Thirteen Sermons - 1834 Author:William Cobbett Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: OB, GOD'S VENGEANCE AGAINST BRIBERY. " Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity : and, falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, a... more »nd ail his bowels gushed out."—Acts, chap. i. ver. 18. Bribery is the giving, or the taking of money, or some other thing of value, real or imaginary, as an inducement, or reward, to do, or to cause to be done, some act which the parties know to be wicked ; and, while there are few things more detestable than this in their nature, there are still fewer which have, in the affairs of mankind, effects so extensively mischievous. Yet, as in the case of drinking and gaming, "the frequency of the crime renders it less generally and strongly reprobated than it ought to be ; though, if we duly consider it, either in its nature or in its consequences, we shall-find that we are criminal, not only if we, directly, or indirectly, give it our countenance, but if we neglect any means within our power to expose it to hatred and to bring down upon it some portion, at least, of that vengeance which the Scriptures teach us is its due. Bribery must always be a deliberate act, a wilful sin, a deed committed against the loudly and distinctly expressed admonitions of conscience. Various are the particular motives by which the wretches who give bribes are actuated; but, he who receives a bribe is actuated, and always must be actuated by the base motive of lucre. Here are, indeed, thetempter and the tempted; but, so foul is the crime, that it is difficult to say, that the former is more criminal than the latter. In many cases the tempter is by far the most criminal; the deluder or instigator far more wicked than he who yields to the temptation, because there are many cases, where the tempted party is taken by surprise; taken at a moment whe...« less