Phoenician Woman, 'till he had declared his Superior Good-will to his own Nation; and was prevail'd upon to heal the Daughter of a Roman Centurion, by hearing from the Jews, that he was one who lov'd their Nation, and had built them a Synagogue. But, to look out for no other Inftance, what was ever more moving, than his Lamentation over Jerufalem, at his firft Approach to it, notwithstanding he had foretold the cruel and unjuft Treatment he was to meet with in that City! For he forefaw the Deftruction which in a few Years was to fall upon that People; a Deftruction not to be parallel'd in any Nation, from the Beginning of the World to this Day; and in the View of it melted into Tears. His Followers have in many Places expreffed the like Sentiments of Affection for their Countrymen, among which none is more extraordinary than that of the great Convert, who wished he himself might be made, a Curfe, provided it might turn to the Happinefs of His Nation; or as he words it, Of his Brethren, and Kinsmen who are Ifraelites. This Inftance naturally brings to mind the fame Heroick Temper of Soul in the great Jewish Lawgiver, who would have devoted himfelf in the fame Manner, rather than fee his People perifh. It would indeed be difficult to find out any Man of extraordinary Piety in the Sacred Writings, in whom this Virtue is not highly confpicuous. The Reader however will excufe me, if I take notice of one Paffage, because it is a very fine One, and wants only a Place in fome Polite Author of Greece or Rome, to have been admired and celebrated. The King of Syria, lying fick upon his Bed, fent Hazael one of his Great Officers to the Prophet Elisha, to enquire of him whether he should recover. The Prophet looked

fo attentively on this Meffenger, that it put him into fome Confufion; or to quote this Beautiful Circumftance, and the whole Narrative, in the pathetick Language of the Scripture, Elifha Jettled his Countenance ftedfastly upon him, until he was afhamed: And Hazael faid, why weepeth my Lord? And he faid, Because I know the Evil that thou wilt do unto the Children of Ifrael: Their Strong Holds wilt thou fet on Fire, and their Men wilt thou flay with the Sword, and wilt dafh their Children, and rip up their Women with Child. And Hazael faid, But what, is thy Servant a Dog, that he should do this great Thing? And Elifha anfwered, the Lord hath fhewed me, that thou shalt be King over Syria.

I might enforce thefe Reasons for the Love of our Country, by Confiderations adapted to my Readers, as they are Englishmen, and as by that means they enjoy a purer Religion, and a more excellent Form of Government, than any other Nation under Heaven. But being perfuaded that every One must look upon himfelf as indifpenfably obliged to the Practice of a Duty, which is recommended to him by fo many Arguments and Examples, I fhall only defire the honeft wellmeaning Reader, when he turns his Thoughts towards the Publick, rather to confider what Opportunities he has of doing Good to his Native Country, than to throw away his Time in deciding the Rights of Princes, or the like Speculations, which are fo far beyond his Reach. Let us leave these great Points to the Wisdom of our Legiflature, and to the Determination of thofe, who are the proper Judges of our Conftitution. We fhall otherwife be liable to the juft Reproach which is caft upon fuch Chriftians, as waste their Lives in the fubtle and intricate Difputes of

Re

Religion, when they fhould be practising the Doctrine which it teaches. If there be any Right upon Earth, any relying on the Judgment of our moft Eminent Lawyers and Divines, or indeed any Certainty in human Reafon, our Prefent Sovereign has an undoubted Title to our Duty and Obedience. But fuppofing for Argument's fake, that This Right were doubtful, and that an Englishman could be divided in his Opinion, as to the Perfon to whom he should pay his Allegiance In this Cafe, there is no queftion, but the Love of his Country ought to caft the Balance, and to determine him on that Side, which is most conducive to the Welfare of his Community. To bring this to our prefent Cafe. A Man must be deftitute of common Senfe, who is ca pable of imagining that the Proteftant Religion could flourish under the Government of a Bigotted Roman-Catholick, or that our Civil Rights could be protected by one who has been trained up in the Politicks of the moft Arbitrary Prince in Europe, and who could not acknowledge his Gratitude to his Benefactor, by any remarkable Inftance, which would not be detrimental to the British Nation. And are these fuch defirable Bleffings, that an honeft Man would endeavour to arrive at 'em, through the Confufions of a Civil War, and the Blood of many Thousands of his Fellow-Subjects? On the contrary, the Arguments for our Steady, Loyal, and Affectionate Adherence to King GEORGE, are so evident from this fingle Topic, that if every Briton, inftead of afpiring after private Wealth or Power, would fincerely defire to make his Country happy, his Prefent Majefty would not have a fingle Malecontent in his whole Dominions.

No 6

Monday, January 9.

Fraus enim aftringit, non diffolvit Perjurium.
Fraud, instead of leffening, enhances Perjury.

Cic.

Ta Time when fo many of the King's Subjects prefent themselves before their refpective Magiftrates to take the Oaths required by Law, it may not be improper to awaken in the Minds of my Readers a due Senfe of the Engagements under which they lay themselves. It is a melancholy Confideration, that there fhould be feveral among us fo harden'd and deluded, as to think an Oath a proper Subject for a Jeft; and to make this, which is one of the most folemn Acts of Religion, an Occafion of Mirth. Yet fuch is the Depravation of our Manners at prefent, that nothing is more frequent than to hear profligate Men ridiculing, to the beft of their Abilities, thefe Sacred Pledges of their Duty and Allegiance; and endeavouring to be witty upon themselves, for daring to prevaricate with God and Man. A poor Conceit of their own, or a Quotation out of Hudibras, fhall make 'em treat with Levity an Obligation wherein their Safety and Welfare are concern'd both as to this World and the next. Rallery of this Nature is enough to make the Hearer tremble. As these Mifcreants feem to glory in the Profeffion of their Impiety, there is no Man, who has any Regard to his Duty, or even to his Reputation, that can appear in their Defence. But if there are Others

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of a more serious Turn, who join with us deliberately in thefe Religious Profeffions of Loyalty to our Sovereign, with any private Salvos or Eva. fions, they would do well to confider those Maxims, in which all Cafuifts are agreed, who have gained any Efteem for their Learning, Judgment, or Morality. Thefe have unanimously determined that an Oath is always to be taken in the Sense of that Authority which impofes it: And that those whofe Hearts do not concur with their Lips in the Form of these publick Proteftations; or who have any mental Reserves, or who take an Oath against their Confciences, upon any Motive whatfoever; or with a Defign to break it, or repent of it are guilty of Perjury. Any of these or the like Circumftances, inftead of alleviating the Crime, make it more hainous, as they are premeditated Frauds (which it is the chief Defign of an Oath to prevent) and the most flagrant Inftances of Infincerity to Men, and Irreverence to their Maker. For this Reafon, the Perjury of a Man, who takes an Oath, with an Intention to keep it, and is afterwards feduced to the Violation of it, (tho' a Crime not to be thought of, without the greatest Horror) is yet, in fome Refpects, not quite fo black as the Perjury abovementioned. It is indeed a very unhappy Token of the great Corruption of our Manners, that there fhould be any fo inconfiderate among us, as to facrifice the standing and effential Duties of Morality to the Views of Politicks; and that, as, in my last Paper, it was not unfeasonable to prove the Love of our Country to be a Virtue, fo in this there fhou'd be any Occafion to fhew that Perjury is a Sin. But it is our Misfortune to live in an Age when fuch wild and unnatural Doctrines have prevailed among fome of our Fellow-Subjects, that if One looks into their Schemes