e man
appearing to have acted openly and fairly, the creditors meet, and,
after a few consultations, agree to accept his proposals, and the man is
a free man immediately, gets fresh credit, opens his shop again, and,
doubling his vigilance and application in business, he recovers in a few
years, grows rich; then, like an honest man still, he calls all his
creditors together again, tells them he does not call them now to a
second composition, but to tell them, that having, with God's blessing
and his own industry, gotten enough to enable him, he was resolved to
pay them the remainder of his old debt; and accordingly does so, to the
great joy of his creditors, to his own very great honour, and to the
encouragement of all honest men to take the same measures. It is true,
this does not often happen, but there have been instances of it, and I
could name several within my own knowledge.

But here comes an objection in the way, as follows: It is true this man
did very honestly, and his creditors had a great deal of reason to be
satisfied with his just dealing with them; but is every man bound thus
to strip himself naked? Perhaps this man at the same time had a family
to maintain, and had he no debt of justice to them, but to beg his
household goods back of them for his poor family, and that as an
alms?-and would he not have fared as well, if he had offered his
creditors ten shillings in the pound, and took all the rest upon
himself, and then he had reserved to himself sufficient to have
supported himself in any new undertaking?

The answer to this is short and plain, and no debtor can be at a loss to
know his way in it, for otherwise people may make difficulties where
there are none; the observing the strict rules of justice and honesty
will chalk out his way for him.

The man being deficient in stock, and his estate run out to a thousand
pounds worse than nothing by his losses, &c, it is evident all he has
left is the proper estate of his creditors, and he has no right to one
shilling of it; he owes it them, it is a just debt to them, and he ought
to discharge it fairly, by giving up all into their hands, or at least
to offer to do so.

But to put the case upon a new foot; as he is obliged to make an offer,
as above, to put all his effects, books, and goods into their power, so
he may add an alternative to them thus, namely--that if, on the other
hand, they do not think proper to take the trouble, or run the risk, of
col