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by degrees to think every thing good, that serves their turn, let others think it ever so bad; those others again will think themselves authorised by such examples to take the same liberties; and thus all trust and probity will be lost amongst men; a much greater evil, than any good, which falsehood may do now and then, will ever compensate.

And if telling lies, even from these plausible inducements, be so bad; what must it be, when they proceed from less excusable ones, as desire of promoting our own interest, or that of our party; and how completely detestable, when we are prompted to them by malice, or undue resentment, or any other totally wicked principle.

Nor is the practice less imprudent, than it is unlawful. Some, indeed, lie to raise their characters, and others do so to gain their points. But both act very absurdly. For they miss of their purpose entirely, as soon as they are found out; and all liars are found out; immediately, for the most part; but in a while without fail. And after that, every body despises and hates them; even when they speak truth, nobody knows how to credit them; and so, by aiming wickedly at some little advantage for the present, they put them. selves foolishly under the greatest disadvantage in the world ever after. "The lip of truth shall be "established for ever; but a lying tongue is but "for a moment."6 Beware, then, of the least beginning of a practice that will be sure to end ill. For if you venture upon falsehood at all, it will grow upon you, and entangle you; and bring you to shame, to punishment, to ruin. And, besides, what you will suffer by it here, your portion, unless you repent very deeply, and amend very thoroughly, will be with the father of lies here

(6) Prov. xii. 19.

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after. "For into the heavenly Jerusalem shall in "no wise enter whosoever worketh abomination, " or maketh a lie."7 "Lying lips are abomination "to the Lord; but they that deal truly, are his "delight."8

There is yet another sort of falsehood, often full as bad as affirming what we do not think; I mean, promising what we do not intend, or what we neglect afterwards to perform, so soon, or so fully as we ought. Whoever hath promised, hath made himself a debtor; and, unless he be punctual in payment, commits an injustice, which, in many cases, may be of very pernicious consequences.

Now, in order to secure this great point of speaking truth, besides considering carefully and frequently the before-mentioned evils of departing from it, we should be attentive also to moderate the quantity of our discourse, lest we fall into falsehood unawares. For, "in the multitude of "words there wanteth not sin; but he that re"fraineth his lips is wise."" Persons who suffer themselves to run on heedlessly in talk, just as their present humour disposes them, or the present company will be best pleased; or who will say almost any thing, rather than say nothing; must be perpetually transgressing some of the duties comprehended under this Commandment; which yet it is of the utmost importance not to transgress. For, with respect to the concerns of this world," He that loveth life, and would see "good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, "and his lips, that they speak no guile." And, as to our eternal state in the next, "If any man "seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, "that man's religion is vain."2

(7) Rev. xxi. 27. (8) Prov. xii. 22.

(1) Psal. xxxiv. 12, 13.

(9) Prov. x. 19.. (2) Jam. i. 26.

LECTURE XXVIII.

Tenth Commandment.

WE are now come to the Tenth and last Commandment, which is, by the Church of Rome, absurdly divided into two, to keep up the number, after joining the first and second into one, contrary to the ancient authority, Jewish and Christian. How the mistake was originally made is hard to say; but, undoubtedly, they retain and defend it more earnestly, in order to pass over the Second Commandment, as only part of the First, without any distinct meaning of its own; and, accordingly, many of their devotional books omit it entirely. But that these two ought not to be thus joined and confounded, I have shown you already; and that this now before us, ought not to be divided, is extremely evident; for it is one single prohibition of all unjust desires. And if reckoning up the several prohibited objects of desire makes it more than one Commandment; for the same reason it will be more than two. For there are six things forbidden in it particularly, besides all the rest, that are forbidden in general. And, moreover, if this be two Commandments, which is the first of them? For, in Exodus it begins, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's "house;" but in Deuteronomy, "thou shalt not "covet thy neighbour's wife." And, accordingly, some of their books of devotion made the former, some of the latter of these the Ninth 3 Surely,

(3) Their Manual of Prayers in English, 1725, puts, "Thou "shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife," for the Ninth. But in the Office of the Virgin, both Latin and English, called the Primer, 1717, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house," is the Ninth.

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the order of the words would never have been changed thus in Scripture, had there been two Commandments in them; but being one, it is no way material which part is named first. I say no more, therefore, on so clear a point; but proceed to explain this precept of "not coveting "what is our neighbour's."

The good things of this life being the gifts of God, for which all are to be thankful to him; desiring with due moderation and submission, a comfortable share of them, is very natural and right. Wishing that our share were better, is, in the case of many persons, so far from a sin, that endeavouring diligently to make it better, is part of their duty. Wishing it were equal to that of such another, is not wishing ill to him, but only well to ourselves. And seeking to obtain what belongs to another may, in proper circumstances, be perfectly innocent. We may really have occasion for it; he may be well able to bestow it; or he may have occasion for something of ours in return. And on these mutual wants of men all commerce and trade are founded; which God, without question, designed should be carried on; because he hath made all countries abound in some things, and left them deficient in others.

Not every sort of desires, therefore, but unfit and immoderate desires, only, are forbidden by the words, "Thou shalt not covet." And these

(4) Indeed the Vatican Copy of the Septuagint in Exodus, places, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," before "Thou shalt do 66 no murder." And so Mark x. 19. Luke xviii. 20. Rom. xiii. 9. and Philo, and part of the Fathers. But the Hebrew and Samaritan, and all translations, excepting the Septuagint, and even that in Deuteronomy, and I believe most copies of it in Exodus, and Matt. xix. 18. and Josephus, and another part of the Fathers, keep the now common order. And the Evangelists did not intend to observe the original order; for they put, "Honour thy Father," &c. last. And St. Paul doth not say, that he intended to observe it. This, therefore, is not a parallel case to that of the Tenth Commandment.

are such as follow. First, if our neighbour cannot lawfully part with his property, nor we lawfully receive it; and yet we want to have it. One instance of this kind is expressed, "Thou shalt "not covet thy neighbour's wife." Another is, if we want a person who possesses any thing in trust, or under certain limitations, to give or sell it in breach of that trust or those limitations. Or if he can part with it, but is not willing, and we entertain thoughts of acquiring it by force or fraud, or of being revenged on him for his re fusal; this also is highly blameable: for why should not he be left quietly free master of his own? Indeed barely pressing and importuning persons, contrary to their interest, or even their inclinations only, is in some degree wrong; for it is one way of extorting things from them, or, however, of giving them trouble, where we have no right to give it.

But though we keep our desires ever so much to ourselves, they may notwithstanding be very sinful. And such they are particularly, if they induce us to envy others; that is, to be uneasy at their imagined superior happiness, to wish them ill, or take pleasure in any harm which befals them. For this turn of mind will prompt us to do them ill, if we can; as indeed a great part of the mischief that is done in the world, and some of the worst of it, arises from hence. "Wrath "is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is "able to stand against envy ?" Accordingly we find it joined in the New Testament with "strife, "railing, variance, sedition, murder, confusion, " and every evil work." But were it to produce no mischief to our neighbour, yet it is the di

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(5) Prov. xxvii. 4.

(6) Rom. i. 29. xiii. 13. 1 Cor. iii. 3. 2 Cor. xii. 20.
Gal. v. 20, 21. 1 Tim. vi. 4. James iii. 14, 16.

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