Seven treatises containing such direction as is gathered out of the Holy Scriptures, leading…Seuen treatises containing such direction as is gathered out of the Holie Scriptures, leading…

¹To this duty belongeth another, much agreeing with the former: that is, not to bewray a secret, when it may safely and without displeasing of God, be kept in: For both this and the former go so heavily to the heart of our neighbours, when they hear that we have no regard of them, where it might do them good; neither do spare, by enlarging of the report of that which §Iwas secret before, to increase their misery and infamy: though they have loved us before, yet now their hearts are turned from us (though that be their sin) for that they see us not bearing a part of their grief and sorrow with them, but to publish that, which we know of them, by want of love to them. For every truth,² and the whole truth, is not always to be uttered; although all kind of lying and slander be always to be abhorred. I say further, if we should speak of mens faults with bewailing them,³ or with a desire that they, to whom we utter them, might help to redress them; yet could we not be justified in so doing, except we have used all means which we know, to amend them, and (when there is no other remedy) go about the opening §Kof the same, as it were, unwillingly; and in loving faithfulness, reveal it only to such a one,⁴ as is likest and fittest to reform them, and not please our selves therein: In which case the house of Chloe sent word to the Apostle Paul, ⁵that there were dissensions in the Church of Corinth. But here let this be considered, that all reports of mens faults are not to be admitted, least we should nourish the slanderer, Proverb. 25.23. nor all such reports to be rejected, ⟨p. 185⟩§Aor coldly reproved, least we should embolden the offender, and the committer of them,