Doct. A believing Christian is not to hide his eyes from beholding and observing the sins of his Brethren.

Doct. A beleeving Christian is not to hide his eyes from beholding and observing the sins of his Brethren.

Reas. 1. From the love we owe to our Brethren. God requires larger love towards our Brethren then towards our Ox or Ass, and yet God requires that if we see them lying under their burden, we should help them up, Deut. 22.4. Now if God require so much help to their beast, much more to our Brethren's souls, that if we see them going astray, or sinking under the burden of sin, we should raise them up again.

Reas. 1. From the love we owe to our Brethren. God requires larger love towards our Brethren then towards our Oxe or Asse, and yet God requires that if we see them lying under their burthen, we should help them up, Deut. 22.4. Now if God require so much help to their beast, much more to our Brethrens souls, that if we see them going astray, or sinking under the burden of sin, we should raise them up again.

2. From the love we owe to our selves; this benefit we shall reap by it, we shall learn to keep better watch our selves, when we see our Brethren fall, Rom. 11.20. We must not by their falls grow high-minded, and pride our selves that we are not so bad as they, but their falls must be our fears.

Q. With what eyes should we look at the falls of our Brethren?

Answ. 1. Look not at them with a partial or hypocritical eye, Mat. 7.3, 4, 5. But we must so look at the mote in their eye, as to see a beam in our own; we should see as great sins in our selves, or greater, if God did not restrain us, for we all have the same root of evil, and should break out into as bad distempers as any, if God did not hold us back.

Answ. 1. Look not at them wirh a partial or hypocriticall eye, Mat. 7.3, 4, 5. But we must so look at the mote in their eye, as to see a beam in our own; we should see as great sins in our selves, or greater, if God did not restrain us, for we all have the same root of evill, and should break out into as bad distempers as any, if God did not hold us back.

2. We must not observe them with a curious and censorious eye, for that is an inbred curiosity in us, that we love to be prying into other mens sins, not to heal them, but to censure them. This St. James reproves, ch. 3.1, 2, 3. Be not many M sters: that is be not of a Master-like spirit, be not busy in every mans matters, and censorious of them.

2. We must not observe them with a curious and censorious eye, for that is an imbred curiosity in us, that we love to be prying into other mens sins, not to heal them, but to censure them. This St. James reproves, ch. 3.1, 2, 3. Be not many M sters: that is be not of a Master-like spirit, be not busie in every mans matters, and censorious of them.

3 Look not at them with an envious, malicious eye. This Jeremiah complains of, ch. 20.10. All my familiars watched for my haltings. That's an envious eye, when a man watches for an advantage to undermine his Brother.

4. There is a wanton eye:

1. When a man is not humbled at the sight of his Brothers sins, but puffed up by it, like the proud Pharisee, Luk. 18.9, 10. he built his comfort on the falls of others. This the Apostle reprehends in the Church of Corinth, 1 Cor. 5.2. That there was fornication among them, and yet they were not humbled but puffed up, they magnified themselves that they were honester men.

1. When a man is not humbled at the sight of his Brothers sins, but puft up by it, like the proud Pharisee, Luk. 18.9, 10. he built his comfort on the falls of others. This the Apostle reprehends in the Church of Corinth, 1 Cor. 5.2. That there was fornication among them, and yet they were not humbled but puft up, they magnified themselves that they were honester men.

2. A man sees his Brothers sin with a wanton eye, when he thereby grows to imitate him; if such a man venture into such a course, I hope I need not stick at it. This God grievously complains of in the Church of Judah, that though she saw what her treacherous Sister Israel had done, and that God had therefore cast her off, yet she feared not, but went and played the Harlot also, Jer. 3.7, 8. Now all those heads of seeing our Brothers sins ought to be far from us.

2. A man sees his Brothers sin with a wanton eye, when he thereby grows to imitate him; if such a man venture into such a course, I hope I need not stick at it. This God gtievously complains of in the Church of Judah, that though she saw what her treacherous Sister Israel had done, and that God had therefore cast her off, yet she feared not, but went and played the Harlot also, Jer. 3.7, 8. Now all those heads of seeing our Brothers sins ought to be far from us.

Use 1. Hence learn not to neglect the falls of our Brethren, as if they belonged not to us, and we would neither meddle nor make with them. This was Cains spirit, Am I my Brothers keeper? Gen. 4.9. We should look at every mans sin as belonging unto us, and strive to heal them.

Ʋse 1. Hence learn not to neglect the falls of our Brethren, as if they belonged not to us, and we would neither meddle nor make with them. This was Cains spirit, Am I my Brothers keeper? Gen. 4.9. We should look at every mans sin as belonging unto us, and strive to heal them.

Use 2. To teach us to have a due regard to the falls of our Brethren, not to see them, and take no notice of them, but God requires we should observe them, and help them, and make use of them.

Ʋse 2. To teach us to have a due regard to the falls of our Brethren, not to see them, and take no notice of them, but God requires we should observe them, and help them, and make use of them.

What use should we make of our Brethren's falls?

What use should we make of our Brethrens falls?