Hercules, or any other Deity, whom they were pleased to honour with their notice; they required their fubjects and flaves to offer incense to the Emperor' own image, and to fwear by his name.

In short, the custom of profane fwearing has overspread the world. And yet this fingle plea of custom is all that can be alleged in it's excufe; while there is fuch a Multitude of the justest reasons that condemn it.

Paffing by the Idolatry there would be in fwearing by false Gods, with any real refpect to their authority, and the Abfurdity and Impiety united in the invocation of empty names; let us fuppofe the offence in question to confift in calling upon the Supreme Being in a form of words appropriated to swearing, yet without any par. ticular intention at the time seriously to request his interpofition; but merely to fignify, that we are angry perhaps, or

perhaps

perhaps merry; that we are fomewhat furprised, or scarcely fober; that we are very pofitive, or willing to be thought witty; or perhaps without any intention or meaning whatever.

And where is the mighty harm, it may be said, fince it is all in sport?

Sport! with whom? The Creator and Lord of the Univerfe? before whom the highest orders of celeftial Beings fall down, and worship? whom no man can fee and live? Is He a fubject for sport?

Or were He lefs great; confider, He

28.

is your Creator and Lord. You live, and Acts xvii. move, and have your being in Him. He made you what you are: He gives you

you

all have: He taketh away your breath, Pl.civ.29. you die, and are turned again to your dust.

28.

Nay, can defroy both body and foul in hell, Matth. x. Is He a fubject for fport? He gave his own, and only begotten fon to suffer

death,

death, to be crucified for your fins: Is He a fubject of fport?

As to religious matters, you have nothing to do with them. Are you fure of that? Can you demonftrate then, that there is no God who made you? No Saviour to judge you? You know at leaft that you must die: what if you fhould then find, that you have been mistaken ? will you stand such a hazard for sport?

Undertake fome bold profitable perjury. True wisdom indeed will condemn Matt.xvi. your conduct ftill. Alas! What is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lofe

26.

his own foul? But you will be able to reflect, that you had before your eyes, when you went aftray, the appearance of advantage; and were undone for what you once hoped might have been useful.

You look for no benefit from this vice:

do you receive any pleasure from it? It is wrong,

wrong, you must confefs; but fo delightful and sweet perhaps, that you know not how to abstain. Poffibly you have often resolved against it, but through the imbecility of human nature, to no purpofe; relapfing continually and almost unavoidably into a practice, which makes the whole comfort and fatisfaction of your life.

You must know your own comforts best. If you affert, that swearing is so prodigiously pleasing, who shall take upon him to contradict you? Only it will be a mystery, of which we cannot have any comprehenfion.

When a glutton, or a drunkard pleads the delight he takes in his intemperance; we understand that the appetites of hunger and thirst, which are neceffary to our fubfiftence, and to the gratification of which there is naturally annexed fome degree of pleasure, have been fo enlarged by excefs,

and

and perverted by abuse, that the poor Man finds a real difficulty in refraining from the exceffes that deftroy him.

The most intemperate rage, however dangerous and criminal, is but the extreme of the paffion of anger; the fatisfaction of which is the removal of a prefent pain, and the ultimate end of it, felf defence.

It might puzzle a Philofopher to trace the love of fwearing to it's original principle, and affign it's place in the conftitution of man.

Is it a paffion, or an appetite, or an inftinct? What is it's just measure, it's proper object, it's ultimate end?

Or fhall we conclude that it is entirely the work of art? a vice, which men have invented for themselves without prospect of pleasure or profit, and

to