That act of justice by which we restore to our neighbour whatever we have unjustly deprived him of, Exodus 22:1 . Luke 19:8 . Moralists observe respecting restitution,
1. That where it can be made in kind, or the injury can be certainly valued, we are to restore the thing or the value.
2. We are bound to restore the thing with the natural increase of it, that is, to satisfy for the loss sustained in the mean time, and the gain hindered.
3. Where the thing cannot be restored, and the value of it is not certain, we are to give reasonable satisfaction, according to a middle estimation.
4. We are a least to give by way of restitution what the law would give, for that is generally equal, and in most cases rather favourable than rigorous.
5. A man is not only bound to restitution for the injury he did, but for all that directly follows upon the injurious act. For the first injury being wilful, we are supposed to will all that which follows upon it. Tillotson's Sermons, ser. 170, 171; Chillingworth's Works, ser. 7.
Despite a stated reliance on the plain meaning of the Bible and the dictates of common sense, Buck's Theological Dictionary, first published in London in 1802, seeks to provide a textual basis for the evangelical community. By combining brief essays on orthodox belief and practice with historical entries on various denominations, Buck provided an interpretive lens that allowed antebellum Protestants to see Christianity's almost two millennia as their own history.Wikipedia
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