pointed ever to be used, but when the fick have made, by their own choice, a special confession of some weighty matter, troubling their confciences, humbly and heartily defiring, that it may be used for their confolation. And as this is but seldom requested, and confequently the absolution seldom pronounced over any one; so whenever it is, it may and ought to be accompanied with such explanations, as will prevent any wrong conftructions.

But there ftill remains to be mentioned, on this occafion, another act of piety, receiving the holy communion: which, though not particularly appointed in scripture for the sick, hath from the earliest times been recommended to them, and practised by them; as a very fit expression of their thankful faith in the merits of Christ's death; their hope of a future refurrection, as members of his body; and their being in charity with ever other member of it, and all mankind: by the exercise of which graces in this manner, they obtain a title to fuch afsistance from above for going happily through their present time of trial, as must needs be highly valuable to every serious mind.

But then, to enjoy the true benefit of the ordinances of Christ, and the prayers and exhortations of his ministers, you should defire them whilst you are capable of duly attending to them, and acting upon the impressions made by them; not defer them to the last, when they can hardly contribute any thing either to useful direction, or well-grounded comfort; and perhaps may only encourage an imagination, most pernicious to the fouls of men, that a few formalities, in the conclusion of life, will atone for spending it ill. If we take refuge in religion with a bad heart unwillingly, it will be of no service to us: and if we really delight in its offices, we shall have recourse to them early; indeed we shall live in the obfervance of them always; only repeating them more frequently, and if possible, with more intenfe application of mind, as our need becomes more urgent. For thus our strength will increase with our burthen: and when our flesh and our heart faileth, God shall be the strength of our heart, and our por tion for ever. *

† Pfal. 1xxiii, 26.

SER

SERMON XXV.

ON LYING.

PROVERBS xii. 22.

Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they, that deal truly, are his delight.

NOTWITHSTANDING the advantages of reason, the condition of mankind would be very low, and indeed very unhappy, if we did not also excell the rest of the creatures, which inhabit this earth, in a greater power of communicating our thoughts one to another. They have much fewer wants: and are taught by nature, almost immediately, how to fupply them. But we are purposely formed to need and to give help in every thing, through the whole of our days: and therefore some ready and extensive method of fignifying mutually whatever passes within our minds was peculiarly necessary for us. Without this, no person would have more knowledge of any thing than he could attain of himself; or more assistance in distress from his neighbour, than mere conjecture would direct him to think needful, and unrequested goodness incline him to bestow. The pleasure also, as well as the benefits of society, would be reduced to a narrow compafs and life hang upon our hands joyless and uncomfortable. But our gracious Maker hath furnished us with several ways of doing what we find so requifite. Our actions and gestures declare our meanings, in many cafes, both clearly and strongly: and our looks have fignificancy, inexpressible any other way. The most intelligent of other animals come not near us in either of these respects. But yet articulate speech, our more distinguishing property, hath, on the whole, much greater pre-eminences belonging to it: and, together

VOL. I.

Nn

together with the improvement built upon it, of marking down words with ease in lasting characters, hath raised us to a much higher rank in the scale of beings, than we could otherwise have obtained.

Still unhappily, as every bleffing in the world may be fatally misused, so there is hardly any one bad purpose, which language, though granted for the most excellent good purposes, may not be, and hath not been, perverted to ferve. But it ferves the most such, and the most effectually, by being turned from its original defign of giving right information to those, with whom we converse, to the oppofite ore of leading them wrong: a practice so immoral and mischievous, yet so common; and fo often feeming to be not only serviceable to the deceivers themselves, but defenfible, or however not very blameable, in respect of fuch as they deceive, that few things are of more importance, than forming just notions concerning our obligations to veracity. And in doing this, though the principal point is to restrain men from taking over-great liberties, yet they must be guarded also against over-great fcrupuloufness: both because every precept ought to be represented fairly; and because, if this be not, some will be fufferers by observing, and others feel remorse for tranfgreffing, imaginary duties; while much larger numbers, perceiving the rules given them to be in part too strict, will take occafion from thence to flight them all.

In order then to state this whole fubject, I shall,

I. Shew, what things are to be reputed lies, and what

not.

II. Confider the pleas, which are made to justify fome forts of lying.

III. Those, which are brought to excufe others.

I. The leading question therefore is, what things are to be reputed lies, and what not. Now here,

1. Since actions and gestures, as well as words, may be employed to express what we think; they may be also employed to express what we do not think; which is the essence of a lie. Indeed some of our actions are naturally fignificative: whereas few of our words have any other import, than arbitrary consent and usage given them, as appears from the different languages of different nations. But then we have never confented to make our actions in general figns of our intentions, as

we

we have our words. And if persons interpret an action of ours to mean this or that, which hath no certain meaning affixed to it, we deceive them not, but they deceive themselves. Nor are we bound, in point of truth, to explain it, in order to prevent this: but in point of charity and humanity we are, if we apprehend, that they may fuffer any harm by mistaking, which we can obviate without fuffering proportionable harm in their stead. Such actions therefore, as have no determinate sense appropriated to them by agreement, explicit or implied, can be no violations of fincerity: but fuch as have, are subject to just the same rules with words; and we may be guilty of as grofs falfehoods in the former, as in the latter.

2. Words having acquired their fignifications by the mutual acquiefcence of mankind, may change them by the fame method. And not only fingle words may in process of time vary their sense greatly, but combinations of several words may come to have meanings, very different from what the terms, of which they are compofed, uninterpreted by practice, would lead one to apprehend. We all know what it is to be humble, and to be a fervant to any one. But a person, who, in the common acceptation of the words, taken separately, cannot fay he is either, may fafely affirm that he is both, when they are joined together into an usual declaration of mere civility. And in general, whatever form of speech, though false in its primitive sense, is true in that, which custom hath adopted, may be used in it without fault, to those who understand it right: for there can be no lie, where we have no purpose of deceiving. But still, though we may, and poffibly in fome cases must, comply with fuch phrases, when once they are established: yet the fewer of them prevail, the better, for several reasons.

The high ftrained expreffions of civility, which are so common, however innocent now, proceeded originally from a mean and fawning and fallacious difpofition in those who began them: and tended to nurse up vanity and haughtiness in those, to whom they were addressed. In proportion as they become sayings of course indeed, and lose their meaning, they may lose their mifchief. But if others of the fame fort are coined from time to time to fucceed them, this renews and perpetuates the mischief; befides the further inconveniences of making a language abfurd, and imprinting a character of flavishness upon it, under a groundless pretence of refining and polishing it. For none of

these flights were admitted amongst the best-bred people of the ancient world, till they had lost their good tafte, as well as their

virtue.

And as for the other phrases, of which custom hath changed or annihilated the signification, though, after this is done, they are no longer lies, yet they were lies all the while it was doing: and every new step, taken in the fame road, will be a new lie, till every body finds it out, and learns the fashionable interpretation of it. And, as these innovations cannot be foon received univerfally, they embarrass and intangle timorous minds very grievoufly, and tempt the irresolute to do what they apprehend is not lawful: while, at the same time, they give those, who are not so scrupulous as they should be, dangerous encouragement to become less so than they were. For fuch, perceiving themselves authorized by general practice, or perhaps being directed by particular orders, to say in some cases things that look extremely like falsehoods, will easily go on to venture upon the most real falsehoods in any cafe, when they have occafion for them. These liberties therefore should be as sparingly used, and, when they must be used, as carefully explained to all who are concerned in them, as possible: and a very serious attention shewn to prevent what a great and excellent man calls, our language running into a lie *.

3. As to all figures of speech, fables, allegories, feigned hif tories, and parables, those for inftance of our blessed Saviour, and others in scripture, intended only to convey instruction more agreeably or efficacioufly, there is evidently no room to condemn these, as deceits. And whenever things are either faid or written in such a manner, that the intention is vifibly different from what the words would else import, this can ne ver be a breach of truth, and may sometimes be a very proper and engaging way of recommending it. But the cafe is widely different, when perfons, with all the marks of feriousness, af firm what they will afterwards despise and ridicule others for believing. These are plainly designed falfehoods: and in a greater degree, or a lefs, injurious ones, When they do no worfe, they put mens understandings, and tempers too, on a fewere trial, without the leaft right or need: and, which determines the nature of them very clearly, if the hearer doth not expose himself, the speaker is disappointed. Surely this is foolish

Abp. Tillotson,