Caufe he is not an Adulterer? If a Man were to give a falfe Oath in the most indifferent Thing in the World, it would be Perjury in all Refpects full and compleat; for an Oath is a Teftimony not to the Juf. tice or Injuftice of any Thing, but to the Truth of it: And if Perjury is in its own Nature a criminal Act (as undoubtedly it is) no Views which Men can propofe by forfwearing themfelves, be they ever fo just or laudable, will make it otherwife. In all Cafes then, let the Truth of an Oath be religiously observed; for which there is this further Reafon to be given, which every Man fould well confider, viz. That if once he can reconcile himself to a false Oath, he has gone a great Way towards getting the better of his Confcience; for in no Inftance does Confcience more Arongly bird.

There are other Abufes of Speech, which have no Relation to the Truth or Falthood of our Words; as,

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1. In the Matter we are now upon, that of Oaths. An Oath fhould be ufed not only with Truth, but with Reverence; for it is a folemn Act of Religion, as Prayer is. Prayer is an Act of Religion, as it is an Ack no ledgment of God's Sovereignty, and a Token of our Conviction, that all we have, and all we want, comes from him. An Oath carries with it the fame Confeffion, with this Difference only, that he who prays applies to the Goodness of God to give him good Things, whilst he that fwears appeals to his Juftice to withold, or take them away.

Men never shew themfelves fo unmindful of this, as when they get into a Habit of Swearing in their common Talk; in which there is fo little of Reverence, that there is fea ce any Thought or Meaning. But we are guilty of Irreverence, not only in this -Cafe, but in al Cafes where Oaths, how folemnly foever administered and taken, are made Ufe of to ferve fuch Purposes as may as well be answered without them. The Ufe of affertory Oaths feems, from the very Nature of them, to be confined to fuch Cafes only, where the Truth fo much depends upon the Ve.

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racity

an

racity and Credit of the Relator, that it is not otherwife poffible or eafy to come at it. For when a Thing is notorious, or may by other Ways fafficiently be made appear, to what Purpose is it to fwear? Agreeable to this is that Law of Mofes, Exod. xxii. 10. If a Man deliver unto his Neighbour an Afs, or Ox, or a Sheep, or any Beaft to keep, and it die, or be hurt, or driveu away, NO MAN SEEING IT, then fball an Oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his Hand upon his Neighbour's Goods. The Reafon of the Law, you fee, is founded in the want of Evidence, which if it could have been had, the Oath would have been needlefs. In prommiffory Oaths, by which Men engage themselves to fomething hereafter to be done, the Reafons for them will always be proportionable to the Opinion we have, or ought to have, of the Honefty and Integrity of the Perfon we have to deal with. If upon long Experience, I have always found a Man punctual to his Word, it would be impertinent to require him to confirm his Promife by an Oath. But this Rule takes Place in private Tranfactions only. Magiftrates muft proceed in another Manner; and in all Cafes where Oaths are judged neceffary, treat all Men alike, as if they were fufpicious, because ordinarily they are not to be fuppofed qualified to enter into the private Characters of Men; and Laws might eafily be defeated, and many Offences would be given, if it were left in the Breals of thofe who are empowered to adminifter Oaths for publick Ufes, to make Diftinctions of Perfons as they fhould think fit. All that Law givers have to confider is, whether an Oath, for the Matter of it, be requifite for the publick Security; and though in judging of this they may err as well as private Men, and fome. times require Oaths where they would be better spared ;yet it is an Obfervation very proper for private Perfons to take Notice of, that when a needlefs Oath is requi red by Authority, the Irreverence in fuch a Cafe is not chargeable upon him who, in Compliance with Authority, takes the Oath, but upon the Authority

that

that impofes it. I defire not to be mistaken: I am here fpeaking of unnecessary Oats, not of Oaths which Men cannot take without fwearing against their Knowledge or Perfuafion. To fwear falfly no one ought, in Compliance with any Authority, for no Authority can reach fo far. But when an Oath, for the Matter of it, contains nothing but what a Man may truly and honestly swear to, and the only Queftion is, Whether there are Reasons of Weight fufficient to justify the requiring fuch an Oath: I fay, that private Perfons have no Right to oppose their own Judgments to the Judgment of the Law. For private Judgment (in Things lawful, and which are of publick Concern) muft give Way to the publick Judgment, or nothing can be done. This fhews us then one general Rule, which, if we wou'd always follow, we should always be safe; and that is, never to ufe an Oath, but when we are called upon to do it by publick Authority. I do not fay that an Oath is never lawful to be used in private Tranfactions; but there is fo little Ufe of them in common Life, that prudent Perfons may generally avoid them.

2. In Cafes which concern the Reputation of another, Words may be culpable though they are not Lies; as in uncharitable Words. A Lie is when a Man fpeaks againit his Knowledge or Belief; but if ! believe an ill Thing of my Neighbour, I am not therefore juftified in reporting it; for I may be too hafty in believing it; and in that Cafe I am not clear of the Mifchiefs which may follow to my Neighbour from my Report. To give out an ill Report haftily taken up, is not fo bad as inventing or giving out a Lie; bat bad it is, no doubt. It is a Breach of that Charity and Tenderness which I owe to my Neighbour's Reputation. So it may also be, even if I know the Report to be true; for there may be, fometimes,, more Good done, and therefore more Charity fhewn, by concealing a Man's Faults, than by making them publick. To de Mischief, merely for Mifchief's fake, is fpiteful and cruel; and therefore, the Question in all s.efee

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thefe Cafes fhould be, Cui bono? To what End wil it ferve to publish my Neighbour's Faults? When a good Man is overtaken by a Fault, every one fees that it is Charity, both to him and to the Publick, not to expose him; because every Blemish in a worthy Example, takes away fomething from its Credit and Influence. And if a Man is even bad, it may be a Point fometimes worth confidering, whether his Vices, or his Example, will do mot Hurt. If I know a Man to be a Knave, I have a Right to warn any, whom I think fit, to beware of him; and the Ties of Friendship or Relation may, in many Cafes, oblige me to it: But if his Vices concern no body but himfelf, I fee no Reason that can enforce or warrant the Publication of them, unless it be the Hopes of reforming him; of which private Admonition will, or. dinarily, be a more likely Means; fince, when Men, by being publickly expofed, have conquered their Shame, they commonly grow the more hardened.

3. Words may be wicked, though they are neither Lies, nor have in them the Nature of an Oath; as in profane talking, or curfing. By profane talking I do not mean the Difcourfes of ferious and thinking Men, who have Difficulties about Religion, and offer their Objections in a proper Way; but rath, unfeasonable, and contemptuous Speeches uttered against God, or againt Chrift, his Worship, or his Mylleries, by Men who do not feek Information, but take a Pleasure in Thewing their Difaffection to Religion. It will be granted, I fuppofe, by all reafonable Judges, that before any Man ventures to talk against Religion, he ought himfelf to have well confidered it; for otherwife he will have no Right to the common Allowance that is due to a mistaken Judgment. And what is criminal in the firft Conception, will not be lefs but more fo, when it comes to be uttered by Words. So long as a Man keeps his Opinion to himself (be his Opinion culpable) he hurts no Body but himself; but when it is given forth in common, it becomes a common Mifchief. It is, I know, a favourite Point with fome,

that

that Men are not accountable for their Opinions; but there is nothing more falfe: For, why are we accountable for our Actions? Is it not because they are in our Power? If then our Opinions are in our Power, we must be accountable for our Opinions; and Opinions are certainly fo much in our Power, as it is in our Power to use or neglect the Means which are neceffary to qualify us to judge well. The Confequence of which is, that those who give out Speeches against Religion, founded upon Notions haftily taken. up, are Offenders, bo.h against God, and against Society; and become responsible, more or lefs, for every bad Effect which they may have upon weak and unftable Minds. But if Men have been ever so careful in their Enquiries, or are ever so much in earnest in their Diflike of Religion, one Rule should not be forgot, which is, never to allow themselves the Libertyof calling it in Question, but when it is seasonable to offer Reasons to fupport their Opinions; and then is it seasonable, when it is well understood, or there is Caufe to prefume, that others are difpofed to give Attention to what they have to fay. To condemn. bluntly, and without Ceremony, what another Man holds as facred, is rude and infolent; for to what Purpofe can it ferve, but to give Uneafinefs? And though. no Man ought fo be fo wedded to an Opinion, as to feal up his Ears against all Objections that may be offered in a reafonable Way; yet, furely, every Man has a Right to chufe when, and where, and with whom he will converfe. A Man may be no Bigor, and yet not like to be call'd upon in every CoffeeHoufe, to give an Account of his Faith; nor to have a religious Difpute obtruded upon him every Time be goes into Company, for his Bufinefs or his RecréaThis is an unreasonable Hardship; and those forward affuming Tempers, that will fpare neither Time, nor Place, nor Perfons, but impofe upon others the difagreeable Neceffity, either to defend Religionunfeasonably, or elfe to fit ftill and hear it abused, hould be treated as Disturbers of the Peace, and ba.

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nished.