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From this offer that Paul maketh, which is, to satisfy another man's debt, we learn that it is a lawful thing for one man to become surety for another, and to engage himself for his sure and faithful friend, of whom he is well persuaded. Howsoever suretyship be to some very hurtful, and to all dangerous, yet it is to none in itself, and of its own nature, unlawful or sinful, when the merciless creditor shall take his debtor by the throat and say, "pay me that thou owest."

I. And if we require better grounds to satisfy us in this truth, LET US ENTER INTO THE STRENGTH OF REASON TO ASSURE US, WITHOUT ANY WAVERING HEREIN.

1. Weigh with me the example of Christ, an excellent pattern and president of the practice of this, an example far beyond all exception, an example that overshadoweth, and dazzleth, and darkeneth, all that cloud of witnesses produced by the apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews; He became surety for His Church unto His Father, to pay the debt of our sins, and to satisfy His justice.

2. It is a fruit of love and brotherly kindness, even this way to relieve and help such as are like to suffer damage and detriment by want of outward things. There is no man so rich but may become poor; no man so high but may be brought low; as there is no full sea but hath his ebbing. Now humane society and Christian piety requireth that one should sustain and succour another in their necessity. We are commanded to help up our enemy's ox that is fallen, or his ass that is sunk down under his burden; how much more ought we to show pity and compassion to our brother himself, vexed with the creditor, terrified with the prison, oppressed with the debt, and dismayed and discouraged with the payment at hand that is to be made? So then, whether we do consider that Christ Jesus is made our surety, and that suretyship is a fruit of Christian love one toward another, in both respects we see that in itself it is not to be disallowed or condemned.

II. THE USES OF THIS DOCTRINE ARE DILIGENTLY TO BE CONSIDERED OF US.

1. If it be lawful to become surety one for another, it convinceth and confuteth those that hold it to be evil and unlawful, to give their word, or offer their hand, or tender their promise, for their brethren. Love is a debt that we owe to all men, as the apostle testifieth (Romans 13:8), and therefore we ought not to fail in the performance thereof.

2. Seeing we have showed it to be lawful to enter into suretyship (for if it had been simply and altogether forbidden Paul would never have proffered himself to be surety unto Philemon for Onesimus), this serveth divers ways for our instruction. For hereby we are directed to be careful to use it lawfully. It is good and lawful if a man use it well and lawfully. But if we use it and enter into it rashly, not rightly, ordinarily, not warily, foolishly, not wisely, desperately, not discreetly; if we entangle ourselves with it without much deliberation, without good circumspection, and without due consideration, it becometh unlawful unto us. Wherefore that this giving of assurance to others, and for others, either by our word or hand, may be performed lawfully to the good of others, and not the hurt of ourselves, we must mark and practise two points: —

(1)  Consider the persons of others for whom it is done.

(2)  Our own persons that do it; and these two are caveats for all sureties.Touching those persons for whom we become sureties, we must know that we are not to engage ourselves and our credit, for everyone that will crave it at our hands, and enter into bands for them, and promise us fair to see us discharged; but in such men, who oftentimes have a greater feeling of their own wants and necessities than of freeing them out of woe that have pledged themselves for them, we are to observe three things.

(a)  That they be well known.

(b)  That they be honest and godly.

(c)  That they be sufficient to pay that which they would have us bound unto another, to assure him that they will pay.

3. Touching our own persons, before we are to enter into band or suretyship for others we must mark and meditate upon two things.

(1) What is the sum for which we shall be obliged.

(2) The means how we maybe discharged. It standeth us greatly upon to bethink ourselves both what is the quantity, and what is our ability to answer it. It is a moral precept and wise saying, worthy to be written in our hearts, "be not surety above thy power; for if thou be surety, think to pay it." Let every man therefore well weigh his own strength. It were foolish pity for the saving of another man's life to lose our own. It were a merciless kind of mercy to leap into the water and drown ourselves while we seek to deliver another. We are commanded to bear the burden one of another, but it were more than foolish pity to break our own shoulders, by sustaining the weight and hearing the burden of another man. Again, as we are to mark our own strength, so we are to consider our own discharge, how we may be secured and set at liberty. For, before we pass our word, or give our band and hand for the payment of other men's debts and duties, we must know how we shall be assured to be delivered from that burthen and bondage that we have undertaken. We ought indeed to bear good will to all men, but our good will should not be a loser. It is no charity to receive a blow upon our own heads to keep the stroke from another. Know what kind of man he is for whom thou becomest a surety. If he be a stranger to thee meddle not with him; if he have broken his credit with any before, suspect him; if he be a shifting companion, discard him; if he be unsufficient to pay his own debt, deny him; if the sum be great and thy ability little so that it may hinder thee and thy calling, if thou be driven to pay it, enter not into it; and if thou cannot see which way thou mayest be freed from the peril and danger that hangeth over thy head, fly away from it as from a serpent that will sting thee, as from a canker that will consume thee, as from a gulf that is ready to swallow thee.

4. Seeing it is not unlawful or forbidden to bind a man's self by band or otherwise to another, it ought to teach all creditors and lenders not to be rough and rigorous over a surety. No cruelty toward any is lawful.

(W. Attersoll.)

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KJV: If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account;

WEB: But if he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, put that to my account.