The works of George Swinnock, M.A

What wise man will ⟨p. 329⟩despise or deny a Mine to be Gold, because it hath some dross or bad earth with it? or will throw away a Beast, and say it is not good meat, because it hath guts and garbage in it? The Vermin of sin, may sometimes crawl in a cleanly holy person, though they be not allowed there; One act will not prove an habit, nor a few bad actions a bad person. If every sin unsaint a man, Satan will challenge the whole race of mankind as his own peculiar. When I see the course rather good then evil, my charity commandeth me not to think the man other then a Christian; Besides, How frequent is it for the malicious world to lay down false reports of the Saints, and shall I be their Peddler to take them up, and cry their rotten deceitful wares up and down the Country? The Priest under the Law, was not to judge presently of the Plague of Leprosy, but to shut the person suspected up seven days, and then to view him, and if the case were not clear, to shut him up seven days more, and after that, seven days more, before he was condemned; and what is the Gospel of this, but to condemn rash censuring of any, much more of the godly? Hath not my God told me, He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is a folly and shame to him? Prov. 18. 13. Lord, thou understandeth what an unruly member my tongue is, how hard to be kept within the bounds of sobriety towards my self, or charity towards others. O be pleased to undertake for me, and keep thou the door of my lips. It is not good to speak evil of those whom I know bad; but its much worse to speak evil of those who may prove good. Should I declare others failings upon certain knowledge, it showeth some want ⟨p. 330⟩of charity, but should I publish their faults upon a bare supposition, it would argue a want of honesty. O let me rather err on the right hand, in my charitable thoughts of those that are bad, then on the left, in my censorious opinion of those that are good; For though he may be evil that speaks good of others upon knowledge, yet he can never be good himself, that speaks evil of others upon suspicion.

What wise man will ⟨p. 329⟩despise or deny a Mine to be Gold, because it hath some dross or bad earth with it? or will throw away a Beast, and say it is not good meat, because it hath guts and garbage in it? The Vermine of sin, may sometimes craul in a cleanly holy person, though they be not allowed there; One act will not prove an habit, nor a few bad actions a bad person. If every sin unsaint a man, Satan will challenge the whole race of mankind as his own peculiar. When I see the course rather good then evil, my charity commandeth me not to think the man other then a Christian; Besides, How frequent is it for the malicious world to lay down false reports of the Saints, and shall I be their Pedler to take them up, and cry their rotten deceitful wares up and down the Country? The Priest under the Law, was not to judge presently of the Plague of Leprosie, but to shut the person suspected up seven days, and then to view him, and if the case were not clear, to shut him up seven days more, and after that, seven days more, before he was condemned; and what is the Gospel of this, but to condemn rash censuring of any, much more of the godly? Hath not my God told me, He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is a folly and shame to him?