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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 ftill, though we may, and poffibly in fome Cafes muft, comply with fuch Phrafes, when once they are established: yet the fewer of them prevail, the better, for feveral Reasons.

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The high strained 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 nurfe up Vanity and Haughtiness in those, to whom they were addreffed. In Proportion as they become Sayings of Course indeed, and lofe their Meaning, they may lose their Mischief. But if others of the fame Sort 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 Slavishness upon it, under a groundless Pretence of refining and polishing it. For none of thefe Flights were admitted amongst the best-bred People of the ancient World, till they had loft their good Tafte, as well as their Virtue,

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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 Sep, 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 thefe Innovations cannot be foon received univerfally, they embarrass and intangle timorous Minds very grievously, and tempt the irrefolute to do what they apprehend is not lawful: while, at the fame Time, they give thofe, who are not so scrupulous as they should be, dangerous Encouragement to become less fo than they were. For fuch, perceiving themselves authorized by general Practice, or perhaps being directed by particular Orders, to fay in fome Cafes Things that look extremely like Falfehoods, will eafily go on to venture upon the most real Falfehoods in any Cafe, when they have Occafion for them. These Liberties therefore fhould be as fparingly used, and, when they must be used, as carefully explained to all who are concerned in them, as poflible: and a very serious Attention fhewn to prevent what a great and excellent

excellent Man calls, our Language running into a Lie a.

3. As to all Figures of Speech, Fables, Allegories, feigned Hiftories, and Parables, those for Inftance of our bleffed Saviour, and others in Scripture, intended only to convey Inftruction more agreeably or efficaciously, there is evidently no Room to condemn thefe, as Deceits. And whenever Things are either faid or written in fuch a Manner, that the Intention is visibly different from what the Words would elfe import, this can never be a Breach of Truth, and may fometimes be a very proper and engaging Way of recommending it. But the Cafe is widely different, when Perfons, with all the Marks of Seriousness, affirm what they will afterwards defpife and ridicule others for believing. These are plainly defigned Falsehoods: and in a greater Degree, or a lefs, injurious ones. When they do no worse, they put Mens Understandings, and Tempers too, on a fevere 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 dif

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appointed. Surely this is foolish Talking, and Jefting not convenient. Nor however little Hurt it may sometimes do, is the Sentence at all too fevere in general, which the wife King hath paffed upon it: As a Madman, who cafteth Firebrands, Arrows, and Death; fo is the Man, who deceiveth his Neighbour, and fayeth, Am I not in Sport < ?

C

4. Concerning ambiguous Phrafes, which in one Acceptation exprefs our Meaning truly, but in another do not; it must be observed, that when we are bound, by Promise or otherwife, to declare what we know or believe in any Cafe, we are bound to declare it in fuch Terms, as are likely to be well understood: else we fail of what we profess, or ought to do. And, even when we are not thus bound, we should speak of Things, if we can fafely, with Plainness and Simplicity. For not only this adds greatly to the Agreeablenefs and Inftructiveness of Converfation; but, which brings it under the prefent Subject, dark and doubtful Sayings often deceive People to their Detriment, and are too often defigned to produce that Effect. Yet still there may be Reason for Refervedness towards fome

Eph. v. 4.

c Prov. xxvi. 18, 19.

Perfons,

Perfons, even in Trifles. For they, who take the Liberty of asking any Questions, that may serve their Turn, will commonly discover almoft as much from the Silence of one, who is usually communicative to them, as from his fpeaking. And whenever, after all our Precaution, Silence will not conceal a Thing, which ought to be concealed, it must be allowable to speak upon the Subject in fuch a Manner, as to leave that Part of it involved in Obfcurity, which is not fit to be revealed. Nay, though we foresee it to be probable, that any one, provided he hath no Title to Information from us, will take our Words in a Sense, in which we do not use them; yet if that, in which we do use them, be a fair and natural one, and Nothing but his own Rashnefs leads him into Error; though, as I faid before, Charity bids us hinder it, if we conveniently can, yet Veracity requires it not. For when we design only to keep him ignorant of a Fact, it is his own Fault, if he will also believe a Fancy. But if we go further and lay Snares for him; if we give Affurances, which, in their obvious and univerfal Acceptation, are falfe, but only have a latent forced Construction, in which, after all, they just may be

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