visits a Nation for Sin.

But gracious Promises are made to the Righteous, that fbaketh his Hands from holding of Bribes, for it is faid, He fhall dwell on high: His Place of Defence, fhall be the Munition of Rocks, Bread shall be given bim, bis Waters fhall be fure, Ifa. xxxiii. 15, 16. which Declarations import that altho' Perfons guilty of Bribery are obnoxious to the Miseries of a Day of God's Vifitation for Sin, yet that the Righteous, who abhor the taking of Bribes, may hope for the divine Protection, and be provided for, and comforted in Times of publick Calamities.

Many Sins bring Guilt. only on fingle Perfons, but a BRIBE is an accurfed Thing, which pollutes two Perfons, and renders them both guilty before God, and obnoxious to his Wrath, viz. the Giver and the Receiver of it, and the Nature of this Iniquity ought to be known to all Men, and abhorred by all Men, And the Action of the Giver, and the Action of the Receiver as to its Signification deferves ferious Notice,

The

The Intention of a BRIBE is to prevail with the Receiver of it, to do something in itself finful, as for a Judge to pafs an unrighteous Judgment on a Caufe, or elfe to do fomething, which the Receiver apprehended to be finful, and therefore was unlawful for him to do.

In both these Cafes the Giver endeavours to corrupt the Receiver, and engage him to fin against the holy God, to wound his own Soul, and expose himself to eternal Damnation; a dreadful Crime! vile in its Nature, and destructive in its Confequences, both to him that gives, and him that takes the Bribe. A fad Matter to be confidered by the Guilty; befide the Injury which may be brought on others by Means of a prevailing Bribe.

The Action of the Giver fignifies that he is a Man of corrupt Principles, that he fears not God, has no Regard to his Glory, and the Pleasing him, nor to the Welfare and Salvation of the Soul of the Person whom he bribes; it fignifies that he joins his Endeavours with the Devil's to ruin for ever the Perfon whom he has corrupted.

And the Action of the Receiver fignifies, that he is deftitute of a right, and good Principle, that he has yielded to, and been overcome by the Temptation, and that he has fold the Favour of God, and his Soul, and Salvation for the Price of the Bribe he has received.

Thefe Remarks have a like Foundation when a Bribe is given to prevail with any one not to do a Thing which the Law of God has made his Duty, or which he apprehends that God requires of him.

Both the Givers, and Receivers of Bribes, are Men of very corrupt Minds; and without fincere Repentance, and a thorough Reformation, they will never escape the Damnation of Hell, though they should be fuffered to escape Punishment in this World,

Thele

Thefe Things deferve the ferious Confideration both of thofe, who at Elections of Members to ferve in Parliament, give Bribes to engage Votes, and of those who receive them.

XIV. Persons who bear falfe Witness against others are another Sort of Sinners who have juft Reason to fear Punishment when God vifits a Nation for Sin.

Thefe are Tranfgreffors of the ninth Commandment, which fays, Thou shalt not bear falfe Witness against thy Neighbour, Exod. xx. 16.

The Prohibition is not limited to the bearing falfe Witness against others on Trials in Courts of Judicature, altho' that is a moft aggravated Kind of falfe Witness-Bearing, because of the Oath taken by Witneffes, wherein they appeal to God for the Truth of what they fay falfely. But a Man's Reputation, and Livelihood may be ruin'd by falfe Witneffes that are never called before Magiftrates.

A Man bears falfe Witness against his Neighbour, when he speaks that of another, which he knows to be false; whether it be in a Way of Affirmation, or Negation; whether he affirms of another that he fpoke fuch Words, or did fuch Things, which he knows he did not; or denies his having fpoken Words, which himfelf heard, or his doing Things which to his Knowledge the other really did.

All falfe Witneffes are Liars, and all Liars fhall bave their Part in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimftone, as it is faid in Rev. xxi. 8.

Wherefore (faith St. Paul) putting away Lying, Speak every Man Truth with his Neighbour: For we are Members one of another, Ephef. iv. 25.

A faithful Witness will not lie: But a falfe Witnefs will utter Lies, it is faid Prov. xiv. 5. and Verfe 25. a true Witness delivere:h Souls, but a deceitful Witness Speaket b Lies.