Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1836-02-04
for their sin, YOU are chargeable with their

out reproof, and il isright he should. IT we
see them sin, and make no opposition, and
give no reproof, we consent to II, and coun-
tenauce them in il. If you see man prepn-
ing 20 kill his neighbor, and stand still and
do nothing to preVentit you consent, and are
Justly chargeable as accessory: In the eye of
God and In the eye of the law, you are just
" chafgeable with the same SIM So ifyou
see man committing any iniquity, and do
nothing TO resist il, you are guilty with him.
His blood will be upon his own head, but at
whose hand will God require it2 What says
God respecting Waterman "Son of man,
I have set thee O Waterman unto the house
Of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word
az my mouth, e. warn them from me. When
I say unto the wicked, o wicked man, thou
shalt surely die; If thou dost not speak TO
warn the wicked from his way, that wicked
man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood
will require at thy hand" This is true of
all men. Ii you suffer neighbor, who is
within reach Of your influence, opass on in
sin unwarned, be will die in his iniquity,
but his bloed shall berequired at your hand
.T 8. Your silence encourages him in sin.
He is authorized to infer from your silence
that you approve his sin, or, at least, that
you do not care for it 1t is an old maxim
that silence Is consent. Sinners doaregard
your silence as a virtual sanction of what
they do T, ssr l. "@%~'s ~
8. By reproving your neighbor who sins,
you may save him. s~'
What multitudes have been reformed by
timely reptoof! Most Of those who are sa-
we'd, are saved by somebody's rebuking them
for their sins, and urging them to repentance.
You may be instrumental in saving any man,
if you speakto him, and reprove him, aud
pray for him, as you ought. How many IN
stances there are, where single reproot has
been to the transgressor like the barbed ar
row in his soul, that ranked, and ranked,
the poison whereof drank up his spirits, and
he submitted TO God. have known iustan-
ces where even a look Of reproof has done
the work.
TO- If you do not save the individual re-
proved, your reproof may save somebody else
that may be acquainted with the fact.
Such cases have often occurred, where the
transgressor has not been reclaimed, but
others have been deferred from following his
example by the rebukes addressed to him
Who can doubt that, if professors of religion
were faithful in this duty, men would fear
encountering their reproofS, and th0 fear
would deter them from such conduct, and
multitudes who now go on unolushing and
unawed, would pause and think, and be re-
claimed and saved2 Will you, with such an
argument for faithfulness before you, let sim
ners 60 on unrebuked till they stumble into
hell7
IL. God expressly requires it.
The language Of the text is, in the origi
nal, exceedingly strong. The word is re
peated, which is the way that the eastern
languages express a superlative degree, so a.
to leave no doubt on the mind, nor the leas
uncertainty as to the duty, nor any excuse
for not doing it. There is not a stronge
command Of God in the Bible than this
j God has given it the greatest strength of Ian
guage that he can: Thou shalt in ami
mise rebuke him"-that is, without any ex
cuse, "and not bear his sim" not be acces
sorry to his ruin. 1t is maxim Of law tina
if a man knows Of murder about to be com
mitted, and does not use means to proven
it, he shall be held accessory before the fact
If he knows of murder done, and does no
endeavor to bring the criminal to justice, h
is accessory after the fact So by the Law
Of. God, if you do not endeaVor TO bring
known transgressor to repentance, you ar
implicated in the guilt Of his crime, and ar
held responsible to the throne of God.
IL. Ii you do it in a right manner, you
: will keep a conscience void of offence il
regard to your neighbor, whatever may
his end.
And you cannot do this without bein
faithful In reproof Of sin. A man does nc
live conscientiously towards God or mar
unless he is in the habit Of reproving trans
g1essors who are within his influence Thi
is one grand reason why there is so littl
, conscience in the church. In what respec
are professors of religion so much in tn
: habit of resisting their consciences, as in re
+ gard to the duty Of reproving sin ? Here
7 one Of the strongest commands in the Bible
, and yet multitudes do not pay any attentio
, to ii at. all. Can they have clear col
science 7, They may just as welpretend t
: have a clear conscience, and get drunk ever
r day. No man keeps the law Of God, {
: keeps his conscience clear, who sees sin an
, does not reprove it. He has additional gull
. who knows of sin and does not reprove
, He breaks two commandments. First,
becomes accessory to the transgressiOn of h
neighbor, and then he disobeys an EXPIRE:
S requirement BY refusing to reprOve his neigl
s Dor. IT,. ,,, -:
!, ID. Unless you reprove men for their sin
y you are not prepared to meet them In JUDD
e ment.
d Are you prepared to meet your childr'
1t in the Judgment, if you have not reprov'
70 nor chastised them, nor watched over thu
y morals Certainly not" you say. B
$ why "Because God has made it my du
e to do this, and he holds me responsible
/ it." Very well. Then take the case of al
&, other man that sins under your eye, or wit
i. in reach Of your influence, and goes doI
le to he'll, and you have never feproved hi
r Are You not fesponsible2 o, how many q
20 now groaning in he'll, that you have Sc
:, commit sin, and have never reproEed, a
> now they are pouring curses on your ne
because you never warned them. And hi
'Ie can you meet them in judgment?
y H. Unless you do this, you are not p
Id pared 70 meet God:a H.--.-3
IS How many there are, who professto Il