And as the Inhabitants of Jerufalem were incorrigible, and did not repent of their Iniquities, the Holy God according to his Threatnings, inflicted on them deftroying Judgments. See Fer. v. 31. where he fays, Therefore have I poured out mine Indignation upon them, I have confumed them with the Fire of my Wrath: Their own Way have I recompenfed upon their Heads, faith the LORD GOD.

I may add, that Perfons under the like Guilt, have Reason to expect like Punishment; and therefore have Cause to be afraid of God's proceeding in the Way of his Judgments.

And happy for them will it be, if the Whoremongers and Adulterers; happy will it be, if all the filthy, the unchafte, the unclean Perfons of both Sexes, fhall confider the Evil of their Ways, and the Declarations of the Holy God againit them; if they fhall repent of their Sins, and feek the Forgiveness of them, and Peace with God through Chrift Jefus, before the Viols of his Wrath be poured out upon them.

XIII. UNJUST Perfons, are another Sort against whom deftroying Judgments are denounced in the Word of God.

UNJUST Perfons are all they, who either by Force, or Fraud, take, or with-hold to their own Ufe any Thing that is the Property of another.

These all are Tranfgreffors of the eighth Commandment.

This Clafs includes not only Thieves of every Denomination, but also Extortioners, and fraudulent Dealers with unjust Weights and Measures.

EXTORTIONERS are thofe Perfons who take Advantage from the Neceffities, or Ignorance of others, to constrain them to give more Money for the Things they buy, than is the Market-price, or to

perform

perform more Labour for Wages than is ufual according to the Custom of the Country, thus, e. g.

If the Sellers of any Commodity know the Buyers to be under a Neceffity of getting the Things they treat about, and that they can have them no where elfe, or that they are ignorant of the Value, and Market-price of them, and therefore exact from them a greater Price than they are worth, or than the Sellers would infift on, if the Buyers were not under fuch Neceffity, or fuch Ignorance, they are guilty of Extortion.

And if any Manufacturers, as a Method of Gain to themselves, shall keep for Sale to their WorkPeople, various Sorts of Goods, they at Times have Occafion for, and fhall oblige them to buy fuch Goods, when they do not want the Goods but the Money for other Ufes, they are Extortioners.

These two Sorts of Perfons are guilty of Tranfgreffing that divine Law, which fays, All Things whatsoever ye would that Men should do to you, do ye even fo to them, Matt. vii. 12. which implies, that All Things whatsoever we would that Men fhould not do to us, we fhould not, we ought not to do to them.

Thus God has manifefted his holy Will concerning our Conduct and manner of Dealing with others. And the Extortioners above-mentioned, would not like to be themselves treated in fuch Manner as they treat others.

I must add, that their Crime is abominable in the Sight of God, who delights in Mercy and Good

nels.

Let fuch Tranfgreffors read, and confider what is faid in Ezek. xxii. 12, 13, 14. Thou haft greedily gained of thy Neighbours by Extortion, and baft forgotten me, faith the LORD GOD. Behold, therefore I bave fmitten mine Hand at thy dishonest Gain, which thou haft made-Can thine Heart endure, or can

thine Hands be strong, in the Days that I shall deal with thee? I the LORD have spoken it, and will do

it.

Thefe Declarations fhew that God will deal with Extortioners in the Days of his Vifitation for Sin; and that their Hearts will not be able to endure the Tokens of his Wrath, or to fuftain the ftrokes of his Vengeance.

There is another Sort of ExTORTION, cruel in its Nature, and abominable in the Eyes of the Lord; that is, when Manufacturers or others conftrain the People they employ to labour for lefs Wages, than Custom, or particular Agreement has made their Due, or exact from them more Work than is ufually done for the cuftomary Wages; or on fome unreasonable Pretence with-hold from them Part of their Wages.

These may be faid to grind the Face of the Poor: They oppress the Hirelings, the People they employ to labour, and the Character of Extortioners juftly belongs to them.

Let fuch confider the Import of this Declaration in Mal. iii. 5. I will come near to you to Judgment, and I will be a fwift Witness-against thofe that opprefs the Hireling in bis Wages-and fear not, faith the LORD of Hofts.

And in James v. 4. it is faid, Behold the Hire of the Labourers, which have reaped down your Fields, which is of you kept back by Fraud, crieth; and the Cries of them which have reaped, are entered into the Ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, who will deal with fuch Oppreffors, and take Vengeance on them when he vifits for Sin.

In Levit. xix. 13. it is faid, The Wages of him that is hired, shall not abide with thee all Night until the Morning.

In Deut. xxiv. 15. it is written, At his Day thou fhall give him his Hire, neither fhall the Sun

go

down

upon

upon it, for he is poor, and fetteth his Heart upon it : left he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be Sin unto thee.

In Levit. xix. 9. are recorded the following Laws, viz. When you reap the Harvest of your Land, thou fhalt not wholly reap the Corners of thy Field, neither fhalt thou gather the Gleanings of thy Harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy Vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every Grape of thy Vineyard, thou shalt leave them for the Poor, and Stranger: I am the Lord your God. Signifying that the great God has compaffion for the Poor, and Strangers, and approves all Acts of Kindness done unto them; and that he is both able, and willing to recompence with his Bleffings, those who obey his Will, by leaving in the Time of Harvest, and Gathering of Fruit, Gleanings of their Harveft, and of the Fruit for the Poor.

In Deut. xxiv. 19. it is likewife enacted, by the fupreme Governor of the World, thus, viz. When thou cutteft down thine Harvest in thy Field, and baft forgot a Sheaf in the Field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: It shall be for the Stranger, for the Fatherless and the Widow: That the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the Work of thine Hands. When thou beatest thine Olive-tree, thou shalt not go over the Boughs again: It shall be for the Stranger, for the Fatherlefs, and for the Widow.

I have mentioned thefe Laws of our good God, because they manifeft his gracious Care for Strangers, and for the Fatherlefs, and for Widows in needy Circumftances; and because they are Laws always obligatory, they are divine Laws always binding all Perfons, in all Ages, who are concerned in Hufbandry, in Sowing, in Reaping, in Raising, and Gathering-in the Fruits of the Earth. We ought to think, and acknowledge that they are Laws ftill

in

in Force, fince God never repealed them, fince neither Men, nor Angels, can annul the Obligations of his Commandments, and fince divers Reasons of them, viz. the Wants of the Poor, and the Supply, and the Comfort they will have by Means of a due Obedience to thofe Laws: And I apprehended it the more needful to recite them, because many Landbolders, Farmers, and Poffeffors of Vineyards, and Olive Yards, and others employed in raifing and propagating the Fruits of the Earth are ignorant of them.

I must add one Declaration more, viz. that in I Cor. vi. 10. Nor Thieves, nor Covetous-nor Extortioners fhall inherit the Kingdom of God. Therefore we may reafonably conclude, that this hardhearted and cruel fort of Sinners, are obnoxious to the deftroying Judgments of God, when he is vifiting an ungodly Nation for their Iniquities.

I have further to obferve, that fraudulent Dealers, with unjust Weights and Measures, must be reckoned among the Tranfgreffors of the eighth Commandment, because by their Frauds they get fo much of the Buyer Money unjustly, as the diminished Quantity of the Goods fold amounts to in Value; and the ufing divers Weights and Measures, that is, Weights and Measures different from, and lefs than the Standard established by the Laws of the Country in which they live, is in Reality one Way of stealing Money from the Buyers.

Ye shall do no Unrighteousness in Judgment, fays the divine Law, in Mete Yard, in Weight, or in Measure. Juft Balances, juft Weights, a juft Ephab, and a juft Hin fhall ye have; I am the LORD your God. Therefore shall ye obferve all my Statutes, and all my Judgments, and do them; I am the Lord. Levit. xix. 35, 36, 37.

In Deut. xxv. 13, 14, 15, 16. it is faid, Thou halt not have in thy Bag divers Weights, a great and

E