fant. He is of Opinion, that (c) even tho one 'made a Promife with an Intention of being oblig'd to it; the Obligation does not take place, provided there was no defign to perform the Thing promis'd' And the Reafon he gives for it is very curious, because, fays he, the Vow (and to be fure he wou'd fay the fame of an Oath) becomes null and void, if you have no Will to put it in • Execution.'

Let us ftop a little, to furvey this Cascade of Intentions, the finest and best contriv'd in Nature.

1. If a Man makes a Promise, with an Intention not to bind himself to keep it; this Direction of the Intention, according to Filliucius, actually excufes him from keeping it, and even gives him a Right to fwear that he did not make it.

2. If he doubts that he had an Intention to engage himself by a Vow, or an Oath, which he is fure he made, this very Doubt, according to Tambourin, difengages him from his Vow or Oath.

3. Nay, tho a Man had the best Intention in the World, and the fulleft Refolution to be oblig'd to his Promife; yet, according to Valentia, he is not oblig'd, when he has not the Will to perform the Thing promis'd. This is a Sample of the Jefuits Doctrine, how to make Vows, Promises, and Oaths, which are not binding. But I demand if this is not the Divinity of Cheats and Knaves.

An honeft Man, as Cicero, would tell you, The Foundation (d) of Justice is Faith; that is

(c) Scio Valenciam 2. ii. D. 6. q. 6. p. 1. cenfere: fi promittas animo quidem te obligandi, fed cum voluntate rem promiffam nullatenùs exequendi, tunc nullam exurgere obligationem, quia fi nullam habes voluntatem rei faciendæ, nullum emittis votum. Tambour. ib. L. iii. c. 12. § 1. n. 4.

(d) Fundamentum juftitiæ eft Fides, id eft, Dictorum conventorúmque conftantia-credamúfque, quia fiat quod dictum aft, appellatam fidem. Cic. de Offic. L. i. c. 7.

to

to fay, a Firmness and Truth in our Words, Pro• mifes and Contracts; and we believe, fays he, that Fides is fo called, quia fit quod dictum eft, be'cause that which is faid is done. That was the Divinity of the honeft Pagans: But to say that a Perfon is not the lefs honefter Man, because he does not keep his Promife; and to make all the Faith of Promifes depend upon the Will of not keeping them, that is as much as to fay, upon Infidelity it felf; because Infidelity in Promifes is nothing else but the Will of not doing what is promis'd; is not that the Divinity of Cheats and Pickpockets?

Yet, if we will take the Jefuits Word for it, they are the most admirable of human Beings; their Society being nothing less than the House of Wisdom (e), the Support of the Church--the City of God himself; of whom fuch glorious Things are faid, gloriofa di&ta funt de te civitas Dei. But tho all these Titles fhould be allowed them, which they give, as they fay, without Arrogance, to their Humble Society; wou'd it not cover them with the greater Confufion, because if they were allow'd, it would

(e) It was chiefly for the Honour of our Society, that the Wife Man fays in the 9th Chapter of his Proverbs, Wisdom hath built her House, and hewn out her feven Pillars. For may we not with Reason call that the House of Wisdom, on the • Front of which the eternal Wisdom of God was pleas'd to engrave his Name Jefus; the Name he affum'd when he con vers'd in this World. If you ask now where are the Pillars, I will tell you, that Perfons of great note, and even the Sovereign Pontiffs, have declar'd a long time ago, that God had rais'd up this Society to be the Support of the Church in thefe deplorable Times- -Therefore I may venture, yea undoubtedly, I may be allow'd, without arrogance, to afcribe to the HUMBLE Society of Jefus, that Oracle which the Prophet-King publish'd of Sion; that is to fay, of the Church of Jefus Chrift: Glorious Things are spoken of thee, O City of "God.' Thefe are the very Words of the Jefuits, in their Book of the Picture of the first Century of their Society, p. 704, and 582. The Original is in Latin.

be only to make them the more fenfible, that they have turn'd the House (ƒ) of God, if not into a Den of Thieves, at least into a Sanctuary for Cheats, and thofe well vers'd in the Arts of deceiving?

What is it, in effect, but mere juggling, which Sanchez teaches on the Art of fwearing by a double Entendre? that is, to fwear and not to fwear in a Breath So that by the means of fuch enfnaring Oath, you make others believe a Falfhood, without perjuring your felf. 'Tis a curious Secret, I profefs, and a very plain one too; for all the Myftery of it confifts in cutting off a Letter: but as curious and fimple as it is, it is no lefs than downright Fraud; which take as follows, and then judge of it. • When one goes to fwear, fays this antient Inhabitant of the City of God, or when ' one is prefs'd to take an Oath, fay Uro, which fignifies I burn (g), instead of Juro, I swear; which, whether you burn or not, would be but a venial Lye at most.'----I defire the Magiftrates to take notice of this, otherwise the Gentlemen of the Houfe of Wisdom may make Fools of 'em when they put them to their Oaths.

Here's another Secret of the fame Sanchez, which is of great help. If, fays this Contriver of double Meanings (h), a Man fhould fwear that he • has

(f) Matt. xxi. 13.

(g) Similiter non effet plufquam veniale mendacium dicere Uro, ablata j, cum verè nil urat. Sanch. L. iii. c. 6. n. 37.

(b) Si quis-juret fe non feciffe aliquid quod revera fecit, intelligendo intra fe aliquid aliud quod non fecit, vel aliam diem ab ea in qua fecit, vel quod vis aliud additum verum, revera non mentitur, nec eft perjurus, immo hoc eft utiliffimum ad tegenda multa-Caufa vero jufta utendi his amphibologiis eft, quoties id neceffarium aut utile eft ad falutem corporis, honorem, res familiares tuenda. -Item licebit refpondere fe

non

has not done a thing which in reality he has, meaning fome other thing within his own Breaft ' which he has not done, or fome other Day than 'that given for the Thing done; fuppofe it be be•fore he was born, or any fuch true Circumstance, he is neither perjur'd nor a Lyar.' • And, be adds, this is very convenient to hide many things. ---But the juft Cause of making ufe of fuch Ambiguities, is, as often as 'tis neceffary or useful for the Defence of one's Perfon, Honour, or Estate. 'So a Man may lawfully fay he did not kill Peter, meaning privately another Man of that Name, or that he did not do it before he was born."

Any one may judge from hence what the Jefuits would ftick at, if the Honour or Eftate of their Society were at ftake. But the chief Point to be confider'd, is, how manifeftly this Doctrine tends to make Oaths common, and to multiply the Occafions of Perjury. For when once a Man may be allow'd to fwear that he has not done a thing, tho he has done it, by a private meaning to himfelf that he did not do it upon fuch a Day, or before he was born; who is there that will not play with an Oath, and who will make a Scruple to perjure himself as often as 'tis for his Intereft, tho never fo little?

6

Now it was to restrain this Licence, and to combat the Doctrine which authorizes or rather teaches it, that Father Quefnel had wifely remark'd, in his Book of Moral Reflections, That (i) there is nothing more oppofite to the Spirit of God and the Doctrine of Jefus Chrift, than to render Oaths common in the Church; becaufe 'tis to multiply the Opportunities of Perjury, and lay

non occidiffe Petrum, intelligendo alium ejufdem nominis, vel etiam eundemmet, intelligendo antequam nafceretur. Sanch. ib. n. 15, 19, & 26.

(i) Prop. 101.

• Snares

I 3

• Snares for the Weak and Ignorant; and that it • fometimes proftitutes the Name of God for promoting ungodly Defigns.'---There could not be a better Representation of the fatal Effects of the licentious Doctrine of the Jefuits. But thofe Fathers, instead of fubmitting to the Truth which condemn'd them, have caus'd the Truth it felf to be condemn'd. They fingled out this Propofition from Father Quefnel's Book, laid it before Clement XI, and that honest Pope put it into his Bull, as one of thofe that were only fit to poison the Souls of Mankind.

Reli

But I demand of every Man that has any gion or good Senfe left, whether 'tis fit to accept a Bull which fo palpably condemns Truth and favours Error. Yet, if we will believe M. Languet Bishop of Soiffons, there's no other means to avoid Error and Death; and 'tis Infolence to exclaim against the Bull and its Author. Alas! fays be, with a mournful Tone, and the Stile of an Eclogue, Alas! the Sheep (k) that are now poifon'd, infolently prefume to bleat against the Shepherd, who drives them out of envenom'd Meadows; they are angry at his Watchfulness, and being more defirous of their Liberty than their Health, they have a fatal Curiofity to ftray into enfnaring Pafture, where they will quickly lose themselves, or find Death.?

Poor Prelate! I am fure that this Phrafe coft him a great deal of Study, and that one can't fay of him, () That he did not bite his Nails, nor ! rap the Table before he hatch'd it.' But when all's done, what are thofe envenom'd Meadows, that enfnaring Pafture, thofe poifon'd Sheep, and

(k) 1 Advert. p. 63.

(1) Nec pluteum cædit, nec demorfos fapit ungues.

Perf. Sat. i.

that